Shadows from the Future

Chapter Twenty-one: The Beginning of the End

"SHOW YOURSELF! WHO ARE YOU!?" Sango demanded, the figure stepped into the light, it was Kohaku. The younger demon exterminator threw his weapon at Sango who was pushed out of the way by Miroku. "Sango…" Miroku asked timidly. Sango shook herself out of her shock, "I'm sorry Miroku. I know he's not really Kohaku… but… he's still my younger brother. And dead or alive I mustn't have him under Naraku's control any longer!" Miroku stared at her in disbelief, "Does that mean…" Sango nodded, "We'll have to remove the jewel shard in his back. It's our only hope of saving him." The couple dodged another attack from Kohaku. "Well, Miroku? Do you agree with my plan or not?" Miroku looked down at her, his eyes meeting hers. "No, I do not agree with your plan." They dodge an attack from the side, "And why not?!" she yelled. "I do not wish to take your brother's life when I can so easily purify his tainted soul." Miroku explained, "It is nothing to compare with Lady Kagome's purifying abilities for the jewel shard in his back, but it may hold him until we can see her and Inuyasha. Are you up to it?" Sango nodded. "Alright, you'll have to attack him and knock him unconscious. Then I will be able to purify his soul from Naraku's evil."

Kohaku threw his weapon at the duo; they were able to dodge the attack again. "We can't keep this up any longer, Sango." Miroku said. The boy rapidly pulled out a sword and charge towards Sango. She got her own sword out as well and fought him; she lifted her sword up against his and pushed him backwards a few feet. As he flew backwards, Kohaku threw his ax at the unsuspecting Sango. Miroku ran up, "WIND TUNNEL!" His attack changed the direction of his attack and his ax was thrown into the wall. Kohaku pulled at his chain trying to free it from the wall, no prevail. Sango jumped in front of her brother, "I'm sorry Kohaku, but I have no choice. It'll be better soon." She threw her Hiraikotsu at the young demon exterminator. Kohaku fell to the ground motionless. "Miroku," she called as she saw her boyfriend run to her side. "Do you think you'll be able to help him after he's been under control for this long?" Miroku pulled at his scrolls and smiled at her, "Only one way to find out."

Inuyasha and Kagome continued to walk the long corridor. Kagome looked up at her mate; they haven't talk much since Keishou told them that he and Arasoi were their pups. Inuyasha noticed her staring and look down at her, "What's wrong?" he asked. She smiled at him, "Nothing." Inuyasha rolled his eyes, "You're the only person in the world who would smile her way to defeat the strongest demon in the world." Kagome shrugged, "Guess I'm just optimistic." They walked in silence for a few more minutes. "Kagome," Inuyasha said breaking the silence. "Yeah?" Inuyasha stopped walking and grabbed her hand and brought in to his chest. "I want you to promise me something. Promise me that if things get rough with Naraku you'll get out of there?" Kagome looked at his amber eyes in confusion. "Inuyasha, are you asking me to abandon you when you may need me most?" He held her hand tighter in his own, "Please Kagome. If anything was to ever happen to you I don't know what I'll do." "But Inuyasha-" "PLEASE KAGOME!" Kagome continued to look into his eyes. She stood on her tip toes and kissed him passionately. She slowly pulled away and rested her head on his chest, "I promise that I won't put myself in harms way." Inuyasha looked down at her his eyes shining brightly, "But you have to promise me something." "Oh yeah, what's that." Kagome lifted her head from his chest, "You have to promise me that you won't die in this battle. Or do something stupid." He smiled, his eyes showing his amusement. He lowered his head to her ear and whispered, "I promise." She felt him hold her hand tighter.

'Please keep that promise to me Inuyasha.'

Kagome felt her heart jump. "Kagome! What's the matter?" He let go of her hands and held her shoulders. "I-I sense jewels shards. They're a lot of them and they're all evil." Inuyasha hissed, "Naraku." He grabbed her hand and ran down the hall, "How close are they?" he demanded. "Very close. Like a yard away." Inuyasha ran faster along with Kagome until they found the wounded half demon. Naraku smirked, "Well well, what do we have here? Inuyasha and his mate hmm?" Inuyasha glared at him and noticed his abrasions. "What happened to you? It seems someone else hates you as much as I do." Inuyasha said mockingly. "It was that runt of yours, Arasoi." Naraku said bitterly. Kagome grabbed Inuyasha's arm, "What did you do to her!" she demanded. Naraku smiled wickedly, "Controlling half breeds are almost too easy. You need to get them when they're at their weakest then they're like clay in your hands. You can do almost anything with them. You can make them murder hundreds of innocent human, destroy villages or, my favorite, play with their thoughts and emotions." Inuyasha smirked, "It seems she was too much for you and got away. I can smell Keishou on you as well. You put them against each other then huh? You need a new act, Naraku. The whole tampering with emotions bit is getting old." Naraku continued to smirk, "You are right, Inuyasha. Never the less, no matter how strong you are emotions always are someone's down fall, even if you are the high priestess Kikyo."

