A/N: Okay, I confused some people. Takemaru isn't from the manga…he's a character that appears in the third movie…the man who was fighting Inutaisho when he died.

Materia-Blade: I understand that it doesn't make sense to you that Kagome and Inuyasha left the group, but there was reason behind my madness. It was a lure. Had I made everyone check it out, it would've been wham, bam, and end of story. As I have several things still going through my head, I didn't want to end it, and since my story centers on Kagome and Inuyasha, I sent them off on their own and had the others continue on. I have my reasons for doing things. Don't loose faith yet, okay:D

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My Only Hope
Chapter Sixteen

"Let her go." Inuyasha demanded, his face displaying almost no emotion.

"Why?" Takemaru smirked. "What if I'm having fun?"

"Let her go…I'll take her place." Inuyasha offered.

Takemaru's eyebrow rose in curiosity. "And why would you do something as stupid as that?" He smiled. "Is there something about this filthy hanyou that you aren't telling me?"

Inuyasha shut his mouth tight.

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"Inutaisho, something is wrong! I told you I did not think that letting them go off and explore on their own was a good idea, didn't I? You should go find them! What if they are hurt?" she chastised him.

"Izayoi, I would be able to tell if something was physically wrong with Inuyasha. He is my son, remember?"

"He is mine as well, and something is wrong, Inutaisho! He isn't here!"

"He said it might take them a few days!" Inutaisho retaliated. "Have some faith in him."

Jin ran from Kaede's hut, horror-stricken. "Inutaisho! We have to find them. Kagome is hurt."

"See! I told you!" Izayoi accused him. "Now will you start listening to me?"

"Would you please calm down? We'll be back!" he promised, taking off after Jin.

"Are they all right?" asked Akira. "Jin!"

"They'll be fine!" he called. He was far into the forest by this time, and his voice echoed through the trees.

"They're hurt," Izayoi whispered to Akira.

"Well where on earth did they go?" Akira demanded.

"Don't you worry about Kagome?" Izayoi blinked in confusion.

Akira blushed. "Truthfully? When she's with Inuyasha, I don't worry as much. I trust Inuyasha with Kagome. He protects her. It puts my mind at ease…especially considering everything that Kagome has gone through the past month…"

Izayoi nodded. "I do understand that. At the same time, that is what worries me about Inuyasha. I just know something has happened to them…and if Kagome is hurt…I'd hate to think how Inuyasha is faring right now. He loves your daughter…"

Akira gulped and nodded. "I hope Kagome is all right. I don't know what I'd do if she's hurt badly…" Akira's eyes welled up with tears. "But if we went with them, we'd only be in the way…"

"They'll take care of everything. Trust them." Izayoi sighed. "We just have to wait."

"Yes," agreed Akira. "We get stuck with the hard part…"

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"Kagome…you can stop this, you know…" Takemaru whispered in her ear.

"What do you want?" Kagome asked.

"Don't you dare do as he tells you to!" Inuyasha growled.

Takemaru laughed. "Kagome, go find your father and Inutaisho. Bring them to me, and I will let Inuyasha go."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Kagome, no!"

"I…can't do it." Kagome whispered.

Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief. After all, Takemaru had already once helped lead his father to his doom, and he wasn't about to let this happen again. Although it was odd...Takemaru had requested Kagome go get their fathers, but he had not ordered her to get them. Why?

"What did you say?" Takemaru growled.

"No." Kagome said, a little louder this time. "I refuse to lead them into your trap."

"Kagome…sit!" Takemaru yelled. He laughed as she plummeted face first into the ground.

"Hey!" Inuyasha growled.

The sit had knocked Kagome unconscious. She lay bleeding from a small scrape on her head. Takemaru turned his attention back to Inuyasha.

"It doesn't matter anymore, hanyou." He smirked. "It is almost certain that your father will come looking for you. With every injury I inflict, more blood is spilled, and your fathers will not be able to resist the pull of blood for long. It is part of their instinct…"

"Keh," huffed Inuyasha. "Well, you'll be sadly mistaken if you think you can take them down on your own…"

"I won't have to take them down on my own," Takemaru told him matter-of-factly. "I will have help."

"Oh? And who would be stupid enough to try and help you get your butt kicked?"

"You would." Takemaru smiled.

Inuyasha did a small double take. "Excuse me?" He laughed. "And what would make you think that I would want to help you kill my own father?"

