Disclaimer - I do not own InuYasha. I can keep dreaming though, right?
Author's Notes - FINALLY! Cartoon Network put InuYasha back on! WOOHOO! *does a happy dance* All I can say is it's about damn time. I've been starving for new episodes.
Well, here it is . . . the next chapter, and the beginning of the final battle. As you all know, battle scenes are not exactly my forte . . . and battle scenes with multiple opponents are just plain horrendous. It took me a whole two weeks to write this one . . . I kept going back and changing things. So, here it is, and I hope you all enjoy.
On a more somber note . . . I have a new one-shot up. The story is called "Not Happily Ever After" . . . and it's very angsty and depressing. If that's not enough . . . it's based on events happening to a good friend of mine right now . . . so if you guys don't mind going through a box of tissues, go over and read it. I think you'll find it worthwhile . . . if you can get past your tears.
And, in closing . . . before you people try to kill me for taking so long to get to the story . . . I'm dedicating this chapter to my girl Shylie too. Hope it helps get your mind off certain problems . . . if you like, you can think of Naraku as a certain annoying cousin : )
And now, on with the story.
Chapter 25 - The Final Battle
Naraku laughed as he watched InuYasha, Sango, and Miroku spread out before him, fanning out to hit him on all sides in a simultaneous attack. He had no need to call on the jewel Kagome had given him so trustingly . . . his power now would be more than enough. The jewel would be held in reserve . . . he did not want to exhaust it's power on such a puny and insignificant task as this fight.
With his attention centering on the opponents before him, Naraku failed to see Sesshoumaru catch Kagome off to the left and behind him.
"Are you well, Lady Kagome?" Sesshoumaru asked, steadying her on her feet as she staggered away from Naraku.
"I've definitely been better . . . gods, I feel like I'm going to be sick," she muttered, waving a hand weakly in front of her. "Please Sesshoumaru . . . get me back out of the way. I have to concentrate if this is going to work. The others only have to work him up to the point where he actually taps into the jewel . . . from there I can handle the rest."
"I will not bother to ask what it is you are about, for I suspect it would take too long for you to explain," Sesshoumaru replied as he helped her into a far corner of the room, watching absently as she settled into a meditative position. "I only hope it works. I shall go assist the others." She nodded in reply, already dropping into a meditative state as the youkai lord moved to join the battle that was already underway.
InuYasha had led the way into battle, as always, Tetsusiaga fully transformed and humming with the latent power the hanyou's father had bestowed into it. Not far behind him was Sango with her boomerang held in front as a shield/weapon, and Miroku came on with his staff held at ready. All of them were alert and ready for any tricks Naraku might pull . . . they had seen dozens of them from facing his puppets, but rarely had they faced Naraku himself. They weren't entirely sure what to expect, so came on warily, prepared for anything.
Thus, it caught none of them off guard when he erupted into a mass of dark tentacles, the tendrils shooting out on all sides to attack all of them at once. The dance began, the group dodging and weaving, hacking and demolishing any that came too near. Naraku himself merely laughed maniacally at thier antics, finding them amusing, but not at all a danger. That laughter died abruptly when a certain boomerang came to close to hitting his center.
"Exterminator . . . you will die as your clan died!" the fiend hissed, his eyes flaring crimson. Sango found herself suddenly beset on all sides by the squirming tentacles of darkness. Rolling to one side, and under one attack, she found herself directly in the path of another. Suddenly, something shoved her out of the way of the oncoming attack. Hitting the ground painfully, having been unable to land properly from the surprise of the movement, she turned to see Miroku deflect that attack with his staff.
InuYasha was hard into battles of his own with a dozen or so tentacles. Every tentacle that went his way met with the blade of Tetsusiaga or his claws, but more replaced them with each destruction. 'This is getting REALLY annoying . . .' he thought, demolishing more tentacles with a single swipe. He couldn't clear enough of the wriggling things to give him time to concentrate on the Wound of the Wind, which meant his swords true power was getting no use. Growling in frustration, he leapt on high, trying to get over and clear of the writhing mass to get at Naraku's main body. He hadn't judged on Naraku's speed, however, and abruptly found himself enfolded in a dozen of the squirming things. One had wrapped around his wrist, tightening to the point where he was forced to drop Tetsusiaga.
Suddenly, Sango's boomerang was flying his way, cutting through the tentacles holding him and leaving a wide swathe of damage in it's wake. Not expecting the sudden freedom, the hanyou landed painfully, dislocating a shoulder as he landed on it and rolled away from the growth's already moving his way. He grunted, but continued to roll . . . until Naraku got lucky and speared a thigh with one appendage.
InuYasha howled as agony flared through his leg . . . and watched in horror as more moved to finish him off. A blur of white intercepted them . . . and the hanyou found himself staring into his half-brothers eyes as Sesshoumaru quickly destroyed the tentacle pinning him to the ground. Standing quickly with a hand from the youkai lord, he nodded his thanks, ignoring the pain from his leg and moving back into the battle, Sesshoumaru at his side.
Kagome tried to block the sounds of the battle from her consciousness, reaching for the pool of calm that rested below the surface of her mind. This battle . . . and the lives of her friends and her mate . . . counted on her being able to connect with the essence she had left in the Shikon No Tama. She had to be able to reach it. Her concentration shattered as she heard InuYasha howl in pain. Her eyes shot open, watching in fear as the tentacles raced towards him as he lay helpless, pinned to the floor . . . and she heaved a sigh of relief when Sesshoumaru saved him from what would have been certain death. Quickly, she looked for Miroku and Sango . . . and found them battling back to back off to one side of the room.
