Chapter 18

Inuyasha was flying down the hallway towards the room Sango, Miroku and Kirara had found Naraku in. His head and his heart were fighting each other, on the way there. They were winning equally.

'I should just forget about her. I mean, I may be alone now, but that's how it's always been. I'll be fine, right?' His head said.

His heart spoke up. 'Will I really be all right? I lost Kikyo and now I'm losing Kagome. I love Kagome so much... I can't just give up on her so easily. Maybe she wasn't even involved with those two.'

'No! She even said there was a futon in there. How do I know they didn't do anything? How?!' His head shot back.

His heart pumped with anger. 'What am I saying? She barely even knows them! If I can't even trust her...' Inuyasha arrived at the door to the room. He stared at it for a second and then slammed it open.

"Inuyasha!" Sango called briefly looking behind her at Inuyasha. She was protecting Miroku while Kirara was trying to break Naraku's barrier he had around him.

"Need some help?!" Inuyasha unsheathed his Tetsusaiga and charged at Naraku. Slamming his sword into the barrier. He jumped back and charged again, over and over. Naraku started attacking him, he was irritated. Inuyasha dodged each one of them, striking again after dodging.

'This is good. I can get myself off the subject that hurts me so much.'

Koga, Kagome, Eisaku and Genpaku joined up with Kaede and Shippo and were running all running to the door of the room. When they opened it, they found Sango protecting Miroku from Naraku's demons, Kirara trying to break through Naraku's barrier and Inuyasha dodging attacks that came at him. They all ran in and Kagome was the first to speak.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled. Inuyasha stopped his assault and looked back at Kagome. Their eyes met and held each other's gaze. Everything else in that room faded out. It was just Kagome and Inuyasha. Inuyasha had hurt in his eyes but Kagome explained everything without saying a word. Just by staring in her eyes, he knew what happened. He knew that he made a huge mistake. Another was coming straight at his head.

"Inuyasha!" A voice called to him. He shielded himself with his Tetsusaiga and waited but nothing hit it. He looked up and saw that an arrow had saved him. Kikyo, had saved him from certain doom.

"Kikyo!" He exclaimed. She was walking through the door holding her son's hand.

"Keep your eyes on Naraku! He's not dead yet!"

Inuyasha looked form Kikyo to Kagome and then nodded.

"Right!" He continued to attack.

"Kikyo? Where have you been?" Kagome asked.

"Me? I thought I felt the presence of someone I knew-" Kikyo stopped talking mid sentence when she saw the two guys with Kagome. Kikyo fell to the ground.

"Kikyo? You alright?" Kaede and Kagome asked.

"I am fine. Just a little woozy." She explained. She got back on her feet and walked over to Genpaku. "May I ask your name?"

"I am Genpaku." He kneeled and kissed her left hand. She looked down at him and then gazed at the other guy.

"Why are you here? How did you find us??"

Genpaku's eyes widened a little as if he had been hiding something that was just discovered by Kikyo. Eisaku stepped in.

"I am Eisaku and we felt a great deal of evil coming from this place." He explained easily. Too easily. Her eyes narrowed to slits.

"Is that so?" Kikyo asked suspiciously.

"We'll try our best to assist you." They said together.

Kikyo didn't look satisfied or convinced but she dropped the subject with a, "Fine, just don't get in our way."

They rejoined the group to find Naraku getting a little more than irritated. He snickered.

"Do you all really think that you can defeat me?!"

A blast of demonic energy slammed them all against the wall. All but Haku, Inuyasha and Koga. Everyone then fell to the ground, revealing his or her body prints in the walls. Inuyasha and Koga looked behind them. Haku fell to his knees over Kikyo.

"Mama? Mama!" Haku cried.

"Kagome!" Koga yelled. He started to run to her. Inuyasha was about to do the same but stopped himself. 'With me, Kagome is always in danger. I can't put her in danger anymore, no matter how much I want her to be by my side.' Kagome's jewel shards flew from her pocket and to Naraku's right hand. Inuyasha turned to see Naraku escape into the next room. Inuyasha ran after him.

"Koga! Take care of everyone, especially Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled back at him. Inuyasha fled.

"Koga stood over Kagome's body looking from the door Inuyasha went through, down at Kagome. He bent down to help her up when she became transparent.

"Huh?" Confusion took over Koga's body and actions, making him just kneel and stare as Kagome disappeared. When he regained control over his body he reached out for Kagome at the last moment. It was a failed attempt.

"Shit!" He cursed. He looked up from the space where Kagome was, just in time to see Kikyo and Haku disappear as well. Afterwards the whole gang disappeared into thin air. The only people left in that room were Eisaku, Genpaku and Koga. Koga jumped to his feet.

"What in all the Hells is going on?!"

Inuyasha was running in a small corridor, torches lit on the sides. But instead of the normal mix of red, orange, and yellow, the fire burned different shades of blue.

'What the hell is going on? Since when is fire blue?' Inuyasha thought. The only sound in the corridor was his heavy breathing and his thumping steps. 'I've got to get those jewel shards back! The sooner I defeat Naraku and get the jewel shards, the sooner...' Inuyasha paused, not wanting to think about it. 'The sooner Kagome can be safe, in her own time.' He finished.

Inuyasha dismissed his thoughts from his mind as he entered a room at the end of the corridor. It was pitch black, Inuyasha couldn't see his hand in front of his own face. He ended up poking himself in the eye.

"Ow!" He cried out.

Suddenly the room was filled with the blue torchlight. Inuyasha unsheathed his sword, ready to fight. It was still pretty dark so Inuyasha couldn't tell if Naraku was in there or not. He couldn't see well in the dark.

"Inuyasha... Are you so bored as to come end your life now or are you simply so dumb that you would try to defeat me now that I have all the jewel shards. The full, complete Jewel of Four souls."

"Yeah nice try! Koga still has two in his legs!"

"Oh really? Does he now?" Naraku said menacingly.

"Where are you Naraku! Stop hiding and show yourself!"

"I'm right here!" The lights came on in the room and Naraku was standing 20 feet before him. The old Inuyasha would've attacked right then, but this Inuyasha stayed his distance, thinking of a plan.

Stalling for time to think, he spoke. "You don't have the whole jewel... You would be flaunting it off right now!"

"Well, if you think so.." Naraku pulled out the jewel. Inuyasha's eyes widened. It was complete. "This is the real jewel in my hand."

"Its a fake! Koga wouldn't so easily give them up to the likes of you!" Inuyasha started to charge at Naraku when Naraku lifted his hand a brightened a shadow above him against the wall.

"How do you like my new collection, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha looked up and saw Miroku and Sango lying halfway over the ledge's edge, bleeding... Blood dropped from their bodies onto the floor behind Naraku.

"Ah... Its a perfect picture." Naraku laughed evilly.

"Damn you!"

"Oh? But that is the very least of what I have!" Naraku pointed and Inuyasha saw Kaede hanging by her arms with rope and looking half way dead on his left.

"You heartless-!" Naraku interrupted him.

"And then we have this lovely exhibit!" Naraku waved his hand and on Inuyasha's right, the shadows brightened and revealed Shippo and Kirara in cute form, bloody and hanging by their toes.

"You bastard!"

"Ah... I know your getting very excited but you haven't even seen my masterpiece yet! This piece will certainly drive you crazy!" Naraku snapped and two more people appeared on the wall behind Inuyasha. He told himself not to look, afraid of what he might see but he looked anyways, only to see the two women he had ever loved chained, whipped, stabbed in their chests and bleeding. Inuyasha unconsciously used his nose to smell their blood and their blood, their blood carried the scent of death...

TO BE CONTINUED