A/N: Sorry for the delay beloved readers. I was hit by a cavalcade of writer's block and it's taking me so long to recover. Fear not, there will be only one last chapter after this one. And it's epilogue too! I must say, though, I am sad about the lack of response to my inquiry regarding a sequel. I don't think I will do one.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, but oh, how I wish I did! Maybe for my birthday…

A Fighter's Story

Chapter 17

The entire arena was silent. The air was so thick, you could cut it with one good slice of a dull blade. All eyes were on the two figures in the pit, facing one another. Their bodies were taunt and ready for action, but neither seemed willing to make the first move.

Inuyasha watched from the edge of his seat, hands gripping the wood so hard his knuckles whitened to the same pale shade as his face. He saw Kagome stand in the arena, facing a potentially crushing death; her body so still one would think she was a carved statue rather than a flesh and blood woman. He could honestly say that he had never been more afraid in his life then he was in those first few moments.

Surprisingly, it was Naraku who made the first move. Suddenly, he propelled himself forward with enough force to lay out anyone, no matter how strong they were. For a moment, the entire crowd gasped, ready to watch the foolish woman in the ring be tossed out and to the floor like a rag doll. That moment never came. After the first initial seconds, everyone noticed that all Naraku had struck was air and that Kagome was safely behind him, looking well.

She smiled a little cunningly before performing a roundhouse kick to his lower back. Naraku lurched forward slightly, but remained on his feet, turning swiftly. Kagome was ready for the counterattack, and dodged it easily to land a powerful uppercut to his jaw. Once more, she forced Naraku back.

Kagome had the advantage, the element of surprise and unpredictability. He had never seen her fight, therefore, he did not know her style. He couldn't know her strengths or weaknesses. He didn't know that she had been a champion at home for good reason. Naraku had never heard of Kagome Higurashi or of her unique style or of her startling power. All he knew was that she was a woman, and as a result, he underestimated her. It was the same advantage that Kagome used against all of her male opponents because none of them ever believed she was as strong as they were.

Naraku learned quickly. He was large and that was often linked with being dense, but in fact, he was a cunning strategist. The killing was just for fun, to see them twitch in a few final moments before administering the hand of God upon the weak. It was his job in life, to rule over the world of fighting with an iron fist. There was no way that he'd lose his chance to a little girl. Why she was actually there and not the brash American was a mystery, one he would ponder once the woman had seized to move and the beating of her heart had silenced.

Women were the sweetest to kill. He loved how their soft flesh writhed in the last few moments, how they would cry. He loved it when they begged for mercy. It was intoxicating. Killing fighters in the ring was adrenaline, it was a show of strength and control and power. Women were for amusement, for gratification. Once he could no longer use them, he would play with them until they were dead. All except for Kikyo, who would stay by his side in his circle of fame until the end.

This woman had spark, a fighter's edge absent from many females. It would be a sincere pleasure to end her life. His mind delighted in thoughts of all the ways he could end it, of all the various places on her body that he could strike and all the delicious ways in which he could cause sweet finality. Kagome Higurashi would go down fighting, and that was the sweetest of it all.

Kagome stood her ground when he made moves to intimidate her. A lesser fighter might be thrown into premature movements, small jumps up or back as if avoiding a feigned blow. These were dangerous moves because it could leave a fighter open, off-balance, and easy for an attack. Kagome's key was to keep her balance, keep focused. If she let herself be taken off-guard even once, it could mean the difference between victory and defeat, life and death.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Inuyasha hated being left in the crowd. The spectators were all happily cheering for their favorite--Naraku--and even making side bets as to the outcome. It made him sick when they started talking about the ways they thought Naraku was going to kill her. It seemed a huge joke to a few of them, the death of a female fighter. Inuyasha only felt his temper rise. He bit hard into his bottom lip to keep from a few choice words of profanity directed at a few of the has-been coaches.

All threats and curses were swallowed into his throat when Kikyo too the open seat beside him.

"She's quick," the woman commented. "That's a good edge over him."