Inuyasha raised his eyebrow, "What's that supposed to mean?" The evil hanyou smirked widened, "Her jealously of Kagome was the reason she was so easily manipulated to her own demise. I was the one who gave her the jewel fragment. She knew with the shard she would be able to kill that annoying mate of yours. Her death was part of her own stupidity from emotions." Inuyasha growled, "Shut up you bastard!" Naraku continued to smirk, "But I do need a new body, a stronger one then before. Whose flesh could I use to fix my wounds, maybe your mate's Inuyasha? Yes, her body would mend my wounds quite nicely." Inuyasha pulled the Tetsusaiga from its scabbard and stepped in front of Kagome, "Don't you touch a hair on her head, Naraku! Your battle is with me, leave her out of this." He charged at Naraku and slashed his chest. Naraku stumbled back and soon sent out his tentacles, which Inuyasha easily chopped to pieces. "You're gonna have to do better than that, Naraku!" Inuyasha jumped in the air, "WIND SCAR!" His glowing blade crashed down upon Naraku causing a huge explosion. Kagome covered her eyes as she felt the small room shake from the attack, once she was able to open her eyes she saw that the area around where Naraku once stood was now dust. "In… Inuyasha… is he…" she began before she saw Naraku's vine shot out from the dirt and quickly wrapped around her mate's limbs. "Damn…you" Inuyasha hissed. The vines tossed him in the air, then rapidly pulled him to the ground again and slammed him onto the earth. Kagome watched as a bloodier Naraku appeared from the debris and shot another vine towards Inuyasha throat. "INUYASHA!" she screamed in horror.

The vine was slashed into pieces.

Sesshoumaru had slashed Naraku's tentacle and freed Inuyasha from his grasp. "Sesshoumaru?" Kagome questioned in utter amazement. "SESSHOUMARU! WHY IN THE HELL ARE YOU HERE? THIS IS NOT THE BEST TIME TO TRY TO GET MY SWORD! COME BACK WHEN I'M NOT TRYING TO KILL THE ULTIMATE EVIL!" Inuyasha yelled as he got to his feet. "Inuyasha, behave yourself! He just saved your life!" Kagome scolded from the sidelines. "You shut up over there!" Inuyasha screamed at his mate. "Don't tell me to shut up!" Kagome screamed back. "Don't make me come over there!" He yelled. "Inuyasha," The young hanyou stopped fighting with his mate and looked at his half brother. "I have come here to defeat Naraku because he is the nuisance that is keeping me from stealing the Tetsusaiga from you." Inuyasha smirked now turning his attention to Naraku, "Yeah, that and the fact that you can't wield it." Sesshoumaru also faced Naraku holding his own sword tight, "I do not attend to use the Tetsusaiga to kill you, half-breed, but that is aside the point. The point is we shall have to work together to defeat Naraku." Inuyasha snickered, "Do whatever you wish but stay out of my way. I'm killing Naraku myself. I don't need your help." Naraku smirked as he sent an attack at the brothers who flung it back at him. Sesshoumaru turned angrily at his brother, "Listen, don't be a fool! You cannot possibly defeat that thing alone. As much as I despise the idea of fighting along side you I will not give him the satisfactory of being the one to kill you. That will be my accomplishment and mine alone." Inuyasha growled in frustration, "Fine! We'll work together! But as soon as this is over I never wanna fight along side you again, no matter what the circumstances are!" Inuyasha exclaimed. Sesshoumaru nodded, "Agreed."

Naraku smirked and sent out another tentacle at the brothers. Sesshoumaru slashed it away while Inuyasha jumped into the air in an attempt to attack Naraku, he moved out of the way so the only thing Inuyasha hit was the jewel that hung from his neck. The chain snapped and the jewel flew threw the air. Kagome quickly caught the jewel that purified by instantly touching her fingers. "NO!" Naraku screamed he sent his tentacle out towards the school girl. "DON'T TOUCH HER DAMN IT!" Inuyasha yelled as he raced next to the limb and tried to slash it. Naraku notice this threw the vine into his stomach, tossing Inuyasha across the room. "KAGOME!" He screamed when Naraku wrapped his vine around his mate. Kagome trashed about in his grip trying to escape. "LET ME GO!" he screamed. "Never, you have nearly the whole jewel in your possession. The only shards missing must be from Kohaku and that wolf friend of yours. You also have the flesh that I can use to restore my body." Naraku faced the hanyou, "Now Inuyasha, suffer while watching your mate die!" His tentacles began to squeeze Kagome. "STOP IT!" Inuyasha darted for Naraku about to use the wind scar when a barrier pushed him back. "No…" he whispered, "This can be happening…" Kagome screamed in pain, 'I need to get the jewel to Inuyasha…' With all her might, Kagome pulled her arm out of Naraku's grip. "INUYASHA!" she called throwing the jewel towards him, he caught it with ease. He looked at the jewel dumbly for a moment before realizing why she had thrown it to him, 'What? That can't be the only way, can it?'

(AN: Oh dear, I leave you in more suspense! Shoot, this fic is getting pretty long. This was the 21st chapter. I better end it soon before you all get bored and cranky! Okay, I will update if you REVIEW! I will not update if you don't. So REVIEW my darlings, you know you want to!)