Chapter Twenty: Death of a Tyrant

"Vengeance taken will often tear the heart and torment the conscience."

-Arthur Schopenhauer

Kagome sighed as she finished the story, which was needlessly long and frustrating and that her friends had paused several times, or introductions had interrupted as Sephiroth and Lezard returned, then again when Jade came through the well. Which she could feel right away. She'd left out the more sordid details but gave a rather long catching up of her life since she'd left her friends only about two weeks before though it felt longer with her fuzzy double memories.

After she'd left they had continued to hunt Naraku but they'd been caught in one of his traps involving a spider demon. He did favor the insect demons, always had, though when they'd gone to find them and been trapped Inuyasha killed the demon and got the rest of them free but he died in the process taken by the beasts poison shortly after everyone else got free. They'd already had a funeral for him, where they'd been surprised to see Sesshomaru attended from a distance.

Kagome cried all over again, hugging her friends and sniffling by the time the exchange of events until then had been traded. She was going to have to really spend time adjusting, Inuyasha had been her first love. She'd crushed on Hojo, but it was different with Inuyasha. It would be very hard for her. Harder after all she'd been through when she couldn't remember him. It would be treacherous to his memory to make any sort of quick decision or possibly one at all…which left a lot of people suffering the curse Naraku had arranged. Even when they killed him, which she didn't doubt would happen after she'd seen what her new friends were capable of, it wouldn't remove the spell. She would be stuck with just as many problems once Naraku had been killed – then she didn't know if the well would close permanently but it seemed a possibility.

She was fairly numb when they began a conversation about Naraku and how they could possibly hunt him down and finish him once and for all. Somehow it wasn't very important just then, it seemed hard to think that very much was.

Meanwhile, they decided they would wait for another ambush, expecting he wouldn't wait too long after their display. Use one of his creatures to track him down and finish him from there. Mention of him having possibly hidden his heart somewhere only made Lezard laugh and comment that 'there will be nothing able to hide between the lot of us. We're hardly fresh hedge wizards gathered here.'

"Regardless of what you are capable of, don't underestimate Naraku." Sango said, still sitting near Kagome trying to comfort her. "He's tricky, he's able to disguise himself well, has a silver tongue, and has tricked many people into doing his bidding."

"We will be wary but as Mr. Valeth says, we are by no means weak ourselves." Jade commented with his usual light smile. "When we find him, it will be the final battle you'll have to be with him in. Do you have particular skills we can plan around using?"

They traded skills for a long while. Sango discussing her various items and abilities that involve her demon hunting, much to the curiosity of the others with her – except for Sephiroth – he looked unimpressed in general and mostly stood off to the side. Miroku described his monk abilities and the mark in his hand but after explaining how close it was to killing him they put it on the list of things that they had no intention of using. Too unstable and threatening to his health. Kagome discussed her own remembered abilities and demonstrated her ability to create sacred arrows. Even Shippou came forward and demonstrated his illusions but Kagome refused to let him come along, stating he was just a child and shouldn't be there. Despite his storming off in a huff she knew at least that much was the right decision where she'd failed with so many others lately.

Though with the large gathering of people she had a small spark of hope, with all her newly acquired admirers – because of Naraku's scheming – she started to think they really would be able to finally defeat Naraku. She owed that much to Inuyasha, she normally wasn't a vengeful spirit, but she figured she could forgive herself the sin of wrath in this case. Naraku had long deserved a quick end, and she was more than willing to help him meet it.

Perhaps for the first time she'd finally be free of him, and that seemed like a good first step to recovery. She didn't have long to wait, they were attacked by more bugs only a little while later…though the group made as short of work this time as the first. There were fewer this time, sango and miroku were also there, yeah they died fast, then Ghaelon and Lezard were using one of the corpses and doing some of their magic things. It was probably only a couple hours after they'd finished discussing strategies that they were off, heading for the last battle.

She was surprised to find that Naraku met them half way, floating in the air with the usual pronged tentacles coming from his back. He was a creepy guy, too much for her tastes. Though none of them had a chance to say anything, Ghaelon was the first to speak.

"You are the creature known as Naraku?" He glanced to the rest of his companions and back. "Why did you curse Kagome?"

"She knows why." Naraku chuckled darkly. "She's picked up quite a few admirers, well not what I was hoping for but I guess that's what you get when you talk to the hired help instead of the source."

"Though a goddess probably would have slain you outright." Lezard piped in with a dark grin that made Kagome's skin crawl, he was putting off an ominous bloodlust, all of them were putting out negative emotions but his were so loud he drown out the rest easily. It was certainly a little nerve-wracking how close she'd gotten to some of these people without really knowing them.

"Well informed your new admirers are. Gifted even, here I wanted to find you inept individuals so I wonder just what is wrong with them Kagome? Do you even know yourself yet?" Naraku echoed her fears with a dark laugh when she looked at him, though she just glared.

