Chapter 20

Kikyo and Kagome crept along the walls of the castle. As they got closer and closer to Naraku's pin point location, the miasma was getting stronger every step of the way. Luckily they were not affected by it and they could move from there on. Kagome was in front and Kikyo was in the back. Not good since Kagome doesn't have a weapon. Kagome tripped over something and she couldn't see what it was because it was so dark. The halls where filled with a stuffy smell that made you wanna hurl. Kikyo smiled and then it faded away when a little light came through the window. It was a body. Kagome shrieked but was stopped by Kikyo's hand placed over her mouth. The body smelt, it was slowly decaying, and of course he was holding arrows and a bow. It was Kagome's lucky day and she retrieved this weapon as for protection and killing their enemy. More and more bodies began to show up against the walls. All decaying from the toxic miasma. They wore armor, a hair band tied in the back, and they all had spears and such. Soon they were nothing to them and they got use to the smell.

Naraku was in the middle of the castle. Consuming more demons so that he could keep his form. He wasn't complete still and he barely had the strength to keep up the barrier. He didn't have an allies anymore since Miroku sucked Kagura and Kanna into his wind tunnel. Now he couldn't make anymore incarnations and so now he only had Kajin for his plots. Manipulating him for his own evil purposes...well more like revenge. Kagome glared into the darkness and noticed something was wrong. It seemed that the hall way just stopped. Kikyo bumped in Kagome when she had stopped to glare. Kikyo looked over to see what she was doing and she could sense something wrong too. Kagome continued forward and walked right into a dead end. The dead priestess stopped and looked back but which way was back? The hallway was pitch black and all the directions looked the same. Kagome put on a fake smile and she dug into her pocket to see if she was caring anything that made a light. Both pockets where empty and then Kikyo knew what she had to do. She fitted an arrow on her bow and shot it to make a light down the hall way.

"Good idea Kikyo" Kagome complemented.

"Thanks I guess. Let's go, we don't have that much time left. Naraku is already ahead of us and he's going to obtain the Jewel soon. Hurry before my arrow stops glowing" Kikyo said and they ran down the hallway to see if there was another way to get to Naraku.

"Hey Kikyo. I'm still puzzled why Naraku kidnapped us both. Inuyasha doesn't know you are here and yet Naraku captured you" Kagome said.

"I still have no idea what he is planning but I'm sure it has to do with Inuyasha, you, and me" Kikyo could only come up with that.

"Well that's kind of obvious. But what can he do to us when its three against 1 or 2 if you count Kajin?" Kagome included.

"Why wouldn't you count him. He helped kidnap you in the first place. Did he not?" Kikyo asked.

"Yeah but he said he didn't want to kidnap me though. Naraku is forcing him to do his biding. If he didn't kidnap me, Naraku would have killed him for not listening to orders. That's probably why he hasn't given Naraku the Sacred Shikon Jewel yet. He wants us to destroy Naraku so that the power of the jewel wont benefit from its powers" Kagome implied.

"Doesn't seem logical to me" Kikyo simply said.

"Well you weren't there so of course it doesn't. I'm not going to argue with you about this so lets just hurry and finish off Naraku for good this time. Like you said we don't have much time" Kagome said.

Kagome grabbed Kikyo's hand and dragged her behind while she ran. Kikyo could hardly run along with her at this angle she was being pulled. The miasma was clouding the halls but that wasn't stopping this girl from moving on. The sacred jewel shard was getting closer to hand. Both girls could sense it and every step they were getting closer to the tainted Shikon shard. A new miasma descended and it was getting hard to breathe all of a sudden. Kagome and Kikyo stopped running knowing running was making it worse. Soon enough they were in the middle of the castle but no Naraku. They entered a room with lit torches. The room was empty and Naraku was no where, yet the Shikon Jewel was nearby. Close by like you could touch it. Kagome walked forward and she instantly looked down at the floor in the middle of the room. She fitted an arrow on her bow and released it at the floor. A whole was made and luckily she didn't destroy the stairs leading downward in the process. Kikyo was amazed by proud of Kagome all at one time.

