Chapter 36: Revolt of Ariellica

They all hoped off the carpet and made their way around the castle, trying to find Inuyasha. It was hands-down the creepiest castle that Kagome had ever seen before. It was almost pitch black; only lit with a few candles every few feet along the corridors. Though that was a little lighter than Kagome wanted to see by… the walls were cracked and falling apart. The roof overhead looked like it was splattered with acid because it looked like it was being eaten away—the floor creaked forebodingly, as if threatening to fall apart.

Kagome wanted to find Inuyasha and get out of here as soon as possible.

Miroku turned his head every which way as if he was sensing something that no one else could. "I don't suppose you have any idea where Inuyasha is?" Kagome asked him as Sango had her weapon ready at hand—just daring any stray demons to attack.

"That's hard to say," Miroku told her as he held up his staff, also ready for attack. "If I had to guess, I would say that he's locked up somewhere, but if I know him as well as I think I do, then it shouldn't take too long for him to break out if he hasn't yet."

"You think he escaped then?" Shippo asked with a high voice, and Kagome could tell that he was petrified being in this hellhole. "That does sound like him."

Miroku gave them all a smug smiled. "That would be typical of him. He finds out how to escape on his own just as we get here to help."

Kagome opened her mouth to say something when at that moment they saw at least twenty pairs of glowing red eyes shining out of the darkness. Shippo screamed as Satsuki let out a loud call, "Ok, Shippo! Show them what you're made off!"

Shippo looked at her like he wanted nothing more than to run away screaming like a little girl, but before he could, Miroku and Sango both leapt forward and quickly dealt with them. Once the demons were all dead, Satsuki looked disappointed as she put a hand on Shippo's small shoulder and said, "Oh, bad luck, Shippo. I know that you wanted to be the one who got to fight with them."

"Huh?" he said quickly. "Ah-y-yes! That's exactly right! It's too bad… I would've wasted them! But there wasn't much point wasting my energy on some pathetic little demons."

He said that confidently, but his knees were shaking… fortunately, Satsuki wasn't paying attention to that.

"Don't worry," she said with determination. "I'm sure that you can deal with the next wave."

What little color that Shippo had left, quickly left. He only nodded at her as he quickly muttered to himself as sweat poured down his face. "I gotta keep it together."

"You don't have any trick to find dog boy, do you?" Sango hissed to Miroku as Kagome tried to comfort the children.

Miroku thought that over for a second before pulling out one of his seemingly endless Sutra's and chanting a spell under his breath. He then threw away from him and to Kagome's amazement; it hovered there for a second before it began to fly down the corridor as if being pulled by an invisible string.

They headed off in the direction that Miroku's sutra led them, and thankfully didn't run into anyone else for the first 10 minutes. They ran through deserted hallways, rooms, even a secret passageway or two until they finally ran head-long into someone. The shock was so intense that Kagome, Satsuki, and Shippo fell backwards as Sango and Miroku both leapt forwards, ready for a fight.

"Back off!" called a familiar voice. Miroku stopped midway in his lunge when he realized who it was. He blinked in surprise. "Inuyasha? What are you doing up here?"

And sure enough, standing there was everyone's favorite dog-eared boy. He was bruised, cut, and bleeding everywhere; but he still seemed to have enough strength to fight, because he looked like he just fought his way out of a warzone. "What am I doing here?" he yelled back. "What are you doing here? Are you crazy? You could've gotten killed coming here!"

Shippo was looking put out as he jumped up and onto Miroku's shoulder. "Why do you think you idiot? We came all this way to save you? Well, we should've just stayed home 'cause it looks like you don't need help."

"Inuyasha?" Kagome whispered as she stood up from the floor and stared at Inuyasha, afraid that if she blinked, he would disappear. He just realized who else was there, and he stared at Kagome for a moment before he rushed over to her and took her in his arms.

Kagome and Inuyasha embraced; Kagome could feel the tears fall from her face as she held onto Inuyasha like he was her lifeline—loving the warmth of his arms holding her tenderly. They didn't even seem to care that the others were watching them. Satsuki and Sango both 'awwwwwed' while Miroku and Shippo both made gagging noises; Inuyasha looked up and stuck his tongue out at them as if to say, 'You're just jealous'.

Sango then stepped forward and said, "I hate to break up this touching reunion… but do you think we can continue this another time?"

