Ch. 102- Inuyasha vs. Naraku


Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi


Inuyasha growled as he and Naraku clashed, the latter smirking at the former mockingly as he tried to push the Tetsusaiga back with his huge, grotesque claw.

"I've been waiting for this chance, Naraku," Inuyasha seethed, glaring hatefully into Naraku's crimson eyes. "You're going down, tonight!"

"We'll see about that...mongrel," Naraku quipped before he pushed Inuyasha away, then tried to swipe at him with his giant claw, but the former quickly leapt over him before landing lightly on his feet, then he swung at Naraku's right side, prompting him to jump over the blade. Naraku yelled as he tried to slash at Inuyasha with his claw, but this time, the half-demon managed to block his strike, just in time.

As the two mortal enemies clashed, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo watched while Kirara lied in Sango's arms, twitching and coughing as the poisonous miasma began to work on her system. The poor demon feline felt as if every breath she took was painful. As for Sango, she quietly observed Inuyasha battling with Naraku.

'He's remembering our training,' she thought. 'He's not swinging too wide and he's timing his strikes just right so that Naraku can't get an opening!'

"Come on, Inuyasha!" Kagome cheered. "You can do it!"

"You've got him by the ropes!" Miroku shouted.

"All you're doing is parrying my blows, Inuyasha," Naraku said as he kept swiping his claw at Inuyasha, who continued to block with the Tetsusaiga. "What's wrong? Don't you have any more tricks up your sleeve?!"

"You mean like THIS?!" Inuyasha yelled before he suddenly swiped his claws across Naraku's face, causing him to scream as he backed away, holding his left hand over his eyes. The madman seethed as he pulled his hand away...revealing three deep claw marks going diagonally down both eyes and on the bridge of his nose.

"Curse you!" he yelled.

"He got him!" exclaimed Shippo.

"Inuyasha's really gaining the higher ground on him!" Miroku added.

"Yes, but for how long?" asked Sango.

"Heh..." Inuyasha smirked while cracking his knuckles. "You should thank me, Naraku. Those claw marks appear to be an improvement."

Naraku growled as his claw turned back into a normal human hand...but then he gave Inuyasha a mocking smirk.

"Tell me, Inuyasha," said Naraku. "Who's protecting your friends?"

"Huh?" Inuyasha muttered. "What are you talking about? I am, of course!"

"Are you, really?" asked Naraku...and it was at that moment that Sango gasped as she heard the all too familiar sounds of chains rattling. She turned around faster than anyone could blink...and that's when she saw it: Kohaku's kusarigama, heading right for Kagome's back!

"WATCH OUT!" Sango yelled as she pushed Kagome down, only for the blade of the scythe to stab into her right bicep, which caused her to scream in pain.

"Sango!" Kagome, Miroku, and Shippo cried in alarm while the scythe was harshly yanked out of Sango's arm, causing her to yell out in pain again as blood dripped from her wound. Kohaku stepped out of the shadows, holding his weapon of choice as he glared at the group with that same blank, murderous expression.

"Hahahaha!" Naraku laughed. "How does it feel, Sango?! To have your brother scar your flesh, once again?!"

"Naraku, you monster...!" Sango hissed while she held her wound.

"Guys!" Inuyasha called as he glanced back, but then gasped as he managed to block another strike from Naraku's giant claw. "Rrrrgh...damn you, Naraku!"

"Kohaku!" Naraku ordered while he and Inuyasha continued to grapple. "Kill these fools at once!"

"Yes, Lord Naraku," Kohaku said as he prepared to swing his kusarigama again.

"Kohaku, no!" Sango cried. "Please! Don't listen to him!"

But her words fell on deaf ears. Kohaku yelled out a battle cry as he swung his scythe at the group, once again, but this time, the blade ended up getting knocked back into his hand, causing him to gasp as he caught the weapon by the handle. As Kohaku looked up...he saw Miroku, glaring at him while holding his staff.

"Miroku!" Sango exclaimed.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku called. "I'll defend the others! You handle Naraku!"

"Just don't get yourself hurt, too!" Inuyasha shouted as he pushed Naraku back. With a roar, he swung down, barely catching his foe by the shoulder until Naraku dodged to the right, then attempted to hit Inuyasha with his claw, again, but the half-demon ducked and did a low sweep with his leg, seeming to knock Naraku off his feet, but he managed to catch himself and did a somersault, landing on his feet. However, Inuyasha, unwilling to relent, charged at Naraku and swung at him from the left. Naraku attempted to block with his monstrous claw again, but this time, he wasn't fast enough. The Tetsusaiga slammed into his ribs and sent tumbling to the ground, but he quickly stood back up as Inuyasha came charging at him, this time managing to block his sword, once more.

As Inuyasha and Naraku continued their battle, Miroku was busy knocking back Kohaku's kusarigama with his staff, trying to keep his blade from getting past him. So far, it seemed that he was able to hold his ground, but as Kohaku continued to swing his scythe at Miroku, the monk panted as he began to falter a bit.

"Miroku, are you okay?" asked Kagome.

"I'm fine!" Miroku assured as he parried another strike from the scythe. "Don't worry about me!"

The truth was, though, Miroku was actually beginning to feel his strength wane. Here he was, gasping for breath and sweat beginning to form on his brow while Kohaku hadn't even broken a sweat, yet. The boy just kept relentlessly swinging his weapon at the monk, who just barely managed to block the blade as it nearly hit Kagome, who yelped as she shielded herself.

