A/N: From this chapter on characters will die. I can't say who, or how. But I have decided that this story will have a relatively happy ending, as much as I hate making promises with the storyline, and I'm afraid that I have lost many of my old fans, I don't know why so I can only assume its cause they believe this story isn't worth reading. But that's not going to stop me from writing this. I hope to have this finished by Christmas, if not New Year's. At this point I am considering continuing the plot into a third story, but honestly I don't know what else I can put in this story, and with the decease in readers…

Disclaimer: Since the...nice...lawyers refused my offering of 25 cents and a gum wrapper to allow me to discontinue with these pointless disclaimers...I don't own Inuyasha (said with a monotone)...

Lawyers: Well, you can put more enthusiasmin what you say.

Me: (pulls out a gun and fires inches from their foreheads) Bite me!

Chapter Fifteen: Release

Shippo and Chandra saw Inuyasha and the gang standing outside an ominous cave discussing something that was indecipherable. Their eyes were glued on the group. Suddenly, the earth began to shake.

Chandra reached and grabbed Shippo's arm in order to steady herself. The young fox demon's face was flushed. His heartbeat quickened. Suddenly, he froze. How could Chandra make him react this way? He remembered how Kagome and Inuyasha used to act; they would blush at the simplest gesture. Inuyasha often denied his feelings and everyone else believed him incredibly dense. If Chandra cared for him wouldn't he be able to see it?

He turned to look at her face. She face was paler than normal and her fuchsia cat-like eyes were haunted by fear. "What's wrong?" Shippo asked concerned. She closed her eyes as if to block out past ghosts.

"I'm not strong enough," she said softly. A solitary tear ran down her cheek. She opened her over bright eyes. They weren't the eyes of an innocent child, Shippo noted. They were the eyes of some sort of victim, some ten years older than herself. "I'm not strong enough to…" She repeated. She wrapped her arms around herself in an insecure embrace. She was shaking.

"What aren't you strong enough to do?" Shippo asked. He was cautiously coaxing her out of self-pity. He placed a hand of her shoulder. She has changed, he thought. When I first met her, she was more childlike. She couldn't have grown!

"I was never strong enough," Chandra said. She suddenly burst into tears. "All these years I have been lying to myself. I will never be strong enough to become who they wanted me to be…" Shippo was taken back by her outburst and he couldn't help but wonder who they were.

"How so?" He asked, anxious to get her to release her pent in frustrations.

"You don't understand. They had so many expectations for me. Ones I knew I could never be. I was ashamed!" She hissed the last part, tears falling like a waterfall. Looking at Shippo she continued. "How can I call myself a demon if I can't even accept my powers? How I call myself a demon when I don't even look like one?" True, she looked like a normal human child, despite her off color eyes. But anyone who spoke with her for a while would know there was so much more to her than what she appeared.

"What do you mean?"

Chandra opened her mouth to answer, but she promptly closed it, considering what to say. She shook her head. "I've said too much." She looked miserably at Shippo. Quietly she answered his unasked question. "If I told you…you would never want anything to do with me."

"That's impossible." He said with no hesitation. "Nothing you can say will change my mind."

Chandra gaped in spite of herself. She sighed internally. No, she thought. He can only say that because he doesn't know…

Kagura drew her fan and shouted "DANCE OF THE DRAGON!" (Is this right? I wasn't sure.) She walked calmly into the village. Her attack eradicated the thatched roofs of the villager's huts. Everyone was scurrying screaming, "DEMON!"

Kaede ran as fast as she could out of the priestess's shrine. She gasped and clutched her heart as Kagura advanced drawing her fan for another attack. The old hag didn't have her bow and arrows! Kaede knew this was the end for her. She sighed resigned. As Kagura's hand came down, she closed her eyes and murmured a prayer.

