A/N: Sorry I didn't update. I had two big projects due, and then was being a bitch last night, so…

There seems to be some confusion. I didn't mean, the last chapter is next, I mean the last chapter of the battle. I still have two more chapters planned after the battle. (I'm a tad bit on the OCD side, since all my stories are multiples of 5 or oneshots.) Anyway, there's the end battle, as sort of tie up loose ends, and then a epilogue for no apparent reason except that I want to mess around with the characters a bit more. So, no you still have two more chapters left to enjoy them. Sorry about the confusion.

Chapter 23: Only For You

Kuro groaned in pain as he once again hit the stone floor hard. He wasn't doing well. No matter what he did, Henka could change shape to match him. It wasn't at all like the first shape changer he fought; Henka was a master of the technique.

The only way to kill such youkai was to stab them directly in the heart, and Kuro would find out where it was by listening for the heartbeat, but just as he was about to end it, Henka would change its position on him, and then make his move.

So far, Kuro sported a black eye, several broken ribs, various cuts and bruises, and he knew he must have been bleeding internally. The fight didn't look good. And Suki still hadn't woken up from when she had been thrown violently against the wall.

Henka laughed, taking on his human form. "What's the matter, hanyou? Are you finally at your limit?"

Kuro cringed, feeling another cracked rib, and stood up wobbly, coughing up blood in the process. "No," he said, with determination, his chocolate eyes full of determination as he looked back at his enemy through his black bangs. "I'm not ever going to give up." His blood dribbled off his lip and exposed fangs.

The shape changing youkai scoffed. "Such persistent creatures, you hanyou are."

Grabbing the Tessaiga, Kuro growled in his throat. "Yeah, well sometimes, even we get impatient." He was about to release the Kongousouha, but Henka had caught on. Before he could do anything, he had been slammed up against a wall, held there by Henka's tight grip around his neck.

Kuro struggled to free himself, his claws digging into the youkai's hands, but it was no use, the grip on his neck was tightening. "Sometimes we youkai get impatient as well to end something." He grinned, as Kuro thought he couldn't last much longer.

All of a sudden, he heard a very lion like growl. Henka turned around, only to have a neko youkai, slam on top of him. As Kuro coughed and regained his breath, he thought, Kirara? What's she doing here?

But the neko youkai didn't hinder Henka for very long. Kirara roared in pain and crashed into a wall, falling on the ground and transforming into her smaller form. She would be all right though. Judging by the sounds, she was still breathing.

Kuro paused before he could strike. He had never seen anything that could outmatch Kirara…I might be in for more than I bargained for…

Kiri and Akuto walked through the hideout, still holding hands. Though both of them were happy that they had finally admitted their love, it was a little heartbreaking to know that they were most likely not going to survive this encounter. Not, that either of them would speak this out loud, however.

As they walked through, Kiri remarked. "This place, it's like a labyrinth."

"I've never seen a youkai den like this before." Akuto replied. "I would assume this used to be a hideout for human bandits, it appears that way."

Kiri sniffed. "I can't tell which way Kuro's gone…"

"That's good, because you won't go any further." A voice in the shadows said.

Akuto pushed Kiri out of the way. "Stay back."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not that weak, you know."

He grinned. "I know, sweetheart. It just feels nice saying it."

Kiri growled at Akuto, and then asked to the figure in the shadows, "Who are you?"

"My my, I thought you would have guessed already." Tai said.

The silver haired hanyou recognized her at once. Pushing past Akuto, she said, threateningly, "Get out of our way."

"Sorry, can't do that." The youkai replied.

Kiri grabbed her bow, and in an instant, an arrow was aimed at her. "Let me rephrase that." She warned, now angry. "Get out of our way, now."

"You never give up, do you? Well, let me tell you this, I'd like to get out of your way, but I can't. I'm on orders. You can't cross the orders of your older brother."

Kiri snorted. "I doubt that."

Tai didn't reply to her answer. "I must follow my brother's orders. Not just because he will kill me, but also because I want to receive my payment for helping him."

Kiri tightened the bowstring. "And what is your payment?"

The shape shifting youkai glared at her. "It is not something I will tell you!" All of a sudden, she transformed into a snake and lunged at them, making Kiri and Akuto jump out of the way.

"Well, this is certainly interesting." Akuto said.

"Right." Kiri replied, notching an arrow. "Take her together I suppose?"

"Uh-huh. And if we die, she'd better be coming with us." Akuto said, putting himself in a fighting stance.

