InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Shocking New Love ❯ Battle to the Death ( Chapter 19 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

A small trickle of blood dripped out of Inuyasha's mouth and he looked down at the arrow protruding from his side and the bloodstain on his kimono. Miroku got down from Kirara's back and ran up to Inuyasha. The half demon fell to his knees, weakened by the spiritual power around the arrow. Miroku knelt down next to him and took hold of the arrow. Inuyasha hissed in pain.

“Don't move, Inuyasha. This will hurt a bit,” he warned. He ripped the arrow out of Inuyasha and tossed it aside. Inuyasha bit back a scream of pain and stood up, moving over to Kagome. The others stood beside Kagome, looking down at her and Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru placed her gently onto the ground and stood up, pulling the Tenseiga out of its sheath. The blade glowed blue and he slashed it across Kagome's corpse. Everyone flinched, expecting Kagome's body to get sliced open. It didn't happen. The pink energy from the blade went into Kagome's body and slowly but surely, her wounds began healing. Inuyasha held one of Kagome's limp hands in both of his, stroking it gently.

“Come on… Come on…” he pleaded. A few moments later, Kagome drew in the first breath she had taken in hours. Everyone cheered and Sesshomaru smiled, putting the Tenseiga back into its sheath. Kagome's eyes fluttered open, the spark of life returning to them. She peered around the room at everyone then rested her gaze on Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru knelt back down, placing a hand on her shoulder. Kagome sat up, rubbing the back of her head with her free hand.

“Ugh, what happened…? And where am I…?” she asked. Inuyasha smiled and let go of Kagome's other hand, blushing a bit.

“You're in Naraku's castle,” replied Sesshomaru. Kagome's eyes widened.

“What the heck am I doing here?!” she exclaimed. A serious expression replaced the relieved one on Sesshomaru's face.

“Naraku killed you then brought you here. Kagura possessed you and made you do her bidding. I brought you back with the Tenseiga,” he answered. Kagome smiled and hugged Sesshomaru.

“Thank you…” she whispered. Sesshomaru hugged back.

“No thanks necessary…” Kagome broke the hug and looked at Inuyasha. Inuyasha smiled.

“How are you feeling, Kagome?” he asked. Kagome shrugged her shoulders.

“I'm fine. Inuyasha, you're wounded!” she cried, pointing to the arrow wound in Inuyasha's side. Inuyasha chuckled.

“This is nothing, hardly a scratch. Besides, you didn't shoot that arrow. Kagura forced you to do it,” he reasoned. Kagome smiled and nodded, giving Inuyasha a hug so he wouldn't feel left out. Inuyasha blushed a bit and hugged back. Kagome looked around at everyone.

“So, I was dead?” she questioned. Sango nodded.

“Yes. You were gone for about 3 or 4 hours,” she answered.

“Wow, that long?” Everyone nodded. Kagome got onto her knees and stood up, staggering a bit. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru caught her before she could fall.

“Don't move anymore, Kagome. You're not strong enough yet,” said Inuyasha. Kagome shook her head, smiling at him.

“No, I'm fine. Really,” she insisted. Inuyasha sighed and let go of Kagome. Sesshomaru supported her for another few moments then let go. Kagome managed to stand up straight, despite her temporary weakness. Then, from one of the pitch-dark hallways, footsteps could be heard. And they seemed to be getting closer. Kagome knelt down and picked up her bow, grasping it tightly and nocking an arrow into the bowstring. Sesshomaru put his hand to the Tokijin's hilt, ready to pull it out if necessary. Everyone who had a weapon with them gripped it firmly, ready for battle. An eerie laugh echoed through the room. Sesshomaru's muscles tensed. Kirara growled.

“Lord Sesshomaru, you've come. Inuyasha, I must admit that you've gotten stronger if you could defeat Kagura so easily,” said Naraku, stepping out from the shadows with his hands clasped behind his back. Sesshomaru huffed, glaring daggers at Naraku.

“Naraku… We meet again. It seems that you have gotten more powerful as well. Tell me, how is that? Are you perhaps using Kagome's shards of the Shikon Jewel?” questioned Sesshomaru, pulling out the Tokijin, it's blade gleaming in the dim light. Naraku smirked.

“Now why would you ask that?” he asked. Kagome felt around her neck for the bottle where the three Sacred Jewel shards she had were. It wasn't there! She glared at Naraku, aiming her arrow at his heart.

“Give the shards back, Naraku! Or else!” she threatened. Naraku laughed.

“Priestess, do you really want them back?” Kagome tensed her pull on the bowstring, pulling it back more.

“Yes, I want them back! Those shards don't belong to you!” she screamed angrily. Naraku stepped toward Kagome, his eyes narrowed. Inuyasha leapt in front of Kagome, pointing the blade of the Tetsusaiga at Naraku. The evil demon stopped, staring at him coldly.

“Stay away from her, Naraku! I will not let you kill her again!” shouted Inuyasha, his teeth clenched. Naraku's grin broadened slightly as he said, “What makes you presume that I want to destroy her, Inuyasha?” That confused Inuyasha greatly.

“Huh?” Sesshomaru growled slightly.

“What are you talking about?!” he hissed. Naraku glanced at Kagome lustfully, stepping closer.

