-1I do not own Inuyasha
Chapter Ten
The Final Battle
Kagome awoke with a start when she felt something very familiar that called to her soul. In her groggy state she could not quite grasp what it was. Suddenly she felt Sesshoumaru stiffen and then heard his almost inaudible whisper. "Naraku." Then it hit her. The thing that was calling to her soul was the other half of the shikon no tama. Kagome sat up and looked back at Sesshoumaru. They sat just looking into one another's eyes for a brief moment before Sesshoumaru gathered her close and leapt to the ground below them. Sesshoumaru lightly kissed Kagome on the lips before whispering into her ear. "Stay near me Kagome. Let me protect you and don't do anything rash. This Sesshoumaru would not survive very well without you beside him. I love you." He then turned to his now awake brother and the wolf prince. He talked with them silently while Kagome turned to wake up Sango and Miroku.
"Wake up. Sango, Miroku, it is time. Naraku approaches with his hoard of demons and the final battle drawls near." Sango and Miroku who only seconds before had been sleeping peacefully were now fully awake and readying themselves for the upcoming battle. Kikyou was standing making sure that her bow and arrows were ready for the battle and Kagome walked over to join her. "Stay safe Kikyou. Inuyasha would not survive without you. You have become my friend and apart of my family even though we started off rather rocky. Good luck." Kikyou looked up at the one that was supposed to be her reincarnate. Kikyou knew that she was not and that her soul was only temporarily residing in Kagome's body until her own was unlocked.
"The same for you Kagome. Sesshoumaru has grown fond of you and I shutter at the thought of what he would do if he lost you. Good luck to you as well Sango." Kikyou said and added to Sango as she joined the two women. Miroku had gone to stand with the youkai to hear what they had planned. The women were waiting patiently to informed of what the plans would be. The girls all looked over their weapons one more time to make sure that they were ready for battle before the men all turned and approached them.
"Kagome we would like for you and Kikyou to stay a little ways back from the actual battle so that you skills with the bow and arrow can be put to the best use it possibly could. Hakaku and Ginta will stay behind with the two of you to make sure that any who happen to get past us will not be able to harm you. Slayer you will fight from the air with your neko-youkai. And the rest of us will take areas of the battle field." Sesshoumaru said to the now exasperated women. Kagome and Kikyou did not want to stay back from the battle. They wanted to fight along side the men that they loved to better protect their backs if they needed it. But neither one said anything. They both knew that whether they fought or not the end result would be the same. They would be staying behind.
"Sesshoumaru will take the middle right. The monk will take the middle left. Inuyasha will take the far right. And I will take the far left. My wolves and fellow ookami youkai will fight through out the entire battle and helping where needed. We will all make our way to Naraku." Kouga spoke to the three women. Miroku turned and addressed the women next.
"The two of you will go back and forth between helping to clear the paths for the others. And helping Sango to get rid of the saimyoushou. That way I can use the wind tunnel." The three girls nodded that they understood what they were to do. Inuyasha had not been facing them and Kagome had been slightly distracted. The feel of the other half of the jewel so near to her was making her feel odd. She was comforted that it was coming to join with its other half and confused as to why she was feeling the way she was feeling and knowing that once the two halves of the jewel were in the same vicinity as each other that something was going to happen. Kagome still could not fathom whether it was a good thing or a bad thing. Suddenly Inuyasha spoke and made the three girls jump.
"Come we are just wasting time. Naraku is really close. His foul smell is starting to hurt my nose. You girls need to get into position. Go before the stupid idiot gets here." Inuyasha impatient as always. He walked up to Kikyou and kissed her fiercely before letting her go and whispering that he loved her. Kikyou stood back from him and waited for Kagome to join her. Hakaku walked away from his pack and went to stand next to her. Kagome looked to Sesshoumaru and smiled at him. Sesshoumaru took a few steps until if one of them should breath heavily their bodies would be touching. Sesshoumaru reached up with one hand and gently ran it down her cheek careful not to scratch her with his deadly claws. Kagome closed her eyes and pressed her face into his hand. She sighed and then opened her eyes again and stared into his intense gold ones.
"Kagome remember what I said. No matter what happens I want you to stay with Kikyou and the wolves." Kagome nodded and then looked up at him with tears in her eyes. He wiped them away as they slowly slid down her cheeks.
"Remember your promise Sesshou and come back to me alive. I love you." Sesshoumaru leaned in and pressed a light chaste kiss to her lips before leaning up and placing one on her forehead. He smiled slightly at her which made her breath hitch at the beauty of it.
"I remember my promise. I love you too, my Kagome." Then he turned from her and walked over to where the others who would be confronting Naraku to his face stood. Kagome walked with Ginta at her side to Kikyou. When the four of them where together they walked off to stand on the crest of the hill that was overlooking the place where the battle would soon take place. Kikyou reached over and took a hold of Kagome's hand as she began to cry again. Kagome squeezed her hand and then let go when she saw a multitude of demons enter the clearing followed by Naraku, Kanna, and Kagura who was holding a very broken Shippou. He was not hurt physically but he was skinnier as if he had not been eating, he was dirty, and the haunted look in his eyes made Kagome yearn to pull her kitsune into her arms and never let him out of her sight again. Sesshoumaru had a different reaction to the sight of the kit. He was outraged. The kit looked so forlorn and he knew that the sight of the kitsune would hurt his Kagome. Naraku would pay dearly. Naraku saw the direction of the western lords gaze and turned to the kitsune and his wind sorceress. The kit noticed and he moved closer to Kagura. Kagura just smirked. Naraku laughed. He then turned to the group that was gathered in the clearing. When he did not see the two that he wished to see most he searched for where he sensed the jewel. When he saw the woman who held the jewel and the one that he wished to make his own he smiled cruelly and then turned his gaze back to the ones that he had to get past in order to get to them.
