Chapter 19
"It's the stench. Naraku's smell!" Inuyasha announced to the group, carrying Kagome on his back and running as fast he could. Sango, Miroku and Shippo sat on Kirara. They had a look of anticipation on their faces.
"What will happen when we fight Naraku?" Shippo asked. Miroku smiled and patted the young youkai's hair. "We will defeat him of course." Sango added, "You can help in the fighting too, Shippo!" Shippo smiled and nodded his head.
Kagome overheard the conversation and started worrying. What will happen after we defeat Naraku? What will happen to me when the Shikon no Tama is fully formed? Will I have to leave this place forever? Kagome thought. She flinched and Inuyasha sensed it.
"I will never allow anything to happen to you, Kagome." He said. Kagome smiled happily and lowered her head into his hair, deeply inhaling she said, "I know you will never leave me alone." Inuyasha grinned and said to the rest, "I am going faster now, don't lose your way eh?" Sango then replied, "No we won't let you kill Naraku yourself. Let's go, Kirara." Kirara roared as if she understood Sango's command and began to speed up.
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Soon it was nearing nightfall, the Inu gang was still chasing after Naraku. They stopped in front of an overly sized maze. The maze was made up of tall grass and bushes. Not to mention, there was miasma looming over the maze.
"Naraku's here." Inuyasha said. He lowered Kagome and Sango, Miroku plus Shippo get off of Kirara.
"The maze has 3 different entrance. Which one do we go first?" Miroku said.
"I suggest we split up into pairs and investigate. When we are in trouble, maybe we could yell or something like that?" Kagome suggested.
"I go for the splitting into pairs but I am not sure of the yelling part." Sango said, worrying.
"Yeah. So we will pair of this way. Miroku and Sango. Kagome will go with me and Shippo will go with Kirara so if there's any danger, Kirara can take Shippo away." Inuyasha said.
"I want to fight!" Shippo wailed.
"What can you do with your kitsune-bi?" Inuyasha argued.
"Now now Shippo, you can use your kitsune-bi to fight off Naraku's youkai." Kagome kneeled down to comfort Shippo.
"Okay!" Shippo answered. At least, he was feeling that he was not worthless.
"So, we shall go now. Good luck everyone." Miroku said. Sango ran to hug Kagome. "Kagome, whatever happens to me later, I want you to know that you are my best friend forever." Kagome got shocked but what Sango said and hugged back, saying, "Sango! Nothing is going to go wrong. You will be fine!"
"If anything happened to anyone of you, I will always remember you." Miroku said.
"Shut up!" was the reply he got.
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So they were off. Sango and Miroku took the first lane, Inuyasha and Kagome took the second one and Shippo and Kirara took the third one. However, an unknown stalker was watching their movements. She flew back on her feather and reported to her master.
"They are here." Kagura said. Naraku smiled and said, "It's time to settle this once and for all." "I will take care of that miko." A stranger appeared. "Hello, Kikyo. I see that you are interested in joining me." Naraku said. "Leave the miko to me as I want to slaughter her with my own hands." Kikyo sneered. Naraku nodded and they went off leaving Kagura.
I hope that they will win the battle against Naraku.
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Inuyasha and Kagome
"I am having a bad feeling about this Inuyasha. We have been going on and on but there's nothing." Kagome said.
"Naraku is somewhere here just holding on to me." Inuyasha held Kagome's hand tighter.
"Everything is going to be all right." Kagome muttered to herself as she gripped Inuyasha's arm tighter.
Sango and Miroku
Sango and Miroku were walking endlessly. They reached to a dead end and they came to a halt.
"Something's wrong. Isn't it?" Sango said.
"Can you feel the aura?" Miroku said. Silence empowered the both of them and then out of the blue, a swarm of youkai came attacking them. Sango turned and swung her Hiraikotsu and managed to kill some of them but they seemed to be multiplying. Miroku threw his ofuda onto the youkai but it did not seem to be working. Sango was fighting ferociously. A youkai attacked her from the back. Sango felt a sharp pain piercing through her body. It was just like when Kohaku attacked her form the back. She felt limped all over and fell onto the ground.
"Sango! Are you okay?" Miroku yelled, still fighting off the youkai.
"Miroku. Live on. Don't worry about me." With that, she fainted.
"Sango!" Miroku yelled. There's only one way to do now. He removed the beads around his cursed hand.
