Chapter 11 "The Final Battle"

Kagome stood her ground as Inuyasha charged at her. Was this some sort of a joke he was playing on her?

"Inuyasha!" she called to him. "Stop playing around!"

However, Inuyasha leapt into the air, and with a clawed hand raised, he cried, "Sankontessou Aname!" (Iron Reaver Soul Stealer)

Kagome shrieked and dove to the ground, barely avoiding the attack. She gasped when she felt blood trickling down the side of her face. Inuyasha had managed to knick her with one of his claws, and she had a deep gash that went from just below her right temple to the middle of her cheek.

She looked up at him with surprise as he stood there for a moment. "Inuyasha... you hurt me." Kagome whimpered.

The hanyou laughed. "Good." He sneered. "Now hold still and I'll make your demise a quick one."

Kagome saw Inuyasha raise his claws again. She scrambled to her feet. "What are you doing?" she cried.

Inuyasha swiped his claws through the air again, and Kagome felt her clothes tear. Where there were rip marks on her uniform, blood could soon be seen spilling out of her wounds.

Kagome hunched over in pain.

Kikyo smirked. "Why don't you fight back?" she mocked. "Shoot him with one of your arrows and kill him before he kills you!"

Inuyasha stood there with an evil smile on his face as Kagome shook her head. "NO!" she cried. "I won't fight him! I WON'T!"

The hanyou raked his claws through the air, slicing her skin even more. Blood splurted out of her body in little rivulets, but Kagome stood her ground. "Do you really want to kill me, Inuyasha?" she asked in disbelief.

Inuyasha growled and lunged at her. He knocked her to the ground and grabbed her neck in his hands; digging his claws into her skin.

Kagome choked back her tears as she looked into Inuyasha's eyes. "Your eyes are so cold..." she squeaked weakly. It was hard to talk against his grip on her neck.

Inuyasha only growled and squeezed her harder.

Kagome winced, but kept talking. "Inuyasha... what is wrong with you? Why are you doing this?"

The hanyou raised his eyebrows slightly at the sound of her voice. There was something about it...

"Kikyo has put a spell on you, hasn't she? You wouldn't try to kill me on your own, right?"

Inuyasha bared his teeth, but loosened his grip on her neck ever so slightly.

Kagome was loosing allot of blood now, and a tiny dark red pool was already starting to form around her body. But she kept on talking.

"If this has anything to do with me slapping you yesterday, well I'm sorry... and you know, I meant what I said about wanting you to become a human for me... I need to be with you, Inuyasha. "

Kikyo laughed when she saw Kagome trying so hard to release Inuyasha from the spell she had placed on him.

"Nice try." She said. "But he'll never listen to you."

Kagome felt tears well up in her eyes, and she reached up to touch Inuyasha's face.

"Do you even remember me?" she asked. "Do you know who I am?"

Inuyasha growled when she touched him, and tried to shake off her hand from his face.

However, Kagome kept it there.

"It's me, Kagome... you've got to remember me, Inuyasha... please!"

This time, the hanyou stopped struggling to get away from her hand and seemed to be listening to Kagome's voice.

"You really are on Kikyo's side, aren't you?" she asked suddenly. Inuyasha loosened his grip greatly at the sad tone of her voice.

"I thought you'd always protect me, Inuyasha... and you said you'd always be there for me."

Inuyasha blinked once or twice, showing signs of progress.

By this time, Kagome had lost too much blood, and was starting to pass out. Her hand started to slip from his face. "Inuyasha... I wish I could make you like me again..." Kagome murmured, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I... I guess I should tell you then. I really like you, Inuyasha... I love you."

With that, she leaned up and kissed Inuyasha gently.

There was a bright flash inside Inuyasha's brain the second their lips met. He let go of her neck and clutched his head. "What's going on?" he asked, his voice strained from confusion. He blinked his eyes, trying to focus them.

Kikyo gasped. "Can it be?" she asked; astonished. "Did he break free from the spell?"

Kagome looked up at Inuyasha and smiled.

When he realized what he was doing, the hanyou gasped and his face turned pale at the sight of Kagome.

"GODS!" he exclaimed. "KAGOME!"