"Wouldn't think of it any other way." And they rushed toward her, starting the second battle inside the mountain.

Kuro raised the Tessaiga. "Kaze no kizu!" he roared, causing a wave of wind to lash out at Henka.

But it didn't hit him. A second later, the youkai appeared behind him. "Too slow, hanyou."

Kuro found himself smacked so hard, he was flying through the air, Tessaiga dropping out of his hands. When he landed hard on the stone floor, he felt himself break a few more bones. He coughed as his vision started going black. "Damn…it…" he said, as he heard Henka laughing in the background. His youkai blood surged in him, begging him to let it take control, but he kept it at bay, feeling himself black out in the process.

His last coherent thought was that Suki still hadn't woken up.

His pain disappeared, and he felt as if his body had been split into two parts. Instead of darkness there was light everywhere. Shining so bright he had to squint. Where am I?

At first, he assumed he was alone, but then Kuro saw an oddly shaped figure coming towards him. He couldn't make out who it was. But a second later, he saw it was oddly shaped because it was carrying a child on its hip. "Kuro…" it said, in an ethereal voice. And then it hit him, who that voice was.

Suki.

She came into his vision, looking like she had always looked, although she had a small blue glow around her and the child. The child had a tuft of black hair on his head, with large, round, brown eyes. As the small boy sucked on his thumb, Kuro saw a small pair of fangs. It looked at him, and with a cute smile, said, "Da…ddy…"

His eyes opened wider, despite the light, at this realization. My child…our child that…that means that Suki…no…

"Kuro…" she said, looking at him in adoration. "Don't give up. You have to keep going. You must stop Henka, please…" She looked back at her son. "For us."

He wanted to protest. "No, Suki, please, don't—"

Suki's voice seemed to start fading away. "You can stop him, Kuro. I know you can."

She and the toddler were now getting farther away as he was pulled away from that place. "No, Suki, please, come back!" he begged, but he couldn't see her anymore.

His eyes snapped open. In an instant, he jumped to his feet and had the Tessaiga back in his hands. Henka looked a bit disappointed. "Still alive, hanyou? For a second I thought you might be dead."

Kuro growled. "I don't die that easily." He cast a glance over to Suki, who hadn't moved an inch. He didn't want to believe what he had just seen. Suki…she can't be…

Without even thinking of attacking Henka, he ran over to where she lay. He grabbed her hand. "Suki…no…please don't be…" But it was limp in his touch. Kuro started trembling, feeling tears well up in his eyes. "No! Suki, please! Stay with me! I NEED YOU!" All the while, Henka just watched, amused.

Kuro grabbed her and held her to his chest. He now knew what his father had felt when his mother had died; absolute despair. "SUKI, PLEASE! DON'T LEAVE ME NOW!" he pleaded to her lifeless body. A tear falling out of his eyes and rolling down his cheek.

I was too late to protect our child…and now, I failed in protecting the one thing I swore to protect…He tightened his hold on her. Suki…please forgive me…I let you die…

"Ah, so the girl has died. How pitiful." Henka smirked.

Kuro's sadness was soon replaced with anger. He gently laid her back down, causing another tear to come loose. He turned around and faced Henka, with more madness in his eyes than ever. "WHY DID YOU KILL HER?" Kuro roared. "I THOUGHT YOU LOVED HER!"

The youkai scoffed. "I did…once. But now, I see I have no more use for her. She was weak, and she would only give her love to you, filthy hanyou. Her choice has come back to haunt her. I could never make her mine if I tried. Now, my only wish is, to make sure you do not live much longer to mourn her death."

Kuro could stand it no longer. All his emotions broke loose. "BASTARD!" he cried, jumping forward and repetitively slashing at Henka, with his sword or claws. He didn't know what he was doing, all he knew was he wanted the man responsible for so much death to suffer. His face was twisted in anger, but his tears burst forth, his anger and despair fueling him, not making him care that he shouldn't be doing this even though he had lost so much blood.

But he consciously knew fighting like this would kill him. Suki…I'll make sure he pays…and then…I'll join you…

And we will be together…forever…like we promised…

Suki ached all over. What happened? Where's Kuro? But…where am I? She had been walking in one direction for some time…she had ended up in a place full of light, and had been drawn towards it, without thinking.

Suddenly, white light shone brighter, and when it cleared, she found herself in a meadow full of white flowers, the air almost misty around her. The smell of the flowers was intoxicating, but still sweet to the senses. She could see many people through the mist, but she couldn't identify them.

