I Believe in Yesterday

by Jade and Teresa

In the aftermath of the final battle, a terrible discovery is made. When Kagome learns to accept the new emptiness in her life, that void is suddenly refilled, but in a world where everything is different and second chances go without saying, what is ther

1. Sometimes the End is Only the Beginning

Oookay, so first of all, in case you guys didn't get the chance, let us all say our thanks to the censorship-happy fan that caused this story to be pulled down. There will now be two versions of the fic, as I am pretty sure I know where the offensive scenes were…even though we rated it R…oh well. Anyway, so now begins the gradual re-posting process. When we get to that point, I'll tell you where to go for an unedited version of whichever chapters need to be made Child Safe, or friendly, however you like to say it.

Hello everyone! Teresa here, one half of the authoress team bringing you this new story. Anyone who follows the work of Jade or myself, or actually, anyone who has read the author's notes of almost any of our stories knows that Jade and I are very close. In fact, aside from our personal relationship, I would hate to try and write creative works without Jade's help. We've always shared vague ideas, plot and character development, writing styles and various other details that go into bringing a quality work into creation. Therefore, a collaboration is something that for us, is almost as natural as writing the story on our own, since we still discuss our own stories in minute detail with each other, fleshing out plots and creating motivations. So yeah, we're pumped. I hope everyone enjoys this fic as much as we do!

I Believe In Yesterday

Prologue

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"I hate this shit." Inuyasha stood up and stormed out of the clearing in a high temper. Kagome sighed and let her eyes close wearily, blinking at the warm fire that she sat watching along with her other traveling companions. Minus Inuyasha, of course.

"It's okay, Kagome-chan." Sango offered, patting her friend on the shoulder and smiling reassuringly.

"I know…I know, he's just impatient. We're all a little anxious, aren't we?" Kagome glanced at her friends nervously. Miroku nodded slightly, the fire catching in his violet eyes and flashing there. Of course, the fact that Miroku looked as though he'd never experienced a moment of anxiety in his life did not do much to assuage Kagome.

"Yeah. We just don't know what to expect anymore." Shippo spoke up sleepily from Kagome's lap. His large green eyes were drooping closed with the weight of bone-deep weariness, and she ruffled his orange hair as he began to doze off.

"I think the problem is that we do know what to expect." Kagome spoke again after a while, worry deep in her brown eyes. "Just not when."

"Naraku is at the advantage in this case." Miroku spoke in his deep, lulling voice as he shifted slightly in his seat on the rock-encrusted ground. "He will have no trouble coming to us whenever he sees fit, and there is also the additional worry that aside from the shards in Kouga's legs and the few that we ourselves carry, he carries the entire Shikon no Tama. Also, whereas Inuyasha does not use the power of the jewel to aid him in battle, Naraku has no such reservations."

"I'm still worried about the new moon." Sango bit at her lip slightly, deep maroon eyes narrowing as she looked up to assure herself that the moon was indeed full that evening.

"That's right…I'm almost positive Kagura knows." Kagome busied herself with straightening the fur in Shippo's bushy tail. "So that means that Naraku must know. It would be the best time to try and take the shards."

"Or at least to eliminate Inuyasha as a threat." Miroku pursed his lips momentarily. "I get the impression that Naraku is not at all worried about any trouble from the rest of our little group."

"We may not be that strong individually, but I know that together, we can definitely defeat him." Kagome insisted, her face glowing with determination. "And anyway, once we return to the village, I'm sure I'll be able to convince Inuyasha to spend new moons in my world. It's safer for him there."

"Even so…it's a bit thrilling, isn't it?" Sango pressed her hands to her lap, trying to quell a grin of anticipation. "I mean, I don't like waiting and being unsure, but isn't it good to know that soon, everything will all be finished."

"It may not be for the best that things are decided, Sango." Miroku pointed out sagely.

"That's what makes it exciting, I think. Knowing that this time, it will be the last time. Naraku's not going to let us go if he has a chance at the shards, and we certainly won't be letting him get away alive." Sango explained, a bit breathless.

"And yet, it is saddening at the same time." Miroku sighed deeply, his hand moving to the side stealthily. "I know that it is highly unlikely that I will be able to travel with a pair of women so beautiful ever again in my life, and it grieves me deeply."

"Houshi-sama?" Sango's teeth were tightly clenched, but she still managed to sound relatively calm.

"Yes, Sango dear?" Miroku did not even move his hand away from where it was groping her bottom until she slapped him so hard it left a glowing imprint of her hand. Kagome sighed deeply.

"I think I'll go to bed." Kagome told them before excusing herself. She couldn't decide whether the fact that Miroku was still preoccupied with groping Sango on the horizon of such an important battle should calm her nerves or make them worse.

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Kagura leaned forward in the feather that led her ever closer to her destination. She could still hear Naraku's voice in her mind, repeating his orders for the fifth time as though she could forget a plan so simple. Ever since she had tried to betray him, he treated her as though she were utterly inept, incapable of even the simplest tasks without detailed instructions. I wish Sesshoumaru had killed him. It wasn't as if he isn't trying to do it now anyway. Idiot men and their damn pride. Pursing her lips in irritation, she caught sight of the battle ahead, showing that as he had told her, Naraku was distracting Inuyasha's little group of fighters for the time being. Now all that was left was for Kagura to follow her instructions.

Well, my version of them, anyway. Kagura couldn't help but smile as she landed at a distance and made her way toward the battle on foot. It didn't take terribly long listening to the yells and the clashing sounds of battle to tell that she had reached the very edge of the battleground. Momentarily, she paused to watch as the taijiya flew near Naraku on her cat youkai, throwing that overgrown boomerang at him before retreating to let the monk have his turn. Of course, Inuyasha was right in the midst of Naraku's extended youkai body, slashing and hacking at the limbs and tentacles that seemed to reform as soon as they were destroyed. And as predicted, her target was conveniently separated from the rest of the group, holding her bow taut, and arrow nocked and aimed, waiting for a clear shot.

These idiots have absolutely no gift for strategy. If they could organize themselves, they'd stand a much better chance of defeating Naraku. And I wouldn't have this perfect opportunity…Kagura smirked slightly and drew her fan, weaving a gentle, unobtrusive air shield that she used to separate Kagome from the rest of her friends, sliding the barrier all the way around the girl until she finally realized what was going on when suddenly, she couldn't move at all. If she tried to purify the youki, she could escape now. What does she think she's doing? Calling for help? That's the whole reason I set up the barrier in the first place, idiot girl. No one can hear you. Kagura rolled her eyes slightly as she let the winds bring Kagome to her, still bound and panicking without really getting anything done.

"Stupid girl, you're not much of an opponent, are you?" Kagura sighed as she hit the girl over the head swiftly and watched her drop almost all the way to the ground before sweeping her up with a well-placed swish of her fan. "Now then, I don't want to linger in case your friends realize…ah, there it is. And that woman as well…she should be of assistance." Kagura's eyes lit up in excitement as she sensed the aura she'd been hoping to feel approaching Naraku. Moving a safe distance from the battle, she pulled out a feather just as she detected something else moving in the direction of the battle. "Well, a little extra help never hurt anyone…" and with that, Kagura lifted off with Kagome in tow. All was going according to plan, and with a little luck on her part; she'd be free before the day was out.

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"Is that all you can do, Inuyasha?" Naraku laughed as the hanyou slashed at his seemingly endless limbs while Naraku himself dodged and darted in hits of his own at a leisurely pace. He could so easily destroy the little group of fighters now, but that would defeat the purpose of coming to them today. He wanted victory to be drawn out and sweet, utterly complete. He wanted to destroy Inuyasha with the full power of the completed jewel even as the pitiful hanyou tried desperately to avenge the death of his woman. Only such hatred could taint the jewel and make it black with evil that shined so beautifully only for him. Only that could satisfy Naraku.

I have her.

The voice in his mind caused Naraku to spare a quick glance to the skies, where he just spotted his detachment disappearing into the cover of the clouds that cast a gloom over the forest that day. Naraku had to laugh again. His plan was going perfectly, and if he wasn't entirely mistaken, the last two shards were racing toward him at that very moment. It was so tempting…should he stay and finish his collection? But no, he'd likely have to kill Inuyasha if he wanted to leave with the shards that the wolf youkai carried, and also…not that it made him nervous, but he could sense the approach of Kikyo and Sesshoumaru as well. He had known well enough that appearing so suddenly would bring his impatient enemies rushing in to kill him. Not that they stood a chance, but Naraku would rather not outstay his welcome.

"What the hell!? You think you're leaving, you bastard!" Inuyasha screamed in rage as Naraku pulled in his body and flew into the air in a swirl of noxious gas that pushed away the three fighters trying desperately to reach him. "Running away?! Get back here!"

"My work here is done, Inuyasha. Until we meet again!" with a burst of wild laughter, Naraku dissolved in a cloud of miasma to be swept away back toward his hidden castle.

"Inuyasha." A deceptively calm voice stopped Inuyasha from springing into the trees to try and chase after the youkai. "Naraku was here, was he not? You let him escape again, I see."

