Disclaimer: Inuyasha is completely unowned by my person.

Author Note: It's time to change direction---instead of the fluffy chapters you guys have been enjoying thus far, it's time to get into the last battle. Battles are not my forte, but you will find that there will be a lot more going on than just fighting... Expect three or four more chapters yet plus a two part epilogue (chopped in half because it's way too long).

$&&&

Sitting like a brooding watchman on the cliff, the crumbling, almost derelict castle stood in adamant defiance of the steadily falling rain on a fateful midsummer's night, ten days after Kagome and the others had left Kaede's village. Several days to the north of the mountains and located in some of the loneliest and most desolate country that any villain could have hoped for, it had supposedly been one of Naraku's first confiscations in his reign of terror of the land; in fact, he had taken residence there months before Kagome left the group.

Only the darkest rumors of this foreboding structure and its murderous tenant had been passed around in the area beyond; it supposedly was guarded by hundreds of demons and even a fragment of its entire force had the ability to wipe out the strongest of the hans (and in fact, even had). Not only that, but the lord was also a force to be reckoned with. No one in the area had ever seen him and lived to tell the tale, but it was widely known that he was able to possess people's bodies and was also very practiced in the craft of voodoo. With such odds, it was no small wonder that anyone living in the area had long fled.

It was these stories coupled with previous experience that made the group enter the structure on that night with great trepidation. Though the others had been there before and slightly knew what to expect, Kagome peered fearfully into the darkness as the group stealthily entered through a side door. Unable to see a thing as Miroku quietly shut it behind them, she grabbed ahold of Inuyasha's shoulder for added support, though in the end even his sharper eyesight did not actually prove much more useful. Nothing could be seen; nothing could be heard, nothing but the muffled sound of their footsteps and their own hushed whispering, which began presently to alleviate the tension.

"Well...here we are."

"And right in the flesh, too!"

"All that walking...and they at least could have left a light on for us!"

"By the way, why on earth is it so dark in here, anyway?"

"I dunno...maybe Naraku cut down on lighting costs."

"Or he took the entire guard out to attack a village."

"Oh, I know, you guys! Maybe he just likes the dark!"

It was Inuyasha who finally broke the semi-silence. "You idiots!" he burst out angrily. "It's what I've been saying all along! No light, no noise...not even one guard stationed at the front gate! Do you idiots think that maybe, just maybe, Naraku has set up a trap for us?!"

A moment of unnerving silence ensued, though even that was quickly broken. Everyone paled considerably when a male voice suddenly boomed out from nearby. "Well, well...perhaps my brother is a lot smarter than I once thought..."

Suddenly the room was filled with light, and the group found themselves surrounded by at least thirty fierce-looking demons, their spears and various other sharp implements at the ready. At the head of all of them stood Sesshomaru, who smirked mockingly at them, his whip at the ready. He gestured grandly towards his motley assortment of well-armored allies, all of various ages and sexes. "My highest vassals, Inuyasha, though you may not remember them; you WERE only a few days old when you were permanently banished from the Western Lands, were you not?"

Inuyasha grimaced, his eyes darting to and fro as he vainly tried to find a way out. "Get on with it, Sesshomaru. I didn't come here to shoot the shit with you."

He smiled wickedly. "Ah, but you will anyway... You see, Inuyasha, I have specific orders to not allow you to leave this room alive. And who am I to defy a direct order from Naraku?"

Inuyasha spat at his feet. "You want to know who you are, eh? Well, you're a coward!" he burst out, unsheathing the Tetsusaiga in one sweep of his arm. The magnificent blade bathing the room in a warm yellowish glow, he pointed the sword straight at his brother, who stared at it with a bemused expression on his face. "WHY did you give me that Shikkon Jewel shard, Sesshomaru?!" He growled frustratedly, clenching one of his fists, using his other arm to draw Kagome nearer in a gesture of protection. "What was the point in the first place?! You know damn well that you most likely could have killed both Kagome and me in our sleep in the gorge that day! So why-"

Sesshomaru cut him off with another wicked smile. "Perhaps you are smarter than you appear, my brother, though your perception of my reasoning leaves much to be desired. I did not intend to kill you on that day, or any day, for that matter--- or at least until you had done the dirty work of killing Naraku for me." He chuckled dryly as Inuyasha muttered a nasty oath, pointing Tetusaiga at a straighter path toward Sesshomaru's heart. "I have to give you some credit, however; I wouldn't have guessed that you and the girl would be traveling together of late, especially since Naraku has had much of his army afield searching for her after the Pit Demon died attempting to retrieve her. Be grateful that she was...for she saved your life for the time being." He ended his diatribe with a transparent smile.