“Apparently, she doesn't remember how she spent most of her time here,” he realized. Inuyasha pondered what Naraku had meant by that. Then it hit him. When Kagome was under Kagura's spell he wasn't paying attention to how she smelled. He sniffed the air around Kagome and detected a scent that gave him a very strong desire to kill Naraku. Sesshomaru noticed the smell too. He glared at Naraku, eyes glowing blood red. Deep growls rumbled out of him. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo watched him, puzzled.

“What's wrong?” asked Sango. Sesshomaru's hand tightened around the Tokijin; he bared his fangs.

“NARAKU, HOW DARE YOU TOUCH KAGOME! YOU'LL PAY WITH YOUR LIFE!” he roared, lunging at Naraku hatefully. Naraku dodged his attack, smiling evilly.

“I don't get it. What does he mean?” asked Shippo. Inuyasha looked over his shoulder at the little fox demon, a furious expression on his face.

“Kagome has his scent on her body. And Naraku has her scent on him as well,” he answered. Sango clutched her Hiraikotsu tightly, jumping off of Kirara's back. She ran up and stood beside Inuyasha, glaring at Naraku.

“I understand. That means that they were touching at some point,” she stated. Inuyasha nodded.

“And he's going to regret it,” he said. He let out a battle cry and ran at Naraku, brandishing the Tetsusaiga. Naraku laughed and leapt into the air, dodging Sesshomaru and Inuyasha. He hovered in the air and held something up. It was the Sacred Jewel! Kagome gasped.

“He has the whole Sacred Jewel!” she screamed. This made Inuyasha even angrier. Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara were being cautious. They knew that if Naraku had the whole Sacred Jewel, he would grow in power instantly. Naraku chuckled.

“Foolish ones. With the Sacred Jewel in my possession, you are helpless to defeat me,” he mocked. He pressed the jewel to the place where his heart was and, to everyone's shock and horror, it melted into his body! Naraku's body glowed purple and his eyes flashed black. Armor-like material began forming on his body. Two protruded out of his back then went back in, and one formed a shoulderplate. His eyes reverted back to normal, and he smirked maliciously down at the group.

"Naraku, where'd you get that much of the jewel from?!" demanded Kagome. Naraku smirked.

"I got the last remaining shards from a wolf demon and that boy known as Kohaku," he replied calmly. Sango gasped.

"Kohaku?! Where is he, Naraku?!" she shouted, glaring at the evil demon. Naraku said nothing.

"A wolf demon? Oh no... Don't tell me you killed Koga!" screamed Kagome worriedly. Naraku chuckled.

"I did. And I must say, seeing him die a slow and painful death was rather entertaining." Of course, Naraku didn't really kill Koga. But he enjoyed seeing Kagome miserable, so he lied about killing the wolf demon.

"I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU, NARAKU!" shrieked Kagome.

Sesshomaru's eyes were still bright red with rage and he leapt at Naraku with the Tokijin without thinking. Kagome screamed.

“No Sesshomaru, don't!” she warned. Naraku threw a barrier around himself and Sesshomaru collided with it forcefully. It sent him flying back and he slammed into the ground, hard.

“Sesshomaru!” cried Kagome, running up to him. “Are you all right?” Sesshomaru didn't answer. He stood up and put the Tokijin back at his belt, deep growls rumbling through him. He flexed his claws, fangs bared. A powerful demonic aura surrounded him, and he was engulfed in it. Kagome backed away, wondering what was happening to him.

“Kagome, back away from him! He's transforming!” warned Miroku. Kagome gasped and ran away from Sesshomaru, standing beside Kirara. Naraku hovered in the air watching, unworried about the transforming Sesshomaru. Inuyasha clutched the Tetsusaiga tightly, ready to fight if Sesshomaru began attacking anyone other than Naraku. The demonic aura encased Sesshomaru in a bright red light and it shot around the room. A few moments later, Sesshomaru crashed to the floor and the demonic aura surrounding him burst open, sending a strong gust of wind through the large room. Kagome held her skirt down in front and held her arm up in front of her face, trying to block the strong wind. Shippo got sent flying off of Kirara's back by the strong gust because of his size, and Miroku had to catch him by the tail and pull him back in. When the smoke cleared, Sesshomaru was no longer in his human form. He was now a large dog demon, 25 feet tall at the shoulder. The fluffy he wore over his shoulder was now a mass of fur that stretched from under his stomach, over his right shoulder, and ended at his left shoulder. His paws were large enough to crush at least three fully-grown mortals and his body was large enough to hold 50 fully grown men on his back at once. Poisonous saliva dripped from his mouth, eroding the floor it landed on. Growls deep enough to be mistaken for thunder from a distance rumbled out of his throat, his eyes gleaming red in the dimly lit room.

His long white and gray fur rippled like smoke in an unseen wind. Kagome gasped, her eyes wide with terror. She had remembered seeing Sesshomaru in this form once before, and that was around when she first started traveling with Inuyasha. Inuyasha got into a fight with Sesshomaru and had to fight his older brother for the Tetsusaiga. Sesshomaru was in his dog form at the time.

Naraku laughed.

“Lord Sesshomaru, you have transformed. I am impressed by your size. But size isn't everything, and you'll find that out soon enough,” he said. Sesshomaru snarled viciously and crouched down, snapping at Naraku ferociously with his sharp teeth. Naraku floated back, dodging a would-be gruesome deathtrap. He chuckled.

