Hey all… sorry I'm late on this. My battery died this morning seriously just as I was about to send it. I mean, I was loading it onto the site when it died. And then, I had to drive for like 11 hours, so I have barely had time for anything. I'm praying that I'll get the last two chapters in tonight as well so you don't all have to wait while I'm gone for two weeks. Wish me luck!

Chapter 16: The Strength to be Happy

Naraku glanced at his sword, which was already glowing a happy white just from the lust for the power of Inuyasha. Inuyasha's human heart left him under the agony of his loss and was taken place by his animal instinct, to kill anything that moved. He struggled against the vines, trying to take down whoever was in front of him. At that time, Inuyasha didn't even know who Naraku was, nor did he know who he was, or anything else for that matter. There was just a lust for blood. Naraku smiled at him, "Who would have thought you would be weaker as a hanyou."

Just as he was about to lift his sword for the strike that would end Inuyasha's life, he heard the door burst open. He turned to see Kagome in the distant doorway, with an arrow aimed at him. "Naraku!"

Naraku only smirked at her fortitude, "Puh. So you're alive then, are you."

Kagome's bow tightened and she released. The arrow started glowing mid-flight and it struck Naraku right on the shoulder. He glanced down at the bloodless hole as if it were merely a nuisance. His skin began to reconstruct. Kagome was about to fire again when she heard Inuyasha's voice. She gasped as she glanced over to him. "Inuyasha, what's wrong? Why are you transforming?"

Tetsusaiga was still at his side, but doing nothing. Naraku answered for her, "He can't hear you. He doesn't even know who he is anymore. The transformation is complete and now I shall make use of it."

He raised his sword into the air and Kagome took her chance. "Not unless I can stop whatever spell you have over him."

Quickly changing aim, she let her arrow go. It glowed brightly as the purification took over and the vine that was imprisoning Inuyasha was hit. It slowly began to melt away. Naraku shook his head benignly, "Tsk, tsk. That was a bad idea, miko."

Kagome gazed at Naraku in confusion, but reached for another bow to attack him with. Her attention was severed when she heard Inuyasha's battle cry. In his full youkai form, he charged straight for Naraku with claws extended. Naraku sighed as if in annoyance, and rolled his eyes, "Haven't we been through this already?"

With a swing of the sword, Inuyasha was thrown into a wall. He got up faster than he did when he was a hanyou, and although Kagome could distinctly see there had been damage to his collar bone, he didn't seem to mind it. He rose from the ground and flexed his claws. When one would have expected to see a wicked smirk cross his lips, his face was instead twisted with anger and vengeance. Why he wanted it, he did not know. He didn't know anything anymore. Forgetting all about the failed previous attempt in the state of madness, he again charged Naraku and leaped for him. Again, the power of the sword threw him back, and this time the sword itself actually made contact with his skin. A splash of blood flew in the air. When his head hit hard on the rocky ground, he rolled several times before lying still in an unconscious state.

Once realizing Inuyasha's loss of strategy, she took her chance. Naraku was caught off-guard as another arrow struck him. Kagome screamed, "What do you want from Inuyasha? Why did you make him transform?"

"I didn't make him transform. He did that himself."

Naraku took a few menacing steps towards her, so Kagome sidestepped so that he could not get any closer to her. He continued his slow pursuit until they were both walking in a circle. Kagome spat at him, "You're a liar! Over the past few months, you have made my life a living hell, and I will not let you hurt Inuyasha! Tell me what you have done to him!"

"Power is what I desire, miko… Power. And I've always known that both you and that pitiful hanyou had a power worthy of taking. Originally, I delighted in the idea of getting you pregnant so that I could obtain your powers, all while bringing pain to Inuyasha. But my plans quickly changed. I could always make the attempt for your powers again, but what about Inuyasha's powers. I knew his human heart would never let anything happen to you, so I used his fear to lure him in. His hatred of me consumed him so that he transformed even with the Tetsusaiga by his side. Such hatred would be far more powerful than any love you speak of, any purity that you possess. My sword will feed upon his fear and his rage, until there is nothing left of him, not even his human side."

Kagome snarled and the shot an arrow once again, which again did no troublesome affect to Naraku, "You're planning on stealing his powers! You were planning on stealing my powers! I will never let you get away with what you've done to me, and I will never let you kill Inuyasha!"

