A/N: Okay people…thanks to some reviewer comments I have decided that I am going to continue this story for a while. True, I couldn't leave it like it was, but it will stretch beyond this chapter up to a point. However, I ran out of song lyrics in ch9, so while the story will continue, the song that has accompanied it thus far will not.

The song's title, for those of you who were wondering, is Only Hope. It was on the soundtrack for A Walk to Remember, sang by both Switchfoot and Mandy Moore.

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My Only Hope
Chapter Ten

"Inuyasha…" whispered Miroku. "Is he…dead?"

Kagome shook her head. "No. He can't be dead. As long as he has the jewel shards, we still have a problem. I think he's just unconscious."

"Yes, but do you see the jewel shards anywhere?" asked Inuyasha.

Kagome glanced around. She stared at Naraku a moment before shaking her head. "They're here somewhere, but they are no longer in his body…"

"But they were?" Sango frowned.

Kagome nodded. "Before Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru struck him, yes…" She took a deep breath. "But where did they go in between the time that Naraku was hit and now? I could have sworn they were there….I can still sense them as if they're right on top of us…"

"Sango…." Everyone gasped and looked over. Kohaku, Sango's younger brother, had stumbled onto the scene. Following him was a thick trail of blood. Inuyasha jumped, and Kagome covered her nose in disbelief.

"Kohaku! What…what happened?" Sango asked in a worried tone of voice.

"I did it…" he smiled.

Sango ran up to meet him as he collapsed to the ground. Tears were welling up in her eyes as she hugged her little brother tightly. "Yes, you did. Father would be so proud of you, Kohaku…" she cried.

"I did it…" he repeated. "It left. Everything hurts so bad. I'm scared…"

"It left?" Sango blinked in sudden realization as she thought over what her little brother had said. She glanced him over. He was bleeding profusely from his shoulder, in the exact spot where the jewel shard sustaining his life had once been.

"What is it?" frowned Miroku, running over to join Sango.

Sango took a deep calming breath. "The jewel shard…left him…" she said between clenched teeth.

"Left him?" growled Sesshoumaru.

"Do you suppose the jewel shards left Naraku as well?" Miroku suggested.

Sango shrugged. "I don't know!" she cried. "He'll die without it, Miroku!"

"Calm down, Sango." He sighed. "There isn't much we can do. If Naraku wakes up…"

"Yes there is something we can do. Something I can do." Kagome countered. "Sango, put him down…"

"What?" Sango gasped.

"Put him down…" Kagome repeated, a little louder this time. "So that I can help him."

"Uh…guys…" Miroku stood slowly. "Get behind me."

"What, Miroku?" demanded Inuyasha, turning sharply. His jaw dropped. Naraku was beginning to stand up. Inuyasha rose his sword, but Miroku jumped in front of him.

"I'll handle this…" Miroku smirked. "He doesn't have the jewel shards anymore. He isn't a problem…" Miroku pulled at the prayer beads wrapped around his cursed hand.

Naraku screamed as the strong winds from Miroku's kazaana began to suck him quickly into oblivion. For a moment, he was able to resist the pull, but after that, he slid slowly into range, and was enveloped into darkness.

Miroku groaned, falling backwards and clutching at his hand. His face had grown uncharacteristically pale, and he was already sweating. "Should have known it wasn't only those damn bugs that were poisonous," he whispered to himself.

"Miroku!" Kagome yelled.

Sango took a deep breath. Her brother had died. Was Miroku going to meet the same fate? She glanced at Kagome. "Do you have your bag?"

Kagome nodded. "There is a poison anecdote that Kaede gave me somewhere inside," she instructed. "Just make sure he drinks all of it. He should be fine if he drinks it all…"

Kagome brought her attention back to Kohaku. She pulled out her sword. He's too young for this, Kagome thought to herself. I hope this works…

Kagome had never actually gotten the chance to test out Sesshoumaru's theory about her father's sword. This would tell her whether or not he was right. Kagome could only hope that he was.

"Come on, Kohaku…" she whispered. She held out the sword, staring at it, and for a moment, praying that it might work. She gasped. She could see the creatures that had come for Kohaku. She swung at them, and they disintegrated. Afterwards, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Sesshoumaru, who had never been one to say 'I told you so,' could only nod. "Excuse me? What about the jewel shards?" he asked everyone.

Sango looked up. Kagome turned. She took another deep breath. "I can sense them somewhere close…that way…" Kagome pointed to a mountain. "And that would be…"

"My old village," Sango whispered, glancing back at her brother, who was beginning to stand back up just as if he had been sitting down and waiting for everyone else to say something.

"Well, if the jewel shards are up there, why don't we go and find them before a demon does?" he suggested.

Sango managed to blink several times before her jaw hit the ground. "Are you sure you are ready to go, Kohaku? I could wait here with you if you didn't want to go. You don't have to, you know…"

"But I need to." He replied. "Let's go."

Kohaku led the group as they slowly made their way up the mountain. Miroku, who was still mildly ill from swallowing Miroku in his kazaana, was riding up the mountain on Kirara. Kagome and Inuyasha walked side by side behind Sesshoumaru.

"Do you think the shards will be back inside Midoriko's cave?" Kagome suggested.

Inuyasha nodded. "That's probably exactly where they are. The next question is do you think that Midoriko will even let us in to get them?"

Kagome sighed. "I hope so. The sooner we get rid of this jewel, the better…" There was a long and awkward silence.

Ahead, even Sesshoumaru had slowed his pace, as if he knew where the conversation was to go next.

Kagome frowned. "Inuyasha…do you still want to use the jewel to become a full demon?" she finally asked, and both Inuyasha and his brother stopped dead in their tracks.

"Kagome…" whispered Inuyasha.

"I'm serious, Inuyasha. Do you?" she repeated.

Even Sesshoumaru had to turn his head at this. He studied his brother's features, as if Inuyasha's expression would reveal his answer. After a moment, Inuyasha finally spoke.

"Nah," he shrugged. "You know, I've been thinking about it, and I don't think I'm too interested in the idea anymore." He stated in honesty.

As if this was the answer that Sesshoumaru was looking for, he nodded, turned back around, and continued up the path as if nothing had happened.

"Okay!" Kagome nodded happily, following Sesshoumaru.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha blinked in confusion. "Hey…wait!" he whined.

The group had reached the entrance to what had once been Kohaku and Sango's flourishing village. The gate that kept out intruders was still broken in several pieces, but other than that, and the fact that the village was utterly deserted, everything looked rather normal.

Kohaku took a deep breath, and charged quickly into the village. Sango hastily followed. The group passed the area where Inuyasha, Kagome, and Miroku had buried the villagers. It had been over a year and a half since they were killed, and the many mounds of earth were now covered with luscious green grass and bright wildflowers.

Kohaku stopped a moment, swallowed, bowed, and quickly continued on to the cave. He stopped outside the entrance and nodded. "We're here. Any suggestions on what to do next?"

"The shards are inside. I can sense them. Come on…" Kagome shrugged, walking forward.

"Midoriko…" Kagome whispered, "we have to get the rest of the jewel shards. We need to destroy the jewel…" she took a deep breath, and took a step forward. The barrier in front of the cave disappeared.

She turned around. "Are you guys coming?"

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A/N: There will be more…since many of you were actually asking me about it…so don't think I ended it here. Please review:D