IT'S A WHAT!

I do not own Inuyasha and I never will so BACK OFF -gets ready to hurt the FBI in my way-

Here we are, at the last chapter. But no worries. I'm going to try to make it around two thousand words long. The average length of my usual chapters. I hope you like it, I tried to make it a good one. As all stories should have a perfect ending, right? ;)

oOoOo

"If these truly are the illusions caused by whatever that was, we'll need to hurry," Miroku commented. Sango felt like hitting him over the head. Some people were just so dense, they just . . . ugh.

"In case you haven't noticed, we are hurrying."

"It was a matter of speech, Sango. I'm just saying."

Sango sighed, Inuyasha's head was so thick anyway. "Besides, it's not like he'll believe us if we tell him it's not really Kouga. It's cute and all, him being Mr. Hero and wanting to protect her . . . but I don't think we should give him a punishment he doesn't deserve."

oOoOo

Kagome, if you die I'll never forgive myself - all because I couldn't keep track of that baka Kouga... Inuyasha ran, swearing deeply along the way. Kouga had struck where no one wants to be struck, well, maybe second on the list. No, third. The first was in the heart, it would usually kill you instantly. And the second, well, that varied on what gender you were . . .

If Kagome died, what else did Inuyasha have to live for? He considered it along the way. He hated thinking of Kagome's death, but it was something he needed to confront. Sure, if she died, his first choice would be to kill himself too and go along with her. But he couldn't kill Kaori now, could he? That would be like murder. He decided then that he'd raise Kaori, and memories of Kagome would be with him. It would be a shame for Kaori to lose his mother so early, but he could tell him many stories about his mother, a one-of-a-kind. And her being a miko, she would always be there with them, even if it wasn't physically. It would always be mentally.

Inuyasha prepared himself when he neared Kouga's scent. Or at least he tried to, but there was a second scent throwing him off. A second scent, but the same scent as the first. He must've been imagining things—there couldn't be a second Kouga.

Maybe the murderer Kouga really was an illusion after all . . . no. I bet he just made someone make an illusion of himself so we'd only think that, and let him get away . . . well, I think not.

"Kouga, you baka!" Inuyasha shouted, without a second thought. He stopped when the two scents were both so close. Once the dirt he'd kicked up cleared, he gently rubbed his eyes with the fire-rat sleeve and looked forward. He saw two Kougas, and they looked exactly the same. Smelled exactly the same . . . talked exactly the same. He jumped forward to both of them and drew Tessaiga.

"Which one of you is the real Kouga?" he demanded. "I know the illusion was only to throw me off, because you don't want me to kill you once and for all!"

"Can't you tell us apart, dog-face?" one of them asked. Inuyasha didn't know which it was.

"Aren't you good at smelling things, mutt?"

"Don't you hear the difference in our voice?"

"Is there one small visual detail you're missing?"

"If both of you don't shut up, I'll take both of you down!" he put his second hand on the handle of the sword. "I'm not scared to do it, either. Maybe one of you is innocent, I don't care—I can't just let one of you off the loose if I'm not positive he's the innocent one, because I could be letting off a killer. And not just any killer, either. You'd be one trying to kill Kagome!"

"One of us is obviously innocent," the second Kouga said. "And besides, the real Kouga cares for Kagome."

"Feh! One, I don't know who's real, and two, not since she went and told ya off!"

"Who says?" asked the first.

"I think your attitude and look told it all, Kouga. Was your little sword for payback against what she said? Because it's true, all of it," he threatened, "I will kill one, or both of you by tonight."

"We both have jewel shards in out legs," said the first. "Regardless of if two of them are fake, they work all the same for an illusion." If Kagome was here, she would know which one of them was real.

"Keh, well if you two are going to try and throw me off, I'll just have to figure out which one is real all by myself."

"Hah! You can't!"

"Only Kagome and Kikyou can - or could, Kikyou's dead and Kagome might be - do that!"

Inuyasha grinned. Not just any smile, it was his evil smile. Both Kougas were expecting him to turn full youkai again, with that look.

"Well, I've made my decision." He took one hand off Tessaiga's handle, and then put the sword over his right shoulder. "Even if one of you is innocent, you are both talking crap about Kagome. So I will kill you both for being really stupid and talking a whole lot of load about her, because that's not how it works around her, ya got that?"

Both of them looked on, as if it was unexpected. Which was kind of strange, since it would seem like Inuyasha's decision would be one of the first.

"I'm giving you five seconds to run. One, two, five."

They ran. Inuyasha chased the one he believed to be the illusion first, if he could get that one, Kouga would be alive forever, he could kill him anytime.

"Nobody talks like that about Kagome, because they get killed!" Inuyasha put Tessaiga in front of him, step-by-step he got ready to attack Kouga. "Aren't you going to at least try and hurt me, wolf? Don't you have the spunk to try! Or do you already know that it's going to be over for you, regardless?"

Crap . . . I can't get the Kaze no Kizu to work, not until I get a clearing for the wind . . .

"Don't you have the spunk, mutt?"

Forget the sword . . .

He dropped the sword. He dropped it and ran faster. Kouga one was not getting away, and neither was Kouga two.

