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Chapter 14

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Inuyasha could see the figures of Miroku, Sango, Naraku and his brother as he charged closer and closer towards them. He could smell blood in the hot air, and it lay like a heavy cloud.

Naraku had somehow sprouted dozens of wooden tentacles, and the others had their hands full dealing with the extra extremities.

Inuyasha raised his new blade and leapt from the ground, taking aim. With a roar, he entered the battle and slung his sword in a full half circle- taking out many tentacles with a blinding flash of light.

The tentacles snapped and split under the force of Inuyasha's attack. Inuyasha landed kneeling on the sand, cradling his blade across his back.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku called to him, happily. Inuyasha glared towards his comrades and noticed that Sango knelt babying a deep wound. Kirara was retransformed and unconscious. Miroku adorned many scratches and bruises, but stood beside Sango protecting her with his golden staff and paper charms.

"Find a place to hide!" Inuyasha yelled to them. Miroku looked puzzled but then nodded and turned to attend to Sango.

Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief that his comrades were alright, not that he was ever worried about them.

Inuyasha turned his gaze back to Naraku, who had regenerated a few of the damaged tentacles and was about to attack again. Inuyasha snarled and grit his teeth at his enemy.

"What an interesting weapon you wield, hanyou." Naraku hissed.

"Heh," Inuyasha said, standing strait up and pointing the blade at Naraku, "And I'll finish you off with it."

Naraku only laughed darkly.

Inuyasha gripped his weapon and charged forward, with Tetsuigaga raised high above his head. "DIE NARAKU!" he roared, as he jumped up and aimed for Naraku's head.

Tetsuigaga hit true and strong. Naraku's entire head and body split directly down the middle with a clean cut. Fragments of his baboon pelt and insides sprayed in all directions.

But to Inuyasha's dismay, the pelt contained no body underneath. "What the hell?" Inuyasha growled as he landed on the ground, surrounded by the bits and pieces that were once, what he thought, Naraku.

Naraku's laughter filled the air again. And Inuyasha looked up to see Naraku's true form with his long black hair and dead eyes, glaring at him from the safety of a mist of dark clouds and insect looking like creatures with wings.

"How do you like my puppets?" Naraku hissed. His eyes held such arrogance and evil that Inuyasha felt himself shiver.

A sudden movement to Inuyasha's far left, drew his attention from Naraku.

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Sesshomaru glared knives into his younger brother. Inuyasha stood before him, wielding a sword of their ancient bloodline. Sesshomaru could feel its power, he could sense the heritage attached to the sword.

"That sword," Sesshomaru spoke in his cold voice, "is made from a fang from the mouth of my own father."

Inuyasha glared at the glimmering weapon in his clawed hands. So the old man had left him with something, it looked like.

Inuyasha's grip on Tetsuigaga stiffened; he stood ready to defend his honor, his past. Sesshomaru could scorn him all he wanted too, but this land was his home and he had every right to rule it. With his back to the ocean and his gaze on the old castle whence he grew up, he narrowed his eyes upon his brother who stood looking just as cold and ruthless as ever.

"Stand down, Sesshomaru." Inuyasha roared. Sesshomaru either heard him, or chose not too. Inuyasha held his sword higher, "Then it comes to this."

A low laugh emitted from Naraku; Inuyasha had almost forgotten he was still there. He was greatly out powered. Death almost seemed inevitable.

"How cute, a brotherly feud." Naraku hissed.

Inuyasha growled at him, Sesshomaru just stared with his cold gaze.

"I'd love to remain and watch you both duke it out over some plot of land, but I have other things that need my attention… like that little mermaid who swam off with my jewel."

"Go near her and die." Inuyasha growled up at Naraku.

"So you have mated with a siren." Sesshomaru spoke up, his eyes narrowing.

Inuyasha turned to his older brother and growled, "That's none of your damn business!"

"You will be the end of our pure demon bloodline, Inuyasha. For that, I only wish death upon you and upon any offspring your siren bares." Sesshomaru stated.

Inuyasha blushed deep red, "Shut up! I have not had any kind of relationship with anyone!"

"Your private life has no meaning to me, Inuyasha. But I will personally see to it that no merfolk ever walk the earth again. This was dealt with decades ago, and it will remain finished." Sesshomaru said darkly.

"Screw you, Sesshomaru! If you hurt anyone, I will personally STOP YOU!" Inuyasha shouted.

"My, such a brave protector. Can you back up your words, hanyou?" Naraku hissed from his position.