"Sesshoumaru, what are you doing here?" Inuyasha growled. He was in a high temper, and he didn't want to hear from his older brother how he had let Naraku escape yet again.

"He's gone." Kikyo stepped into the clearing then, her soul collectors floating around her lazily as she stated the blatantly obvious. "He came for her, then?"

"Her? Who do you mean?" Sesshoumaru turned to acknowledge the dead miko, who was taking in the scene with critically narrowed brown eyes.

"Dog crap!" a whirlwind appeared, and bursting apart, it revealed the prince of the wolf youkai tribe, Kouga. "Hey, what the fuck, where's Kagome?"

"Where's…" Miroku's eyes went wide as he looked around. Indeed, the young girl was nowhere to be seen.

"What…what the hell? She was just here…we were all fighting Naraku." Inuyasha was looking around frantically, his nose in the air as he tried to detect the presence of his companion.

"Idiot whelp. Did you not wonder why he would so suddenly appear?" Sesshoumaru was clearly disgusted that Naraku had tricked his brother so easily. "We have known for some time that he would make his final move soon. Did you not think he might develop some strategy?"

"Then…he wasn't here to fight us at all?" Sango's eyes went wide as she looked around the clearing, feeling as though she might vomit. "He…he was distracting us from Kagome?"

"Dog crap, you let him trick you?!" Kouga was in a fury. He was running about the clearing as he tried to catch Kagome's scent "How the hell can you be so…fuck, it was that bitch…" Kouga froze as he reached a spot near the trees.

"That's where Kagome was standing, firing arrows." Sango moved toward him with Kirara. "She was covering Shippo's escape back into the woods so that Naraku couldn't get him…"

As though on cue, the tiny fox youkai came bounding out of some nearby trees, huffing and looking extremely frightened. "You guys! You have to hurry! I just saw Kagura fly off with Kagome! You gotta save her!"

"I can't believe I let him trick me!" Inuyasha was working himself into a rage.

"I cannot believe you let him escape with your woman." Sesshoumaru was still rubbing Inuyasha's failure in his face.

"Fucking shit, Dog crap, you're such an idiot!" Kouga looked ready to beat Inuyasha senseless. "Leave this to me, I'll get Kagome back from that bitch and I'll kill Naraku while I'm at it!"

"No fucking way! This is my problem, not yours. Back off, wimpy wolf." Inuyasha growled at his rival.

"Obviously you failed to take care of Naraku once already, and therefore he will be my prey." Sesshoumaru told the hanyou calmly. Kikyo pursed her lips slightly before heading in the direction of where she could still sense Naraku heading back toward his castle.

"You may stay here arguing over who can kill who. I have business to take care of with Naraku." She stated in her typical cold and formal tones before stepping past the edge of the clearing and into the forest.

There was a pause as the hanyou and the two youkai blinked at each other for a moment or two, and then the entire group took off after Kikyo, knowing that they might well be on their way to the final battle they had been waiting to fight for so long now.

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"Ugh…gods…" Kagome groaned as she came to only moments after Kagura had disappeared into the clouds over the forest.

"You're awake. Good." Kagura smiled at her in a fashion that Kagome immediately decided was evil.

"Where are we going!? Inuyasha will come! He'll get you!" Kagome wanted to escape, but had the sense to realize that there wasn't much she could do since the only thing that was keeping her from plummeting through the clouds to almost certain death below was an enchanted feather controlled by her captor.

"Calm down, girl." Kagura sighed slightly. Technically, Kagome was older than her, but she acted like such a child when it was obviously a serious situation. "This situation can end several different ways, depending on how smart you are. Will you listen to me?"

"Yeah…" Kagome calmed down a bit, but she had edged away from Kagura, and was obviously eying the bow and arrows that were on Kagura's end of the feather. It was obvious that the young miko was not about to trust Kagura unless she was given good reason. Well, that was what the wind user intended to do.

"I would like to propose a truce." She spoke after a sufficiently dramatic silence. Kagome's jaw dropped open and wobbled so comically, that Kagura might have laughed had the situation not been so serious.

"Between…Naraku…and…" Kagome seemed to be having a very difficult time comprehending complex ideas at the moment, so Kagura tried again.

"Not with Naraku." She clarified. "With me. I have an offer that I think both of us can benefit from."

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked after a short pause of surprise.

"Right now, I am supposed to bring you to Naraku after disarming you. I have been told to deliver you to his private chambers where Kanna will drain you of your soul so that Naraku will have no problem killing you and stealing your shards at his leisure once he returns." Kagura watched the color drain from Kagome's face. "Yes, that's right. Naraku had no intentions of fighting you fairly from the beginning. He plans to complete the jewel, first with your shards and finally with those of the wolf boy. After that, he will have no problem eliminating his surviving opponents."

"Then…then…what do you want?" Kagome asked. Kagura smiled slightly, pleased to see that Kagome wasn't so dense that she was utterly missing the point of all this.

"I want to be free." Kagura's eyes flashed with the bright fire of rebellion that had been building from nearly the day that Naraku first created her. "I am not his delivery girl. I am not his servant, and yet…at the moment, I have no choice but to do as he says. And yet, already I have disobeyed him. If you do not agree to end it right now, if you cannot guarantee that he will be dead by the end of this next fight, I will have no choice but to kill you now rather than face his punishment when he finds out what I've done."

"What did you do?" Kagome asked, utterly confused. "You're taking me to the castle, aren't you? That's what he told you to do."

"He told me to disarm you." Kagura fingered the bow that was sitting on her feather. "I suppose I could discard this now, if you don't intend to use it…"

"No! Wait, we…we both have the same goal here, don't we?" Kagome almost lunged at Kagura to stop her from getting rid of her only hope of survival. "You just want Naraku dead, same as us."

"Exactly." Kagura gave Kagome a brilliant smile. "I knew you'd see things my way once I made the situation clear. Now then, shall I continue?"

"Yes, please." Kagome's eyes darted back toward the bow and arrow. Could she possibly be siding with Kagura? How could she be sure this wasn't another of Naraku's traps? She needed time to think, but it didn't look like she had any. "Wait a second…if you want Naraku dead then why are you going along with his plan at all? You could have left me as I was back there and we would have been able to kill him there."

"Please." Kagura snorted slightly. "As strong as Inuyasha has become, and as powerful as your arrows are, you know as well as I do that Naraku has become much too difficult for your little band to handle him on your own. But things will be different this time."

"What do you mean?" Kagome wanted to know.

"You're a priestess, aren't you? Can't you feel who's following us?" Kagura demanded testily. "Your little group of friends has been swollen with reinforcements. I would have been confident if only Sesshoumaru had sensed Naraku, but Kikyo and that wolf youkai also came toward his scent, his aura. Naraku thinks he's so clever…feels he has everything taken care of. You see, he's not leaving your friends any sort of trail to follow. I, however…" Kagura chuckled slightly. "I control the winds, and I have no problem whatsoever giving those dogs a clear path straight to the castle. Naraku will kill me if he finds out. But if my plan goes as it should, he won't find out. He won't have the time to think about it until he's rotting in hell where he can't do anything about it."

"You…you honestly want him dead, don't you?" Kagome's eyes goggled as she watched the youkai smiling grimly next to her.

"Of course. Would you like being ordered around and made to do whatever someone like him says? I'm the wind, and I won't be contained." Kagura spoke fiercely.

"But he created you." Kagome pointed out.

"So? Just because I owed him my life then means nothing now. More than once he has used my life as though it were something worthless. It may not be valuable to him, but I will not have it wasted just so that he can see how strong his enemies are." Kagura narrowed her eyes bitterly.

"If you want him dead so badly, why haven't you left him?" Kagome wanted to know. "You've fought against us before, when you could have been helping us from the start."

"It took me some time to see where my true enemies were. And even then, I couldn't have left him if I wanted to make any sort of difference. If I wanted to live, I had to at least pretend to serve him until the time was right." Kagura explained. "You see, he holds my heart and my existence in his hands. If he wants me dead, it is a simple matter for him. I wouldn't stand a chance against him on my own, even if I was armed with Shikon shards, I would have to take him by surprise and kill him in one blow to survive the encounter. I won't let him take my life away. I won't let him take me back into his body. I won't."

"Even so…you're moving against him now. Won't he just kill you the second he finds out?" Kagome asked.

"Not if I'm lucky. Hopefully, having to deal with all of you all at once unexpectedly will keep him too busy to deal with minor rebellions and mutinous detachments." Kagura explained. "And I knew there'd be some risk, no matter what. Even if I wasn't helping you now, if there ever was a chance that Naraku would be killed in the future, he'd force me to be his shield so he could escape. It's die now or later. I choose to die on my own terms. And the chance that he will be killed…that I'll finally taste that freedom I've longed for…it makes the risk well worth it. If you could kill him…I want you to know, I would never trouble you again. I'm not Naraku. I have no hopes to take over the world or wash existence in the darkness in his heart. I want only to live as I choose, and for that chance, I'd do anything. I'm risking my life already. Doesn't that show you how much this means to me?"

