Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. If I did, I would have killed off Naraku LONG ago.

Author's Note: Another Tumblr request, from Just Dyana! (From several months ago... again) I have a LOT of feelings about Naraku's (shitty) writing, and it drives me CRAZY how over-powered he gets in the series, for no damn reason, either, because the entire InuGang is more than capable of taking him down, especially Kagome! So this request created a canon divergence/AU where Kagome shows just how badass she really is, even if canon only showed it on occasion.

Setting: alternative episode 50, with a dash of events from episode 30.

Characters: Kagome, Naraku, rest of the InuGang

Words: 2,924

Rated: T, for language and violence

Genre: Action, some Romance in the end

Enjoy!


Showdown

Kagome gripped her wounded arm as Kirara carried her through the forest after Sango and Inuyasha. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest, both from the adrenaline rush from obtaining her latest injury and in concern for her best friend. Something in Sango's eyes and voice had frightened her, far more than any amount of flesh-eating demons or even Kohaku attacking her. After Kohaku ran off, and Sango saw the blood on Kagome's shirt, she put two and two together and ran after her brother. Kagome could sense that Sango didn't plan on negotiation this time. The haunted look in her eyes, the grim set of her jaw... She was going to do something impulsive. They had to stop her!

Kagome hissed in pain as her wound throbbed again. It wasn't a deep gash thankfully, but it was amazing how even the smallest cut could almost hurt just as bad. Her mind whirled with the memories of the night; everyone worried that Kagura and her horde of demons would be after his Jewel shard, Kagome taking hold of his hand and running into the forest, and finding the small alcove to hide in. Kohaku seemed so small, so vulnerable, that Kagome's heart went out to him. Though he was only a few years younger than herself, he reminded her distinctly of Sota, wide-eyed, innocent, gentle. No wonder Sango felt so protective of him. Even with all the blood on his hands, from killing his comrades and his father, his scared eyes had revealed more than ever that the true culprit was Naraku.

It was always Naraku. Kagome clenched her fists, thinking hard.

When Kohaku had injured her, his eyes were glazed over, but his hand trembled while holding his sickle above her head, its blade gleaming against a ray of moonlight. As he brought it down, and her heart pounded in her throat, she still noted that it slowed down considerably once it touched her skin. She cried out instinctively and fled their hideout, clutching her bleeding arm, only escaping because he hesitated for a moment. But as she ran on and he chased her, her mind wasn't thinking of her safety but rather of his actions. Yes, he had injured her, but he didn't kill her. In the moment he lifted his weapon, she didn't have time to run, she didn't have room to dodge when he struck down. He had the perfect shot. Naraku had complete control of his body and mind.

Or did he?

The same weapon that killed so many people barely grazed her, and though she bled and felt pain, she knew in her heart he could have done much worse. Sango didn't stick around to hear Kagome's thoughts (who, admittedly, was still reeling in shock over it all when she arrived on the scene), but Inuyasha got the message so hopefully whatever damage that had been done would still be salvaged. Maybe Kohaku could finally be saved. Maybe...

Suddenly, Kirara yowled and came to a screeching halt, jolting Kagome out of her reverie. She looked up and her throat closed. Sango was down on the ground, holding her sword over Kohaku's throat, saying words she could not hear, but the message was clear: she was going to kill her brother.

"I'm sorry..." Sango's last words to her came back in a shock. Did she mean... killing herself, too?!

Kagome tried to call out Sango's name, but then a blur of red and silver flashed by and knocked Sango's sword out of her hands. Kagome sighed, willing her heart to calm down, as Kirara ran forward to greet them.

"Sango," she said breathlessly as she hopped off the fire-cat, "Kohaku hesitated when he hurt me. He's fighting Naraku in his own way, I know he is!"

"I know," Sango said shakily while Inuyasha steadied her upright. "Inuyasha said... b-but..." Tears formed in her eyes as she looked pleadingly into Kagome's eyes.