"It's none of your business, how dare you try to interfere with my life and mind that way. I'll never forgive you." She repeated, drawing and knocking an arrow.

"You have to know that won't work." Naraku mocked. "You all may be good, but you don't know where my heart is."

"So you just break apart and regenerate when destroyed?" Jade asked curiously, snapping his fingers in front of him as he began a chant, apparently having decided to see this phenomenon for himself. "O sword of conviction, loose the might of your brilliant colors. Prism Sword!"

True to it's name a prism flicked into view around Naraku, a sword coming down to slam him so harshly it cut his body in two, but he was still smiling as it started to reform again. Kagome realized for the first time Sephiroth wasn't there…he'd wandered off…which made her wonder what he was up to. It's not like a sneak attack would be any more effective. Sango leaned closer to Kagome.

"I thought they were going to handle the finding his heart…where is the child?" Sango whispered with a near hiss. "We have more demons surrounding us while we wait. Your new friends walked us into a trap. You sure they weren't working with Naraku this whole time?"

Kagome glanced at Sango, shaking her head negatively. She wasn't sure if she loved them, but she did trust them not to do something to betray her – at least for the moment. "That can't be. Just wait, I'm sure they have a plan."

"Of course there's a plan. So little faith." Ghaelon commented, gesturing to the woods where Sephiroth was exiting with the infant in his hands. It made Miroku gasp out loud and alerted the regenerating Naraku, who opened his eyes wide at the one creature that was his only source of weakness at the moment.

"Well, there's a refreshing change of pace…though why'd you bring it back?" Lezard asked. "Just kill it and lets be done with this."

"It's only a baby." Sephiroth replied with a frown. "I'm a mercenary not an assassin, I'm not stabbing a baby. You're evil, you can do it."

"It's not an infant really. It's just a disguise to keep people from harming it." Lezard replied with a shake of his head. "Am I correct?"

Sango, Miroku, and even Kagome all nodded. Kagome had felt the evil that 'baby' had within it. If it was a part of Naraku then he and it were the most evil things here.

"Good then, let us be done with this. Bring me the child and I'll do it if you refuse." Lezard said coldly, though it drew a lot of looks considering it did look like an infant after all. Though then Naraku called demons and the battle broke out in full.

It didn't take long, even while Sephiroth was still holding the child Lezard muttered out a spell and a long bolt of white light cut into the child in one of the swordman's large hands, making him pull it back with a hiss as it was still smoking from getting burned as well. All he got to do for the insult though was give Lezard a glare before he was blocking a strike from Naraku by cutting off the tendril coming at him, he didn't seem effected by the black reaitsu that poured out, more than just coughing a little.

"It's poisonous." Miroku called out the reminder as he tore after Sango into a part of the woods with approaching demons. Kagome was already busy shooting herself and she could hear the others around her chanting…the flow of energy in the air buzzing as several effects exploded to life around them.

Before long, the battle had ended with no casualties and only a few injuries, Sephiroth was still coughing after having finished Naraku with the masamune only for him to explode into more of the poisonous stuff around him. His armor was singed here and there, he had some burns, but looked rather well considering he'd helped kill a few dozen demons even after Naraku fell they still had to finish off his army. At least a vast majority until they broke off to retreat when they realized they couldn't win.

They were tired and some were getting basic care from Ghaelon and Jade, but overall they had done well and it'd happened so fast that his death was almost bittersweet. Kagome was glad that he was dead, more ecstatic that the wind tunnel had vanished from Miroku's hand, but there was a certain ashen taste left in her mouth. It didn't actually do anything, vengeance, but make her have to face more fully that Inuyasha was gone to her and she was left with this confusing, incredible curse to deal with now that the person that had caused the problem was dead. Naraku's death had stopped him from causing future pain to others; but it did nothing to help Kagome's troubles.

End Chapter

Whee, I wanted Naraku's death to be sort of 'well fuck that didn't help' cause really it didn't help Kagome at all. While it's good he's gone for others, vengeance never helps. Now we can return to more confusing love struck people chasing Kagome rawr.

-Aura

To my reviewers:

Sin of the Fallen – I like all the guys I tossed in that actually have a thing for her. And some that don't currently. So hard to pick just one!

Angel – Well yeah Inuyasha would have thrown too large a wrench in all my other plans, he had to go!

Black Firelight – Hehe I like Albel and Sephiroth. Someday I might even make separate crossover fics just for them and Kagome…though it'll be a while.

Vampiric Insticts – Nope, I tend to come back to my stories sooner or later unless I've marked them as discontinued. I haven't decided if Kagome will choose one, all, or any of the men yet. I have too much else I'm interested in accomplishing with it first.

Kuroneko388 – Well I'm glad you like the fiction so much! I'm happy to be reviving it and working on it anew.

Shirahime Jade Silverstone – Yeah I don't see Kagome getting away with sitting Albel. He might stab her with those claws of his. He'd like that.