Suddenly the old miko heard the strained cry of the wind witch and her eyes opened. Sesshomaru had jumped in between them and was now holding her right wrist. Kagura's red eyes widened, Naraku's control of her waned.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Her eyes narrowed bitterly. He wouldn't return her feelings and now he intended to fight her. She refused to hold back. She wasn't fighting by Naraku's will, but her own. Her right wrist was burning. Looking down she saw that Sesshomaru's poison claws had burned a hole in her flesh. Kagura grit her teeth.

"Why are you here?" The great demon lord demanded.

"That's easy, isn't it? Naraku's wishes." She replied simply. Sesshomaru didn't betray his disgust with her answer, but it was understood between the two how he felt.

"Sesshomaru!" Rin called out appearing on the scene. She arrived in a hurry. By the looks of it, she barely evaded a battle. She had a bruise over her left eye and a gash across her shoulder leaving a bloodstain on her kimono.

Rin froze seeing Kagura. The wind demon glared at the younger woman. Sesshomaru's eyes swept over Rin, his face twitched from his cold mask. "What happened to you?" He asked, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

"Humans are attacking the village. They appeared to be controlled." She looked accusingly at Kagura knowing all too well it had been her spell that sent them to pillage. Sesshomaru eyed her wounds. "They attacked me and-." She gulped. "They got Jaken!" She burst into tears.

Sesshomaru still stood as an aloof statue but his grip on Kagura tightened. "Is he dead?" Rin slowly nodded. Of course Sesshomaru could easily bring him back to live with the Tensaiga, but someone had to pay the price.

Kagura stared emotionless at the sobbing girl. She didn't deserve to be crying. She never did anything wrong. Kagura closed her eyes. She felt as if her right hand was about to fall off. The poison was rushing through her veins and she felt herself dying.

Her insides were liquidizing, or so it felt. She was feverish. The fight had barely begun and it was almost over. It's because, she thought. I never wanted to fight him in the first place. Her knees buckled and the next thing she knew she was on the ground. "My two greatest wishes are about to come true." Her voice slurred.

Rin watched her in horror. Sesshomaru backed away in alarm. Kagura continued hervehement (vocab word!) rant. "I will get the spend the last moments of my life with you, Sesshomaru." She broke off coughing and spitting up blood. "And I will be freed…from Naraku...in deat-." She never finished the last word. For a moment nobody moved. Nobody said anything. Kagura had died too quickly. Sesshomaru placed his hand of the hilt of the Tensaiga. He couldn't see into the other world and frowned. She couldn't be resurrected. He sighed.

"I hope you achieve happiness and freedom in your next life." He muttered quietly. Rin stumbled up to his side. He slung an arm around her uninjured shoulder carefully avoiding contact with her open wound. Kagura's body faded into dust that burst into flame burning a spider mark into the ground permanently.

Kaede didn't move from her cornered position. She eyed the demon and the younger woman, seeing Inuyasha and Kagome reflected in the two. Inuyasha, she thought, you and your brother aren't so different after all.

"Inuyasha!" Shippo called out. The half-demon spun around in surprise. He was distracted from his search for his disappearing Kagome. He narrowed his eyes at the young approaching demon, and he knew it wasn't to see him better. As scary as Inuyasha's death glare was Shippo was not afraid. He didn't care that he wasn't suppose to have come.

"What the hell are you doing here, brat?" the half-demon demanded. Although he appeared angry, there was a hint of concern in his eyes. He was fond of Shippo and wanted him out of danger. But like with his daughter, he simply could not. It was fate that they were dragged in.

"We weren't going to let you fight Naraku without us!"

"We?" Sango questioned. She turned around to see Inuyasha and Shippo behind him walked in Chandra. Sango looked over her small frame. Kirara meowed and Chandra bent down to see the cat on the small level. The little neko-youkai purred as the girl petted her head softly murmuring something. Kirara's eyes perked up and she meowed as if in response. Chandra nodded and looked at Shippo who just noticed her actions.

