A/N: This chapter is a bit longer than usual, but I think it came out fairly well. All things considering, that is. Hope you enjoy it! By the way, I have decided what to do with the wish on the jewel (and it will be addressed in the epilogue). Thanks to everyone who contributed their suggestions.

Golden Fire
Chapter 20: The Final Battle

The puppets stood unmoving and silent while the army growled, scratched and snarled. A few flying youkai were in the skies above us, circling like vultures. My friends and comrades spread out into their former positions. I stepped back and out of the way. I had no arrows and my miko energy had been depleted by the first battle. I would be of no use to anyone. I couldn't even tell Inuyasha and the others which was the real Naraku. Although I felt the presence of the jewel shards, I didn't see which figure held them. It was a strange sensation, to know something was there but unable to pinpoint its location.

I could immediately see that my friends were having a harder time dealing with this group of demons. Tetsusaiga, Tokijin and Dokkasou were working furiously to cut down the dangerous puppets, but it seemed as if each one had its own endless supply wooden figures that grew into more mimics of Naraku.

Tentacles reached and probed out across the field and I could no longer see most of my comrades. The sea of copies had swallowed them up. I just hoped they hadn't literally been swallowed.

Glancing around, I saw that the puppet front line had turned their backs to me. Enemies surrounded my friends and Inuyasha couldn't use Tetsusaiga's ultimate attack for fear of hurting the others.

I ran over to Kohaku's prone body, which Shippou still guarded.

"Kagome! I can't see any of them! What's happening?" He clung to my leg.

"I don't know, Shippou. Can you smell or hear anything that might tell us they're alive?" My shaking hands couldn't move to remove him from his hold, and they didn't want to. Contact with the kitsune made me realize the need I had for comfort. I felt empty as he let go by his own choice and closed his eyes.

"I hear Inuyasha and Kouga cursing. I can hear the crackling of Tokijin and smell poison. That could be Dokkasou!" He opened his eyes and looked up at me with hope in his eyes.

"Perhaps," I answered sullenly, feeling that it was more likely to be Sesshoumaru's claws or another demon's attack. "What about Sango and Miroku?"

"Nothing. There's so much blood, I can't tell if it's theirs or not."

I shifted my eyes back to the battle and gasped when a wolf youkai stumbled out of the fray. He was covered in blood from head to toe and the puppets ignored him, letting him pass the line. He collapsed and didn't move.

I turned away and choked back a sob. The wolf was dead.

"Kagome! Watch out!" called Shippou. He threw foxfire at a spot behind me.

I spun back around. Immediately I found out how foolish I had been to turn my back on a battle. Two puppets were approaching quickly.

I glanced down at the unconscious Kohaku. I wouldn't let these puppets get him and the shard in his back. Naraku probably wanted it for an extra charge of energy. I pulled the Orb out of my pouch. "Hey! You!" I waved the Orb at them. "This could take out Naraku. Kill your precious master. Why don't you come and get it?"

"Kagome! No!" Shippou's voice hit my ears as I began to run to the opposite side of the clearing and away from Kohaku.

I circled wide around the puppets, who didn't give Kohaku a second glance before pursuing me. "Oh no," I said aloud. "I think they were after me the entire time. Just great, Kagome. Great. Inuyasha's gonna kill me for this. If I live."

After reaching the tree line, I twisted around to face the mimics. Tugging out the derringer, I pointed it at them. "Don't come any closer!"

They stopped twenty feet away. I didn't know if they realized what I was holding, but I was betting they did. After all, Ryu had been Naraku's companion for months. I hoped he had seen the destructive force of firearms.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I pulled the trigger. Thankfully, the kickback wasn't as bad as Yuki's larger guns. When I opened my eyes, I found that I had actually hit the puppet, but the bullet had only succeeded in ripping a hole through the baboon pelt. The wooden center hadn't been destroyed, and so the puppet still stood, basically unharmed.

