Yay I made the five-hundred mark! Hoorah. Lets see if I can get it to seven-hundred… with the help of all you fans, of course.

Brah… next chapter people! I can't believe it's almost Christmas. That's insane. And I have to work Christmas Eve and Boxing Day… Oh well, at least I don't have to work on Christmas day.

I saw the movie 'Fire on the Mystic Island' today. Yay! I love Inuyasha. It's soooooo cute. Wonderful animation and characters, as usual. If you get a chance to, I suggest you watch it.

Disclaimer: Nope… don't own it.

Final Shard Collected

Waking when she felt the soft press of something against her nose, Kagome pried an eye opened, smiling when she saw Sesshomaru still with her. The last time she had fallen asleep by him… well, some things were best left in the past.

Trailing his claws vigilantly against her cheek, the inu youkai traced the shell of her ear with his tongue. When she gave him a puzzled look, he nuzzled her hair and explained, "It is a signal of affection in the inu clan."

"Oh," she peeped as a yawn escaped her. Shaking off her lethargy, the little miko wiggled her way out of the demon's arms and scooted across the cold stone floor. Coming to a stop next to Mischief, she gave the mare an experimental poke in the side.

Sure enough, the creature jerked awake, large, chocolate eyes still rimmed with the residue of her sleep. Giving her large, black head a toss, the horse rose up first on her front legs, the lower half of her body following shortly after.

Strapping what was left of their supplies to the mare's back, Kagome saddled her up and hopped aboard. Waiting until the Western Lord was atop his cloud of concentrated youkai energy, the youthful priestess gave her companion a pat on the neck, signaling it was time to head out.

For the first hour or so of their trip, they traveled at a slower pace, the high reaches of the mountains they toured a very dangerous place for bearing beasts and their riders. Though this was no ordinary group of trekkers, the air was thinning out even more than it had been before, meaning that it would not be safe for Mischief to run. Should she overexert herself, there was a good chance she would suffocate.

Sesshomaru did not seem at all deterred by the perilous peaks, nor did he have a reason. Being the strongest demon in the country did have its advantages. Yet he feared, not for himself, but for the young, fragile human woman that sat so boldly atop the midnight steed. With height came a decrease in temperature, and they were slowly but surely gaining altitude.

'That underhanded, devious bastard,' Kagome hissed mentally as her teeth began to chatter, rattling her skull, as well as the thoughts that swirled in it. 'So the shadow demon thinks he can escape me by hiding out in these mountains? Well, he's about to find out that Kagome Higurashi never leaves a job unfinished.'

Pulling her garment tighter around her, she murmured, "Cold or no cold, I'll find him."

"Take this," Sesshomaru instructed softly as his pelt slithered from his shoulder to rest across hers. Wrapping it securely around her with his mind, the taiyoukai kept a close watch on her.

Though the pelt helped, it too was cold, and could only do so much. She noticed her horse, as well, had slowed a great deal. The once rambunctious mare now struggled to go at a steady trot.

Placing her hands against Mischief's whither, the miko whispered a prayer of healing to the mare, easing her tight muscles and taking away her fatigue. In seconds the steed seemed to perk, her pace picking up slightly, but not by much.

Then, placing her hands over her heart, she uttered the very same words she had bestowed upon her furry companion. The beating of her heart became stronger, faster, pushing blood through her body at a normal pace once again. She needed to be careful out here in the mountains. When one stayed out in the cold for too long, they tended not to notice when their heart began to slow.

She glanced at Sesshomaru, to see if perhaps he was being affected by the atrocious weather, but found, much as she had expected, that he was in top condition. If he was beginning to feel it, however, he was hiding it very well.

Knowing he happened to be very good at masking how he felt, and knowing he was too prideful to ask her for help, she inquired, "Do you want me to heal you too?"

He shook his head once, not in a way that was meant to be cruel or mocking, but in a way that assured her that he was truly fine. She gave him a shy smile then, and turned back to face the path they traveled. It was narrow and craggy, one side blocked off by the face of the mountain, jutting upward into the clouds at an almost perfectly vertical angle. The other side dropped off into a gorge that seemingly had no bottom. The fog that shrouded the floor of the canyon swirled and churned, like giant snakes of mist, hissing and squirming in their pit, waiting for some unfortunate fool to fall into their awaiting depths.

