~Chapter Ten~ ~I promised to hold your hand forever, and that's exactly what I'm going to do~

Suddenly, the ground began to burst open.

"See here, Inu-Yasha. Do you feel the heat rising? This is what you will continue to feel for the rest of your life and eternally after it ends." Kikyo stated as the flames began to rise higher out.

Inu-Yasha was just as lost as ever.

He felt that he had lost a battle, but then he also felt that he was doing his last duty to protect Kagome, and his daughter.

It was all he could do, for there was no other way around it.

He knew that Kagome still sat, waiting for something, anything to occur, and how he wished he could run to her and hold her close, and promise her that everything would be alright. That he would never leave her alone.

The ground had done it's final transformation.

Kagome could heard the moaning of lost souls on the flames.

Somehow she wished she could die and hide in the darkness, praying that Inu-Yasha would find her there one day again, but it was no use.

She could never fall to hell, and even if she did, Inu-Yasha would haunt her until she reconsidered.

She knew he wanted the best for her, and the best only.

Tears fell from her eyes as soon as she looked back to Kikyo and Inu-Yasha.

How could Kikyo have won?

How?

Suddenly, Kikyo giggled a bit and grabbed onto Inu-Yasha's neck collar of his kimono, pulling him up to his feet.

"Now…my dear Inu-Yasha…..I will bind you to me and I will drag you to hell. I can not wait to begin torturing you. How delightful it will be to see you suffer for once." She sneered.

She then got out something from the pocket of her kimono.

It looked like a dagger, but much too small to be one.

She held it up to Inu-Yasha eyes.

"This, Inu-Yasha, is a binding spell needle. Once I imbed it within you, you can never escape me or hell. You will never be able to be pulled out of hell….and you will never be able to even remember Kagome…or your daughter…or anyone you've ever known dear to you. It will all die, just as you enter my spell."

Inu-Yasha's eyes widened with shock.

"But…how can you…I……" He couldn't find the words, and he knew if he spoke or yelled what he felt, she would go ahead and harm Kagome or Karu.

It was that simple.

Kikyo ran the sharp edge across his neck skin, barley touching him with it.

Kagome stared in horror.

*N….Not even….REMEMBER ME!!!!! BUT…..HOW!!!?? PLEASE!!!! WHAT CAN I DO!!! INU-YASHA!!!!!!!!!!!* She pleaded in thought.

Kikyo looked over at Kagome.

"See her, Inu-Yasha. Look how precious she is. I know you love her more then life…then anything. If you want to save her life, then you must allow me to stab you with this needle. It's the only way."

Inu-Yasha didn't want to forget Kagome though!!!

NOT AT ALL!!!

He never wanted to lose her image, even if he had to be away from her.

But he knew that if he complained, it would make things worse.

Much worse.

He looked to Kagome's eyes.

"I'm sorry." Was all he could manage to whisper to her before being pulled back to Kikyo's face again by her hand.

"Wise decision. Take in what you can of her…for you will no longer recall even her name after a moment goes by. Anything left to say?" Kikyo sneered.

Inu-Yasha couldn't look to Kagome's face again.

He saw Kikyo and he hated her more then ever.

"Yes. I do. No matter how hard you try…I will never forget Kagome. How can I when she's basically all I think about? All I dream about? All I….will ever love. There is nothing you can do to block out my memories! So you can stab me all you wish, wench….but I will never lose my memories. Kagome taught me once that memories are one of the most important things in life. Once you have them, they never leave your heart. I believe this. Some may be bad, and some may be good, but whatever happens, you're stuck with them…and I know that she wasn't lying. Kagome would never lie to me. She loves me and I know it! So, Kikyo, perhaps it seemed that our bond to others was weak, but as for mine and Kagome's……it's stronger then any love. Any love ever spoken of! And…..don't you forget that." He said everything sp perfectly, as if he was planning it the whole time, but in truth, he spoke what his heart had led him to speak. It was as simple as that.

"Please….." Began Kikyo again. "Spare me of your foolish talk of love and memories. To me….all this you speak of is silly talk of nothing at all. Now close your eyes and hold your breath. I will stab you and then you will find that you no longer know the woman that sits only feet away from you."

Kagome couldn't take simply watching any longer!

"NO!!! STOP IT!!!" She screamed as she tried to scramble to her feet, but fell back down again with weakness. Weakness of sorrow running through her at that very moment made her look like a small child trying to learn how to walk!

"Having trouble sitting up, little bitch? Why bother? You know if you come any closer I'll kill you and take Inu-Yasha with me to hell anyway." Kikyo remarked.

