Author Note: Idodges items thrown at her I'm so sorry I haven't updated in, gosh, forever. I'm so sorry!!! I hope this suffices for a while, even though its really short!!!!!

Chapter Twenty

I'm Only Human

InuYasha stopped to rest by a frozen stream, setting Kagome down to lean on a tree, wiping the sweat from his brow. He didn't know what he was doing. To keep running was pointless. He had to stay away from his brother and Kikyou, but he couldn't go and kill Naraku on his own.

He groaned and clutched his head. "Dammit!!" He cursed, his bark disturbing the sparrows in the tree above him.

"You're sense of smell seems to be weak, InuYasha." Steps drew nearer to them, crunching twigs and snow, and InuYasha turned around to see Sesshoumaru standing there.

"What the fuck?!" InuYasha yelled. "I thought you were going to try and stay away from us?!"

"Relax, brother." Sesshoumaru said, holding his palm out with the defiled jewel shard in it. "I was able to get it, but something is happening to me because of my action. We have to go and kill Naraku now, or it will be too late."

InuYasha looked puzzled. "Too late? For what?"

Sesshoumaru never elaborated, he just continued on his way, and his brother followed, carrying Kagome.

"Sesshoumaru." InuYasha stated, staring at his brother from behind. "What's going to happen? What are we doing?"

"We are going to defeat Naraku. Once and for all."

InuYasha scoffed. "I know that, dumbass. But after that, what if we don't win? Or what if we do, who is Kagome going to stay with?"

Sesshoumaru looked down at his feet as hid continued through the snow, his feet dropping in almost a foot, making his steps strained. "We'll figure it out when it's over." He said plainly. Truth was, he didn't want to think of it. It had been going through his mind a lot the past hours. Now that his brother- half-brother- was back in the picture, did the promise still called to be fulfilled?

"If you could take care of her, I'd be… grateful…"

Sesshoumaru gave his word that after InuYasha was gone, he would watch after Kagome. But InuYasha was back, did that mean after this final battle Kagome would no longer be his? Would Kagome forget about her affections for him and return to loving the Hanyou? The silver haired youkai was not one to get scared easily, but the thought of losing her, especially back to his brother, made his heart quicken and his stomach knot in very unfamiliar ways. But he decided, like he had said, it would be best to sort that out after Naraku was gone.

"Sesshoumaru?" InuYasha said, with a very agitated voice. "I've been talking to you!"

The Taiyoukai must have been too deep in thought to hear him. "Hmn?" He replied.

"Kagome is waking up."

Panic wracked the Taiyoukai's mind momentarily. What would she do when she woke up? Would she be frightened, would she run?

The female's eyes fluttered open.

Kagome sensed something odd when she woke up. The jewel shard that the Taiyoukai had was emanating a different aura. It was more powerful now, more noticeable. Maybe that was what jarred her to consciousness.

"Sesshoumaru?" She muttered, and squirmed a bit, and InuYasha set her back on her feet. Rather than being afraid, she was concerned. The moment she saw him she sensed that he was no longer there to pose a threat.

He didn't turn to her voice, but stopped and waited for the two to catch up with him.

Her shoulder throbbed were it was wounded, but she tried to ignore it. As soon as she was next to the Taiyoukai, he began to move forward again. In her injured state, she was falling behind.

InuYasha tried to lift her up again, but she refused be carried, but instead pushed herself to keep up with the demon.

He never looked back at her. Surely she would hate him for what he had done to her.

"Sesshoumaru." Kagome said sternly. He stopped frigid where he was. "Why won't you talk to me?"

"Aren't you frightened?" He said quietly, still keeping his gaze ahead of him.

She shook head and came to him, and this time he didn't not move. She reached up to the strip of cloth around his neck wear blood had soaked it thoroughly. "This is where the jewel was?" She asked, touching the wound tentatively.

He nodded slightly.

"Its not normal," she said softly. "The wound, I mean. Something's wrong…" She furrowed her eyebrows and tried to discern a possible diagnosis.

He pushed her hand away. "Its fine, its just a cut." Sesshoumaru said somewhat coldly. He knew very well that something was wrong. His sense of smell was fading, little by little, and he was feeling weaker. "If we are going to defeat him, it must be now." He turned back to his half brother, who was surveying the area.

"But how?" Kagome included. "There's Naraku, Kikyo, and not to mention the ones he has control of…"

"We have to remove the shards from the three, then they shouldn't be able to attack. They aren't quite as powerful without there own will." InuYasha said. "Kikyo is off on her own, out for… well, you." He said, looking at Kagome. "She wants to get rid of you first, that much I know."

"And Naraku will be our biggest challenge." Sesshoumaru said, closing the list.

Silence came over the group for a moment and InuYasha's ears perked forward, then grabbed Kagome's waist pulled her down.

Sesshoumaru was the last to get down, but he did just in time. A big whoosh was heard over head and the Hiraikotsu flew over them, snapping trees in its wake. It returned to its master and she caught it, the power of the boomerang making her take a step back.

Sango, even dead and controlled by Naraku, still looked beautiful and deadly. Her once bright brown eyes were glazed over, and her movements were doll-like, as though she were on strings, with her puppet master above the stage, directing her.

InuYasha sprang up, with his brother at his side. Sesshoumaru had no sword, and neither did InuYasha, so they were up against her with their bare hands.

Kagome was still on the ground, and it was hard for her to get up again with her injury.

Her once-alive friend pulled her arm back, bending her muscular legs and preparing to launch the weapon when a flash of red flew past them and took Sango to the ground.

InuYasha had pounced on her and she laid there, motionless. Her head fell to the side and her fingers loosened on the strap of her weapon.

InuYasha sat up and moved her weapon, still marveling at how such a petite looking woman, even as a dead doll, could lift such a heavy thing.

"That was pretty simple." The hanyou said with a triumphant tone, blowing a few strands of silver hair that had fallen in face away.

Kagome slowly came to Sango and kneeled down beside her. It seemed once the enemy was knocked down, they stopped being controlled for the time being. Perhaps it was too difficult to control someone, more that they had thought.

Kagome swept the females ponytail aside and found the jewel embedded in her neck, a dark purple glow coming off of it that only her miko eyes could see. She pried the small shard out and not even seconds later, the Taijya turned to dust, her skin disintegrating and piling around only a skeleton with clothing.

It startled the young miko at first, but she had assumed something of the sort would happen.

"I hope you can rest in peace now, Sango. The others will be there, soon." Kagome half-smiled and grazed the forehead of the skull laying before her.

Sesshoumaru didn't try to help with the process. All of his remaining energy he was saving for Naraku. It was nerving him even more how weak he felt. He didn't feel this weak even as a child, perhaps. His gaze flicked to Kagome. She was still looking down at her deceased friend.

What would happen during this battle? Who would win? Who would live?

He blinked, trying not to think of that again. He would just hope, assume, that he would live, that Kagome would live. That she would still choose him afterwards…

Author Note: Thanks for reading :D Please review, it makes my day!! (even if it was too short) Sorry if this chapter sucked :P