"Kazaana!" Miroku yelled and he supported his right hand with his left. All the youkai were sucked into the void but there's a lot more. Soon, Naraku's poisonous insects appeared with the youkai. Miroku stood there, pondering whether he should close his Kazaana or not. However, he could not let the youkai kill Sango so he chose to remain there. The poisonous insects were sucked into the Kazaana together with the youkai. Miroku soon felt the poison inside of his body. He still stood there, sucking more youkai and poisonous insects into the Kazaana. His arm was turning purple and it had already reached his limit. Miroku's vision blurred as he closed his Kazaana. He fell on top of Sango and said, "I am sorry Sango."
Inuyasha and Kagome
Kagome was walking with Inuyasha and suddenly they both had an uneasy feeling in them.
"Something's wrong with Sango." Kagome said anxiously.
Inuyasha nodded and ran, dragging Kagome's hand. However, before they could even run ten steps, a miasma engulfed their senses. It surrounded them and both closed their eyes.
"Inuyasha! Where are you?" Kagome yelled.
"Just hold onto my hand!" Inuyasha's voice was heard. Kagome gripped tighter on what she thought was Inuyasha's hand but suddenly a kind of force was tugging and pulling her way. Soon, she cannot hold onto any longer and let go of the hand.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed.
"Kagome!"
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Inuyasha coughed and wheezed in the miasma and felt weak all over. He felt some of force was pulling him and he followed it. Kagome was all in his mind. Soon, the miasma cleared and he dropped onto the ground. Getting up, he looked and saw the hanyou whom he despised, Naraku.
"You finally showed yourself." Inuyasha said with his hands on the Tetsusaiga.
"Yes. And I am going to finish you off once and for all." Naraku said.
"What have you done to Kagome?" Inuyasha demanded.
"Let's just say that the battle of two mikos are on the other side of the maze and right now, you are mine!"
Inuyasha's eyes widened. Two miko. Kagome and… He gulped. Kikyo.
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Kagome dropped down from the air and landed on her stomach. Coughing, she stood up. She saw a familiar figure standing in the distance not too far away from her.
"Kikyo?" She asked.
"So you still remember me." The figure replied.
"What are you doing here?" Kagome inquired.
"Don't you know that I have decided to help Naraku?" Kikyo turned around to face Kagome.
"But why?"
"Because of you! I can have Inuyasha but you took him away from me and you took the Shikon no Tama away from me." Kikyo yelled at Kagome.
Kagome stood there froze as she waited for Kikyo to continue. "So I am going to kill you now to return the two things to me." She said as she stretched her arrow and bow. Kagome saw what Kikyo was doing and turned to run, only to find that it was dead end. Kagome turned and pressed herself against the tall bushes and then yelled, "You think that Inuyasha will let you off after you killed me?"
Kikyo smirked and said, "I will drag him to hell with me. Now awaits your death. " Kikyo released her arrow, Kagome closed her eyes; waiting for the arrow to pierce into her body.
"Hiraikotsu!" A boomerang flew past and knocked the arrow off.
Kikyo got surprised and looked up to see who was the one who did that. Up in the air, a neko youkai flew past and when it lowered itself down. Kikyo saw the taijiya, houshi and a kitsune youkai.
"Kagome, hurry." Sango said, extending her hand out for Kagome. Kagome took it and was lifted onto Kirara.
"No!" Kikyo cried out loud.
"Miroku now!" Sango said. Miroku then began to chant something, which Kaede taught him. It was supposed to remove Kagome's soul from Kikyo and returned it to Kagome. Soon Kikyo felt all cold and vomited out a white ball like thing and the ball floated into Kagome's body. "No!" Kikyo cried and she distinguished in dust. A chill wind blew the dust, scattering it.
"I thought you two are in trouble." Kagome said to Sango and Miroku.
"Long story. Now we have to help Inuyasha." Sango said as Kirara flew in search of Inuyasha.
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Inuyasha was now battling with Naraku and he was losing. Naraku emitted the miasma again when Inuyasha came forth to attack him with the Tetsusaiga. Inuyasha was knock back into the ground.
"Fool, you think you can win me with such a lousy sword?" Naraku said.
"Never insult my father's fang!" Inuyasha attacked again. "Kongousouha!" Diamonds shot out of the Tetsusaiga and towards Naraku. However, Naraku summoned up a lot of youkai to defend him. As there were lots of youkai, Inuyasha could not see Naraku. Naraku used this chance to attack Inuyasha by shooting his tentacles out.
"What the-" Inuyasha said as he dodged the attack. However, the tentacles, one of it had cut his arm. The wound was bleeding profusely. Inuyasha did not do anything about it even though the pain was killing him.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed as she parachuted down from Kirara. Inuyasha looked up and caught her before she slammed into the ground.
"I thought I told you never to do that again." Inuyasha reminded Kagome.
"I am sorry. It's just that I saw Naraku's attack on you and I am worried so I did that." Kagome explained.