"I…when you began…I almost thought this was some sort of trick, but I have to say that I trust you, Kagura. I'm not the smartest person in the world, but I can see that your heart isn't lying when you speak to me." Kagome bit her lip nervously. "I'm with you. I'll help you to kill Naraku. After all, I've been after him for even longer than you, haven't I?"

"That's true." Kagura smiled slightly. "Now then, we don't have much time left, so I'd better tell you the plan. I'm going to deliver you to Kanna, but you won't be bound and your bow will be left at the door. She's not very strong and should give you no real trouble. You've seen her in battle before, and her only real asset is that mirror. While you're dealing with her, I'll intercept Naraku to tell him that you escaped, found some arrows lying around, and took Kanna out. That should give you enough time to finish her off and hide before he gets back. You don't want to linger in his chambers, trust me."

"Got it. Then what?" Kagome nodded sharply.

"I'll use the winds to hide your scent so that he can't find you, even though his sense of smell isn't much. Anyway, it shouldn't be long before your hanyou and his brother arrives with the rest of the fighters. I'll back you up in battle, but you can't waste time or make mistakes. Naraku's quite strong right now, as you well know." Kagura told the girl in a lecturing tone.

"Got it. Good luck." Kagome sucked in her breath as they began to cross a thick, complicated barrier that she knew was concealing Naraku's castle.

"Don't wish me luck." Kagura spoke only after they had landed and started into the largest building on the compound. "Concentrate on what you have to do. If you let my sister kill you, I'll be very disappointed."

If Kanna kills me, that will be the least of your problems. Kagome tried to clear her mind. Now…Kanna shouldn't be too difficult, if only she didn't let the youkai steal her soul. Before Kagome knew it, Kagura was leaving her in a room where the only other person was the pale nihility youkai girl. Kagome immediately lunged for her bow and arrows, left conveniently at the door as Kagura had promised.

So far so good, Kagome sighed at the proof of Kagura's honesty before she began firing arrows at the silent youkai girl across the room.

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Kagura felt like her heart was about to beat out of her chest she was so nervous, exhilarated, and terrified. If Naraku knew she was lying, her life would end in a matter of moments. She could see him ahead of her, walking across the grounds toward the building where she'd left Kagome only a few moments ago. Before leaving, she had stabbed her own shoulder with one of Kagome's arrows to make her story more believable, but at the moment, she couldn't feel the pain of the shallow wound, or the sticky heat of the blood oozing over her kimono sleeve.

"Kagura, what's happening?" Naraku's wicked eyes caught sight of her wound immediately, and apparently he took the distress on her face as a sign of trouble with Kagome. Kagura felt she would die of the relief.

"Kagome…I left her with Kanna, but the girl fought back. Kanna's badly hurt and I tried to stop her, but she got me with one of her arrows." Kagura managed to sound as though she was worried for her life. Yeah, because that's a real stretch of the truth.

"She's escaped?" Naraku's anger was nearly rolling off of him in waves, and Kagura took a step back in sudden fear. Could she possibly pull this off and survive to enjoy her hard won freedom? Or would he kill her right there for the bad news? "Fine. Kohaku will bring her to me."

"Of…course." Kagura had to hold back the string of curses that sprang to her lips. How could she have forgotten Kohaku? Naraku still felt that there was use for the boy before his shard was removed to complete the jewel, but most of the time, he didn't wander about the castle at all, so it seemed that Kagura had almost forgotten his existence.

What now? Kagura hoped that Kagome had at least finished Kanna off.

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Why can't I beat her? What do I do? Kagome was panicking. She was down to one arrow, which she had nocked on her shaking bow, aimed at the calm female youkai across the room. Every arrow she fired simply went straight into the mirror without really phasing the other girl. The arrows were made of her soul, after all, and that's what the mirror was for. Why didn't I think of this before? Kagome could feel tears welling up in her eyes as she began to panic. Naraku was coming, and Kagura couldn't hold him up forever. Why can't I just do this one thing right?

"Go!" She hissed as she let her arrow fly. It hit the mirror, and predictably, was absorbed by the enchanted glass. "I hate that stupid mirror." Getting a sudden idea, Kagome rushed forward and hit Kanna over the head with her bow, cracking the weapon and rendering it useless.

At least she's down for a while. That was stupid. Kagome sighed as she looked around for a replacement bow and arrows, but nothing in the room could even be modified to serve her needs. I better hide now. Naraku's coming. Just as she slid out into the hallway and began looking for the best way to escape, she heard footsteps approaching her. Panicking, she opened the nearest door and leapt into the room, which was empty except for a few neglected corpses. She looked around to see if one of them might have been thoughtful enough to die with a bow, but no such luck.

I hate my life right now. Grumbling under her breath, Kagome waited for the sound of footsteps to fade away before she reentered the hall and continued her search for a hiding place and a weapon.

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"Sesshoumaru-sama…he's late." Rin looked around the clearing mournfully as she fidgeted. "Jaken-sama's gone too. Rin's all alone." She sighed deeply before patting Ah-Un on one of it's massive necks. "Ah-Un misses Sesshoumaru-sama too, doesn't he?"

"Urgh." The two-headed youkai grunted in response as she climbed on it's back.

"Well…should we wait for Jaken-sama to bring back dinner, or should we follow Sesshoumaru-sama? He didn't say to wait…" Rin bit her lip, looking up in the sky in the direction that her beloved hero had disappeared. "Probably we're supposed to follow, right Ah-Un?"

"Urgh." The monster grunted again as she pulled it's reins slightly, indicating that it should stand up and get ready to move.

"Okay then, let's go find Sesshoumaru-sama! Go!" she smiled in delight as the beast took off into the air with her on it's back. She loved flying almost as much as she loved Sesshoumaru.

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"This trail is too clear." Kouga was the first of the group that was all heading toward Naraku's castle to comment on the strength of the smell that was left, leading them clearly toward their destination. Sesshoumaru offered a grunt of agreement, but did not comment further.

"Maybe it's a trick?" Sango spoke up as she lowered Kirara closer to the ground so that Miroku and her could be part of the conversation. Shippo didn't seem to be in the mood for talking as he clung to Kirara and occasionally let out a sob of terror for Kagome's sake.

"I don't think so." Inuyasha offered. "It smells like him, but it's not just that. It's got to be Kagura we're following right now. I can smell Kagome."

"But why would Kagura leave a clear trail when she can easily change the wind?" Miroku asked thoughtfully.

"Careless, probably." Kouga shrugged. "She must be in such a hurry she didn't think about it."

"Who can understand the heart of a woman?" Kikyo spoke up from where she was hitching a ride on Inuyasha's back. Sango and Miroku had exchanged looks when she had accepted Inuyasha's offer to increase the speed of their party, but no one had commented on the traveling arrangement so far.

"That bitch hardly counts as a woman." Kouga growled as he ran alongside the hanyou. Slightly above them, Sesshoumaru floated along at an impressive speed with his typical calm expression. "And anyway, we'll be there soon. Trap or not, I'm betting that we'll get a chance at Naraku today."

"He's right, you know." Sango whispered excitedly to Miroku. "I have this feeling…I think that we're really on his trail this time!"

"Me too. Perhaps it is nothing more than the strange aura that lingers in the air today, but I feel a sense of foreboding." Miroku told her.

"Don't worry, Miroku. All of us against Naraku? He won't stand a chance." Sango assured him, excitement coursing through her veins.

"Shit!" Kouga had run into what appeared to be an invisible wall, and everyone else screeched to a halt as he picked himself back up. "There's a barrier here." He purposefully avoided looking at Inuyasha, who was already smirking in anticipation as Kikyo climbed off his back and touched the barrier with a look of concentration on her face.

"Get out of the way, Kikyo. I'll break it!" Inuyasha pulled his sword out, the fang blade glowing red before he swung it back and then toward the barrier with a wild cry. The barrier glowed and crackled for several moments before dissolving under the force of the cut.

"Let's go." Kouga headed forward immediately, and no one hesitated to follow him in. Kikyo did not return to Inuyasha's side, instead walking slightly to the side of everyone else as they proceeded with considerably more caution than before.

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Kagura would rather not have to sit in a room with Naraku and a slightly dazed Kanna while waiting for the warriors to arrive. Would he suspect that she had led them here? Did he already know? Would he lash out at her whether he suspected her betrayal or not, simply because of his unpredictable anger?

Kanna stood up and moved to stand in front of Naraku. Kagura licked her suddenly dry lips. This is it. Look at the look on Naraku's face…he knows that something's just happened to his barrier. The mirror flashed, and there was the group that Kagura had been expecting to arrive for some time now, moving at an almost leisurely pace toward the central compound. Inuyasha was calling out Kagome's name, his nose in the air searching for a scent that Kagura knew he'd not be able to find. The girl was hiding under the porch after a close call with Kohaku's sickle and chain, and thanks to Kagura's winds, Naraku was none the wiser as to her location.

"Kagura." Naraku spoke after watching the mirror for a few moments. "I leave this to you."

