Disclaimers Notice: The only thing I own is the way in which I chose to use the characters and setting (oh, and a few of my own creations…)

Authors Beginning Note: Wohoo! 1 More chapter to go after this! I am on a roll!

Shout it outs!

MaroonGoddess: Well, one more chapter after this. Yah, its sad that its ending, but I think its been really needing it for a while.

feyfaery!Es muy divertido habalr en espanol! Lo quiero hace. So, back to english :) Yah, I'm sorry. Its been forever since I had updated and even I forgot a few things. So, the good news is no more delays fro this story, the last chapter should be up this wekend. yay!

Chapter 75

Naraku's New Form

Shunraun and Shurran stopped. Everyone had stopped and they looked at the angelic being. She flew through the air with grace and precision, like nothing that has ever been seen before. Her hair like a stream of fire with a flash of lightning through the front, eyes like purple diamonds, and sword like a bringer of death. Her presence however was not what commanded their full attentions. It was her speech. Her words cut through everyone and they knew what she spoke was true.

"Let us follow her brother." He agreed. They moved with the valley of beings, careful not to tread on the dead and dieing.

Shurran felt the need for revenge swell within her chest. The hot lava pumped through her veins and sour tears threatened to scald her skin. Blood dripped from her clenched palms venomously.

I will avenge your death Gertty…now is the time…no child will ever suffer what you have gone through…never…NEVER…

Kagome was the last to wake up. Keio had to cut the reserves he was going to give to fully replenish Miroku, Sango and Kirara with to help Miyako with her.

She blinked, confused. She met Miyako's eyes. Then looked down at the child held closely to her breast. It was an awkward moment.

"Kagome! You're all right!" Sango pushed forward and hugged her adopted younger sister fondly, tears falling out of joy. Shippo of course couldn't miss out on the action, and Kirara mewed with glee as she licked everyone's faces. Kagome sat up and the stood, with Miroku's help. He then hugged her, glad to know that she was safe. Kagome smiled at them. It was good to be with everyone in seemingly good health. Everyone that is except…and then her smile faltered.

"You're right. You must hurry if you want to help him. Naraku is freeing himself and danger is upon us." Miyako said just as self-important as ever-but Kagome caught something in her voice, or maybe her eyes.

"Thank you." She said kindly to her old sensei. Miyako felt a joy well up in her breast, Pride, and a humble thankfulness.

"Will the both of you be accompanying us?" Keio shook his head in response to Miroku.

"No. We used up all of our reserves." Miroku inclined his head in humble gratitude.

"Thank you." Sango said. Kirara roared as she transformed.

"But, him…" Kagome looked down at the little boy who was still sleeping.

He must be very tired…after crying and wailing…so much pain in Naraku's heart…he was the only goodness left…

"Kagome, What will you do with the child after all of this?" She shook her head and looked up at Miyako. The older priestess looked down upon the child, not with hate, but more with contempt. Possibly hope. Both conflicting emotions danced and intermingled with in her.

"If you wish. I will take the child for you, and find him a caring home." Kagome smiled, almost sadly.

He hasn't been mine for very long…but I still feel attached…I can't keep him…I'm not ready…but maybe someday…

"Take good care of him." She handed the naked babe into Miyako's open and experienced arms. Miyako wrapped him in what sleeves she had left and protected him from the cold. He didn't even protest in his sleep.

"Kagome, you should at least name him." Keio said. She stood and thought, looking at him.

What kind of name can I give him...obviously not Naraku...even if it is...or was his name...soemthing that can bring hope...this little boy...

And finally smiled.

"Kiyoshi, pure child." Keio smiled in approval.

How ironically appropriate…he is the pureness that was Naraku…and as a babe…he is as pure as any other…

"You should leave." Miyako looked at the miasma. "And take great caution about yourselves." Sango fastened her mask tightly, and the others looked ready to fight, no matter what was to come.

Soon, Sango, Miroku, Kagome, Shippo, and Kirara were air born leaving Miyako and Keio to care for the child.

"You know, I don't think there are too many mothers who can afford to take a child in., with the famine coming, and all…" Keio said looking at the babe. Miyako looked up at him-startled. Slowly her mind was thinking again as she looked down at little Kiyoshi. A tiny hand, not even the size of her fully graceful palm, reached out. She took its tiny fingers between her own. The babe wrapped his hands around her finger and opened his large brown eyes in innocent wonder. A part of her heart began to melt.

"I don't think any of the others at home in the shrine would object. So many of them delight in children. He would not lack in attention. And it would be wisest to keep him under close care, you know, just in case…" Kiyoshi began to nod off to sleep again, but not before a little 'coo' bubbled out.

