A/N: Okay, guys…must say thanks to a couple of people who have reviewed this thing since practically the beginning…

Aliryn: Thank you for your reviews. They always manage to entertain me when I get to read them. Thanks for your support of this story!

Materia-Blade: Thanks for the reviews…and for pointing out the one month anniversary of this little story of mine…I had failed to notice.

BeccaPatty: Thanks for your reviews:D I can only hope to keep you interested enough to keep them coming.

Thanks you guys, and anyone else who has been reviewing this long! Here's the next chapter! I hope you like it!

>>>>>>

My Only Hope
Chapter Seventeen

The sound of metal scraping metal reverberated throughout the room as Takemaru and Inutaisho clashed sword-to-sword with one another. Behind him, the monk and the demon slayer Sango were doing their best to tip the scales in favor of their friend.

Jin had his hands full trying to keep Inuyasha and his daughter at bay. Kagome had given in to the pull of the necklace, and she and Inuyasha were now trying to rip him to shreds. Jin's skills would have been best lent to his comrade Inutaisho, but if he didn't hold them off, no one else could.

Someone screamed, and for a split second, Jin looked up to see the demon slayer fly across the room and into a wall. She hit the ground and did not move.

"Sango!" Miroku screamed. What he wouldn't give to still have that accursed black hole in his hand right now. "Sango, are you all right?"

By attacking one person, Takemaru had ultimately taken two people out of the fight. At least for a little while, anyway. Jin yelped, jumping out of the way of one of Inuyasha's attacks, and barely dodging Kagome's claws when he landed.

"I don't understand…" Jin whispered. "How did he even come back in the first place? He died fighting Inutaisho…"

"Stop." The voice was emotionless. Jin pivoted on his heel, coming face to face with a small girl with white hair. In one hand, she held a mirror. His eyebrow rose. Kagome and Inuyasha had stopped in their tracks.

"Who the hell are you?" Jin demanded.

The girl's expression did not change. "I am Kanna, the one who fashioned the subduing necklaces for the hanyous." She answered him.

Miroku looked up. "You…made the rosaries?" he gasped in surprise. "How?"

Despite the intrusion, the fight between Inutaisho and Takemaru continued. There was a growl. Inutaisho brought his claws down to meet Takemaru's flesh. Takemaru made no show of pain, although the blood practically spilled from his wound. It was gathering in a small puddle at his feet.

Kanna looked back at Jin. "I had only to copy the rosary that was made originally by the old priestess Kaede," she told him. "No one even noticed it was missing. Of course, without the demons at the old woman's hut, stealing it without being detected was quite an easy task."

"Why are you even still alive? You are Naraku's spawn! He is dead! Why didn't you follow him to the grave?" Miroku demanded of her.

"Because, I am part of him, but separate at the same time. I did not die because he did not kill me." Kanna whispered.

"Why is Takemaru here?" asked Miroku next. "I don't remember anyone saying anything about him!"

"Takemaru was in love with the inu-youkai's mate," Kanna sighed. "He was in love with her, and his death was brought about by his hands…" Kanna rose one of her small bony fingers to point at Inutaisho. "This is a vicious cycle. When you wished for the return of Inuyasha's parents, Takemaru came with them. Although his name was never mentioned, he was connected to both of them, and therefore he now lives as well…"

Miroku nodded. "How do we kill him?"

"Oh, he is mortal…" Kanna told them.

"And why are you helping us?" demanded Jin in a suspicious tone.

"I am not helping you. I am helping myself. Stand aside. Once I absorb Takemaru, I can destroy this mirror, and be free of its control, and anyone else's forever…"

Miroku's eyebrow rose. "The mirror is controlling you?"

"Stand aside." Kanna repeated, and the color in her eyes quickly began to fade away until there was nothing but white orbs staring Jin in the face. He stared.

"Get away from her!" Miroku screamed. "Grab Kagome and Inuyasha and get away from her, or she'll absorb you as well!"

Jin jumped, grabbing his daughter and Inuyasha and retreating to a safe place near Sango and Miroku. Inutaisho looked over at the small girl, and his jaw nearly dropped to the ground. Hitting Takemaru squarely in the face, Takemaru fell, and Inutaisho was free to join the rest of the group.

Takemaru recovered quickly. "Kanna…what are you doing? Put that down!" he commanded her, but she was not able to hear anyone. "Kanna!" he screamed.

The mirror in her hands began to glow, and Takemaru began to scream. Soon, there was a bright burst of light that blinded nearly everyone. When they could finally see what was going on again, Takemaru was nowhere to be seen, and Kanna looked as she normally did again. She dropped the mirror, and it shattered into hundreds of pieces at her feet.

The subduing necklaces around Kagome and Inuyasha's necks fell into pieces, each piece hitting the ground with a small clink noise, and rolling a safe distance away.