"Yeah…" was all Inuyasha managed to say. He was in too large a state of shock to get rational words from his mouth. It was too much of a scary situation. Kagome was fighting Naraku in the pit while he was talking strategy with Kikyo.

"Naraku is powerful, quick for one his size, but still lacking the speed it needs to trap a seasoned master." Kikyo sighed a little, before turning to face him. "Her odds aren't very favorable."

"No," he agreed grimly. "But she's strong."

"Why are you letting her do this?" The question seemed ripped from the very core of her being and suddenly a desperate ferocity came unbidden to her. Kikyo leaned in on him, a feverish fear in her eyes. "How could you risk her in this?"

Inuyasha laughed, it was a hollow and brutal sound. "If you knew anything about Kagome, then you'd no that no one lets her do anything. She's stubborn as hell, and will never listen to a word I say."

"You should have pulled out!"

"I tried," he said angrily. "What do you care anyway?" The question was like a slap in the face, but she didn't flinch. She only met his gaze evenly and sadly.

"I told you I'm with him because he took someone from me," she said slowly. Inuyasha gave her a curt nod, indicating he understood. "Her name was Sayo."

Inuyasha blinked, frozen by that sentence. It had been a girl? Kikyo, seeing the look on his face, laughed in an almost bitter way. Inuyasha sniffed. "I'm glad I amuse you."

"It's not that," she said after she quieted herself. "It's just that I forget sometimes, how long it's been." Inuyasha had the dignity to look ashamed. "Sayo was a young fighter I had been assigned just after I took my new job. She had such promise in her." Kikyo sighed, looking past Inuyasha and into a far memory. "She was beautiful and sweet, so eager to please but also very determined. She was like a little sister to me."

"What happened to her?" Inuyasha asked, not being able to stop himself.

"We were making a tour around Japan about a year ago," Kikyo explained. "Sayo was hoping to make her fortune here, in a female circle, since it's so under-appreciated and undervalued in Japan." He nodded, knowing full well the statistics of the female to male fighters in the country. "One of Sayo's greatest faults, however, was her temper. When anyone doubted her ability or commented on her skill in an undignified way, she would do anything to prove them wrong. All of our problems started with a press release of her new tour."

"Naraku challenged her, didn't he?" Inuyasha asked, feeling muscles in his gut tighten.

"His publicist did the challenging. Sayo had no choice but to accept, even if it was against a more seasoned male fighter." She paused long enough to master the lump suddenly rising in her throat. "It only took Naraku three minutes to kill her. First he broke her ankle so she couldn't escape, then he crushed her windpipe." A few tears worked their way from Kikyo's eyes. It was almost a pathetic sight, that the woman lost a loved one to the very man who shared her bed. Inuyasha was moved to pity.

"I'm sorry," was all he could find to say.

"So was I," she said lightly, after recomposing herself. "That was why I kept telling him to enter this tournament. I knew there had to be someone here good enough to beat him. When I saw you here on the first day, I knew that it was going to be you."

"No," he said with a shake of his head. "It's going to be Kagome."

That was when they were distracted by a monstrous shout from the crowd followed by a swell of 'boos'.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kagome dodged, falling to the ground and skidding to a stop. It was the only way to keep herself from being thrown from the ring. She panted hard, knees curled underneath her body, ready to spring. Her fingers dug into the ground of the ring, muscles tense and geared up. She was waiting for him next move.

It had been a close one there. He had her backed to the edge and was going to take her out. Kagome, out of shear luck, was able to suck in her abdomen enough to narrowly miss a solid kick, and then leapt to the side before he could bring his other leg around for a roundhouse.

A sheer film of sweat broke out over her body as her frame trembled slightly. It was caused by excitement, fear, and even a little elation. She smiled grimly as Naraku came after her again. Kagome was on her feet and launched herself to the side before he got there.

"You can't dodge me forever," Naraku called after her. "Come on sweetheart," he taunted. "Just call it off now and I won't hurt you. I promise."

Kagome smiled slowly and it grew eventually into an all-out laugh. "You not hurt me?" she replied, dramatically touching a hand to her chest and fluttering her eyelashes like a common female. "If I could be so lucky!"

