DISCLAIMER: All Inuyasha goodness belongs to the amazing Takahashi-san!

The Sword Smith's Secret

By MissKatt

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Shikon no Tama

The little air that occupied her lungs left her as she stared down at the blood-stained jewel. What was that? Was that…was that the Shikon no Tama that Naraku had been talking about? Cerulean eyes widened as it shined a pretty pink, the tiny pulse of power calling to her. She felt a bud of warmth spread in her chest and, though it was very faint, she could feel the familiar, comfortable weight of her power. Had the jewel's calling awoken her slumbering power?

'But how did it get inside my body? How did everyone know I had it except me?' She wondered to herself. She felt the root around her loosen and winced as she hit the wooden floor, the impact jarring her wounds. She cracked open an eye and saw that she was parallel with the strange object. Furrowing her brow slightly when it called out to her again, she reached out a shaking hand to grab it. She stopped however, when Naraku's foot promptly stomped on her forearm.

"It is here! Finally! My wait is over!" Naraku practically purred as he stared down at the jewel with gleaming eyes. He reached down and delicately picked up the jewel, treating it as if were the most fragile, precious item in the world.

The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and her stomach dropped as the once pink light suddenly turned black. With the shine of her blood, the jewel looked as if it were a perfect drop of fresh ink. She knew instantly that the horrible Southern Lord had defiled the pure item that had birthed itself from her body. The thought upset her. It had come from her and so it was a piece of her, and yet he had ruined it.

"Let it go," She demanded weakly, trying to stand now that she was free from his foot. "Give it back!"

He snorted down at her. "I think not, Little Miko. I have waited far too long for my prize! And now, I will prove to all how I am the most powerful lord!" He laughed menacingly before looking at the precious jewel in his hand. "Now, my prize, I offer you my soul! Let us fuse together so that you may grant me my wish!" With his declaration, he shoved his fist into his chest, letting the Shikon bury itself comfortably within him. "Yes! Thrive!"

Kagome leaned against the pillar of the porch and ducked her head down as a bright, dark pink light engulfed Naraku, his body slowly starting to get devoured by a dark brown, wood-like substance. Her heart skipped a beat as she felt the jewel pulse with greedy need, the darkness thriving with the evil energy. She turned sorrowful eyes on Naraku and didn't realize she was reaching out towards him until she felt arms wrap around her, pulling her away from the blinding light as it burst.

Shaking hands weakly gripped Sesshoumaru's silk haori as she watched Naraku transform into what she thought was a full youkai. A single purple strip decorated each of his cheeks, his hair turning ash white while his eyes turned completely red. Two rows of jagged fangs were revealed as he snarled and growled, the wood youki forming a sort of chest plate along his sternum.

"Get the humans back!" Ryura shouted as four black and pink balls of miasma formed in front of Naraku. "It is miasma!"

With his one arm already around the miko's waist, he used his other to grab Rin and jump back further. He put them at a safer distance before turning back to the scene before them. He watched as Ryura destroyed the first masses, but soon more were headed his way.

'Useless.' He thought as he set his eyes into a hard glare. Nothing would get to his females.

"Bakusaiga!" He called his sword's name, the youki responding in turn to obliterate the miasma that dared come near them. He needed to get the girls away so he could fight properly without worry. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as the Taijiya helped the monk get away from the scene. "You there."

Sango lifted her head to see the Western lord looking at her. She frowned and tightened her hold on her love. "I will not fight you. I am simply getting away from the disaster that is to come."

"You will take the Hime and miko with you." He left no room for argument. "See that they are taken far from here."

She blinked before nodding a little, "H-hai, Sesshoumaru-sama," Surprise was evident in her tone. "I will do what I can."

"Rin," He looked down at his tiny pack member. "Go with them to safety. I will retrieve you when I am done."

The little girl nodded once, her lips set down in a frown. Why did she have such a bad feeling about this fight? She knew her father was strong and would prevail over all others, but there was still that lingering feeling that something bad was going to happen. So, she would be bold with him, just in case. "Hai, Otou-sama." She breathed before running over to the two she had met a few moments earlier.