"Give up now, wolf," he muttered. Inuyasha was now not even a foot away in distance. He cracked his knuckles a bit to show that he meant business (as if we didn't know xD). "Let my claws rip you to shreds, you know if you had given up, it wouldn't be so painful!" Inuyasha jumped, landing right in front of Kouga. He gave the wolf no time to run after that. Kouga tried to stop, but by the time he succeeded, he was so close to Inuyasha that there was no chance of escape nor survival. As if there was a chance beforehand.

"Sankontessou!" He tried to jump and run as a last minute attempt and escape. He tried to do so much, but it was too late. The claws met, and he shattered – proving that he was the illusion of the two. The real Kouga would be harder than this, and so Inuyasha decided to meet up with Tessaiga again.

oOoOo

"I think we're too late."

Sango and Miroku arrived at the clearing, but only to find it thrashed.

"I bet he ran off to kill Kouga," suggested Miroku.

"We'll have to find him."

"No, you're staying," Miroku said – for once, convincing and assertive. "I'm going to go instead. I would also have Shippou come with me, but he isn't with us. I think it's better he tends to Kagome's wounds instead, anyway."

"Take Kirara," Sango said. "I will stay here and wait for you, I know that at least I'll be safe if I just stay in one spot."

"A better idea. I can't leave you alone, Sango. We'll let Kirara help Inuyasha, and I'll stay with you."

"A good idea, Miroku. Kirara, listen to what Inuyasha says. As much as we don't want to give Kouga an unneeded punishment, there's no telling what Inuyasha will do to you if you try to interfere with his plans. Just help . . . I hate to do it, but . . ."

"I know, Sango, but there's no stopping Inuyasha."

oOoOo

"You stupid wolf! Show yourself!"

There was no scent, no visual, no sound. I guess I have to hunt you down, Kouga . . . "I'll find you myself!" He planned on getting up and hunting the wolf down, but the thoughts of Kagome and her injuries brought him down. They filled his mind with hatred of the wolf – but it was hard, since he already carried enough hatred for him.

For once in a long time, Inuyasha began to cry, letting the tears flow and not even trying to hide it. What if Kagome was gone now? What if the damage to her throat had done that much to her? Inuyasha imagined flashes of her smiling face when she was perfectly healthy, happy, and normal . . . she'd even tried to make him feel better, when he knew Kikyou's death was all his fault – what kind of person deserved such a horrible death?

Finally something awoke him from his daydreams, a scent and sound that was familiar. Inuyasha looked up.

It was Kirara.

"Miaw," she squeaked. Inuyasha made his grip on Tessaiga tighter, eventually standing and lifting it up with himself . . . never in his life was he this happy to receive help from someone else. He erased his frown and smiled a bit, actually. Sure, if Kagome was gone it was no laughing matter – but now he could at least get revenge.

No worries, Kagome, I'll avenge you . . .

He climbed aboard Kirara and let his nose work with hers to track down the scent of the wolf. He used to hate the scent that the wolf carried, but now he despised it with all of the heart he had left. Which was more of a heart than he had before Kagome came around, to say the least.

oOoOo

And so they sat around Kagome's fire, the one she'd made in their own hut. Kagome was wrapped in a blue blanket given to her by her mother just recently, in her arms was an equally wrapped Kaori with a blue blanket that was the same as hers. She cradled him gently, to calm him, for tonight was a good night, everyone they could get to come was here.

Inuyasha sat so close next to her, with a red blanket. In his hands was another pup, theirs. This time it was a girl they'd named after Kikyou, because Kagome accepted the fact that she was indeed wrong about her, and Kikyou wasn't as bad as she'd thought. In fact, Kagome realized a lot about Kikyou. Inuyasha equally enjoyed the name they'd given to their new pup, who had taken Kagome's black hair but was still an inu-hanyou.

Sango and Miroku were next to them, both of them hovering over their newborn in Sango's hands. She was Miya, with Sango's hair and Miroku's eyes. Nobody knew who's attitude she had, but she hoped it wasn't Miroku's attitude. Sango didn't want her kid to go around saying, "Hey, you, can I have your child?"

Kaede even sat along with them, interested in both Sango and Miroku's child and Inuyasha and Kagome's childs. Kohaku sat next to Sango, the third most interested in Miya. Sango and Miroku took the cake in that one, for sure.

Shippou sat on Kagome's shoulder as always, staring at Kikyou and Kaori, but occasionally fixing Kagome's bandages. After the scare, he had made a mental note to always make sure Kagome's bandages were fine, because he was worried about her.

But among everyone they knew and didn't know, Inuyasha was by far the most protective of Kagome, and always the one who would risk his life to be there for her and help her.

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THE END

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Ahhh, now don't ya'll like that? So now I'm resorting to one-shots when I feel like it, and I'll be aiding tK in her two stories, ne? Anyone is welcome to create their OWN sequel if they really want to, you know. If not having a sequel is really bugging you that much, write your own. I give you full permission, unless you decide to murder Kaori or Kikyou or something o.O then I'll have to hunt you down and hurt you myself, haha. :)

Cheers to all, I hope you liked this.