"Oh well. All of you are here and it makes things easier for me." Naraku said. Just as they were about to reply, someone sliced through the grasses.
"Looks like I am late."
Inuyasha looked at his half-brother and yelled, "What are you doing here?"
"Saving you of course." Sesshomaru said as he showed his two fingers. "I have to catch this worthless trash but coming to here." The thing jumped onto Inuyasha's nose and sucked his blood to grow big so as to become more visible.
"Myouga!" Inuyasha growled.
"Inuyasha sama, the only way to defeat that hanyou is combine forces with Sesshomaru's souryuuha and Inuyasha sama's bakuryuuha together with Kagome's purifying arrow to path the way for your attacks." Myouga said.
"Ha! Like as if he is willing to work with me." Inuyasha said. How right he was when he saw his brother battling out with Naraku.
"What a good brother. Saving Inuyasha from dying." Naraku smirked.
"Shut up and just die." Sesshomaru lunged towards him with the Tokijin.
Naraku formed a barrier so that Sesshomaru had no chance to attack him. Sesshomaru leapt backwards and landed on the ground gracefully.
"Baka!" Inuyasha yelled as he slashed the Tetsusaiga. "Kongousoha!" He slashed it across Naraku's barrier, hoping to destroy it. Naraku was caught unaware at Inuyasha's sudden attack that he id not have time to reinforce his barrier. Thus it was broken.
"Hurry. Unleash the bakuryuuha and souryuuha and the arrow!" Myouga shouted while jumping on Kagome's shoulder. Kagome turned and looked towards her shoulder. "Since when you are here, Myouga?"
Inuyasha heard Myouga squealing and decided to launch his attack without waiting for his brother.
"Bakuryuuha!" Inuyasha yelled as he unleashed his attack. Kagome saw Inuyasha attacking and got ready her arrow and yelled, "Go for it!" before releasing. The attack sustained only for a while as Naraku absorbed the blow and deflected it back to them. Inuyasha jumped away from the blow but was not spared from it, as the blow was rather big.
"Stay away from this, Naraku is mine to kill!" Sesshomaru chided Inuyasha as he escaped from the attack.
"You think you are so clever? Prove it!" Inuyasha yelled. Sesshomaru then held his Tokijin and yelled, "Souryuuha!" A blue light emitted out from the sword towards Naraku but his barrier prevented Naraku from getting injured.
"It's no use. You can't kill me with your lowly powers." Naraku said.
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Kagome looked at the two brothers fighting aimlessly and she could not take it anymore.
"You two baka! Can't you two just combine your strengths and fight as one?" Kagome yelled uncontrollability.
Inuyasha and Sesshomaru heard Kagome's yell but still pay no heed to it. Kagome knew that it was pointless for them to fight as one so she decided to take things into her own hands. She got ready her arrow and bow.
"Okay aim." She muttered. Once she locked her target, she released her arrow. "Hit it!"
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Inuyasha saw the purifying arrow cutting through the miasma and decided to finish this faster.
"Bakuryuuha!" Inuyasha shouted as he swung his Tetsusaiga. Destructive whirlwinds were created.
Sesshomaru looked at the attack and was pondering whether to unleash the souryuuha.
"I will not allow a hanyou to defeat my prey!" He yelled. "Souryuuha!" A blue light was released and it joined with Inuyasha's Bakuryuuha. Together with Kagome's arrow, the three attacks went towards Naraku.
"What the-?" Naraku said, as he did not expect them to launch such attack. Soon, the Souryuuha managed to break the barrier, the Bakuryuuha managed to mutilate Naraku and Kagome's purifying arrow purified Naraku.
"No!" was Naraku's last word before he was distinguished into nothing.
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Everyone was looking at Naraku's dying process and was awed by it. It was silence for a few moments, as they had to accept the fact that they had defeated their long-time nemesis.
"You fought well." Sesshomaru said to Inuyasha as he slid his Tokijin back into the sheath. "However, I will still fight with you for the Tetsusaiga so don't get yourself killed."
Inuyasha looked at Sesshomaru and said, "Don't worry. I still want to get rid of you." Sesshomaru turned and walked away.
Kagome ran to Inuyasha and into his arms. "Is it over? The whole thing?" Inuyasha hugged her tightly, "It's over." Then something dropped from nowhere and onto the ground. Kagome left Inuyasha's arms and walked towards it.
"It's the Shikon no Tama!" Kagome announced happily. Everyone cheered though they were tired and weak.
Kagome looked at the shards in her hand.
Has our time together ended?
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Woo-hoo! They killed Naraku. Finally! It's so fast. Next chapter will be the last chapter to the story. Well, all things have to end. Stay here for the last chapter!