Hey everyone, it's time for another chappy! ^___^ Thanks for waiting so patiently. This past week has been a little rough with dealines every which way. A few A/Ns before we get started…

1) Inuyasha is not mine, he does not belong to me, he is not in my possession…etc etc.

2) It's completed!! It's finally completed! ^____^ For a while now I've been working on a guide to FF.Net that helps you how to become a better writer here and (hopefully) get more reviews in for your story. If you're interested or think you need improvements, visit my website and read it! ^___^ If you DO read it, tell me what you think! Give me comments via review. (I highlighted all the main points so you can just skim through it, hehehe!).

3) I have also added another section for my website that displays my fanart. Right now there is relatively little, as I focus more on writing than drawing, but if you wanna see then check it out! ^__^

Hmm, I think that's all…well enough of that, on with the story!:

~~~***~~~

And so, the eight of us set out that day for Naraku's castle. There was a general bleak feeling among us—dread, fear, and uncertainty—that we just couldn't shake off. Regardless, we held our heads high and bravely marched through the trees. Every so often we would have to fight a puppet sent by Naraku, but they were disposed of easily enough. Occasionally we could hear various demon cries echoing in the forest.

We stopped by a small river to drink and scrub the dirt off our feet and faces. I used this opportunity to pull Inuyasha aside and ask him something that had been bothering me in the back of my mind ever since Kikyo killed Goshinki.

"Inuyasha…" I said to him. "Inuyasha, about Kikyo…"

He straightened up from the water and glanced at me. "What?"

"Um, well, I was just wondering about her…how exactly did she die in this world anyways? I'm curious about it…"

He sighed. "It's a long story." He motioned for me to sit down. "First off, know that Kikyo was once the royal advisor for my father when he was the Emperor. I have been told that Kaede is the retired advisor for your castle in the human land…?" I nodded. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Well anyways, she was also a great priestess for the castle as well. In fact, some said she could cure anything…the problem was, Kikyo, as a human, had to keep mostly to herself in order to stay away from the demons here. My father let her live in a small part of the castle, and consequently I didn't really know of her existence until I met her later on."

I nodded. "So her job was like Kaede's, but for the demon land…I see."

"Yeah, but unfortunately it wasn't like that forever. You see, Kikyo was such an excellent healer that Naraku must've been concerned that she would be able to cure my father once he struck him down and eventually could nurse back to health…even from death. I'm…not quite sure how he found out about her, however…I've been told that, prior to my father's murder, Naraku had been sulking around our home, probably observing things, such as her existence. Anyways, even though she was strong, Naraku was stronger, and so…he killed her. I haven't really seen her show any malice towards him, but since Kikyo's following us she must want to see Naraku die. Can't say I blame her…" At this point something hitched in his voice, and I immediately understood his feelings. Inuyasha looked away from me. It must've been a sensitive subject for him. I realized suddenly that he wasn't trying to defeat Naraku JUST so he could take back his family's throne—he also wanted to avenge Kikyo's death.

I reached out and gave him a little pat on the shoulder. "It must've been hard on her…she must be glad you're here to give her strength." I stood up. "Um…thank you for telling me Kikyo's story, Inuyasha…it cleared up many things for me."

"I joined your party not to bring revenge upon Naraku…but because the throne MUST be restored." I turned around to see Kikyo standing there. She gave a small smile and sat down next to Inuyasha. His expression softened upon seeing her and took her hand. She felt his chest. "Your heart, Inuyasha…it feels heavy, why?"

He smiled. "I'm fine, Kikyo. And now that you're here, I know everything will be okay, right? You face lifts it up again. Thank you, Kikyo."

I quickly decided it would be best to leave the two lovers now, and so I walked back to the others. Sesshoumaru's ears perked up when I entered the area at our resting place and motioned me over to sit down with him. "Is everyone ready?" Miroku asked to me.

I smiled. "Um, maybe we should give them a few more minutes…"

He shook his head. "This time I must insist-"

"-Oh, don't worry about it Miroku." Sango said. "You'd be less stressful that way." Before he could give a response, she giggled and took his hand. Sango walked quickly into the woods, with him stumbling behind. "We're going for a walk!" She shouted to us before disappearing. Shippo chuckled and I rolled my eyes.

He hopped up to me and tugged on my sleeve. "Lady Kagome, can we go for a walk? Kirara and I want to…"

I stared at him. "Aren't you already tired?"

Shippo shook his head. "We wanna explore! C'mon!" He grabbed my sleeve and pulled me along. Sesshoumaru titled his head to the side questioningly and I motioned for him to follow. He stood up and the four of us began our short journey.

