Trigger warning: violence

In this chapter, we will see the brain mess that I developed through an awesome suggestion by NeutronStarchild. Thanks again, Neutron! :)

After this chapter, we only have three more! I wanted to cap this story at 35 chapters, and I'm super grateful that it panned out for that to happen. I'm sad it's ending, but I'm so excited for you all to see how it ends.

The story is completely finished; I've got it all written, so the only thing that's left is to finish editing and get it posted!
GAH, I'M SO EXCITED.

LIKE WTF I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S ALREADY ALMOST OVER.

Okay, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. All rights to Rumiko Takahashi.

Chapter 32: The Shrine

Inuyasha groaned as he rolled over on the floor.

The scent of blood assaulted his nose, making his stomach lurch and a bit more blood spurt from his injuries.

Naraku had stabbed him three times in Kagome's bedroom, and they were all rather deep.

Naraku's intent had obviously been to kill.

There was one in his stomach, one in his chest that had just narrowly missed his heart, and another in his thigh that Naraku had delivered right before he left to keep Inuyasha from following him, as the evil youkai had said.

Not quite a youkai...he's a hanyo. Naraku is a hanyo...just like me.

Inuyasha shook his head and tried to sit up from where he was sprawled on the floor. Naraku was not just like him. Naraku was the one who was a disgrace to the youkai blood in his veins.

Inuyasha groaned again as he finally managed to sit up. He cursed himself, hating that Naraku had managed to outsmart him. His plan had been a solid one, but Naraku was one step ahead of him.

Where's my phone? he wondered as he looked around. I need to call Miroku.

He cursed out loud when he saw his phone a few feet away from him, smashed to bits. He figured Naraku had done it before he left in an attempt to keep Inuyasha from contacting anyone.

I have to get up, no matter how painful it is.

Inuyasha grit his teeth, knowing that if he'd been a human, he would have died from blood loss. Even now, his head was spinning, but he forced himself to get up.

He stumbled into the bathroom, hoping to clean up before leaving Kagome's apartment to go home and...then what? What would come next?

His eyes widened. Sango! She grew up at the shrine. I'll ask her and go meet Kagome and Naraku there.

First thing was first: he needed to clean up all of the blood.

Looking in the mirror, Inuyasha grimaced. His sweatshirt was black, so it managed to hide the blood, but he could still see some of it on his neck and feel it on his skin.

He grabbed a towel Kagome had left behind and wiped down the exposed parts of his skin that were marred by blood spots.

When that was done, he pulled down his blood-stained jeans to his knees and wiped his thigh, wincing the whole time from how much everything hurt.

He hurried into Kagome's room, hoping she'd left behind the spare clothes he'd left there.

A pair of jeans was there but no shirt; apparently she had taken it with her.

He frowned and put on the jeans, wrinkling his nose as the scent of blood lingered on his clothing. He would just have to deal with it and hope he didn't walk past any other youkai on his way home.

He ran from Kagome's apartment and headed toward the bakery, moving as quickly as his injuries would let him.

When he reached Ukiyo, he burst through the door and ran upstairs where Miroku and Sango were curled up on the couch.

Upon seeing him, their eyes widened.

"What happened?" Miroku asked. "I tried to call you earlier. Are you okay?"

The adrenaline finally leaving his body, Inuyasha fell to his knees, breathing heavily as he felt more blood begin to seep through his jeans.

"Inuyasha!" they both cried, standing and coming over to them.

When they touched him, helping him sit up and their hands came back covered in blood, Sango stood up.

"Do you have a first-aid kit?" she asked.

"Bathroom," Miroku replied, putting Inuyasha's arm around his shoulder and helping him rise and slowly walk over to sit on the couch. Sango disappeared into the bathroom for a moment before coming to kneel in front of Inuyasha.

"Where are you hurt?" she asked.

"Chest," he croaked. "Stomach. Thigh."
Sango nodded and helped pull his sweatshirt and t-shirt off. Miroku gasped.

"What happened?" he demanded. "Who did this to you?"

As Sango began to clean his wounds, Inuyasha closed his eyes.