"You…" Kagura bit her tongue immediately. He honestly expected her to kill Inuyasha, his entire group of friends, Sesshoumaru, Kikyo, and Kouga? Was she supposed to be a diversion so he could escape or something like that? Typical. I'm his meat shield. Trying not to stomp, Kagura left the room and noticed that she was immediately joined by a small group of Naraku's bees.

Of course I can't even be trusted to commit suicide properly. I will dance on your grave, you unbelievably evil prick. Kagura grumbled as she made her way out of the building. She spotted Kohaku prowling through the grounds, looking for Kagome and having no luck. Kagura spared a quick glance down through the boards that she was standing on. She detected a small movement and knew that Kagome must know someone was above her at the moment. Well, if she's going to pick a moment to run out from there, now would be a good time. Otherwise I won't even get to have Naraku kill me. I'll be killed before he can figure out what I did.

Taking a deep breath and pulling out her fan, Kagura headed toward the far off group that she was supposed to be attacking. No way I'm fighting against them. Even if I didn't want them to kill Naraku for me, I wouldn't last against them and I know it. Maybe…if I just pretend to fight? It had worked for her once before, it could work again. Although she wondered if everyone in that group would be keen on letting her escape after a few feeble attacks. Here goes nothing, she thought, striding forward.

----------

"It's her." The pure venom in Kouga's voice was enough to cause shivers to run up Sango's spine as Kagura approached them, her fan drawn but still held closed.

"Yo." She spoke once she had reached them. "I apologize, but I cannot allow you to go any further."

"You think you can stop us?" Inuyasha laughed out loud. "I'll kill you right now."

"You'll die for a master you hate? I knew you were a coward, but had not realized you were also an idiot." Sesshoumaru's cold voice rang out. Sango and Miroku exchanged confused glances.

"Kagura's mine!" Kouga called out, and the conviction in his voice was so strong that Inuyasha paused in drawing Tetsusaiga. "I owe her."

"Whatever." Inuyasha shrugged as though it all made no difference to him. "But if she kills you, I'm not letting her go just because you were too weak to get the job done."

"Is Kikyo ignoring her?" Sango asked Miroku. "Look, she's walking right past her."

"Maybe she senses Kagura's hesitance." Miroku suggested. "Her aura is pulling away from this confrontation."

"I'll leave this matter to you." Sesshoumaru stepped forward as well. "I'm continuing on."

"What the hell!? I'm killing Naraku! I told you already!" Inuyasha immediately protested.

"Naraku is my prey." Sesshoumaru spoke again as he walked right past an unresisting Kagura. "Do not mistake that, Inuyasha."

"Don't tell me they're going to fight each other again?" Sango rolled her eyes. "Can't they see who the real enemy is here?"

"I was gonna kill Naraku!" Kouga jumped into the argument.

"Excuse me? I'm still here." Kagura lifted her fan to draw attention to her presence. "Don't make me attack while I'm being ignored. I so enjoy it when I have my opponent's attention."

"Bring it on!" Kouga turned away from the argument with Inuyasha and the gradually disappearing Sesshoumaru.

"No!" a familiar voice called out, and everyone turned to look at a figure just rounding the bend toward them, looking a bit dirty and slightly worse for the wear. It was Kagome, with Kohaku hot on her heels. "She's on our side!"

"What the hell are you talking about, woman!?" Inuyasha barked out his confusion. "She's Naraku's servant!"

"She kidnapped you!" Kouga added, ready to strike the youkai who was now facing Kagome, her back to Kouga.

"It's not like you think!" Kagome called out, but right then, Kagura swept her fan out, blades of wind racing in Kagome's direction. The girl froze, but not one blade hit her, and instead she heard a grunt of pain from the boy that had been about to strike her. "See?" she indicated the wounded Kohaku who was on the ground and didn't show any signs of moving.

I'm dead. Naraku must have seen all that. He'll kill me any second. Kagura felt her heart sink in despair as she realized she'd never live to taste freedom.

----------

"Hello, Naraku." Kikyo stepped into the room where Naraku was watching Inuyasha and Kouga argue over who would be allowed to kill him.

"Kikyo." He stood up fluidly and waved a dismissive hand at Kanna. She wouldn't be of much assistance in this fight anyway. The girl let her mirror go blank before drifting to a corner of the room where she watched Kikyo and Naraku facing each other. "It was thoughtful of you to come visit me."

"Was it?" Kikyo asked after a pause.

"It saves me the trouble of leaving my home to kill you." Naraku spared her a small smile, a smile which might have made any other human's skin crawl. Kikyo was not perturbed in the least.

"As if you can kill me, even now." Kikyo offered him a smile of her own. At that moment, another figure entered the still open door.

"Naraku." Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed slightly. "I have found you."

----------

"And so now she's on our side." Kagome finished explaining as she stood next to Kagura, hoping to deter Kouga or Inuyasha from attacking the youkai before she was done explaining the situation. "Can we go get Naraku now?"

"I agree, let's go." Kagura was still not dead, and she realized that Kikyo and Sesshoumaru must have distracted Naraku just in time.

"Wait! I still don't buy that she' on our side!" Kouga insisted. "And even if she does want Naraku dead, what's to stop her from killing us? She's just a traitor, after all."

"She saved me from Kohaku's attack!" Kagome indicated the unconscious boy who Sango was fussing over.

"If Kagome believes her, she must be telling the truth." Shippo observed from where he sat on Kirara's back, watching over Sango's ministrations.

"She killed my kinsmen!" Kouga argued.

"Look, if you want revenge, that's fine." Kagura was sick of this argument. "But can we go kill Naraku first? I would like to get this over with some time this week."

"Are you fighting too?" Inuyasha questioned, still not entirely comfortable with the situation. He'd seen Kagura kill so many people before, how was he supposed to just trust her?

"Of course." Kagura pointed her chin up slightly.

"But if all of this is true, then Naraku will kill you as soon as you join the fight." Miroku observed as he stood over Sango.

"He might." Kagura shrugged, looking a lot calmer than she felt. "But I'm not going to make you guys do all my dirty work, even if you want him dead."

"Fine, whatever, let's just go kick his ass." Inuyasha was clearly ready to move on as well, though he was quick to place himself between Kagura and Kagome, trying to look casual as he surveyed the girl for any injuries that she might have gleaned in her time with Kagura.

"We'll have to leave Kohaku here." Miroku prompted Sango, patting her shoulder.

"You're right. Kirara, Shippo? Could you watch out for Kohaku until we come back?" Sango straightened as she spoke, adjusting Hiraikotsu across her back.

"Yeah, we'll be okay." Shippo told her, feeling a bit nervous as he looked down at the boy. What if he woke up? Kohaku had a history of violently trying to kill everyone that should be his ally, and Shippo wasn't entirely sure that his foxfire would be that effective against a fully trained youkai taijiya.

"What the…what's that?" Inuyasha was distracted by a shape descending from the sky, a very familiar two-headed beast. "Isn't that Sesshoumaru's?"

"It's that girl!" Kagome exclaimed as Ah-Un landed and Rin immediately scuttled off of the massive youkai's back.

"Has anyone seen Sesshoumaru-sama? He left Rin…Ah-Un thinks that he's close, but Rin doesn't see him!" Rin was in a fit of worry, her blue-gray eyes watering with unshed tears as she rushed toward the group that was standing around looking confused at her arrival. She vaguely remembered a couple of them. Wasn't the one with the doggy ears Sesshoumaru-sama's brother? She could have sworn that he was…

"Sesshoumaru's not here." Kagome rushed toward the little girl after exchanging glances with Sango. What was a little girl doing here? It was so dangerous, and Kagome was positive that Sesshoumaru wouldn't be pleased that she had followed him to such a place. "Maybe you should go back to where he left you and wait for him there."

"Kohaku!" Rin seemed not to have heard a single word Kagome said, and was now rushing over to the unconscious boy. "Is he hurt? What happened?" she turned her teary-eyed gaze up to Kagome who bit her lip slightly before answering.

"He…should be fine." The girl finally replied, offering Rin a smile. "He's a little hurt, but after a while, he should wake up."

"Rin will wait here for Sesshoumaru-sama!" the little girl exclaimed, beckoning for Ah-Un to join her next to Kohaku as Shippo and Kirara looked on. "Is that okay?" she turned slightly to look up at Kagome pleadingly. Kagome wasn't sure that this was the safest place for the little girl, but then…Kirara and Shippo wouldn't let anything happen to her.

"Sure." she finally agreed, hoping that the sweet little girl would be fine until Sesshoumaru could collect her.

"Can we go then?" Inuyasha asked impatiently, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Yeah, we don't want Naraku to get away from us again." Sango agreed. "Shippo, are you going to be okay here?"

"Don't worry about me!" Shippo assured his older companions. He was still nervous, but the whole situation seemed a lot less tense with Rin there. He watched from Kirara's back as the group of fighters left to defeat Naraku once and for all. If they could be strong, so could he.

----------

"You aren't hurting him." Kikyo observed from where she stood watching Sesshoumaru slash at the many limbs and bits of youkai that kept shooting out at the stoic fighter.