"Hello?" she asked. "Where am I?"

Suddenly, the shapes of four people appeared through the mist. "Suki?" they asked.

She recognized them instantly, and ran towards them. "M-mother? Father? Aunt Kagome-san and Uncle Inuyasha-san?"

There they were, her parents and her uncle and aunt. But, not as how she remembered them. They looked much younger, perhaps younger that her age. Except, of course, for her uncle who, being a hanyou, always looked the same. When they looked at her, they smiled, but it was sort of a half-smile. They didn't want her to be here so, soon.

Suki finally broke the silence. "Mother…Father, you're here…that means…I…" She didn't finish her sentence, because a young child came towards her, latching on to her yukata. When that child came up, everyone around her, including her father, surprisingly, looked at her with a look of pity.

She had never seen a child like that before. "Who are you?" she asked, bending down to see them better.

He peeked his face up, and Suki saw the small boy had black hair, and brown eyes. He smiled at her and said, "Mama…"

Suki took a sharp intake of breath, and a tear leaked out of her eye. She touched his cheek. She could tell the toddler looked so much like Kuro. Her heart sunk with the realization. "My son…" she said, the tears welling up in her eyes. "This is my son…"

Suki hugged him to her chest as he said, "Mama!" once again. "The baby I never got to meet…the child I never got to give Kuro…"

She stood up, and placed him on her hip. She looked at the ground. "I died, didn't I?"

Her mother tried to say something, "Suki—"

"Where's Kuro?" she cut in. "Is he here?" She looked back at her child. "I want to show him his son…"

"Suki-chan," Kagome said, "Look." She pointed behind Suki.

She turned. As if looking through a window, she could see Kuro still fighting Henka. But his strength was running out rapidly. She knew he wouldn't be able to last much longer. "Kuro…" she said, putting a hand over her mouth.

"Suki," her mother said. She turned around. "Go on. Go back to him."

She stared. "B-but I can't! He's still alive…and I'm…"

Sango shook her head. "No you're not. Look at yourself."

Suki looked at her right hand. And realized that unlike her parents, her aunt and uncle, and her child, she did not have a mystical blue aurora around her. "Wait…" she said, still gazing at it. "Wait…that means…I'm still…"

"You have to go quickly." Kagome said.

Suki cast one glance back at Kuro. He was still fighting wildly, but now, she could fully see his fatigue. The pain he had with each movement. He wouldn't last much longer, at this rate. "Mama?" The toddler at her hip said. Suki looked down at him. He pointed to Kuro. "Daddy?"

She made her decision. Taking the child, she hugged him close to her chest, savoring the feeling of holding her baby in her arms. She handed him to her mother. "Please, take care of him…" she said. "I just want him to be happy…"

Sango gave her a small hug. "I want you to be happy too, Suki."

Suki looked at her father, who had been silent all this time. She had also noticed that if he could get away with it, he tried not to look at the child. "Father?" she asked.

He sighed. "Tell…tell Kuro that…he's…he's taking care of you…most of the ti—ow!" his sentence was cut short by an elbow from a youkai exterminator hitting his ribs.

Her uncle spoke up next. "That runt needs someone to keep him in line…" Inuyasha muttered.

"Oh!" Kagome said, as if just remembering. "And Tell Kiri that I think her being with Akuto is just wonderful! Unlike some people around here…" she muttered, glaring at Inuyasha.

"I don't like any son of that mangy wolf coming after my daughter!" He bellowed.

"Inuyasha! He's a nice boy. And besides, you should stop insulting Kouga! And scaring the living daylights out of him!"

"This isn't about what I do to torment that wolf; it's about his son wanting to mate with my daughter!"

Now Miroku spoke up. "Aha! Now how does it feel, Inuyasha?"

"Miroku!" Sango yelled.

"This is different from my son wanting to be with your daughter, monk! It's not like Kuro ever acted like he did! Or like you, for that matter!"

"Inuyasha! SIT!" There was a loud crash.

"Damnit, Kagome! You mean these things STILL work?"

Of course, while they continued arguing, Sango turned around, and noticed that her daughter had already taken off back towards where she should be. "Mama?" the child she still held said, pointing at Suki. Sango smiled, turning back to see if she could break up the fight between her husband and her friends.

Kuro…Suki thought. I'm coming…please…hang on…

"Watch out, Sweetheart!" Akuto yelled, pushing her out of the way of Tai's attack.

