The Gang's Darkest Hour

"No, sister! Please! Stay back!" cried Kohaku as he thrust out his left hand towards his sister, his motion telling her to stay clear. Tears welled up in both siblings' eyes. Sango froze as her gaze met Kohaku's pleading eyes. She couldn't leave Kohaku to battle Naraku alone. Naraku paused and lowered the Tetsusaiga. "How touching," he mocked, "brother and sister once again dying together. This brings back such fond memories! You may both attack me at once if you so desire!"

Turning back to face his former master, Kohaku smirked at the challenge, already planning his next move. He decided he would play on Naraku's arrogance and pride to get him to drop his barrier. With Akago hidden elsewhere, Kohaku knew this could very well be a losing battle. Kohaku turned to his sister and nodded with a smile. Sango nodded back as she reached for her sword at her waist. Turning back to face Naraku, Kohaku responded to the challenge. "Sounds like a deal! But why don't we even out the odds by you dropping your barrier. You obviously don't need it. You don't want to look like a coward, hiding behind it."

Naraku's scarlet eyes burned with fury at Kohaku's remark. "Such impudence!" he shouted as he raised his other arm as though he were about to strike the boy with his spiked armor. The spikes grew several inches in length, poking through his barrier. "I should have killed you a long time ago! You shall be the first to perish!"

Sango gasped in horror. Her worst fear was if Naraku would choose to use an energy attack with the spikes he had trained on her brother, which would be near impossible to dodge, but Kohaku turned to face her, his eyes begging her once again to stay clear. He feared his plan failed miserably. He prepared himself to dodge the deadly attack.

"That might be a good idea, you bastard!" interrupted Inuyasha. Naraku stopped in mid swing and turned to face the hanyou who dared to interrupt him. Inuyasha continued when he had Naraku's attention. "Maybe you've already forgotten, but as I recall, there kinda tends to be an explosive reaction when my diamond blast connects with your barrier." Inuyasha smiled as he continued "It would be a shame for all of us to be blown to bits before your little show is over!"

Naraku granted him a small smirk and lowered his arm, allowing its spikes to recede. "Heh! I shall amuse you and drop the barrier. It will only serve to prolong this battle, as well as your miserable lives, by mere moments. It will not be because of the filthy half-breed's comments," he said, giving Inuyasha an angry glare as his barrier faded. "Kohaku, I shall reclaim that jewel shard in your back," Naraku completed his sentence with a sinister smile, once again raising the Tetsusaiga.

"Do you know how this poison works?" asked Kyofu calmly as he casually circled around Miroku, who seemed close to losing consciousness. He was slightly slumped over and it took all his strength to support himself to a standing position with his staff. Blood flowed freely from his multiple wounds Kyofu had inflicted. The poison was rapidly stealing his energy. He knew he could not maintain consciousness for much longer. Death would soon follow. Kyofu paused and waited patiently for a response. Between shallow, weakened breaths, Miroku responded, "I ……..ha….ve …..n…n… no i..i..idea…." He closed his eyes for a moment as he took in several more breaths before continuing, his gaze depicting extreme rage at Kyofu, "Why…..don't you enlighten me!"

Kyofu smiled arrogantly at Miroku. He now held one dagger in his hand, which he toyed with. With smooth motions, he waved it in front of Miroku's face. Having no strength left do defend himself, Miroku tensed as Kyofu slowly reached up ran the point of blade across his throat, which was just light enough as to not break the skin. "I will comply and enlighten you. After all, I would hate for you to die not knowing the nature of what has killed you. This poison works wonderfully. First, your strength rapidly leaves you, next will come unconsciousness, convulsions, and finally…. your death! The amount of time it takes for your untimely death depends on the amount of poison you have been administered, which I'm sorry to say is quite a lot." He paused. "There are only two ways to rid yourself of the poison… The first, according to Sota's memories, would be remedies from that wench's time, which may or may not work. The longer you wait to receive treatment," he frowned shaking his head, "the closer you get to your death. The second would be joining me as this young boy has…"

Miroku tensed. What did he mean by that? Would he leave Sota and then possess him, and gain use of his Wind Tunnel? Would he then dare use it against his friends? The answer was obvious. That could not be allowed. "I would rather die a thousand deaths than allow you to control me, you bastard!" he declared, "That would be a fate far worse than death!" Miroku tensed as he felt another pulsating wave of poison run through his body. Having no more strength to maintain his standing position, he collapsed. Using his remaining strength to keep his eyes open, which burned with rage at Kyofu.

