Kagome's blood ran cold. Naraku was definitely close. No one else could possibly hold so many Shikon Shards. The beacon of their aura was strong, and just ahead, still. He wasn't running. He wasn't fleeing, or teasing them. He was waiting for them, luring them closer. Her heart pounded mercilessly as a bit of her nightmare flashed through her mind—her friends' empty, blank eyes, staring so forgivingly at her, even though it was her fault... She shuddered, and mutely climbed onto Inuyasha's back as he told her to. Kirara transformed to carry the others, and they raced forward into what, if her dreams were true, would be certain annihilation.

Could it really be the final battle? After all the searching, all the fighting, all the it really be the end? It was so hard to fathom. Had Naraku finally grown bored of leading them in circles?

"Which way?" Inuyasha muttered. Kagome felt slightly injured at his tone, but dismissed it, concentrating. "That way," she answered meekly, and Inuyasha bounded in the direction she indicated, with Kirara at his heels. Miroku and Sango's faces were set in grimness. Even Shippo looked serious. Kagome was sure Inuyasha's expression was the same, even though she couldn't see it. If this really was the end...if it really was the last battle, and if they won...what would happen? The jewel would be complete again...Kikyou would be avenged. Would that mean Inuyasha would have to go to hell with her, at long last? Would Kagome be forced to go home forever, once her services were no longer of use? Her eyes darkened, and she set them on the trail ahead, forcibly pushing the lump of sadness in her throat away.

She couldn't think of that now. She wouldn't.

"Up ahead," she warned gravely, and Inuyasha's hands tightened ever so slightly around her legs. The message was clear, even though he didn't so much as look back: Whatever happens to us now...I'm not mad at you anymore, okay? She put at hand to his head and lightly, so lightly that he was barely sure that it happened, touched his head. I understand, Inuyasha. And I am sorry. Her heart felt just the tiniest bit lighter, despite the fact that they could've been rushing headfirst into terrible danger.

Inuyasha's paced slowed, and Kirara returned to the ground. Kagome heard a light thump as the neko youkai landed on all four paws, growling menacingly. Inuyasha's shoulders were tense, Kagome noted, as they all looked up together to see something that didn't surprise any of them: Naraku. He was standing clear across the clearing, looking smug and unafraid as always. His manner was easy, his evil smile taunting. "Inuyasha," he said pleasantly, as if they were the best of friends. "Is our game of hide and seek over already?"

"Go stand with the others, Kagome," Inuyasha ordered in a low voice, dropping her knees to the ground. She backed away obediently, and stood beside Miroku and Sango as they jumped down from Kirara's back. "It's over, Naraku," Inuyasha said, the typical banter. "We've had enough of your GAMES."

"Oh?" The villain's tone was careless, but held traces of malice beneath. "Have you?" His smirk became even more evil. "Then I guess it's time to see if you've improved since last time." He glanced over his shoulder as two figures leapt out from the brush and landed nimbly at his side. Naraku turned back to them with a pleased chuckle at the looks on their faces. "May I have the pleasure," he said slowly, "of introducing you to my new...ah...children?" Both of them turned their faces upwards, sporting the pretty faces of geisha entertainers...and bright red demonic eyes. "Setsuko. Riku. Have fun."

Together, in one movement so synchronized that it was eerie, the two incarnations each plunged one of their pale hands within the folds of their matching kimonos. The one in the red kimono revealed a long, twisted staff; the one in blue pulled out a fan that looked a good bit like Kagura's. They stared silently at the Inu-tachi with their blank, sinister red eyes, as if waiting for something. Inuyasha's shoulders tensed, and his feet dug into the earth as he prepared to spring. Kagome, sensing his decision, hastened to warn him that something wasn't right—that he needed to be careful—

But it was too late. He had already leapt forward, Tetsusaiga raised in attack. Kagome barely had time to cringe. He brought the sword down with bone-crushing force, his expression fierce, right above the two demons' heads—but never struck them. At the very last moment possible, they flung themselves to the side, not making so much as a whimper as they rolled and landed in a crouching position, apparently unfazed. Inuyasha blinked in surprise for a moment before jumping up to dodge their attacks in turn.