Inuyasha didn't even react, until Miroku cried out, "Did you not hear her? Let's continue this later and… what's that in your hand Inuyasha?" It was then that Kagome saw that Inuyasha was holding a small, pink jewel tightly in his fist as he pulled away.

"Inuyasha… what is that?" she asked him as he suddenly took her by the hand as he then began to lead them all down the hallway that he came out of.

"Wait, Inuyasha!" Sango called as they ran. "What's going on here?"

"Easy," he gasped, his hand tightening around Kagome's. "I know how we can beat Naraku once and for all."

"What?" Satsuki and Shippo called.

"Were you knocked senseless when they brought you here?" Miroku had to ask as he stared at him. "We've been fighting that beast for years now, and you're saying that you only thought of a way to finish him?"

"When I was in the dungeons, I had a visitor," he told them all quickly as they turned a corner.

"Who?" Satsuki asked as she held onto Shippo so tightly that he was turning blue.

"Kikyo," he answered darkly.

Sango stopped dead; going very white. "Wait… you mean the priestess who once guarded the jewel?"

Inuyasha nodded as he stopped to look at them all. Well, not all of them, for some reason—he couldn't seem to meet Kagome's eyes. "She appeared in my cell and told me what to do."

"But Inuyasha," Satsuki shouted, "That's impossible! Everyone knows that Kikyo died a long time ago."

"Then either she faked her death or I meet her ghost because she was there," he yelled back. He then noticed the looks on their faces and said, "I don't understand it any more than you guys do ok? The point is, she gave me something that we can use to crush Naraku."

"Which is what?" Shippo just had to ask. Before he answered, he held the jewel out to Kagome. Bemuse, she held out her hands as he dropped the golf ball size jewel into them; still not looking at her.

"Look, she gave me this jewel, and with it, we can use it to defeat Naraku," he snapped at them all.

"Is that…?" Sango gasped as she stepped forward to get a closer look at the jewel.

"It is," Inuyasha whispered through narrow eyes.

"What?" Kagome wheezed out, running out of breath from all the running.

"The Sacred Jewel," he told her finally looking at her face. As his golden eyes met hers, she felt her own heart began to beat a faster pace. His eyes… they looked so helpless and heartbreaking… but also filled with determination. Just what did this priestess say to him?

"Inuyasha?" she whispered in concern.

"It's nothing," he told her, shaking his head. "Just promise me that when the time is right, you'll use the jewel to destroy Naraku alright?"

"But…" she began, what was wrong with him? Why couldn't he look at her?

"But you know as well as we do, just how dangerous that jewel is," Miroku interrupted him looking angry. "And even if it wasn't, just how would we use it?"

"All you have to do is make the wish, Kagome," Inuyasha whispered choosing to ignore him. "Just wish for him to disappear, and the jewel will do the rest. He's been looking for it for years—but now we can use it to destroy him once and for all."

"You're nuts if you think we can actually beat him like this," Sango told him, but he went on before she could finish. "So what? Maybe I am nuts. But that's not the point. The point is that we've got to stop Naraku before he completely destroys this world."

"Yeah?" yelled out Shippo. "And just what are we supposed to do?"

Inuyasha shook his head, "I don't know. The priestess just gave me this jewel and said that it will help us. After that she opened my cell door and just disappeared. I've been running around trying to find my way out of this rat trap; and then I ran into you guys."

"Oh, well sorry," Miroku said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.

Inuyasha was looking annoyed with him and shouted out, "Look I don't know what to do… but if we don't do something soon, then all of us are going to die."

"Wow, no pressure or nothing right?" Satsuki said mockingly.

"Ok, I'm in, but how are we supposed to stop him?" Sango yelled.

"First we have to find him!" he yelled back, before taking Kagome's hand and pulled her along after him.

"Oww," she cried out as it felt like her arm was being pulled out of its socket. "Kagome?" Inuyasha whispered for her ears alone as they continued to run. "I need you to promise me something."

"What is it?" she cried exasperated. "What has gotten into you?"

"Kagome?" Inuyasha repeated, as if he couldn't hear her. "I want you to promise me that you will use the jewel to end Naraku's life. And when you do make the wish, don't hesitate, no matter what might be lost. Do you promise me?"

"Yes," she said though she didn't understand why he was acting like this. Of course she would do whatever it took to finish Naraku so why was he behaving , "Anything to beat Naraku, but Inuyasha what's wrong? Why are you acting this way?"

