A/N: :D Hope you like this!

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My Only Hope
Chapter Thirteen

"If he doesn't die, he could easily kill us all…or have you forgotten that whilst he is inside the monk's body, he can control the kazaana on the monk's hand as well? If we kill the monk, we would force Naraku out of his body…"

"And straight into yours, or Inuyasha's, or my daughter's…" Jiro frowned.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome whispered.

He looked over, confusion glittering in his golden orbs. "What is it, Kagome?"

"Do you promise me that you will keep a firm hold on that sword?" she asked him.

"What? Why? What are you going to do?" he demanded.

"Can you promise me that?" she repeated, taking several steps closer to him. Her face was inches from his now.

He gulped. "I can promise you anything." He nodded.

"Okay," Kagome wrapped him in a hug, removing the rosary around his neck in the process. She took a step back, and kissed him on the forehead. "I trust you, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha reddened. "Why did you do that?"

"Because Miroku needs protecting more than you do right now." She answered honestly.

"Did you see that?" whispered Jin.

Inutaisho laughed. "Yes, my friend. I saw it."

"Do you think she…?" began Jin, but he was cut off by a very familiar voice. No one in the group had noticed her coming until she was already there.

Inutaisho smiled widely. "Izayoi…" he grinned.

"You brought Inuyasha's mother back as well?" Sesshoumaru gasped.

Akira nodded. "No one said I couldn't," she explained.

Inuyasha looked frustrated. He frowned deeply. "Mom…" he took a deep breath.

"Hello, Inuyasha. I've missed you. Are you all right?" Izayoi asked.

"No. I mean…I'm fine. I'm just…I missed you a lot. I don't want you to get hurt…" he admitted. He hugged his mother tightly.

"We could solve that problem. The monk has to die. We have to find your missing friends. We have no clue what else might have happened out there…"

Inuyasha and Kagome gasped and turned towards the woods. Sango was limping into the clearing, holding her side, which was spilling enough blood to choke the demons in the clearing.

"Miroku…Naraku…he…" Sango fell to her knees, unconscious.

Behind her, Kirara, badly injured, was carrying an unconscious fox demon and Sango's brother, who was also badly wounded, on her back. As soon as she got to the clearing, she collapsed. Shippo rolled roughly off of her back and to Inuyasha's feet. Kohaku managed to drag himself a couple feet away from Kirara before he too, collapsed. Kirara changed into her smaller form, and did not move.

"Kaede!" Kagome screamed. "Help! Please!" she pleaded.

Kaede and Kagome's three friends all ran from the hut. Kaede was shouting directions at them as they made their way back and forth from the injured people to the hut. "Yuka, ye need to get the boy inside! Ayumi, pick up Shippo and follow Yuka! Eri, ye need to help me with Sango…"

Kagome took a step forward. "Do you need any more help?" she asked.

"Please gather some of those flowers near the bone eater's well…they will help with the bleeding." Kaede instructed, and Kagome took off towards the woods.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha grabbed her shoulder. "Don't go alone…"

Jin and Inutaisho both studied the two hanyous with growing interest. Jin's eyebrow rose, and he glanced at Akira.

Inutaisho cleared his throat. "Go with her, Inuyasha. I do not think these woods can be considered very safe at the moment…"

Kagome gulped, nodded, grabbed Inuyasha's hand, and commenced to drag him to the well as fast as her feet could take her.

When they were out of hearing range, Inutaisho laughed whole-heartedly. "How long have they acted like that? Oh, it's so obvious…"

Akira cleared her throat. "Since about a month after they met one another. I don't think either of them will ever admit it, though."

"Interesting," Jin smiled. "Well, when this whole mess is over, I think we shall have to do something about it…"

Inside the hut, Sango had managed to wake up, despite the large amount of blood loss. She groaned. "Miroku?"

Kaede rushed over to her. "Do not worry about him. We will drive Naraku out of him soon enough." She promised.

"Naraku…He isn't…He doesn't have control of Miroku anymore…" Sango whispered.

Kaede blinked. "What do you mean, child?"

Sango took a deep breath, despite the horrible pain it caused her. "Kohaku…tried to protect me. Miroku was fighting with himself…and Kohaku injured him."

"And? What happened next?" Kaede asked.

"Kouga…was there. Naraku left Miroku…and Kouga was in the wrong place at the right time…" Sango whispered before closing her eyes and welcoming unconsciousness.

"Kouga!" Kaede nearly screamed. "The wolf demon!" She jumped up, running to the door of the hut.

