Chapter Nine
Kagome trailed slightly behind and to the left of Kikyou and Inuyasha. She noticed that his white ears kept flitting in her direction, though he made no other sign that he knew she was there. He followed Kikyou dutifully, his expression completely blank. It was hard to tell where Kikyou's control over him ended, and his personal devotion to her began.
Kagome had stayed with him last night for as long as she possibly could. Right up until Inuyasha reverted to his hanyou form. They had held each other desperately until the sun rose, speaking quietly about many things, kissing each other gently. They hadn't come to any decision about what they would do today. You'd think choosing between life and death would be easier than this. Inuyasha had made it clear though, that he wanted her to keep her distance, both from the fight, and from Kikyou. Kagome grinned. She had made no promises, and a plan was forming itself in her mind.
She still didn't know what to do about Inuyasha's feelings for Kikyou, but for now, Kagome was just going to concentrate on the keeping him alive problem. Naraku would appear sooner or later. And when he did, Kagome had to keep him busy. She couldn't let Inuyasha do this by himself.
She didn't know what would happen when she took the necklace off of him. She didn't know what would happen if by some miracle they managed to kill Naraku. She just knew she had to try. The feeling of clarity was returning to her.
Step one: Save Inuyasha's life. Step two: Set Inuyasha free. Step three: Go with whatever he decides to do. Kagome had no illusions about her odds for success. Inuyasha was so badly wounded he wouldn't stand a chance, and even with her help, there was little hope. As for removing the necklace, that was all a matter of being in the right place at the right moment. She just had to watch for her opportunity to get close to him, and then get it off before anyone could interfere. Step three was the easiest. There was no decision; it was all just a matter of following Inuyasha, wherever he decided to go.
While Kagome was considering these facts, she suddenly sensed Shikon shards. A quick glance at Kikyou confirmed that she felt them too. Naraku was close by.
It's time. This is it, Inuyasha! Kagome dropped to her knees and began stringing her bow. The miasma was building as she did it. When she looked up again, there was Naraku, chuckling in his icky way.
Oh… I hate him. Kagome had to move fast. Inuyasha had already drawn the tetsuaiga, and was facing Naraku with a look of hatred and determination on his face. Kagome could only imagine the thoughts racing through his mind. She circled around, getting a feel for how the battle might move. She found the perfect spot just as the two began to fight.
It was a largish boulder set in near the base of a fat tree. If she stood on top of the boulder she had a good clear shot at Naraku, and the tree kept her clear of Kikyou. Kagome drew an arrow, and set it to the string. She had to inflict as much damage as she could right away, or Inuyasha would fall.
She narrowed her eyes, and aimed for Naraku's jewel shards. She let her arrow fly, and was notching another even as it struck. Speed… I need to be faster. She was firing arrows as fast as she could, getting as many into the demon as possible. She heard Kikyou yelling, and Naraku was certainly surprised. But Inuyasha grinned, and Kagome smiled. It felt good to be fighting with him again, rather than just watching him. She sensed, rather than saw, Naraku turning toward her, ready to strike. And she dropped behind the boulder just in time to escape a particularly strong blast of miasma. Being careful of her bow, she darted around the tree, emerging on the other side of it to fire two more arrows at him.
Inuyasha was actually doing much better than she had expected of him. And her arrows were doing a lot of damage. Do we actually have a chance? Kagome looked at Inuyasha and saw that he was bleeding, but his old wounds weren't reopening… yet. That was one thing Kagome was very worried about. She knew that Inuyasha couldn't keep this up much longer. She had to make her next shots really count. It was time to move in. She had to be close to Inuyasha, in case this didn't work, to release him from the necklace before they both died.
With an arrow notched and her hand ready to draw, Kagome darted in right behind Inuyasha. She felt the exact moment that he sliced across Naraku's chest with tetsuaiga, and the instant that he was clear she fired into the wound before it could regenerate over. Her purifying arrow flew true, and their enemy doubled over in pain and shock.
"Inuyasha!" It was Kikyou's voice, and he instantly turned towards her. "Stop her!"
Kagome couldn't believe it. Inuyasha looked toward her, his face a confusing jumble of emotions.
"No, Inuyasha! No!" She ran to him, because their only hope now was to release him before Naraku recovered.
The tetsuaiga detransformed, it wouldn't let him hurt her, a human miko, so he dropped it. But he drew back his hands, ready to strike her with his claws. And Kagome knew just how deadly Inuyasha's claws could be. Everything seemed to slow down; she could count the deafening heartbeat between her laying her hands on the necklace, and his claws piercing her sides.
Kagome gasped, the pain was incredible, but she didn't let go of the bead and bone necklace. She took two more steps, and was in his arms, lifting the necklace over his head. Kagome became intensely aware of everything. Everything seemed so sharp, the air in her lungs was like knives. She felt blood pouring down her sides, hot and swift. She saw Inuyasha's face, as he realized what he had done to her. She heard his anguished cry, as he grabbed her before she fell.
"I'm sorry, Inuyasha." Her voice seemed so distant.
"Kagome, no!! Please, Kagome, please don't die!" Inuyasha's face was a pure picture of grief. Hot tears from his eyes splashed on her face. "Please, I love you, Kagome, just hold on. Just-" His words became unintelligible as he sobbed.
"I love you, Inuyasha. I'm so sorry…" Kagome wanted to finish her apology. She wanted him to know how sorry she was, that she hadn't saved him sooner, that she had let this happen, that she was causing him such pain. She felt a clear peace, as her voice faded. Inuyasha loved her, and he knew that she loved him.
I love you, Inuyasha. And Kagome let go.