"Because if I said so, you'd kill your Kagome woman without a second thought. And once the Kaede woman is dead, there will be no one who will be able to reverse the effects of the rosary I have placed around your neck…"

"Kaede? The rosary?" Inuyasha whispered. "What? You're going to kill the old woman? Why?" he demanded.

"Correction, Inuyasha. The old woman is more than likely already dead now, and since your and Kagome's father are both already on their way here, there will be no one there to revive her…"

Inuyasha paled. His friends and his mother were staying with Kaede, weren't they? There was no way. Were they all gone? Was he bluffing? Inuyasha shook the thoughts out of his head.

"You're lying." He said emotionlessly.

"Would you be willing to test that theory? We could test it out on your little girlfriend there…Kagome! Up!" he commanded.

Kagome stood obediently. The small scrape on her head had healed itself.

Inuyasha was surprised when Takemaru released him from his restraints. He fell to the floor with a thud, and quickly got to his feet. "I'll kill you…" he threatened.

Inuyasha's mouth fell open. Takemaru had just thrown him his sword. He stared at it a moment before it transformed in his hand. "How did you…?" he began.

"Inuyasha…kill her…" he pointed to Kagome.

"What? No! I can't hurt Kagome!" Inuyasha growled. "I won't do it!"

"Do it!" Takemaru commanded, and Inuyasha's necklace began to glow with such a fury that it burned his neck. He groaned. He rose his sword into the air. His limbs wouldn't listen to him.

'No!' he screamed at himself. 'What the hell do you think you are doing? You can't kill Kagome! You're in love with her, you idiot!' He struggled. 'Put it down!'

"Finding it a little hard to fight, Inuyasha?" Takemaru laughed. "Just quit fighting it. You'll feel much better when you just give in to my orders."

"No!" screamed Inuyasha. It took nearly all the strength in his body to step away from Kagome.

"Inuyasha!" Inuyasha could barely hear it, but someone other than Takemaru was calling out his name. The scent was familiar, but if he took his concentration off of Kagome for too long, he was likely to bring the sword down…

"Kagome!" It was Jin.

That could only mean one thing. Kagome's father and Inuyasha's father had come to the rescue…and right into Takemaru's trap…just as he'd wanted.

Takemaru laughed. "Jin…Inutaisho…you are just in time for the show." He smirked. "Inuyasha, Kagome…kill them."

Kagome shook her head, and her eyes widened as the necklace around her neck began to glow.

"Inutaisho, he has them subdued." Jin whispered. "We will have to take them down."

After only a split second, Inutaisho nodded. "We knock them out…then we take out Takemaru…" he suggested. "Try not to hurt them."

"They're going to try to kill us, my friend." Jin reminded him. "I seriously doubt that they will go down easily, especially since they have been juiced up by those damn rosaries."

"Kill them!" screamed Takemaru again. "What are you waiting for?"

Kagome was still rooted to the exact same spot she had been in after she had recovered from her earlier 'sit'. She was baring her fangs, and looked as if she was ready to attack, but she didn't.

"Kagome! Attack!" Takemaru growled. The rosary, if possible, grew even hotter. Kagome's skin under the cursed necklace began to bleed.

Jin gasped, running at his daughter. Takemaru had given Inuyasha his sword with which to fight, but Kagome was not holding her sword…the sword that Totosai had made for her to suppress her demonic powers. He could see her eyes beginning to glow a frightening white color. They were slowly fading to red as she tried desperately to resist the spell of the rosary. If she managed to transform completely, all bets would be off. Jin could not imagine having to take out his own daughter.

"Run…" Kagome managed to growl as she flexed her claws in a very Inuyasha-like fashion.

"Kagome…calm down. You can fight this…but you have to calm down…" Jin whispered to her.

Suddenly, from behind Kagome, Takemaru screamed in surprise. Jin looked up, watching Sango's large boomerang bone circle back and land in her grasp.

"What? They are supposed to be dead! Kanna! I thought they were taken care of!" he whined.

"Kanna?" Sango and Miroku repeated. "But she was Naraku's…"

Sango threw her boomerang again, and this time it hit its mark. "Why? Why was that so easy?"

Miroku took out one of his sutras. "I don't care, but we have to help them. Lady Kagome is not looking too good…"

"They are under my control now, monk…" Takemaru snarled. "The only way to save them is to go through me."

"That can be arranged…" Inutaisho threatened. "Free my son and Kagome, or I'll kill you again." He promised.

"That sounded like a challenge…" Takemaru smiled.

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A/N: Anyway, there's another chapter. Turns out I tend to update a lot when I am bored as well. Please review. I hope you guys liked it!