Kagome felt her eyes begin to close. She was starting to lose conciousness. "Thankyou for remembering me, Inuyasha." She whispered weakly.

Inuyasha felt her hand slide from his cheek and fall to the ground with a plop.

"Kagome?"

No answer.

"KAGOME!"

Kikyo laughed. "Good job, Inuyasha." She chuckled. "Look at what you have done to Kagome! And all for me too!"

Inuyasha growled and turned to Kikyo. "What the hell are you talking about?!" he demanded, cradling Kagome's limp body in his arms.

The miko shrugged. "You inflicted all of those fatal wounds on Kagome." She said. "Aren't you proud of yourself?"

Inuyasha could feel himself start to panic. Was Kagome going to die?!

Kikyo removed the Shikon no Tama from the tree it had been pinned to and walked over to Inuyasha and Kagome. "Leave her here." She said. "Your friends will find her and heal her- well try to, anyway."

Inuyasha glared at Kikyo and held Kagome even tighter. "NO." He said. "I'll never go with you."

Kikyo gasped when she heard what he had said. The once sunny skies now clouded over with dark black clouds. Thunder rolled in the distance, and lightning flashed all around Kikyo. "How dare you." She snarled. "How dare you refuse me? You shall regret that!"

She raised her hand, and Inuyasha flew up into the air, letting go of Kagome so she would not be hurt as well. Kikyo waved her hand, then, and Inuyasha slammed into a tree. He groaned and clutched his head. He could see his Tetsusaiga laying on the ground not too far from him. However, when he tried to reach it, vines came and wrapped around his arms tightly, preventing him from going any further.

"I thought you really loved me." Kikyo said sadly, picking up her bow and an arrow. "I guess as long as that one's around, you'll never be able to forget her."

She postioned the arrow in the bow and pulled it back, aiming it for Kagome. "Don't worry, though." She cooed. "I'll take care of this little problem. Then you'll be all mine."

"Kikyo don't!" Inuyasha cried, struggling against the vines.

Kikyo frowned and concentrated on her target. She pulled the arrow back a little farther.

"NO!!!" Inuyasha cried. "KAAAAGOOOME!"

Suddenly, Tetsusaiga's sheath started pulsing. Inuyasha was confused for a moment, but then grinned. "Tetsusaiga!" he bellowed. "RETURN TO ME!"

The sword flew up from the ground and went right into the hand of Inuyasha. He sliced through the vines and freed himself just as Kikyo released the arrow.

Everything seemed to go in slow motion after that. The miko let the arrow fly just as Inuyasha brought the Tetsusaiga down across Kikyo's right shoulder.

Luckilly, the arrow missed its target.

The miko gasped in pain and fell to the ground, dropping the Shikon no Tama. Before she could grab it, Inuyasha swiped it up and out of her reach. She glared up at him. "This is exactly how it was then." She muttered through her pain. "You traitor."

Inuyasha looked down at Kikyo. He was silent for a moment, realising what he had done. He had struck Kikyo down!

Inuyasha then smiled. "I'm sorry Kikyo." He said. "But I'm not in love with you anymore. Kagome needs me now more than ever... and it was you who showed me that. I am grateful."

Kikyo winced as she tried to stand. Blood gushed from her shoulder. "You- you think you may have won, but you didn't... I'll be back again, just like always. Then I'll kill your precious Kagome as well as you!"

Inuyasha frowned and was about to say something when Kikyo screamed out in pain. Looking at the miko, he could see an arrow protruding from her back and out her chest.

"Kikyo, you are done for!" shouted a voice.

Inuyasha and Kikyo whirled around to see Kagome leaning up on her bow which supported her weight.

Kagome raised one arm out towards the miko. "Souls of the dead!" she cried. "Be released!"

"NO!" Kikyo shrieked, clutching her body as all of the spirits she had accumulated came shooting out in all different directions.

Inuyasha gasped as the miko's body dropped to the ground after all the spirits had drained from her. The body soon melted into soil which was carried away with the wind. The only things left behind were Kikyo's clothes, and her bow and arrows.

The hanyou looked over to Kagome just in time to see her collapse.

"Kagome!" he cried, rushing over to her.