Author's Notes: Okay, so I kept my promise and got an update out in a reasonable amount of time, didn't I? So I think we can all take that as a sign that I'm starting to get back into my old routine of school, singing, and, of course, writing. I will warn you all, however, that my life is still very unpredictable right now with college application stuff as well as a very busy performance schedule both as a choral singer and a soloist, so I can't promise I will always be this consistent. Just have patience, okay?

Some of you may have noticed that I removed 'Conflict and Everlasting Love' as well as 'Out of the Darkness' from my list of stories. I'd like to explain that before everyone yells at me. The explanation for 'Out of the Darkness' is simple enough: I'm going to be rewriting it eventually, so there was no point in keeping it up there as is. And as for 'Conflict and Everlasting Love', I want to assure all of you that it will be coming back…I've just got a new idea for how I want it to go, so I just needed to start over entirely. Understand? Does everyone hate me at this point? I hope not…

Anyway, back to this story. This chapter is, well, not one of my greater moments, but at the same time I'm not exactly the best action writer in the world either, so you'll all have to just bear with me. My forte is drama and romance, which you get plenty of in other chapters, so I hope that offsets the less-then-perfect action sequences, like in this chapter.

On that note, this chapter has a lot of action, with a lot of climactic moments. Kagome is reunited with Inuyasha (yay for that!), and Kagura and Naraku have their first showdown (yes, I did say first). Next chapter we'll start getting into the drama of everything, so I can't wait for that, but for now, I hope you all enjoy the action! And as one more thing to point out, I've now started posting short teasers on my profile page for the upcoming chapters of each story. So if you're dying to know what's coming up, feel free to check that out! Thanks, and enjoy!


Jav-chan: Never feel bad about giving me criticism, I appreciate it. I believe firmly that one can always become a better writer, just like they can always become a better singer. There's too much to know…so I will never be upset if a review has more then just compliments (though I like that too…lol). Thanks!

ZeZaZaZe: Oops…you're right; I did get that mixed up. I guess that's why most authors take years before they publish a novel…and why I will be, eventually, going back to correct mistakes like that. Right now though I just want to finish it first. Thanks for the review!

Charmed18: Screaming can be fun…

Phox455: I wasn't the Winter Queen, but it was fun nonetheless. The dance itself was kind of a dud, especially since the guy I wanted to come wasn't available (out of town), but the upside of that is he decided he wanted to make it up to me by taking me out to a movie. We haven't gone yet (grumbles about disorganized men) but I think he's going to take me for my birthday this week. We'll see. Thanks for asking!

Mina: You're right, I did screw that up. I understand that it's the new moon; I just got excited I guess. Anyway, thanks for pointing that out, and when I eventually get around to going over the entire story and editing it, I'll fix that. Thanks!


Title: Impossible Dreams

Author: dolphingirl0113

Chapter: Twenty-One

Rating: PG-13 (rated for language, violence, and implied sexual situations)

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.


DEDICATION: For Ted Dorsey, the greatest coach I will ever have, the most wonderful and patient mentor I will ever know, and the best friend I could have asked for. Thank you for everything you did for me in my life.
The hallways were dark and somewhat foreboding so early in the morning when the sun had barely appeared on the horizon, everything within the castle still black and silent, and everyone asleep. Everyone, that is, save for a woman with dark hair and reddish eyes, her pale skin seeming to glow in the faint light of dawn creeping through the few available windows.

Kagura had never felt so nervous, as though her very heart had decided to move to her throat, beating frantically as though to make sure she didn't forget the incredible risk she had decided to take when she woke up that morning hours before she usually did and started, quite literally, down the road into danger.

By betraying Naraku this way, she was sealing her fate, and knew that, when everything was finished, death for her would be a likely end. And yet, more then that, it was her fear for Kanna's safety that had her glancing over her shoulder almost every second to make sure she wasn't being followed.