Stunned he realized that Chandra and Kirara were conversing. Everyone stopped and stared at the scene being played out until Inuyasha broke the silence obviously still intent on reaching Kagome and slaying Naraku. "Shippo, why did you bring her? She'll be killed." Shippo disliked the way he spoke as if she wasn't kneeling on the ground near his feet plainly absorbed with Kirara, pretending not to care that he insulted her strength.

"She wanted to come and I wasn't cold enough to deny her!" Inuyasha turned red with anger. The young fox demon watched him try to control his temper. "Besides she can take care of herself."

Sango, remembering her first meeting with the girl who wielded a hunter's bow with such ferocity, nodded. "Inuyasha we must trust their judgment." The half-demon opened his mouth to argue but he was cut off not by Sango but Kasumi.

A glossy black bird landed on her shoulder chanting an eerie call resembling the murmurs of a restless spirit. "You don't have much time. Kagome is in the end of Naraku's infamous illusions…the monk and Kohaku are still prisoners…and Kai is…" She stopped. The raven spoke, the mere sound of its voice filled everyone's heart with dread. Without having to understand the bird's language, they instinctively knew it was trouble.

Kasumi swallowed and finished. "Dead."

"WHAT!" Everyone bellowed and the raven squawked in discomfort at the loud noise. It ruffled its feathers and resettled on Kasumi's head. Another raven appeared with a frantic speed. It crash landed on her abandoned shoulder and muttered a message.

"What is he saying?" Sango asked her voice taunt. Inuyasha grew impatient with the raven witch.

"She says that she is willing to lead you to the prisoners." Kasumi answered. "But she warns you that it very dangerous."

"Save it," Inuyasha said. "Sango, you take the Shippo and Chandra with you and find Miroku and Kohaku. I will find Naraku."

"But what about Kagome?" the demon slayer asked cautiously knowing her friend was conflicted with who was going after first.

"I'll free her." Kasumi offered. Inuyasha didn't like having to trust her, but time was running out and he couldn't afford to let Kai wait. Maybe, just maybe, she was still alive.

"Fine." He muttered. Deep concern etched in his face. Everyone soon separated into their different directions, Inuyasha following the trail of blood, everyone else turning right.

Kasumi lingered back unnoticed. She needed to get her mirror, more than anything. Chandra tripped and when she stood up she noticed Kasumi wasn't following them. Looking ahead she saw that Shippo and Sango were still chasing the raven. She knew the raven witch was up to something. And she intended to discover what.

She slowed padded after Kasumi, her feet thankfully making no noise. Kasumi stopped and spun around. Chandra stood there, glaring at her menacingly.

"If you think that you can simply return to Naraku, you're wrong." Chandra said. The threatening girl took Kasumi by surprise. Although she stood to her elbow, Kasumi knew when she was evenly matched.

"Are you going to fight me, kid?"

Chandra assumed a fighting stance Kasumi had never seen before. "Bring it on, bitch." It sounded so foreign with her sweet voice.

Kasumi took a karate pose. "Big words for such a little child." She remarked. She analyzed her opponent; she was weak but no doubt quick. Kasumi knew better then to assume she couldn't stand to chance. Someone with as much courage as her had to posses enough strength to feel comfortable with her own abilities. Of course she could just be an idiot, but her keen fuchsia eyes told different.

Kasumi made the first move. She kicked Chandra in the side. The girl barely flinched before she did a back flip. In the air she spun three times and bounced off the wall coming at Kasumi with a hard kick to the face. Kasumi was slammed on her back. Enraged, she shot a black lightning bolt at Chandra. The girl countered it with a pale blue stream of light. The attacks met in midair and cancelled each other with a mild explosion. They looked stunned at each other's skill.

"You're a miko?" Kasumi asked appalled by the young girl's magic. The girl's mouth twitched into a grin while her eyes contained a twinge of sadness.

"No," she said. "I'm a full demon, from the Continent." Kasumi gaped. "But you don't want my life story, do you?"

"No. I wanna fight!"

"So be it." Both of them screamed out attacks at the same time.

When Chandra says she's 'from the Continent', in case you didn't guess she means Asia.

Please Review!

-SMR