Chapter 10

Aki sat down next to the well to wait for InuYasha and Kagome, she could feel her life slowly slipping away from her grasp. They better hurry up, or I can't give Kagome that thing. Aki said to herself. She felt the power of the well surge and she listened for InuYasha and Kagome.

"Aki, are you alright?" InuYasha asked.

"No. Kagome, come here." Aki said. Kagome walked over, and Aki pulled something out of her pocket. "This is for you." Kagome looked at what was in Aki's hand.

"What is it?" Kagome asked.

"It's a power necklace." Aki answered. "It'll increase your strength only once, use it for when you have to kill your father." Aki said. Kagome took Aki's hand and put the necklace in it.

"I can't take it. You've already given me too much." Kagome said.

"I can't use it so you take it, you're going to need to more than I do." Aki pushed the necklace back into Kagome's hand and took her hand away. "Now go. You should also ask Sesshoumaru if the knows there the amulet is. He might not know what one you're talking about so ask his if he knows the Amulets of Strength are hidden." Aki said, her voice was no more than a whisper.

"Maybe you should take it, then you'd actually have the voice to talk." Aki's hand reached to his throat with speed he didn't think was possible for her at the moment.

"InuYasha, just because I'm near death doesn't mean I can't kill you." Aki growled through gritted teeth, moving that fast had made blood squirt out of her back. Her eyes momentarily shone in the moonlight. "Now go before you're found. InuYasha you better swear that you wont let anything happen to Kagome or else I'm going to kill you right here and right now." Aki growled as she pulled herself up with the help of the well.

"Aki, she's going to be my wife, do you really think I'd let anything happen to her?" InuYasha asked.

"There are many mistakes one can make resulting in death." Aki said. She let herself fall back to the ground. "Swear it." Aki whispered since it took all her strength she had to say it.

"I swear it." InuYasha said.

"Good. Now go." Aki added. InuYasha nodded and he and Kagome walked off into the darkness of the woods. Aki got up and walked into the woods, seeing as there was someone there. "Who're you?" Aki asked as she held herself up by a tree.

"Someone who was told to watch over you and make sure that you were alive to hear me say this." Kagura answered.

"Spill it, or else I wont." Aki muttered.

"Naraku says that he's going to help InuYasha and Kagome, since his fate depends apon this as well as every one elses." Aki nodded as a wave of pain over took her.

"What's…the charge?" Aki asked, she was now barley able to stand.

"None, since he will live if he helps." Kagura said.

"Why should I care what he does?" Aki asked struggling to stay awake.

"I'm just a messenger. Though I think it's because he wants you to know that you're not the only one sacrificing something important for this cause."

"My life is not important." Aki muttered. "If I had known that I would be the cause of this I would have rather died when death was offered the first time. Now since you were over here waiting, help me get over to where I was." Kagura helped Aki over. "Thanks tell Naraku that he needn't do this and that it was by choice that he does this, mine wasn't." Kagura nodded and got on her feather and flew of into the night. As the last cold breeze of winter rushed pass, Aki's last breath was taken upon it, spiraling up until it was no longer found among the living. Kagome shivered as the wind blew by.

"What's wrong?" InuYasha asked.

"I just have this feeling that with that last breeze Aki went with it." Kagome answered.

"If there's some way that we can bring her back we'll find it." InuYasha said as her wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I'll even ask Sesshoumaru for help." InuYasha said with made Kagome smile.

"Thanks InuYasha." Kagome said. InuYasha smelled salt and he knew she was crying, he also knew that there was nothing he could do about it. He pulled her closer.

"It's alright Kagome. When all this is over we'll go back and have a fitting funeral for Aki." InuYasha said. "In the mean time we have to go to Sesshoumaru. Aki said that he'd be able to help, and we'll just have to take her word for it." Kagome nodded as she wiped her tears away.

"InuYasha! Kagome!" Sango yelled. InuYasha and Kagome stopped to look at them. "What happened?" Sango asked.

"Aki gave up her life for mine." Kagome muttered. "She's gone." Sango's face sank from happy to see her friends to sad.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Miroku said, his face was looking at the ground. "We have some strange comrades that have joined the battle." Miroku said. Kagura, Kanna, and Naraku stepped out of the shadows.

"What the hell are they doing here!" InuYasha growled.

"We're joining the battle because our necks ride of this as well." Kagura answered.

"Yes. It is most unfortunate that you have not finished this battle." Kanna added. InuYasha reached for his sword.

"Don't we need their help." Kagome whispered. "Do you know where the Amulets of Strength were hidden?"

"Yes, we've already got the third." Naraku held out the amulet. "We still have to kill Inocencio." Naraku added.

"Inocen-whoio?" Sango and Miroku asked at the same time.

"My father, and I know we do. Here's the plan. I need al the help I can get. I hope you don't mind answering to me, Naraku." Kagome said as she glared at him.

"I do mind, but until this battle's over I'll have to deal with it." Naraku said, Kagome nodded.