“Surely you can do better than that,” he mocked. His hair flowed behind him and he pointed at Sesshomaru. A dark cloud appeared over Sesshomaru and lightning shot out of it, colliding with him and sending a sharp, painful jolt of electricity through him. Sesshomaru howled in pain and dropped to his stomach, shocked by the electricity coursing through his body. Because of his size, when he made impact with the ground, the room shook and almost knocked everyone off of his or her feet.

“Sesshomaru!” screamed Kagome, running up to him with her bow clenched tightly in her hand. Inuyasha turned his attention to Kagome.

“Kagome, stay away from him! He might attack you!” he cautioned. Miroku jumped off of Kirara's back and ran up to Inuyasha, putting his hand on his shoulder.

“Wait, Inuyasha. Lets see what she does before jumping to conclusions, shall we?” Inuyasha considered this then nodded. Sesshomaru opened his bright red eyes and stared at Kagome, shifting his head a bit so he was looking right at her. Kagome slowed to a stop, looking cautiously at Sesshomaru. When she gathered up enough courage, she closed the gap between her and the large dog demon, kneeling beside him. A low snarl erupted out of Sesshomaru and he bared his fangs at the priestess. Kagome tried hard not to be afraid of him. She reached out with one hand and stroked the fur on one of Sesshomaru's large paws. A soft growl rumbled in Sesshomaru's throat, but it wasn't vicious: it sounded content. Kagome smiled slightly and rested her cheek on Sesshomaru's soft paw, still stroking it softly.

“It's okay, Sesshomaru… There's nothing to be afraid of… I'm not going to hurt you…” she whispered soothingly. Sesshomaru's penetrating gaze softened a bit at Kagome's comforting words and he struggled to stand, whimpering softly from his lightning-caused wound. Kagome stood up and ran her fingers through the long fur on Sesshomaru's hide, amazed at how soft it was. “Sesshomaru, don't push yourself. You're wounded,” muttered Kagome. Sesshomaru barked at Kagome and dug his sharp claws into the floor. He pushed himself up into a standing position, stumbling a bit. He caught himself before he fell over and managed to stand up tall. He bent his head down so he was face-to-face with Kagome. Kagome looked deep into Sesshomaru's big blood-red eyes and hugged his snout, closing her eyes. Sesshomaru closed his eyes and nuzzled Kagome affectionately with his nose.

Naraku was growing impatient but he was standing by, waiting for someone to make another failed attempt to kill him. He chuckled coldly.

“Lord Sesshomaru, Priestess Kagome, you seem to be distracted. Well then, I'll just send your friends to their deaths this very minute!” he shouted, his body glowing purple. He pointed towards Inuyasha and a bolt of lightning shot down from the ceiling, aiming directly at him! Kagome looked up and screamed, “INUYASHA, LOOK OUT!” Inuyasha, who was busy watching Sesshomaru and Kagome with jealousy hadn't noticed Naraku's attack and leapt out of the way of danger just in time. The bolt of lightning missed him by just inches. He back-flipped in midair and landed beside Kirara, whose fur was bristling with anger. Sango shouted, “Hiraikotsu!” and tossed her weapon at Naraku. Naraku whipped his attention to her and laughed, spreading his arms wide in a triumphant gesture.

“Foolish ones! You will never be able to harm me! Now, die!” he roared, sending a bolt of black lightning at Sango's Hiraikotsu. Sango gasped when the bolt redirected her Hiraikotsu back at her. It hit her in the stomach, sending her flying into a wall. She fell to the ground, unconscious. Miroku ran up to her, hoping her life wasn't in danger. He knelt down beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Sango! Sango, are you all right?” he asked worriedly. No answer. Inuyasha looked over at Miroku, an angry expression on his face.

“She'll be fine, Miroku. She's strong. Remember that time a while back when Kanna sent her weapon back? She lived. This will be no different. Now lets get him!” A determined expression appeared on Miroku's face and he stood up, clutching his Buddhist's Staff tightly.

“Alright,” he agreed. He looked over at Shippo, who was sitting on Kirara's head, shaking with fear.

“Shippo.”

“Yeah? What is it, Miroku?” asked Shippo.

“Watch over Sango,” ordered Miroku. Shippo nodded and hopped off of Kirara's back, bounding over to Sango and sitting next to her. Naraku snickered, his eyes glistening.

“Your efforts are in vain, Inuyasha,” he assured.

“That's what you think, Naraku. WIND SCAR!” Inuyasha slashed the Tetsusaiga's blade through the air and the Wind Scar shot towards Naraku at great speed, lighting up the room. It collided with Naraku's barrier and fought to cut it into pieces. Naraku smiled, confident that the Wind Scar wouldn't be able to get anywhere near him. He was right. The Wind Scar vanished, not even leaving any vulnerable spots on the barrier.

“WHAT?!” exclaimed Inuyasha. “THE WIND SCAR DIDN'T EVEN DAMAGE IT A LITTLE BIT!”

“Inuyasha, weren't you listening to what I just said? None of your methods will be powerful enough to break my barrier this time. The Sacred Jewel is making me invincible. None of your powers will work on me,” explained Naraku again.