The one in the blue kimono—Riku—had raised her fan, giving it an almighty sweep in his direction. A strange array of shockwaves narrowly missed the half demon, lodging themselves into the thick bark of a tree behind. Nothing happened for a moment, perhaps two, and then the trunk exploded into a cloud of dust where the beams had struck, leaving a clean cut. Half of the tree slid off the bottom half and toppled to the ground with a loud thud. Kagome shuddered, and Miroku and Sango looked on in shock.

"That thing—" Sango looked a little surprised. "That's not the usual power, is it?"

"We've got to do something," Kagome murmured. "Look at them!" for Inuyasha was trying to fight off both incarnations at once, dodging, striking, and repeating the process over and over. He couldn't keep that up forever. Sango and Miroku exchanged grim glances before nodding and rushing off to aid him.

"Hiraikotsu!" Sango yelled, throwing the demon-bone boomerang in the direction of the laughing Naraku. He easily moved to the side to avoid it, still laughing insidiously, and flung his tentacles in her direction, sending her—and Miroku, as he tried to brace her—flying backwards. The two were flung mercilessly against a tree and landed, in a crumpled pile, entangled in one another's arms. Kagome waited, holding her breath, but they didn't get back up. Her heart skipped a beat.

'Miroku! Sango! Are you—you can't be—" She ran to them, leaving her arrows behind. "Sango-chan! Miroku-sama! Are you all right?!" She knelt beside them, and hovered, faintly afraid to move them...what if something was broken? She might make it worse! Kagome bit her lip and brushed the bangs from Sango's face, praying for them to wake up and move of their own free will. They didn't.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha's cry was one of warning. Kagome looked up just in time to see a blow of energy heading right in Shippo's direction. His eyes widened in surprise and he stumbled backwards, trying to run but finding that his legs were numb—he'd never have a chance. He was going to die here, on the battlefield, against some creep that he'd never really had anything to do with—

And then, he was being thrown backwards, beneath the weight of something heavy. He felt the strength of the blast fly past on all sides, but somehow not hitting him, only ruffling his hair a little. It was white-hot with pure energy that was somehow like molten fire speeding in one fell blow, and he felt all of his nerves stand on end on instinct. When at last he collided back with the ground, and he felt safe enough at least to open his eyes, the world was still spinning. He was closer to the end of the clearing than he had been a few moments before. What had saved him? He blinked, remembering the heavy thing, and looked down, realizing that thing had not only protected him from the attack, but had softened his crashing to the ground as well.

"K-Kagome!" Her eyes were closed, and she didn't move at his voice. Shippo glanced over her body and gasped. She had taken that attack for him, the same way Inuyasha had for her all those times, and she looked none the better for it. There was a large gash at her side, and also along the length of her let arm, from the shoulder to the elbow. Her face was pale, paler than it should've been, and something warm and sticky was soaking through his fingers as he tried to rouse her.

Blood!

No! Shippo clung to her hand, which was wet with her own blood and pleaded with her to wake. She was breathing, but if they didn't move soon—

"Kagome!" Inuyasha seemed to have noticed the commotion. His eyes met Shippo's even as he batted away Naraku's tentacles, sparkling with something close to fear, and seemed to be asking, Is she—? The kitsune's expression became alarmed, and he opened his mouth to shout a warning. Inuyasha whipped back around, mentally cursing himself for getting distracted—and looked up just in time to see another throng of Naraku's tentacles lunging at him. This had happened several times before, none the least the last time he had tried to "become one" with Inuyasha, and it was not a pleasant experience.

He didn't plan for it to happen again.