When the landed on the floor, Kiri looked at him. "Thanks."

"No problem." Said Akuto, standing up. "So, what're going to do about her?"

"No idea." Kiri replied, notching another arrow, filling it with her miko powers.

But Tai the snake didn't let her get a shot in. With her fangs bared, she shot between them, separating them by her green, serpentine body. Her head swiveled over to Akuto, who didn't have a chance to react, and she prepared to lunge—

When she was stopped by a pink sacred arrow embedding itself into her skin. With blood pouring out of the wound, she twisted and convulsed until her skin melted back into her human form, and it seemed that the arrow had pierced her heart. Kiri lowered her bow.

As Tai lay on the floor, motionless, she said, "Good shot. You killed me…but I didn't want to live…Not if I could save him by dying…" she gave a small laugh, and she looked back at Kiri who looked at her with pity. "I only wish…that I could have been killed…by your brother…" And then, it seemed that Tai faded away into dust, reminiscent of her sad life.

Kiri felt immense pity for her. She may have helped her brother with this plot, but she wasn't evil. And in the end, she had stood up to her brother by taking that arrow, allowing them to go and help Kuro.

"What did she mean by that?" Akuto asked, making Kiri jump. She had forgotten he was there.

Kiri looked back at the spot where Tai had died. "I don't know." She lied. She knew. She knew why Tai had done this all for Kuro…but Kiri wouldn't ever tell. It was a secret she would keep for her.

"Come on." Kiri said, leading them down the passage. "We're almost there."

Kuro fell to his knees, leaning on Tessaiga, breathing heavily and then again coughing up blood. He could feel blood pouring out of cuts in his skin. He knew he had reached his limit. I failed…I couldn't kill him…

Henka laughed coming closer. "Heh…are you done, hanyou? Took you long enough."

Kuro didn't say anything, he was still coughing, the blood flowing all over his hands.

"Well," the youkai said, grinning. "At least they can say you died nobly…" He transformed his hand into a sword.

Kuro looked up at him, and his fate. I don't care…at least I'll see Suki…one more time…

Suki suddenly opened her eyes. Kuro…where is he? She looked around the cave. She saw Kuro, he was kneeling on the ground, accepting defeat, with Henka looming over him, about to kill him. No!

She didn't even think about it when she grabbed the extremely sharp piece of stalagmite on the floor next to her.

Henka grinned raising the sword-arm. "This is the end for you, Hanyou."

Kuro closed his eyes. Suki…

But they popped open when he heard Henka scream in pain. He grabbed at his chest and looked surprised, turning around to see…Suki behind him, looking more furious then she ever could have. Then he faded into dust.

Kuro could hardly believe it. "Suki! You're…"

"Kuro…" she said, walking towards him, dropping her weapon. "Kuro…" she fainted into his arms.

Kuro wasn't worried. She was still breathing. He was just happy she was still alive. He hugged her, despite the pain it caused. "Suki…"

Kirara in her small form came towards her, nuzzling her mistress's hand. She was also glad she was alive.

Suddenly, Kiri and Akuto rushed out of the corridor, still holding their weapons. "Where is—" Kiri said, but then stopped when she noticed Henka was gone.

"I think we missed something." Akuto replied.

"You came too?" Kuro asked.

"I COULDN'T LET YOU FIGHT ALONE, YOU BAKA!" Kiri yelled. "But we were held up by the other one."

He sighed. "Okay, but you'll have to go back on foot. I'll take Suki back to the village on Kirara."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Kiri asked, eyeing his many wounds.

"Yeah." He looked down at Suki. "I feel better now."

They shrugged, and walked back out into the corridor. Once they were out of earshot, Kiri immediately jumped into Akuto's arms. "Well," she said, "We survived."

Akuto chuckled. "If I remember correctly, you thought we were going to die!"

"You did too!" she retorted.

"True." He said, his green eyes twinkling. "Hey, sweetheart, I'm going to do something I've been planning for a couple hours now."

Kiri shivered in excitement. "Oh really? What's that?"

"This." And he gave her the most passionate, most loving, most wonderful kiss she had ever received.

A/N: Wow…twice as long as I usually make em…But it needed to be done…

Anyway, I was originally going to make Kuro finish him off, but when I was writing this, I remembered that all Henka did hurt Suki more than Kuro, so I was all "Dude, she needs to kick that ass. It's about time she kicks some."

So anyway, there's still two more chapters, so yeah, please keep reading.