Kyofu chuckled. "You are in no position to be giving me orders, you worthless monk! You will make an excellent addition to my collection…. dead or alive." He shrugged. "Of course, your memories will be lost to me if you die first…," he frowned, almost apologetically, "Oh I'm sorry. I feel I must ask your forgiveness. I failed to inform you. I have many more talents that have yet to be revealed. I'm afraid Sota will not be released when I take control over you. He will soon become a part of me, as you soon will be. His cries to be released have already diminished. Soon he will have no voice within me. He can then only silently watch in horror at the heinous acts I commit. With each victim I absorb, I can masquerade as him or her at any time. No matter whose form I use, all within me see what I do. I am able to borrow their voices, as you are already aware." His voice changed to a deeper, sinister voice. "Your Wind Tunnel will soon be mine with no danger of it growing to consume me!"

"Hakudoushi," said Naraku as he turned his head to face his incarnation.

"Yes, Naraku?" responded Hakudoushi with anticipation.

Naraku smiled at Hakudoushi's eagerness. "You may kill all who attack you, except Inuyasha. He is mine and shall die by my hands."

"Gee, thanks a lot, you bastard!" interrupted Inuyasha as he gripped Tetsusaiga's sheath.

Smiling, Hakudoushi nodded at Naraku, ignoring Inuyasha. He began to twirl his weapon above his head, and then let it come to rest, pointing it at his next closest adversary. Shippo. "Pathetic, weak little kitsune, come at me!" he challenged.

Shippo froze in fear. "Uhh… You mean me?"

"Yes, I do. Whom else would I be talking to?" he spat. He paused, waiting for Shippo to make the first move, but Shippo didn't budge. His eyes darted around for an escape route. There was none. Behind him was the exit, but the miasma was too thick. In front of him were Hakudoushi and Naraku. Neither, he knew, would allow him to escape. "Uhh.. Kirara, a little help?" asked Shippo.

Kirara roared at Hakudoushi, removing Inuyasha's back support, as she sprang towards him, hoping to pin him down and rip out his throat. Inuyasha planted his hand to the ground to prevent himself from falling backwards. "Dammit!" he thought to himself as a wave of intense, paralyzing pain shot through his body, "If I don't think of something, we're all dead!"

Grinning, Hakudhoushi addressed the charging feline, "So Miss Two-Tailed, you wish to be first," he asked as he swung out his weapon at the charging cat. Kirara flew to the side as she barely dodged the attack. She landed on the ground and let out a low growl, her ruby eyes burning with rage at her enemy. She hesitated. One wrong move could spell disaster for herself and Shippo.

"If you will not make the next move, I will!" said Hakudoushi, smirking as he suddenly charged, swinging his weapon at Shippo. Shippo jumped to the left, trying desperately to dodge. Smirking, Hakudoushi swung his weapon again as Shippo landed, before he had a chance to get out of the way. Hakudoushi grinned as crimson liquid splashed his face and clothes as he cut open not Shippo's stomach, but Kirara's right side. She had flung herself in the weapon's path as she shoved Shippo out of the way.

"KIRARA!" shrieked Sango.

Sweat saturated Miroku's face. Whether it was from the poison or fear of what Kyofu intended to do to him, he could not tell. Despite his efforts to keep himself awake, his vision began to dim to nothingness as unconsciousness claimed his weakened body. Kyofu looked in disgust at the unconscious monk. "I should just let you die, you pathetic, lecherous monk!" he thought to himself. He then said aloud to himself, "Hmm… perhaps I can use your flaws to my advantage. Such grand pleasure you will give me as I use you to strike fear in one of your dearest friends!"