Kikyo nodded her head when Kagome looked back at her. They began to walk down the creepy stairs that led to darkness. This time they took a torch for light instead of wasting arrows. Another disgusting smell was filling their nostrils. As they walked around, puddles of something substance had its own stench. The scent was familiar and then Kikyo spoke up "Demon blood." Kagome gasped and knew why it was here. He was construction a new body but why have demon's battle in your fortress and now she was really confused. Last time Naraku needed a new body, he got a whole bunch of demons to fight to the death in a cave. The last one standing was going to be his new body. This time it was different. If only she had a nose like Inuyasha she would be able to figure out whose blood it was. There wasn't any corpses and it didn't look like a battle was held down here. Kikyo walked ahead found a door that was leading to another room that was lit like upstairs. Kagome followed the clay woman and found the jackpot. There was Naraku consuming more demons and he was smirking at them. It was like he knew they were coming and they didn't like it. He finished up consuming them and a bright light was made.

They girls where blinded for a moment or two and there Naraku stood. He was wearing a new outfit and his body seemed different. The aura that surrounded him increased by two folds and the barrier outside was even stronger from before. If they had broken through the barrier before, Naraku would know they were escaping and that's why the chose to fight instead of fleeing. Two single roots came up from behind the girls and wrapped themselves around Kagome and Kikyo. Naraku disappeared and reappeared outside the castle. Kagome and Kikyo where dragged to the surface and out of the castle. Kikyo broke through the roots and shot an arrow at Naraku. Kagome broke through as well and followed Kikyo's plan. Kikyo's arrow hit a small barrier around the demon and it split in two. Kagome's arrow did the same and the same thing happened to it. Naraku laughed and the hurt was on. Outside the barrier, the trees rustled and two very large demons came out and Naraku let them in. This was part of his plan. Soon Inuyasha would come and then the unforgettable event will hit him like an arrow through his heart. Kagome and Kikyo looked back to see what they were about to do next. Both demon's picked up a priestess. Kagome was in one of the demon's hand and the Kikyo was in the other demon's hand. Naraku laughed again and he was sensing Inuyasha's presence close by.

The hold on them was getting tighter and tighter. They were getting their body crushed and it was getting harder to breathe. Three of the souls in Kikyo's body left her and Kikyo was beginning to worry now. Out of the blue Inuyasha jumped out from the forest and struck the barrier with his Tetsusaiga. He was sent back and he tried again but this time the sword was red and he used the wind scar. Shippou was on his shoulder and he was the first one to notice that Kikyo was there too. Kagome's strength was being drained and she was almost unconscious. Two other souls left Kikyo's body. Soon all the souls of the dead and Kagome's remaining soul inside her will leave and she will be nothing more then a corpse. Her soul collectors where outside the barrier trying to get in but as they did, they were destroyed by the force. The wind scar hit the barrier and it began to disappear. Inuyasha gracefully landed on the ground and that's when he noticed Kagome wasn't the only one who needed saving. Kikyo was there as well and his heart began to pound faster and faster. Both girls were unconscious at this point. If the demon's would squeeze them any tighter, it was the end of them and they would be devoured in an instant. Naraku's plan was planning out perfectly and soon Inuyasha's heart will be crushed forever. Shippou jumped off of Inuyasha's shoulder to get out of harms way for now. The demon's where large and tall. Almost like a 24 story building I suppose. Inuyasha began to growl and he looked Naraku straight in the eye. The evil demon smirked again and began to explain the next step of his plan.

"Inuyasha you pitiful fool. You are a foolish half breed and this is your decision" Naraku began.

"What do you mean my decision?" Inuyasha asked angrily.

"You will decide who is going to live and who is going to die. You can only save one wench before getting to the other one. If you save Kikyo, Kagome will be killed again and devoured. If you save Kagome, Kikyo will parish from the face of the earth once again. It's your choice now" Naraku explained and disappeared into the shadows.