She was reminded of her fall into reality. It had, at the same time, killed and saved her. Had she not stepped over the edge, into what she had believed to be her death, she would have never found her true power, nor would she have found the man she was destined to be with.

Again she looked to Sesshomaru. A sly grin spread across her lips. She did not regard the occasion with loathe and bitter anger any longer. Such feelings had passed over time. Now she realized it had been a blessing all along. 'Everything happens for a reason, right?' Kagome asked herself. 'I suppose that was the way things were meant to be. I was meant to find myself on that day, just as I was meant to find and fall in love with the western Lord.'

A repulsive echo rang through the high crested walls of stone, one that was most definitely not human.

"That sounded like a dying rabbit," Kagome commented as Mischief cocked her head, ears erect and pointed straight forward.

"It was a dying rabbit," Sesshomaru affirmed. He inhaled once, quickly and concluded, "This shadow youkai you have been pursuing is nearby. Shall I kill him?"

Shaking her head, Kagome dismounted and unhooked the Faia Enko from Mischief's back. "Nope," she declined, "I made the mistake of being merciful last time. It's my job to finish what I started."

Shrugging, Sesshomaru held his stance and tucked his hands into his sleeves. The miko's mare trotted up to him and fixed him with a curious stare. Ignoring the beast's presence, he merely stood and waited for his little onna to return.

Treading lightly over the thin blanket of snow that peppered the ground, Kagome drew her sword back into a ready position, taking hold of the hilt with both hands. Small, almost imperceptible footsteps dented the thin sheet of white powder.

Flattening herself against the side of a large rock face, she slunk carefully along, skirting the many jagged outcroppings that jutted forth from the rocks otherwise smooth surface.

About the same time a slight change in the atmosphere caught her attention, a small cleft came into view. It was narrow, and well hidden by the curving walls of the mountainside; the perfect place for a villainous youkai to take refuge.

Sliding gingerly into the crevice, she padded softly into the hidden cave, eyes slowly adjusting to the darkened surroundings. When her foot tapped something warm and solid, she gazed down to find the remains of what she guessed was a rabbit. Though it had been horribly mutilated, there was still plenty of meat on it, meaning that whoever had been eating it had not finished, which lead her to the conclusion that the person had been interrupted.

Sensing the ominous aura of the youkai she had been hunting, she lifted her sword just as the shadow demon fell from the ceiling and brought his blade upon her. Smirking, she crooned mockingly, "So, it looks like I've found you, scum."

"Indeed, little miko," the demon murmured, his voice an echoing hiss in the reaches of the cave. "You found me sooner than I had anticipated… you truly are a magnificent priestess."

"Why thank you," she cooed in a sweet voice, pushing him backward.

"You don't have to do this, you know," he purred, his body writhing and churning as he took the form of a shadow. "You could give up this fruitless expedition and come with me. Give me the jewel, and I will rein supreme, with you by my side as my queen." A long, amorphous shape reached out and traced her jaw; black, ghostly fingers raking through her hair.

Cringing at his putrid stench, the miko shook her head and declined, "No thanks, I've got a man. I think I'll just beat you, complete the Shikon, and rid the world of any scourge who tries to use it for the purposes of evil."

"Foolish child," the youkai snarled, reforming behind her in a partially solid state, "you may have gotten the upper hand before, but we fought during the day, when you had the advantage. In this place of shadow and darkness, it is I who will emerge the victor."

"We'll see," Kagome whispered as she lunged forward, blade sweeping to the side.

Blocking easily, the demon disappeared and slithered off into the shadow, leaving her at a loss as to his whereabouts.

Squinting, the miko calmed her self and attempted to seek him out by detecting his aura. It was no use however. In this unholy and evil place, his foul presence was everywhere, surrounding and suffocating her.

