AiShi: SSL, people. Sorry So Late. It's kind of late for me to be thinking up an abbreviation for the apology, since GWDGF will be ending soon, but what the hey… I think that this was one of the easiest chapters to write, I'm not sure why because I think I suck at describing action scenes…I'm too wordy and not to the point. And now that I've pointed that out, all of you will immediately notice it and completely agree, saying that you noticed it from the beginning of my story and that I should really work on it more. Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. Enjoy anyway!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A harsh scream groggily awoke Aki. She felt numb, and couldn't summon enough strength to open her eyes.

"What the…?" she murmured. Her neck was throbbing with a dull pain. She tried to reach up to rub it, but her arm wouldn't move. The screaming hadn't gone away, and it was starting to annoy her.

"Be quiet!" she wanted to say, but her voice was just a rasp – the tigress could barely get the sound out. Now the screaming turned to angry shouts. Aki dully wondered what the hell was going on. She tried to open her eyes again, but failed. She tried to move, but her body felt like it was covered in cement.

'Well, this is annoying,' she thought to herself.

Suddenly, she felt something jerk her back, throwing her down onto something hard – but she wasn't hurt. In fact, her neck had stopped paining her… and she could move!

Her tail twitched. After a relieved pause she opened her eyes.

And saw her own lifeless eyes staring back.

She shrieked and leaped to her feet, stumbling away from her own corpse. (AiShi: This is fun to write!) She fell back on the grass, shaking.

"Aki!" A hand clasped on her shoulder, causing her to jerk vilolently.

"W-Wha…?"

"Oh my god, you're alive!" Amaya exclaimed.

Aki twitched.

"THE EFFING HELL I'M ALIVE!" she screamed. "JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK MY EAD BODY IS DOING OVER THERE, SPEARED ON THAT FREAKSHOW OF A DEMON?" She was hyperventilating now, until she realized that she wasn't actually breathing.

"Watch it!"

Aki rolled to the side as something struck the ground where she was. It was another of Naraku's spear-like appendages. Moriko tackled Aki, shoving her away as another attack was aimed for her.

"Goddammit, don't you dare get killed again!" she snarled.

Inuyasha charged at Naraku, his sword glowing red.

"Go back to Hell, Naraku!" he yelled, slashing Tetsusaiga right at Naraku's head. The barrier propelled him back as he struck.

"Dammit! It doesn't work!" he cursed, regaining his balance.

"Get out of here," Moriko said coldly, pushing Aki back as she stood up. "You'll get in the way."

Aki blinked, wondering what brought that reprimand on and was about to respond angrily when Moriko contacted her over the mental link.

'Go get Kagome, I'll cover for you,' she said, giving her a pointed look.

Aki was taken aback for a moment, then regained her composure and glared back at the fox.

"When you die, don't you dare come running to me!" she snapped.

"This is hardly the time to be fighting with each other!" said Kurama, annoyed at their childish behavior, not aware that it was all an act.

"Leave it, Kurama." Moriko returned Aki's ice-cold stare with vigor and snapped, "Just get out of here!"

"With pleasure!" Aki turned on her heel and sprinted away, leaving them to hold off Naraku.

'Kagome, where are you?' Aki thought to herself as she dashed through demon and human battles alike, dodging various kicks and punches and dancing through weapons and claws. There were only a few arrows falling from the sky, landing either in the grass or through the enemy. Aki kept her eyes on these, looking for one with a blue tail. She was running toward the forest, hoping that Kagome had stayed relatively close to lead the archers into battle.

Suddenly, she heard a low whistle. She slammed herself to the ground as something white hot blew over her. Its energy shocked her, but otherwise she was unaffected.

"Aki!" Two hands pulled her up to her feet.

"Kagome!"

Aki pushed her back as a dragon's claw landed between them. She stuck her own claws through its scales. Kagome fired another arrow as an ogre advanced on her.

"Kagome, we need your help with Naraku!" Aki said.

"Naraku's here?"

"We need you!"

Kagome nodded and ran ahead of Kagome, trying not to push too many people out of her way.

'Kilala!' Aki yelled in her mind, trying to reach the cat demon.

'We know about Naraku, Sango and I are here with Inuyasha and Moriko,' she replied. Her voice was tired; strained. 'Where are you?'

Aki cast a worried glance to the sky ahead.

'I'm coming with Kagome, just hang on.'

Aki sped up, moving through the crowd like water. Kagome followed her.

Suddenly, Aki's ears twitched. She looked behind her, quickly jumping out of the way as a tornado blew by her. It had swept Kagome off her feet. The tigress snatched up her friend's bow and arrows that she had dropped and ran after Koga, glad that he had showed up.