"Feh, don't mock me." Inuyasha growled. He spoke to them both now.

"I don't have to mock you hanyou, when I can hurt you." Naraku said. With that, he turned and stared out over the water. Inuyasha's eyes flickered from Naraku to Sesshomaru. He was badly outnumbered.

"Now. Oh where, Oh where can my little mermaid be?" Naraku questioned happily. He pointed a long, snake-like finger down at the water. A surge of dark lightning-like energy exploded from his fingertip and hit the water, blowing a hole in the ocean's surface and spraying water in all directions.

"NO!" Inuyasha roared. He took a few steps forward.

"Don't be upset hanyou. I missed." Naraku called. Naraku continued to throw random blasts of energy into the ocean, like missles.

Inuyasha didn't know what to do. He hoped that Kagome was not near where he was fighting, but she could be anywhere. Every explosion could be her death.

Inuyasha gripped Tetsuigaga in his hands and charged forward again, leaping into the air and colliding with the dark haze that surrounded Naraku. He slashed at Naraku, slicing the figure down the middle, once again. But only laughter ensued from the ruined baboon pelt that was in ruins at Inuyasha's feet.

"Stand and fight, you coward!" Inuyasha roared. Naraku's wicked smile only lingered as he darted away. He moved higher into the air and flew out over the ocean.

Suddenly, Sango's boomerang went flying by his head. Naraku's smile dropped as he swooped low to avoid it and then he looked wildly at where it came from.

Sango and Miroku stood below him, standing in the breaking waves. Sango still looked hurt but she had her sword in her hand and the other resting on a transformed Kirara's back. Miroku had his wind tunnel almost unleashed.

As Sango's boomerang flew back, Naraku moved away again, and Sango leapt and caught her weapon.

"Naraku!" Sango shouted, "Prepare yourself!"

"Harrumph, Fools." Naraku said.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku called. "Deal with your brother, we will handle Naraku."

"You fools!" Inuyasha roared, "He'll kill you."

"Then I die today." Miroku said in a low voice, unheard by the others. He held up his cursed hand at Naraku and opened the wind tunnel to suck him in.

The torrent of winds built up around Miroku, and began to suck in the water of the ocean, and the sand of the beach.

Naraku hissed at the monk, but the draw of the wind tunnel pulled him towards the gaping dark hole. Naraku opened his long robes and a swarm of poisonous insects appeared.

Miroku's eyes widened as the insects flew into his hand, their stingers poisoning him. The stream of the insects was endless. Miroku drew in hundreds of them, before his face began to grow slack with poison.

"Miroku!" Sango cried out for her beloved monk.

The light in Miroku's eyes began to fade, and he fell hard to his knees. But his hand remained open and held high.

Inuyasha charged forward against the wind. "Enough Miroku, STOP!"

Sesshomaru was suddenly in front of Inuyasha, stopping him in his tracks.

Inuyasha raised Tetsuigaga above his head and met Sesshomaru's charge. The gigantic blade slammed through Sesshomaru's aura and the forces met with a surge of static power.

Inuyasha swung Tetsuigaga to take out his brother's head, but Sesshomaru easily dodged and grabbed a hold of the blade with two hands and forced it upward.

Tetsuigaga was lost from Inuyasha's grip, and the force sent him flying backwards. He landed on his back heavy in the dirt. His back burned as he slid along the ground before finally coming to a stop.

The storm of the wind tunnel suddenly fell quiet. Inuyasha raised his head to see Miroku lying on the wet sand and not moving. His head lay in Sango's arms, and she shook with sobs. Kirara remained facing Naraku, protecting the other two with her body, and nipping at an insect now and then. They were both down. Now it was only him.

But something out over the ocean caught his eye. A large swell of water, gathering height as it moved towards the shore. In the next few seconds the gigantic wave had a crest and towered over fifty feet.

The water around where Sango lay with Miroku was reseeding quickly. Being drawn out to feed the monstrous wave. That wave was not something of natural water. It was like the gods of the ocean and pulled out their hand of power and sent it to kill. God, or Goddess.

Naraku's back was to the gigantic wave. The wave curled and snarled just for him. By the time the mist of the wave hit him, and he turned around, it was too late. The white crest of the wave was aimed like a dagger to strike, it hit him with full force and spread. His form disappeared in the wash of blue water. The force of the wave traveled up the sandy beach, like it was being guided. With its last remaining strength it struck Sesshomaru, plowing him over. Not as hard as it had struck Naraku, but enough so that Sesshomaru disappeared under the current of water.

