Disclaimer: I don't own:

Fruits Basket, Yu Yu Hakusho, Wolf's Rain, Witch Hunter Robin, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Family Guy, Charmed, Smallville, Quintuplets, Method and Red, Daily Show with John Stewart, George Bush (I don't want to anyway) John Kerry, South Park, Linkin Park, New Found Glory, Green Day, Sugarcult, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, any other rock band in the freakin country, Sixth Sense, Godsend, Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Pirates of the Caribbean, Grease, Wicked, Hugh Jackman, Dirty Dancing, Resident Evil, Wicker Park, Without a Paddle, Austin Powers 1,2, and 3, any other movie in the US.

I don't own any thing listed above!

-lawyers- you forgot something

-me- what?

-Lawyer- whispers

-me- sighs. So close! I don't own Inuyasha either. Happy?

-lawyers- snickers. We've almost got her (said out loud) soon, we will have all Inuyasha fans in custody, and we shall rule it!!!

-me- hey dickheads, I'm still right here!

Hey, I'm sorry I didn't update sooner, I went to Washington DC with a friend for a week, and then I started high school. That sucked. And then on top of it, my internet shut off. I can't get back on it! Can you believe my luck! Anyway, I'm back, and ready to update... the last chapter?? Yea, it sucks, the last chapter of this precious story. I wanted it to be longer, but this is how it ended up. Sorry. But don't worry, I've got plenty of suspense stories in the making, and many songfic ideas and 1-shots, so please, when that author alert shows up and tells you that I've got something else out, don't ignore it please...I don't with the people I have on mine (but I'm a little behind because of camp. I'm still in July!!!)

Enough chatter..

Oh Wait.. I promise this is going to be my longest chapter. I'm going to make it as long as humanly possible OK?

The Haunting of Youkai Castle

by Usagi Kurari

Chapter 19

Up high in the mountains of Japan

Miles away from civilization

There stands a remote castle, which has not been occupied for many many years.

Unknown to the world, there is a war raging on inside its walls.

For the past few hundred years, it has been a silent war.

It went on and on, without knowledge.

Until now.

When the final battle of the war begins.

And the winner shall be crowned.

Creak Creak.

"Did you hear that?" Kagome whispered to her two friends.

"Here what Kagome?" Sango asked. She pulled the blanket she had around her tighter for warmth.

"I thought I heard..."

Creak Creak.

All three heads shot up at the sudden sound.

"See, I told you I heard something!" Kagome said in a quivering voice. She barely recognized it as her own.

At that moment, something made of glass fell to the ground and made an echo heard throughout the whole castle.

"What's out there?" Miroku asked himself. Surprised at his own courage, he stood up, and walked into the entrance way.

"Miroku," Sango called out after him. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Miroku didn't answer. He just kept walking, until he reached the bottom of the staircase.

"Hello?" Sango called after him. He once again, didn't open his mouth. Sango threw her arms up in frustration, and stood up.

"Where you going?" Kagome asked.

"To see if anybody's home," Sango said quickly, and part ran, part walked to Miroku. From a distance, Kagome looked on, as Sango waved her hand in front of Miroku's motionless face.

"Hey Miroku," Sango yelled, waving her hand in front of Miroku's face.

Miroku's hand suddenly went up and his finger rested on her lips. "Shhh. I feel something."

Sango nodded. She felt it too. It was this intense tingling feeling. It was like intuition of some sort. Sango found herself staring up the staircase along with Miroku. She spotted what Miroku was staring at. It was that portrait. The portrait of Naraku. The same portrait that still had the words "Welcome home Kagome," on it. But the portrait seemed different somehow. If felt... felt more sinister than it did before. It wasn't just a normal painting anymore. It was as if it was alive. The smile on Naraku's face wasn't just a posing smile, it was a smile showing pure evil, and the smile brought out the hatred that showed in his eyes.

Yes, the painting was alive.

Sango turned her head towards Kagome, looking at her and Miroku from the den. Her eyes were wide, her face was pale, and her chest was rising and falling extremely fast. Sango looked away again, and noticed something that made her heart jump.

Naraku was gone.

The only thing left on the wall was the large golden frame, the nameplate showing off his name, and the bloody letters painted on top. The man in the portrait was no where in sight.

Creak.