"Kagome? Kagome!" Dokkasou slashed through the two puppets' centers, splitting the original wooden dolls apart. Yuki's face smiled at me after the ruined animal pelts fell the ground. "Had to figure out how to kill them for myself. Nice of you guys to warn me."

"Sorry 'bout that." I gave her a sheepish smile.

We were close the edge of the battle and we looked to see that the wall of puppets had been broken. Youkai now could be seen through the gaps.

"There's more puppets in the back," observed Yuki. She was fidgeting with the hilt of Dokkasou and I knew she was eager to get back into the fray.

I nodded and rolled the Orb between my hands before depositing it back into my pouch. "Go help our friends," I whispered.

"Stay safe, Kagome-chan," she said, using the affectionate term for the first time with me. Yuki bowed slightly and ran back to the fight. She slaughtered three demons with her first strike.

Smiling, I began to go back to Shippou and Kohaku. I would protect that boy if it was the only useful thing I did during this fight.

As I walked by a gap in the wall of puppets, something warm and wet hit my face. Wondering if some youkai had spit on me, I touched my cheek. Bringing my hand in front of my face, I was disgusted to see blood.

Turning to my right, I saw what had caused the splatter that had covered me. "Yuki!" I breathed.

She was standing with her back to me with her head turned over her left shoulder. Her eyes were large and filled with a deep sadness.

"Yuki..." I repeated as my eyes traveled down to the icicle tearing through her chest. It pulled out of her to leave a large hole through her body. My mind flashed to images of Inuyasha with Sesshoumaru's claws through his chest. She would survive, just like Inuyasha did. Right?

She stumbled and fell to her knees, revealing another snow demon, obviously a full-blooded one. He snarled and swiped his claws across her throat. Her head rolled back and she fell onto her side. Seemingly black blood spilled out onto the grass, staining it immediately. Her eyes were open and fearful, but completely vacant.

My friend was dead.

I found my voice. "Yuki!" I screamed. It sounded shrill and far away to my ears.

Sesshoumaru appeared in a white blur. Keeping his red-edged eyes on his mate, he sliced the snow youkai apart with his hand and the demon fell into pieces. Kneeling down, the Western Lord brushed his fingers across Yuki's forehead, tracing her crescent moon marking.

A breeze began to race across the clearing and I watched in fear as Sesshoumaru's eyes began to glow red. His skin paled and his stripes thickened while his face lengthened. I had seen Sesshoumaru transform into his true form once before and I knew that nothing would stop him now. I scrambled back, towards Shippou and Kohaku, trying to stifle my sobs.

"What's happening, Kagome?" He watched Sesshoumaru become an orb of light, which I knew was the last stage of his transformation.

I couldn't answer. I could only watch as a now fully changed dog demon towered forty feet over the battle. He crushed several puppets as he maneuvered himself into a defensive stance over Yuki's body. It looked tiny and insignificant between his huge paws. No, not 'it', I told myself. 'She'.

"Shippou," I said. "Stay here." I felt a burning in my heart that had to be quenched. I ran directly into battle, ignoring my adopted son's cries.

Going through a gap in the wall of puppets, I dodged several youkai who were looking for a new target. After a few minutes, I found a battered sword in the hand of a dead demon. From the sizeable green hole in his stomach, he had probably been a victim of Sesshoumaru. I grabbed the sword and concentrated my miko power to purify its blade. It was much easier than I thought it would be.

As it began to glow with a pink light, the youkai around me fell back. "Oh no," I growled, sounding much like Inuyasha. "You don't get away that easy."

I swung the katana several times, purifying the demons surrounding me. I might not have the swordsmanship skills of Inuyasha, but the slightest touch from my purified weapon destroyed my enemies. Trying to focus, I reached out in my mind to find the jewel shards and was annoyed when I realized I still couldn't pinpoint their location.

The burning in my chest increased. "Naraku!" I screamed out. "Come and fight me!"