Sesshomaru opened his eyes and pulled his snout away from Kagome's embrace, staring at Naraku. Kagome saw Inuyasha's Wind Scar fail to break the barrier, and was thinking of an alternate way to break it. There must be something… Of course! In the forest, when Naraku put up a barrier to protect himself, my sacred arrows were able to break through it, because the barrier was made by combining Naraku's demonic aura and the Sacred Jewel shards' power, she recalled, looking up at Naraku determinedly. She called to Inuyasha and Miroku, “There IS a way to break Naraku's barrier!” Inuyasha looked at her with disbelief.

“You serious?” he questioned skeptically. Kagome smiled and nodded, a confident expression on her face.

“Yes. Leave it to me,” she instructed, nocking an arrow to her bowstring. She aimed her arrow up so it would hit Naraku's barrier directly in the middle and narrowed her eyes in concentration.

“Please, hit the mark,” she whispered. With one final tug of her bowstring, she let the arrow loose. It sped towards the devious Naraku, a powerful sacred aura surrounding it. Shippo, wanting to help out, transformed into a bird, zooming up to Naraku bravely. Miroku looked up at the fox demon with shock. He had never seen Shippo act so brave. He usually quaked with fear when Naraku was nearby. The bird-shaped Shippo hovered next to Naraku, batting the air with his wings to stay up. Naraku glared at him.

“C'mon, ugly! Lets see what you got!” cried Shippo challengingly. Naraku grinned, holding his hand up in front of him, black sparks emanating from it.

“Perish,” he said, aiming his hand at Shippo. Black lightning shot towards Shippo, but the little fox demon twisted in midair, dodging it. The attack barely missed his wing by half an inch. Shippo laughed, zooming around Naraku, trying to distract him from Kagome's arrow. Naraku growled and kept attacking him. Miroku, Kirara, and Inuyasha didn't stand by and watch. Inuyasha kept lunging at Naraku with his blade, even though he knew it wouldn't do any good. Miroku pulled some sacred sutras out of his kimono and threw them at Naraku. Kirara roared and leapt at Naraku, fangs bared. Naraku, getting infuriated, sent a flurry of attacks at the four of them.

The sacred arrow smashed into Naraku's barrier, sparks flying from its tip as it tried to pierce through. Sure enough, the spiritual powers surrounding the arrow were able to break a hole through the barrier, causing it to completely disappear. The arrow broke when the barrier disappeared.

“She did it!” shouted Inuyasha triumphantly.

Naraku saw his barrier get destroyed and roared angrily, sending a bolt of lightning at Kagome. He then continued dodging and countering vicious attacks by Kirara, Miroku, Shippo, and Inuyasha. Kagome screamed when she saw Naraku's lightning heading straight for her. Just when the attack was going to hit Kagome, Sesshomaru barked ferociously and blocked it with his body, getting another sharp jolt of electricity through him. His lips curled back into a snarl, baring his huge, sharp teeth at Naraku. Kagome smiled gratefully.

“Thank you, Sesshomaru,” she whispered. Sesshomaru merely barked softly then bent his head down to Kagome's level, looking up at her. Kagome looked at him, confused. Miroku looked over his shoulder at Kagome and smiled a bit.

“I think he wants you to climb on,” he guessed. Kagome blushed a bit and looked at Sesshomaru, her eyes seeming to ask `Is that true?' Sesshomaru blinked his eyes in agreement. Kagome, uncertainly, climbed onto Sesshomaru's head and crawled up to his back. She looked over Sesshomaru's side and felt sick when she realized how high up she was. Sesshomaru lifted his head and looked over his shoulder at Kagome, barking softly, which probably meant, `Hold on tight so you don't fall off.' Kagome nodded and grasped the fur on Sesshomaru's back tightly, but still holding her bow as well. Sesshomaru reared up, roared and lunged at Naraku, his fangs bared threateningly. Kagome screamed, a little frightened.

Naraku whipped his attention back to Sesshomaru a little too late. With one mighty swipe of his paw, Sesshomaru smacked Naraku to the side, sending him flying back. Naraku yelled in anger and shock, glaring angrily at the demon lord. Kagome seized the risk to stand up on Sesshomaru's back and placed another arrow in her bowstring, aiming carefully.

“I'm warning you Naraku. If you harm any of my friends, I'll kill you,” she threatened, eyes narrowed. Naraku laughed, but with amusement this time.

“Priestess, just because you broke through my barrier doesn't mean it will be easy for you to kill me,” he mentioned. Inuyasha growled, holding the Tetsusaiga at the ready.

“Don't be so sure,” he said angrily. He grinned. If the Sacred Jewel is in his heart, then I'll just have to aim right there. If the Sacred Jewel is out of him, his powers will weaken and I can kill him, he decided. “Wind Scar!” Inuyasha's attack was directed at Naraku's heart, in hopes that it would remove the jewel from Naraku's body. Naraku laughed chillingly.

"Just try it!" he prodded. The Wind Scar collided with Naraku full-force, slicing him to pieces. Shippo did a loop-de-loop in the air, letting out a victory cry.

"Yeah, you got him! Way to go!" he congratulated. Inuyasha smirked. But his moment of triumph was cut short. Kagome pointed towards the massacred pieces of Naraku, a frightened expression on her face.