~~~***~~~

We ended up sitting on top of a fairly large hill. I began to make a wreath out of flowers. Shippo and Kirara were examining various bugs and insects, and Sesshoumaru was resting pleasantly next to me. Unfortunately, because it was the demon land, the sky was not peaceful and remained as cloudy as always, which made me uneasy.

I looked around—something had suddenly occurred to me...wasn't this…? "Sesshoumaru, I think I know where we are!"

He looked at me. "What? Are we some place special?"

I nodded. "Yes, I remember now. This was the exact hill I saw through the watchtower. This was once Jaken's home. I guess there's...nothing left. His family once lived on this spot."

Sesshoumaru nodded, and we sat alone quietly for a few moments. "Rin would've liked that." He commented, nodding to my wreath. I smiled and nodded back.

~~~***~~~

When I looked up again I saw Sesshoumaru was sleeping peacefully. Below Shippo and Kirara were tired out as well. 'They're probably wondering where we are...' I thought, thinking about Inuyasha and the others. 'We should start heading back.'

"Kagome..." I heard a weak voice whisper suddenly. I looked around curiously, sitting up. Where my ears deceiving me? Did I really just hear something? "Kagome...are you...alone?"

"Who's there?" I asked to the sky.

"I'll show you, but you have to promise not to scream..." I raised an eyebrow at this. I walked to the trees. I glanced back at Sesshoumaru, who remained undisturbed (although I knew he would figure out the fact that I was gone eventually). The eerie voice seemed to be coming from the forest, probably because you could hide more easily in there. Was it one of Naraku's tricks? Even though it was a definite possibility, my heart told me there was nothing to be afraid of. I reached the path's crossroad.

"...Where...?" I gasped. A figure sat there against the tree, clutching his head in a small look of agony, doubled over. Despite this, he smiled warmly as I approached, then grimaced quickly in pain.

It was Kouga.

~~~***~~~

"H…Help me…Kagome…" He clutched my robe and I jumped back a little in surprise. "I…can't control…he has me…take them out before I…"

"Get a hold of yourself!" I said urgently. Why was he here? I helped him up. "…Why should I help you?"

Kouga sighed. "You don't understand…" He mumbled. "He's controlling me…I…I didn't mean to try and kill you before…please believe me…please…"

I gripped him tighter. "Who? What do you mean?"

I heard a growl behind me. "What's he doing here?"

"Sesshoumaru, I know you're angry to see him," I said without looking behind. "But…I don't think it's his fault…"

But he wasn't reassured. "Kagome, he tried to kidnap you." Sesshoumaru stood next to me and bent down to inspect Kouga further. "This demon has no scent. He's dead—probably when he fell from the cliff."

"I didn't WANT to push her off the cliff, something took over in me…HE did it." Suddenly Kouga's head jerked up. His eyes were reddish…menacing. He snarled angrily.

"Stand back, Kagome." Sesshoumaru said quickly. "His blood has shifted. He won't be able to control himself."

Kouga jumped at him suddenly, who avoided the attack. "Stop it, Kouga!!" I screamed. But Kouga leapt again. I turned to Sesshoumaru. "We can't harm him! He doesn't know what he's doing! Sesshoumaru, this is Naraku's doing!"

I understood it now. The only way Kouga could've been okay after the fall was with the power of the Shikon jewel shards he had. And the only way he could've gotten those was through Naraku. Therefore, it was clear Naraku was controlling him for his own purposes…probably to kill us. Kouga didn't want to push me over the cliff back then, and he didn't want to kill Sesshoumaru now—but Naraku must've ordered him to, maybe without Kouga realizing it.