Kagome tried to stand again. "No!! Let him go!! Please!!!!" She whimpered.

Just as she was about to take a step forward, Inu-Yasha looked her way with wide eyes.

"G…..GET BACK!! STAY AWAY, KAGOME!! DON'T GET CLOSER TO ME!! I SWEAR I'LL BE SO PISSED!!!" Was what came out of his mouth.

Kagome stared. She hadn't heard this manner of talk from him since…well….since before she had gotten sick with pneumonia 6 years before!

"But…..but…..I……" She stuttered.

"LISTEN TO ME, STUPID!!! DON'T YOU….DON'T YOU GET IT!!!!??" His eyes began to water with tears, but he continued on.

"DON'T YOU GET IT!!!??? DON'T YOU COME ANY CLOSER TO ME, YOU HERE!!! NOW WILL YOU SHUT UP…..AND LET ME PROTECT YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He shouted.

Such things he didn't want to say at that moment, but what else could he do to make Kagome understand?

Kagome's legs gave way suddenly and she fell back down to the dirt.

Inu-Yasha's look changed very rapidly, from an angry expression, to a without hope expression.

He turned away from Kagome's eyes and looked down to the ground.

Kikyo chuckled to herself. "Now….you're mine, Inu-Yasha……" She hissed as she pulled back her arm in which held the needle, and thrust it forward.

Kagome's mind ran frantic.

She knew that she had been right! Memories never fade away from ones heart, but still. A spell such as the needle Kagome feared would make him forget about her and everything else, and although he would remember in his heart, he would never remember in his mind, where memories are most important in the body!

The needle came closer to Inu-Yasha neck, and still she saw so much pass by her.

She saw him. Only him. His soft smile. His gentle touch. The way he held her. The very way he looked at her, or breathed beside her at night under the stars!! He had been there for her so many times. He had saved her from many demons in the past, and had pulled her away from death when she had been sick! He gave her love and was never far away!!! He had been there for her when she was pregnant with Karu, and when the dear child was born!! He had been there. He had been there. Always protecting her. Always keeping her warm. Always shielding her.

He had held her hand the whole way, as he said he would, but…how could one rip his hand away from hers so easily??!!!

Suddenly, she knew what needed to be done.

She looked at Kikyo.

Such anger boiled inside her.

The woman that wanted to harm Inu-Yasha. She remembered she swore she would never let Kikyo touch him again, to shatter his world like she had done 58 years before when she stole Kagome's identity, for Kagome loved him to death, and Kikyo wanted to ruin it.

Her teeth grinded and her fists grasped hard.

She immediately found her strength when a flash of Inu-Yasha ran by her face.

The small boy with long white hair and dog ears, crying to himself as the snow fell around him, because he was all alone and had no one else to cry to. To run to. To be loved by.

"…..no….." Kagome whispered suddenly.

Her teeth gritted as she got to her feet as swift as the wind might carry itself.

Just as the needle was about to hit Inu-Yasha's skin, Kagome ran forward.

"DON'T YOU DARE HARM HIM YOU BITCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She cried as tear flew behind her as she smacked the needle and Kikyo out of the way and fell down herself.

Kikyo looked up from the ground with anger and fury!!

"THE NERVE OF YOU! I WILL KILL YOU NOW FOR THAT!!!! YOU TRULY ARE A FOOL TO WASTE YOUR LIFE FOR THAT WORTHLESS HALF BREED!!!!!"

Kagome had had it, completely!!!

She ran over and took Kikyo's collar, lifting her up to her eyes.

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY SUCH THINGS ABOUT HIM. DON'T YOU DARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WON'T LET YOU PUT YOUR BLOODY HANDS ON HIM!!!! YOU CAN'T CONTROL HIM OR I ANY LONGER!!!! THE ONLY THING YOU CAN CONTROL IS WHAT YOU DO NEXT, SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?" Kagome screamed with rage.

Kikyo lifted her hand and snapped her fingers quickly.

In an instant, the ground that Inu-Yasha knelt upon began to crumble down to hell!!!!

Kagome stood up and ran over to his side, but Kikyo grabbed her leg from behind.

"L…LET ME GO!!!!!!! YOU WON'T HURT HIM!!!!!!!!! YOU WON'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She cried.

Inu-Yasha saw Kagome try to get to him and then be pulled to the ground by Kikyo.

For some reason though, he couldn't stand up and run to help her!!!!

His legs had been paralyzed!!!

He watched in horror as Kikyo pulled out a real dagger from her other kimono pocket and stabbed Kagome's leg with it that she had in her grasp.

Kagome screamed out in pain, and shut her eyes tightly to block out the rest of the sting.