"Fucking whore," he flung at her. Kagome's demeanor changed as quickly as his. She went from joking and sarcastic, to grave and livid.

"What's the matter Naraku?" she asked, her lips curling into a sneer. "Scared that a woman might just be as good as you are?"

"Never."

"Prepare to be amazed!" Kagome suddenly charged at him. Naraku planted his feet wide apart and held his hands at the ready, prepared to grab her the second she got close enough to stop. Kagome was gripped by a sudden reckless abandon and she laughed out loud for the sheer exhilaration she felt as she dropped from a run and slid across the small space between her and Naraku on her knees.

Naraku had not been prepared for the sudden action and it threw him off balance. It was even more astounding when she hopped to her feet in mid-slid, coming up right in front of him and inside of his blow range. Kagome was right in his face, and all he could do was blink. She smiled before hooking one of her legs around his and pulling with all of her weight.

He felt himself falling, but Naraku would not go down alone. He grabbed Kagome's arm and pulled her with him, causing them both to hit the arena floor hard. Kagome quickly flipped to her back and then to her feet. Naraku took a longer time to get up. He was obviously not accustomed to hitting the floor. Kagome took advantage of that, landing a hard kick to the left side of his ribcage.

"You fucking bastard!" she yelled as he growled in pain. She repeated the action a few more times. "How does that feel murderer? You like that?"

Kagome had committed an old mistake in the world of fighting. She let her emotions take hold of her too strongly and they were fueling her actions, putting too much of her energy in a simple movement. It was burning her up quicker then she could afford.

Naraku was slow to pull himself back up. On the sixth kick, he had learned the interval enough to snake out a hand and grab her ankle. She was pulled off her balance and fell to the floor, hard. All the wind was knocked from her when she fell directly on her back. Naraku got back to his feet, still holding her ankle.

Once he had regained his balance, Naraku grasped Kagome's ankle with both hands and lifted until most of her body was off of the ground. "This is a man's sport," he commented, looking down at her. Then, with all his strength, he hurled Kagome across the arena by her ankle.

There was nothing to hold on to, nothing to grasp to keep herself from falling outside of the arena. The air rushed in her ears, blood pumping in her veins, her hands desperately clawing at the ground she saw just a few inches away. In the end, there was nothing she could do to stop herself from hitting the ground with such force it dislocated her shoulder and then rolling until she fell outside of the ring.

Kagome cried out when she hit the ground, but it was swallowed up by the cheers of the crowd. Naraku had won by default now that she was outside of the ring. She lay there in a heap, trying to force the pain from her mind. Furious tears came to her eyes, taunting and reminding her that she failed. Suddenly, a tremendous outcry from the spectators roused her from a haze of pain and anger.

She tried to lift herself, but the weight on her shoulder shifted and she whimpered involuntarily. That was when she saw him, moving from the ring. Naraku had left the ring. He was coming for her, rules or not. Kagome's heart was suddenly in her throat when she realized the truth. He was going to kill her, no matter what.

That was like a warning bell going off in her brain, telling her to get to her feet and run. Self preservation is something not idly ignored. Kagome was a fighter, not suicidal. She knew when a fight was over, when she lost and when she won. This was unlike any fight she had ever been in before. This was no longer for money or a title or family pride, this was a fight for her life. And this was something she would not lose.

Struggling, pushing past pain, Kagome got back to her feet. She clutched at her right left arm as it throbbed and protested against her actions. She backed up, trying to get away, but he was on her before she could.

"Where are you going?" he asked in a low voice, smiling at her pain. "The fun has only just begun."

"You won," she said though it burned her tongue to say. "You won, get off!"

"No," Naraku said, brushing a strand of hair that had fallen loose from her face. "The fun has only just begun." Kagome tried to free herself from his grip, but he only jarred her arm and watched with sick pleasure as her face contorted with pain. "You're a pretty one, aren't you?" he said, looking at her as if he wasn't a minute from killing her. "Like Kikyo almost."