It came from behind them. Sango and Miroku both turned around to see if Kagome was walking towards them. She was still watching them from the doorway. They looked at one another, their eyes wide in fear.

Crash.

Turning around, the two spotted a mirror hanging on a nearby wall had fallen to the floor, and broken into many pieces.

"You know what that means, right Sango?" Miroku asked, a cold tone in his voice.

"What?"

"Bad luck. Seven years of it."

"Don't talk like that Miroku!" Sango cried.

"He's right, and you know what? I think your luck just ran out!"

Sango and Miroku froze. Somebody was behind them. "Sango," Miroku whispered."Don't move a muscle." Sango used all her strength to nod her head.

"Just stay still Sango..."

Sango screamed.

While the whole ordeal was happening, Miroku had somehow managed to get his hand down to Sango's bottom.

"MIROKU! THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR THIS!" and Sango gave Miroku a hard kick right in the crotch. Miroku crutched it in pain, and rolled to the floor, his face scrunched up in pain. "THAT'S WHAT YOU GET!"

"Sango..."

"DON'T SANGO ME ASSHOLE!"

"No... it's not... it's not that. It's..."

A few seconds later, there was a knife through Miroku's stomach. Blood started pouring out of the wound. Miroku screamed in pain, as the unknown force entered the knife into his body.

"Miroku!" Sango screamed. She dropped onto both knees and bent down to look into his eyes. "I'm so sorry Miroku. I didn't..." she managed to get out as hot tears trickled down her face.

He put his finger to her lips. His hand then moved to the back of her neck, and started to rub it gently. "Shh. It's okay... Sango. I guess... I guess it's my time."

"Don't Miroku. Please."

"I'm so sorry Sango."

"Don't leave Miroku!" and Sango placed her lips on his, and brought the dying man into a warm kiss. With the last of his strength, he kissed her back. "I love you Miroku. Don't you see? You can't leave me!"

"I...love you too." He took one last breath, and all went still. The kiss was broken.

"Miroku," Sango whispered. "Miroku, come on, wake up. Wake up god dammit!" She slapped Miroku a few times across the face, but his skin was like ice.

"Wake up Miroku... please," she said in between tears, snot coming out of her nose, and giving her face a glossy appearance. She could barely make out her next sentence. "Wake up."

Kagome watched in shock as the knife entered Miroku. Her hand covered her mouth as she watched the heart-breaking scene. She didn't even notice that the hooded figure sneaking up from behind her, until it grabbed her, and covered her mouth, muffling her screams. In a low, sinister voice, he whispered in her ear. "Guess what my dear? You're going to be next." Just like that, he whisked her away, away into the depths of the castle.

That was it.

Miroku was gone.

The heart broken girl wiped her face with the back of her sleeve. That was when she realized. Where's Kagome? She looked towards the doorway she saw her in a few moments ago, and saw that she wasn't there. Where did she go? Sango got up, looked down at her lover one last time, planted a small peck on his cold cheek, and went to the den where Kagome was last seen. She looked all over, and there was no sign of her friend, the only trusted person left in the castle.

"Kagome? Kagome where are you?" she called out.

Turns out those were her last words. Soon after, she felt a surging pain in her back. It spread throughout her whole body. The room around her suddenly started to grow dark. Her breaths were getting shorter, and she could barely take in air. "Kagome..." and all went dark, but not before she saw a hooded figure loom overhead.

Kagome couldn't see anything. It was all dark. She couldn't move, and she felt no air coming in through her lungs. Is this what dying feels like? She thought to herself. Not being able to do anything? Is it just nothingness?

Her questions were answered when she opened her eyes. She then remembered what happened. She looked down and saw the tip of a knife implanted in her stomach. She felt the pain all over again. That agonizing pain that shot throughout her whole body.

"Who did this to me?" she said to herself. She reached up, and pulled the knife out. It wasn't in deep, so it wouldn't cause her to die. The knife was out, but the pain was still there, and so was the blood. She tried to get up, but it was too much of a strain. She started coughing. Putting her hand to her mouth, she realized she was coughing up blood.

"I think I need to throw up," she said out loud, but coughing up more blood in the process. She moaned.

Somebody moaned back.

It's just an echo, she thought to herself.

She heard the moaning noise again.

It's definitely not my echo.