"Naraku," he replied.

"What?" Miroku asked. "How...what?"

"Miroku, give him a minute," Sango chided lightly. "Can you get him a clean shirt, clean pants, and a glass of water? Man, Inuyasha. If you weren't a hanyo, this would have killed you."

Inuyasha winced as she worked on his injuries, her nursing skills coming in handy as she bandaged him up.

Miroku walked into Inuyasha's bedroom to get the clothing before getting a glass of water from the kitchen. When he returned, he put the clothes next to Inuyasha and handed him the glass of water.
Inuyasha opened his eyes and took the glass, thanking Miroku before downing the water.

It took a little while, but Sango managed to get him patched up.

"I need to look at your thigh now," she said gently as Inuyasha put on the clean shirt. Inuyasha nodded, in too much pain and too worried about Kagome to care about modesty, and allowed Sango to help him take off his shoes and slide off his jeans, leaving him clad in his shirt and boxers.

He lifted the fabric up to reveal the stab on his thigh, and Sango immediately got to work.

When he was finally bandaged up, Sango handed him the clean pants and he put them on, feeling better now that he wasn't bleeding freely.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Sango asked, her tone still gentle.

Inuyasha grimaced and nodded before telling them about the confrontation he'd had with Naraku at Kagome's apartment.

"You idiot!" Miroku shouted. "What were you thinking?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I thought I could handle it, but...I couldn't. We need to go after Naraku. He wants something from Kagome, but he didn't say what it is. And he's a hanyo. Something about this just isn't adding up."
"Let's go," Sango replied immediately. "I remember how to get to the shrine. We can take my mom's car. And I know this is bad, but I still remember my taijiya training. I can help take him out."

"Sango..." Miroku began.

"Oh, stop," Sango replied. "I'm going and you can't keep me from it. This is as much my problem as it is Inuyasha and Kagome's. Let me call my mom and see if we can take her car." Sango grabbed her phone and got up to go to the kitchen to make the call.

When Miroku and Inuyasha were alone, Miroku looked at him and frowned.

"Seriously, what were you thinking?" he asked. "You could've gotten yourself killed."

Inuyasha shook his head. "I wanted to protect Kagome. That was the only thing I was thinking of."
"I would have helped you come up with something smarter," Miroku replied. Inuyasha sighed and stood up.

"What's done is done," the hanyo said. Miroku obviously seemed displeased, but before he could argue further, Sango returned to the living room.

"My mom said we can take her car," Sango informed him. "My apartment is ten minutes away. Let's hurry."

They all put their shoes on before going downstairs and leaving the bakery. When they reached Sango's apartment, Miroku and Inuyasha waited by the car while Sango went to get the keys from her mother.

After she returned, they got in the car and Sango sped off, getting onto the nearest highway and driving as quickly as possible.

"How far away is it?" Inuyasha asked from the backseat.

"A few hours," Sango replied. "What are we going to do when we get there?"

"We need to find Kagome first," Inuyasha said. "I don't know what Naraku is planning to do with her so we just need to...get to her. Are there going to be people there?"
Sango shook her head. "No, they're all gone. After the fire, everyone in the community dispersed. Last time I checked, it had been completely abandoned."

Inuyasha nodded, more than a little relieved that there wouldn't be anyone other than Naraku trying to kill him.

I've never been to a spiritual community before, Inuyasha mused, his attention turning to the road outside his window. I never thought I would go to one, let alone the one where Kagome grew up. He frowned.

"Sango," Inuyasha began, "why do you think Naraku wanted to meet Kagome at the old shrine?"

"I have no idea," Sango admitted. "Maybe he just wanted to try and kill her in the same place he killed her other family. It's secluded, too. No one would ever find them there."
"And we still don't know why he killed her family in the first place," Inuyasha pointed out. "Kagome just said she knew he was out for her family from the start. Do you have any idea why?"
Sango shook her head. "We never figured out why."

Inuyasha frowned and leaned back in his seat as they fell into silence.

It felt like the hours dragged on as Sango drove, but when she got off the highway and turned down a backroad, Inuyasha set his attention on the sights in front of them.

