A/N: I didn't update yesterday because it was my sister's B-day and it was also Harry Potter day. I might not have updated today, due to the fact that I slept in until noon because I was up til 5:30 reading HBP. But sleeping being a lost cause, (The book causes your eyes to pop open every 5 seconds going. "wait….THIS happened?") I decided to update anyway.

Chapter 21: The Final Battle Begins

Kagome remained on her knees, crying, for she didn't know how long. As she cried in her sorrow, time seemed to stop. She didn't move from that spot, as if moving would show her that Inuyasha was really gone.

That baka…he's going to die, but he doesn't even care. He knows Naraku has the jewel, he knows alone he isn't a match for him…and yet he'd still go…

A thought came and it made her heart pang in her chest. He said he was doing this for me. He's going to die for me…why?

She trembled as she knew the answer. Because he loves me. He's doing this because he loves me. But…I guess, that's what love means, you'd throw away your life for them…

Would I throw away my life for Inuyasha? she asked herself.

Yes…she thought, sniffing. If I could…I would willingly do that…But now, I can't. He's probably already done this for me. He's probably already…

She gave a particularly loud sob. Inuyahsa…he isn't coming back…

"Kagome-chan?"

Kagome turned around, tears falling down her face. Sango had seemed to have awoken. Sango looked concerned at her. She immediately came over. "Kagome-chan? What's wrong?"

"H-he…he left!" Kagome cried.

"He?" Sango asked. She looked around. Something was missing from the picture. "Inuyasha?"

Kagome gave a small sniffle, and nodded.

Sango hammered her with questions. "Where did he go? How long ago was it? Why did he go?"

"He-he…he's gone to fight Naraku." Kagome said, wiping tears from her face.

Whatever the demon slayer had expected, it had not been this. Her shocked face was enough to prove it. "What? All on his own?"

"Uh-huh…" Kagome cried.

"Why? Is he that stupid? Does he want to die? Is he—?"

"He did it because…he-he loves me…" Kagome said, tears once again falling down her face.

Sango didn't answer. But she knew what Kagome must have been feeling. After all, she had felt it not to long ago. "Come on." Sango said, pulling her to her feet. "We're going."

"Where?" She asked.

"Where do you think? To help Inuyasha of course!"

Kagome wasn't sure if that was a good idea. "But…but…"

"Kagome…if he help him, there is no guarantee that he will die. But we have to leave now. MIROKU, SHIPPOU, KIRARA, UP!" she yelled, making the monk and the two youkai jump. Kouga also jumped to his feet, finally awake after his ordeal.

"Sango…" Miroku asked. "What?"

"No questions, get on Kirara, we're going!"

Inuyasha sniffed the air. He knew it all right; it was Naraku's new scent. He ran through the forest and followed it. As he ran, he smelt it getting stronger and stronger. When he felt the smell the strongest, he skidded to a halt.

He looked at where he had stopped. He was in front of a large cave. It looked like it had risen from the forest floor, since there was a lack of mountains in the area. Inside it was dark and musty, and he could tell it was very deep.

In there, eh? He unsheathed Tessaiga and stepped carefully into the cave. As he walked in the smell of Naraku became even more powerful. He glimpsed saimyoushou in the dark, but they did not com after him. Rather, they turned around, and went in deeper, as if to report to their master. The farther he went the more he was determined. He didn't care in Naraku killed him. At least he had given Kagome enough time to go back to her home.

But the thought of Kagome gave him a sad, deflated feeling in his chest. When he thought of doing this before, he had thought that his love was unrequited. But when Kagome had admitted that she had loved him, going to defeat Naraku was harder than ever. Though her words and their minute of passion had given him strength, he couldn't help but think of what he and Kagome would be doing if they had known this sooner. He couldn't help but think that he might have had a family by now; he might have lived his life with Kagome.