An odd flutter tickled his heart at her words before he looked down at the miko. Instantly, his beast was enraged again, the whites of his eyes coloring pink from her appearance. The side of her face was puffy and discolored from the abuse it received. Blood had run down in an angry trail from the fresh hole in her side and he had felt the sliced open flesh on her back when he had pulled her away from Naraku. How was she still standing? Better yet, how was she still conscious?

"Sesshoumaru," She breathed weakly. "You have to stop him. The jewel…"

He cut her off, not having the time to listen to what she had to say. "I will, fret not, Miko. Now go, the miasma is spreading rapidly."

She nodded mutely and reluctantly released his haori sleeve before stumbling over to Sango. With the four of them together, they made their way from the courtyard.

Sesshoumaru watched them go, his beast whining within him to call them back and keep them at his side while he protected them as the Alpha should. 'It is for the best,' He told it. 'We cannot fight to the best of our abilities with them here.'

'Then let us end this quickly,' It snarled back. 'Our miko needs us.'

Agreeing with his beast for the first time in the last several days, he turned back to Naraku and tightened his grip on Bakusaiga. The miasma had begun to kill whatever scraps of measly life remained in the barren courtyard. Trees rotted where they stood and weeds vanished into a pile of dust. The miasma would not affect him or Ryura, but if it reached the main battlefield, many lives would be lost to lesser youkai and even the humans that fought for the South. He spread out a pulse of his youki, sending it across the Southern lands, telling them all to retreat.

"Damn you!" The dragon growled, watching as Naraku's skull repaired itself, the bone becoming whole once again before the muscles and tendons laced over it, the skin coming in last as if the damage had never occurred.

"You will not defeat me, Dragon! My reign will not be over so soon! No, indeed it shall spread to all four points! I shall take over Japan!" The once-hanyou laughed. His laugh was cut short though, when a blast of green lightening attacked him. Red eyes widened as his chest and arms were separated from his lower half, the two refusing to meld back together like before. What was this!?

"Anything sliced by Bakusaiga cannot regenerate." Sesshoumaru stated as he stood next to Ryura.

The new youkai snarled in distaste before a cruel smirk twisted on his face. "It is no matter then. If I cannot rule this world, then I shall bring it to its end!" He shouted, his size increasing as he floated up into the air. Slowly, ligaments and dismembered limbs from the fallen warriors began to shoot through the air towards him, a shell of flesh beginning meld around him in the shape of a spider. Once securely surrounded, he began to fill the mass around him with his miasma.

"The West will not allow that to happen!" Ryura snarled, his eyes turning red as angry wisps of his red youki swirled around his feet. His youki took over his control, his body beginning to shift and tremble as it expanded and grew.

The taiyoukai leapt into the air together with Ryura's true form and together they began to attack the dark purple blob of flesh as it pulsed and grew in size. Whatever Naraku was planning, his instincts were screaming that it did not bode well for any of them, so he would stop him. He had to.

Kagome's body was beginning to give out. The physical exertion her body had suffered was just too much for her human nature. She staggered as her knees quivered before finally buckling under her. She fell forward onto the ground and didn't even try to fight it. Soldiers bolted past her from all sides and they ran from the battlefield, enemy and ally no longer mattering as they fled the scene.

"Kagome-sama!" Sango called, kneeling down next to her.

"Kagome-neesan!" Rin cried.

Miroku, having gained enough strength to walk on his own, also lowered himself to one knee. "Shall I carry you, Miko-sama?"

"No, no, I would only be a burden." She murmured. "Plus, I do not think I can leave the jewel. My body…it calls to it."

"Oi! Kagome!"

She turned her head meekly to see a dirt and blood-clad Inuyasha rushing towards her. "Inu-kun, you're okay." She said, giving him a weak smile.

"Keh, you're sure as hell not." He replied, looking at her beaten form before looking at all four humans before him. "Why are you all still here? Sesshoumaru gave the signal to retreat."

"Is that why everyone is fleeing? Does that mean Sesshoumaru has won?" Sango asked, quickly doing a scan to see if she could find any of her fellow demon slayers.

"No," Kagome responded automatically. "Naraku still has the jewel." She forced herself to sit up and looked up at the darkening sky to see a steel blue dragon and a silver blur vigorously attacking the large spider.