Sesshoumaru seemed to understand this quickly as well. He dodged another attack and leapt out of the woods. Kouga growled and followed him. "Stay back!" He shouted to me. I gulped. 'Be careful, Sesshoumaru…'

~~~***~~~

I peeked my head out from behind a tree. The two were dueling it out intensely. Sesshoumaru slashed him a few times, but nothing fatal. Kouga, on the other hand, took a heavy gash right above the eye. Sesshoumaru remained true to his word, however, and refrained from killing him.

Suddenly Kouga fell down. His eyes were cleared of the red and he whimpered, clutching his hands on his head. Sesshoumaru leapt to him and gripped him in a headlock, pinning Kouga down so he was no longer a threat. "Tell us the truth." He stated simply. At this point, Shippo and Kirara saw what was happening and rushed over. They saw Kouga in surprise and I motioned for them to stay back.

He whimpered again. "Every time I would try to see Kagome, to see…just a glance…you would spot me first, Sesshoumaru. And we would fight, remember? And…every single time you chased me away. I knew that I would never become strong enough without…extra help. But I was a fool." Kouga closed his eyes. "I turned to Naraku, who gave me my Jewel shards…but at a price." His head lowered. "He could control me at will, and I didn't know it. So…" Kouga looked at Sesshoumaru. "Please…kill me. Kagome doesn't love me, and I don't blame her. Why should she, after all? There's nothing left in this world for me."

"No!" I shouted.

Before Sesshoumaru could respond, Kouga roared and his eyes turned color again. "He…he's here!" Kouga shouted. He looked to the top of the hill. We followed his eyes.

~~~***~~~

To my surprise, standing up there was not Naraku, but Kanna. Her mirror glowed in her hand. She stared at us vacantly.

"Kanna!" I exclaimed. She took a step forward, and her mirror glowed brighter. "Look out!" I cried. "Her mirror!" Naraku must've sent her over here to do his dirty work. But was she alone? Or was there another…? My thoughts were interrupted when Kanna pointed the mirror at…Sesshoumaru. "Sesshoumaru! Look out!!" I cried. If only I had remembered to bring my arrows with me!

He dodged away, but it didn't matter—the mirror had already chosen. A white light flashed and the process had begun. Wisps of light transferred from his chest to Kanna's mirror, and his eyes immediately lost their liveliness. He looked at me with one last breath. "Kagome." He uttered abruptly. Sesshoumaru crumpled to the ground. Fear sprung to me and I rushed to him quickly. Kirara and Shippo followed. Tears formed in the back of my eyes before I even came to him. Motionless, his stare was vacant. I gripped his robe desperately.

"Sesshoumaru…" I whispered. "Sesshoumaru…Sesshoumaru, no…" I rested my head against his chest. "Your soul…she took your soul…" Grief turned to anger.

Seeing this, Kirara growled and leapt at Kanna. The mirror, however, served its purpose yet again and reflected the demon's attack, which threw her aside like a doll. Kirara howled.

I stood up now—I didn't care if my soul would be taken or if I didn't have my arrows. I just wanted him to return, and I was running out of options. "Shippo!" I shouted to him. "Go find the others! Bring them here!" He nodded and ran away quickly. I turned back to Kanna. "Give Sesshoumaru his soul back! NOW!"

"It is too late." Kanna said absently. "Something that enters the mirror…stays in the mirror." She raised it to me this time.

At this point Kouga stepped in. I had almost forgotten he was there. "Kagome…you must trust me. I know how to beat her."

I looked at him in surprise. "Kouga!? Are you…sure?" He nodded weakly. What happened to the side he couldn't control? I thought Kouga was like that only a moment ago…had he overcome it? "Very well, what do you want me to do?"

"I have a plan. Give me his sword."

I stared at him. "What…you mean the Tensegia?"

Kouga nodded. "Yes, it's the only way." I took it from underneath his body and handed it to him (somewhat reluctantly). He weighed it carefully for a few moments to get a good feeling of its mass.

Kanna's mirror was almost ready. It glowed brightly…at me. "Hurry!" I cried urgently to Kouga. "She's going to-!"

"-Yes, I know. Now…observe." He straightened up and looked at her. "It's time to end this." Kouga sprinted towards Kanna with the full strength he once had. Kanna held her mirror up to him, but he swung up the Tensegia at her. I held my breath.

The sword went right through. He smirked. "The sword is looking for its master, Kanna. You see, this is a very special sword…with special abilities." He smiled cruelly at her. "It can heal a wound…bring the dead to life…or…even return someone's soul from say, a mirror…" Moments later Kouga took it out—the Tensegia was covered in what appeared to be the soul. It stayed there for a few seconds, and then flew to Sesshoumaru's body. I gasped in surprise.

I stared intensely at him, hopeful. He lay still for a few moments, then blinked and opened his eyes. Sesshoumaru looked at me. "Ka…Kagome?"

"YES! Oh, Sesshoumaru!" I cried. A small amount of tears spilled down, and I hugged him tightly. This took him by surprise, and even more so when I kissed him feverishly. "I thought I lost you…" I squeezed him harder.