"Look! He's regenerating!" she screamed. She was right. All of the pieces of Naraku were melding back together, reforming into the dreaded villain. A few moments later, Naraku was pieced back to together, looking as though the attack had never happened. He chuckled in his throat. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru growled.

"You fools. I told you that your attacks are in vain. You do not possess the power to destroy me," reminded Naraku smugly. Inuyasha's hands were clenched around the Tetsusaiga's hilt so tightly that they were bleeding.

"Damn you, Naraku..." he snarled. "Blades of Blood!" Inuyasha swung one of his hands out to his side, sending a flurry of crystallized blood blades at Naraku. But within a few minutes, Naraku just regenerated himself again.

Kagome immediately began thinking of ways to kill Naraku without the risk of him regenerating himself. What do we do? Every time we attack him, he regenerates himself and regains his power. The Sacred Jewel must be why he can regenerate. So if we get the jewel away from him, he'll lose that power. But how can we destroy him? She wondered desperately. Sesshomaru reared up again and roared viciously, taking a great leap towards Naraku, eyes flashing eerily. The movement was so sudden that Kagome almost fell off of the dog demon's back. Naraku hovered out of Sesshomaru's way, dodging his claws yet again. Sesshomaru skid across the ground and stared at Naraku hungrily. His eyes flashed red and poisonous, corrosive saliva oozed out of his mouth. He turned his head then whipped it back, sending several drops of the poison in all directions, except behind him. Shippo cried out in alarm as the poison almost made contact with one of his wings.

"Be careful, everyone! That stuff is like acid! It will eat through anything in a matter of seconds," warned Miroku, dodging some of the poison himself. Inuyasha leapt out of the way of the corrosive fluid and landed beside Sango. Naraku got hit by some of the the corrosive saliva and cried out in pain and surprise. Sesshomaru gave a dog-like smirk at his small triumph. At that moment, Sango began regaining consciousness. Her eyelids quivered and opened. She groaned and pushed herself to a kneeling position with her hands, panting. Inuyasha heard Sango's groan and looked down.

"It's about time you woke up," he grumbled. Sango shakily got to her feet, bending down and shouldering the Hiraikotsu.

"Ugh... What'd I miss?" she asked.

"It's a long story. Enough chat, we can talk after we kill Naraku." With that, Inuyasha leapt forward, readying himself for any assault that Naraku may have had in store for him. Naraku was fully recovered from Sesshomaru's acidic saliva quickly and he had just about had it with the group.

"You will never defeat me, fools! Now, VANQUISH!" he roared. His eyes flashed purple and a large cloud of his suffocating toxic miasma erupted throughout the room. Shippo began coughing and changed from his bird form back into his fox demon form, falling back down to the ground. Since he, Kirara and Sesshomaru were full demons the miasma wouldn't kill them. But the others wouldn't be so lucky (even though Inuyasha was a half demon, he still wouldn't be able to withstand the toxic miasma as easily as a full-fledged demon could). Kirara roared and leaped into the air, catching Shippo with her teeth, holding him by the back of his kimono.

"Thank you, Kirara..." said Shippo while coughing. Kagome covered her mouth with one hand, coughing harshly.

"Oh no...! It's a miasma...!" she cried, trying not to breathe in the poison. Inuyasha coughed into his sleeve, trying to look for a way to get rid of the miasma; he could see none. Realizing that none of the mortals in the room would be able to survive in the now virtually airless room he shouted, "Kagome, Miroku, Sango get out of here now! You'll never be able to survive in here!"

"But Inuyasha-" began Miroku.

"Wh-what about you...?" coughed Sango, beginning to feel like she was going to pass out.

"I'll be fine! But you two and Kagome have to get out of here now! If you don't, you will all die from the poison!" barked Inuyasha insistently. Sango and Miroku nodded and ran out of the room, heading for the outside of the castle.

The miasma was making Kagome dizzy and she was having trouble standing up on Sesshomaru's back any longer. She was finding it extremely difficult to breathe as well. She just couldn't stop coughing.

Sesshomaru looked over his shoulder at Kagome when he kept hearing her cough. He realized that he had to get Kagome out of the room. If he didn't Kagome would die (again) at the hands of Naraku.

Kagome, unable to withstand Naraku's miasma any longer, passed out, falling off of Sesshomaru's back and heading for the ground. Inuyasha couldn't see her very well because his vision was beginning to get blurry from the miasma. But he heard Sesshomaru's loud roar and had a feeling that something was very wrong. In between coughs, he managed to call out, "Kagome?! Kagome, where are you?!"

Sesshomaru, not intent on saving Kagome while in his dog demon form because of a high risk of him hurting her, transformed back into his human-like form and leaped up to catch Kagome. He managed and landed gently, holding the girl bridal style. He growled when he heard Naraku laughing. How dare he laugh at this, he thought angrily.

"Inuyasha! Are you still here?" shouted Sesshomaru, trying to protect Kagome from the miasma. He could hear coughing and then a reply.

"Y-yeah, I'm here... Sesshomaru, where's Kagome...?!" questioned Inuyasha urgently.

"The miasma got to her; she passed out. She's with me right now," answered Sesshomaru.

"WELL DON'T LEAVE HER IN HERE! IF SHE DIES AGAIN, THERE'LL BE HELL TO PAY FOR YOU, SESSHOMARU! GET HER OUT OF HERE!"