"I don't think you have much of a choice. Not even your presence can bring him back. He thinks you are dead anyways. The rage will stay forever, until I absorb it."

Kagome was now out of bows, but she did the only thing she could do. She charged. It was a failed plan from the start and she knew it, but her own safety didn't even matter anymore. She actually managed to reach the sword's aura and push against it with her own. The sword's blade hovered but a few inches from her hands, and if she could just grab onto that sword, she knew she could purify it. Naraku wouldn't let her see that he was amazed that she hadn't fallen yet. But she could only endure for so long. Sweat trickled down her neck and her hands became red with the heat of their aura combat. Ultimately, the strength of Naraku outdid her own, and she was flung into a nearby wall, landing with a painful cry.

The unconscious hanyou suddenly twitched on the floor. He lifted his head up and looked in confusion. He didn't know who these people were or what they were doing, but there was something about that female's voice that had awoken him. He eyed her suspiciously for a few moments, not daring to trust anyone or anything but his own instincts at the moment. Once again he leaped for Naraku. As Naraku's back was towards Inuyasha, he had managed to tear through him once. Inuyasha landed some feet away, feeling pretty proud of himself, but growled deeply when he saw that his prey was reforming. He looked at his claws, which had no trail of blood on him. He needed blood. His hand grazed something very hot and he glanced down to see a sword that was attached to him. For a moment, he racked his brain trying to think of what it was, but he couldn't remember a thing. However, when he saw that it closely resembled the weapon his opponent had, he pulled it out and swung for him. Naraku smiled, "Be still, Inuyasha. Lie down. We don't want to tire out your power."

Summoning the power of the sword, he aimed again for the rocks of the ceiling. Kagome gasped as she scrambled to her feet. "No!"

If Inuyasha was knocked out again, Naraku would take the opportunity to steal his power while he was immobile. She couldn't let him fall in battle, no matter what. As fast as her legs could carry her, she ran to him. Inuyasha didn't even care to hear the rocks as they came tumbling down just above him. Kagome got there in time and launched herself upon him, causing them both to fly off of the path of the rocks.

In a symphony of thunder, the rocks smashed against the floor and shook the earth beneath. Dust filled the air until one couldn't see or breathe. Naraku put up a shield over himself from the onslaught of rocks that carelessly fell to him as well. When the dust finally settled a hill of fallen rock covered one corner of the room. For a second Naraku thought that they had been crushed beneath it, but when he could feel that their presences were still pulsing in the living world, he knew that there was merely a wall of fallen stone, and the inside was hollow. They had survived. But this was of no consequence to Naraku, "Alright, miko. If you really want to be with your hanyou, I'll let you. I'll let him rip you to pieces without even knowing that it was you. So much for pure love. Once he is finished with you, I will finish him."

Below the castle beneath the mountain lay a prison of loosened rock, which covered one corner of a large chamber. Although the earth must succumb to the laws of gravity, many had reached out for each other and grasped on tight, forbidding themselves to fall to the earth. They were too prideful. They were the earth, but wished to be above earth, to be superior to earth. Despite their pride, the only way they can go is down. They may reach towards the heavens, only to come tumbling back. It was bitter in this fate.

Water was not like rock. While rock would remain on the bottom of everything forever, water could be reborn. It was able to fall as far as it pleased, and upon death, they would rise back to the heavens, become purified, and then be reborn to repeat their journey. They need not fear death, for there was always another chance for them. Rock had no such chance. It carried the burden of everything on its back, and was rewarded with an eternity of inferiority. All there was to do was to hold; all there was to do was to fall. But where is the heart in the rock? In its lust for power and bitterness towards all else, life could bow down to its greatness. And yet, in their pride… there was righteous pride. How came it that the loose rocks fell together and pressed against each other at just the right time to keep themselves from caving in? This mystery and fate is one that can not be solved, and one hesitates to believe that rock took pity upon the life below them. And yet in this odd accident of gravity, rock discovered something. It discovered that it wasn't rock, but earth… Earth because it was connected to other rocks, and therefore everything. They needed eachother in order to hold eachother up.

Before opening her eyes, she could feel her own silent breathing within her chest. Still it was as soft and steady as slumber. In her half-conscious state, where memory and touch and smell had not yet recovered, her ears could make out a strange echoing sound. A tapping that moved in rhythm. She opened her eyes to see the new chamber she was encased in, and on the ground by one of the walls, there was forming a small puddle of water.

