An Ending and a Beginning

Chapter One

"He's this way. I can sense the Jewel", Kagome whispered into Inuyasha's ear while he carried her on his back.

"Yeah, I can smell his stench", he answered as he ran through the forest with Miroku and Sango, on Kirara, right behind them.

"That's strange", Miroku observed privately to Sango.

"You're right", she turned to look at him, " If we're close enough to Naraku for Inuyasha to smell him so strongly, shouldn't there have been a barrier we should've come across?"

"We should have, unless…"

"What?"

"Unless someone's beat us to him." Sango turned back around and went into deep thought as to who it could be that had beat them to Naraku. When all of a sudden, they came to a small clearing within the forest. Across this clearing, stood Kikyo with Naraku looming over her. She was a tenth of his size. Her glowing bow and arrow drawn; aimed at him. She was in the mist of a battle with him, but things didn't seem to be going her way. On his side and one of his tentacles stuck out sacred arrows. The arrows seemed to do nothing to Naraku, but pierce him.

Inuyasha stopped for a few seconds and whispered under his breath, "Kikyo". Without thinking it twice he began to run towards Naraku. Half way there, he set Kagome down and unsheathed Tetsaiga. Miroku jumped off of Kirara and ran behind Inuyasha.

"Naraku!" yelled Inuyasha as the Dragon Scaled Tetsaiga glowed in the night.

"Inuyasha?" Naraku thought, " How did he get here? Kikyo distracted me and broke my barrier down, now if she hit's the completed Shirkon no Tama that's with in me with a sacred arrow and purifies it, Inuyasha might be a problem."

"Inuyasha! Get away from here! This is my fight!" yelled Kikyo.

"No!" Inuyasha yelled back as he slide in front of her, Tetsaiga ready in hand, "When I said that I would protect you, I meant it!" By this time, Kagome and Sango finally made it and stood next to Miroku.

Kagome was able to see the Shirkon no Tama deep, deep within Naraku. "There's no way", she thought, "that an arrow would reach that deep. There's too much flesh in the way. That explains why Kikyo's arrows haven't been able to do too much."

"The Jewel has given Naraku unimaginable power", Sango said.

"He's turned into a huge impenetrable armored demon", Shippou, who was on Kirara's back, added.

Kagome silent and deep in thought began, "There has to be a way to hit the Jewel. If I hit it, it'll be purified and Naraku won't have a leg to stand on." Kagome, with her bow and arrow over her shoulder, began to run around Naraku towards his side, looking for a way to dig the arrow deep enough to cause some damage.

Naraku, watching Kagome from the corner of his eye, said, "Ku, ku, ku, Inuyasha. You shouldn't make promises you can't keep."

"What would a bastard like you know about keeping a promise, Naraku?" Inuyasha yelled back.

"Just enough to know you're an idiot to make them." Just then, Inuyasha saw one of Naraku's tentacles going straight towards him and Kikyo and another towards Kagome. He felt all the blood rush out of body. He didn't know what to do.

"Kagome!" Without thinking, Inuyasha ran towards Kagome and pushes her out of the way only to have Naraku's tentacle slice through his side and out his back. Blood splattered everywhere and Naraku retracted himself from his side laughing.

"Inuyasha!" screamed Kagome with all her might. She got up from the ground and ran to his side. He kneeled with his whole weight on Tetsaiga trying to conceal his pain from Kagome and Naraku.

"Are you alright?" Inuyasha asked Kagome warmly.

"Me? Are you alright?"

"Keph." He began to stand up. "Naraku's the one who should be worried." Once up, he turned toward Kikyo and gasped to see Naraku's tentacle completely through Kikyo's abdomen. Then it just moved up, cutting her from her stomach up through her right shoulder. Kikyo fell to her hands and knees in pain. Inuyasha immediately went to her side screaming her name. He fell to his knees next to her and held her in his arms. "Kikyo", he whispered, "You can't let Naraku kill you like this." Everyone else's jaw dropped in horror to see Kikyo dieing in front of them.

"My death will bring Naraku's death. I, alone, can't kill him, but if Kagome can figure out what to do, she'll be able to do it." Kikyo struggled to hang on. Inuyasha didn't understand a word she said. He was too worried about her to even try to decipher what she had said.

"How pathetic", Naraku teased.

"You won't live passed this night, Naraku. I'll make sure of that," Kikyo staggered to say and Naraku laughed. With those last words, she closed her eyes and died in Inuyasha's arms. His whole world seemed to stop as he brought her lifeless body close to him and buried his face in her neck.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome whispered to herself in worry. She started back towards the group.

"She really isn't dead is she, Miroku?" asked Shippou.

"I believe she is."