"Miroku! Miroku, please wake up!" Sango pleaded desperately to the monk's limp body. She put a shaky hand to his neck and found a weak pulse. The discovery almost pushed her into tears again, but she refused to waste more time crying.

Miroku let out a low groan and his head shifted in her lap. Sango grinned at the realization that he was still moving. She had seen what happens to people who are hurt to the point of no recovery: slow, painful deaths with unvoiced regrets dying on their lips. With her joy came an endless river of relief that she had not lost him. His eyes flickered open, eyelids still heavy as he saw her teary eyes and joyous expression. A gentle smile spread across his face.

"You should watch your back," he croaked weakly, closing his eyes again, as if talking was too much energy. Sango managed a half-hearted laugh, and almost felt like kissing him.

"Baka. I would have been fine if it had hit me." Sango mock-snapped, covering her eyes with a hand to hide tears that she couldn't stop from flowing. Her voice had obvious strain when she spoke again. "I would have been fine, but you could have died."

Miroku lifted his hand and coaxed hers away from her face. He looked surprised at her tears. "You're crying for me." Sango gave him a look that said, "Of course I am, you idiot!". Miroku almost laughed, but kept speaking. "Sango, despite what you may believe, I hold nothing against you from before. What you did will never stop me from wanting to protect you."

"M-miroku…" she managed, tears still flowing heavily. "I l-lo…" She stopped, feeling something on her bottom. With a deep, unfulfilled rage she whacked him on the head, although she could not completely disguise a small bit of relief in her voice. "This is hardly the time!"

As Miroku chuckled innocently as Inuyasha dodged another bolt of lighting from Kiki's sword. It seemed she had given up on shooting at his feet and was now trying to hit him in general, causing his jumps to be much more animated. Naraku's concentration was broken for a moment as he unclenched his hand and looked at the jewel. Upon looking at it he discovered it was beginning to purify, and shot a glare at Miroku and Sango. "Damned humans." He muttered.

"Kiki, stop it!" Inuyasha yelled for about the fiftieth time, again in vain. The girl only tried harder to hit him.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Kill him.

"NO! I don't want to!" Kiki snarled to the light that surrounded her. However much she preferred light to dark, the preference was buried under mountains of hatred and rage.

Feed this body your fury.

"Let me OUT!" she howled, raising her hands and shooting bolts of electricity everywhere. The bolts scattered, and with a dim realization of what she had just done, her head began to ache. More infuriated than ever, she gathered a wind under her and shot herself into the air, expertly maneuvering herself through the white mist with an ease she had never had. Past attempts at this had failed miserably, and with her last failure she had vowed to never try it again. While in her mind, she had uncovered many secrets of her powers, some of which she would have never guessed existed. She now created bolts of lightening where beforehand she had created small shocks, and the feeling was invigorating.

An image flickered ahead that made her stomach churn. Inuyasha was dodging lightning. Lightning. She desperately wished she could see what was going on. "Inuyasha!" she screamed, pleading to the light around her. "Don't hurt him!"

Another image of him dodging flickered ahead and she roared in exasperation. "NO! DON'T HURT HIM!" Her eyes overflowed with tears as she stared at the endless mist, knowing she was getting nowhere.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The bolts paused for a moment, giving Inuyasha a second to catch his breath. Kiki raised her hands to her head, carefully rubbing her temples. Her face scrunched up with annoyance, and even a small hint of pain. As suddenly as she had stopped, she was back to normal and letting her swords drop back into position.

Inuyasha watched her carefully, and at this sudden breakthrough he jumped to reach her. "Kiki, you don't want to do this!" She stared at him for a moment and then tears welled up in her eyes. Her face betrayed no sadness as they rolled down her face. She wiped her face on her sleeve to clear her eyesight, and was then inclined to stare at the wetness blankly.

Naraku bared his teeth in anger, hand clutching around the sacred jewel. He narrowed his eyes at Kiki and then shifted his gaze to Inuyasha. The half-breed was staring at her with wide eyes. "Kill him!" Naraku snarled immediately.

"No…" Kiki breathed, so quiet that even Inuyasha could not hear her.

"Kiki, push him away! It's your body!" Inuyasha firmly stated, regaining his ability to speak. "You can stop doing this!"

"She only listens to me!" Naraku insisted, holding out the hand with the sacred jewel, and clenching it so hard his knuckles turned white. He pointed the hand at Kiki. "Kill him!"

Her body pulsed at this command and her eyelids drooped slightly. Then she was at full attention, clenching her sword hilts tighter than before. Eyes that had once been violet were now so dark they were almost black. She crossed her swords in front of her and then flew straight at Inuyasha. He met sword with claw and tried to push her back, his face twisting in disappointment and rage.

"Kiki! You have control!" her shouted into her face. "You have control!"