'This must be the power of the jewel shard in his neck,' thought Miroku. 'Not only is it keeping him alive, but it's also keeping him from feeling any fatigue. If this keeps up, I won't be able to hold out much longer!' He glanced back at Inuyasha, who was still clashing with Naraku. 'There's only one way for this to end. Inuyasha has to hurry and kill Naraku, here and now!'

"DIE~!" Inuyasha roared as he swung the Tetsusaiga downward, but Naraku jumped back, out of range from his sword stroke. At that moment, his hair seemed to grow all the way down to his feet...no...it was actually burrowing into the ground. A sinister chuckle emerged from his throat while Inuyasha gasped as he felt the ground shake...and then, as he turned around, he gasped as several huge black snakes emerged from the ground, surrounding the others!

"AAAH!" Kagome shrieked.

"SNAKES!" Shippo cried out in fear. "I HATE SNAKES!"

"Guys, look out!" Inuyasha shouted, but it was then that Naraku saw his opening: his transformed arm suddenly grabbed the half-demon and forcefully slammed him down into the ground, causing him to cry out in pain as his shoulders were pierced. Not just that, but the Tetsusaiga ended up flying out of his reach!

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried.

"Urrgh...guys! Run for it!" Inuyasha shouted. "Get out of here! Don't worry about me!"

"I'm afraid that none of you are going anywhere," said Naraku...just as one of the snakes lunged for Miroku, who growled as he slammed the tip of his staff into its head...but in doing so, the snake suddenly burst into a giant cloud of noxious fumes!

"Ah! Miasma!" Miroku cried as he covered his mouth.

"Don't breathe it in!" shouted Sango as she covered her mouth, and Kagome and Shippo quickly did the same, just as the cloud of poisonous vapors began to overwhelm them. At that moment, Miroku grunted as he glared at the serpents, all of them hissing as that same purple gas came seeping out of their mouths. Then, he looked down at his right hand...and screwed his eyes shut.

He had made his decision.

Gathering whatever courage he had, Miroku stood and grabbed at the beads around his right hand.

"M-Miroku?!" Kagome asked. "What are you doing?!"

"You idiot!" Inuyasha shouted, trying to break free from Naraku's grasp. "Don't you dare use the Wind Tunnel, now!"

"I don't have a choice!" Miroku shouted as he prepared to unseal the cursed void...but before he could do so, Sango suddenly jumped up and pulled him to the ground!

"Don't even think about it!" Sango shouted. "If I let you die here and now because of your foolishness, I'll never be able to live with myself, you stupid monk!"

"S...Sango...!" Miroku whispered in awe.

"Hmph..." Naraku scoffed before he raised his other hand. "Pathetic." He snapped his fingers...and suddenly, the serpents began to expand and bulge...until they all burst into clouds of miasma, surrounding the entire castle...as well as Inuyasha and company!

"MMPH!" Miroku cried as he covered his mouth.

"Urrgh...it's...too thick!" Sango cried, trying her hardest not to breathe in the poison gas while also shielding Kirara, who was still paralyzed by her earlier poisoning.

"Ugh...Kagome...everything's getting blurry...!" Shippo groaned.

"Don't breathe it in, Shippo...!" Kagome urged, trying to keep his head down to the ground as well as her own, a hand clasped over her mouth.

"Kagome! Guys!" Inuyasha cried as he struggled to get free, but Naraku could only cackle at his attempts.

"How pathetic, Inuyasha!" he declared, mockingly. "You desire to protect your friends when you can't even protect yourself, now...you will die here, along with your foolish friends." He then cracked a dark grin. "For a failure such as you...it's a befitting end."

Inuyasha growled viciously while Naraku continued to laugh...but then, out of nowhere, there was a flash of brilliant light that streaked across the air, piercing through the miasma...and completely severing Naraku's left arm off, the one that had turned into the claw.

"AAAAGH!" Naraku screamed as he stumbled back while Inuyasha gasped in shock...but then, he looked to his left and saw Kagome...standing tall as she held her bow and arrow in her hand...and on her face was an expression he never saw on her before: an expression of unbridled rage!

"K...Kagome...?!" Inuyasha whispered in disbelief.

"What?!" Naraku questioned.

"Say that again," Kagome hissed as she glared at Naraku. "Say that about Inuyasha, again! I DARE YOU!"

Naraku gaped in absolute disbelief, then looked down at his dismembered arm, then back at Kagome, who grabbed another arrow from her quiver.

'Could it be...?' he thought, but before he could even react, Kagome fired the arrow, again, this time piercing right through his torso...and not only that, but she managed to blow up half the castle behind him!

"Naraku! You really are the worst!" Kagome yelled as she kept shooting at him, advancing toward him as she continued to fire arrow after arrow.

"What in the world...?!" Sango questioned as she sat up on her knees while she held the quivering Kirara, and it was that moment that she noticed that the miasma was getting thinner. "Is...is this Kagome's power?!"

"Unbelievable...!" Miroku whispered in awe. "She's not just damaging Naraku, but she's purifying the miasma with every shot she's making!"

"You can do it, Kagome!" Shippo cheered.

By now, Naraku was reduced to nothing more than a disembodied head, lying on the ground as Kagome prepared to fire at him, one more time.

'These powers of purification...just like Kikyo's...!' Naraku thought. 'She really is her reincarnation!'

"...Die...!" Kagome hissed before she fired the arrow again...but just as the blast of spiritual energy was about to hit him, a blur suddenly ran in, grabbed Naraku, and then dashed off. The resulting energy blast only managed to completely obliterate the east wall that surrounded the castle...and leaving a massive fissure in the ground.

However...Naraku had escaped.


So, this may have been done a little bit differently from the original canon and maybe I rushed this a bit, but you know what? At least Kagome got her moment. ;)

Review, please!