All of this was happening so fast!!!

Kikyo then ran towards him and looked to him with a smirk.

"I will pull you down with my bare hands. You can not escape because your legs can not move, and Kagome can not help you for she is injured. I will win this time, I swear it." And with that, she let herself drop into the flames, suddenly becoming the flames that shot up around Inu-Yasha!!

Inu-Yasha looked to Kagome.

She lay on the ground, her leg bleeding heavily.

She was still conscious.

To his shock, she managed to look over to him and give him a look that said she would never give up, no matter how badly she was hurt.

She forced herself to stand, not caring about the pain anymore.

"W…WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! KAGOME, JUST LET ME GO!! YOU GOTTA STOP THIS!!! PLEASE!!! I DON'T WANT YOU HURT ANYMORE!!!! GOD DAMN IT, KAGOME!!!! LISTEN TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He pleaded.

Kagome looked up at him, a mixture of pain, agony, worry and anger, and determination in her eyes.

"NO!!! I WON'T LISTEN TO YOU!! I DON'T CARE ANYMORE!!! I JUST……I CAN'T…..I WON'T LEAVE YOU ALONE!!!! I WON'T!!!!" She screamed as she started to limp over to where the ground was cracking around him.

He was beside himself.

Suddenly, the ground cracked enough that he began to sink through!!!

Kagome began to run to his side, and just as she got there, the ground shattered under him.

Kagome fell to her hands and knees and reached for his arm, catching him right before he fell into the flames below.

"I…INU-YASHA!!!!!!" She screamed.

Inu-Yasha looked down to the flames, seeing Kikyo's dark and evil eyes within them, and then looked up to Kagome.

"N…NO!! LET ME FALL!!! YOU HAVE TO LET ME FALL!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!! I DON'T WANT YOU KILLED AS WELL!!!!!!!! LET ME FALL!!!!!" He cried up to her as tears formed in his eyes.

"NO!!! I WON'T!!!!!!! I CAN'T!!!!!!! I REFUSE TO LET YOU GO AWAY!!!" She cried back.

"DAMN YOU…YOU….FOOLISH WOMAN. USE YOUR HEAD!! IF YOU DIE HERE…..WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO KARU? WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO SANGO AND MIROKU? WHO WILL BE THERE FOR THEM, IF THEY EVER NEED YOU!!!?? YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE OTHERS AND FORGET ME!!" Inu-Yasha screamed now.

Kagome opened her tightly closed eyes and looked down at his eyes. The eyes so golden she loved to stare into them until the ends of earth.

A tear fell down her cheek and hit his face below.

"But….how can I forget you? I am using my head. I know. I'm not letting myself die. I refuse to let Kikyo take me…but…..I refuse to let you be alone…..and not fight for….for everyone. How do you expect me to simply let go of your hand and let you fall into those flames? How can you think that I could stand up and walk back to the village…..and confront Karu's little face……and tell her that she'll never see her daddy again? How can I go to bed tonight without you by my side…..how can I wake up the next morning and look to the other side of me and not see you laying there? Y…You said to me once that you would hold my hand until the end. I promised that I would………and I'm not breaking that promise. Ever." She explained as she began to cry more freely now.

Inu-Yasha stared up at her, his eyes now filled with tears of grief and confusion.

"W…Why do you care so much about a worthless half breed like me?" He questioned in a cracked voice.

Kagome's hand tightened around his.

"Because…..I saw you. You were all alone. You cried and no one was there to hold you close and promise to be there always. Your mother died and she was the only one in the whole world that you knew loved you……you knew there was one other person though….so you searched….and searched….and you finally found that person you believed was the spirit you loved before you were even born, only it was a trick….and your heart was crushed……and I was trapped within that trickery….and I couldn't be there for you to keep you safe when you needed me most. I see those images of you standing there in the snow with no one……and I hate it so much. I hate to see it, but it's there. I was that spirit that should have been there for you…the person you should have found 58 years ago….but instead…I wasn't there. Kikyo wanted to hurt you. How can anyone want to harm you though? You were never worthless to me. You were perfect….unique….and I loved every inch of you. I still do. I believe in your dreams….and hold onto your hopes as if they are my own. I know you'd never lie to me…I know you'd never hurt me….I trust you so fully, and I do to this day. I care because I just do. I could ramble on forever and never stop to catch my breath at all. I love you to death. To the very pit of my soul. I always will. Always. I will hold your hand…..and I will never let go."

Such words Inu-Yasha heard those minutes Kagome spoke as if she were his angel.

How could he have been so blind to think he could let himself fall to the flames and watch Kagome's face vanish forever?