Inuyasha followed her gaze up to the sky and felt his honey eyes widen. "Is that…?"

"Hai," She responded and for a moment the five of them fell into an uncomfortable silence, each imagining their own version of the End. "He has the Shikon no Tama."

She frowned down at the hole in her side and gingerly lifted her fingertips to rest against it. She still had so many questions. Why did she have the jewel? Why was it in her body? Had it been there since birth? Had Totosai known? What exactly was the Shikon no Tama? If it was this powerful while being evil, what could it do if it was still pure?

She could only begin to answer her questions by having the jewel back in her possession. But how did she get it back? How could she possibly do so?

'I want it back so I can figure out why…the Shikon no Tama….'

Feeling a tingle beyond her peripheral vision, she abruptly lifted her eyes and stared up at the battle above them. She furrowed her brow as she continued to feel the faint brush against her senses. Squinting her eyes, she continued to stare at Naraku's creation until she saw a small flicker of pink. Was that the Shikon? Was it responding to her call?

As if in response to the Shikon, her power shifted inside of her, the thrum of it simmering in her veins as it roused fully from its sleep. Was that the answer? Getting her powers to the Shikon? Could she?

"Hey, is that thing getting lower?" Inuyasha asked.

Sango and Miroku blinked as they realized he was correct. With each hit the encasement received, the lower it sank towards the ground. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" The monk questioned uncertainly.

Kagome watched as a boulder sized chunk fell and sunk deeply into the ground, the miasma coating it instantly eating into the earth and rotting away anything within a few feet. "Bad," She breathed. If the boulder had caused such a dent in the ground, what would the entire thing do? Would he split Japan in two? All she could do was stare in horror as another boulder fell, leaving another imprint in the soiled dirt. How did she stop it?

"Ah! We gotta get outta here! Hurry!" A human from the Southern army shouted as he helped his comrade from the impending doom of the battle in the sky.

Blue eyes watched as they staggered past her, but widened a fraction when she saw the weapon one of them was holding. "Excuse me! Please, lend me your bow!"

The two paused and looked over at her. "My bow? Are you mad, woman? The end is coming! Save your life and leave before you die." One replied.

"Let 'er do what she wants! I dun care! Let's just get outta here!" He dropped his bow and quiver by her feet before hurrying along with his fellow archer.

She ignored them and picked up the bow and quiver. She attempted to stand, but her body refused to comply. 'Stubborn body. Come on, we have only one more task.' She pleaded, but still it denied her request.

"Kagome-sama, you cannot possibly be considering fighting, can you?" Sango asked with a furrowed brow. "You can hardly stand."

"I cannot stand at all, actually," She replied with a sheepish grin. "But if I can get my reiki to the Shikon, I think I can help somehow."

The Houshi blinked. "And how is that?"

She frowned. "I don't know, but the Shikon is calling to me, it is stirring up my power. I cannot explain it, I just need to do it." She stated firmly.

"But Kagome-sama-"

"Keh, alright woman, I'll get you closer." Inuyasha said, hunching down in front of her.

The miko blinked. "No, Inuyasha, I don't want to involve you. You have to help them get Rin back to the Western Lands."

He snorted. "By the time you manage to crawl your ass over there, those two would have beaten Naraku into the ground by then, and, apparently, that's bad. Now, get on."

She considered his words before smiling gratefully. "Arigato, Inu-kun." She said softly and forced herself up further so she could put her hands on his shoulders. She was grateful again when he pulled her higher up before standing, his hands quickly going to her legs to hold her up.

"You two, get my niece to the West safely or you'll be dog food, got it?" He barked before leaping off towards the courtyard with the miko.

Kagome held on as tightly as she could, the bow and quiver slung around her shoulder as he ran at full speed. As they entered the courtyard, she stiffened up as the heavy, toxic air filled her lungs. She coughed violently against his shoulder, leaving her to wheeze noisily as she finished. Instantly afterwards, she felt as if she had swallowed a thousand needles, her heart stammering painfully in her chest.