Sesshoumaru looked up in surprise, snatching Rin off of the ground just before the old woman nearly stepped on her. "What is wrong with you, Priestess?" he demanded in anger.

Kaede looked around frantically for a moment. "Ye didn't let Kagome go into the forest alone, did ye?" she gasped. At the frantic tone of her voice, Inutaisho and Jin stood up in alarm.

"No…we sent Inuyasha with her…" he answered.

"What's wrong?" demanded Izayoi.

"It isn't Miroku!" Kaede screamed.

Inutaisho gasped. "Who is it, then?"

"Kouga."

"The wolf demon?" Sesshoumaru jumped up. "Kouga…the wolf demon? The demon with the fascination for Kagome?"

"What fascination?" demanded Jin.

"I have heard nothing of it." Akira admitted.

Sesshoumaru frowned. "That's because Kagome didn't encourage him. She likes Inuyasha. She didn't think anything of it."

"He likes her?" Jin frowned.

"He's been trying to get her to be his mate since about an hour after he met her," groaned Sango, limping to the door. She glanced at Miroku. "Oh god…I hope he's going to be okay…" she whispered.

"We have to worry about Kagome and Inuyasha right now." Sesshoumaru frowned. "I admit, Inuyasha is good, but two hanyous do not equal Naraku and Kouga together…" Sesshoumaru sighed.

"They've only gone to the well. They should be back in a couple minutes." Akira frowned. "Shouldn't they?"

"We'll see…" frowned Inutaisho.

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"Here they are!" smiled Kagome. Inuyasha looked up, but he wasn't really paying much attention. He was too lost in his own thoughts to care much about anything else.

"Come on, Inuyasha! We have to hurry back! Sango and Kohaku need this medicine." She took his hand, and he blinked.

"Kagome, I have to talk to you." He whispered.

Kagome stopped. "What is it, Inuyasha? We can talk about it when we get back to Kaede's hut, can't we?" she asked him.

He nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

"I don't think you'll get back to the hut." A very familiar voice smirked.

Kagome stopped. "Kouga?"

"Not exactly." He smiled.

Inuyasha jumped in front of Kagome. "Run." He commanded. "That isn't Kouga."

"I can tell." She frowned. "I'm not running away, Inuyasha."

"Damn it, Kagome!" he growled.

Kagome stomped her foot. "I will not leave you behind." She repeated. Only a second later, she gasped. Someone was coming at them in the darkness. Naraku was still standing there smirking at them, so who was this?

"Inuyasha, sit!" Kagome screamed, but nothing happened. She had taken the rosary off. "Watch out!"

Inuyasha jumped. "Who the hell is this guy?" he groaned, getting to his feet.

"A friend of mine." Naraku laughed. "He's going to kill you now." Naraku whispered. "And I am going to kill her…" Naraku ran at Kagome.

Kagome reached behind her to retrieve an arrow from the quiver that was usually on her back, but found that nothing was there. She gasped. Where had it gone?

"Looking for these?" Naraku smiled, dangling her arrow-filled quiver in front of her.

All color in Kagome's face drained. All she had now was her father's sword. She reached for it. At least with it, she'd have a little bit of protection. She nearly screamed. "Oh, my god…" she shivered.

"Yeah, don't you hate it when I'm one step ahead of you?" Naraku laughed. "Are you going to call for Inuyasha? You know you want to. Go ahead. That's what I want you to do. I want to see him suffer before I kill him…"

"No." Kagome said defiantly. She couldn't call for him. Only a hundred feet away, he was dealing with his own problems…and this was nothing but another of Naraku's dirty tricks.

"You would die for him? Ha!" growled Naraku. "That only makes killing you more fun…"

He wrapped his hand around Kagome's throat, slamming her up against the sacred tree where she had first met Inuyasha. She began to cough. Somewhere, she heard Inuyasha scream. She wasn't sure if he'd been injured, or if it was something else.

"Inu…yasha…" she choked, clawing ay Naraku's hand. Just when she thought she was surely going to pass out, he loosened his grip just enough for her to take a deep breath. "Inuyasha!" she screamed.

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Jin jumped up. "Inutaisho, did you hear that?" he yelped. "It was Kagome! They're in trouble! Come on!"

Sesshoumaru and Inutaisho followed Jin into the forest, their weapons drawn.

"There goes our theory about them managing to get back on their own…" Sesshoumaru whispered. "We have got to make sure that he won't be coming back this time around…"

"If he's hurt her, I'll kill him with my bare hands." Jin vowed.