Kagome took a deep breath. "Oh, thank god…" she whispered. "I'm sorry, dad. We couldn't help it…"

"I know." He replied. He wrapped her in a hug, and she flinched at his touch. "What happened?" he asked her, pulling back quickly.

Kagome turned to reveal where her kimono had been slashed practically to pieces. "It should heal quickly," she whispered. "I'd have been in a bit more trouble if I was still human…"

Jin had been unable to see her wounds because he had been too busy protecting himself from her and Inuyasha's attacks.

Inuyasha groaned. "We have to…leave," he stood, frowning at the pain in his back. "Takemaru has hurt Kaede, and if you left mom and Kohaku and Shippo with her…we need to get back in case something has happened to them."

Inuyasha turned to look at Kanna, who had yet to move from the spot that she had occupied earlier. "What's going to happen to her?" he whispered.

"Who knows?" replied Kagome. "Let's just leave her alone."

Outside, Kirara was waiting patiently for the group. Miroku hoisted Sango onto her back, and climbed on. "Let's go, guys." He smiled.

"Kagome, would you like a ride?" Inuyasha offered.

Kagome gasped. "But…you're still hurt, aren't you? I had to watch Takemaru…" she shivered.

Inuyasha shrugged. "My haori took most of the blows," he told her. "Climb on."

"All right," she nodded after a moment.

The group began to run. They ran almost non-stop for nearly three days, until they finally came upon the hill that overlooked Kaede's small village near the bone eater's well.

Inutaisho frowned. "Everything looks okay. I can sense that Izayoi is all right…" he whispered.

"As is Akira…" Jin nodded. "But it is too quiet down there, even for as small of a village as it is."

"I agree." Inuyasha nodded, permitting Kagome to hop down off of his back.

"Let's go then!" Kagome groaned, charging down the hill and into the quiet village below.

She ran into Kaede's hut, where, surprisingly enough, there was Inuyasha's mother, her mother, her brother, and even her grandfather waiting for her. In a corner of the hut that she usually slept in, Kohaku was sprawled out across a tatami mat snoring, the small kitsune curled up into a furry ball on his stomach.

Kagome did not like the looks that her family and friends were giving her, but she really didn't like the scent of the room either. Among the now familiar scents of her family and friends was mixed the scents of death and tears. Kaede was the only one not waiting for them inside her own hut.

"How did it happen?" Kagome managed, swallowing a lump that was forming in her throat.

"I returned from the future with your grandfather right after you had left to seek Totosai's help," Akira began. "Then, when your father, Izayoi, and Inutaisho got back, they stayed until Izayoi and I insisted they go get you. They left us here to keep us out of danger." Akira took a deep breath. "And then, about five days ago, Izayoi and I decided to take the kit to the hot spring. We were there maybe half an hour when the kit said he smelled something funny coming from Kaede's home. We headed back here as fast as we could…and…"

She took another deep breath, and continued with her story. "Gramps and Souta were unconscious, and Kaede was gone…" Akira began to cry.

"It's okay, mommy…" Kagome whispered, although she felt the tears welling up in her eyes.

She hugged her mother, and then quickly turned to run out of the hut, and straight into Inuyasha. She wrapped her arms around him, and began to cry. "We were too late!"

Inuyasha returned her hug. "Shh…it's okay. She lived a full life…"

Inutaisho and Jin came up to the hut slowly, Kirara following them with Sango and Miroku.

"Takemaru wasn't bluffing," Inuyasha told his father. "He had the old woman killed…"

"Kagome, why don't you go and relax for a while?" Jin suggested.

"All…all right," she coughed. She started to walk away when Inuyasha gently grabbed her shoulder.

"I won't let you go alone," he smiled. "You don't need to be alone right now…"

"Fine," Kagome sighed deeply.

Kagome walked silently out into the forest, and straight to the god tree.

Inuyasha's eyebrow rose. "Why did you come here, Kagome?"

She smiled. "I come here to think all the time, Inuyasha." She admitted. "It's relaxing here. This is where I met you…when everything started. Remember?" She turned to him.

"Yes, I remember…" Inuyasha nodded softly. "Kagome, are you going to be okay?"

Kagome frowned. "She was my mentor." She finally whispered. "She taught me everything I know now. She's always been there for me…"

"I'll always be there for you, Kagome." Inuyasha offered.

"Really?"

"Of course!" Inuyasha whined. "I love you, Kagome!" Opps. He definitely hadn't meant for it to pop out like that. He slapped his hand over his mouth and turned away from her quickly.

"Inuyasha…what did you just say to me?" Kagome gasped, the pink rising into her cheeks.

>>>>>>

A/N: Heh heh….I'll leave it there for now. Please review and I will update soon!