"Fuck you," she snapped. Then she spat in his face. Naraku roared, pushing her back. Kagome fell to the ground hard, but she scrambled to her feet and started running. Naraku charged after her, ignoring the calls from the others in the stadium. The tournament staff followed, trying to prevent a disaster. But they weren't quick enough.

Naraku caught Kagome before she had gotten to far, grabbing a fistful of her hair and pulling until she had to stop. She bit hard into her bottom lip to keep from crying out, drawing blood that ran down her chin. She didn't care anymore about good sportsmanship or rules. She scratched at Naraku's face, tried to bit his hand, kicked and struck out randomly. Anything to get free. He laughed at most of her attempts.

When she did finally connect, scratching into his face so hard it drew blood, he grabbed her with both hands and slammed her against the wall of the arena itself. The tournament staff were almost upon them, but Naraku wasn't finished with his fun. He looked around for an exit, but there was only doors were blocked.

"We'll have to take a window, my dear," he told her, grinning like a madman. Kagome looked at him in horror as he picked her up and through her through the window next to them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

All Inuyasha could see was Naraku and Kagome, in the far back of the arena. The staff was chasing after them , shouting about unlawful conduct. Inuyasha didn't give a fuck about the rules, all that matted was that Kagome's life was in danger, and he couldn't do shit to help her. Heart in his throat, he grabbed his crutches and moved as fast as he could from the seats. Kikyo followed him with a horrified look.

It took him a minute to get down and past the rest of the onlookers, but when he did, he froze. The entire arena was suddenly filled by the sound of crashing glass and Kagome's scream. It was the kind of scream that was ripped from a person, the kind of scream that left those who heard it in physical pain. Inuyasha saw then what had happened. Naraku had thrown her through the window of the arena--a few of the jagged pieces of class bore trails of her blood--and then he followed her.

"No." It was a whispered word, one of unbelievable acceptance. He couldn't comprehend the thought that Kagome--his Kagome--was about to be murdered and he couldn't save her.

"Come on!" Kikyo said suddenly. Yusan was there as well, come from his grandfather's side and to the arena floor. He was grabbing Inuyasha by the arm, tossing it over his shoulders and hoisting him up to move faster.

"We have to get outside," he said to the two of them. Kikyo nodded, taking Inuyasha's other side. The three made their way outside as fast as they could. It was just fast enough to see a dark figure go streaking by the front of the arena.

Kagome.

Her clothes were torn in jagged lines. Blood oozed from her in several places, including a deep slice on her thigh and a few shallower slices on her arms and face. She was still clutching her arm. She looked behind her fearfully, watching as Naraku gave chase. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, fear and adrenaline were the only things that kept her moving.

The sky had grown dark since they had gone inside, and rain was just now beginning to fall in a downpour upon the grounds. Kagome had to get inside, she had to hide, she had to do something! Her mind wouldn't let her rest. Her body wouldn't let her stop. She had to keep moving.

For a moment, she made for the temple, but she slipped and would have fallen if she hadn't caught herself with her bad arm. Pain exploded in her body, her entire form was shocked and shaking violently, but she still kept moving. Naraku was right on her tail.

"Where are you going Kagome?" Naraku called out as he followed her. "We're not finished yet!"

She panted, kept running, trying to find a place to hide. The temple was so close. If she could just get inside!

"Come back here!"

So close, she was almost there!

"Gotcha!" Naraku laughed, grabbing her around the waist three steps from the temple walls. She screaming, kicking and striking, but he only laughed and began hauling her away from the sanctuary she had sought. Tears ran from her eyes, disguised by the rain. Her energy was nearly spent, Kagome was almost devoid of the strength she needed to fight back. She was really going to die.

He was pulling her toward a small building near the temple. It was a simple wooden shack, a place used for storage. He new it was vacant, a perfect place to finish up with this fight. Kagome had gone limp in his arms and he knew she would no longer be able to fight back. She wouldn't fight him as he put his hands around her smooth, innocent neck and felt it crack.

When they reached the building, the tournament staff had just reached the temple and began their valiant search. They hadn't seen them enter. No one had. The rain would cover their tracks. It would give him enough time to finish. The sound would cover whatever little screams were still in her. It was perfect, couldn't have been better if he had planned it.