Inuyasha's eyes flashed with an angry fire. "Why, you goddamned arrogant-"

Kagome grabbed his shoulder desperately. "Don't take his bait, Inuyasha! He's just trying to rile you up so that you do something rash!"

Inuyasha bared his fangs, but did nothing as Sesshomaru smoothly continued on, "What a reasonable little beauty you have there, Inuyasha---disgusting little human though she is. Listen to her advice for a moment while I finish." He looked at the couple calculatingly for a moment and then continued on. "As I've told you before, the Demon Realm hangs by a mere thread under the threat of Naraku. If he is allowed to complete the Shikkon Jewel, then I am sure that he will eventually occupy the Western Lands. Yet I do not have the strength to disobey him at the moment. Therefore I must follow the orders that he has laid down, whether I or my vassals wish to or not."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Just whose side are you on anyway, you moron?!"

Even though she was shaking in her shoes at the sight of all of the demon knights growling and pointing their spears straight at her heart, Kagome sighed in exasperation at his denseness. "What he means, Inuyasha," she said in a disgruntled voice, her grip on his shoulder tightening, "is that although he is going to try to kill you right now, he didn't necessarily intend to at first. He didn't want you involved at all at first, but after he saw me, someone who can detect Shikkon Jewel shards, he realized that he could use us to his advantage. He wanted to exploit us by giving us the Shikkon Jewel shard and allowing us to dispose of Naraku for him if we maybe had a chance so that he wouldn't have to do the dirty work. That way he could continue doing whatever he had planned against Naraku undetected, since he doesn't want him overrunning his kingdom. However, Naraku probably got suspicious and then ordered him to use his guard to kill us." She nodded at her confounded mate. "Got it?"

Inuyasha, still using one hand to point the Tetsusaiga, scratched his head. "Um...yeah." Everyone else in the room then proceeded to roll their eyes out of sheer frustration.

This odd (but rather golden) moment was rudely interrupted when suddenly an unpleasantly familiar voice hissed from an upper balcony, "How utterly nice. Hearing about your own planned demise with your own ears and by some of your closest vassals, no less." Everyone sucked in their breath sharply as Naraku was seen leaning slightly over the high marble balcony overhead, one of his characteristic smirks planted firmly on his face. "It is all over," he went on bemusedly, staring straight at Inuyasha and the others. "Your lives end here."

Something clenched and unclenched inside of Kagome's stomach as she noticed Sesshomaru stirring restlessly nearby. "You wouldn't dare," he finally called up to him calmly, ignoring the slight commotion going on among his vassals. "The remaining hundred of my vassals are stationed in the courtyard; they would make short work out of your untrained army."

Naraku sniffed, casually rubbing the worn woodwork of the balcony with one pointed finger. "Oh?" he replied with mock concern. "That little army was...yours? Why, I must apologize, Sesshomaru. ...Being not on their guard and not even having their arms at hand, they all dropped at the hand of my garrison like flies. Poor...pitiful...little...flies." He smacked his hand on the balcony with each word. "I must say, though," he added pointedly, "they did put up quite the fight before they had to die, even with my special containment spell that did not allow them to leave the courtyard. Of course my 'untrained' army had at least three losses for every one of yours, but with a standing garrison of nine hundred demons, what would it matter? You will all still perish." Rubbing his neck with the back of his hand, he seemed to savor the moment as his eyes rested on a very scared-looking Kagome, who had settled herself shaking into the crook of one of Inuyasha's arms. "Well...except for you, my sweet. For you I have other plans." He chuckled darkly.

Kagome suddenly found herself spinning out of Inuyasha's arms when the half-demon suddenly lifted his sword again and pointed it straight at Naraku. "You sick bastard!" he shouted impatiently, his face growing red. "When I'm done with you you won't even be able to get it up!"

