Chapter Thirty Five:

Recap:

Kagome could only watch with wide eyes as the tentacle drew closer and closer before plunging through the heart of…Neji.

End Recap

Kagome could only watch in horror as Neji fell, his eyes closing and blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. She crawled towards him, horror evident in her features as she stretched out a shaking hand towards him.

"N-Neji? Neji? Please don't die! Don't leave me! Please!" Kagome screamed, tears rolling down her face as her entire body shook with disbelief and fear. This was the only thing she had ever feared: being alone, and having other die in your stead. Kagome had been ready to die, but she definitely had not expected Neji to push her out of the way and take the blow for her. It had been a coward's way out, and Kagome had nearly taken it. Now, she was pissed and Naraku was definitely going to die.

"Naraku." She growled out, gripping the handles of her katana in a death-like vice. "You have sinned. You have slaughtered the innocent and guilty alike. You have turned families and brothers and sisters against one another. You have tainted peoples' hearts with evil and madness. You will be condemned for your actions against humanity and the very essence of nature. You will DIE." With those snarled words, Kagome leapt at him with renewed vigour, fury and disgust etched into her very gaze.

Naraku cackled and shot more rounds of slimy tentacles at the little miko. "Dear me dear my, such bold words for a bird whose wings have been clipped and broken." Kagome didn't pause or hesitate, but plunged straight into the writhing mass of appendages, only to return to the ninjas' line of sight a moment later when all the tentacles were purified by the purple flames that surrounded the livid kunoichi.

Naraku simply smirked and put up his barrier. "What good will those nifty little purifying powers do if you cannot get past my indestructible barrier?" he asked, his smirk turning to a smug smile. He would watch his little miko suffer and struggle, where he would then kill her and laugh as she died.

Her death will be slow and painful, but most of all, it would be by my hands. Naraku thought, his eyes glinting madly and his smile widening into what could only be described as a murderer's smile. He moved forwards in a deadly embrace to Kagome as out from his chest sprouted deadly spikes.

She said nothing as she merely shifted so that they whistled harmlessly past her and stabbed a kunai right through his barrier as it was charged with her miko powers.

All the ninjas that had assembled to fight against Naraku stared at her in what could only be described as shock and awe. Kagome was fighting with everything she had passionately, instead of her normal analyzing techniques. That just proved how much and how deeply Neji's death had affected her. While they still were unclear on whether or not she cared for him as a comrade or…more, they knew that Kagome took death very seriously and personally. She blamed herself for everything that had happened, and now she thought that she was all alone while she had to deal with it. Kagome wasn't.

"Kagome!" In unison, all of the ninjas from Konoha and Suna leapt in to aid her. They were her eyes where she could not see, her ears where she could not hear, her weapons, where she could not defend herself. Whenever Kagome was about to be pierced by one of the tentacles or spike, one of them would deal with it while the others fended off the other deadly appendages in order to try and clear a path for Kagome, who was fighting valiantly, even with one of her newly acquired wounds seeping blood.

- - - - - - - -

The Akatsuki members watched in thinly veiled curiosity as the normally brash Genins, Chuunins and Jounins joined together in a harmonious dance, fighting against one enemy. In a split second, Deidara made his decision and joined the fight, weaving in and out in order to cover all their weak spots.

"Oi, Deidara! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Kisame and Hidan shouted at him, shocked that he would even attempt to risk his life in order to kill someone who could kill him in a second.

"I'm saving our future you idiots, so come and HELP ME!" He yelled back at them, dodging a spike shot at him at the last second. Kisame and Hidan didn't need to be told any further and joined the fight, careful to not strike their makeshift allies. Pein just blended into the background, content to watch what could possibly be the demise of their world as they knew it. Itachi, Kakuzu and Sasori were torn between joining the fight or fleeing with their lives. Or to Itachi, it would be "retreating with grace" as his dignity and very Uchiha blood stopped him from doing anything related to the word "fleeing".