Not a second later, she felt something was beneath her. She looked down to find Inuyasha once again unconscious. "Inuyasha!"

She slipped one hand behind his head and the other caressed his cheek. "Inuyasha, please wake up! Please don't give in!"

In an instant, his eyes opened to reveal their bloody red color and a wicked growl escaped his lungs. Kagome didn't even have a chance to move away, before he turned over and pinned her beneath him. His claws grasped her wrists and held them next to her shoulders as the rest of him held her abdomen down. She gasped as he snarled at her. "Inuyasha!"

This was bad. He didn't even recognize her anymore. What was she supposed to do? He could very well kill her right then and there, and he wouldn't even know it. She remembered what Naraku had said before. He said that Inuyasha thought Kagome was dead. Could that be what brought forth the transformation? She whimpered as tears emerged from her eyes, "Inuyasha…"

Inuyasha's snarl faded away to a look of shock. The smell of this woman's tears… what was it? And that voice again. As if her touch was poison, he leaped away from her. She saw him as he backed up to the wall, looking like he was in the defensive. He kept his eyes firmly locked on her as if he suspected her to attack him. Perhaps she had been a threat and that was why she had affected him so. Kagome got to her feet and heard him growl again at her. She took a few steps towards him and his growl got louder. She stopped moving when he got into a striking pose. He didn't attack, but then proceeded to pace around the corner, still staring at the woman he no longer knew. His growl became much like a lion's darkened purr. All he could think of now was escaping from this person. Never had his youkai form been afraid before, but he was terrified now, and he didn't like it. But he didn't know what he was afraid of. If pressured enough, he knew he would have to fight. Kagome tenderly stretched a hand out to him, "Inuyasha, please…"

The youkai spoke, "What do you want from me? Get away!"

Kagome shook her head to signal that she wouldn't go anywhere. "Inuyasha, it's me. It's Kagome. You have to remember."

She took another two steps towards him. He growled, "Get away from me! I'll fucking kill you if you come any closer!"

But Kagome stood strong. She stared back with sad and piteous eyes, and replied softly, "I'm not afraid, Inuyasha."

"Whoever you are, you are a fool." Inuyasha growled, still agitated that she was coming closer to him.

That look in her eyes was tormenting him. It confused him beyond comprehension what he was feeling or why. His youkai form had never felt it before. She continued to take slow steps to him. "I could never be afraid of you, Inuyasha. I know you would never hurt me…"

Inuyasha flexed his claws in an attempt to get her to back off, but she kept on walking. He looked shocked. Never had a mere human been so brave to stand up to his power. But there was something about her that caused something to stir in him. He didn't like the confusion. She continued, "… I know that your human heart is still there, Inuyasha. I know that's why you are afraid, because you think you don't remember, but you do. You remember me. You have to wake up, Inuyasha. I want to see my hanyou again. The hanyou that I fell in love with."

Inuyasha froze as she came practically face to face with him. There was no fear in her eyes, but there was sadness. It was unnerving to him. 'Who the hell is this female? Why does her scent smell so… so familiar? Why does her breath and gaze consume me? Could she be a sorceress?'

A weak and sad smile reached her lips as she stretched her hand to his cheek. "I don't need you to fight for me."

Her lips brushed against his cheek, and he felt something pulse beneath him. Before she could do anything else, he grabbed her and turned to press her against the wall. "You will lose!" He threatened, "I don't know what spell you have cast. But you will lose!"

Kagome merely shook her head, "I will not lose, Inuyasha. When I have you, I can never lose."

Inuyasha tightened his grip on her. What she was saying was doing something to him. He didn't know what. Murder was all he desired, so why was she plucking at his nature? He growled louder. Kagome smiled through the many many tears. "I don't need you to fight for me, to die for me. Right now, I don't care about getting revenge. I only want you back. Don't you understand, Inuyasha. You are my strength, Inuyasha. You're my happiness. It doesn't matter how much I have suffered because I have you to make me feel worthwhile. I only need you, Inuyasha. That's all."

Inuyasha choked on his growl for a moment. Something lived within him that begged to be released. He didn't know if he should set it free. It seemed foolish to trust something you didn't understand. There was so much pain in what was locked inside. It was something he had turned away from his whole life. Yes… he had been fighting something in him… it was… his human side, wasn't it. 'No!' he screamed at himself, 'I'm a youkai! I'm a youkai! She's trying to trick me!'