"Oi, you okay? I forgot that miasma affects humans more than us." He admitted, glancing over his shoulder at her as he stopped.

She nodded weakly, but knew she was lying. Her entire being felt numb and heavy. It was similar to when Mukostu had poisoned her, but this was worse and she knew it would only become fatal the longer she stayed exposed to it. She could feel the miasma seeping into her open wounds, making a sizzling feeling within the exposed flesh, and she could almost hear her reiki screaming in terror as the poison began to make its way into her blood stream, chasing out the purity by its filth.

She had to hurry.

She leaned against Inuyasha for support as she nocked an arrow on the string. She went to pull back on the string, but let out a tiny wail when the lacerations on her back screamed in protest. She felt a clawed hand on her shoulder and swiveled her eyes over to him.

Inuyasha's ears drooped as she looked at him. Her face was rapidly losing whatever color remained and her eyes were getting a glassy look. Perhaps he was wrong for bringing her there, but if it stopped Naraku, it would be worth it right? But, what if they lost her because of it?

"Can you-," She wheezed in a shaky breath. "get them away from him? I don't want…" another quivering inhale. "to hurt them."

His instincts told him to stop her, but he ignored them. She wouldn't listen anyways. "Yeah, get ready to fire, alright?" He said and then turned towards the battle.

She nodded and took as deep of a breath as she could before she pulled back on the string. She stared up at the Shikon on focused on the speck of pink light as it called to her. 'Please hit,' She begged her body and power. 'Please end this all. Please! Hit!'

As she drew back the bow string will all the strength she had left, Inuyasha got ready to warn them. He wasn't like Sesshoumaru and Ryura, he didn't have the control over his youki to send out warnings. So, he would be the brute they constantly said he was. "OI! GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY!"

Sesshoumaru heard his brother's shout followed closely by the strum of a bow string. The air on the back of his arms and neck rose as he felt the immense power shooting their way. He quickly darted away from Naraku, Ryura flying back as well, as the arrow disappeared into the mass. He looked down at his brother and the miko and felt a snarl lift the corner of his lip. What were they doing there? He had told them both to leave and yet there they both stood!

'What was she thinking-' His eyes widened and he turned back to the spider as he felt the warmth of her reiki brush against him and pink began to fill the sky. Every fiber in his body warned him of danger and he shot back down to the ground away from the mass, Ryura following. Together, they watched as the reiki purified Naraku from the inside out.

For a moment, all that was left in the night sky was the Shikon no Tama, an arrow lodged in the middle of it. Then, a loud 'chink' of the jewel cracking filled their ears and suddenly the sky lit up in a shimmering pink once again as it shattered apart, seven even pieces shooting across Japan's sky like shooting stars.

When the light finally dimmed and then vanished, Sesshoumaru stood rooted as he processed what had just happened. Naraku had been destroyed, his offending filth finally gone from the lands. However, there was a new problem at hand. The item that he had recently been warned about, the one with the dangerous power he had just witnessed, was now broken and scattered for others to use. He could only begin to imagine the chaos it would create.

"H-hey! Oi! Get a hold of yourself! Kagome!"

'No…'

Sesshoumaru instantly turned to Inuyasha to see the miko limp in his arms. In a flash he was there, taking her from him as he kneeled down with her body. He quickly ran his golden eyes over her body, scanning for any indication that his senses where wrong. But he knew they were not. Still, he put his fingers to the pulse on her neck and then pressed his pointed ear to her chest. But he already knew.

'No.'

A cold dread seeped down his spine and into his chest when he realized she was dead.

'NO!'

Purple stripes turned jagged as red seeped into the whites of his eyes, his pupils turning turquoise as his beast over took him. He clutched her small, unmoving frame to him as a painful howl ripped its way from his throat, Inuyasha's howl echoing his as his Alpha grieved his loss.

A/N: O_O Yeah, that just happened. BOOM. Anyways, I tried to follow The Final Act's final battle, but, as you can you see, I tweaked it. Also, for those Ryura fans out there who are going to ask 'what about him?!' Just wait! His reaction is next chapter. Also, this story is far from over so don't panic. Keep Calm and Read SSS! (; (ha, that should be a shirt.)

-MissKatt