LB: YAY! 3 more reviews til we hit 60! Any cause to celebrate is good….very good.
Review Replies:
TwistedBlackandRedRose: Thank you! Hope you like this chappie!
Sakrua: Ooh…somebody isn't reading the review replies…tsk, tsk. I wrote it quite plainly. Oh, well. You'll find out this chapter anyways. I like root beer floats J You're going to be sorry you did that though…I was gonna post two chapters, but I think I'll make you all wait till tomorrow! MUAHAHA! And next chapter is good, too…
Red Skyies: That's good! Cliffies good….why readers no like cliffies? Me likes cliffies…heeheehee

Author's note: Tsk, tsk. If you didn't get any of my "evil" hints, it's because you didn't read my review replies. Next time, be more wary! Heeheehee. Example: Next chapter, someone else dies, and it will make me VERY happy. That shouldn't be too hard to guess, now should it?

Warning: This program contains adult situations, and is intended for an older youth audience. Viewer discretion is advised. SANGO/MIROKU FLUFFYNESS MUAHAHA! (Sorry couldn't resist)

Chapter Thirteen. No Matter What.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO"
Miroku threw himself in front of Sango, and Kohaku's katana sliced into his shoulder. Sango rushed to him. "Miroku!" He gasped, wincing as blood poured through his fingers when he grasped his shoulder. Sango tore off a strip of her battle uniform's sleeve and instinctively yanked his sleeve from his shoulder, not thinking, as she wrapped his wound. He forced a grin. "Sango…though I enjoy it, you do not have to be so forward. It is most unlike you." Tears streamed across her cheeks. "You…" Her voice heightened. "You idiot! Why did you do that?" He chuckled through the pain. "I wouldn't want my lovely Sango injured, now would I, dearest?" Sango was to upset to punish him. She sobbed into his chest. "You stupid…I thought that I'd lost you…" His eyes widened slightly. "Yes, well, I must admit that the thought crossed my mind as well." Sango cried harder. Miroku stared down at her. This was not how he usually saw Sango. She was practically burying her face against him, soaking his robe with her tears…in her battle uniform, too. He glanced up. "Sango. Get behind me"
"Huh?"
"Get behind me." She looked behind her, and saw Kohaku's pained expression, being commanded to re-attempt. "What are you going to do, Miroku"
"I won't hurt him. Just get behind me"
"Don't. Move. A muscle." Sango froze, but Miroku jerked his head in the miko's direction. "Kikyou." He fingered the beads sealing his kazaana. "Do not bother with the wind tunnel, houshi. It will be effortless. Naraku has temporarily deprived me of my soul-stealers, providing another way to remain, but he will not allow me to be disposed of so easily." Miroku didn't budge. Kikyou's arrow was drawn. "Allow Sango to go free"
"You cannot bargain with me. I will kill the taiji, and all who stand in my way." Sango glared at her hiraikotsu, several feet away. How she wished to chop off Kikyou's head. She still, however, had her katana. She barely dodged an arrow as she leapt out, and snapped Kikyou's bow. Miroku shoved Sango out of the way, wincing at his shoulder, but lifted the seal on the wind tunnel. Kikyou stood eerily still, unaffected. "Did I not tell you, houshi? It will not deter me." Another bow materialized in her hands. "Naraku wishes that you both die."

:-

Kagura stared. Naraku was dealing with the youkai, hanyou, and miko. Now was her chance to escape. She crept away, not desiring to have him see her on her feather, and spotted the taiji and houshi trying to fight Kikyou and Kohaku. She set her mouth in a determined line. Naraku was going to die, she was sure. She might as well leave a parting gift. She knew that Naraku had eliminated Kikyou's soul-stealers, as he wished all his 'employees' to be connected to him in a way that they could not abandon him. Kikyou was now kept alive by a jewel shard embedded in her ankle, covered in Naraku's blood. Ironic, that the former guardian of the shikon jewel would be kept alive by a shard of it combined with the blood of her 'enemy'. Kagura whipped out her fan. "DANCE OF BLADES!" she shouted, then pulled out a dagger as everyone was distracted. She made a quick slice into Kikyou's ankle, retrieving the shikon shard.

Kikyou gasped and slowly bent to the ground. She could feel the part of the soul that she shared with Kagome leaving her, as was the rest of anything keeping her 'alive'. She collapsed, and melded back into the ground, the clay and bones returning to their original state.

:-

Kagome felt a sudden strengthening inside of her. 'Huh…?'
'Kikyou is defeated! Your complete soul has returned to you!' Kagome smiled grimly. Hopefully, she would now have more strength to battle Naraku.

:-

Miroku held Sango close to him, hand ready at his beads to let the kazaana free. "Kagura. You defeated Kikyou. Why?" The wind witch stepped closer. "Consider it a gift, for I am sure that your friends are about to kill Naraku. You might want to go and serve as a distraction while they carry out their plan, if you are able." Miroku nodded cautiously. Kagura stepped forward, and placed two items in Sango's hand. Sango cried out as Kagura swept up Kohaku and they both disappeared to watch the end. Miroku pulled her closer. "I promise you, Sango. We'll get him back." She stared at him. "You mean that?" He nodded quite seriously. "I mean it." Sango realized suddenly that they were almost nose to nose, and she flushed a deep red. He leaned forward and kissed her. Her eyes widened in shock, but she sighed against him. This was what she had been waiting for. He slipped a hand into her dark hair, and she pulled back slightly. "Miroku? W-what…?" He grinned happily. "Really, Sango. I didn't think you would actually go along. Are you that infatuated with me?" She was unable to answer, her cheeks stained with cherry red.

:-

"Kagome? What's wrong?" She turned to Inuyasha. "Inuyasha. I'm sorry."
"What?"
"Kikyou is dead. She's gone."
"But I thought…"
"Because of her deal with Naraku, she had no chance to take you with her. I'm sorry. I know that you would've followed her." He shook his head. "No. I wouldn't have. Or maybe I would've. I don't know. But I don't… regret not going with her. I'm just upset that she's gone, is all." Kagome nodded. "Are you ready to do this?" He nodded. "Let's do this." Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. So the undead miko had finally passed on to the fires of hell. But how had Kagome known about Kikyou's deal with Naraku?

LB: Short chapter, I know. But, everybody can now cheer because Kikyou is dead. She's dead. Finally the ama that never dies is DEAD! Sorry, I'm a little excited about this. R&R! Next chapter is: Chapter Fourteen. The Power of Four Souls By the way, any spelling mistakes in this chapter are NOT MY FAULT! Same with punctuation and stuff. For some odd reason, would not let me upload microsoft word, wordpad, or anything like that, so I had to use notepad, and it screwed up. Sorry.