He tensed again as he felt the rhythm of something within himself. It was throbbing against his chest rapidly. So fast and so strong, it felt like it was trying to kill him. Something was screaming at him. Something was pushing against his youkai blood, demanding that it recede. But the youkai in him fought, telling his heart that his soul was gone. Despite all this, his heart kept beating in its own meditation and healing. For a few moments, he could see replicas of his youkai power surrounding him. He looked around in fear. This… couldn't be the youkai he wanted to be, was it? The air was filled with laughs as they were telling him he was a fool. There was no soul left in him. Only anger and instincts. His youkai was his power, the ultimate power, and he would not let it go for some human girl. Through all the negativity and bantering, the heart merely whispered, 'You are wrong.'

His entire body pulsed and began to shake lightly as he fought against himself. He still held Kagome firmly against the wall. His growl sounded as though he was close to death. He closed her eyes tight and clenched his fangs, trying to fight with everything he had. Kagome's voice cracked, "I love you, Inuyasha! I know you're still there!"

He shook his head fiercely and appeared to be in agony. Kagome's lips trembled. She just couldn't lose this fight. "Together, we can defeat Naraku. But only together. Remember, Inuyasha. Remember us. Remember our love!"

She slipped her arms out from his grasp and cradled his face. She leaned forward and began to kiss him sweetly. She felt him gasp beneath her lips. His red eyes went wide under her touch. She then broke of the kiss and moved onto his cheeks, reigning kisses all over his face. He had whimpered; she was sure of it. Blood was racing beneath her fingers. She begged him to fight it, "Remember, Inuyasha… Remember how I love you… Remember… I only need you to make me happy… I only need you."

His stomach convulsed as he felt something shoot through him like electricity from his head to his fingertips. His fingers released his hold on her, but his palms stayed against her. When she took his lips in hers again, his growling ceased completely. He couldn't breathe anymore. Every nerve in his body quaked with power. He exhaled small whimpers until he had no more air to give. 'What is this feeling? I… I remember it…'

Kagome pulled him in deeper and kissed him passionately. The ember in his spirit began to grow rapidly. It spread through his veins like wildfire, burning him with horrible pleasure. It tickled his skin and caused his muscles to twitch under the contact. His red eyes softened. 'Yes… it was her… who freed me… who healed me… who… loved…'

"K-K-Ka…Kago… me?" He whimpered.

He closed his eyes as the wind of his imprisoned soul engulfed him. The beat of his heart shook the earth in a triumphant climax of that which a part of him would never forget: love. Tears slipped past his cheeks as he wrapped his arms around her and finally returned the kiss. They both took in shaky breaths every once in a while. Kagome… he remembered, how he thought she was dead, and how he just wanted to forget the pain. But she was here, and she had saved him. He sighed between kisses, "Kagome… Kagome… Oh God… Kagome…"

She clung to his body, and knew she had succeeded. When they finally parted, their eyes opened. Kagome smiled at him. His eyes were back to their beautiful amber, and his fangs had vanished. There were so many words hidden in his eyes. Words that he just could not say. In his mind he was already stumbling for something witty to say, but there was nothing to say. He took her into his embrace. A happy sob escaped him as he breathed in the smell of her hair once more. 'She… she needs me. I need her.'

Somehow, he knew that she was his true source of strength. His youkai had been wrong. It was because of her that he had found a will to fight, a will to love, a will to be human. He rocked with her gently, thinking that he could never let her go. He always knew that he needed her, but never had he considered that she needed him too. He whispered into her ear, "Thank you."

Kagome tingled at his hot breath on her skin. She smirked, "And you said you didn't like mushy stuff."

"Don't push it," Inuyasha replied jokingly.

Kagome pulled back and leaned her forehead against his. "Promise me something, Inuyasha?"

"What?"

"Promise me that we'll defeat Naraku, and we'll do it together," she asked pleadingly.

Old habits die hard, and for a few moments Inuyasha considered finding a way for her to escape so that he could battle alone. But how could he just let her go again? Kagome saw his conflict and stroked his cheek, "When we are together, we are unstoppable."

Inuyasha grinned, "Keh! How lame!"

Kagome could tell by the look in his eyes that he was joking, and he continued, "Let's go get him."

To be continued…

Sorry, no responses. I'm in a rush. Next chapter up tonight so watch out for it.