He remember the days he thought he had no one except for the person he believed was out there waiting for him.

He had been tricked so many times…and deceived…..but Kagome finally made it to him once again after hundreds of years trying and searching for his spirit once again.

He knew she would never let him give up so easily, and he suddenly believed in her….as she believed in him.

His hand tightened around hers then as he looked back up at her.

He slowly smiled weakly through his tears.

"Hold my hand until the end." Were his words.

Kagome nodded quickly, knowing exactly what to do.

She reached down and used both her arms, and all her strength at once.

"I…I HAVE YOU!! HANG ON!!" She cried as she pulled him up, slow but sure.

In a flash though, one of the flames formed as one of Kikyo's hands grabbed Inu-Yasha's right leg, pulling him back down.

He screamed out in pain, but he wouldn't let her take him.

Kagome tried to back up, but Kikyo's strength was too much for her to handle!!

Her hands were slipping from Inu-Yasha's arms, and soon they were in his hands.

"NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WON'T LET YOU TAKE HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She screamed with anger and sorrow mixed together.

Her right hand slipped out of his left, and her left hand was soon to slip form his right!!

It wouldn't long before she would lose him forever, and when she thought of this, she panicked.

"PLEASE!! PLEASE DON'T TAKE HIM AWAY!! PLEASE!!!! I BEG OF YOU!!!" She cried as her tears covered her whole face now.

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around her waste and began to held her pull.

She spun her head around to see Shippo behind her.

"HANG ON, KAGOME!! WE'LL PULL HIM UP TOGETHER!!!!" The teenaged fox demon in human form assured her.

A bit of hope burned inside Kagome in that instant.

Then, out of no where, Sango leaped into the air, ready to swing her boomerang at the flames which were now in the complete shape of Kikyo.

"HIRAIKOTSU!!!!!!!!!!" She shouted as she let the large weapon fly.

"KAZAANA!!!!!!" Miroku yelled from behind Kagome.

Kagome was stunned.

All her friends had come to help when she thought she had no hope left.

She looked to Shippo's kind face.

"Thank you….Shippo." She said with a rather hard to find smile.

He nodded back to her and looked back to Inu-Yasha.

"WE CAN PULL HIM UP!!! I KNOW IT, BUT KIKYO HAS ALREADY BOUND A SPELL OVER HIS BODY!! AS SOON AS MIROKU AND SANGO WEAKEN KIKYO A BIT, WE USE ALL OUR STRENGTH TO PULL INU-YASHA UP, UNDERSTAND?!" He explained.

Kagome nodded quickly.

They both watched as Miroku sealed up his wind tunnel, reached for his staff, and began to chant a spell, while Sango through her boomerang here and there around Kikyo to confuse her, then shoot it into the flames and catch it as it came back out again.

Such technique and skill could only be natural for the two.

Soon, Kikyo looked, and could feel more weaker to Kagome, and she looked to Shippo fast.

"NOW!!! WE MUST PULL HIM UP NOW!!!" She cried.

Shippo agreed with a quick nod, and the two began to pull him up with all their might.

Inu-Yasha shut his eyes tightly, trying to block out everything but the feel of Kagome's and in his.

In seconds which seemed like hours, he let himself be pulled up by the two friends above.

Then, with one more pull, he suddenly landed at the top.

He opened his eyes slowly to find Kagome's watery eyes staring only inches away into his.

It didn't take very long then to have relief poor through him, and he knew he was safe.

They both quickly held each other tightly and cried.

Kagome breathed in deeply, taking in Inu-Yasha's scent as she buried her face into his kimono. So wonderful.

She looked over his shoulder she leaned upon and watched as Sango and Miroku weakened Kikyo enough that she backed away.

There was no way they could both defeat such an awesome power though.

Kagome knew what had to be done.

She pushed away from Inu-Yasha's chest gently, and stood up, a bit wobbly, but balanced at the same time.

"What are you doing?" Inu-Yasha questioned in a very hoarse voice.

Kagome didn't look down to him, but touched his shoulder softly as she walked past him.

He spun around to see what she was doing.

She walked closer and closer to the flames which were Kikyo.

"NO!!! KAGOME!!! GET AWAY!!! YOU MUST!!!" Sango shouted as she landed on the ground before getting hit by one of Kikyo's flamed arms.

Kagome ignored the warning and continued closer.

She stopped only 2 feet away from the flames and stared up at Kikyo's face.

Somehow, Kikyo knew to turn and there their eyes met.

All fell into silence.

Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Inu-Yasha stared in confusion.

"Kikyo?" Kagome suddenly questioned aloud.

Kikyo's eyes widened at the sound of Kagome's gentle tone.