Getting visual confirmation that they were okay, she closed her eyes again, reaching for the calm she so desperately needed. Slowly, the sounds of battle receded, leaving her in a pool of unnatural stillness. She reached for the Jewel that rested in Naraku . . . and slowly drew the other peices he had towards it.
Sango shot a glance towards Kagome, seeing that her friend was safely out of harm's way, and appeared to be deep in meditation. 'Whatever she has planned, I hope she does it soon . . .' she thought to herself. She could feel Miroku at her back, lending her a stability in battle she had never truly appreciated before. This was her reason for living . . . this group of friends who had come to mean so much to her . . . and the little brother that Kagome had restored to her. With that thought to strengthen her, she redoubled her efforts, strengthening her tiring limbs with the love and friendship she had been shown.
A sudden pause in the fighting threw them all off guard . . . and then Naraku was striking faster and harder then he ever had. Caught completely by surprise, Miroku stumbled and went down . . . leaving Sango's back wide open to attack. She screamed as agony flared through her back, spinning to find the source of the agony . . . and tearing the tentacle that had speared her from her back. She staggered as a wave of dizziness assailed her . . . and she knew that the wound was serious. The demon exterminator struggled to stay on her feet . . . but the sudden weakness in her limbs forced her to drop her primary weapon. Dropping to her knees as blackness washed over her, she knew that this was the end of the battle for her. She only hoped . . . that she would wake up again.
Miroku howled in rage as Sango went down. Struggling to his feet, he fought his way to her unconscious form, standing over it protectively, his staff jingling musically as he defended himself and his love from the tainted hanyou. Without Sango at his back, however, it was harder to keep up with the fury of Naraku's attacks . . . it wasn't long before he too went down under the assault.
"I love you Sango . . ." he whispered, before the dark claimed him as well.
InuYasha saw them go down under Naraku's assault. Snarling, he redoubled his efforts, hacking and slashing beside his brother. At last, the inu youkai brother's were united as one force . . . and that truly was a force to be reckoned with. The speed and agility of both made it impossible for Naraku to land any finishing blows . . . but both wore bloody welts and wounds to attest to Naraku's own capabilities.
Naraku snarled as more and more of his apendages fell to the relentless onslaught of the youkai brothers. This fight should not have been this difficult . . . they were imperfect beings, flawed by thier caring of humans. He did not stop to think about his own deep seated desire for Kagome . . . she was not a normal human being, but a miko and a powerful one at that. In his mind, this raised her far above the rest of humanity. He could feel her presence, and smiled grimly at it. She was feeding him more power, draining herself into the jewel to allow him to prevail. How easily she had been tricked . . . Kanna had been correct in her suggestion of giving her the jewel. Now he had more power than ever at his disposal . . . but still, he waited to use it. He wanted to finish off the annoying hanyou himself, without all these wriggling pieces of self in the way. He would kill InuYasha face to face . . . and before the hanyou died, he would know that he had lost not only his life, but his mate. His smile grew feral at that thought, but he was forced once again to return his attention to the fight.
At last, with a growl of pain filled anger, Sesshoumaru fell, Naraku having managed to pin him into a corner. InuYasha was beside him in an instant, not really aware that the tentacles were withdrawing as he knelt beside the half-brother who had been an enemy until recently.
"InuYasha . . ." Sesshoumaru gasped, blood trickling slightly from the corner of his mouth as he fought to breathe around the gaping hole that had been his chest. His armor lay in shattered pieces around him, the long silver hair lying fanned out in a pool of spreading blood. "You truly are . . . the inheritor of our father's blood. I was wrong . . . to have acted on my jealousy of you as I did. I only hope . . . that you will avenge . . ." His voice faded into a whisper as the light in his golden eyes died, leaving him to stare blindly at the ceiling above.
"I will . . . and I'll see you as soon as I get rid of Naraku for ever," InuYasha whispered, laying his half-brother's corpse back gently. Turning, his eyes bleeding into the deep red of his full youkai form, he snarled at the tainted hanyou who stood silently near the throne, a sickening smirk on his angular face. He held a blade in his hands . . . a blade that pulsed with darkness as the Tetsusiaga pulsed with light.
"And so, it is down to the 'half-breeds', is it not? Fitting, I think, that it should come down to you and me . . . you, who have stood in the way of my plans for far too long." Arrogantly, Naraku beckoned with his blade. "Come then, inu hanyou . . . come and meet your death."
Snarling, InuYasha charged into battle, Tetsusiaga held high and prepared to strike. Naraku was correct . . . it was fitting that it should come down to them - and Kagome. The final phase had begun . . . and the tale had come full circle. Naraku had divided Kikyo and InuYasha, turning them against one another in his bid for the Shikon Jewel and Kikyo's heart. Now, they would meet in face to face battle for the reincarnation of the very same woman . . . but this time, love would prove stronger, because it was based on trust and friendship, not a mutual need and longing. This time . . . Naraku would lose. InuYasha swore that . . . to himself, to his mate, to the soul of the woman he had wronged; to Miroku, who's life had been tainted by this menace; to Sango, who's family had died in Naraku's sick and twisted games. He swore it to his half-brother, to young Rin, to Shippo . . . and to the heaven's above and the world below . . . this time Naraku would die at his hands. This time, the cycle would end . . . forever.
To Be Continued
Author's Notes - Well . . . I hope it wasn't too bad *grimace*. Ye gods was I paranoid about releasing this . . . oh hell, what am I saying, was. I still am! Ah well . . . I can't keep changing and rearranging the damn thing forever, now can I? Especially since a good majority of you would probably kill me if I didn't let you read it : ) Anyway, see you guys in two weeks with the next chapter . . . until then, if you haven't already, go look at my other stuff. Be well all . . . and for those of you going back to school . . . good luck : )