Suddenly, Kagome understood. More than ever. Before, she merely sympathized with Sango's dilemma. But somehow, seeing the tears in her friend's angry yet pleading eyes, Kagome was hit with a massive wave of empathy. She imagined if Sota was possessed and had killed Mama and Grampa. She imagined if Sota was forced to work for the monster who made him kill his family, if Sota still had his heart and mind, but couldn't act on them. She imagined if Sota injured Sango, even if only slightly, after she believed that he was finally free of his tormentor.

She looked at Inuyasha, who was scowling at Sango's impulsiveness but also had soft eyes. Inuyasha, who was forced to believe that his beloved Kikyo had betrayed him, and ending up pinned to the Tree of Ages, waking up to find her long dead. Even as Kikyo wandered the world now, they would never be able to rekindle their relationship, the bridge had long ago burned to a crisp.

She thought of Miroku's cursed hand. Of his father's terrible death. She thought of the Jewel shards that they've been meticulously collecting, only to have Naraku gain the majority thanks to Kikyo. She thought of the countless dead bodies, countless demons they fought, countless pain and suffering caused by the Jewel.

And by Naraku's cowardly hands.

Kagome's heart clenched, the concept of her brother being in Kohaku's position and her other friends' terrible pain engulfing her, until she gasped and gripped her shirt. Hatred flowed through her body, pouring through every ounce of her as she recalled Naraku's smirk, Naraku's taunts, his every cruel action towards the people she loved.

"Damn that Naraku," Kagome whispered harshly to herself, barely noticing Inuyasha's ears twitching in surprise. "I must destroy him. I must."

Then, his eerily haunting and annoying laughter could be heard. The three friends looked around for their nemesis's face, while Kohaku's body started floating in the air away from them.

"No, Kohaku!" Sango cried, lunging for her brother, grabbing hold of his foot.

Inuyasha whipped out Tetsusaiga, growling furiously, "Show yourself, you coward!"

But Kagome's eyes scanned the trees for something else. Something Inuyasha's sensitive ears couldn't pick up. There! A glint of the tainted Jewel! Ignoring the pain in her arm, she cocked an arrow on her bow and aimed closely. Fury, which normally made her shake and throw off her rhythm, was on her side. Cold, deadly anger kept her aim straight and true.

She fired.

With an incredible force, her arrow made an explosion in the trees, causing everyone to nearly fall over. Kagome dug her feet into the earth. She was going to stand her ground. She refused to fall!

The dust and purifying light of her arrow dissipated, and Naraku was visible at last. He stood slumped against a tree, a gaping hole in his gut, staring in shock at Kagome. "How are you still alive?!" he demanded.

"Your time is up, Naraku!" Kagome shouted, barely aware of her friends' stunned reactions behind her, hardly acknowledging Miroku and Shippo running into the clearing, panting and asking what was going on. Her eyes were locked on the former human Onigumo, the "half-demon" Naraku who was the sole cause of their suffering. "You are utterly despicable!" she screamed, as she prepared another arrow to fire. "Now DIE!"

Her arrow pierced his chest, directly where his heart must be. Naraku snarled, "No! No, I have the Jewel, I have more power than you!"

"Then maybe you should have thought more carefully before underestimating me," Kagome said furiously. "You have no power, only borrowed power from the Jewel. You're a COWARD AND YOU WILL DIE AS ONE!" She shot arrow after arrow, piercing his body again and again, before finally concentrating on the Jewel he buried in his chest. "You will never hurt my friends again! You will never do anything again! GO TO FUCKING HELL, NARAKU! I'LL SEND YOU THERE, MYSELF!"

One last shot. The Jewel launched out of his filthy body and landed on the grass close to Kagome's feet. Naraku screamed then vanished in a shower of dust and pure energy.

And then Kagome saw black.

.

.

Stunned by the scene he had stumbled upon, still rather dizzy from the amount of saimyosho he sucked up, Miroku suddenly felt his head clear. The poison of the insects no longer hurt. He glanced down at his cursed hand, and trembling, removed the beads. There was no more Wind Tunnel.

He was free.