He made to jump to the side, bringing Tetsusaiga up to attack—

And then, suddenly, it was snatched from his fingers and thrown off in an odd direction. Inuyasha didn't have time to be angry about losing it; he threw his arms up to keep the speeding demonic limbs from tearing him apart, and skidded backwards, trying to fight against the pure force that Naraku was exerting. He felt one something graze his shoulder, which in turn stung, but he ignored it, glancing out of the corner of his eyes at Shippo and Kagome, who seemed to have woken up. She was all right. "Shippo, move the others!" he ordered, ducking down beneath the tentacles. They flew over his head and then turned upon themselves, rushing at him at ground level, trying to snatch at him again. All the speed and agility he had came rushing back as he dodged them, one by one, flawlessly, and ran in the direction Tetsusaiga had been thrown in.

Riku and Setsuko both leapt into the air and landed before him, blocking his path to the sword. Their faces were blank of any true expression, but they both wore empty smiles. Inuyasha was hauntingly reminded of Kana. "Now, now, Halfling," they said together, in voices that were nowhere as near as pretty as their faces. The sound hurt his ears. "We're not done with you just yet."

"Oh yeah?" Inuyasha panted. "Come at me then!"

They attacked as one, raising their weapons against their unarmed foe. Riku released the same blue shockwave of energy that she had before, and this time her aim was even closer. Inuyasha felt his hair move, as if in a breeze, as he ducked and only just escaped. Closely following was an orb of red—was it fire?—that emerged from Setsuko's twisty staff. It sped right for him, such a large-spanned attack—he dodged it, feeling the heat of it pass over.

He'd managed to lock himself into a fine mess. Riku stood on one side, while her sister stood on the other, blocking Tetsusaiga with her staff still raised and smoking. He needed a distraction to keep them busy, just for a second—any kind of diversion would do, if only it could hold their attention for a moment. But how could that possibly happen? Miroku and Sango were still unmoving on one side—it was a miracle Naraku hadn't attacked them yet; Kirara was distracting Naraku for the moment, and Kagome was probably too injured to move—

"Inuyasha." A winded voice murmured somewhere near his elbow. He glanced over to see—coincidence of coincidences—Kagome, standing at his side. In both hands she held up her bow at the ready, with an arrow fitted and the quiver case with the single remaining extra arrow at her back. Inuyasha looked her over quickly. She was wounded! Her eyes burned with a dim sort of determination that told him quite plainly, I'm not going anywhere. Let me help you. He stared at her for just a fraction of a moment, and then he nodded, taking her roughly by the shoulders and shoving her to the side. Kagome looked up to see Naraku's tenticled limbs slice through the air they had been standing in a moment before.

"Go," Kagome panted quietly as the two smirking girls drew closer. "I can distract them for a second."

"Kagome—" His eyes told her that he still had doubts about leaving her unaided in the middle of the battlefield. Irritation gnawed at her heart. Now wasn't the time for doubts! She narrowed her eyes and turned back to the incarnations, firing the arrow at them.

"GO!" Inuyasha hesitated, then obeyed, leaping off in the direction of Tetsusaiga. Riku watched as if she wanted to bound after him, but glanced confusedly at her sister, who had been hit, in the side, with Kagome's arrow and was slowly being purified. "What, aren't you going to go get him?" she panted with an evil smirk all her own, fitting the last arrow to her bow.

"Evil miko witch," Riku spat, helping her sister climb to her feet and chase after Inuyasha. "You'll pay for that!" And she would, of course, for Master Naraku had a plan. She was sure of it. She and Setsuko moved after Inuyasha, their faces set. They could still beat him. He was just a pathetic Halfling.

Unfortunately for the two of them, Inuyasha had just reclaimed his sword from the tree. The rusty scabbard transformed in his hands once more, becoming the huge katana that was always at his side during such battles. He gave them a confident smirk, looking with amusement upon Setsuko's injury. Kagome's handiwork, no doubt. He would've expected no less. "All right, you," he said venomously, a merciless smile playing about his lips. "Ready to die?"

"I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you," Riku warned, a cruel amusement on her thin features. "Your time would be better spent trying to save the miko witch." Inuyasha looked at her uncomprehendingly before realizing just what she was hinting at. His eyes flew to Kagome, and his heart nearly stopped right then.

"Kagome! Look out!"