Yet again, as she drew nearer to the armory room, she wondered why she had now decided to betray him when, for years, she had been tiptoeing around the man and falling over herself to do his will in order to save her sister. Was it because of Kagome? Perhaps…but then, if she'd really wanted to be free, she could have gone looking for a girl like Kagome a long time ago…

And yet, as she recalled the soft look in the younger woman's eyes, Kagura realized that part of it was because of Kagome. Kagome, whose perfect little world had been shattered by her own hands, which carried the blood of her mother, Izumi Higurashi. She had looked upon Kagura with forgiveness, something the wind sorceress had assumed would never be a gift she would know, and yet, the one girl who had the right to hate her no longer did. That had sparked within her a desire to reciprocate the gesture by helping her, and along the way Kagura had decided that perhaps it was time she freed herself from Naraku completely.

No…

She shook her head, having to remind herself that she would never be free of Naraku. She was bound to him by all the blood she had shed, all the innocent lives she had taken. She had become just as cruel, just as ruthless, and just as heartless as he; hell was the only place left for her.

But Kanna could be free. That, she determined, was why she did this. Kanna would be free to grow up like any other child, and that would be enough…almost…

The armory room came into view, and Kagura stopped, reaching out to push on the large door, but was alarmed when it let out a squeal as the rusty hinges turned in the corner.

"This will never do," she muttered aloud, and pulled out her fan, pulsing it down once and sending a gust so powerful the door came right off its hinges and blew backwards into the room. It would have crashed to the ground, but at the last second the wind sorceress flipped her fan back up and masterfully caught it mid-fall, so that now circles of wind held it barely above the floor. Slowly, she lowered her wrist, and the door came to rest silently on stone.

Taking one more brief glance around, she stepped into the room and looked around, trying to find the swords she needed. The first was long and thinner then most, though it still shone brilliantly, the blade polished to a sheen, her red eyes reflecting back at her as she approached.

It was high enough on the wall that she was forced to draw her feather and float up several feet, but once there she had no trouble taking it from the wall, the hilt pulsing once in her hands before going still.

"Tenseiga…" She whispered, admiring the hilt, which was strong and firm, having been held enough times by its master to have slight indentations where the fingers would be. The thought caused her to blush, and Kagura thoughtlessly placed her own fingers over the marks, having to spread her hand wide to fit them all, admiring the sheer size of this hand, this clear evidence of a strong master.

She knew full well who this sword belonged to. "Sesshoumaru…" That same slight smile, mostly sad and yet with a hint of girlish delight, came to her face as she spoke the demon lord's name, imagining his hand over hers, holding the sword as he prepared to go into battle.

Kagura didn't know what power his sword possessed, and in a way felt it was far too small a blade for such a mighty demon lord, but at the same time, unlike some of the other swords, with high, circled blades which seemed large and gaudy, this sword was refined and elegant, and did not appear at first glance to be very dangerous. Just like its master.

So perhaps it fit him perfectly.

Her free hand strayed across the polished blade, her breath leaving a small amount of steam, marring her reflection as she gazed at the sword, though she no longer saw it, but rather, the man it belonged to.

She could see him so clearly in her mind, as though he were standing before her with his long silver hair and beautiful golden eyes which were as hard as flint and full of confidence to boot. She had never known a man to carry such confidence in his eyes, or in his posture, his every move seeming to warn others to not cross him.

How strange, the wind sorceress mused, her eyes seemingly bewitched by the blade, that she should feel so about a man she had never met, but only seen from afar.

Yet she had watched him for so long now that perhaps it wasn't so strange or hard to believe. She could recall many evenings over the years when she had called Kanna to her side in order to gaze at the demon lord through the mirror, watching him proudly bide his time at the plantation, but never once looking even remotely like a subordinate, let alone a slave.

Sesshoumaru…

Something shifted outside, perhaps a tree branch crackling in the wind, and Kagura brought herself instantly back to reality, cursing her stupidity for being so easily distracted, and lowered herself back to the ground, putting her feather back in her bun once more as she walked carefully over to the other sword she had come for.

The tetsusaiga.

This one truly did seem out of place, the blade even thinner then tenseiga, the hilt rusty and seeming to practically fall apart. In fact, it was in such awful disrepair that Kagura thought seriously about turning around and leaving it to rot…which it seemed determined to do. But then she recalled all the stories Naraku had told, when he'd been in a good enough mood, about how the sword given to Inuyasha was capable of killing over a hundred demons with one stroke. Naraku had desperately wanted that power for himself, and that thought alone was enough to propel Kagura forward and reach for the sword.