Kyofu chuckled as a vision of the mangled, bloodied corpses of his imminent victims flooded his mind, then use the Wind Tunnel to dispose of their remains. "Perhaps I should just suck them up into the void alive," he said thoughtfully to himself. He closed his eyes and concentrated. He suddenly grew several feet in height as his ebony hair grew down to his elbows and his eyes glowed its blood red color. His face morphed to Kyofu's, the shadows exaggerating his high cheekbones. His clothes turned to black robes as they grew in size with him. A sinister grin escaped his thin lips as he pulled his hood over his head, the shadows from it obscuring his face. If it weren't for his glowing eyes, one would believe the figure to be simply a lifeless, harmless shadow. He may at times behave like a shadow, but a harmless one he is not. He then changed again, his form becoming semi-transparent. Slowly he lifted himself into the air and floated over to the unconscious monk and hovered momentarily above him. Slowly descending, he blanketed himself over Miroku, gradually disappearing as he descended further, seeping into the cuts that riddled his body, neutralizing the poison. Miroku could barely feel it. Something was going into him through his open wounds as well as through his mouth, nostrils, and ears! He was powerless to stop Kyofu. The process took mere moments. As he finished the job, the mark of a spider glowed an eerie red through Miroku's robes on his back, then quickly faded, leaving its mark on him, as it did Sota. Kyofu, now using Miroku's form got back to his feet. The monk's memories disgusted him. "My, my, dear monk, such dirty memories you possess," he said aloud. He then stared at his opened hand, the hand containing the Wind Tunnel, and smiled.

"KIRARA!" shrieked Sango again, tears bursting from her eyes.

"You make one move towards the two-tail, you die!" threatened Naraku.

Sango turned once again to face Naraku, her eyes burning with rage. Naraku only smiled in response.

"Inuyasha, I suggest you and your pathetic friends take a look into Kanna's mirror. It would seem Miroku has fallen victim to Kyofu. I'm afraid I did not inform you of all of Kyofu's many talents. You will forgive me, won't you?" he asked sarcastically. Inuyasha and the others all paused and gasped in horror as they witnessed Miroku's fate.

"So. Do you wish to see what happens to Kagome, or do you wish to attack me, and thus miss witnessing her death?"

"Go to hell, you bastard!" shouted Inuyasha.

"Very well," replied Naraku with a smile, "So you've decided, then?"

Tetsusaiga then glowed a brilliant white as the Diamond Blast was about to be unleashed. Naraku held the sword above his shoulder as he prepared to unleash the deadly attack at the two siblings standing in front of him.

Sango drew her sword as she closed in on her opponent, her target being Naraku's right arm, while Kohaku threw his scythe at Naraku's head. Inuyasha saw his chance. Ignoring the screaming pain in his chest from the wound Naraku had inflicted on him, Inuyasha pulled out Tetsusaiga's sheath and charged.

"So you all wish to die at once, before you witness Kagome's death?" inquired Naraku as he leapt into the air, dodging all the attacks. He landed several feet away and swung Tetsusaiga at the enemies that attacked him. Hundreds of diamond spears flew from Tetsusaiga, seeking to pierce anything and everyone in its path.

Kagome regretted abandoning Miroku to battle Kyofu alone. She desperately wanted to go back and assist him, though she kept running. Naraku wanted her to fight her very own brother, but she would not give him the satisfaction. As though an answer to her prayers, she spotted a cyclone rapidly approach her. She sensed two jewel shards, and she knew it had to be Koga. The cyclone rapidly approached her and dissipated, revealing her wolf demon friend and ally.

"Hey, Kagome! How's my woman?" he asked with a smile as he grabbed her hands and held them gently as his pale blue eyes gazed into her brown ones. "I smelled Naraku's foul stench. He must have dropped his barrier. Was that dumb mutt stupid enough to try to face Naraku in his human form? Because if he put you in any danger…"

"Oh, Koga! I'm so glad you're here!" Kagome cried, relieved to see a friendly face, " We need your help! Nara-"

"Pardon me, miss," a familiar yet sinister sounding voice called out mockingly from behind, interrupting her. She knew that voice! Both Koga and Kagome turned to face the owner of the voice. Koga stepped protectively in front of Kagome. Kagome froze. Her face reflected fear and disbelief, while Koga's was filled with extreme rage as the figure continued, "Would you consider…"

A/N: Please forgive me for not updating sooner! Please let me know if you liked it! I hope it was worth the loooong wait!