.

.

Kagura, annoyed at being left to deal with the remaining demon vermin, was about to exterminate them all and get it over with when she felt it.

Her heart.

Beating.

In her chest.

Gasping in shock, she pressed a hand to where the feeling came from. She held it there for a good few minutes, then sighed deeply. She smirked at the wretched demon horde, who all looked befuddled and confused now that their sense of directions was gone, and took a sharp wave of her fan.

Afterwards, she soared above the clouds, allowing herself the privilege to whoop uncharacteristically loudly. The whole world was at her feet! She didn't know nor care who disposed of Naraku, and had no interest in paying a debt. She did not ask to be created by his filthy hands, but she had her freedom now.

And that was all that mattered.

Perhaps the mainland would be the first on her list to explore.

.

.

Kanna set down her mirror. Naraku was dead. Her role was over. She quietly disappeared into the trees, wandering aimlessly until she could find another master.

.

.

Sesshomaru paused in his wandering. He sniffed the air. Strange.

Not only had Naraku's scent disappeared, he sensed an enormous amount of purification powers concentrated not far from here. He frowned slightly.

Rin nearly bumped into his leg, looking up in surprise. "What is it, my lord?" she asked curiously.

"Don't ask impertinent questions!"

"Silence, Jaken," Sesshomaru said wearily. "We're heading this way," he turned heel and headed toward the strange energy.

.

.

Koga skidded to a halt. He was barely a few miles away from the explosion, but his wolf senses tingled from the purification energy pulsing in that direction. Not to mention Naraku's repulsive scent was… gone?!

"No way…" he muttered, just as his two companions ran up behind him, panting.

"K-Koga, can we slow down already?"

"Absolutely not! I need to see if it's true!"

"If what's true?"

But Koga had already disappeared in a whirlwind of dust.

.

.

Kikyo watched as her reincarnation killed her bitter nemesis. She couldn't actually see Kagome or her friends, but from the cliff where she watched, she could sense Naraku's aura and feel the powerful purification spell. Only one other than herself could have done that.

"Kagome," she said quietly, "I suppose you are my true reincarnation after all."

She headed deeper into the mountains, her Soul Collectors obediently following her.

.

.

Kohaku opened his eyes. Tearful, purple eyes were staring down at her.

"Sis..?" he gasped, his head throbbing in pain.

And yet, despite his sore body and headache, he didn't mind when she flung her arms about him and sobbed into his shoulder.

.

.

Inuyasha held an unconscious Kagome in his arms, and looked around at his friends. Miroku had revealed to everyone the lack of black hole in his palm, Sango was currently embracing her brother, and Shippo simply looked baffled by everything.

He would have to explain everything later. He looked down at Kagome, and the large incomplete Jewel clutched in her fist. His heart swelled with pride.

Ever since they had met, he had been continually surprised by her courage. From fighting Yura of the Hair, to confronting his demonic side, Kagome never once backed down from a challenge. And now this! Defeating their greatest enemy in one fell swoop! If Inuyasha wasn't already in love with her, he would have fallen for her right now!

Wait... what? Shaking his head sharply, he propped Kagome firmly in his arms and began walking.

"Come on, guys," he barked at his friends. "Let's go home and rest."

.

.

Kagome opened her eyes, feeling groggy and disoriented. Her arm was wrapped in bandages, and her energy levels seemed all but sapped dry. She shifted slightly and noticed her fist wrapped tightly around something smooth and hard. She lifted it up to her eyes. It was the Jewel, shining pure white by her touch, with only a quarter chunk missing. She gasped, suddenly remembering everything.

"We did it!" she said in wonder.

"No, Kagome. You did it. You did everything."

She turned her head. Inuyasha was sitting beside her, his sword propped protectively against his shoulder, his amber eyes locked on her, all but glowing with pride and affection.

Wait... what?

"Inuyasha..." she said, attempting to sit up. "Wh-what happened? After-"

"Idiot, don't sit up too quickly! Take it easy," he quickly wrapped an arm about her waist and helped her sit upright. "Drink this. It'll help with any dizziness." He handed her a drink that had been sitting beside her.