"You have no room to talk." Sesshoumaru commented in a cold voice as he slashed Toukijin through several tentacles that were attacking him. "You only watch. What use are you?"

"You want the help of a human?" Kikyo arched a dark eyebrow, but Sesshoumaru did not rise to her taunting.

"I assumed the woman who could seal my brother, half breed though he is, might have some ability." Sesshoumaru answered. "I must have been mistaken."

"Don't speak so soon, I have yet to make my move." Kikyo answered, anger barely detectable in her voice. "You just keep your mind on the fight."

"As if this is even a battle for me!" Naraku laughed loudly, shooting a seemingly endless stream of youkai and tentacles out to keep the stubbornly persistent dog demon from reaching him.

"Will you sound so confident when your soul is dragged to hell?" Kikyo asked, a slight smirk on her pale face. "I think not."

"This is nothing! One youkai and a dead priestess who won't even fight!" Naraku cackled, but he felt the faintest twinge of worry. Why wasn't Kikyo fighting yet? What was she planning? And if he wasn't entirely mistaken, Inuyasha would be arriving any moment. Kagura is utterly worthless. I should never have created her.

"If it is so simple, why not kill us now?" Kikyo taunted from where she stood, just out of Naraku's reach.

"Why not indeed! The time for playing has ended!" Naraku laughed loudly, aiming a fatal shot at Sesshoumaru as he called Kanna to him. Kill Kikyo. Steal her souls and leave her to die.

"Is that all?" Sesshoumaru dodged the shot easily, slicing off a few more appendages as Kanna appeared just behind Kikyo and turned her mirror, beginning the extraction of souls from the wide-eyed miko.

"Pleasant sensation, isn't it, Kikyo?" Naraku chose not to address his failure at eliminating Sesshoumaru. Surely now that Kikyo was not distracting him with her eerily aloof presence, he would be able to take care of the dog with no trouble before the reinforcements could arrive. "You need souls to sustain that clay body of yours. What was it that you were saying to me about my soul being taken to hell?"

"Kikyo!" a desperate cry rent the air, and Naraku cursed himself for his hesitation. Inuyasha had just arrived, along with Sango, Miroku, Kagome, Kouga, and…Kagura? As Kikyo collapsed to the ground, Kanna faded into the shadows, not wanting to face such a large group directly.

"Kagura! What are you wasting time for! Destroy them!" Naraku ordered his detachment even as he began to piece together the answer for his day of seemingly endless bad luck. How could I have not realized…she led them here…she freed Kagome…all this time, I thought that fear would control her and bend her to my will. She's betrayed me!

"I think not." Kagura answered, narrowing her eyes and swishing her fan to throw blades of wind in his direction. "Not this time, Naraku." Kagome rushed to Inuyasha's side, taking in the fact that Kikyo wasn't moving before grabbing the priestess's bow and arrows and aiming at the youkai who was likely to blame.

"It was you." Naraku's voice was cold and cruel. "I can kill you, don't you think I will?"

"Not if we kill you first!" Kagome fired an arrow, which was deflected just in time by a shield of youkai. "Inuyasha! Naraku's here! What are you doing?"

"Kikyo's hurt!" Inuyasha seemed to be utterly confused. Should he kill Naraku or help Kikyo?

"We'll take care of Kikyo, you kill Naraku!" Sango nearly threw the hanyou in the direction of the evil creature that was now trying to dodge the attacks of Sesshoumaru, Kagura, Kagome, and Kouga, who had not hesitated to join the attack as soon as he caught sight of Naraku.

"Kikyo-sama, what has happened?" Miroku knelt beside the cold priestess who was collapsed on the floor. "Sango, she seems to have stopped breathing."

"Does she ever breathe?" Sango questioned, feeling for a pulse that was of course, not there. "How can you tell if a dead person's…um, dying?"

"Her souls must have left her body." Miroku's brow furrowed as he examined Kikyo quickly for wounds that might have caused her souls to depart from the clay shell that housed them. "She does not seem to have sustained any injuries, I don't understand…"

"Houshi!" Sango yelped in shock as she felt something that was very like the warmth of her entire body being concentrated in her chest and then extracted forcibly. Looking down, she saw something pale and ephemeral being pulled from her chest. For some reason, she found it extremely difficult to move, to even breathe, and as her eyes lifted slightly, she saw a panic in Miroku's face unlike anything ever to grace the controlled monk's visage.

"Sango!" he called out, reaching for the soul and feebly trying to force it back into her using his holy power, but it was useless. She collapsed against him, her eyes blank and her hands cold as ice. "Sango! No!" he felt as though his heart had just been torn in two.

It's a bit thrilling, isn't it? The voice was unmistakable. Sango had spoken with such childlike excitement then. It had only been a few days ago. A few minutes ago, she had been perfectly healthy, her eyes beaming with life and anticipation of the fight. His own vision blurred as he felt tears well up, dropping onto the pale face of the taijiya. She wasn't moving…was she dead?

"Her soul." Miroku's voice was so calm, it surprised even him. As he looked up, he saw clearly what had happened. "Return her soul." Kanna, the pale, silent youkai was looking down at him without a trace of emotion in her dark eyes. "Return it now!" Miroku didn't even think about what he was doing. He reached for the rosary covering his cursed hand and opened the void that waited there. "Give it back!"

"Miroku! What are you doing!" Kagome had joined him at some point, though he had been too distracted by Sango's condition to notice. "Naraku's bees! And if you suck in the mirror, Sango will never get her soul back!" Even as she cried out to him, Miroku felt some semblance of calm returning to his thoughts, and he immediately sealed the Kaza ana, even though it had already taken in more than a few of the poisonous bees that Naraku always surrounded himself in.

"Sango's…soul." he fell over, weakness paralyzing his limbs as the poison spread through him. He crawled to the fallen youkai taijiya with some difficulty as Kagome fired three quick arrows at Kanna, all of them being absorbed by the mirror.

"Dammit! How am I supposed to win?" Kagome cursed herself as she heard the sounds of friends fighting Naraku with everything they had. "I should be able to do this one thing!"

"Give me…your soul…" Kanna turned the mirror, and Kagome shrieked in alarm as her soul began leaving her body in huge waves.

"You want it?" Kagome was beginning to feel weak and cold, but she remembered the last time she had fought Kanna, and she had an idea that might work. "Then…take it!" Concentrating as much as she could, she put a huge amount of her soul into the arrow nocked and aimed at Kanna before letting it fly in an explosion of sparkling pink light.

"Too many…" Kanna looked down at her mirror in concern as the arrow forced it's way inside. "Too many souls."

I did it, Kagome sighed in relief as the energy from her arrows as well as a big portion of her soul began to escape from the overflowing mirror. Sango would be fine now, and Kikyo would be saved too. I did it.

----------

Kohaku, wake up.

Wake up. I need you. Kohaku felt his world swirl with color and light as his eyes opened fractionally. He could hear voices talking nearby. Two voices. One sounded extremely familiar.

"And I like to pick him flowers because he's so pretty!" Rin exclaimed. She thought Shippo was very entertaining, as he seemed to have more toys and fun things to do than Jaken ever did. Even Sesshoumaru didn't have crayons.

"How did you meet him? He usually hates humans." Shippo asked curiously as the little girl happily drew a picture of Sesshoumaru using the crayons that he'd let her borrow. She seemed very sweet and innocent for a retainer of someone that Shippo had always figured as completely evil and very frightening.

"He was hurt once, and Rin brought him food to eat!" Rin exclaimed, grabbing a red crayon to draw the details of Sesshoumaru's kimono.

Wake up. Kill them. I need you to kill them. Kohaku pursed his lips slightly. He didn't want to kill the little girl. He remembered her. Rin was her name, and she was a very nice person, as he recalled.

Kill them. Kohaku felt his resistance fading away and he sprung to his feet, snatching up his sickle and chain before moving it in a broad arc to strike down the surprised Shippo that immediately sprang to protect Rin.

"Kohaku! Why'd you hurt Shippo?" Rin's eyes filled with tears as Kohaku blinked at her without really seeing her. "Kohaku!"

"I'll kill you." his tone was dead as he swept forward like a puppet on strings. Rin screamed in fear, but his sickle sunk into the leathery hide of a two-headed youkai that jumped in front of her with surprising agility. He blinked down at his bloody sickle, looking at the lifeless bundle of fur that was bleeding all over Rin's drawing.

"Kohaku! No!" Rin was beside herself with fear and panic. Why would Kohaku do things like that? She knew that he wasn't a bad person! She knew it! What was wrong with him? It was like before, when he had first tried to kill her. But then later, he had saved her. He was a good person, so why had he killed Shippo? Why had he attacked Ah-Un?

Kohaku was struggling within himself. He could hear Naraku telling him to kill everyone, and yet…he didn't want to kill the little girl. And that cat…it was growling at him, but it made his heart feel light when he looked at it. He knew that cat, somehow.

"Kohaku!" Rin was still sobbing, clutching at Ah-Un's neck as the wounded youkai shot a burst of fire at the brainwashed boy.