But at the last instant, just as her fingers touched the hilt, a shock ran up her arm as a pulse came from the sword itself. She drew back, stunned, and gazed at the weapon carefully, trying to decide if perhaps it was protected by some barrier.

No…she would have sensed a barrier.

So why couldn't she touch it?

"Each of these swords was made for a specific person, and was designed to recognize its owner, and obey no one else."

Kagura recalled the words Naraku had said to Kagome, and frowned. If that was the case, then why had she been able to pick up tenseiga?

"Hn," she grunted and glanced at Sesshoumaru's blade again, trying to figure out what she had done right when she'd grabbed it, or, perhaps, what she was doing wrong now in trying to grab the tetsusaiga.

But nothing came to mind.

"Nothing with men is ever easy," she muttered in frustration, crossing her arms and leaning back against the wall, gazing sideways at the rusting blade that seemed to taunt her. Inuyasha had to have it if there was any hope of defeating Naraku…so how did she get the damn thing off the wall? "Think Kagura…"

And she did think. She thought long and hard about what could possibly be different in Inuyasha's sword that meant she couldn't touch it. They were both of royal blood, and both swords were forged from the same sire. So where did the road split?

"Each of these swords was made for a specific person, and was designed to recognize its owner, and obey no one else."

So the swords were made for an individual, tailored to their personality and strength. Could it be that each sword was fitted for its master down to a person's very blood?

The wind sorceress stood up from the wall and turned to face tetsusaiga once more, the wheels in her head desperately trying to formulate an answer, which now seemed barely out of reach.

"Each of these swords was made for a specific person…"

That much she understood. So each prince of the royal family had a sword. But that still didn't answer her question.

"…and was designed to recognize its owner, and obey no one else."

Designed to recognize its owner? Wouldn't that mean it had to be forged to recognize the very blood of its master? But if Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were brothers, didn't that mean their blood was the same?

Her eyes flew open. "No!" She gasped and nearly dropped the tenseiga as she realized the truth. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha did not share the same blood…not entirely. Inuyasha's mother had been a human, while Sesshoumaru's had been a full demon.

She smirked.

That's right…Inuyasha was a hanyou. He had human blood.

"So there's the answer to the riddle," she commented to herself aloud as she stepped back towards the main door. Inuyasha's sword would not even allow a demon to touch it. In order to hold the sword, it required the blood of a human…

Her smile grew wider as she turned and ran as fast as she could back down the hallway towards the back room where a certain human girl was currently sleeping, waiting for her freedom.

Kagome…


Inuyasha paused, feeling something pulse through the air. It had been faint, enough so that he was willing to question whether or not he'd felt it at all. And yet, it was so familiar…like a part of his very body was crying out to him.

He couldn't ignore that.

"Inuyasha?" The others stopped running beside him, Miroku giving him a puzzled stare. "What is it? Why have you stopped? Is danger near?" The comment caused everyone, including Shippou, to go into a battle stance.

"Hmm…" The hanyou gazed off into the distance, where he was just barely able to see a castle he had not seen since he was a young boy. It was his home, or at least, it had been at one time. "I don't know," he finally commented, his posture rigid as he tried to sniff anything out of place on the air.

There was nothing.

"Is it Kagome?" Shippou shouted eagerly. "Can you smell her, Inuyasha? Is she close?"

"Quiet, brat!" The hanyou snapped, not at all in the mood for childish bantering. It wasn't Kagome, though a part of him wished it was…it was something much deeper then that, something he hadn't felt since he had been separated from his brother and sent into slavery.

"Don't snap at the kid, mutt," Kouga shouted back, looking equally as puzzled, which made the wolf man frustrated. He didn't like being left in the dark, especially when it might involve Kagome.

But Inuyasha didn't react like he usually did, instead seeming lost in thought as he gazed off towards the castle, a slight wind running through his hair. "It couldn't be…" He all but whispered.

Sango stepped forward. "Inuyasha?" She glanced at Miroku and he returned her puzzled stare. It was not like their friend to be so lost in thought. In fact, usually he seemed so shallow they didn't think it was possible for him to be lost in thought at all.

The hanyou shook his head and turned back to his companions, nodding once. "We'd better keep going." His voice was firm, though not unkind, and everyone just nodded, unsure of what else to do.