"Now, Naraku, Kagura, Kanna, you're going to need to keep him busy and then InuYasha will come in and use his Wind Scar followed by Sango's hjiraikotsu and Miroku's sacred sutras. After they've all hit I'll send one of my arrows so I suggest you 3 stay out of my way." Kagome said. They all nodded. "We're going to need a wide open space. Got any ideas?"

"Well we could lure him out with the amulet, in the fields out there." Miroku suggested pointing the west.

"Alright, we'll use the amulet." Kagome said. "Sango you and Kirara go put this out in the open and then hide, the magic aura should draw Inocencio." Sango nodded and Kirara transformed and she and Sango rode off into the fields and put the amulet out in the wide open. "Wait a second! Why did you have the amulet, Naraku?" Kagome questioned.

"I was going to use it to make taking over the world, killing Kikyo, and gaining all the shards of the Shikon Jewel much easier." Naraku said. "But there's one flaw with them, they can only be used once before they have to be reforged." Naraku said.

"And just how do you know so much about them?" Miroku asked in a heated voice.

"They were hidden from me so that I couldn't go after them, and even if I found one or two the third would be hidden well enough so that by the time I found it I wouldn't be able to use them."

"Sounds like you had them made." InuYasha muttered.

"I did, for my own reasons of course and here's our prey." Naraku muttered, Kagome, InuYasha, Miroku, Sango, Kagura, Kanna, and Naraku were all looking out to the field where Kagome's father stood. Without knowing Kagome ran out of the trees and out into the wide open.

"Kagome!" InuYasha, Sango, and Miroku yelled, InuYasha ran out after Kagome.

"Huh?" Kagome asked as she shook her head. "Grab the amulet!" Kagome added. Sango ran over and snatched it away from Kagome's father, then ran back.

"Do you really think I would have come personally?" Inocencio asked as he faded away.

"Well, there's only one way you're going to get me!" Kagome yelled. "That's coming her person! Since it's obvious none of us have the power to beat you!" Kagome added, she knew she was lying, since she had that necklace Aki had given her.

"That's not true, because that wench gave you that necklace." Inocencio said.

"H-how'd you know?" Kagome asked.

"I was the one who gave it to her in the first place. Never would have thought that she'd give it to anyone. The wench never did know her place in the world." Kagome's face was taking on an angry expression.

"Aki wouldn't appreciate you calling her a 'wench', she deserves better!" Kagome added.

"I don't care. But I will have that amulet and I will destroy everything."

"There's no way you can destroy everything." Kagome muttered as she put the necklace on. "I wont let you!" The necklace shone and Kagome let an arrow fly, it was purifying all the faults in the air as it went. Then it stuck firmly into a spot and blood squirted out.

"How'd you do that?" InuYasha asked, Naraku shrugged and walked away, Kagura and Kanna following.

"I don't know. I just did." Kagome answered. Inocencio was glaring at Kagome.

"You little bitch." He growled.

"Shut up, you jackass." Kagome growled.

"Kagome!" Miroku, Sango, and InuYasha yelled all at the same time from the shock of Kagome swearing.

"It was because of you that Aki died in the first place! Shut up and go to hell already!" Kagome added, tears came to her eyes, though if they were tears of frustration or sadness, InuYasha didn't know.

"Kagome, are you alright?" InuYasha asked

"I'll be fine." Kagome said as she turned her back on the scene of her father slowly dieing with her arrow in his chest. "I hope I don't turn out like that." Kagome added as she took the necklace off.

"You're to nice to turn out like that." Sango said as she put a comforting arm around Kagome's shoulders. Kagome smiled. "Once we get back to Kaede's village we'll have a big funeral for Aki."

"It's gonna be hard to make her look nice, considering all the wounds she had all over her body from various things." InuYasha said, Miroku kicked him and looked away before InuYasha saw him.

"Be careful what you say, InuYasha. Aki will come back and haunt you." Miroku said.

"Yeah, and I'll have to purify her ass back to heaven or hell." InuYasha growled. This earned InuYasha a punch from Kagome.

"Don't make me hurt you InuYasha." Kagome warned. InuYasha looked at her warily and then remembered something.

"Crap! We gotta take this to Sesshoumaru!" InuYasha said as he held up Aki's scythe. Kagome smacked him on the back of the head.

"You just remembered!" Kagome asked.

"No…I was kinda avoiding going to see my brother who wants me dead as much as Naraku!" InuYasha said. Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Let's go then. We'll meet you back at the village." Kagome said as they walked towards Sesshoumaru's castle.

"Alright, see you then!" Sango said as she and Miroku headed back to the village. Kagome and InuYasha walked farther into Sesshoumaru's lands, seeing as where ever he lived was supposed to be at the center, or at least that's what InuYasha had heard.

"This would be easier if we had some kind of map that told us where Sesshoumaru lives." Kagome muttered.

"Well, we don't need one. Looks like Sesshoumaru came to see us." InuYasha said, Sesshoumaru was walking towards them with Jaken and Rin by his side.

"Kagome!" Rin yelled. Rin ran over and hugged Kagome.

"Hi Rin!" Kagome said.

"Where's Aki?" Rin asked as she looked around.