"Run away from here!" he called out before heading toward Naraku. Naraku needed him, but what harm could letting the girl live do, really?

"Shippo!" Her voice was audible long after he had left her with the youkai. "Shippo, wake up!"

Why do I feel sorry?

----------

"Miroku! Are you alright?" Kagome felt drained, like having half her soul removed and then slammed back into her body was more work than anything she'd ever experienced before. She felt as though she might fall over, but she had to stay strong. She had to be sure that everyone was all right.

"Sango…is she okay?" Miroku was determined not to pass out until Sango opened her eyes. Her soul had returned, he had seen it happen. What was wrong? He felt so tired, like he was ready to sleep for a thousand years. "Sango?"

"Mm…Miroku?" Sango's eyes fluttered open, and even though Miroku was much closer than propriety allowed, she was far too exhausted to slap him or tell him to move.

"You called me…Miroku." the monk's face lit up with childish glee as he reached over to touch Sango's face, his rosary clinking slightly as he let his fingers trail over her smooth cheek.

"Houshi-sama…I just…what?" Sango was blushing, and yet, the cheek that was under Miroku's hand felt cold, as though a brisk breeze was cooling it. "Is…your hand okay?"

"My hand?" Miroku's eyes widened slightly as he felt the breeze that Sango had detected. Not a breeze, a strange wind that was coming straight from the cursed void in his sealed hand. "But…it's sealed." It only took a moment for him to realize what was happening, and only a moment more for him to decide what to do.

"Are you two okay?" Kagome was on her feet, looking a bit wobbly, but still standing. Even Kikyo was slowly rising, looking around for her weapon before realizing that Kagome had the bow and arrows slung across her own shoulder.

"Sango, do something for me?" Miroku knew there wasn't much time, so he forced the last of his strength into his legs, lifting himself and Sango with him.

"Hou…Miroku?" Sango felt the blush deepen on her face. And he wondered why she never said his name. She felt as though her cheeks might catch fire. And then, just as she was feeling some of the strength return to her legs, he crushed her to him and kissed her so deeply that she felt as though she would faint. As he broke, she realized that she could still feel that strange wind, and a sudden worry overtook her.

"Run." he told her, shoving her away and turning to Kikyo and Kagome. "You too! Run!"

"But Miroku-sama!" Kagome's eyes went wide at the display. What was going on? Before she had time to think about it, Sango snatched her hand and began pulling her away from where she stood.

"His hand! It's taking him in!" Sango was clearly in shock from the sudden kiss, but she couldn't let her friends die. She had to save them. Miroku didn't want to take them down with him.

"Oh gods! Inuyasha! Kouga-kun! Get away! Miroku's being sucked into himself!" Kagome screamed at the people battling Naraku. Inuyasha's eyes goggled and he spared a glance at Miroku before uttering a curse and springing over to Kagome and the wobbly Kikyo.

"Get Kikyo! I don't think she can run!" Sango swept Inuyasha aside and Kagome began to run at last. It seemed as though that was some sort of signal, as Naraku froze his assault to move away, breaking through the wall of his chambers as he fled from the wind that pulled in everything in the vicinity, including it's source. Sango felt a faint throbbing growing stronger as she watched it all happen with tears falling down her face.

"Sango-chan, are you okay?" Kagome was clearly upset, but Sango doubted that the other girl had any idea how deeply she was hurting at the moment. She could hear Miroku crying out as he finally winked out of existence.

"Miroku!" like an explosion, the cry tore out of her and she immediately reached for Hiraikotsu, wanting to kill anything and everything in her path. Seeing Kanna nearby, she immediately attacked, but her weapon flew back at her with all the strength of her rage and grief, and she flew back several yards before collapsing on the ground, a trickle of blood falling from the corner of her mouth.

"Sango-chan!" Kagome was in a panic. First Miroku and now Sango? She rushed to the other girl's side, but when she checked, she found a faint pulse. "She's alive." she spoke the words to no one in particular before turning to face Kanna. "You. I'll stop you."

"Give me your soul." Kanna turned her mirror, and Kagome resisted the pull of the enchanted object with every bit of concentration she had. Kikyo was behind Kanna, and she had just pulled a skinning knife out of her sleeve. That's it, Kanna. Keep your eyes on me…just a little longer.

"Kagome, watch out!" Kagura's voice rang out as she caught sight of Kohaku entering the area, heading for Kagome with his sickle raised in one hand, but the girl didn't seem to hear her. Kagura cursed under her breath as she dodged an attack and flew at Kohaku with her fan raised.

"I think not!" Naraku called out as he saw Kagura flying to the rescue. Now was the moment to kill her and be done with it. He hated to spare the concentration, to ignore the two youkai and the hanyou that were trying so diligently to reach his true body, but he couldn't allow Kagome to survive at Kohaku's expense.

"No!" Kagura called out, freezing midair as she felt her heart clench painfully tight. "Not yet!" Kagome looked up then, and the break in concentration caused her soul to start leaving her body, drifting toward Kanna's mirror as Kikyo struck, stabbing the girl in the back and causing her to drop her mirror in surprise. It shattered, releasing the soul that it had been trying to capture, and Kagome came back to herself, but it was too late to move, too late to avoid Kohaku's strike.

"Die!" Kouga's voice called out as he flew in from seemingly nowhere and smashed a kick against the side of Kohaku's face. The force was so great that the boy's head snapped back, his neck breaking as he fell in an unmoving pile to the ground. "Kagura! What are you doing! Move, dammit!"

"I…can't." Kagura croaked out, clutching at her chest as she felt the life being squeezed away from the inside. "He's…killing…"

"No way you're getting out of it that easy!" Kouga leaned over Kohaku, removing the glowing shard from the boy's back so that he wouldn't get up any time soon. He moved toward Kagura, but she waved him away.

"No! Not…like that!" she was panting, and she fell out of the air in a heap of limbs and silks. "He'll use…it to control…me."

"Not if I purify it!" Kagome saw what Kouga was trying to do, and she took the shard from him, cleansing it without even trying and then pressing it against Kagura's chest. "Your heart, right? Can you fight him?"

"I'm…trying…" Kagura let the shard pierce her skin, filling her with a power that she hadn't imagined she could ever possess. It was almost enough to drive her crazy, but she was so concentrated on Naraku that instead, it forced him out of her head completely. "You saved me." she stood with Kagome's help. "Both of you, thank you."

"No time for crap like that now." Kouga seemed very uncomfortable to realize that he had just saved the life of the woman who had killed hundreds of his kinsmen. "Let's just kick his ass." he pointed to Naraku.

"Wait! I have more shards, if you want…" Kagome pulled the small jar out from under the neckline of her shirt and emptied it into her palm. "So you can kill him."

"They're pure." Kagura noted with some wonder as Kouga accepted one of the shards and then handed the other two to the wind user.

"This way we both have three." he answered her questioning gaze before pressing the extra shard into his arm and flexing his fist with a smirk on his face. "That feels better. Thanks, Kagome. We'll kill him for sure."

"Get on with it then." Kikyo spoke up from where she stood, wiping her knife clean and replacing it in her sleeve. "I would like to end this, if you don't mind." The two youkai ignored her mocking tone, instead springing back into the battle that Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were still fighting with renewed strength.

"Kikyo…are you planning something?" Kagome asked the other miko as she nocked an arrow and aimed it, waiting for a clean shot. She couldn't risk hitting one of the others, as she doubted they'd survive the strength of her purity arrows.

"I might be." Kikyo moved to stand beside Kagome. "You will hit, won't you?"

"I'm no amateur." Kagome answered, feeling a bit sullen. "When this is done…what will you do? Do you still want to drag Inuyasha to hell?"

"I don't think I could forgive myself for doing something so selfish." Kikyo answered. "He tries to hide it, but I know that there is only room in his heart for one of us, and I am dead. Fate has decided against me."

"But…you can't just give up." Kagome didn't know why she was arguing, but it didn't seem right for the other woman to just throw her chance at living again away. "Inuyasha and you have a bond!"

"There are many bonds, ours is only one." Kikyo answered calmly. "If I have learned anything in my last life and this one, it is that destiny does not leave loose ends unattended. Do not feel as though the thread of fate between you has been cut and can never be tied once more."

"The…what do you mean?" Kagome glanced away from her goal for a moment.

"Once you have served out destiny's purpose, do not forget those who you have been tied to. Yesterday is always waiting to be relived." Kikyo answered, stepping forward and becoming silent.

"What do you mean by that…oh no!" Kagome spotted Kirara flying toward them with Rin on her back. She should have realized that Kohaku would have woken up around them before returning to the fight, but she'd been too busy fighting to think of what it could mean. However, Rin seemed to be all right, even though she was clearly sobbing and holding something small and bloody…

"Sesshoumaru-sama! Fix Shippo!" she jumped off Kirara's back as soon as the youkai landed, and Kagome felt her vision blur with tears.