Taking off at a run, Inuyasha was determined to reach that castle by midday. His prey was near, he could sense it, and suddenly the hanyou realized he could get more out of this attack then merely Kagome. There was something else that belonged to him which Naraku had stolen; something that was his birthright as a son of Inutaisho.

Tetsusaiga.


Kagome heard her door being wrenched open long before she was able to convince her eyes to open, and once she did, she was momentarily blinded by the sunlight streaming through the doorway. At first, as usual forgetting where she was, she merely rolled over onto her other side and covered her head with her hands to block out the light, wanting nothing more then to go back to sleep. After all, she hadn't been able to fall asleep until about three hours ago, restless as she had been knowing that the next day would mean her freedom…if Kagura kept her word.

Freedom.

Kagura.

That's right! Kagome leapt to her feet off the bed, suddenly remembering everything and feeling ridiculous for having forgotten in the first place.

Sure enough, as she wobbled on her shaky legs, her head still feeling light, her mind clouded with the haze of retreating sleep, Kagome could make out the figure of the wind sorceress, her hair blowing about behind her, a smirk on her face. At that moment, with the sun behind her, she looked like an angel sent from heaven…which was an irony Kagome didn't even want to think about at that moment.

"Let's go," Kagura demanded sharply, her tone full of worry.

"Right," Kagome shook her head to clear her mind of ridiculous, pointless musings and followed the older woman out the door and down a familiar hallway. "So…which way out?"

"You're not leaving just yet," Kagura commented, "And keep your voice down. Do you want Naraku to know exactly what we're doing?"

"Oh…sorry…" She blushed, feeling as useless as always. She knew she had many virtues, and many other qualities that made her a valuable friend and ally, but battles and strategy had her so far out of her element she felt sure that she would drown in unfamiliar waters.

The wind sorceress just rolled her eyes in annoyance and responded by grabbing Kagome's wrist and pulling her forcefully into the armory room which was, curiously, missing a door.

"Wha…?" Kagome looked about quizzically, only after a few seconds noting the fact that the door looked as though it had been broken down and then, with a certain amount of shock, realizing that Kagura was holding a rather large, thin, polished sword in her hand. "Kagura, I don't understand."

"I figured you wouldn't," the wind sorceress muttered to herself, and then walked up to the same rusty sword Kagome had noticed the other day. She wrinkled her nose at its appearance, and felt the same amount of puzzlement over why such a poorly made sword would be among such incredible weapons.

Thus she was floored by Kagura's next command. "Take that sword, Kagome, so we can get out of here."

"What?" She sputtered. "That sword?"

"Yes! Grab it and let's get out of here! We still have to find Kanna!"

"But…surely not that one," Kagome reasoned aloud, to which Kagura rolled her eyes and huffed very dramatically in frustration.

"Yes, that one. Now take it!"

"But why me?"

"Because I can't touch it!"

"Why?"

"Stop asking pointless questions, fool. I'll explain it to you later. Now take the sword and let's go!"

The unusual sense of urgency and fear in the older woman's voice caused Kagome to bite back all her questions as she reached forward and took the sword in her hand with an ease that proved Kagura's theory correct. Tetsusaiga allowed the woman to touch it as though she were its rightful owner because she was a human.

The sword was surprisingly heavy considering how frail and small it appeared, and while it wasn't too heavy by any means, Kagome couldn't prevent the blade from clanking loudly against the stone floor initially. She couldn't help it. She'd put enough strength behind her lift to carry something like her bow…and nothing more.

The mystery behind this sword was puzzling.

Kagura hissed in displeasure as she grabbed Kagome by the arm and pulled her out back into the hallway once more just as there was a loud, resounding thud from somewhere above them. "Naraku," Kagura gasped in fear, knowing he had heard the clank of the sword and no doubt could sense the powerful auras of the swords moving away from where they were supposed to be. "Run, Kagome!"

She barely had time to nod, showing her obedience instead by pouring energy into her legs, forcing them awake and feeling the immediate lactic acid in her muscles from such sudden action. She ignored it, along with her labored breathing as they took to a flight of stairs, and instead focused on not dropping the sword in her hands. She had no idea which brother it was for, but decided now was not the time to wonder about that. So instead she fled for her life from some unseen evil.