"Temper...temper... You still very much need to work on that temper, Inuyasha..." Naraku paused for a moment, his mouth curling into a malicious smile. "In fact, it was your temper that caused me to be able to take advantage of you like I did. How fortunate I was for you to have had such a great one..." Now his eyes rested on Sesshomaru, who had hitherto been standing quietly and watching the exchange, unsurprisingly showing no sign of anxiety or panic. "And you, Lord Sesshomaru, have been far too trusting of me. How could I have not suspected that you were going against me all of these years? The Shikkon Jewel is a threat to all pure-blooded demons everywhere, and I knew that you would hardly approve of my using it. ...You do know what I'm getting at, don't you, Lord Sesshomaru?" he asked the tall demon mockingly. "I am sure that you are not like all of the other bumbling idiots who went around in search for a jewel that would reduce them to mortals once put whole."

"My distrust towards you, Naraku, has most likely been apparent since you forced my vassalage," Sesshomaru cut in firmly, stepping towards the balcony. "The Western Lands do not want such a ruler, but were willing to bide their time until our strength was gathered. However, it still puzzles me as to why you went to such trouble to do things thusly. Why that girl? What are your motives for having waited so long? You know as well as I do that you don't need her to detect Shikkon Jewel Shards! So why did you wait?! You could have already had the Jewel and done away with me two years ago!" He shook his head. "Mere lust could not have driven you for three years."

Naraku did not answer. Something flashed in his crimson eyes for a brief moment, but he only bowed his head and made an odd gesture with one hand, the malicious smile returning soon after. "You die here, Lord Sesshomaru...right along with your brother and the dreams of your kingdom. It doesn't matter why I want the girl...or why I used you to collect the Shikkon Jewel shards. All that matters is that you never leave this castle alive."

Suddenly Kagome and the others were aware of doors all around the room opening, of demons silently creeping out from behind Naraku up in the gallery...of every entrance being blocked by the enemy. Dark-haired, sharp-toothed dog-demons, winged gargoyles, fearsome, red-eyed wolves...a motley but deadly array of demons was about to attack them at any moment. Kagome trembled and backed up against Inuyasha, who touched her back reassuringly. However were they going to get out of this one?

Sesshomaru's scarlet eyes flashed as he glared up at Naraku. "Very well then, Naraku," he spat, gesturing for his vassals to surround him. "We fight. But do not expect us to go easily!"

Naraku, not surprisingly, was unperturbed by his threats. Instead he appeared to be chanting an incantation, his hands a flurry of movement and his lips moving without a sound. A small silence ensued, only with a few of the vassals hurriedly drawing their weapons, but it was quickly broken when the sorcerer suddenly raised his left hand, uttering in a commanding tone, "It begins!"

As the demons on the opposing side closed in and as Sesshomaru's vassals and Inuyasha's small party strove to defend themselves, no one seemed to notice the obvious discomfort that had come upon Miroku just when Naraku had ended his spell. He doubled over painfully, clutching his right hand as something black and sinister seemed to pulse from its very insides...

(&(&))$#$

Inuyasha had seen that the situation was bleak from the very beginning. Eyes darting to and fro as he watched the two sides connect and begin the desperate battle, he clenched his teeth as he raised the Tetsusaiga against a marauding ogre demon who seemed to have his sights set on him for lunch. After the body had fallen limply to the floor, he took a moment to stare up at the balcony. Naraku was no longer there...for the moment. He took a moment to wonder where he had disappeared to, but pushed the thought quickly out of his mind when he realized that he had a frightened mate clinging tightly to his shoulder. "Your bow's not gonna work at such a short range," he called out over it to Kagome. "Stay with me!"

He would deal with Naraku later.

Nearby an oversized boomerang sliced through three rather foolish-looking demons whose last words (or rather grunts) to the world were cries of pain. Inuyasha looked expectantly over; surely enough, Sango stepped out from a dark corner, where she had been standing waiting for a good target. "What's going on?" she yelled out to Inuyasha and Kagome. "What about Sesshomaru? Ought we to ally with his vassals for now? After all, we've got a common enemy!"

Inuyasha shrugged, defensively jabbing a frog-demon right in the gizzard. "Well, as long as he's not killing us now!" he replied honestly, whipping around to watch his other side. "We're done for if his vassals come for us as well as Naraku's cronies!"