For a second Inuyasha worried that Sango and Miroku had gotten the blunt of wave but he saw Kirara flying in the sky with paws of fire with the both of them on her back. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Water from the mighty wave coiled around Inuyasha's feet; with a gentle caress of the water that enveloped his ankles, he could feel her. She was not far from him.

The water slowly began to recede back into the ocean, back to its normal levels. Inuyasha watched as his brother appeared from under the water. He lay on his stomach, drenched and unmoving.

Inuyasha walked past his brother. He had to make sure the bigger uhh "fish" had been fried. He found Naraku floating in the shallows on his stomach. Inuyasha stared at him, believing that he was truly dead.

"Oy, Inuyasha!" Called a voice from above. Inuyasha looked up to see Sango above him and Miroku leaning against her from behind. His eyes were shut, and his body looked limp.

"He's still breathing." Sango called to him. Inuyasha nodded in a slow fluid motion.

A spray of water not far out, caught Inuyasha's attention. He watched as the head of a large whale surfaced. The whale's body came next, and then the tail. The whale floated at the surface of the water. A figure moved on the whale's back by its blowhole, Inuyasha had to squint his eyes to try and see. But when an arm went up in a wide wave, Inuyasha knew it was Kagome. He could see her sit up on the whale's back, with her fin curled under her. She looked so beautiful, amongst her element.

He smiled a wide smile, and was just about to raise his arm to wave back, when Naraku exploded from the water and tore into the air, still alive! He had the body of a decaying worm, and only a human torso, arms, and head.

He was aiming for Kagome, and rushed at her with all his power.

"KAGOME!" Inuyasha screamed to her. His heart thundered with fear. Everything seemed to move slow, except the speed of Naraku towards Kagome. Inuyasha was dumb, but something deep within him and the sword he held began to pulsate. A wisp of wind coiled around Tetsuigaga's blade. Two clouds formed in his vision, and the bolt of power between them drew a kind of strength that he never felt before. It only took him a few steps to draw the inertia he needed to lift Tetsuigaga over his head and bring it back down again with a swipe of golden power. The blade cut along the water in three equal lengths. The rode like fire on an oil slick towards Naraku.

The golden power tugged at his feet and wound their way up his body. Naraku bellowed in pain and torture. He stopped his attack, and was encompassed by the golden light. The blades of light tore through him like tire tracks, and shadowed his body to nothing but a black figure.

The attack would not kill him.

Kagome watched as the might of Inuyasha's weapon surrounded Naraku and held him at bay. Her mind yelled at her to swim away, swim away as fast as you can. But the attack was not enough, Naraku would survive, and come crawling back.

Kagome cried out to the beast that Naraku was. Her tears fell hot down her cheeks. If she had any strength in her, let it be used for this. Power rushed over her skin like a shiver. She threw her arms out wide, screaming with agony and force. She threw her head back and opened her chest to the power the screamed through her. The Shikon Jewel was like a hot sun against her skin. It snapped from around her neck and hovered above her breast with its own power.

Kagome pulled her head back, and faced Naraku with eyes of liquid fire.

Naraku could see her; he could see the power that was building around her. The power that was to be aimed at him. His eyes widened, so wide they would tear from their sockets.

Kagome spoke in a voice that was not her own. It held to much authority, to much wisdom. But it was in fact her own voice.

"Naraku, be sealed in the Jewel of Four Souls, so that you may never harm this world again." She said without falter in her voice.

Two great hands of pink light sprang forth from the Jewel and stretched out for Naraku. Naraku screamed and forced his shields up against the attack. But when the power struck him, and took him in their hands, enclosing him, his power fell away as if it never existed. The hands took him, still wrapped in Inuyasha's attack, and retracted him back towards the Jewel.

The Jewel looked like an encompassing black hole. Naraku screamed silently and wordlessly as his form was manipulated and sucked into the Jewel's shining surface.

Kagome herself screamed as the Jewel pulled Naraku into its depths. For she was the Jewel's guardian, its keeper. Its magic, her own magic and Inuyasha's power aided in the sealing of Naraku.

When it was over. Things came back in stages. Sight was first, then touch, taste, smell, and finally sound. And the silence was golden. No screams, just peace.

Kagome breathed soft and with a slight moan. The small Jewel now rested in both her hands, like it had never done anything at all. Its power was asleep. And with it, Naraku's power slept.