A/N: Ok - I'll admit up front, I suck at battle scenes. But thanks for all the wonderful reviews! I wish I had time to respond to each of you individually and maybe if I get more time I will ... but for now - a BIG HUG AND A THANK YOU!

Chapter 30

Inuyasha searched the realm he was in, without success. Naraku was ridiculing Inuyasha for being unable to find him. Something inside Inuyasha told him to return to Kagome. He did so, and to his pleasant surprise, found a partially conscious Kagome waiting for him. Still fighting Naraku's influence, she had been able, nonetheless, to wake herself up.

"Inuyasha! Why are you here?", she asked groggily.

"What the hell? Why do you think? To save you, of course."

"Inuyasha, Naraku has the jewel. I can sense it."

"WHAT? The sacred jewel?", he said as Kagome nodded, "How the hell did he get that?"

"I don't know. But I know he has it. I can sense its presence."

Realizing the implications, Inuyasha asked Kagome, "Are you strong enough to hold onto me on my back? If you can sense the jewel. then you can help me find Naraku." Kagome acknowledged that she was strong enough to hold onto him, and Inuyasha picked her up and settled her on his back.

"Which way, Kagome?", Inuyasha asked, as Kagome pointed out the way through various twists and turns. Inuyasha hadn't realized, through the fog, that he had been going through a maze, but, for some reason, with Kagome, the fog started to lighten up.

"Inuyasha, the jewel is that way.", Kagome said as Inuyasha followed her directions. 'That way' proved to be an open, less foggy area. Standing there, in the middle of the area, was Naraku himself.

"Naraku! We've found you.", Inuyasha scowled.

Naraku smiled evilly, covering up his true thoughts, 'That girl broke through my defenses and woke up. Damn her! I'll break her yet!', but outwardly he said to Inuyasha, "So I see you've gotten this far, but I won't let you go any further. Without your sword, you'll never defeat me."

"We'll see about that!", Inuyasha yelled, as he placed Kagome down. Facing off with Naraku, Inuyasha slashed at his opponent, "IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER!", he cried out as his claws slashed at thin air. Naraku had moved that quickly, but not before injuring Inuyasha.

'DAMN!', Inuyasha thought as he examined the wound in his shoulder. Hearing Naraku's menacing laugh, he soaked his fingers in his blood and sent the blood flying, "BLADES OF BLOOD!"

In this environment, Inuyasha had no idea of the passage of time. He had no idea that dusk of the second day was quickly approaching as he continued his relentless battle with Naraku. He had unknowingly wasted his first day searching in vain for his enemy and now he was fighting, with no idea of the passage of time. As the battle progressed, it seemed to be Inuyasha who was taking the brunt of the damage, but he refused to be kept down. After another attack by Naraku that sent Inuyasha flying through the air, his body landed limp by Kagome. As he came to, he began to get to his feet, as Kagome began to realize something. Looking at her hands, she noticed an aura surrounding them, similar to the aura that surrounded her arrows. Could it be?

"Inuyasha,", she whispered to him, "Check your hands."

Confused by what she was telling him, he asked her, "What do you mean, check my hands?"

Kagome looked at her hands again and then, looking at Naraku, she fisted her hand and pretended to throw something. As she opened her fist, a sacred arrow appeared out of nowhere, flying towards Naraku. As Naraku stared in shock, the arrow hit his arm, purifying the section that it hit.

'What the hell?', Naraku thought.

Inuyasha looked at his own hands and saw a whirlpool of energy surrounding them. 'The Wind Scar is surrounding my hands. Why?' Standing up, he faced Naraku and using his hands like he would use his sword, he shouted out "WIND SCAR!" as the energy of the wind scar headed towards Naraku. Naraku got out of the way, but his opponents knew they now had weapons.

"Inuyasha!", Kagome called, "I see the jewel. He's using it to control me. I can feel it. We must get the jewel away from him!"

"Right!", agreed Inuyasha, as he and Kagome combined their forces. Kagome using the aura of her sacred arrows and Inuyasha using the aura of the wind scar, they both battled Naraku. Time and time again they attacked, as Naraku tried to defend himself against their dual attacks. Inuyasha used his spirit to protect Kagome from Naraku's attacks, and was beginning to look pretty ragged. Kagome was getting worried about Inuyasha and was about to try to get him to safety when all of a sudden, Inuyasha realized another aura surrounded his hands. As Naraku sent another energy wave towards the duo, Inuyasha yelled out,

"BACKLASH WAVE!"

This attack call surprised both Kagome and Naraku as Naraku's spirit was swallowed up by the whirlpools of aura. Before she blacked out, Kagome saw the Shikon Jewel shimmer in the air and disappear. Suddenly, she gasped for air,

"AAAAAAAAAAAAA", she cried out as she came to, looking around her. Kaede, Miroku and Kohaku all called out her name,

"Kagome!", they chorused.

Kagome looked around, confused. She realized she was in Kaede's hut and the woman next to her was,

"Tamae? Why are you here? And where is Inuyasha?"

"I came to assist you, child, from the curse you were placed under. But, I am afraid I cannot help Inuyasha."

Kagome looked and saw Inuyasha, lying lifeless next to her.

"What's wrong with him?", she asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"I gave him a potion to place him in the same state as you to help you fight Naraku. Obviously, he succeeded as you have come out from under the spell. But, he had only till dusk of the second day to finish the job and I'm afraid he didn't succeed in time. HE will forever be stuck in the undead state he is in. His only option to escape it, is death.", Tamae explained.

Kagome looked outside and realized it was quite dark. Dusk had passed. No. This couldn't be happening. As tears rolled down her cheeks, she threw herself across Inuyasha's lifeless body,

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Outside the hut, a young woman with an infant heard all that had happened. Hearing Miroku explain that Inuyasha asked him to kill him instead of leaving him in that state only upset Kagome more. The young woman couldn't take it. With tears in her eyes, she ran to Kirara. Asking her to transform, the young woman rode off into the night, with Kagome's screams ringing in her ears.