Sango nodded grimly, watching the Demon Realm's vassals fighting Naraku's minions as fiercely as they themselves would. That arrangement would work...for now.

$$&&&((

Shippo stared at Miroku worriedly as he continued to double over, his forehead creased in pain. "Miroku, what's going on?" he asked him anxiously, attempting to pull him away from the main battle and out into a dark but quiet corridor. "What did he do to you?"

Miroku clenched his teeth. "I don't...know. I think it's my - my Wind Tunnel. It - it hurts like hell."

Shippo looked at the battle behind them. "C'mon, we hafta get you outta here," he said honestly, tugging at Miroku's long sleeve. "If it's your Wind Tunnel, then we're all in trouble!"

Miroku straightened painfully. "You're...right, Shippo. Though I wish I could die like a man and keep fighting...I - I'm a danger to everyone if I stay here..."

Shippo nodded curtly, and with that they slowly set off down the dark, gloomy corridor.

$&&()&)($#

Though it definitely was no surprise to him, the outcome of the battle was sorely vexing Inuyasha. Already some of Sesshomaru's vassals were falling to the inexperienced but endless numbers of Naraku's demons. He wasn't even sure how much longer he was going to hold out, truth be told...although that wasn't exactly something that he liked to think about, he was immediately reminded as he felt Kagome's grip tighten on his shoulder. If he fell in battle...well...he didn't even want to THINK about what kind of state she'd be in even minutes after his death.

He had just had wonderful luck doing away with another rather large ogre demon when suddenly the bloodcurdling shriek of a female rang through air about twenty feet away, causing both him and Kagome to start in fear. Struggling to slide the Tetsusaiga out of the messy innards of the dying ogre, he immediately spun around to try and find the source of the trouble, but nothing could be seen and nothing else heard in the din of battle. Much to his dismay, though, it seemed that Kagome was thinking the exact same thing that he was...

"Oh, hurry up, Inuyasha!" she shrieked, tugging at his arm. "I'm sure it's Sango! We have to go! NOW!"

They both hurried in the direction of the scream, and soon found that the source of the scream was indeed Sango; she was surrounded by several cruel-looking winged demons. They had knocked away her axe and her boomerang lay cleaved in two; they were now jabbing at her mercilessly, as she no longer had any means in which to defend herself.

Acting quickly, Inuyasha threw himself at one of the demons, lopping its head right off before it even had a chance to react. Motioning for a partially stunned Sango to crawl away while the remaining ones were distracted, he then proceeded to go after those, but soon found that they were overwhelmingly outnumbering him.

"Shit!" he cursed vigorously as the Tetsusaiga, now merely a thin, rusty blade, flew out of his hands and fell to the ground with an unnerving clatter. They had him pinned up against the rough, stony wall, and he couldn't even use his claws---they for some reason had no effect on the beasts' armor. All he could do was stand there, stand there and hope for a nice painless death...

...Death WAS painful, wasn't it? He had been on the brink of it before, though he had either gotten out of it somehow or had been unconscious at the time.

Geez, this sucked. Why couldn't he have gone out like a hero instead of being pinned up against a wall looking like he was being molested by a group of winged creatures?

And WHY was it taking so long?! If he had to suffer dying an embarrassing death such as this one, couldn't they at least give him an unhonorable but quick one?!

He opened his eyes cautiously. And quickly shut them again. He wasn't sure if this was an improvement over the winged creatures.

"So...does this mean you'll actually carry your weight in battle, puppy, or are you just gonna slump against the wall like a frightened idiot?"

His eyes snapping open, Inuyasha glared haughtily at Kouga, who was grinning at him with a definite air of superiority, his sword slung over one shoulder and the bodies of the demons lying in a large pool of dark blood at his feet. Taking a moment to look beyond the visage of his hated rival, he noted that Kouga's band was already locked in ferocious battle, apparently helping Sesshomaru and his vassals out. But why were they here?...

"Aren't you supposed to be hiding in a wildlife preserve or something, you big dumb lupine freak?!" he spat, grabbing the Tetsusaiga from the blood-spattered floor and transforming it back to its usual golden brilliance. "You know, trying to jump innocent girls?!"

"Oh, go get put down for rabies, you piece of slime!"

"And YOU go hump someone's leg! ...What are you doing here, anyway?"

