I don't own Inu-Yasha

Chapter 13: Freed Souls

"I have brought you the wench called Kagome." Kira told Naraku as she walked into his chambers.

"Good. Kanna, where is Kagura?" Naraku asked her.

"I do not know." Kanna replied as she stood before him.

Kagura was still in the castle, sitting atop the castle roof, just like she used to do. "Sesshomaru…" Kagura whispered his name as a tear fell from her eye. "I'm sorry I did this to you." Kagura said as she stood up revealing the dagger in her right hand. "I can't go on this way." Kagura said as she raised the dagger, but before she could plunge it into her body she sensed someone coming. "It can't be!" Kagura was shocked when she realized who it was. Below, in the courtyard, Kagura saw him walking towards the castle. She hurried to get off the roof and back inside the castle. With him there, Naraku would surely call for her.

"So he has finally come. What do you think he will offer me in return for her?" Naraku asked Kira.

"Perhaps he will offer to kill Inu-Yasha?" Kira thought. "What do you want of him?" she asked.

"Naraku!" Sesshomaru burst through the doors.

"Lord Sesshomaru, what do I owe this honor?" Naraku asked as he walked in.

"Where is she? I know you have some kind of hold over her and I want her returned to me." Sesshomaru told Naraku.

"Kagura belongs to me." Naraku said as he stood up. "Do you believe that just because you marked her as your own that she truly belongs to you?" Naraku laughed.

"Master Naraku…" Kagura stepped into the room as Sesshomaru was about to attack Naraku.

"Kagura, tell Sesshomaru that you no longer belong to him." Naraku ordered her. But when she didn't comply, Naraku grew angry. "Kagura! Do as I command!" he yelled at her. Still she didn't say a word. "Kira! Do as I have ordered." Naraku told her.

"Yes, Master Naraku. Kagura's offspring will die." Kira said as she vanished.

"Naraku!" Sesshomaru grabbed a hold of his neck and began to squeeze. "Call her back here!" Sesshomaru demanded.

"I will not. Kagura made a deal with me, she went back on her part of the deal so I will kill her children." Naraku laughed.

"Then you will die as well." Sesshomaru said as he squeezed Naraku's neck.

"Sesshomaru, no! Leave him; if you hurry you can make it back to the castle before Kira. You must stop her." Kagura cried.

"Kagura…"

"I will stay here and deal with Naraku." Kagura told him. Sesshomaru nodded as he released Naraku and left the castle.

"Kagura… why have you given up the lives of your children?" Naraku asked her.

"I would rather have my children dead then have me kill them later." Kagura told him.

"What?" he was confused.

"Eventually you would force me to kill Sesshomaru and my own children. I knew this because of Kanna's mirror. She caught me as I made my way here tonight and showed it to me. I am not your only rebellious incarnation." Kagura said as Kanna stepped out of the shadows.

"Kanna, you betray me too?" Naraku asked her.

"I did it for Kagura. She needed me." Kanna told him as she held out her mirror and released all the souls that she kept in it, including Kira's and Kohaku's.

"Kanna, no!" Naraku tried to grab her, but Kagura got to him first.

"I will not allow you to hurt anyone else." Kagura said as she held Naraku in front of Kanna's mirror. "Now Kanna." Kanna held out her mirror and began to suck the soul from Naraku's body. "Kanna released all those souls so that there would be room for your soul inside her mirror." Kagura said as Naraku's soul was sucked from his body.

"I am your creator, if I die then so shall you." Naraku laughed.

"But you will not be dead. Your soul shall life forever in my mirror." Kanna told him.

"Kira will free me!" Naraku said as the last of his soul was sucked into Kanna's mirror.

"What now, Kagura?" Kanna asked her.

"We shall dispose of your mirror. It must be place somewhere where no one will ever retrieve it." Kagura tried to think of a place.

"I know where we can take the mirror." Kanna said.

"Where?"

"In the village of the demon slayers, there is a cave. Only those with a kind heart may enter. The mirror would be safe there." Kanna told her sister.

"And I know who we can get to place the mirror there." Kagura said.

"Ahhh!" Kira fell to the ground as her soul reentered her body. "What happened? Where am I?" Kira stood up and was really confused.

"Kira! I will not allow you to kill my family." Sesshomaru told her as he finally caught up to her.

"What? Who are you?" Kira asked him.

"You are different. Naraku's mark on you is gone." Sesshomaru noticed.

"Who is Naraku?" Kira asked him.

"Something has happened. She has been returned to her former self, she is no longer a demon. Is Naraku dead?" Sesshomaru thought to himself.

"I knew I smelt Kira." Inu-Yasha said as he and Miroku ran up to them. "Sesshomaru, what's going on here? That isn't Kira, but she smells just like her." Inu-Yasha said.

"I am Kira!" she yelled.

"But you are not a wolf demon, why?" Miroku asked her.

"A wolf demon? I am a human! My father is a village leader and he will not stand for this. Are you the ones that attacked my home? My father will send out the entire village to find me, and when they do, you will be killed." Kira warned them.

"We didn't attack your village." Inu-Yasha told her.

"Then… who are you and what happened to my village?" Kira was really confused now.

"It can't be! My family must still be alive!" Kira cried as Kagome told her the truth. "He never wished to marry my sister, he only wanted me?" Kira cried. As Kagome and Sango tried to comfort her, Miroku pulled Inu-Yasha aside so he could talk to him.

"Naraku must have had another reason for taking this girl."

"What do you mean?" Inu-Yasha asked him.

"If he only wished for a body guard, why not make another incarnation, or he could have chosen a girl that was closer to his castle. According to Kira, Naraku traveled three days to get to her village. He wanted her for some reason." Miroku explained.

"I don't sense anything different about her." Inu-Yasha told Miroku as they looked over at Kira.

"I do, it is very faint, but she has great spiritual powers." Miroku told him.

"Inu-Yasha…" Kira stood up and walked over to him

"What?"

"Help me get revenge. I want Naraku to die." Kira told him.

"I will kill Naraku." Inu-Yasha promised her.

"You are too late. Naraku is already dead." Kagura said as she and Kanna appeared at the door of the hut.

"Kagura! I heard you were working for Naraku again, what are you doing here? Have you come here to kill us?" Inu-Yasha asked her.

"I do not work for Naraku. I belong to your brother. If I was working for Naraku, the mark your brother gave me would have disappeared." Kagura answered.

"Did Sesshomaru send you here?" Kagome asked her.

"No. I have come here on my own. I need to ask you for a favor." Kagura said, looking over at Sango.

"Me? What do you want of me?" Sango asked her as she stood up.

"Take this to that cave outside your village. No one must be allowed to have it." Kagura said, handing Kanna's mirror to her.

"Why?"

"It has Naraku's soul in it. If someone evil was to get that mirror, they would be able to revive him." Kagura told her.

"We shall take it there now." Miroku said as he picked up his staff.

"No. I will go alone. Stay here with Sumire." Sango told him as she called for Kirara. "Kirara will be with me, so I will be fine." Sango said as she kissed Miroku's cheek.

"Come Kanna, I must return to my children." Kagura said to her sister. Kanna turned and followed Kagura back into the darkness.

The next day Sango returned to the village. Three days after she returned, Kohaku made his way to the village. Now that he had his soul back, he wanted to stay near Sango forever. Sumire loved playing with him and was always with him. Inu-Yasha took Kira back to her village, only to find it completely destroyed, so Kira returned with Inu-Yasha to his village, where she lived until the day she died. Kanna stayed with Kagura at Sesshomaru's castle, until she disappeared sixty years after Naraku's death. Everyone else lived long, happy lives.