It was late, and the sky had become completely dark, which only made the scenery more daunting.

The backroad soon turned into a dirt road that led into an eerie forest.

The cover of the trees made everything darker, and Inuyasha felt a fierce sense of dread come over him.

I'm coming, Kagome. Just wait until I get there.

O.o.O.o.O

As soon as the bus stopped at the station, Kagome grabbed her bag and jumped off to hurry in the direction of the shrine.

The sun was fading quickly, so she used what light was left to run in the direction of the shrine.

As a child, she and Sango used to race to that bus station to go into the nearby city to buy groceries for their mothers. They could only go once a week, but it had been enough for her to know the road that led to her shrine like the back of her hand.

She pushed herself to run faster, only increasing her speed when she reached the dirt road that indicated she was nearing the community.

When she caught sight of it, she froze, eyes wide, as she took in the sight before her.

Everything was empty.

She saw the old school building and the few houses that belonged to the families that lived there.

The whole community was very obviously abandoned, and Kagome briefly recalled when it had been filled with people milling around in traditional Shinto clothing or children playing on the small playground on the edge of the community.

And finally, off in the distance, Kagome could see the ruins of her old home.

The sight hurt, but she grit her teeth and walked forward, knowing that's where she would find Naraku.

She felt his aura flare from that direction, so she took a deep breath and kept going, allowing her aura to flow free, flaring it so Naraku could feel her responding to his appearance.

When she reached her old house, she couldn't see him, but she knew he was there.

"Naraku," she called. "I'm here."

"Wonderful," he announced as he emerged from the ruins of the house. "Ever since you slipped from my grasp after the fire and I was nearly caught for slaying your dishonorable family, I have been waiting for this moment."

He stepped forward, grinning evilly.

Kagome held her head high and pulled the bag off of her shoulder, setting it on the dirt as she stood her ground against him.

"What do you want?" she asked firmly. "What is this moment you've been waiting for? What do you need with me? Why did you kill my family in the first place?"

"So many questions, stupid girl," he replied, his grin fading. "All of you spiritual people are the same. I thought it was your family that had what I wanted, but when I infiltrated your home, I couldn't find it." His smile returned. "But now I am grateful for your survival. It wasn't your family I needed. It was just you."

Kagome's eyes widened. "What do you need me for?"

Naraku smiled. "First, I'm going to tell you a story about a young boy who grew up in a spiritual community much like this one once was."
Kagome frowned, uncertain about where he was going with his so-called story, but she waited in silence, anxious to hear some semblance of an explanation.

"The boy's name was Onigumo," Naraku continued. "He was raised by very spiritually-powerful parents, and his older sister was a spiritual prodigy." He scoffed. "Hitomiko was the most powerful miko in the boy's community, and she was well on her way to being considered one of the most powerful miko in history."

Naraku walked forward, slowly milling around Kagome, causing her to spin to keep her eyes on him.

"But Onigumo was born without spiritual powers," he continued. "His parents never said it, but they hated him. While his sister was growing stronger everyday, Onigumo continued to be unable to develop any sort of power. His parents began to resent him more each day, and Onigumo finally grew tired of the constant hatred being thrown his way. One day, he decided to take matters into his own hands."

Naraku paused, going silent for a moment before speaking again. "They were so pompous...thinking they were better than everyone else because they could purify youkai. They hated youkai more than anything, so what better way for Onigumo to get his revenge than by recruiting a youkai to do it?"

Kagome's eyes widened. "You mean...Onigumo got some youkai to kill his family?"

Naraku chuckled. "Oh, no, Kagome. Onigumo wanted to destroy his family himself. There are evil sectors of youkai living among us. They are rare, but they do exist, just as miko communities still exist. Onigumo found one of those sectors and begged them to turn him into a youkai. He desired the power it would give him, and he wanted to use the power his family hated the most to finally destroy them."

Horror filled Kagome as Naraku spoke.