"You won't have to worry. If he's hurt her, Inuyasha will kill him with his bare hands." Sesshoumaru told him.

The three of them jumped into the clearing. Inuyasha wasn't unconscious, but his sword was at least fifty feet from him, and his unknown assailant was kicking him ruthlessly. Inuyasha struggled to get up as the three demons came into view.

"Inuyasha!" Sesshoumaru threw his sword at his brother. After all, they didn't need anymore problems than the several problems that they already had.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha and Jin screamed in unison.

Naraku laughed. Kagome was once again slipping into unconsciousness, and Naraku was eyeballing her arrows dangerously. "Let's see if these arrows have the same effect on you as they have on me…" he whispered in her ear as he took one out. He rose it above his head, and proceeded to bring it down.

Naraku coughed. Kagome screamed. She could see the end of someone's sword sticking out of Naraku's stomach. Slowly, he let go, and fell to the ground. Kagome blinked, and watched Sesshoumaru pull the tokijin out of Naraku when he hit the ground.

"Kagome!" Jin yelped. "Oh, my god…"

Kagome coughed. It wasn't until then that she noticed the immense amount of pain that was pulsing through her body. Naraku had managed to place the arrow just where he'd wanted it before he died.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha ran to her.

"Kind of…ironic, isn't it?" she whispered. "This…is where I met you…." She coughed again.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha pulled at the arrow that held her to the tree, and thankfully, it released its hold on her. She crumbled to the ground and did not move. "Kagome…" he whispered. "Jin! Sesshoumaru! Please…" he pleaded.

Jin dropped to his knees to be with Inuyasha and his daughter. "I can't…the sword only answers to Kagome now."

"Sesshoumaru," Inutaisho nodded. "You do still have the tenseiga, don't you?" he asked.

Sesshoumaru nodded in understanding, took out his tenseiga, and took several steps forward. "Get out of the way." He commanded.

Jin stood, helped Inuyasha to his feet, and bowed to Sesshoumaru to continue. Sesshoumaru swung the tenseiga several times, but Kagome still did not move.

"What?" gasped Sesshoumaru. "It's not working…"

Inuyasha growled, dropping to the ground, and placing his head on Kagome's chest. "No, Sesshoumaru…her heart is beating. We have to get her back to Kaede, quickly!"

Jin stepped forward. "I will carry her. You need the old woman's medicine just as badly as she does…" He picked up his daughter. "Come on." He rushed back to the hut.

The group sat outside the hut and waited as Kaede helped to heal Inuyasha and Kagome's wounds. Miroku, despite his injuries, was walking around outside with them.

"I can't remember anything," he whispered. "I can't believe I hurt Sango…"

"You didn't. Naraku did." Sango told him.

"The kazaana is gone." He told them. "It must have remained because Naraku was still inside me…" He sighed.

"Yeah, and then he left you to go after Kagome and Inuyasha." Sango nodded.

Akira and Izayoi, who had been inside helping Kaede, came to the door of the hut. "They're going to be fine. Inuyasha is up. Kagome is still sleeping, but it's okay for you to come in now if you want to." She announced.

Inutaisho and Jin stood and walked into the hut. Inside, Inuyasha was holding Kagome's hand and talking to her. They both stopped and watched for a moment.

"Come on, Kagome. You're strong. You can fight this. You have to wake up soon. There's something I have to talk to you about. I should have told you a long time ago...that was my fault…" Inuyasha looked up. He could tell that his mother and father and Kagome's parents were in the room. He glanced at them before letting go of Kagome's hand and standing. He cleared his throat. "I'm…done." He whispered, and retreated outside.

Sesshoumaru was sitting there. He glanced at his brother as he came out. "You don't have to worry about him anymore, you know. The tokijin absorbed him. The wolf is going to be fine…"

Inuyasha nodded. "I know you're right about that…but now I have other things to worry about…"

"What other things?" asked Sesshoumaru.

"I think we all know the answer to that," Jin laughed as he walked out of Kaede's hut.

Inuyasha blushed.

"Let me tell you this, Inuyasha. We can all tell how you feel. Sesshoumaru's little girl can tell how you feel. It is no secret. Kagome loves you just as much as you love her…"

"Hey! I…" began Inuyasha.

"But," Jin interrupted him, "your only hope of doing anything about it is to talk to her…" he smiled a bit. "And if your father and I have to hold you down, you will get this off your chest…"

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A/N: I left it there…again….(evil laugh). As usual, please review, and I hope you liked it! If you review, I will have fuel to update sooner…