Kagome gulped it down, ignoring the putrid taste, too eager to get rid of the nausea threatening to overcome her. Once it was gone, Inuyasha handed her some water to wash it down. She wiped her mouth and looked directly in his eyes. Again, there was no mistaking that look of pride! Bewildered, she asked again, "What happened? After I was knocked out, I mean."

"Naraku is officially gone. Not only did his scent and presence disappear, so did Miroku's Wind Tunnel, and Kohaku has his memories and mind back. On our way back to Kaede's, we ran into Sesshomaru, the mangy wolf, and... Kikyo," he admitted, his ears downcast.

"Really? What did they say?" Kagome said.

"Sesshomaru sensed Naraku's death, but he wanted to clarify. When we told him it was you, he said nothing except, 'No one kills my prey except me,'" Inuyasha mimicked his brother's monotonous voice, "but he didn't seem particularly upset. Just annoyed, I guess. He disappeared afterwards. The stupid wolf said the one smart thing in his whole life: 'If it couldn't be you or me, it had to be Kagome.'"

Kagome blushed slightly. Inuyasha gritted his teeth, until she said, "You're both being too kind."

"Don't be stupid. Even someone as wild and dumb as that wolf knows a great priestess when he sees one. And a great woman," he added softly. Before Kagome could open her mouth, he plunged on: "A-and Kikyo said she… saw. She saw it happen. And is grateful to you. She no longer has any reason to hold onto hate. She said goodbye. I don't know where she went, but I'm guessing she's finally found peace."

Kagome inhaled sharply. In spite of all the pain and jealousy she harbored toward the undead priestess, she could deny the overwhelming sense of relief from being complimented by her. And a selfish part of her triumphed over Kikyo giving up on dragging Inuyasha to hell with her. It was almost too good to be true.

"How are the others?"

"Sango is busy chatting with Kohaku, Shippo is helping Kaede fetch fresh water, and Miroku keeps quiet. I think he's almost disappointed that he didn't get to have the finishing blow. Like me," he blurted out, wincing.

Kagome opened her mouth to apologize, but Inuyasha pressed a finger to her mouth.

"No, don't do that, wench. We've all had our battles with Naraku, but it didn't really matter who killed that bastard. I'll admit I wanted the glory," he said grudgingly, "but I don't think …. I would have been as badass as you were."

"Don't be silly," Kagome said, blushing.

"You're the silly one! You were so... so cool and amazing and I'm so proud of how far you've come with your powers and I - I love you, dammit!"

Silence hovered over them for a few tense moments. Then, Kagome tentatively reached out and touched Inuyasha's cheek, gazing intently in his eyes.

"Really?" she whispered, hoping he wouldn't deny it.

"R-really," he said, his cheeks a dull red. "S-so, you're just gonna have to stick with me!"

Kagome giggled, wiping her moist eyes. "Stupid, don't you remember? At the well? I asked you to stay with you, and you let me. Now it's my turn. Will you stay with me?"

In answer, he leaned forward and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

.

.

A few days later, Kagome's strength was back to normal, and once again, the Jewel was on a string about her neck. During her time of recovery, Miroku and Sango had made arrangements of their own: now that Naraku was dead, they would settle down here, in Kaede's village, and build a family together.

Kohaku, still haunted by his past, but determined to redeem himself, decided to continue training as a demon slayer and wanted to travel from village to village to help those in need. Once Kagome was up and about, she purified his Jewel shard and carefully removed it. When he turned out all right, Sango all but crushed Kagome in a bearlike hug, sobbing uncontrollably.

Inuyasha and Kagome also announced their relationship, but knew that unlike their friends, the journey wasn't over yet. The Jewel was incomplete, and countless demons were no doubt terrorizing the country with their amplified powers. They agreed to at least stay for Miroku and Sango's wedding, then it would be just them again, wandering the countryside, collecting Jewel shards.

Just like in the beginning.