"I was worried about Kagome, you idiot!" Kouga shot back, gritting his teeth. "Once my scouts told me where you were headed, I figured it would be SUICIDE if all of you went at this alone! Not that I'm worried about YOU or anything, though, puppy..." He grinned wickedly. "If you die and I happen to win the battle, I'm carrying Kagome off with me, and I guarantee you just after ONE night, she won't even remember your name, much less mourn your pathetic death."

"Yeah, because she'll have gone insane looking at your ugly body all night!" Inuyasha spat, then pausing for a moment. "...Don't you find this unsettling that we're arguing in the middle of a battle?!"

The wolf demon shrugged. "Yeah, a little...Where IS Kagome, anyway?" He squinted suspiciously at Inuyasha for a moment. "Hey, don't tell me that you were stupid enough to bring her along her with you..."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "What was I going to do, leave her by the gate with the Sacred Jewel shards?! And we're fine, she's right heee-" His hand shook, still in its pointing motion, as he realized that Kagome was nowhere around. He couldn't see her anywhere else either, for that matter...what had happened to her?

"Oh no, now don't tell me-" Kouga began sharply, but he was cut off by a sharp kick in the shin.

"Look, there's her bow and her backpack." The half-demon pointed to the referred objects, which were lying carelessly on the ground. "Even if she was in trouble she'd hold on to those. It's almost like she was snatched or something-"

They both looked at one another and said the name at the same time. "Naraku."

$(()E$Q#!

Shippo tugged at Miroku's long sleeve anxiously. "Um...Miroku?" he proffered hesitantly, forcing the weakened young monk to stop dead in his tracks. "Don't you think we should go back? If this was gonna lead to an exit I think we would have gotten there by now."

The monk sighed in response to the suggestion, looking down the dim, musty corridor, which had seemed to wind on and further and further downward with every step that they took. "No..." he grunted, giving out a small gasp as a spasm of pain made it feel as if his hand would collapse and split in two. "If we go back, everyone's lives will be threatened. While it would be nice for all of those demons of Naraku's to perish on behalf of my hand, Kagome and the others would surely be sucked in as well. No, we -or shall we say I -" he added pointedly, "-shall continue on this way."

Rolling his eyes, the little fox demon began walking down the corridor again. "Oh, don't be so morbid, Miroku," he snorted, shooting a passing glance at him over his shoulder. "No one said you were gonna die! It could just be a scratch---that's all." Though that last sentence echoed throughout the corridor rather worriedly...

Miroku only would scowl as he continued with limping down the corridor, his left hand clamped tightly onto his right. Shippo was being way too optimistic---this really was it. In that brief moment that Naraku's crimson eyes had locked with his---it was then that he instantly knew. He wasn't sure at the moment exactly how long he had; it could be only a few more minutes...or perhaps another few hours. All he knew was that he had to get as far away from everyone as possible (and that included Shippo, though he currently would have liked to wring his little neck at the moment).

They suddenly turned a corner and were surprised to discover that they had actually wandered down into the dungeons. "Oh, I knew we shouldn't have taken the stairs!" whined Shippo, peering through the dim light at the cracked stone and the numerous cobwebs above him.

"Actually, Shippo..." Miroku wheezed, coming up behind him. "This is fine. I know we're well away---far away." He gestured weakly towards the mouth of the passage with his good hand. "Now go on---get out of here. Leave me be."

Before Shippo could reply indignantly, however, they both jumped as they heard what seemed to be voices within the darkness ahead.

"Go on, boy, give it to me!"

"No! Never!"

"Make haste or I'll slay you!"

"Go right ahead! I don't have much longer to live with this broken body anyway!"

The monk and the little fox crept towards the dungeon in which this was taking place, and were both taken aback to see Sesshomaru standing in there, his hair and robes a gleam of white in the darkness. He seemed to be standing over a crumpled form heaving in the corner, which other than the vague shape was impossible to see in detail.

"I do not have TIME for this, boy! Hand it over!"

"No! You're one of Naraku's henchmen! I'm not stupid!"

"All right then, I suppose I'll have to RIP it out of you-"

"STOP!" Before Miroku could stop him Shippo hurtled onto the reclining form of what sounded like a adolescent boy, trying to prevent Sesshomaru from striking (though not much, honest to say, would probably have prevented the enraged dog-demon from striking at the moment).