The floor they arrived on was far more elegant in nature, with many intricately woven tapestries lining the walls, large, elegant windows running nearly from the floor to the ceiling on some walls, allowing vast amounts of sunlight to fill the large space. Kagome could see rolling hills and endless mountains in the distant horizon, even in her present situation marveled at the existence of such beauty.

But her wonder was short lived as Kagura once more grabbed her roughly by the wrist and pulled her forward, ducking into a large room with a four poster bed and a private balcony off to one side.

"Kanna!" Kagura called out, sounding very desperate now, and Kagome could sense that at this point the older woman was merely guessing as to the location of her sister. "Kanna, are you here?"

Luck was apparently on their side, because all of a sudden a sweet voice, followed by the white nymph-child herself, appeared from the balcony, white hair billowing about and framing a pair of dark eyes. "Yes sister, I am here."

Kagome felt the wind sorceress heave a huge sigh of relief before dropping her wrist and running to scoop the child into her arms. "You are leaving, Kanna," she explained, though the girl looked as though she wasn't understanding a word. "You are to stay with Kagome, do you understand? She will protect you."

Kanna remained silent, clutching her mirror, and Kagura acquired a desperate look. "Please say you understand me, Kanna. Please say you understand what is going on!"

The white child turned, just slightly, so that she was gazing into her sister's eyes, and nodded, her face remaining expressionless. "I understand sister."

Kagura hardened her expression once more, the tender look instantly fading, and she carried Kanna over to where Kagome still stood, stunned at the scene unfolding before her, clutching tetsusaiga to her like a child would a stuffed bear. For whatever reason, the blade felt like a lifeline that would lead her to safety within this world of darkness.

"Let's go," the wind sorceress commanded firmly, and Kagome nodded, walking with the other two women out into the large hallway once more.

But all luck seemed to suddenly run out, because Kagura froze on the spot, her body rigid and her hands balling into fists, and Kagome stopped as well to see what had caused all the commotion. She froze as well when a familiar voice mocked them both.

"You thought to escape, Kagura?" Naraku smirked at them from where he stood, his arms crossed, looking altogether far too powerful and confident for Kagome's tastes. "I thought you understood what it meant to betray me."

To her credit, the wind sorceress raised her head defiantly. "I cannot betray you, Naraku, because I was never loyal to you in the first place."

"Is that so?" He smirked some more. "Then perhaps what I meant to say is that I thought you understood what would happen if you rebelled." He glanced meaningfully at Kanna, and Kagome, who was closer to the child, instinctively gathered the frail girl into her arms, stunned at how little flesh was actually on her bones. She truly was like a doll…

"Don't you touch my sister, you bastard," Kagura warned, all fear gone from her face and posture, as though she had made up her mind and knew there was no going back.

"Who's going to stop me, Kagura? You?"

She smirked. "I will kill you if that is what it takes."

He laughed. "You are too weak, woman. I taught you all you know…and no pupil can ever overthrow its master."

Kagura eyed him steadily before bringing her fan back as though to strike him with one of her attacks. She flicked her gaze quickly over to Kagome, her eyes heavy with meaning, but it was so brief that the human girl thought for sure she'd imagined the gesture. "You forget, Naraku, that while you have purposefully taught me all about being ruthless…you have also unintentionally taught me about being cunning as well."

She brought her arm around in a full circle, and, to everyone's surprise, aimed her attack at Kagome and Kanna instead of Naraku, sending the pair backwards through one of the windows, propelled by an immensely powerful gust of wind, the sound of shattering glass echoing throughout the otherwise silent hall.

Naraku had a stunned look on his face as Kagura turned back around to face him, and she couldn't help but smirk proudly as she readied herself for battle, knowing this was the moment she had been waiting for since that first day so long ago…the day when she would finally have her revenge for all he had done to her and to Kanna.

"Like I said," Her smirk widened, "You've taught me many things besides what you intended…master…"


Kagome let out such a loud, blood curdling scream she felt as though her own eardrums were going to burst from the sound. But she couldn't help it. Within the course of a minute she found herself unexpectedly being thrown through a window and was now falling through the air with the ground rushing up quickly to meet her.

Dear god…this was Kagura's plan? This was her plan of escape? To jump through a window and hope to survive the fall!?