Puppets encircled me almost immediately. "You wish to take me on, little miko?" The voice came from all around me, followed by a cold, low chuckle. "You cannot possibly win."

"Which one of you is the real Naraku? I want to speak to him and only him."

There was a pause. "You must first give up the Orb. And those shards around your neck as well."

My free hand flew to the pouch at my hip. I could only imagine what kinds of power he might gain from the Orb. What fearsome things would he do if he became the master of the Orb?

My chest suddenly felt as if it had erupted into a raging fire and I remembered the seer's words. I was the true master of this crystal sphere. I was chosen by destiny. It would not work for Naraku. And I knew in that moment that it would also destroy him.

I raised my head defiantly and pushed down my feelings of fear. "A compromise. I'll give you the Orb and the real one of you reveals himself. Then we'll talk about the shards." I wondered what legend of the Orb he had heard. If, like us, he knew it would 'vanquish a great evil', I suspected he would want it immediately destroyed. But maybe he didn't know even that much about it.

One pelt covered figure stepped forward. "Very well. I agree to your compromise."

Kneeling down, I rolled the Orb to him. It rested inches from the edge of the baboon pelt. Okay, Kagome. Just convince him that you really want to fight now. "So, you have the damn thing. Now do as you promised and fight me. When you kill me, you can take the shards."

Naraku bent over and grasped the sphere. Straightening, he began to laugh. "Well, well. This is the thing that was to destroy me? That seer really didn't do a very good job then, did she?"

My heart wrenched. This didn't look good. I had just signed my own death warrant.

As I was about to silently curse the seer for not telling me what to do, Naraku gave a soft cry. My head jerked up and I saw the Orb glowing in Naraku's vile hand. Light streamed out of the crystal with amazing vitality. My heart felt as if it was being consumed by a fire. The light hit the baboon pelt and melted it instantly. It had been just another puppet. I should have known.

The Orb fell to the ground, but continued to issue forth light. The puppets tried to move away, but as soon as the light hit them, they were liquefied. The sphere gave one final pulse of blinding light and then shattered. A calm, refreshing water seemed to enter my heart and wash away the blaze.

I opened my eyes and let them readjust to the normal daylight. Youkai still littered the battlefield, but they and my friends paused when they surveyed the clearing. Not a single puppet was left and suddenly, I could feel the presence and location of the jewel shards directly behind me.

Turning, I saw the last robed figure of the circle still standing. The jewel shards were around his neck. This truly, then, was the real Naraku.

"Foolish girl. I have more power than ever before. I have been restored the life energy previously invested into Kagura and Kanna. I have the majority of the jewel. And as for my puppets, I just need to create more!" He threw down more wooden figurines.

But they just laid there, soaking up blood from the grass. I grinned. "The Orb has revealed you, Naraku. You can't hide from us anymore."

Easily, he moved and backhanded me with such force that I went flying. My stomach crashed into the trunk of a large tree and I heard the sickening crack of my bones breaking. I fell to the ground facing the battlefield and struggled to remain conscious.

"Kagome!" yelled Inuyasha.

I tried to get up, but the sheer pain forced me down again. It felt as if my organs were splitting apart, and I knew I must have serious internal bleeding, as well as a few broken ribs.

"Kagome!" gasped the man I loved when he reached me. As he ran his hands over my back and sides, he gave me such a concerned stare, that I almost believed he returned my feelings. "You're hurt really badly." His voice was strained.

I smiled dreamily at him. When he spoke, I didn't have any more pain. "Actually, I think I'm dying, Inuyasha."

"No... I promised you." He squeezed his eyes shut and let his hands rest on my arms.

Naraku's soft, evil laugh wafted across the field. "My, my, Inuyasha. You really can't protect any of your women, can you?"

"Don't listen to him, Inuyasha," I begged, as he began to growl. "You've done nothing but protect me for years." I gripped his hand tightly.