"Wait, Inuyasha! I have an idea!" blurted Shippo. "Kirara please put me down!" Kirara obeyed and placed Shippo gently back on the ground, standing by in case she was needed. Shippo blindly reached into his fur vest and felt around for the object that would help. When he felt it, he pulled it out and said, "Got it!" The item he pulled out was something he used in battle with his fox magic: his Smashing Top. Holding one end of the string, he spun the top outward and cried, "FOX MAGIC SPINNING TOP!" The top grew larger in size and then something remarkable happened: the wind that was created as the top spun around rapidly was causing the miasma to blow away! Naraku was surprised greatly by this and his brow furrowed.

"What?! That's impossible!" he shouted.

"Keep it up, Shippo! It's almost all gone!" announced Inuyasha encouragingly, still covering his mouth and nose. Sure enough, a few moments later, the miasma was completely vanished from the room. Inuyasha took in several deep breaths after not being able to breathe for so long. Shippo called off his Smashing Top and put back into his vest, smirking triumphantly at Naraku.

"In your face, ugly!" he mocked, sticking his tongue out at the demon. Naraku glared at Shippo, showing that he didn't approve of being mocked. Shippo backed off nervously and ran behind Inuyasha.

"Uh, y-you can take over now Inuyasha," he stuttered, laughing nervously. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and shouldered the Tetsusaiga, tapping his shoulder with the blade in a threatening way.

"Looks like your plan to destroy all of us at once backfired yet again, Naraku. Why don't you just kill yourself and get it over with," he growled, smirking. Naraku chuckled.

"You may have survived my miasma, but the mortals who still have it in their lungs won't live for much longer," he stated, glancing at Kagome. Inuyasha whipped his attention to Kagome, who was lying almost completely limp in Sesshomaru's arms. He saw that her breathing was labored. Then he remembered Sango and Miroku. Even though they escaped, they still breathed in some of the miasma. Inuyasha glared at Naraku furiously and snarled, "You... you BASTARD!" He lunged at Naraku and began unleashing a string of attacks at him nonstop. Naraku managed to dodge a majority of them and laughed.

"Fool," he said calmly.

Sesshomaru looked down at Kagome, a concerned expression on his face. He glared up at Naraku, wanting more than anything to reap his revenge. He removed one of his arms from under Kagome's legs, holding her up with only his right arm. He took hold of one of her wrists, checking to see if she still had a pulse; she did, but it was very faint. She's not going to live for much longer... I have to do something to get this poison out of her lungs, thought Sesshomaru finally. Kagome's eyes opened slightly and she looked up at Sesshomaru.

"Sesshomaru..." she muttered weakly, her breathing coming out in shallow, painful gasps. Sesshomaru held Kagome closer. It felt rather comforting to Kagome.

"Don't worry, Kagome. I'll do anything I can to keep you alive..." assured Sesshomaru. Kagome smiled and cuddled closer to Sesshomaru's fluffy, closing her eyes again.

"Kagome..." muttered Sesshomaru worriedly. He was snapped out of his little daze when he heard something crash into the ground a few feet away from him. He turned to see what it was and saw that it was Inuyasha. Inuyasha sat up weakly and Sesshomaru realized that he had three long gashes in his side from what he guessed was caused by Naraku's claws (Naraku had the ability to change his appearance at will. Even though he didn't possess claws, he could always change his appearance so that he did). Inuyasha got to his feet, panting heavily. Sesshomaru smirked.

"Need help, little brother?" he asked mockingly. Inuyasha growled.

"Oh shut up... How's Kagome doing?" he asked.

"Not so good... The poison is spreading throughout her body rapidly. I don't know if she'll survive for very long..." answered Sesshomaru.

"WELL YA BETTER DO SOMETHING TO HELP HER, SESSHOMARU!" snapped Inuyasha.

"There's nothing I can do! All right then. Give me some suggestions if you think there's some way to get the miasma out of her lungs," prodded Sesshomaru, eyes narrowed. Kagome opened her eyes and looked over at Inuyasha.

"I'm fine, Inuyasha... Really..." she whispered, taking in several deep breaths of fresh air. Inuyasha glanced at Kagome, a worried expression on his face.

"How can you say you're fine if you have Naraku's poisonous miasma in your lungs?!" demanded Inuyasha.

"Don't yell at her!" snarled Sesshomaru, casting a warning glare Inuyasha's way. Inuyasha growled at Sesshomaru.

"Inuyasha, I'm fine now. As long as I have some fresh air in my lungs, I'll survive. Sesshomaru... please put me down..." requested Kagome.

"No, Kagome. You're too weak and in no position to walk," stated the demon lord.

"Please...! I'll be okay, don't worry..." assured Kagome, eyes completely open now. Sesshomaru sighed and nodded. He carefully placed Kagome down on the floor, hoping she would be able to take care of herself. Kagome forced herself to get to her feet and staggered a bit. There was still some poison in her lungs, but it wasn't a large enough amount to kill her. She hoped that Sango and Miroku didn't breathe in too much of the toxic miasma. If they did, they would most certainly die from the poison.

Naraku was growing impatient.

"Are you done? Because I'm about to fall asleep," he announced sarcastically, laughing.