She laid back down on the floor again, and held the small wound with her hand. That was when she realized she could see her breath. It was thick, as thick as fog. Kagome looked down at her arms, and saw goose bumps going up and down her arms. It's freezing in here, she thought to herself, while her teeth chattered inside her mouth.

"Who's there," she called out. "I know you're there. Don't try to hide."

The door to the room suddenly flew open. There wasn't anyone at the doorway, but she knew somebody was in the room. The room got even colder. She sat up with a quick jerk, forgetting about the pain in her stomach. Kagome looked in each corner of the room, and finding nothing, stood up slowly, losing her balance a few times. She clumsily walked over to the only object in the rooma full-length mirror. She glared at herself. She was pale, had dark circles under her eyes, and there was blood staining her lips.

I look awful, she thought in disgust.

While staring at her reflection, she saw a black shadow whisk itself behind her. Turning around, she saw nothing. She turned back to the mirror, but this time, didn't see her own reflection.

It was Kikyo instead.

All around her, were the children. They were clinging on to their mother's hands, and staring up at her. Kagome felt tears start to well up in her eyes. That was when she felt a tug on her pants leg. She looked down, and saw the children all around her.

"Daddy's free Kagome," a little girl cried out. Remembering names, she assumed it was Kagura.

"You released him Kagome," Kohaku said coldly. "It's all your fault!"

"No, it's not!" she yelled down at them. "It wasn't my fault! And he's not free. He just can't be."

"Then who killed Sango and Miroku Kagome?" Inuyasha said speaking up.

Kagome's eyes widened. Her friends were dead? That just can't be! She fell to her knees, down to the children's levels, and let the tears pour out.

"It's okay Kagome," Rin said, coming over and patting her head. (Or at least attempting to)

Inuyasha pushed his way to the front and got down on one knee. Kagome looked up. Glossy blue eyes met transparent golden ones.

"You're going to avenge their deaths aren't you?" he asked.

"Why should I?"

"Naraku killed them, and attempted to kill you dimwit!" he said, the volume in his voice raising.

Kagome looked up in shock. "Since when do you talk like that?"

"Since we got our souls back."

and the children vanished, leaving Kagome alone in the room once again.

Footsteps echoed through the castle. Lonely, shuffling footsteps. They went down the staircase, to the place where Sango and Miroku's dead bodies lay. The footsteps stopped. Their owner bent down, and touched their cold faces.

Kagome looked down at her friends one last time, and got up. She walked out to the center of the entranceway. She looked up towards the ceiling, towards the paintings.

"Hey Naraku," she called out. "Get out here you coward! I know you're here. Come out and show yourself for once!"

Hmmmmm.

"Ha! I was right, you are here!"

Ohhhhhhhh.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" Kagome said practically laughing. "Come on, come down here, and fight in person, instead of using someone else!"

The paintings on the ceiling started to stir. Pegasus' wings flapped, and the hydra's body stirred. Kagome looked up, and stared at the point where the ceiling met in the middle. Painted there, was a small purple spider. As she stared at it, it seemed to get bigger. The legs started to wiggle, and its head started to twist and turn. As it stopped twitching, its eyes lit up, and became an eerie red. Kagome swallowed hard, and continued to watch. Soon, all the other paintings on the ceiling were disappearing, just leaving the spider, which now took up the whole ceiling.

Kagome swallowed really hard this time.

"So that's where you have been hiding?" she said, trying not to act so afraid. Inside however, she was terrified.

heh heh heh.

An evil laugh crackled from the room, and rang in Kagome's ears.

Suddenly, The candles that lit the entrance way blew out in unison, and Kagome was left in the dark.

Shit shit shit.

Kagome could faintly hear the children screaming. "Look out," they called. Look out? Look out for what? That was when Kagome felt a large hand on her shoulder. Her eyes widened, as she looked at its outline. The hand jerked her around, and she came face to face with a hooded person (or at least she thought it was). Trying to look up under the hood, all she could see was darkness.

"He's here Kagome. He's here!"

The hooded figure's eyes lit up a dark red, and she could make out his mouth open, showing fangs.

"He's here!"

"Run Kagome."

"Run!"

HA psyche!! It's not the last chapter! I got you, I got you! I win I win! Anyway, sorry about Miroku and Sango's deaths. Don't worry, you'll see what happens afterwards. I promise!

R&R pleez!

Peace out.

Usagi Kurari