Warm blood dripped from his monstrous blade, forming rivulets like crimson rivers along the sleek razor's edge. The land around him smoldered and shimmered with heat, distorting the depth of the destruction. He stood in a smoking crater, the poisonous miasma finally relenting.Thehottoxicgasburned his skin with a somewhat pinching pain. He ground his fangs; he could bear the pain. His mortal enemy, Naraku, lay dead at his feet. Inuyasha let out a sigh of relief. The battle had been long and hard, but he had finally been able to defeat him. All that remained was to—

"Inuyasha…"

Was that a voice calling to him? He looked around; there was no one in sight. Kagome and the others were probably still a few miles behind, as they had to back off as the battle intensified. He was alone, just the way it used to be. It was strange, how familiar and easy it was to remember, though it seemed so long ago. Sure of his solitude, he sheathed the Tetsusaiga.

"Inuyasha…" called the voice again. He spun around frantically, again seeing no one. That voice, so familiar in his memory. It was female, and young, full of life. Not Kagome's voice. Was it…?

"Kikyo," he called out, hoping against hope. She was dead, though. Twice over, in fact, and both times at the hand of thehalf demonhe had just slain. The cloud of miasma began to disperse, and the sun's light slowly trickled through the darkness. As it flowed across the landscape, he realized the utter destruction the climactic battle had unleashed. He gave a silent prayer of thanks that Kagome and the others hadn't been nearby for this.

He heard them now, in the distance, hissharp hearing picking up on Kagome's worried (and high pitched, though he'd never say it to her) voice. She was telling the others to hurry, and Sango explained that Kirara was still nursing wounds from the battle, and was going as fast as she could. Inuyasha wondered if Kagome would ever "sit" Sango if she could. It wouldn't surprise him, but then again, women had a way of sticking together, he thought.

As the sunlight fully illuminated the huge crater he stood in, the glint of something caught his eye, somethingby his feet. Of course; the Shikon Jewel! How could he forget it? It had all started over this, this little trinket…the shimmering jewel seemed to call to him now, the swirl of evil around it nearly palpable. Before he knew what he was doing, he was reaching for it,a murderous siren's song callingout tohim.

He suddenly became aware of all the poison within his battle worn body. It burned his insides, worse than any fever he had ever endured. The pain rumbled in his body, wracking his body with an unspeakable agony. A feeling of revulsion came over him, self-loathing like nothing he had experienced since his days of Kikyo's betrayal, of walking alone. Nothing to hold on to but his hate, his bitter loneliness. His body broke into a cold sweat as he staggered to his knees, shivering uncontrollably. Oddly, he knew he wasn't near death, but then what could be—

Of course, he realized. The jewel! Naraku had taken the time to taint each and every shard to maximize his demonic power; it was no wonder so much evil would make him ill. Still, though…he felt himself drawn to it. Despite its effect on him, he moved closer and closer to it, his hand instinctively moving for the tainted jewel.

Sensing the great evil of the jewel from the distance, Kagome leapt off of Kirara and desperately began tosprint towards Inuyasha. She could feel its raw power, its darkness, calling out to them, particularly to him.

"INUYASHA!" she yelled. "STAY AWAY FROM THAT!"

But the swirling darkness of the jewel had grown, twisting and wrapping itself around the young half demon. He heard nothing, only the hollow roar of the pitch black void. Kagome realized this would require desperate measures; she hoped he'd forgive her for this later...

"INUYASHA! SIT B-!" she began, but it was too late.

The tip of his claw had touched the jewel, and a blinding flash filled the countryside. Then he knew nothing but darkness.

He woke with his face in the wet mud, and every inch of his body ached. He looked down at his clothes; where they weren't torn, they were stained with blood. He dimly recalled the battle with Naraku, but these scents, they—

He heard a groan behind him, and he turned to see Miroku resting against a rock, his body badly injured. Inuyasha quickly ran to his side.

"MIROKU!" he cried. "What happened?" Miroku's eyes opened, blood flowing into them from a large gash in his forehead, and he grew angry.

"Foul demon, have you come back here to gloat? Don't expect me to beg!"

"Wha? What are you talking about, monk?"

"Inuyasha…so you've returned, I see. It must've been the blood in my eyes…"

"What happened here?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know, my friend."

"Tell me!" he screamed, grabbing Miroku by the collar. It was only when he got close that he realized how badly injured the young monk was. Those wounds would soon be fatal. "Miroku, my god, we need to get you to-!"

"No, it's too late for me.For all of us, Inuyasha. Don't you see? He has won."

"I-I don't understand…make some sense, damn it!"

"Look around you, Inuyasha. Don't you see what's happened?"

Despite the shaky rumbling in his heart, the dark rattlewithin his soul, he looked.