Somehow in the span of his exchanging banter with Naraku's slithery offspring, she had fallen to her knees. Her face was pale, labored, as she clutched the wound she had received earlier—her hands were covered in bright red blood that sparkled in the setting sun. Where was her arrow? He spotted the bow, lying a few feet away, useless, and then her last arrow, which had apparently missed its mark and was protruding from the bark of a tree across the clearing.

Naraku was edging forward, looking sickeningly sinister. "Get up, idiot! Run!" Inuyasha called, blocking a sweep of Setsuko's newly-englongated claws. But she didn't. she just stared at him, as if in some sort of trance. The evil half demon moved closer to her, chuckling in a low tone. "Well, well, little miko," he said softly. "Are you ready to die now?" He reached down, spreading out his fingers as his hand moved for her throat. Inuyasha, eyes wide with alarm as he fought to get past the two servants, to help her, noticed the tiniest flicker of something bright in Kagome's eyes.

'She's planning something!'

If Naraku noticed, he didn't show it. His expression remained the same as he leisurely wrapped his fingers around her throat, and began tightening it. Kagome didn't struggle. Inuyasha was pushed further back then as the attacks upon him intensified, but his ears caught the sound of Kagome's voice above the clash of claw and sword, even as he focused on getting rid of the two annoying girls. She was murmuring something. A spell? Since when did Kagome know a spell? Inuyasha listened as close as he could while dodging flying balls of molten fire, but he couldn't decipher the words. The language was foreign—or maybe she was just speaking too fast.

Whatever it was she was doing, it must have worked, because a moment later Naraku's malevolence mirth stopped altogether. Riku and Setsuko slowed, however slightly, in their fight with Inuyasha, their faces contorted in...pain? Inuyasha blinked in confusion, staring at Naraku in between the slow blows.

He was being purified, if Inuyasha had to make a guess. His right arm sported a purplish-pink glow of magic, which started at the hand that had touched Kagome's skin. He let out a fantastic shriek, stumbling backwards, clutching his arm with the normal one. It was obvious that the purification was spreading, and that it hurt a lot. His face showed a mixture of fear and surprise. Kagome, still panting, looked pained, though her lips held a smile of a watery sort of triumph. She glanced right at Inuyasha with something like apology in her eyes—

Just as Naraku's tentacle pierced right through her side.

She didn't look surprised as she fell, a weak smile still on her lips. Inuyasha would later swear that his heart had stopped in that moment. He wanted to rush to her, but his legs wouldn't move...everything seemed to have suddenly gotten very cold and dark. His eyes met with Kagome's, and he saw love written there—still more apology, a little sadness, and love. In the background, a shrill voice yelled, but Inuyasha hardly comprehended it. Naraku raised his tentacle again—his dying blow— Inuyasha knew this would be the end—he was screaming at his body to move, but, as if by some strange spell, it wouldn't. His mind was pleadingly repeatedly to any divine being that happened to be watching...

'Kami, not Kagome...please, please, not her....' He watched, helplessly struggling to move, as Naraku's limb shot forward to seek the ultimate revenge on his killers—

And then, at the very last moment, there came a little red blur. Shippo leapt over a root sticking up from the ground, dodging the attacks of Naraku's poisonous insects as they tried to sting him, and flung himself at Naraku at the last moment, exactly in time with Kirara. They managed to distract Naraku at least enough—his tentacle missed Kagome by several inches, and he gave a frustrated screech as he threw Shippo as far as he could and dropped Kirara, just as his form disappeared.

There was a small clink noise as a little wooden figurine fell from the place Naraku's head had been.

It was a puppet. Just another puppet. That one fact would irk Inuyasha to no end in the months to come, but as of the moment, he had only one thought on his mind.

Kagome.

The spell gone at last, he dropped the Tetsusaiga (as the two incarnations disappeared as well) and ran towards her. Dropping at her side, the whole world seemed to be at a deathly standstill. Nothing anywhere made a sound. The birds paused in their nests. The wind held its breath. Shippo crawled weakly from the underbrush, holding a little hand to the bloody wound Naraku's swipe had given him, but he didn't say anything either. He froze in mid-movement, watching in silence the exchange between the two of them.