Without much time to think, Kagome instinctively rolled herself underneath Kanna, just like Inuyasha had done with her when the house had collapsed what seemed like ages ago, so that she would take the brunt of the impact. Shards of glass from the shattered window had embedded themselves in her exposed arms as well as her forehead, but that was the least of her concerns as she felt gravity pull her down…down…

Then, after a few more seconds, she felt her back slam into the dirt, and she rolled to keep from having gravity force her down too much against her will, several of the glass shards coming free of her skin and leaving cuts in their wake, tiny rivers of blood running over her face and arms.

But more then anything else, a searing pain caused her shoulder to feel as though it were being wrought in two, and her legs began to tingle, threatening to go numb from the impact. The sword in her right hand clanked against her body painfully as she continued to roll, and the whole time Kagome feared crushing the girl, or worse, the mirror beneath her.

But finally, after what seemed like an agonizingly long period of time, they came to a stop, and Kagome found herself lying atop Kanna for several seconds in silence as she tried to assess the damage done to her own body by the fall. Her shoulder was aching horribly, which was not a good sign, and as she tried to sit up she felt as though her whole arm was going to fall off.

"Argh!" She felt herself cry out as she forced herself into a sitting position, Kanna simply moving away to stand at her side, looking as lost and far away as usual.

Kagome didn't care. All she could think about was how much her shoulder hurt, and as she turned to look down, she felt nauseated by the sight. Her arm, which should have been attached to her shoulder, was now hanging at a somewhat awkward angle, looking for all the world like it would fall off were her skin not holding it to her body.

Dear god…it was dislocated!

She had only seen a dislocated arm once before, when one of the slaves on the plantation had done so after falling backwards while holding an extremely heavy bucket of dirt. She cringed at the memory of the sound of cracking bones and the screams of the man, knowing what was in store for her as well when she eventually tried to fix the problem.

Shaking her head, Kagome had to force herself not to think of that now, because she was still too near to danger, with Kanna at her side, to worry about fixing her arm. And besides, she needed another pair of arms to do it for her…but that didn't change the fact that every move she made caused a fire to rage even more within her body, her forehead starting to sweat and her head feeling light from the pain.

This was going to be difficult.

Resolving to be strong, remembering Inuyasha with his determined face and set gaze, Kagome tried to push the unbearable pain to the back of her mind as she rose to her feet…slowly…and took Kanna's hand in her left, balancing the rusty sword in her right (which had hardly any grip), carefully beginning her trek back towards the man she loved. He was on his way to get her, after all…so surely she would run into him eventually, right?

But between the realities that Kanna had extremely small legs and the fact that Kagome could hardly take a step without her shoulder threatening to fall off, the going was excruciatingly slow, and after what seemed an eternity they had only managed a couple dozen yards from where they had started. Kagome wanted to cry in frustration. How the hell was she supposed to keep going?

Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes, and she squeezed her eyes shut momentarily to force them away, feeling that, so long as she kept the tears away, the pain was less of a reality as well.

Unfortunately, just as she was settling into a painful rhythm that made her reality easier to bear, Kanna stumbled over an exposed dirt mound, and Kagome felt herself pulled down by gravity as well so that she landed in a heap on top of the white haired girl once more. She screamed out in pain, unable to prevent the sound, and knew, this time, that she could move no further. She was too near passing out as it was.

Her only hope, at that point, was that with her body covering Kanna's, the child would have some meager form of protection. It was the best she could do at the moment…and she prayed no demons would come hunting them with her in this state.

"We'll be up and moving again soon Kanna," She promised, though she was speaking more for herself since she knew the child was hardly aware of anything that was going on. "I just need to rest for a minute, that's all. Just a little rest…"

Kagome felt her eyes start to close, and she found herself welcoming the promise of unconsciousness. At least then she wouldn't feel this awful pain. And besides, she wouldn't sleep long, she promised herself. Just long enough to feel a little better…

"Kagome!"

She blinked, and felt her body jolt (though she instantly regretted that sudden movement) at the familiar sound. It couldn't be…and yet, no one else had that tone of urgency and strength.