She looked away, but was soon tempted to turn around again.

"Kikyo? I know the real you is still in there." Kagome stated.

Kikyo shut her eyes, trying to ignore Kagome's words, but they echoed through her mind and she knew there was no choice to look back at Kagome's stern face, now becoming as such.

Kagome swiftly lifted her hand, and remembered the day long ago almost a hundred years before, that she made the wish when she was still a spirit, for a young girl to be born onto the Earth, who would love and care for all. That wish she made had created Kikyo, and the others that stared at her and the tall flames knew about that, so did Kikyo, but there was a new twist that non of them knew about but Kagome and Kikyo at that moment.

Kagome whispered something on the air, and no one else caught it but the flames.

Suddenly, a ray of light surrounded the flames, making them disappear instantly.

Almost as soon as the light had taken Kikyo in, the light shrunk, along with Kikyo form.

Then, the light vanished, and what stood before Kagome and the others was not the normal form of the woman priestess Kikyo, but in her place, a small girl who looked to be about the age of 10, so small that the priestess clothes that the woman Kikyo wore, were now dangling off her body, because of the large size of an adult did not fit her any longer.

The same brown eyes looked up at Kagome though, and the same black hair hung long over the girl's shoulders.

She brought her arms with the overly long sleeves up to her eyes and looked at herself.

"….No….." She whined under her breath.

Inu-Yasha, Miroku, Shippo, and Sango stared in disbelief.

"W…Who is she, Kagome?" Inu-Yasha stuttered.

Kagome smiled slightly, then walked up and knelt down to the girl's eye level.

"This….is the real Kikyo." She said simply.

Kikyo glared at her. "No!! Get away from me, you bitch!!! I don't want you near me!! No!!" She complained as she backed away.

Kagome shook her head in Kikyo's stubborn attitude.

"Kagome? I don't get it. Why is the real Kikyo…a child?" Inu-Yasha questioned.

Kagome looked to Kikyo again.

"Well….I remembered all of a sudden, the twist in my wish that I made long ago, when Kikyo was created by my thoughts. Not only would the girl I dreamt up be pure and love and care for everything and everyone around her, but she would also have the gift of eternal childhood….meaning….she would not grow up past the age of 10. When Kikyo was born, she was angered and filled with hatred for Inu-Yasha and I for some reason I will never understand, and so she devised the plan to try and destroy the bond between Inu-Yasha and I. She trapped me within her soul first of all, and because I did not have the gift of eternal childhood, she would grow up into a woman, as I was when she trapped me, then we all know what she did to Inu-Yasha and what she has been doing these past 58 years. Although, after my soul was set free again when she died after pinning Inu-Yasha to the Goshinboku, she left this world as an adult, and so when she was brought back to live by the witch orasuai, she remained as she was when she died, and that was the woman priestess. My wish was destroyed, but the child within her was still there, it just took my spell to release her from the form she had obtained all these years, and reveal the true being inside her own self." Kagome explained with a wise tone.

Kikyo looked away. "SHUT UP!! I HATE YOU!! I HATE YOU!!!" She screamed.

Kagome sighed and looked to Kikyo.

"What to do with you now, I wonder?" She pondered aloud in a saddened voice.

Kikyo looked to the ground.

"May I just rest in peace where no one can bother me?" Kikyo somewhat tried to reason.

Kagome shook her head. "What you've done can not be simply passed like that. You hurt Inu-Yasha. You hurt me. You hurt many others as well. When I made my wish, I truly meant it from the bottom of my heart. I thought the world could us a child so pure, but I suppose it is an impossible thing. I will put you to rest, but one day, you must come back and tell me what you believe should have been done if you had lived. A punishment of yourself is harsh enough."

Kikyo nodded.

Kagome closed her eyes and let the child slowly fade away into the wind.

Kikyo looked to Kagome suddenly. "Oh, Kagome! I'm sorry. I will think about what I've done, kay?"

Kagome stared for a moment, then smiled warmly as she nodded.

Soon, Kikyo was gone, and everything fell into quietness again.

"I guess in the end….she still, in a way, had a child as pure as a child could ever be, within her soul. It's too bad my wish never succeeded…..but at least…..everything's fine….now." Kagome explained slowly, then lost her footing, and fell to the ground in her weakness, fainting in a graceful way.

All she could remember was being caught in strong arms, and that was it.

~Oi friends!! Okay! Next is truly and most certainly my LAST chaptie!! Sorry it's so long, but hey! I couldn't just bulge it all up together in one whole chapter!! That would be odd!! HeHe!~

~chibikagome1@yahoo.com~