!WARNING! Character death in this chapter.

. : Muichimotsu : .

: . By Akikazu . :

. : Chapter Thirty One : .

She was finished.

Hakudoushi stepped back from his newest doll. The familiar, cold face was directed up towards him and Hakudoushi conceded that the doll did not look as close to the woman as he would like but she would be acceptable for what he had plan. It had already taken him two weeks to reconstruct her to this point, but Hakudoushi knew that his victims had spent the time he had allotted them building their relationships. This would make it even more delightful when he ripped them apart.

Her eyes opened and cold, lifeless eyes looked up at him.

"Why have you summoned me one again?" Her voice was just as he remembered.

"I have a task for you to accomplish."

She blinked and a cruel smirk curved her lip. "What do you wish of me?"

M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M .

The attack came at dawn.

After being awakened by the massive press of battle read auras against his own, Kurama quickly got dressed and left his room to see if anyone else had been awakened. Kagome was not in her room, nor was Ayame but the kitsune could sense that both of them were elsewhere in the palace.

Kurama's next stop was the next wing over. Hiei was already up and was moving the girls into one room when Kurama arrived. Keiko looked at Kurama hopefully as she passed by, and the red head knew that she was wondering if Itsuki had come back. Hating to disappoint the woman he shook his head. Keiko's eyes darkened and she slumped a bit, but continued to move into Yukina's room.

Mentally shaking his head, Kurama looked towards Hiei, "Will you stay here?"

Hiei nodded, "I will protect these women. You are going to seek out the miko?"

"Yes. If I find one of them I'll send either Yusuke or Kuwabara to you."

"The detective only. The baka (moron) will only succeed in getting the wrong someone killed."

"Alright, if I see Yusuke, I'll send him up."

Hiei's grunt followed Kurama down the hall. Even as the noise faded from his ears, youkai (demons) began to swarm the hall. Unlike the previous attacks, these youkai seemed completely without direction, some moved past him, some gathered to fight him, and some even turned tail and ran at the sight of him. Slightly amused, Kurama called forth his rose whip and easily decimated the forces that opposed him. He didn't even break out a sweat going through the attacking mass.

Before long Kurama entered a room that was strangely devoid of the attacking youkai. However what he saw in the room held him motionless. Naraku was on the ground before him, his body was cradling Sango's limp form. Kurama glance an arrow sticking up from the ningen (human) woman's body. Naraku's back was turned, as if shielding Sango.

It was then that his eyes took in the familiar black cloaked figure standing across the room from them. Her hood was up and Kurama couldn't see her face, but from the miko power that glowed from the tip of her arrow, he knew this had to be Kagome. His heart began to break. His mind had resisted the thought at first but a strange foggy like feeling lighted in his mind and Kurama found himself unable to refuse the few facts set before him.

The arrow flew off its bow and struck Naraku through his chest, burning straight through him and lodging itself in Sango's body, pinning the two together. The arrow's purification began to eat away at Naraku's body.

Even as his eyes dull they caught a hold of Kurama's, blood gushed past his lips as he managed to say one word.

"…Kagome…"

Naraku's eyes closed and his body toppled over. Kurama made a move towards them but an arrow flew past his head, slicing his cheek. His hard glare found Kagome.

"Why have you done this?" He demanded.

"Naraku must pay for what he has done in the past."

"And Sango?"

"She was in the way."

Kurama prepared himself to launch himself at her and subdue her in order to bring her before Sesshomaru later but Kagome fired another arrow at him, and while he was dodging it, Kagome disappeared from his sight.

Kurama immediately went to check on Naraku and Sango. Both were dead. Hot blood trickled from the cut Kagome had given him and the feeling of betrayal burned through him.

But worst of all, his heart was broken.

M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M .

Rin hid behind the door when she heard someone approaching.

"I've returned, Hakudoushi," the feminine voice was unfamiliar to her.

"Have you done as I've asked?" The tone of her lover's voice scared her.

"Yes, Naraku and Sango are dead."

"Well done. Do you wish to return to the underworld now?"

"No, I'll see how this plays out. The pain of my reincarnation is my pleasure."

"Go then."

Rin heard the woman leave but she did move for a long time. She wondered if she really knew the man that claimed to love her at all.

Heart pounding wildly, Rin decided that she would tell the "enemy" what Hakudoushi had done.

M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M .

Tired from the nonstop battle she had been participating in since she had sensed the invading youkai, Kagome and Ayame ducked into a room to rest for a couple of minutes before heading out again.

Unfortunately, the smell of blood in the room was so thick that even Kagome's human nose could smell it. Hesitantly she peered around for the source. The two bodies lay just on the other side of the room. Recognizing the dark hair that fell like a cloak down the sitting figure's back, Kagome rushed over to them.

It wasn't till she fell at their side that she noticed the arrows. Ayame reached out to pull them but out but they shocked her and when she pulled her hand away the pads of her fingers were slightly burnt. She stuck the throbbing appendages in her mouth.

"Purification residue," she explained to Kagome.

Kagome frowned and moved to stand behind the point of entry. Her hand reached for the arrow and she was reminded about another time and another arrow. Still locked in her memory she grasped the arrow and gave it a pull. The arrow disintegrated and Kagome knew who had killed the pair of new lovers.

"It was Kikyo."

"But Kikyo's dead!" Ayame protested.

"I know this arrow, it's Kikyo's."

"What should we do, Kagome?"

"Go tell Sesshomaru, I'll stay here."

"But-"

"Go!" Kagome ordered.

"Alright," Ayame stood and ran off.

Kagome moved a bit and looked at the faces of the two people that had come together despite the intentions of the man whom had brought them back.

Sorrow rose within her and Kagome cried for what the two would never be able to share.

M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M .

Hakudoushi was in the palace.

The youkai closed his eyes and savored the taint that he had instilled in the heart of the kitsune and the pain he could feel echoing in Kagome's soul.

Quickly he made a beeline for the miko (shrine maiden). He would get rid of her personally. It would give him satisfaction to get rid of the miko that had more often than not stood in his way. He despised how openly loving she was, she had even been able to put her dislike for Naraku aside, and to him that was unforgivable.

"Muichimotsu, miko. Hold nothing. Words that such a good miko should take to heart. Desires bring greed, and having brings not but loss. Such a fragile soul that I have held, I need but use pain to break you."

. : End Chapter : .

: . Author's Note . :

Pathetically short chapter for you this week but it's a lead on to the next. I want to keep the next chunk together so it looks to gain good length.

I've got lots of projects to hop to so the chances for an update next week is iffy but it will only take two weeks at most, so don't run off thinking this story will never be finished if I don't show for a bit.

Sayonara.

. : Beta's Note : .

Hey everyone! Don't forget to thank Akikazu for the chapter, short or not. Hope you guys (and girls) liked it!

. : Next Time : .

Death

Injury

Confrontations

Unbound

Forget