"SHUT UP, NARAKU!" growled Inuyasha. Kagome whispered, "Inuyasha, distract him with your Wind Scar or something. I'll try to aim one of my arrows at his heart. I'm almost positive that's where the Sacred Jewel is." Inuyasha nodded.

"Yeah, I know. Well, it's worth a try. All right, I'll do it," he agreed in no more than a whisper.

"I'll get Sango and Miroku," offered Shippo as quietly as he possibly could.

"Okay, Shippo. After I get the jewel out of Naraku, we'll all attack him at once. Alone, we are weak. But together, we're strong," whispered Kagome. Inuyasha smiled.

"I am fairly certain you didn't come all this way just to talk to each other," said Naraku, annoyed. Naraku sent black lightning bolts at Inuyasha, confident that it would kill him as soon as it made contact. Inuyasha ran in a zigzag pattern, dodging the attack. Now it was time to put Kagome's plan into action.

"Shippo, get out of here, now! It's too dangerous to stay!" called Inuyasha, looking at Shippo and giving him a small wink, making sure that Naraku wouldn't be able to see it. Shippo nodded and squeaked, "Good luck guys!" while running out of the room. Naraku was unaware that he was going to bring Sango and Miroku into the room to help Kagome destroy him.

Sango and Miroku sat outside the castle with Jaken, Ah-Un and Rin, taking in deep breaths of fresh air. Sango sighed and looked up at the sky, which was still filled with stars.

"I wonder if they're all okay?" she muttered. Miroku put his hand on Sango's shoulder, looking at her comfortingly.

"I'm sure they're okay, Sango. You know as well as I do that Inuyasha would never allow Kagome to die. Neither would Kirara, Shippo or Sesshomaru," he said. Sango smiled slightly.

"Yeah. But for all we know, Kagome breathed in more miasma than we did. If she did, she's probably..." Rin, who was finally awake, shook her head.

"No, she can't be dead! Sesshomaru would never let anything happen to her!" cried Rin. Miroku gazed at the girl, a worried expression on his face.

"I pray to the gods that you're right, Rin... I'll be devastated if I find out that she's dead again..." he stated, a worried tone in his voice.

"Oh stop your complaining you human! It's getting on my nerves!" snapped Jaken. Sango glared at Jaken, her expression seeming to say 'If I hear one more word out of you, I'll smack that big mouth off with my Hiraikotsu.' Jaken seemed to get the message and shut his mouth, moving as far away from Sango as he could. Miroku chuckled at Jaken's cowardice. But on the other hand, whenever Sango glared at him like that he felt like running too. Miroku was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Shippo's voice.

"Miroku, Sango, we need your help!" Miroku looked over his shoulder and saw Shippo sprinting towards them excitedly.

When Shippo got to Miroku and Sango he collapsed to catch his breath from how far he'd run. As soon as he could breathe without panting, he spoke.

"Guys, you need to get inside right away!" he cried. Everyone was confused; even Ah-Un showed his confusion by cocking both of its heads to the side.

"What's wrong, Shippo?" asked Sango.

"Yeah. You're acting really strange," noted Rin, walking up to Shippo. Shippo looked around at everyone and started telling them why he was there.

"Okay. Kagome has a plan on how to defeat Naraku once and for all," he began. Sango, Miroku and Rin sighed, relieved, in unison. They were overjoyed to hear that Kagome was still alive.

"What about Lord Sesshomaru?!" questioned Rin and Jaken at the same time.

"Settle down!" squeaked Shippo, covering his ears. "Don't worry, Sesshomaru's fine!" Rin and Jaken sighed in relief. Before Sango could ask about Inuyasha and Kirara, Shippo said, "They're all okay."

"So what's Kagome's plan?" asked Miroku finally.

"As far as I know, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru are going to distract Naraku and Kagome is going to shoot the Sacred Jewel out of his chest with one of her arrows. Then, when Naraku is weak and caught off guard, we'll all combine our powers and attack him all at once. According to Kagome, that will definitely destroy him," explained Shippo. Sango and Miroku nodded.

"All right. Miroku, lets go," said Sango, standing up and shouldering the Hiraikotsu. Miroku nodded and picked up his staff, getting to his feet and walking after Shippo.

"Wait!" called Rin, running up to the three of them. Sango looked over her shoulder and asked, "What is it, Rin?"

"Take me with you!" pleaded Rin.

"What?! No way, it's too dangerous! You'll get hurt!" exclaimed Shippo, trying to reason with the girl. But Rin insisted that she tag along.

"Please, take me in with you! I may not know how to fight, but I really want to help out in whatever way I can!"

"Rin, don't be so foolish! What could a child like you possibly do to assist Lord Sesshomaru?" demanded Jaken. Rin looked over at Jaken, a confident expression on her sweet little face.

"Ah-Un hasn't gotten a lot of exercise lately, and I'm sure he really wants to fight some demons alongside Sesshomaru. I can ride him and he can protect me. Won't you, Ah-Un?"

Ah-Un nodded both of its heads and leaned them down to nuzzle Rin gently. Rin looked at Jaken desperately.

"Please, Jaken? Ple-e-e-e-e-e-ease?" Jaken looked at Rin's pleading eyes then at Ah-Un and sighed.

"All right, fine..." he grumbled, crossing his arms. Rin ran up to Jaken and hugged him happily.