"Shippo!" she cried out, feeling as though something had just been stabbed straight into her heart. Shippo was like a son to her, and now…now…

"Rin." Sesshoumaru's eyes widened, and he was almost hit by an attack as Rin's appearance distracted him momentarily. "Get away from here!" he called to the little girl who froze at the sound of command in his voice. She didn't want to leave, but she couldn't disobey him. What to do?

"You bastard!" Kagome's voice was nearly unrecognizable as she let her arrow fly without a thought for the safety of those fighting him at close quarters. She needn't have worried, though. Inuyasha pulled Kouga out of the way as soon as he heard her voice, and Kagura was well out of range. Sesshoumaru had moved to block an attack against Rin, and therefore, Kagome had a clear shot when her arrow pierced Naraku, splitting his head in two as he howled at the sudden, scorching pain.

"Now." Kikyo leapt at the body shrinking in on itself, still howling terribly as Kikyo reached the writhing youkai and embraced it tightly. "Let's go to hell, Naraku. Don't fight me." she smiled slightly as the ground glowed and Naraku tried to resist even as Kikyo's proximity continued to purify his youki, making escape impossible. Kikyo reached into a glowing portion of his flesh and pulled out the nearly completed jewel, tossing it to Kagome, who just barely managed to catch it. "Do not fight destiny! It has chosen a path that only you can tread!" she cried out just before sinking under the surface of the earth with Naraku in tow.

"She…she…Kikyo's gone." Inuyasha fell to his knees shakily, letting his sword hold him up as he bled from a dozen wounds.

"Is that it?" Kouga was feeling furious that he'd been unable to strike the final blow. "He's really dead?"

"Kikyo took him to hell." Kagura pointed at the crater that marked where the two had exited the world.

"I didn't know she could do that." Kouga expressed some amount of wonder as he looked into the crater, still half convinced that Naraku would spring out of the dirt any moment to continue the fight.

"She said she would." Kagome was crying, but she wasn't sure why. Was it for Shippo, Miroku, or Kikyo? Even though the priestess had been her rival, she couldn't feel good about her finally leaving the world of the living. "Inuyasha, are you okay?" she asked him, not knowing whether she meant his injuries or the departure of his old love.

"I'll…be fine." he allowed Kagome to examine his injuries. "Miroku's gone…isn't he?"

"If only we could have ended it sooner…" Kagome felt more tears spill down her face. "Kohaku killed Shippo…Rin's got him."

"Sesshoumaru-sama! You won!" the little girl reached her hero, now smiling as she was sure that Sesshoumaru would be able to fix anything. "Can you fix Shippo-chan?"

"That's right…his sword." Kagura was busy removing the shards from her chest, but not too busy to see what was going on. "Kagome, you can have these back. I won't need them."

"Unless Kouga tries to kill you." Inuyasha snorted at his rival, who was making a point of not looking at the wind user.

"Look…Sesshoumaru's saving Shippo!" Kagome was amazed, but she had suspected that he wouldn't refuse the little girl her request, and he had raised Tensuseiga over his head, narrowing his eyes before sweeping the blade through the bloody mass of fur on the ground. After a few moments, Shippo sat up, coughing horribly and gasping as he cleared the blood from his throat.

"What…what happened?" he looked around in surprise. "Kohaku's awake!" he sprang up and realized that he was no longer where he had last been.

"He killed you!" Rin explained in an almost cheerful voice. "But Sesshoumaru-sama can fix dead people!"

"I can't believe he did it." Inuyasha grunted as Kagome helped him stand. "What'd you do that for?"

"Once, I requested your help in a battle, Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru addressed his brother as Rin ran off to explore the area. "You could not aid me, as you were sealed by a human. I decided that you were not worth my effort, and not worth the blood of our father. Today you fought strongly. You may be half human, but father would not have thrown you aside. I will not forget today, Inuyasha."

"Hey, I wasn't helping you. I just wanted to kill him." Inuyasha grumbled, but he didn't say anything else. Rin's sudden scream caused everyone to turn their attention to the little girl, who was standing over Kohaku's dead body.

"Rin, get away from that." Sesshoumaru told the little girl, but she shook her head, pointing to Kohaku and turning wide eyes on the youkai.

"Kohaku's dead! Fix him!" she insisted. "Please, Sesshoumaru-sama! He's not really bad! Rin knows."

"She's right." Kagome offered. "Naraku was controlling him, so if…if you do bring him back, he shouldn't be any more trouble.

"Your arrow was the final strike." Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at Kagome. "You destroyed him when we could not even reach him."

"He…wasn't dead…Kikyo finished him." Kagome felt inexplicably embarrassed, and she looked away, busying herself with picking up Shippo and picking the blood out of his fur.

"Please!" Rin was hopping from one foot to the other, and when Sesshoumaru drew his blade again, she cheered and began running around in circles. "Sesshoumaru-sama is the best!"

"Is he…" Kagura narrowed her eyes at the fallen boy after Sesshoumaru had swiped at him and turned to leave.

"Rin, we're leaving. Come." Sesshoumaru called to his retainer as he drifted away from the battlefield.

"We can ride on Ah-Un cause Rin brought him! He got hurt though. But he was okay." Rin was babbling excitedly as she waved at everyone and left. Kohaku was coughing slightly, sitting up as he tried to breathe and figure out where he was.

Then a flood of images filled his mind. Without the block that Naraku had placed on it, he could see everything that he had done before and after coming under his control. "No!" he cried out, clutching at his head as tears filled his eyes. "No! I…can't!"

"His memories…" Kagome's brow furrowed. "Can he be normal now?" she asked Inuyasha, who shrugged. "But at least Sango will have him, now that Miroku's gone."

"Miroku?" Shippo yelped. "What happened to him?" Shippo looked around for the body, but all he could see was Sango laying on the ground nearby, still unconscious.

"He…he got sucked in by the Kaza Ana." Kagome explained, feeling a fresh flood of tears. "Right before we could kill Naraku."

"Why don't you just wish him back with the jewel?" Shippo asked, not looking as mournful as one who had lost a close friend should. "Can't it do that?"

"Of…of course." Kagome felt hope flutter in her heart. "Why didn't I think of that…unless…Inuyasha?"

"Of course we should bring back Miroku." Inuyasha threw aside the unspoken question without bothering to answer it. "He fought with us too, but he never got to live without that damned curse."

"Right." Kagome smiled, somehow not as bothered by the sobbing cries that were coming from Kohaku. He was calming down, but he didn't seem to be the normal boy that Sango remembered. Kagome supposed that he never would be, not after what had happened to him. "Kouga?"

"Oh…oh right." Kouga knew that he should hesitate before handing over the shards, but he couldn't say no to Kagome. And after all, they all seemed to really care about Miroku, and he had seemed like a good guy to Kouga. "Here you go." he handed her his own shards, plus the one that she had lent him, and she closed her eyes, praying silently as the ball reformed completely and began to glow brightly as she made the wish. With a sudden flash, it vanished and Kagome's eyes flew open.

"Did it work?" she looked around, and felt a strange prickling in the air, almost as if it were coursing with electric energy. Suddenly, there was a ball of light ahead of them, and at first she thought it was the jewel, but then it grew and took shape before fading and letting her see what it was.

"Miroku! You're okay!" Shippo sprang forward as the monk stumbled momentarily over his own feet, obviously confused about what was happening, before catching Shippo and looking around to gather his surroundings.

"Sango!" he immediately rushed to the woman's side, scooping her up and taking note of her injuries. "Wake up, Sango." he didn't seem too worried about the situation, but then again, Sango had lived through worse injuries before. Kagome felt as though she was smiling so hard that her face would split in two.

"She got hit by Hiraikotsu." Kagome volunteered as she moved to join the pair, but then thought better of it and headed toward a silently shivering Kohaku. "I'd better…check on him."

"Don't worry about her." Inuyasha spoke up. "You're the one that died."

"I…I remember the Kaza Ana…" Miroku's eyes narrowed as he tried to recall what had happened, how he'd been saved. "What happened?"

"You got sucked in." Inuyasha answered. "Kagome wished you back with the jewel."

"I thought you intended to use that jewel?" Miroku tried to calm the sudden frantic beating of his heart. He had died? He remembered kissing Sango, but he couldn't tell her…couldn't say how he felt…not when he was about to die.

"Whatever." Inuyasha turned to join Kagome. Kagura looked around and felt a bit saddened. No one cared for her the way these people cared for each other. If she died, would they have brought her back? Her eyes flashed as she remembered Kouga saving her. She owed him her life.

"Kouga, do you want to kill me?" she asked him, keeping her tone as neutral as possible. If he wanted her life, it was his to take.

"Huh?" Kouga looked very uncomfortable. "Well…you saved Kagome a couple times. And you helped kill Naraku. So no, I'll let you go."

"Where?" she asked, blinking scarlet eyes at him.

"What?" he was confused. What was she asking him?

"Where will I go?" she wanted to know.

"I don't care. I'm leaving." Kouga didn't like being near Kagura. He wasn't sure how he felt about the wind user anymore. She was an ally, but she had killed his men. Was it really right to let her go? "Kagome, I'll see you later!"

"Bye, Kouga-kun!" Kagome stood, waving as he disappeared in a whirl of dust. "I wonder if I will see him again, now that it's all over."