"Let's just say that I made a deal with the damn jewel," he told her as they ran down some crumbling staircase.

But before she could ask him what he meant, they all reached the throne room… a room large enough to fit several small houses and as dark as a the night with torn banners and flags draping the stone pillars that stood far apart. As soon as they all stepped inside, the floor beneath them began to shake.

Inuyasha pulled Kagome close to him and quickly backed up just as a dark figured broke up through the floor as if it were made of Styrofoam. A man dressed all in black was standing there. He raised his hand up… and Sango, Satsuki, Miroku, and Shippo all went flying. They were flung backwards as if a great wind had come and swept them away. They were all flung through the giant double doors at the end of the room and the doors shut behind them; locking Kagome and Inuyasha in the room with the bastard behind everything.

"Did you really think you can escape me?" said a cold voice.

Naraku had appeared.

Kagome went over to Inuyasha and clung to him. He put his arm around her waist and held her close to him. "What did you do to them?" Kagome screamed at him. "Where are they?"

"Oh, no need to worry," he told her grinning. "They'll be busy dealing with some of my servants right now. But enough about that, it's yourselves that you should be concerned with."

"What's going on?" Inuyasha cried out, wrapping his arms protectively around Kagome.

"You don't know? It's so I can stop you all," Naraku said with ice in his voice.

Inuyasha shouted out, "To hell with that! We're taking you down once and for all Naraku!"

He then pushed Kagome aside as he did in the maze and charged Naraku. Kagome hit a pillar so hard that she saw stars. Inuyasha and Naraku both started to fight; well Naraku began to fight as he flew balls of poison gas at him, it was taking Inuyasha everything he had to dodge the blows. It was like a dance, they circled each other, never taking their eyes off each other. One, two… one, two was how it went. Naraku would shot the miasma and Inuyasha would roll or jump out of the way.

"You sure? Think again!" he called mockingly. The poison melting away one of the many pillars in the hall and debris flying everywhere. "I have power. And you're the last person who could ever hope to beat me."

He disappeared and suddenly reappeared behind Inuyasha before successfully pinning him to the ground by the throat.

"Crud," he hissed before looking at Kagome over Naraku's shoulder.

'We're all gonna die if I don't do something,' Kagome thought as she looked around desperately to do something. It was then she caught Inuyasha's eyes… he nodded at her.

In understanding she held up the jewel just as Naraku said in a sickening voice. "You finally realize what you had all gotten yourselves into. Now it's too late."

Inuyasha smirked at him even though he was running short on breath. "Your ignorance surprise me. I really thought that you would've realized it by now."

"Noticed what?" Naraku said coolly, though his eyebrows were raised in suspicion.

"That you never noticed that the key to finishing you is right behind you?" he finished as Kagome held the jewel up and began to whisper to it. "Please… I wish for Naraku to disappear… to disappear so that he won't ever be able to hurt anyone ever again."

Naraku turned around to see her sitting there with the jewel in her hands. His eyes widened in shock and desire at the jewel, which distracted Naraku just long enough for Inuyasha to rake his claws over Naraku's face. He rolled as the smoke from the jar began to engulf Naraku; he got up and ran towards Kagome, grabbing her around the waist and they dove behind one of the pillars.

They both heard Naraku let out a loud scream… and then silence. Kagome clung to Inuyasha as they waited. They waited for something to happen. For several long minutes, nothing did. Inuyasha didn't move from his position on the ground, so she took a deep breath and looked out from behind the pillar.

Kagome felt her jaw drop as she saw what was standing where Naraku had been just a few seconds before… a large, fat spider about the size of a teacup was sitting there.

Naraku had been turned into spider. Both amazed and close to laughter, she turned back to Inuyasha to tell him… only to see that he wasn't moving… he wasn't breathing…

Inuyasha… the man that she had fallen in love with in this crazy world… was dead.

The jewel slipped out of her hands and shattered as soon as it came in contact with the floor… though the pieces on the ground were nothing compared to the millions of shards that her heart had just broken into.

(Hey there. Sorry for taking so long. But I'm back and ready to finish this story. I know that this chapter went kinda fast, but I'm not good at writing battles and I wanted this chapter over with as soon as possible. This story is almost over. Only two more chapters to go. What happens to Inuyasha? This isn't how a fairytale is supposed to end! Wasn't Kagome supposed to be the one to die? Will the prince and princess end up together in the end after all? And didn't Kagome already have the jewel before this? We all find out next chapter.)