"Thank you, Jaken! I promise I will be very careful!" she vowed, letting go of the little imp.

"If you're afraid, you should probably stay out here." Jaken huffed and said, "I'd never abandon my lord when he may need assistance. I'm coming with you, and that's final." Shippo nodded and led everyone into the castle.

Dodging another of Naraku's merciless attacks, Sesshomaru leaped into the air and landed beside Inuyasha. The two of them were in front of Naraku with Kagome about 10 feet behind them. Kirara was next to her, snarling viciously. Naraku was getting really annoyed at the two brothers, the feline, and the mortal priestess evading all of his attacks.

"You cannot dodge my attacks forever," he growled, black static-like lightning emanating from him.

"Watch me!" snapped Inuyasha. Naraku's body glowed a mixture of purple and black and a large lightning bolt shot towards Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, crackling with demonic energy.

"On the count of three," began Sesshomaru. "One..."

"Two..." whispered Inuyasha.

"THREE!" shouted both of them. They leaped to opposite sides, dodging the lightning bolt again. Naraku's eyes narrowed dangerously. Then Shippo and the others burst into the room, determined expressions on their faces. Sesshomaru was shocked when he saw Rin, Jaken and Ah-Un among them.

"Jaken, what is Rin doing in here?!" he demanded. Jaken gave a nervous laugh and replied, "She kept pleading me to come. She really wants to assist you, m'lord."

"If she gets hurt, Jaken, I swear on my father's grave that I will kill you in with the most painful method I can," threatened Sesshomaru. Jaken backed up into Ah-Un and stuttered, "Y-yes Lord Sesshomaru." Rin smiled and waved to Sesshomaru when they made eye contact. Sesshomaru merely gave her a small nod then turned his attention back to Naraku.

Kagome looked at Naraku carefully, trying to pinpoint exactly where the Sacred Jewel was. After a minute or so, she could see the glow of the jewel through Naraku's chest. Found it! Now all I have to do is get a direct hit, she thought. She got onto Kirara's back, stroked her fur softly and whispered to her in such a way that Naraku couldn't see her talking, "Now, Kirara..." Kirara roared and jumped into the air, flying towards Naraku at full speed, the tusk-like fangs protruding from her upper jaw gleaming in the dim light. Naraku whipped his attention to the two attackers and prepared to attack.

"Die," he said, smirking. With a battle cry, Naraku unleashed his attack on the young priestess.

"Kagome!" screamed Rin worriedly. Just when the lightning bolt was about to collide with Kagome and Kirara, Kirara rolled to the side. Kagome clung tightly to Kirara's fur so she wouldn't fall off. Now she had a clean shot of Naraku's heart. She was no more than five feet away from him. She quickly nocked an arrow and shot it, praying to Buddha that it would hit where she wanted it. Inuyasha clenched his hands into fists, watching intently. Come on... come on... hit the mark, he thought. Before Naraku had time to react, the purified arrow penetrated deep into Naraku's heart causing a scream from him. Sure enough, the Sacred Jewel burst out from Naraku's back, along with some blood and fell to the floor. Shippo leaped into the air, cheering happily.

“All right, she got him!” he squeaked triumphantly. Now that he didn't have the Sacred Jewel, the power Naraku gained from it vanished and he was left with only his original power. Naraku's expression turned dangerous and he ripped the arrow out of his chest, getting burned by the spiritual energy. But he was too angry to care about that.

“You wench! How dare you!” he growled. But without the Sacred Jewel he didn't have the power to transform himself into something else, so he had no way to attack. Kirara landed and Kagome got off of her back, taking another arrow and nocking it to her bowstring. Inuyasha smirked and held the Tetsusaiga at the ready.

“Naraku, the time has come for you to DIE! Everyone, lets do this!” he shouted. Everyone shouted, “Right!” and brandished their weapons, confident looks on their faces.

“Everyone, on the count of three!” started Kagome. “One…” Sesshomaru smiled and decided to help.

“Two,” he said. He and Kagome nodded to each other and shouted, “THREE!” Inuyasha and Sesshomaru let out their battle cries and unleashed their attacks. Inuyasha used the Wind Scar and Sesshomaru used the Tokijin's demonic energy. When these two attacks combined, it was a swirling mass of gold and blue demonic energy; a deadly combination in this case. Kagome screamed, “This is the end, Naraku!” and she shot the sacred arrow into the center of Inuyasha's Wind Scar and Sesshomaru's Tokijin attack, the pink spiritual energy mixing in with the torrent of blue and gold.

“Jaken, Ah-Un, it's our turn!” cried Rin, removing the muzzles from Ah-Un's two snouts. Ah-Un roared and shot an electric wave out of its two mouths, combining its attack with the others.

“Feel the power of the Staff of Two Heads!” yelled Jaken. One of the mouths on the Staff of Two Heads opened and a stream of fire shot out, aimed right at Naraku. Sango tossed her Hiraikotsu, Miroku threw four sacred sutras and Shippo shot a stream of his fox fire out of his hand. With a loud explosion, the eight different attacks collided with Naraku full force.

“DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL!!!” hollered Naraku over the noise of the attacks. Those were Naraku's very last words. After that, he disintegrated and left no trace of himself behind except his scent all over the castle. The smoke cleared and the room was silent except for everyone's exhausted panting.