"Don't you see, little miko? This is my home. The shadow, it feeds me, gives me limitless strength. As long as we are here, in this darkness, I cannot die, whereas you, my fragile ningen wench, are easily disposed of." His snake-like laughter bounced off the cavern walls, drowning her senses in its mocking hiss.

Standing tall, Kagome snickered a little, resting her blade casually on her shoulder.

"Why do you laugh?" the demon demanded, anger ringing clear in his tone, "You are face to face with death and still you act as though nothing is wrong! Are you mad?!"

Laughter dying down into a soft tinkling, she informed him, "Death does not frighten me. I have stood in Death's doorway and knocked, yet here I am. I was not meant to die then, and I am not meant to die now, such is the way of Lady Fate."

Lowering her sword into a ready position, she sniffled lightly and commented heedlessly, "So, the shadow feeds you, hm? Well then, it seems clear to me that we need to shed a little light on the situation."

Body thrumming to life, Kagome was quickly surrounded by a blinding fuchsia light. Eyes opening, she smiled coolly when she made out the figure of the shadow youkai huddling against a wall, arms over his eyes to shield them from the intense light she shed. "It looks as though your luck has run out," she whispered.

With a single sweep of her sword, the young miko decimated the foul shadow demon, cringing when he burst into a cloud of putrid, black gas. Allowing her miko powers to return to her body, she was once again engulfed in darkness. A tiny sliver of glowing pink lay only feet away on the cave floor, its purple tinge flickering evilly in the shadows.

Kneeling, she pinched the shard between her fingers and watched as it purified instantly. Removing her chunk of the Shikon from its hiding place, she merged the two splinters together, sighing to herself.

Standing, she shimmied out of the narrow grotto, following her senses as well as her footsteps back to Sesshomaru and Mischief. Now that the final shard had been collected, all that was left to do was wait. She surmised that Naraku would not wait long before making his move. The dark hanyou was anxious to get his filthy hands on the Shikon, she knew that much.

Head tilting slightly, he moved his gaze from the sky to his onna, who was walking confidently in his direction. Turning to face her fully, he inquired in a serious tone, "It is done?"

"It is," she affirmed, holding up her piece of the jewel. "Naraku will come for this soon. I believe it would be in our best interest to go somewhere where we have the upper hand. Whether you want to admit it or not, Sesshomaru, Naraku is not a force to be taken lightly."

Grunting his response, the demon Lord turned to face the east, back in the direction from whence they'd come. "We had best be going," he instructed.

Nodding, she mounted her mare and gave it a soft kick in the side. That was yet another thing that needed to be done, Mischief needed to be returned to her rightful owner. Though she hated even the thought of letting the beautiful animal go, she knew it was for the best. She would stop and return her to the Ryou on their trip back. After that, she would have to travel with Sesshomaru.

She sighed. What had just occurred was only a small stone on the path ahead. With the last remaining shard now in her possession, the villainous hanyou would come to seek what he believed was his. The battle would be fierce, and she prayed that, no matter what, she would rid the world of his existence.

There was of course, the question of what she would do with the gem, should they win. It was impossible to destroy, and she could not make a selfish wish on it. Obviously taking it with her to the next life would not work, for it would simply surface within her reincarnation.

Shaking her head, the young ningen onna stared straight ahead. Such matters would be dealt with when the time came. For now, she needed to keep her guard up and focus on destroying Naraku.

Sesshomaru sighed internally. His miko was having quite the inner conflict. He could sense the unease in her soul and her nervousness was nearly tangible. He could taste its bitter tang on his tongue and smell her anxiety. With the upcoming battle, he couldn't blame her.

Though he had no equal, Naraku had other aspects to worry about besides power. He was a master at manipulating others and toying with people's heads. When the time came for the final fight to take place, he would need to be very careful. So much rode on this one fight; the future of the world now rested in his claws. Hopefully, with the miko by his side, they would be able to stop the threat that was the hybrid demon, Naraku.

There we have it, the final shard of the sought after Shikon-no-tama has been collected. Whoooaa!!!! I'm so happy!

When will Naraku make his move? What does he have planned? Will he get away with it? Ahhhh you'll see!

Review… squee!