Of course, there was one thing he hadn't counted on in this split-second scheme. He was, once again, underestimating the power of his captive. He tossed Kagome to the floor, watching as she lay still. He smiled, and even chuckled as he moved in for the kill.

Kagome waited, breathless, for him to get within range. The second he stepped close enough, she struck out with her leg, kicking him in the knee. Naraku cried out at the sudden assault and fell to his knees. Kagome kicked him again, this time in the stomach. When he doubled over, she kicked a third time in his face. Blood spurted from his nose, curses sprang from his lips.

Kagome quickly scrambled to her feet. She might be on her last legs, but the fight was far from over. She stood over him, holding her arm. He expected her to kick him, strike out, then he could grab her again. Only Kagome surprised him. She rammed her side into the wall. A scream was ripped from her again as her shoulder slid once more into it's socket. She breathed hard, regaining the strength of her limbs.

Naraku was once more on his feet now. Kagome faced him, the blue fires of hell in her eyes. He was surprised when he felt tinglings of fear in the very pit of his stomach as he closed in. Kagome shook her head and closed her eyes., letting out a scream from the very center of her being as she ran forward with her head down. She rammed her good shoulder right into his gut . The force of the impact sent both fighters right through the flimsy wooden wall of the storage building and on to the rain soaked ground.

The tournament staff stopped their search when they saw them. The spectators, including Inuyasha, Yusan, and Kikyo, had also joined in the search. Now they all made their way toward the small building, now in a vein attempt to stop the death of one--or both--fighters.

Naraku lay on Kagome, pinning her to the ground with the sheer size of his body. "That wasn't very smart," he said roughly. Blood dripped from his face and the wounds on his body from where wood had pierced flesh.

"Yes it was," Kagome said, pushing up with all that was left in her. It moved him only just enough so that he was now kneeling over her with his hands on either side of her head and she could pull her legs up beneath his bulk.

"What are you doing?" he asked in disgust, feeling her move under him.

"This," Kagome said, her eyes wide. Suddenly she struck out, kicking with all the strength of her legs. It flung Naraku off of Kagome and into the wall of the building. His eyes went wide and he opened his mouth to yell, to curse and scream, but only blood came from his lips. He looked down and saw that a serrated spike of wood from the wall of the building had impaled him through the chest.

Kagome watched with revulsion in her eyes as Naraku broke away from the wall, the wood still piercing his body. He took a few lumbering steps forward, hands blinding reaching out, eyes glazed and unseeing. He took a few final mouthfuls of air before he collapsed forward across Kagome. She yelled as the body fell on her, feeling the spike of wood push through the soft skin of her upper arm.

"Help!" she screamed, fully drained of all energy. There was no strength left in her to remove the corpse from her. All she could do was wait for the staff--who came in a few moments and took the body of Naraku from the ground. They dragged him off like one would drag the dead body of an animal.

Kagome closed her eyes, feeling the rain pour down and wash the blood from her skin. She was in a place beyond tears, but they still poured from her without notice. She could barely feel her limbs, moving was impossible. She wondered if this was what a person felt like before they died. All she had the strength to do was breathe. Then Inuyasha was there.

"Kagome? Kagome?!" His voice sounded distant, so far away she had to struggle to hear him even though his face was just coming into focus above her.

She smiled up at him. "Hi." A few of the staff members came over and began looking her over, checking for serious injury. They were worried, she could tell by the look on their faces. It was because of the blood, and the wood splinter that had sliced her across the stomach. Kagome just kept Inuyasha's face in focus. He was worried and scared, looking over the shoulders of the staff members tending to her. She felt sleepy, but stayed awake.

"You're going to be ok," she heard him say. Kagome closed her eyes and sighed.

"I know," she whispered before blackness took her.

A/N: There we go folks! There is one more chapter, so keep the faith! In my hurry to put this out--because I have threats of death on me--I won't do a reviewer response this chapter. There will be one in the epilogue, for all my reviewers! Thanks for reading!