"What's wrong Naraku? Why isn't your whore and boy-toy coming to save you?" Kagome taunted in an attempt to get Naraku to slip up. Naraku only grinned dangerously.

"Why, they're right behind you." Kagome felt her blood freeze in her veins and slowly she turned her head to see that her incarnation was grinning with blood running from her eyes as her eyes were filled with madness and evil. Inuyasha was no better except he hid his blood lusting grin.

"Why Kikyo, have you let your hatred for me run so deep that you sell your soul to the Devil himself?" Kagome asked her quietly, feeling only pity for the turned-insane priestess. Kikyo's mad grin diminished.

"Why have I let my hatred run this deep?! Let me ask you this, dear reincarnation. What would you do if you died by your lover's own hands only to be resurrected from the land of the no longer living by a crone and see your lover in the hands of your reincarnation?! Tell me, oh pure one, what would you have done?! WOULD YOUR PATH BE SO DIFFERENT?! TELL ME!" Kikyo screamed hysterically, losing her grips on the last scraps of her humanity. Kikyo drew back her black bow and let her arrow fly towards Kagome, tainted energy surrounding the fletched shaft. The glinting silver arrowhead turned a pure onyx under the influence of Kikyo black magic.

Kagome let her head drop, her bangs shadowing her eyes as she gave an unearthly chuckle that made everyone's hairs stand up on the back of their necks. "So you think just because you lost your love you have the right to become bitter and go around throwing a bad version of a temper tantrum? Wake up." Kagome's voice was ice-cold, and the others shivered as they fought to keep Naraku at bay.

"You know nothing about me! You are just a stupid reincarnation-" Kikyo was cut off by a growl.

"I know nothing?!" Kagome raged, her eyes glowing as she zeroed in on the slightly frightened dark priestess. "What of all the times you ripped my heart apart because you stole away the one man I came to trust and eventually love? What of the fact that I gave you half my soul, and allowed you to rip out and keep it because Inuyasha wanted you to live? I gave up everything for him and yet I was awarded with betrayal, and I still LIVE. I live because I want to right the wrongs that occurred due to the mistake that Mistress Centipede did when she dragged me down that enchanted well. I REFUSE to let hatred take over my life because I know that if I do, it's all over. All that I worked for will be gone and everyone will suffer a hundred fold. I live so that I can stop and protect all those people that deserve to live."

"I'm not going to let my hatred take over my life." Kagome charged at Kikyo, and with two slashes, purified her back to where she belonged, her soul soaring back to her. "And unlike you, if I loved that person, I would be happy if they were happy, no matter whom they were with." Inuyasha turned to her and drew Tetsusaiga, no emotion on his face.

"As you have killed my mistress, I will kill you and then join her in the afterlife." Inuyasha said tonelessly as he lunged at her. Kagome's tears slid down her face, watching as a once proud Inu-Hanyou turned into a killing machine, unable to think for himself. She placed a gentle glowing finger on his forehead and gave him a swift death, where he would join his lover in a happy reunion, where they both belonged. They would be able to be together when they could not in life, thanks to Naraku and the Shikon Jewel.

Kagome breathed out a sigh and turned to face the now-snarling Naraku, who had long since grown tired of dealing with pawns. He wanted to deal with the King, not his mere subjects. With a growl at Gaara, who managed to wound him quite seriously in the leg, rendering it useless until he could regenerate a new one.

"Come now little miko, surely you are not so afraid of me that you hide behind the lesser people?" In an instant, that statement caused Kagome to think of one plan, one that would surely win. She grinned at him, reminding everyone of a hawk targeting its prey.

"Lesser people you say? Even the mightiest will fall from overconfidence, corrupted hanyou." Kagome stated, as her eyes glittered with mirth. Oh, how ironic this will be. Kagome thought, inwardly laughing maniacally. She dropped into a position good for both offence and defence and smirked.

"Let's begin."