"Of course, just in case…" They both smiled at each other in secret agreement.

and then they were gone, seemingly from the very earth. For they were not to be seen again for quite some time.

"Down there!" Kagome cried. A small dot of red was running at a rapid pace, flashed of silver trailing. Kirara flew right next to him and he stopped in surprise.

"What the hell!" The cloth around his face a minor protection from the miasma obvious to come, muffled his voice.

"Well, we couldn't just leave you alone."

"But…."

"No buts. We're coming with you." Kagome said sternly.

"Don't worry about us! I can take care of Kagome!" Shippo cried.

"You know Inuyasha, there is no use in any farther objections. Unless you feel like fighting all of us." Miroku said knowing full well Inuyasha had no say in the matter.

"What about the kid?"

"I gave him to Miyako." Inuyasha looked stupid for a moment.

"YOU what!"

"It's alright Inuyasha. I trust Kagome's judgment. She had no way of keeping the child, and Miyako and Keio do. If there had been a problem, Miroku and I would have interjected." Sango patted his back.

"Guys! We have a huge problem!" Shippo pointed at the hatching egg. The ground started to rumble and shake. This broke off the conversation and settled things with immediance.

"Take cover!" Shippo squealed. Kirara landed and they all huddled. The rumbling grew louder and closer, threatening to overwhelm them.

Kagome threw up a barrier, just as a miasmic avalanche of deadly proportions plowed over them. It seemed to last forever. Kagome held the trembling Shippo.

The quaking ground seemed to calm itself and silence prevailed.

They looked when they thought it was over, but there was nothing to see. A dense cloud of black miasma covered everything.

A cold wind blew over, clearing the miasma, giving everyone the chills.

"What was that?" Shippo almost whimpered.

"Nothing good." Miroku whispered. They stood up. The huge egg had crumbled to the ground and there in its stead was a giant ugly beast.

"At last! The time has come!" A horribly unearthly laugh curdled the edges of every nook and corner.

Kagome stood up, more angry than scared.

"Naraku! You're going down!" She yelled. If they weren't in so much danger, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo would have almost thought it comical. Like they way she told Inuyasha sit. The big bad Inuyasha. Same thing, much bigger proportions.

The spider like beast with eight legs, a human torso, kelpish hair, long sharp bird of prey talons, and glowingarachnid red eyes looked right at her.

"And I owe it all to you. Here. Let me make your cross over to death quick, in repayment!" A web mingled with long deformed claws came right at her. She shot an arrow and it disappeared in a bright purple flame.

Before Naraku launched a retaliatory attack, thousands of demons and humans alike assaulted him. A barrage of constant assailments struck him with force, but only few actually looked to have caused any really damage.

"Come on!" Sango cried, thankful for the distraction. Kagome slid onto Inuyasha's back comfortably as the rest stuck with Kirara. They pushed forward.

"He has so many of them."

"What?"

"Jewel shards. They're all over his body."

"Then we'll just have to take them out."

Naraku spewed out miasma, killing hundreds, only for them to be replaced. Lightning struck his gigantic form, whip lashings marred his new body, Claws gnashed at his supple skin, Fire licked his legs, leaves of razor sawed at his side, and certain places of him were frozen together. Even with all of this, the fight seemed even.

"Wind Scar!" A wound was created, only to be healed instantly.

A web of ooze spewed forth and caused many to get stuck. A winged angel dove from the sky, sword at hand, only to be struck and tumble down wards in confusion. Naraku was gaining lost ground. Nothing seemed to affect him. No sword, Tokijin orTetsusaiga, could pierce its flesh to fatal margins.

Kagome let forth an assailment of arrows. They screamed through the air, a moment of hope, only to fade away. They seemed to do the longest lasting harm, but even they weren't enough.

Sango and Miroku had disappeared. Wherever they were, they were doing the best they could, and probably a lot of hurt on Naraku.

It was a whirled mass of confusion. The only object was to kill Naraku.

At points Inuyasha saw Sesshoumaru, then Kouga, and many others, but never long enough to determine if they really had been there.

Then there were the occasions when friend turned upon comrade in confusion.

This was no war. This was aslaughtering, amasacre.

"Nothings happening. His skin is too thick." Kagome and Inuyasha circled the immortal monster.

Blood filled their nostrils as did miasma-sometimes making it hard to breath. Even if they made it out alive, nightmares would surely follow them.

Naraku laughed and mocked. It seemed the more one attacked him, the stronger and more immunized he became. And the more he laughed. And the more death swept others into its barred claws.