Aki stumbled as she felt Naraku's evil aura surround her, but got back to her feet. Aki didn't run after Kagome again, but instead sprinted off in a different direction, circling around where Naraku was. She could barely see him in the distance, his shield blazing like violet fire, occasionally rippling where he was being repeatedly attacked. Aki needed to get in position for a surprise attack. If done right, this could win the whole battle for them.

If done right.

If not, Aki wouldn't like to think about it. She circled from a distance, keeping her eyes on Naraku. He hadn't noticed her. The spider was too busy with the numerous attacks raining down upon him. She moved faster, keeping low to the ground.

It was all laid out before her, everything she needed to do to take him down. Half of it wasn't guaranteed to work. The other half wasn't going to work.

Aki stopped as she found herself entirely behind Naraku, roughly an American football field's length away. She bent down and ran at him, streaking across the grass with the speed of a freight train. He hadn't seen her, no one had seen her. She drew back her claws.

"WIND SCAR!"

"NO!" She leaped back as the rush of energy surged towards her, ripping up chunks of ground and shredding the grass. As she somersaulted back, she barely saw the attack hit Naraku head-on.

The barrier held strong.

"Interesting… even combined you can do nothing at all…"

Aki jumped up in anger and started towards him.

"You actually believe you could do any better than Inuyasha, Skriata? Great white tiger demon?"

"Stay back, Aki!" Inuyasha pushed her aside.

"I'm helping!" she snapped.

"Look out!"

Something pink exploded in her face right before one Naraku's attacks reached her. She bounced back as elastic-like blob blew out.

"Hang on!" the thing said.

"Shippo!" Kagome exclaimed.

"Shippo?" Aki looked at the thing.

Suddenly, they were both thrown back as one of Naraku's tentacles swept them away.

"His heel!" Suki suddenly shouted. Everyone turned to look at her.

"There! At his left heel his barrier's weak!" She pointed frantically at where she saw the shield flicker.

Without a word, Inuyasha fired his Wind Scar, followed immediately by Moriko and Amaya's own energy attacks.

The barrier shattered, disappearing into the air.

"Yes!" Shippo cheered, popping back into his true form. Sango's boomerang whipped through the air, catching Naraku in his chest. He bent over, his eyes wide. Koga wasted no time in barraging the demon with his own rapid kicks. Naraku didn't counter, but instead shut his eyes in concentration.

"Careful! He's trying to recreate his shield!" Aki yelled, throwing herself at her murderer.

"Not gonna happen!" Moriko snarled, following Aki and Suki into the fray. With Amaya, they pinned him down, sinking their claws into his flesh. A cloud of poison sprayed out from the punctures. Aki's eyes and throat burned, feeling like fire, but she held on tight.

"You idiot, get out of there!" Moriko shouted, leaping away from the toxic gas.

"Aki!" Amaya and Suki yelled.

Aki ignored them. She could now feel her whole body absorbing the poison.

"Die again, Naraku," she snarled, plunging her other hand into the demon's chest.

He laughed.

"If you think that's going to stop me…"

"It won't!" she yelled. "But it will help in the long run!"

"Now, Kagome!" Moriko yelled.

Kagome stretched her bow string back to the limit, then let the arrow fly. Spiritual energy spiraled from the tip, streaking through the air. It hit Naraku straight on. Aki released him and leaped out of the way as Inuyasha followed.

"WIND SCAR!"

The attack hit soon, the aftermath propelling Aki backwards. She fell onto something soft. Looking down, she saw it was the demon cheetah from earlier.

'Good job, Skriata.'

As the blinding light of the two attacks combined faded, everyone could see the scorched crater, empty. A small miasma leaked from the middle, barely noticeable. A small slip of paper flew to the ground and disintegrated in a lick of blue flame.

"It's over," Miroku said.

Aki looked over her shoulder to see the demons of Naraku vaporize, echoey screams barely loud enough to hear littering the battlefield. Soldiers fell to their knees, exhausted. She saw women fighters weep for their lost family and friends. She gently rolled off of the cheetah. She limped up to her.

'It was an honor to serve you,' she said, bowing her head.

Aki looked at her friends, the various wounds across their faces, and their ripped and dirty clothes. Kagome sat down on the grass, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Inuyasha knelt, shoving Tetsusaiga deep into the dirt.

"We won! We won!" she heard Botan and Jennsu shout, flying toward them.

Aki turned her gaze towards Moriko, Suki, and Amaya. They all looked back at her with weary eyes, sharing the same thought as everyone else. Aki let Shippo jump into her arms. Unconsciously, she held him tight.

It's over.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AiShi: IT'S NOT OVER! Not for another update anyway. Wow, it's all coming to an end... It's kind of relieving. Not that I don't love ya all. I really do. Otherwise, not much to say...

AND THERE I WAS, SPEEDING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 60 MILES PER HOUR IN A CARDBOARD BOX.