Another breeze swept across my face as Inuyasha bowed his head. When he lifted it, his eyes were blood red and purple streaks ran down his cheekbones. His claws had grown longer and now pierced my skin.

"No..." I whispered. "Inuyasha, don't turn into a demon. Please." I closed my eyes to crush away my tears and felt his hand slip out of mine.

When I opened my eyes, he was facing Naraku and flexing his fully transformed demon claws.

I heard footsteps. "Kagome-chan." Sango sat next to me, and I saw that she cradled a broken arm and several lacerations on her body. I knew that she didn't ask about my own health because she could see how serious my wounds were. I frowned, annoyed that I had allowed Naraku to use his strength against me.

"Sango, are you alright? You shouldn't be here if you're badly hurt."

My best friend shook her head. "Sesshoumaru is on the rampage. He's killed every demon remaining on the field in revenge for Yuki." She was sniffling a little, trying to keep back tears.

I twisted my head slightly and saw the large white dog demon sitting at the edge of the clearing, behind a sea of dead demons. He was curled up around his mate's body, licking his few wounds and growling in Naraku's direction.

"What about the others?"

"Kouga and his clan have taken their injured and dead to camp. Kikyo is helping them. Miroku is guarding Shippou and Kohaku. And you can see what Inuyasha is doing."

I sighed, and winced at the pain that simple breathing caused.

"Blades of blood!" yelled Inuyasha as he took the red liquid from his own wound and threw it at Naraku.

He dodged the red deadly blades and his hood fell back, exposing his black hair and devilish eyes. "Foolish boy!" he spat. Tentacles sprang out from underneath the pelt.

Inuyasha sliced through the approaching appendages and jumped towards Naraku once again. He ripped apart the baboon skin and cut Naraku's chest deeply, causing blood to spurt out onto Inuyasha's clothes.

"This seems way too familiar," Sango mentioned to me. "He's faked his death once before."

"I think the Orb will prevent any more trickery like that from Naraku. Just in case, could you get me a bow and arrows?"

"Kagome, you can't barely move."

"I can if you help me. Please, Sango," I pleaded. "I need to help Inuyasha."

The demon exterminator sighed a little and set her mouth into a thin line, but finally agreed and moved off.

Inuyasha drew out Tetsusaiga and transformed it and I watched Naraku's eyes go wide. Mine were the same. How could he be holding the Fang and still be in his demonic form?

"Kaze no Kizu!" Several ruptures ran along the ground, pushing away dead bodies, going towards Naraku.

The evil hanyou pushed off the ground and leapt over the deadly attack. When he landed, he immediately started forming his poisonous gas attack around Inuyasha.

Coughing, Inuyasha moved back to escape the miasma. As the fog thickened, I lost sight of my hanyou for a few moments. I guessed that Naraku did as well, because he cursed and lowered his hand, allowing the miasma to dissapate.

When it cleared, I felt the need to rub my eyes. I knew I was in pain, but surely it hadn't effected my brain or eyesight, right? Yet there they were. Two Inuyashas. Two demonic Inuyashas standing side by side brandishing two Tetsusaigas.

Naraku leapt forward through the lingering traces of his poisonous cloud. He backhanded the Inuyasha on his right much like he had done to me.

As his back turned to the left Inuyasha for a split second, the inuyoukai took his chance. He lifted Tetsusaiga and carved Naraku into two separate pieces. The yellow glow of the sword told me that Naraku had attacked the wrong one. His sense of smell had probably been thrown off by the two Inuyashas' proximity to each other and his own anger.

I looked to where the false Inuyasha had fallen, and saw Shippou unconscious and bleeding on the ground. My breathing quickened as I watched Miroku gather up the damaged body of my adopted son. The monk caught my eyes across the field and gave me a soft smile, letting me know Shippou was alive and would be okay.