"Of course you will. He can't fucking leave you alone." Inuyasha grumbled, and she smiled at him. Kagura bit her lip before pulling a feather from her head and deciding. If he wouldn't take her life, she would still make it up to him, somehow. Being swept into the wind, she followed the wolf prince from a distance.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Kagome asked Inuyasha as she watched Kagura fly away without saying goodbye to anyone. "I felt bad for her. She's so sad, you know."

"Whatever." Inuyasha grunted, scooping Kohaku up in his arms since the boy wasn't about to move on his own. "Let's get out of here."

"Miroku?" Kagome called to the monk, who was still trying to wake up the woman in his arms.

"Sango? Sango, wake up." he had heard her grunt a few times, so he knew that she wasn't that far from the waking world.

"Mm…Miroku." she mumbled, her eyes fluttering open and meeting the violet gaze of the monk.

"There you are." he smiled softly at her. "I was hoping you might wake up soon."

"Miroku…am I…dead?" she went through the events she could remember over again. Hadn't he died?

"Kagome-sama was kind enough to bring me back with the jewel." he explained, feeling happier than anyone should feel to see Sango's eyes fill with tears.

"You died!" she hit his chest sharply, and he coughed slightly, wincing at the strike. "How could you die!?"

"I apologize." he tried to dodge her hand, which was still striking his chest repeatedly. "I assure you that I did not do it purposefully."

"I'm…sorry, I just…dammit." Sango stopped hitting him after a while. "You kissed me! And then you died. I could have killed you!"

"Actually, since I was dead—" Miroku began, but Sango pressed her hand to his mouth.

"Just tell me one thing. Why did you kiss me?" she wanted to know.

"Because, Sango. I'm in love with you, and I could think of nothing else that I would have preferred doing before I died." he told her honestly. With Naraku and the Kaza Ana gone, there was no reason to skirt around the truth. Besides that, he had already died without telling her once. He didn't want it to happen again.

"Miroku…I hate you." she told him as she continued to cry. He felt a pain in his chest, but then, before he could respond, Sango pulled up and kissed him firmly. "Next time, say something."

"Oooh! You guys are so cute!" Kagome was literally squealing as Inuyasha tried to get Kohaku to hold on to Kirara's fur.

"Can we go yet?" Inuyasha asked irritably. "Your brother's a pain in the ass, Sango."

"Kohaku!" Sango nearly leapt up, but Miroku got in the way, as did the sudden pain in her body. "What happened while I was down?"

"Quite a bit, I imagine." Miroku told her with a smile before helping her up so that they could all leave the battlefield behind them.

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"I hope Kohaku will be alright." Kagome sighed as she walked toward the well with Inuyasha beside her.

"He'll be fine. At least he doesn't have Naraku in his head anymore." Inuyasha told her.

"Yeah, that's right. So…how are you handling it?" she snuck a glance at Inuyasha's face, which twisted into a sharp grimace before returning to normal.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Kikyo. I mean, she's dead now." she elaborated.

"She was already dead." he told her, moping. "I just feel shitty for not really doing anything for her."

"You helped kill Naraku, didn't you?" Kagome asked as they reached the clearing with the well. "That was what she wanted, I think. And as long as you don't forget her, I think she'll be happy, wherever she is."

"Yeah, I guess." Inuyasha frowned at the well. "I don't see why you're going back."

"Why do I need to stay? The jewel is completed and we used it already. Naraku's dead, everything I said I'd do…it's all done." Kagome looked at the ground, aware that Inuyasha wasn't very far from her at the moment. "I mean, I won't forget you guys or anything, but I still have my life at home. I have to study and take exams. You know that."

"Are you…are you not coming back then?" Inuyasha sounded remarkably wounded, considering how gruff he usually was, and Kagome reached up to touch his shoulder, meeting his golden gaze with a smile.

"I'll visit still. It's not like we'll never see each other again. Don't worry." she told him. She wanted to kiss him. She felt like something was different this time. It had to be the fact that Naraku was gone, that the jewel was done, but still…it bothered her.

Once you have served out destiny's purpose, do not forget those who you have been tied to. Yesterday is always waiting to be relived. Kikyo's voice echoed in her head as she felt the moment between Inuyasha and her stretch immeasurably long.

"I…I'm not worried." Inuyasha felt worried, even though he wouldn't admit it. Something was wrong. Something felt wrong. Maybe it was just because he didn't have a good excuse to drag Kagome back to the Sengoku Jidai in a few days. I need her here, though. How can I tell her that?

"I…I'll see you then." Kagome leaned forward, losing her courage at the last moment and pressing her lips to his cheek. "I'll bring back lots of food and we can have a celebration feast! Watch out for Shippo-chan!"

"Seeya!" Inuyasha called out weakly as she leapt into the well. He could still feel where her lips had pressed against his cheek. Would he ever be able to tell her the truth?

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Kagome smiled happily as she entered the well house with a bag packed full of food and snacks for her friends. It felt so good to know that she was only going to be with the people she care about, not trying to find shards of the jewel or look for Naraku. Hitching the bag up on her shoulders, she leapt into the well.

"Ouch!" she cried out as she fell and hit the bottom without going through. "What…what's wrong?" she jumped up and down, but to no avail. The well seemed to be just a normal well like any other. Nothing special, and with no connection to the Sengoku Jidai. "Why…can't I get through?" Panicking, she threw off the bag and began digging in the dirt desperately.

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"What's she doing? She's late." Inuyasha grumbled as he watched the well from the edge of the clearing. He would hate to admit that he'd missed her, but with Miroku and Sango being so…affectionate all the time. It was unbearable. Springing down from his limb, he ran to the well and leapt in.

"What…the fuck?" he was surprised to land on his feet without passing into the other world. "What's wrong with this stupid thing…" he grumbled, trying not to worry as he began jumping up and down. Getting down on the ground, he started digging, trying to ignore the voice in the back of his head that told him it would do no good.

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"Why…won't you…stupid well!" Kagome was sobbing, heaving with the effort of digging, her clothes covered in dirt and her fingers sore. Still, she continued to work as though sure if she just tried hard enough, she'd get through to the other side.

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"He's been gone all day. I think he misses Kagome-chan, but he won't tell her how he feels, even now." Sango spoke to Miroku as they walked toward the clearing where the well stood.

"Not everyone can be as happy as us, Sango dear." Miroku leaned over and grabbed her bottom. She rolled her eyes and slapped him.

"Just because I love you, that's no excuse to grope me." she raced ahead to the well, looking around for a sign of Inuyasha.

"Dammit!" Inuyasha's voice was coming, surprisingly, from the bottom of the well.

"Inuyasha! Is Kagome-sama there with you?" Miroku peered into the well as he reached Sango's side.

"I can't…get through!" Inuyasha leapt back up, and they were both shocked to see from the dirt covering his hands and clothes that he'd obviously been digging in an effort to fix the well's problem. "It won't work! I don't understand!"

"Could it…" Sango's voice trailed off as she looked into the well.

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"Why…I don't understand." Kagome slumped against the cold wood at the bottom of the well, scrubbing away the tears on her face.

Do not fight destiny. It has chosen a path that only you can tread. Kagome gasped at the memory of Kikyo's last words. "My destiny…was it to protect the jewel?"

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"Perhaps…" Miroku spoke up after Inuyasha had ranted about how stupid magic wells were for a good five minutes. "Did it never strike you as odd that the well could transport Kagome-sama in the first place?"

"Yeah, so, it always worked before!" Inuyasha grumbled. He was in a high temper, and he was not in the mood for logic.

"Kaede-bachan always said it was destiny." Sango mused. "Could it mean that Kagome-chan's destiny was to protect the jewel?"

"And now that the jewel is gone…" Miroku let his voice drift off.

"She can't…I can't…fuck that!" Inuyasha stormed off, unwilling to hear the truth.

"He won't listen…" Sango felt tears in her eyes, knowing that she'd never see Kagome again was just too much. "What will we tell Shippo-chan?"

"The truth." Miroku bit his lip, looking into the well and desperately hoping that he was wrong, even though all signs pointed toward his suspicions. "Inuyasha will have to learn to believe it, in time. I'm sure he will."

"I hope you're right." Sango sighed as he kissed her forehead. "I just don't know if he can stand losing her. He never told her the truth, did he?"

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"I can't use the well anymore…because the jewel's gone." Kagome realized with mounting pain. "I'll never…never see them again…" At the realization, she collapsed in tears once more. She was separated forever from the people that had shared such an important part of her life with her. Sango, Miroku, Shippo…Inuyasha…

"Inuyasha…I never told him, really…never told him how I felt." Kagome sobbed pitifully. It didn't matter how many tears fell, however. She couldn't see them, and crying wouldn't help.

Destiny does not leave loose ends unattended. Do not feel as though the thread of fate between you has been cut and can never be tied once more. Kagome hoped that Kikyo was right. She couldn't bear an eternity away from the only man she'd ever loved, and the closest friends she'd ever known.

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The End (Of The Prologue, That Is)