"Inuyasha, what if we attacked him from the inside?"

"Are you stupid?" She smacked the back of his head.

"I'm serious. Remember when we first met Ayame? And then the Hairball demon attacked? Kouga was swallowed up by it, and destroyed it from the inside."

"There's just one problem, how are we going to get in?"

"I don't know? It's the best I could come up with. Nothing else seems to be working." Kagome was sure Inuyasha had ignored her idea.

A demon fell right in front of them. Webs entangled its body adn his very life seemed to drain away.

Inuyasha swerved sharply to the left.

Kirara's roar could be heard above the screaming. Inuyasha again swerved sharply, and bid to the air.

"Over there!" Kagome pointed and Inuyasha was there in an instant. He cut her loose from the web that claimed her paw, just as Sango and Miroku came forth from a mass of webry themselves.

"Kirara!" Sango cradled the small kitten in her arms. A large sword wizzed pass them dangerously and flew upwards into the spiders gut. A flash of blinding light caused all to look away. When it was again as dark as night, they saw a small wound, fighting to close.

"Sango, Miroku! Attack him underneath at one spot together! right there! Striaght for that bastard stomach." Inuyasha ordered.

"What?" Kagome looked down at him surprised.

"You said you wanted to try it on the inside, didn't you? Nows as good a time as any."

Acting quickly, Miroku and Sango put their weapons together, and Sango launched the Hiraikotsu. For a moment, as both her boomerang and Miroku's staff struck, they thought they had made it, but the wound began to heal, leaving the weapons to be dropped into the downtrodden hands of their owners.

"Need a hand?" The wolf tribe appeared out of now where.

"Kouga! Ayame!" Kagome cried.

"Hey sis!" Hakakku and Ginta waved and she did like wise. Two she wolves stood bye, one gave a curt nod and the other a shy wave.

"I'll help too." A light squeaky voice came.

"And me." Said her big brother Shunran.

"Don't count me out." Hosomi limped forward, not looking as bad as her tumble may have lead others to think.

"We're up to the challenge." Touran smiled, with her excited sister, Kauran ready for action behind her. It was good to be reunited with their other two siblings. Now they felt unstoppable.

They all looked at each other. The demon wolf tribe, Panther tribe, as well as a new ally, Hosomi had come together. Odd sometimes that the necessity and will to live can bring the most opposite of beings together.

"This is no time for chit chat! You better be ready mutt. You screw this up and I'm going for you personally." Kouga cried.

"Attack on three!" Hosomi cried, Shishurite in hand.

"One…two…three!"

Such a unified force has never again been created in history. The power, swiftness, and strength was incomparable.

Many went forward and struck with their body or weapons in a giant leap. Hiraikotsu and Miroku's staff, laced with ofudas swung forcefully, bid forward by Shippo's foxfire. Not just the small group who had initially volunteered either. Many other warriors had thought of the same thing and attacked the rondevoue point as well. All the efforts combined forced a gaping hole to be made.

"Here we go." Inuyasha soared through the air and cleared it through just as the hole closed behind them.

It was eerie and completely silent.Darkness surrounded them and their senses seemed dulled. As a few moments passed, shapes became visible and sound became quite dominant.

A bubbling noise was heard and dimly, they could see a lake of lava like substance and floating islands scattered about.

"Where are we?" Inuyasha sniffed the dead air.

"From the smell of it, I'd say the stomach." A screech deafened them and shook them forcefully. Kagome fell. Inuyasha's quick hand kept her safe from the lava by inches.

"Clumsy wench." He set her down safely. They stayed like that in brief contemplation when a bright glow grabbed their attention.

The Shikon No Tama around her neck began to pulsate.

"This can't be good. What now?"

"I guess we'll find out." Inuyasha drew Tetsusaiga in an impressive flame of light just as the walls began to move unnaturally.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed. Root like appendages grabbed for her from the rear.

"Tetsusaiga!" They fell but crawled to her. A new one lashed and threw him quite a distance away. He landed-narrowly-on safe footing and tried to reach Kagome, who was trapped, like a victim in a snake pit. He dove for her and leapt into the air. His foot was caught by one of those things and pulled him down.

"Damn." He stood his ground firmly, hacking at anything that came at them.

"I think they're after the jewel!"

"Then make sure they don't get it!" He cut through a rather thick worm like beast.

I can't beat them like this…damn…now what…

"Can't you do anything Kagome?" She shook her head.

"Arrows alone don't work, and I can't make a barrier." They were stuck in a situation they weren't sure how to get out of. A fast paced situation, it made things hard to concentrate and think through. there was only that moment of reaction. The moment that your instincts kick in and rule over all thoguht, all emotion, and was the only thing that kept you alive.