"He...he's g-gone, Inuyasha," Kagome's voice murmured. "Y-You've av-avenged K-Kikyou. A-and the Sh-shikon's complete again. She dropped it into his palm meekly, looking into his face with eyes full of apology and pleading. Pleading for what? Inuyasha carefully lifted her from the ground and held her, in a semi-sitting position, against him.

"K-kagome...You're hurt. C'mon, we'll go to Kaede's, it's not too far..." the shift in his shoulders suggested that he was going to lift her and run straight to the village, but Kagome stopped him with one shaking hand.

"No," her quiet voice said.

"What do you mean no? You have to let Kaede-baa-baa heal you!"

"I-Inuyasha," she spluttered, and blood ran down her chin. "The others need help t-too. We c-can't just leave them."

"Miroku and Sango are all right," Inuyasha protested, glancing at them. "They'll wake up soon enough. No one did anything to them." He blinked, as Kagome voiced the concern that had just come to his mind.

"B-but where's Sh-shippo-chan!" They looked stricken for a moment, and glanced all around, obviously fearing the worse. Shippo swallowed and called attention to himself.

"I'm here..."

Kagome gasped, and paled another two shades if that was humanly possible. She pusheed herself up, leaning on Inuyasha and wincing terribly, and hobbled over to where Shippo was resting fifteen feet away, even though Inuyasha was trying to stop her and make her be still. She collapsed beside him and pulled him into her arms, carefully minding his wound. "Sh-shippo!" she sobbed. "Y-you're—you're—"

"I'm okay," Shippo assured, forcing his face not to show any pain.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "You got hurt because of me...again..."

"No!" Inuyasha and Shippo interjected together, both not liking the guilty tone to her voice. "It wasn't your fault," Shippo said quickly. "I'm not even seriously injured, right, Inuyasha?" Inuyasha blinked, as if surprised, before answering, "Yeah, you'll heal. It's just a scratch."

"See?" Shippo made his voice sound bright. It might've been just a scratch, but he was currently bleeding all over Kagome. She looked rather pale as she seemed to realize this herself. Her shirt was soaked with her own blood, and her sleeve dotted with his. Inuyasha was watching her tensely.

"You need to lie down," he told her gruffly. She gave him a weak, faraway look laced with pain.

"Did we really...beat Naraku?" she asked. Inuyasha swore mentally, but looked at her with calm eyes, forcing his voice to be patient. "No," he answered. "It was just a puppet. We were lucky. The real Naraku probably would've—would've—" he stopped, finding that he was unable to bring himself to day any form of or related to the word die. She had come so close—indeed, while her wound wasn't fatal, it could become so still if not treated quickly. Inuyasha cleared his throat.

"We do need to get back to the village," he said slowly, as if talking to himself instead of to them. "Kaede will help." He reached for Kagome again with open hands, but she pushed them away.

"We can't," she said again, this time more hazily. "Miroku and Sango—"

"—will be fine," he finished, losing a little of his patience. "You've got to get help quickly, and it wouldn't hurt Shippo either." He glanced at the kit.

"I won't l-leave them," she said stubbornly. Her voice was firm enough but her eyes were flickering with pain at the movements caused by arguing with him. Inuyasha bit his lip, and looked away. She wasn't going to give up, and he couldn't force her—not in this condition. Struggling wouldn't help at all. It seemed he only had one choice.

"All right," he said reluctantly. "All right. We won't leave until they wake up."


Tailz: ::Gasp:: ::Gasp::

Sanji: ..... ::Hands her a glass of water::

Tailz: ::Just ranted the socks off of no one in particular::

Sanji: .... No more ranting. Go take a nap.

Tailz: Nevvvvvverrrr!!! ::Jumps down and hides under the desk, hissing::

Sanji: .... ::Presses a button on the computer nonchalantly::

::Dearest begins playing softly::

Tailz: ::KONK!:: Zzzzzz........