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and as she pushed him back with all her strength, she hissed one hope-shattering word straight to his face.

"Perish!"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The experience of seeing through her eyes without being able to control her body was putting Kiki on the brink of insanity; she had her sight back, but nothing else. The fog had faded alarmingly fast, and then suddenly she found herself looking directly at Inuyasha. The image of him aggravated her so much that she felt the urge to attack something.

She had her swords crossed in front of her for defense. Inuyasha was watching her with an overwhelming disappointment in his eyes, so deep that it sucked the energy right out of her. She felt her powers being drained into her sword hilts, and felt her aura swirl around the blades. Dimly, she realized she had been pushed back.

Sango noticed from far off that there was a difference in Kiki's actions. It was a small change, but it seemed as if she was now on the defensive. Before she had been flailing angrily at Inuyasha, jabbing at every opening he allowed her. Now she pushed forward with lazier swings, and blocked more fiercely than she attacked.

Naraku kept his eyes narrowed and watched as Kiki took another lazy swing. It was easily dodged, and so weak that it was almost as if she had forced herself to do it. Quite suddenly, though, she followed it with a sharp uppercut that made Inuyasha fall backwards and onto the ground. The next move was simple: she lunged forwards so that her left blade was flat against his neck, hovering victoriously over him with the right one raised. He dare not move.

Naraku smirked, pleased to finally end this game. "Now, Kiki. Kill him."

Kiki raised her right blade higher for a more powerful strike. "NO!" Her mind screeched at her body. "NO!" She paused, the blade glittering in the air as her arm went stiff.

"Kiki," Inuyasha whispered, his voice pleading. "Please."

"DON'T DO IT!" Kiki screamed as hard as she could, feeling the words echo around her but not come out of her mouth. Kill him. "STOP!" I said KILL HIM! "I WOULD RATHER DIE THAN TAKE HIS LIFE!"

Miroku was able to sit up with Sango's help, and leaned heavily against her as they waited for Kiki to move. Both were helpless to do anything, knowing that if they intervened it might make things worse.

. She lowered her right blade, slowly and weakly until it reached chest-level. The next thing she did was so fast that no one, not even Naraku, had the power to stop it.

She angled the blade towards chest and then pushed her body away from Inuyasha, flying into the air. The other blade dropped uselessly to the ground, and she locked both hands around the hilt of her remaining sword. Without a word, she shoved the point roughly into her stomach.

Inuyasha's eyes widened in horror as hers expanded and glazed over. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked into at him and smiled gently, lightly whispering her parting words.

"I love you."

With that she closed her eyes and fell limply to the ground, not so much as a breath escaping her. Everyone stared. No one moved. Again, Inuyasha was the first to recover.

"KIKI!" he wailed, holding a hand out towards her body. "NO!"

"Idiotic girl!" Naraku howled, eyes glowing a dark, foreboding red. "Your orders were to kill him! I spent years working on those powers!"

"What are you talking about?" Sango snarled, surprised by her own furious ejaculation. Tears rolled down her face but she had no power to stop them. "Kiki's life – Kiki dedicated her life to helping people! She became a mute for years, overcome with guilt, refusing to scorn other people with more than her presence! How could you have had any part in making such an amazing person?" She ran determinedly for the spot where her Hiraikotsu had fallen and grabbed it, swinging it into position.

"I was the one who trained her. For years I disguised myself to train her. You thought it a fluke that so many people – martial artists, swordsmen, potion makers– found their way to her village? It was I who crafted her soul!" Naraku cackled, clenching his hands into tight fists. His voice was slightly strained, as if he was trying to hold something back, or bring something out. "It was me who created her! I should have consumed her when I had the chance!"

"Consumed? Wha-" Inuyasha exclaimed, momentarily snapped out of his depressed trance. Kiki's body was a mere six or seven feet from him. Her face seemed so peaceful- a peace that haunted her beautiful face. Her last words were bittersweet and chilling in his mind, sealing his fate. He had lost a large part of himself with Kiki's death.

Despite all of that, Inuyasha could not cry. Crying was almost like a form of self-pity, a thing that Inuyasha despised with a passion. The mere thought of crying disgusted him, even as it overtook him.

Naraku's body began to crawl as if there was some being living under his skin. Massive legs of flesh burst from his lower body, tearing him apart from the waist down. His kimono fell in shreds below him, and he positioned himself like a spider, ready to attack.

"I shall devour her body before the souls – and her powers – escape!" he boomed, swiping at Inuyasha so he had to roll out of the way. With once easy move he swept Kiki's body underneath him. "She can't escape me that easily!"

Miroku struggled to stand, very much the worse for wear. He used his staff as a support, wearily watching Sango as she took deep, seething breaths. Inuyasha cracked his knuckles and started to stand, glaring at Naraku furiously.