Surprisingly, however, Sesshomaru stayed his whip (though he glared at the little fox demon with ill-concealed disdain), magically compressing it back into its handle and tucking it securely within his belt. He stared at the duo expectantly, however; it seemed as if Shippo hadn't delayed him from action for long-

Miroku hurriedly stepped into the dungeon, still clutching his hurt hand with the other as if he would never let go. "Shippo, climb off of him and get back upstairs," he dictated urgently. "There's really no time-"

Almost as if on cue, the rusty iron door of the dungeon shut behind him, making all of them jump in surprise. Even the boy who had been lying sprawled in the corner looked up, revealing a gaunt freckled visage that had appeared to have lost all hope long before.

Sesshomaru smiled sardonically as Miroku tried (and failed) to open the door, even going so far as to using his hurt hand to grip at its ancient bars, rusted and discolored from age. "It won't work, monk," he announced in a toneless voice. "Naraku knows that we are here; he already has his containment spell cast upon this dungeon. With that open wound in your right hand, he intends for us to die within minutes."

Author Note: That be all for now...

For those of you who have figured out what I'm getting at at the end of this chapter, please don't kill me for being cheesy... 00

But I really ought to give an explanation for the absence of many of Naraku's servants (Kagura, Kanna, etc). I had a variety of reasons for leaving them out. When I started this story (now a year and a half ago) I had only seen everything up to the Kouga episodes (Kagura only appears right after these). It's true that Inuyasha's group would already know of her, as I only diverged from the canon after Kouga's tribe was killed off by her, but... Kagura would have been an interesting character to incorporate into the story, but I was afraid that I would be unable to do her and the other servants justice and I also disliked complicating the story, since it confused me enough! :)

Laura: The Great White North? I'll give it a guess...Canada? Interesting, my freezing state borders Canada (though I can't say it's white here right now). Hm, I should have put more thought into the going into heat thing, you made a valid point. And about the jewel...good guess, but the Jewel will actually hold something far more sinister for Kagome, since she is a priestess. But the Jewel's true purpose does have a major impact on the story's end...

Amanda Trinh: Huh? Inuyasha hasn't been cancelled on Adult Swim. They take it off periodically while waiting for the new episodes to be dubbed, but right now they appear to be making new ones. I like the English version of Inuyasha, although I think the Japanese one is better. The charm that Kaede gave Kagome was an anti-conception charm (agh, I sound like I'm talking about Harry Potter). And yes, Naraku knew that they were coming (partly because of Sesshomaru, and partly because of -er- someone else who shows up in the next chapter, can't reveal who yet).

T: Arguably, you are right. I think if I had to change something in this fic, it would be Sesshomaru, but I'd have to be up for a tough task. However...I'm of the bent that Sesshomaru would go into servitude (albeit unwillingly) in order to gather strength behind Naraku's back...especially if his enemy was able to overrun the Western Lands. In this fic Naraku is certainly capable of that, especially if he gets ahold of the Sacred Jewel; if he does, it's basically all over. Sorry if I offend!

earthshine411: -cackles evilly- And the ramen fetish isn't gone yet...it shall return! Never heard of Demon Diary...is it good so far? Yeah, I'm afraid that this story is heading towards a close...about five more chapters, I would say. Don't worry, though, no ambiguous endings or anything; what happens is clear-cut.

Crystal Twilight: I know about the last episode from the Internet...you're right about it being open-ended. I guess I'll have to see what happens at the end of the manga. They might come out with some more movies, but I'm not positive on that rumor either. I still think there's hope about the two getting together in the canon, though.

Drake Clawfang: Oops---er, where did you review? Er---luckily, Sango and Miroku don't know how far they've gone, although it would be a hilarious scenario, since Miroku probably wouldn't let them live it down for about three years. Ummm---no "l" word yet, but it will be coming (at the least expected time).

Also thanks to Space Vixon, Hanyou-ass, twidget, DSakura, Eelfin24, brigurl, Angel6582, draechaeli, LOLLA, queen-of-the-songfics, Maboroshi Kaji, Wildly Shy, and Delonwethiel for reviewing.

I'll try to hurry with the edits to the conclusion. Until then, adios!