But Naraku would still be a threat. the hanyou thought. Even if I did have a family, he would still come after us…he would still want to harm her…

Naraku's scent enveloped the place as Inuyasha walked into a large cavern. And there, in a corner, clutching the tainted shikon no tama, was Naraku himself.

He didn't look at all surprised that Inuyasha had come. Just as the hanyou had suspected, Naraku had heard it from the saimyoushou first.

Naraku smirked. "So, Inuyasha, you come to challenge me…alone?"

"Yeah, that's right!" Inuyasha said, raising Tessaiga.

Naraku looked around. "Where is the rest of your little group? Surely they would come with you?"

"That's none of your business!" Inuyasha snarled.

"Oh, I see what's going on. You did it, didn't you, hanyou? You sacrificed yourself for your mate's sake. Alas, you take to humans like no other one with youkai blood I have seen before. After all, you would have sacrificed yourself for Kikyou, but in the end, she sacrificed herself for you…"

Inuyasha shook with anger. Even though they were no more, he still couldn't stand to hear this talk. He still blamed himself for her premature death.

"Ah yes…but I do wonder, would your new miko sacrifice herself for you?"

That did it. Talking about Kikyou was one think, talking about Kagome was something else. Inuyasha looked at Naraku with determined eyes, and for a split second, his demonic power surged in them. But he kept it at bay as his blood boiled. At that second, every part of him wanted to tear Naraku limb from limb, to make sure, once and for all, that he was dead.

Raising Tessaiga yet again, he thought about nothing, except killing Naraku, and he ran towards him, intent on seeing Naraku's blood flow.

"Kagome-chan, please, tell me what happened." Sango begged.

They were riding Kirara at top speed, with Kouga running on the ground. Even without his shikon shards, he was a fast runner.

Kagome had avoided the subject, but she knew they would have to hear it in order to know exactly where Inuyasha had gone.

Making sure not to cry, Kagome said, "I woke up and he was leaving. He told me he was going to fight Naraku. Alone. I begged for him to stay but…" She had to close her eyes for a moment to contain herself. "He…he said he was doing this for me. And then we…well…" she blushed furiously.

"What exactly happened?" Miroku asked, picking up her blush.

"We only had about three minutes!" Kagome snapped, hoping that crossed out what she was sure he was thinking. "But then he said he had to do this because…because he didn't want to see me die…and he left. But…" Tears filled her eyes. "I don't want to see him die, either!"

"Don't worry." Sango assured her. Kirara is sniffing out his scent. Kirara suddenly turned in another direction. "See? She knows where he is. Don't worry. We'll get there soon."

Kagome wished that was true. Inuyasha…please be alive…please, just stay alive…

Inuyasha hit the wall of the cave hard, knowing with the impact he had cracked two or three ribs. He moaned as he fell forward, Tessaiga flying out of his hands. He was covered with blood and cuts all over. His battle with Naraku was not going well, when Naraku had the shikon no tama, Inuyasha was incredibly unmatched.

"Had enough, Inuyasha? I suppose you have. After all, didn't you come here to die anyway? If you would like to give up now, I can make your death virtually painless…"

Inuyasha coughed, blood dripped from his mouth. He wobbled, but managed to get himself up, and he grabbed Tessaiga. "No…" he said. "I won't. I won't give up."

Naraku raised an eyebrow. "It's that foul human blood of your mothers telling you that. But it would be better to give up."

"I won't." Inuyasha repeated. "Humans don't give up, no matter what. I'm hanyou. Half-human. I have that blood in me. And I'm not ashamed." He wasn't ashamed anymore because he had realized that Kagome had loved his hanyou form, but that was beside the point. "Heh…I could be human for all I care, with no powers or anything, and I would still fight you. Because that's the thing about humans. No matter what the odds, they will never stop fighting. Just as I won't stop fighting you."

Naraku smirked. "A noble speech. But if you had the shikon no tama, wouldn't you wish to be all-youkai? After all, that would be the only way to defeat me."