"So you have decided to fight me. You will all die and I will wait to kill the kitsune last while his mother is forced to watch when he is dead I will keep both of your miko's as my toys." Naraku smirked as he succeeded in upsetting all of the little group who protected them. Ever since Naraku had stepped into the clearing the jewel piece hanging around her neck had begun to emit heat and it was not a burning heat. It was a soothing heat as if it knew that its other half was very close by. Kagome smiled and touched the jewel. She looked at Kikyou as the boys all got into their fighting stances ready to attack. Both girls raised their bows and released to very holy charged arrows that landed right in the middle of the army that stood between their men and Naraku. At the moment the arrows made impact all hell broke loose. The army who had not noticed the two women on the hill looked around frantically for the source of the holy power that had come out of nowhere and had purified almost one hundred of their companions. Naraku laughed and the men charged. The Final battle had begun.
For the next fifteen minutes. Kagome and Kikyou shot arrow after arrow into the foray below them. They were alternating between clearing paths for all of the men fighting and taking out the saimyoushou. Kirara and Sango were dealing with the few youkai who were attacking from the air as well as helping to kill the bees. Sesshoumaru and the other youkai below were ripping mercilessly and efficiently through all of the youkai who stood in their way of Naraku. Soon they had plowed through all of the lesser youkai and were standing before Naraku who was smiling and laughing. They were all confused. Then Kagura looked at them and was about to turn on Naraku when a tentacle was suddenly protruding from Kanna's small body. Kagura gasped and watched as the mirror shattered and Kanna fell limply to the ground as Naraku pulled his appendage from her now lifeless body. Kagura began to sob. Then she quickly stopped and turned hate filled eyes to Naraku. "You will pay for that." Naraku laughed again and the sound made goose bumps rise up on everyone who heard it except for of course Sesshoumaru though it did make him uneasy. Kagura let go of Shippou. He shrouded himself in illusions and disappeared into the forest to watch and wait for the battle to end. Kagura gasped as suddenly a heart appeared in Naraku's hand. She fell to the ground clutching her chest as he began to squeeze. Kagome could not watch. She had to do something. She drew back her bow and before she released she felt Kikyou's hands cover hers on the bow. Kagome was about to ask what she was doing when she felt Kikyou add her miko energy to Kagome's. Kagome nodded and they pulled back further on the string and then released a arrow that sped with almost no recognizable speed. It hit Naraku's barrier and shattered it. It continued until it hit and purified the arm that had been holding the heart. Kagura stopped gasping when she felt the pressure in her chest where her heart should have been disappear. She looked up to see that her heart was lying right in front of her and that Naraku was looking flabbergasted and a little fearful at the two miko's that were standing on the hill smirking haughtily at him. He was furious.
"Stupid women. I was going to keep you alive to share my throne. But now you will both die." With that said Naraku disappeared and then reappeared about a yard from the surprised women. Ginta and Hakaku stepped in front of the women and began to snarl viscously at the hanyou. Naraku laughed and soon both of the ookami were thrown into the forest with gaping holes in their abdomens. Kagome and Kikyou gasped. Soon Naraku's attention was taken from them again as he was attacked from behind by Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and Kouga. As they fought, Sango, Miroku, Kagura holding Shippou, and the other wolves and ookami from Kouga's tribe had joined the two miko on the hill prepared to help should the three below need it.
Kagome was not paying attention to the battle, she was lost in her mind somewhere trying to figure out what the frantic whispering wanted her to do. She knew that the whispering was coming from the jewel but she could not figure out what it was that it wanted her to do. It had been whispering this way ever since Naraku had come closer to her. Finally one voice stood out above the rest and she finally understood what it is that the Sacred Jewel wanted her to do. Kagome took a step away from the group and towards the fighting men. She closed her eyes and held out her hands. One hand was empty and the other was holding the half of the jewel shard that she already had. Her body began to glow pink and Kagome concentrated on one word. "Come." She whispered it over and over again in her head as she spoke it only once very forcefully out loud. Three things happened all at once. Naraku stopped dead in his tracks and stared wide eyed at the glowing miko. Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and Kouga each impaled Naraku on their swords. And the jewel half that Naraku had joined with the one in Kagome's hand and Kagome fell to the ground surrounded by a bright pink glow.
"KAGOME" A loud roar went up. Everyone had called for their fallen friend at the exact same moment. Sesshoumaru rushed to her and tried to get to her but he could not get passed the barrier that was now surrounding her.
Kagome remembered watching the jewel purifying and coming together and then nothing. She sat up and opened her eyes only to realize that she was laying in a garden full of beautiful flowers. There was every kind of flower imaginable surrounding her on all sides. Kagome sat up and then stood. She began to follow a clear path that lead her to a place that made her stop in her tracks. She was over whelmed their in the middle of the garden from her dreams sat the youkai from her dreams. The very man that she had feared she would never see again. Tears filled her eyes and she ran into his waiting embrace.
Well there it is. I put this chapter up quicker than I normally do because I figured that I owed you guys for taking so long to get the last chapter up. I hope that you like it. I don't think that I am very good with fight scenes. Well please review. Until next time. Later.
