The night sky was pitch black and covered with dark storm clouds. The heavy snow dropped from them in large volleys, causing everything on the ground to turn an eerie white. The trees were covered with snow. The ground was covered with snow. The houses of their villages were covered with snow. The temperature had dropped dramatically over the past few minutes, and the wind had also picked up. Naraku leapt from treetop to treetop, causing the snow to drop to the forest floor. They were gaining on him now, and it was only a matter of time before they caught him. But he was so close...

He landed on another branch and looked back over his shoulder. He could not see them, but he knew they were there. "Shit," he muttered under his breath, and continued tree hopping. He grasped the almost whole Shikon Jewel tightly in his hand. Just two more shards and it would be whole, but he did not know where they were. However, he did have a good guess... That woman, Frostbyte, had taken some fragments from him. He knew that. And that wolf-boy, her friend... He had made a guess that it was the wolf-boy who had the other shards. "He's at Kikyou's village," he whispered to himself, "When I loose these amateurs that are behind me, I will go to the village and take them back." He sneered. His plan was finally coming to a close. Soon he would have the entire jewel and would be able to rid the world of all those who would oppose him.

"Naraku!"

He was snapped out of his thoughts by the dog-boy's call. InuYasha, Juuroumaru and Kagura were in sight now, and they were catching up quickly. He could run no longer. He smiled. "So it's a fight they want," he said, stopping on a branch and turning to face them. "Then, it's a fight they'll get." He stood there on the branch and watched them approach. These three were their last line of marauders. That was fine. He could take them all out with ease. He looked at the jewel and smirked. "Just come a little bit closer..."

They could see him now. He was standing on a lone branch of a tree, watching them. "Bastard," InuYasha growled lowly, "What the hell is he doing?" They slowed their pace, knowing that it was a trap, but they still rushed into it head on. All three of them were set on bringing Naraku down and taking the Shikon Jewel away from him. Finally, they reached him. "Naraku!" InuYasha called, pointing Tessaiga at him. "You bastard, we're taking you down!" Juuroumaru cracked his knuckles and Kagura flipped open her fan.

But Naraku just laughed. "Fools," he said, "You do not know what you are dealing with." He held up the jewel. "It may not be whole, but it will give more than enough energy to take the three of you out." The jewel started to glow with black light, which engulfed Naraku as well. Then he leapt off the tree branch and into the air. He hovered above the forest, arms and legs stretched out. Then, out of nowhere, he spat out an enormous volley of demons every which way.

InuYasha sliced at the oncoming demons with his sword. Juuroumaru and Kagura helped out, but they soon realized there were too many of them. And on top of that, Naraku had escaped. "Fuck," InuYasha muttered as he powered up the Scar of the Wind. "Get outta our way!" He unleashed the energy at the demons and destroyed them all in one swing. They continued their pursuit.

"Perhaps I've underestimated them," Naraku pondered as he made his escape. More dark energy was released from the jewel and into his body. "Those were just weak demons however. Maybe now..." He turned around and faced his enemy and sent out another volley of demons. This time however he spared nothing. Instead of about forty or fifty like last time, there were hundreds of them. They all dashed towards InuYasha and his party with the intent of killing them. They lashed at them with their claws and fangs and tails and every other weapon they had in their arsenal.

One came at InuYasha, fangs and claws bared, and slashed at him with its tail. But it was nothing the dog demon couldn't handle. He swung the Tessaiga at it and ripped it to shreds. "Man," he grunted, "These demons sure are weak." Suddenly, one jumped him from behind, knocking his sword from his hands. It landed a hit with its giant hand right in the dog demon's gut, causing him to fall over.

"What was that, dog boy?" the demon hissed. "We're weak are we...?"

InuYasha looked into its gaping jaws. "Dammit..."

Meanwhile, everyone had made it back safely to InuYasha's village. The remnants of the Shichinintai saved everyone they could from the ruins of their old village. Kikyou, about seven and a half months pregnant, knelt beside the two fresh graves in prayer. Everyone else was in InuYasha's house, because he was the only one with a big screen TV. Kanna had hooked her mirror up to it so they could watch the battle from the comfort of their own home. Of course, they all felt guilty for not being able to help out their friends. This was the first time that they were all together. They were all praying that it would not be the last...