Inuyasha glared at him. "I wouldn't."

"Ah. I see. Your miko asked you to do this, did she not?"

"No." Inuyasha said. "I'd give it up for myself. Hanyous may not get respect, trust, or love. But I wouldn't care. Youkai can kill without remorse, without a care in the world. I don't want that. I only want to kill people who deserve it, like you!"

"How can you fight when you can barely stand? I think you deserve pity, Inuyasha. I'll finish this quickly. Farewell, Inuyasha."

The shikon no tama gave off an amazing blast of light. Inuyasha could not get the Tessaiga up to block it properly. He knew he was going to die. He closed his eyes. Kagome…

But he heard a sound like another blast from somewhere else. Inuyasha kept expecting the pain to hit him, but it did not come. He heard a giant boom from next to Naraku. He opened his eyes. To Inuyasha's great surprise, Sesshoumaru was standing in front of him, and have appeared to have blocked the strike.

"Sesshoumaru? What are you doing here?"

The inu youkai turned to glare at him. "I told you, did I not, that this was my battle?"

Naraku did seem a bit surprised to see Sesshoumaru. "Ah yes. Sesshoumaru. Why did you come, to aid your hanyou brother in his revenge?"

Sesshoumaru gripped Toukijin in a fierce grip. "Do you honestly think this Sesshoumaru would help that pathetic hanyou?"

Inuyasha dearly wanted to scream something in his defense, but he was a bit preoccupied coughing up blood to say anything.

Naraku grinned. "Oh, I see. It's revenge for Kagura, isn't it?"

Sesshoumaru looked a bit uneasy. "I have no such feelings in me."

Naraku continued. "Kagura got what she deserved. She had tried to betray me, and so I did not trust her. I only needed her to compete her final task, once that was done she was of no more use to me. She longed for freedom, yet the only freedom she had was dying alone. Dying of wounds that I had wanted to inflict for so long. Soon, Inuyasha will be dead, and I shall make my wish on the shikon no tama. She will have truly died in vain. A terrible, agonizing death, I might add…"

Sesshoumaru looked at Toukijin, as if deciding to fight, but when he lifted his head up, his eyes had turned to red, his anger surged over his body. He growled at Naraku and lifted Toukijin high, and sent a wave of power at Naraku.

It washed over him, yet Naraku smiled. He now had both brothers in combat…a fitting end for them. To die united against one enemy…

Kagome looked down through the trees. Kirara had tracked Inuyasha's scent to somewhere around here… "There!" she said, pointing at a cave. That is where she felt the shikon no tama. If it's still there, then that means…Inuyasha…you might still be alive!

Kirara swooped downward and into the cave, flying through the tunnel, everyone readied their weapons. As Kirara flew, they encountered saimyoushou. They cut them apart before they were able to warn Naraku.

They flew by an entrance to a large cavern. Sesshoumaru was fighting Naraku furiously, throwing everything he had at him, but Inuyasha was bent over the ground, holding his bleeding chest.

Without hesitation or thought about what she was doing, Kagome jumped down from Kirara. "INUYASHA!" she cried.

He looked up. He had not smelled for her scent, but now, he sniffed that sweet scent which could only mean one thing. He yelled, "Kagome, get out of here!"

But Naraku saw, in a moment, tentacles shout out of him, and hit Kagome, Inuyasha jumped up, forgetting his bleeding wound, but he could not get to her before they slammed her against a wall and closed around her throat.

She chocked and tried to pull them apart, but they just became tighter. "Inu…yasha…" she gasped in the tiniest of breaths.

A/N: Oh man…EVIL cliffie. EVIL! (You have permission to throw sharp objects for this!) Anyway, I hope it aint too shabby, considering I only got about 2 hours sleep last night, if that…I hope tomorrow's is better, considering I'll be able to sleep! (But there is a chance there might not be a chapter. Family outing and I don't know when we're planning on getting back.)