Kagome looked at her unstable surroundings.

Think girl think…what can we do…he's even stronger on the inside…nothing works against him…as soon as we strike him…he heals…my powers alone aren't strong enough…and neither is Inuyasha and Tetsusaiga…but…what if…

"Inuyasha, use your Backlash Wave."

"Are you kidding? We'll be killed if I use it here."

"Just do it!"

"Bossy wench. Here it goes." He found the opposite air currents, like he would for the wind scar, and brought Tetsusaiga down in a forceful arc.

"Backlash Wave!" a colossal amount of power was relinquished. So strong was it that Inuyasha was impressed, never before had any of his attacks been this great. Instead of the five tornadoes, he now had millions of them, all cutting and slashing at Naraku's intestines. The acid began to splash malevolently Inuyasha went to go protect Kagome, even thoguh she too wore a fire rat haori similar to his for protection.

She can find trouble anywhere she goes...

An object wizzed past him, followed by aglow of light, weaving itself into his attack, making it stronger. Naraku's stomach was blazing with an eerie light from all of the activity.

Kagome…the sooner we get out...the better...

He stood with her, making sure no harm came to her. Her hair fluttered behind her wildly. Never before had she used this much power, or concentrated on something with so much force.

With the Shikon shards still in him, this won't do anything…but if I can somehow help direct Inuyasha's Back lash Wave towards them…maybe they'll be forced out…and then…hopefully…

Inuyasha watched in amazement of her control. Slowly, she knocked arrow after arrow, releasing the, all in different directions. Everything broke up to follow them.

Instead of slowing, the Backlash Wave seemed to get stronger and more out of control. Ruptures in the stomach began to become evident. Everything shook violently.

"We have to get out of here!" Inuyasha said. Kagome shook her head.

"Not yet!" She closed her eyes. Naraku screamed, barraging their ears, and causing them to ache fiercely. One howl after another. A large whole pierced the stomach and all of its juices were flowing out. They were being pulled forward by the new acidic current.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha grabbed her just as she lost all control of her body and began to sink to her knees.

With her tucked safely in his arms, her ran, jumping from island to island, avoiding the acid, and leapt through the large gaping wound. They descended through the air at an ethereal slow pace. She held him closely and he held her tightly, wanting with every fiber of his body for at least her to survive. Surely no one could fall from such a height and live.

Wind whipped their helpless bodies and gravity seemed determined to claim them.

Time stopped and all they could hear was each other's breathing and hearts pounding.

Their bodies seemed moleded into one.

Kagome's nails dugg into his back, as if it would bring her closer to him. Her cheeks burned. She felt safe and warm. Tears fell from her face like large droplets of rain. Her heart seemed to break.

I just want to be with him...I have to tell him...if we die...Inuyasha...I want to tell you...to tell you that I've never regretted a moment being with you...

Inuyasha felt her heart thump, her nails dig into him, and he held her all the tighter, never wanting to let go. One of her tears splashed his face. Emotions covered his heart, like spring water racing down a mountainside.

Kagome...I never wanted it to end this way...I regret doing things...but I never want to regret not doing...not doing what has to be done...I have so much to say...

"Kagome I…"

"Inuyasha…"

Their confessions were broken off, as they had came dangerously close to falling into the lake of carnage that was the body of Naraku spilling from the inside out.

"Need a lift!" Kirara swung down, With Sango and the others on her back, and caught the both of them as they neared the ground. She swooped up; mission accomplished and flew into the dark sky.

"Are we dead yet?" Kagome poked her head up.

"Nope. Not even close."She yawned. Her body trembled, suddenly suffering from all of the drama, of life and death and a possible confession of her true affections.

"Good cause I could use the sleep." Without any more words, her lids fell heavily. Even if she had wanted to stay awake and witness the finishing touches of Naraku's demise, her body would have fought her to a punishing degree.

Kirara circled the gruesome sight along with Shippo farther ahead carrying Miroku in the air. They circled the air, and didn't leave until there was no doubt that Naraku was dead.

Thousands yelped and cheered below them. They truly were heroes.

Authors Ending Note: The next chapter will conclude this story. I hope you liked it. And please, if you would in your reviews, tell me what you liked the most about the story-whether it be the POV, a certain scene, a pattern, or anything, and other stuff you liked/disliked about the story. I really appreciate all of it-it helps me improve!

I admit, this chapter was a little corny in some parts-but hey! Whats wrong with a little bit of veggies in your diet?