The demon hovered over InuYasha with the intent to gobble him up whole and alive. But suddenly a flash of light shot out from the darkness of the trees and cut the demon up to ribbons. InuYasha got to his feet and peered into the trees. He heard the growl of a cat demon from above and looked up. Renkotsu's cat demon, Kazan, was busy ripping up the demons in the air. He looked back to the trees. A figure stood there now. "Jakotsu," he smiled.

"Why is it," Jakotsu inquired, "that you always seem to need other people to get you out of tight situations?"

"Why is it," InuYasha said in a sarcastic tone, folding his arms, "that you always seem to be late?"

Jakotsu laughed. "Well we can't all be perfect."

InuYasha nodded and picked up the Tessaiga and sent out the Scar of the Wind, killing the rest of the demons. "We're all together now," he said. InuYasha, Juuroumaru, Kagura and Jakotsu. The last force against Naraku. They dashed forwards and once again continued their pursuit. He had gotten a good lead on them, but they would catch up. The lone Hyoukoumori would too. It sat there, perched on a branch and watched them take off. It flapped its wings and took off itself, staying well out of sensing range.

Naraku looked back and saw the four of them, plus the cat demon, chasing after him. "Damn," he muttered when he saw Jakotsu, "Mukotsu must not have killed them." He laughed. "I wasn't really expecting him to anyways." He looked down at the jewel. The dark energy that was coming from it started glowing with a bright light. "Midoriko," he whispered.

(That is correct. I sincerely hope that you are not planning an escape.)

Naraku chuckled. "What makes you think I won't escape?"

(I know you will not. Everything is happening as I have foreseen.)

"And what have you foreseen?"

(Your downfall.)

The white light grew dark again. Midoriko had left him. "Dammit," he grunted. "I'm not going to let them get the better of me!" He quickened his pace. He looked back over his shoulder, hoping that they were out of sight, but they were not. They were still there, gaining speed. They would catch him. It was merely a matter of time. "Fine," he said, stopping, "It seems the only way I can get rid of them is if I do it myself right now..."

"Shit!" Inuyasha growled. "He's stopped again! Dammit, I don't wanna hafta go through anymore of his fucking demons!"

(You won't have to.)

All four of them stopped. "Who said that?" Jakotsu asked. No one of their party answered.

(I am Midoriko, the creator of the Shikon Jewel. Naraku's angels exhumed my remains in hopes to get control of it. I was one step ahead of them however. Because of my resurrection, I am now able to once and for all destroy the jewel. But I cannot do that until it is whole.)

"How are we gonna make it whole?" InuYasha inquired.

(Do not worry about that. I have already dispatched someone to make sure that it becomes whole. All you need to do is get it to them.)

"Who?" Jakotsu asked. "Who do we need to get it to?"

(Friends of yours.)

"Bankotsu and Sekka," Jakotsu said.

"Right!" InuYasha growled. "Let's kick Naraku's ass, and get the jewel to them!" He stopped. "Wait, Sekka?"

Jakotsu smiled. "Mukotsu betrayed us. She helped us beat him."

InuYasha nodded and they continued the chase. Naraku was a few meters ahead of them, smiling wickedly. He unleashed a wave of demonic energy at his enemy. InuYasha smiled and ran up to him and shouted, "Naraku! This is the end of the road!" He leapt up and raised the Tessaiga over his head. "Your demonic energy is more good to me than you! BAKU...RYUU...HA!" Tornados of energy whipped from the blade and combined with Naraku's evil energy, and sent the whole conglomeration back at him. He was engulfed by InuYasha's ultimate attack and all that remained when the smoke settled was a few bits of falling ash.

"Haha!" Jakotsu called out. "We beat him!"

Juuroumaru and Kagura on the other hand didn't think it was time yet to celebrate. "I'm still getting a bad feeling," Juuroumaru muttered. Kagura nodded.

"What are you talking about?" Jakotsu exclaimed. "Did you not see that cool thing InuYasha did?"

"They're right, Jakotsu," InuYasha snarled. They all averted their gaze to the left. Naraku was standing there, smiling evilly, holding up the Shikon Jewel.

"Fools," he chuckled sarcastically, "It's going to take more than that to beat me."

"Fuck," InuYasha muttered under his breath, "I don't have an attack that's stronger than that..."