Moments later the rest of the gang rushed to the scene. Miroku threw me my arrows, which I took gratefully. "I was floating around…" Sesshoumaru whispered to me. "Something pulled at me to go deeper into the mirror, but I saw you on the other side, Kagome. And I…didn't want to stop seeing you." He kissed my forehead gratefully. I smiled.

"I'll always be here." I whispered back. With one last hug, I rose again and faced my foe. "I hope this works…" I took an arrow and shot it straight at the mirror with no hesitation. The sparkly path followed it, and the arrow pierced deep inside the mirror, breaking it into hundreds of pieces.

~~~***~~~

We crowded around Kouga. What was to be done? He simply smiled at us. "Thank you…everyone." Suddenly his face froze, and his eyes widened in fear. We looked around wildly.

Naraku appeared suddenly and stood to our left, where Kanna was. "Remarkable…" He observed. "All three were defeated so easily…" Inuyasha growled and leapt at him with hatred. Again, the barrier stopped this and he fell away. Naraku chuckled. "Forgive me for my intrusion—I just need to clean up the mess I made…"

The Tensegia Kouga took had remained next to Kanna, who was unconscious. He grabbed it curiously. "Interesting…but is there not a sibling for this sword? The Tetsusaiga, I believe? No matter…" Without any warning, a beam of light flashed and the Tensegia instantly disintegrated. Sesshoumaru roared in anger, but remembered the barrier around him. "Next…" Naraku pressed his hand against Kanna's back. "Stand up, Kanna." He said calmly. And indeed, immediately she stood up. We cursed at him angrily.

"Bastard! We're going to get you! Prepare to face death!" Inuyasha shouted.

He smirked. "…I sincerely doubt that. And now…" He flew high up in the air. "We will settle this once and for all in my castle. I look forward to having you as my opponent once again, Lord Sesshoumaru." Sesshoumaru growled in an extreme anger as he looked down at the ashes of his sword.

The two were about to leave, when suddenly Naraku turned his head to us again with a second thought. "Ah, I almost forgot…" He raised his hand and a ripping noise could be heard. We looked around in fear, then saw…Kouga. Something began to tear from his body. We stared at him in surprise. The Jewel shards that he contained inside of him flew to Naraku. "…You have served your purpose and are no longer useful to me. Die."

Kouga cried out in agony, then immediately crumpled to the ground.

Review Responses:

Sesshys Hime: *sad* sorry if it's confusing…well I guess I could answer those questions, but it's so close to the ending that you'll find out soon enough!

mandyfanforevr: lol…okay, it's official—you're horrible at giving comments. Heh. Anyways, it means 'thanks' and is used quite commonly here (you may have noticed…). Btw, you know, you should really update your story some time soon, lol! ^____^ it's been like forever…and I'm STILL not quite sure HOW you can be understanding all of this…I imagine it must be confusing.  :/

RoguesHeart: o_O I had no idea Kikyo and Sesshoumaru liked chocolate so much…lol.

Topica89: Oh! Really? Well then, guess I will! ^_^

sakurapetal13: Yeah, I thought it was pretty good myself. Glad you like it! ^____^

zeddy200: Hehe, yeah he is, isn't he? =D

shagojyo55: o_O 'yish?' lol, okay, okay!

Sihara: *sad* yeah I know it's very OOC of him but with Sesshoumaru and romance you can't have him perfectly in character otherwise it just won't…work. Lol Glad you like. ^^

Youkai Yumi: AHHHH!!! *hides* Don't look, don't look!! _ *blush* This story is absolute crap compared to what you've written…don't look!! *covers up stuff*

fluffys_sidekick: C'mon…is it really your favorite? Surely there must be another one out there that you like more? There's bound to be!

Vegetas4Life: *sad* wow, that sucks…nothing really seems to go your way a lot, does it? *pat* well then here's a nice update for you!

Starr-chan: Arigato! ^___^ Hope you will read this till the end!

kitsune-chan3: lol, sorry! Nope! =D Sometimes, you just gotta show the romance, ne?

Skitzoflame: ;) I'll answer that in two chapters.

Tsuki Yume: Hehe, yes I must admit I prefer this version of her much better…

Guardiun Angel15: lol, I've put three lemon chapters in here already! You just need to visit the website in my profile!

Satu-Chan: Ah, good to see ya…we're almost done! See ya soon! ^___^

*puff puff* Okay, there's a bit of a cliffy for you…anyways, this story is almost completed! Two more chapters in fact! What will happen next!? Review and find out! Lol. And visit my website!! R&R! Arigato, ja ne! ^____^