"Damn it! What the hell am I suppose to do!" Inuyasha sculled.

"Inuyasha..." Shippou mumbled.

"If I pick Kikyo, Kagome is going to die and if I pick Kagome, Kikyo is going to die again. I promised Kikyo I wouldn't let anything happen to her again but then I'm going to let down Kagome. I love both of them but I also promised Kagome the same thing" Inuyasha thought out loud.

Inuyasha's Thoughts:

"All that matters now is you Kagome and Feudal Japan doesn't concern me anymore. I don't want to live there anymore. I rather stay here with you Kagome. I can't risk losing you. This week has been a living hell for the both of us and I know you don't want to feel anymore pain as I don't. We lost Kaede and the funny thing is, I didn't get to thank her. Hm...I'm glad she put these prayer beads on me. Even though I've being complaining about them, but they brought us together and I'm glad they did. If I'm going to live the rest of my life in your world, I'm going to be a human. I want to be with you Kagome and there is nothing or anyone could stop me from be with you" Inuyasha remember some of the things he had said to Kagome when she was in the hospital.

"I love you Kagome"

I was just wondering how long it would take you to say those words. I love you too Inuyasha. I always did" Kagome replied.

"That's right I admitted my love to Kagome and made up my mind to live with her. I was going to forgive this place and spend the rest of my life with her. I never thought how that was going to affect Kikyo and me. I know what I have to do" Inuyasha thought. "But what about Kikyo" Inuyasha thought about her as well.

Hey really didn't want to really betray her this time but he didn't know what to do now.

"Kikyo I never stop thinking about you. I'm going to keep protecting you. You don't have to fight anymore" Inuyasha remembering when he was in the forest alone with Kikyo shortly after she was resurrected.

"Hey Inuyasha. Are you doing spacing out now? You need to rescue them from those two demons. Don't worry about what Naraku said. You can rescue both with out some one dying" Shippou replied.

"No Shippou. Look they are splitting up. One is going to the other side so that I can't destroy both with one blow. It's impossible to save both. I'm going to have to pick one like Naraku said. Naraku really out did himself again. Going through all lengths to really piss me off. Well he's not going to piss me off or break my heart because I already picked the girl I'm going to protect and want in my life. That's what he missed to see" Inuyasha grasped the Tetsusaiga tight.

"Is he going to pick her instead of the other one? Oh jeez now I'm confused" Shippou shook his head.

"Shippou you better stay back. This is going to get messy" Inuyasha implied and went to the one he had picked.

"Sure thing Inuyasha. Just holler if you need me" Shippou smiled.

"I'm sorry I didn't pick you but this is what my heart desires" Inuyasha said aloud.

Kagome woke up and she looked over to Kikyo but she couldn't tell if she was okay because they were far apart. She doesn't look okay from Kagome's point of view and another soul drew out of Kikyo's body. She was loosing life fast and she couldn't do a thing. Her soul collectors where here but they couldn't get any closer. They couldn't because something was drawing them away and Kagome figures its Naraku's miasma. Before they were loose Kikyo was covered with the aura of Naraku's miasma. Usually the miasma wouldn't affect such as her but it was different from the old toxic miasma. It had affected the clay woman and so it was affecting her soul collectors. Kikyo came too and looked over to Kagome's worrying face. She smiled and then passed out again. There was only a few more souls left inside her clay body and she didn't have much time. Shippou was standing in the open and he was looking around him to see if Naraku would appear anywhere.

"Inuyasha..." Kagome lastly said before the demon tightened his hold on her and made her pass out as well.

"Ha ha ha. I guess he's going to pick that insolent wench then his beloved woman. How predictable. In any case she who he did not pick shall die. Either way they are all going to die. Inuyasha will feel broken inside and his last memory being alive will be responsible for that woman's death!" Naraku chuckled a little and it was time for the end of her life.

To be continued...