"She's…not going to be back…" Kagome said. Rin looked at Kagome funny.

"Why? Is she living somewhere else?"

"No, she's dead." InuYasha said dully. Rin's eyes widened.

"Is-is that true?" Rin asked as tears came to her eyes.

"Yes, I'm sorry Rin." Kagome said Kagome put Rin down and she ran over to Sesshoumaru and buried her face in his fluffy thingy.

"Here." InuYasha said handing Sesshoumaru Aki's scythe. "She wanted you to have it." Sesshoumaru took the scythe and said nothing. Kagome and InuYasha couldn't tell when he was feeling or thinking. "Alright, we came and did what Aki asked let's go." InuYasha muttered.

"Wait." Kagome said, she turned to look at Rin. "We're going to have a funeral for her, would you like to come?" Rin looked to Sesshoumaru.

"May I go, Lord Sesshoumaru?" Rin asked through her tears. Sesshoumaru nodded and Rin walked over to Kagome and InuYasha.

"Jaken," Sesshoumaru said. "You will go with her." Sesshoumaru added as he looked at Jaken.

"Yes, Milord." Jaken said without a fight. He knew that if he fought about this he would be the one that was going to be dead in the blink of an eye. Aki had become Sesshoumaru's friend, and maybe more in the time that Aki had spent at the castle.

"Oh no, the toad stays." InuYasha interjected.

"He will go InuYasha." Sesshoumaru growled, InuYasha glared at Sesshoumaru who stared blankly.

"Fine. C'mon Kagome." InuYasha said. Kagome, InuYasha, and Rin all disappeared into the forest to go to Kaede's village. "I can't believe we got stuck with Jaken." InuYasha muttered.

"InuYasha stop. At least Rin knows Jaken." Kagome said, looking on the somewhat bright side.

"Fine." InuYasha muttered as he walked on a head.

"Kagome?" Rin asked.

"Yes Rin?"

"How'd Aki die?"

"Well she gave her live for mine so that I might live my life with InuYasha." Kagome answered.

"Oh…" Rin said as she fell silent.

"Shippo's going to be there if you wanna play with him." Kagome added.

"I don't feel like playing…" Rin said in a sad tone.

"Rin, Aki would want you to be happy so that she'll be happy." Kagome said.

"But, why did she have to die? Couldn't she just have protected you, like Lord Sesshoumaru does with me?"

"Sesshoumaru doesn't show it but if you were in danger he'd risk his life to save you." Kagome said, she picked Rin up and gave her a piggyback ride.

"Kagome, Jaken get on my back, we'll get there faster." InuYasha added.

"I will not be carried on your back, cur!" Jaken yelled. Rin grabbed him and lifted him up onto InuYasha's back. "HEY!" Jaken protested.

"Shut up Master Jaken." Rin said. Jaken glared at her but kept quiet.

"We're here." InuYasha said, Kagome and Jaken slid off InuYasha's back and walked into the village. Rin was looking around, she hadn't been here before.

"Rin!" Shippo's voice yelled.

"Shippo!" Rin slid off of Kagome's back and ran over to Shippo.

"What're you doing here?" he asked.

"I'm here for Aki's funeral." Rin answered. "But until it starts I can play." Rin added Shippo smiled with delight, they ran off into the village and started to play.

"Uh…Kagome…we have a little problem…" Sango said.

"We looked for Aki's body in the woods, and it's gone." Sango said. Kagome looked at Sango.

"Damn." Kagome muttered. "InuYasha, you know where we left Aki, right?" InuYasha nodded. "Well go into the woods and sniff around! Aki's body's gone!" Kagome said as she pushed InuYasha into the woods.

"I'm going! Jeez!" InuYasha said, he walked to the bone eaters well, and Aki was gone. "What could she do…get up and walk away?" InuYasha asked sarcastically. He sniffed around for anything that gave the hint someone had been there, there was none. "Who ever it was masked their scent or it's because there's so much of Aki's blood that I can't smell it." InuYasha said.

"Well?" Kagome asked, almost frantic.

"I can't smell anything, they either masked their scent or Aki's blood blocks out all the scents there." InuYasha said.

"We'll just have to live without." Sango said. Kagome and InuYasha nodded. "I'll go make a marker."

"Kagome, why don't you go help?" InuYasha asked.

"I'll go." Kagome and Sango walked to the other side of the village to make Aki's grave marker. Twenty minutes later Sango and Kagome were carrying a big cross, it was wood but was decorated very nicely.

"You two did that?" Miroku asked.

"Yeah…Kagome carved in the designs and I put the wood together." Sango answered.

"It's nice." Miroku said, Sango smiled. "Where should we put it?"

"By the Bone Eaters Well?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah, that's where she died." InuYasha said. The four walked out to the Bone Eaters Well and stuck the cross into the ground. Rin and Shippo had followed and everyone was bowing their heads as Kaede talked about what Aki had done for Kagome and the world.

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Aki: I don't own InuYasha…and this is the last chapter of this story…but I plan on doing a sequel. Well bye bye!