"Inu…yasha?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Kagome!" She now felt the ground beneath her ears pounding slightly with the approach of footsteps, and knew that someone was coming. Gods, she hoped it was her special someone…

She turned her head slowly so that she was now looking sideways at the ground, Kanna still plastered safely beneath her body, and Kagome could see a pair of bare feet standing before her. She allowed her eyes to roam upward slightly, inclining her head and risking some more pain from her shoulder so that she could see, with growing joy, the familiar red pants and matching jacket, and finally…a pair of concerned, beautiful amber eyes.

"Inuyasha!" She cried his name, partly out of joy, and partly from the unbearable pain in her shoulder as she felt strong arms lift her from the ground. But that didn't matter now…he was here, and she was safe.

"Kagome…" The hanyou's voice was strained as it cut through the growing fog, his handsome features fading in and out of focus. "Kagome, what happened? Are you alright?"

She tried her hardest to smile for him, to tell him how glad she was to see him, to let him know how much she'd missed him, and longed for his arms...but for once Kagome Higurashi couldn't find the energy to smile. Instead, she sank against his chest, the pain in her shoulder radiating throughout her entire body, and sighed. "It hurts, Inuyasha…it hurts so bad…"

"Kagome…hold on…" She heard the desperation in his voice, and wanted so badly to comfort him.

"I'll be okay…" She tried to say. "Protect Kanna…I promised…Kagura…" She sucked in a pained breath, and Inuyasha clutched her tighter out of instinct, not realizing that she was in a fragile condition, and the jarring motion was enough to rip another cry from her lips before, mercifully, darkness engulfed her.


"Dance of blades!" Kagura attacked first, whirling around in an elegant circle as she sent daggers flying forth from her fan.

Naraku avoided the attack easily, smirking as he jumped out of the way, causing the wall near him to explode, and leaving a rather large hole which revealed another inner bedchamber. "Surely you can do better then that, Kagura…"

"I can, and I will!" She screamed, lunging forward and flicking her fan to surround him with a torrent of wind. But again he seemed too fast, and jumped out of the way.

"You fool," he reprimanded, all amusement gone from his face and voice. "I told you I am not a forgiving man. Your sister will pay for this indiscretion, and you will lose your life."

Kagura charged, and he blocked her attack with his arm so that their shoulders were touching, struggling against the impact. "I am prepared to die, Naraku. In fact, I welcome it. But you will not harm Kanna ever again!"

The dark man thrust her backwards, sending her flying against the far wall, and Kagura let out a cry as her neck snapped back in pain. He then pointed his arm in her direction, and his fingers turned into what looked like sharp branches of a tree, though Kagura knew they were much softer and more pliable then that.

"If you're so eager to die, Kagura," Naraku cooed, his entire arm now seeming to be made up of the strange brown material, "Then die!" The pointed ends flew at her, and it was all Kagura could do to avoid the attack.

She whirled around behind Naraku, and started to attack again. "Dance of the dragon!" Large tornadoes burst forth from her fan, surrounding Naraku, but he seemed prepared for it, and leapt out of the way. "I won't let you off the hook so easily!" Kagura whirled around and moved to attack again, but just as she opened her arms, something sharp pierced clean through her left side, causing her to drop her fan to the ground as she collapsed, feeling her gown grow warm and sticky with her own blood.

Naraku chuckled from somewhere behind her, retracting his pointed blades, which once more resembled an arm, and touched her shoulder. "I told you, Kagura…the pupil can never defeat the master." She shuddered, and he sighed. "But don't worry; I shall make your death painless. After all, you have done much for me over the years, even though it was under protest."

Her eyes flared at that, and she silently retrieved her fan. "You dare offer me your pity, you bastard?" Memories of all the times when he had laughed at her, mocked her, dangled Kanna's life before her very eyes like a ball of yarn before a cat, came flooding back, and somehow Kagura found the strength to lunge to her feet. "Die, Naraku! Dance of the dragon!"

All she saw was his eyes open wide in silent surprise before her master was engulfed entirely in torrents of wind, and Kagura covered her wounded side with her arms as she waited for the attack to abate. When it finally did, however, all she saw was another hole in the wall…but no evidence of Naraku being dead.

"So…he has escaped," she murmured, plucking the feather from her hair and all but falling onto it, allowing her body to sag. It floated up towards the broken window where Kagome and Kanna had disappeared, and she closed her eyes. "I will kill you, Naraku," she swore, "For as long as you are alive, I can never be truly free. And the wind will tolerate your harness no longer…"