What a horrible situation...that poor boy. All the hate and hurt he grew up with forced him to become something evil…

"Those youkai told him they could help," Naraku continued. "But that it wouldn't be what Onigumo was expecting. Onigumo didn't care, though. All he wanted was the power. All he wanted was to exact his revenge. And the youkai were right. It didn't work like he was expecting. Kagome, would you like to know what happened instead?"
Kagome winced, but nodded. There must be some significance in him telling me this...I can't just write it off.

Naraku laughed. "Onigumo's heart was devoured. All the pain and sadness he felt about his family turned into pure bloodlust. He wanted their deaths because he wanted to kill, and that's just what he did. He went right back to his community and slaughtered everyone there. But when that was done, Onigumo made the grave discovery of what he'd become. He wasn't the powerful youkai he was expecting."

Naraku growled. "He had become a hanyo."
Kagome's eyes widened, not having known that was even possible.

"How?" she asked.

"It's not possible for a human to be turned into a full-youkai," he replied. "It doesn't matter if a full-youkai tries it. It won't work. So Onigumo knew what he needed to do. There was only one thing he knew of that could grant a hanyo the power of casting the human half from his body. All that was left was to figure out how to find it."

Naraku resumed his pacing around Kagome. "So Onigumo assumed a new identity. He disguised himself as a priest and spent years developing a fake reputation in an attempt to get close to the most powerful Shinto family that was still in existence."
Kagome froze. The most powerful Shinto family...that was my family. That's where our famous reputation comes from…

"Would you like to know what he changed his name to?" Naraku pressed. "What name he chose when he put into play his longings for true, unadulterated power?"

Realization dawned on Kagome.

Was it...him? Is Naraku the person Onigumo turned into?

"Onigumo became Naraku," he continued, answering Kagome's silent question. "And you, Kagome, are my key to achieving the power I have been seeking for years. You are the key to lead me to destroying the rest of the spiritual community."

"How am I your key?"

Naraku met her gaze, evil, red eyes colliding into Kagome's blue ones.

"The Shikon no Tama."

Kagome paused. "The...Shikon no Tama? That doesn't exist anymore. My ancestor destroyed it almost a thousand years ago."
"Liar!" Naraku shouted. "Midoriko died with the jewel. She followed it into death. And you, Kagome, are her reincarnation."

Kagome's eyes widened. "What? No, I'm not. My family would have told me."

Naraku chuckled. "Why do you think your father asked me to come train you? When you first began developing your powers, they were much stronger than he had anticipated, and even he didn't feel like he could train you properly. The reputation I built was strong enough to convince him to allow me to become your sensei. I was going to kill you all once I found where you've hidden the jewel. When I didn't find it, I decided to just slaughter you all."
He hummed. "But then...you survived. And how interesting is that? You were doused in gasoline, yet when I threw a match on you, it didn't kill you. Why?"

Kagome frowned. What is he getting at? I figured I survived because I wasn't surrounded by flames like my family had been in their beds...

"Midoriko created and later destroyed the Shikon no Tama," he said. "But the jewel didn't disappear. It meshed with her body and was reborn in you."

Kagome's eyes widened. "What? How could you possibly know all of this?"

"You didn't think I just used that youkai sector to get power, did you?" he asked. "They were hundreds and hundreds of years old. Two of them existed during the time of Midoriko, and they knew the truth. They don't even teach you that in your schools."

Kagome shook her head. "That's insane! There's no way that the jewel is inside me!"

Naraku laughed. "Let's just find out then, shall we?"

Before Kagome knew what was happening, Naraku grabbed her shoulders and roughly shoved her back, thrusting her to the ground hard enough that it knocked the breath out of her.

Naraku was on her in a moment, pulling a knife out of his pocket and gripping it above him.

"I will finally get what I've always wanted!" he roared. "Nothing will be able to stop me from gaining the power I desire!"

And then he lunged at Kagome.

The thrust of the knife was white-hot as it impaled her.

She looked down at the protruding blade and back up into cold, red eyes.

After all this time, after all these years on the run, is this how it's going to end?

As the pain took over, Kagome squeezed her eyes shut.

If only I could have seen Inuyasha...one more time.

To be continued...