The true Inuyasha was still tensed and battle-ready, even though Naraku's pelt lay cold in front of him. His enflamed eyes flickered around and I felt my heart jump when he spoke in his coarse demonic voice. "I know you're still here, Naraku." He buried Tetsusaiga into the ground, once again ripping the earth apart.

The ground issued a harsh grinding noise and I watched as a large spider rose from the dust of Naraku's pelt. Enormous and purple, its red eyes locked onto Inuyasha's immediately. Its pincers snapped viciously.

Without any quips, the two lunged at each other. I cringed, expecting a barrier around Naraku to repel Inuyasha, but nothing prevented his attack.

Sango trudged up to me with a rickety bow and a few arrows in her hand. "This is the best I could do, Kagome."

"Thanks, Sango. Help me sit up, please." I raised my arms and let Sango use her good hand to pull me to my knees. I bit my lip hard to resist from crying out and tasted blood when my teeth cut my mouth. My abdomen felt like it was collapsing in on itself. I steeled myself against the pain and watched for my opportunity to shoot a purified arrow.

Inuyasha jumped back from a snap of Naraku's pincers, and smirked wickedly. "Today, you are the filthy half-breed and I am the demon." He crouched slightly and pushed off, making him a blur of red as he ran at demon-speed around Naraku. After making a circle around the evil hanyou, he stopped in front of the spider once again. "I wonder if you're still a spider without those eight legs of yours." Tetsusaiga was tinged with blood.

Naraku's enormous eyes widened even further as his body slid off the support of his legs.

Suddenly, a small figure darted onto the field. Kohaku! He had regained consciousness and had run away from Miroku.

"Kohaku! No! What're you doing?" Sango cried. She reached out, forgetting about her broken arm and then hissing in pain when it reminded her of its injury.

Kohaku settled before the spider and, before Inuyasha could respond, the pincers clipped out the shard in the young demon exterminator's back. He fell over dead before Naraku had even lifted his massive head.

Inuyasha let out a low howl as Sango collapsed in tears beside me. The red- robed demon narrowed his eyes. "Making me angry is not the way to go, Naraku." He lifted Tetsusaiga once again.

Brushing away my own tears, I raised my bow and knocked an arrow quickly. Carefully aiming at Naraku's head, I waited for Inuyasha's inevitable attack.

Sure enough, before Naraku could swallow his newest acquisition, Inuyasha sped forward and drove Tetsusaiga deeply into the spider's abdomen. Simultaneously, I released my arrow and it hit home in Naraku's forehead. The purifying light combined with Tetsusaiga's yellow glow almost blinded me.

"Grab the jewel, Inuyasha!" I screamed, despite the sudden fuzziness in my vision.

When the light subsided, I was distressed to find that my sight was still blurred, but I still saw once of the most wonderful images possible.

Inuyasha was standing in the field, holding Naraku's half of the jewel high above his head, while the lone shard from Kohaku's back flitted to the ground. Spider bones surrounded Inuyasha's feet.

Sango whimpered behind me. "Kohaku..." she whispered.

I closed my eyes, feeling another surge of anger. Naraku had taken her brother's life simply to cause a final moment of pain. He had succeeded.

My heightened emotion caused my bones to grind and sent a sharp pain down my body. "Ah," I breathed as I fell down onto my side again. The impact caused me to cry out again, louder and more plaintively.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha ran over, not looking at the large jewel shard in his hand. His eyes were still blood red and his voice was still rough.

Sango made a move to stop the full-blooded youkai version of Inuyasha, but fell back as he lay a cool hand to my forehead.

"You're not going to die, Kagome. I promised you, remember?"

I blinked slowly, watching his eyes grow larger in my blurry vision. As he moved closer, his eyes began to melt from red into his usual gold. The stripes on his cheeks began to fade and I felt his claws recede.

"I won't let you die. You're my best friend and I... I care about you."

I found that I couldn't speak anymore. I just smiled at him and his beautiful gaze before I closed my eyes and felt darkness consume me.