A bow of humblest gratitude and apologies for all who reviewed, I can't post all your names, but all of you who didn't review I suggest, in passing, to go look at the reviews so you can see all their wonderful, wonderful names.

Disclaimer:

(See the battle ground, it is a doorway, the door might be blue, it might be yellow, it might be something else. Who am I to know? The cleaning ninjas hold their fists aloft, victorious, as the Review Lion falls to her knees. Pwale rushes forward, sobbing, as everyone else stands dumbly behind her. They are in shock)

Pwale: NOOOOOO!!!

(Pwale is on her knees, cradling the Review Lion's head in her lap)

Pwale: I'm sorry Review Lion! I'm so sorry! If only I'd been stronger! I'm so sorry!

Al: What happened?

Mr. X: I…I…I can't…Pwale cleaned her room…The Review Lion…lost…I just…

Al: I don't believe it.

Mr. X: …What?

Al: No way Pwale cleaned her room. I don't believe it.

Mr. X: But…But you were the one who was directing the cleaning ninjas!

Al: So?

Pwale: Al! How could you do this to the Review Lion! HOW?!

Al: Do what?

Mr. X: …Al…Are those blindfolds

Al: No way Pwale actually cleaned her room. It's probably all messy about the edges.

Pwale: Why you-

Review Lion: …roar…

Pwale: Shh, don't talk, Review Lion, save your strength! (crying) I…I don't own the characters, Review Lion. I'll say it just for you!

Al: I just know that Pwale's room it still messy.

…

(This is based on a true story. You see, my room is usually the messiest room ever. I know everyone says it, but my room is the sort of room that my friends look at and say…"Ew…". This really bugs Fishie, so for Christmas this year she made me a plushie of one of the ninjas in the comics I doodle when I'm bored and gave it to me. Then I discovered that it was actually one of her evil minions, the cleaning ninjas! Then she didn't review the last few chapters, so I set the Review Lion on her. The Review Lion was met with resistance from the cleaning ninjas and the cleaning ninjas triumphed. Fishie reviewed last chapter to say that the cleaning ninjas would triumph, so ha! And I…I cleaned my room. My room hasn't been cleaned in four years, when a friend of mine was so annoyed with the mess she came over unannounced and cleaned my room.

…

Thing is, Fishie doesn't believe me that I actually cleaned it.)

I also don't own the Calvin and Hobbes tribute that I'll be making for this chapter and the next one. Only, I couldn't resist. I usually do a Madeline tribute, but Calvin and Hobbes just really nailed it.

The Stamp Of Gold

It's a Magical World, Hobbes ol' buddy

By Pwalefriend

When last we left our shero, she had been cornered by the bad guy in a dark alley way after an earthquake and was at a total loss.

Naraku laughed as he strode confidently toward Kagome. Why shouldn't he stride confidently? Here they were, all alone, in a dark dead-end notch between two broken buildings. She's completely defenseless, he knows it and he knows that she knows it. Sure, in a faerie tale this is the part where Inuyasha comes barreling in to save the day, but Inuyasha is miles and miles off, hasn't left his property in over five years and in all honesty can barely tell his left from his right.

What reason would Naraku possibly have to be anything but confident?

I'm sure that you, dear reader, are trying to see where I'm going with this. I'm sure you're thinking, "Okay, get on with whatever you're leading up to already." And I really wish that I could tell you that Kagome suddenly smirked and leapt forward with sudden magical prowess or some such thing. Unfortunately, I can't. I'm also trying to think of a reason why Naraku would be anything other then confident, just like you.

Coincidentally, so is Kagome. Though she's probably doing so a little more desperately then you and I.

'Okay, okay…' She thought to herself. 'Think, Kagome, think! What'll he do to you if he catches you?'

Kikyo's eyes, dead as doornails, flashed through her mind.

'Let's see, it shouldn't be too hard to climb a brick wall after an earthquake.'

Kagome turned and began to frantically scrabble at the brick wall behind her, all the other walls were crumbling, surely this one was too! Her fingers found a tiny ledge and she was trying to pull herself up when there was a hand on her shoulder and Kagome found herself thrown against the other wall. She crumpled down and her vision filled up with crackling grey static. Naraku just stood and laughed and laughed and laughed. He couldn't, for some reason, stop laughing. It was actually starting to become quite painful and Naraku was doubled over clutching his stomach, but still he kept on laughing. Finally he managed to stop himself and he stumbled towards the unconscious girl who was lying prone before him. His hands circled around her neck and he lifted her up and began to squeeze, throttling the life from her breath. In the murky depths of her mind Kagome tried desperately to fight back, she tried to summon an Elemental like she'd read about, but she couldn't do it. In her Murky Depths Of The Mind time slowed down, and Kagome felt that she was enough at her leisure to recount her lessons to see if she was doing something wrong.

Now, you and I both know that when someone is strangling you and they really do mean to kill you, you don't have the time to consider your education, but this is the Murky Depths Of The Mind we're talking about here, and neither Brain nor any other part of the body have ever been able to get in there to help out, despite their best efforts.

Okay, Kagome thought. Inuyasha's Elemantal is Earth, which is why he's got tree gnome things. My Elemental is Water, so I would be calling to the…oh damnit, I'm already doing something wrong! I forgot to decide which Water Elemental I call to! Okay, think, think, think! Right, so…I think mine is a fish so would mine be…erm…oh, I really just don't know...Oh, yeah.

In the Murky Depths Of The Mind Kagome concentrated every fiber of her being that wasn't in excruciating pain on contacted even a single Elemental. She cast out her awareness like a net, looking for any Elemental that might be nearby. She'd never done anything like this; she'd only ever read descriptions in study books. She'd never even seen a Elemental, she'd only ever seen field illustrations.

It was, without a doubt, the hardest thing she'd ever done. To be perfectly honest, she wasn't even all that sure how she did it. But do it she did.

Her feeble strength, to her surprise, managed to brush up against a single Elemental and it answered her call, more curious then anything else.

Water Elementals, Kagome recalled, weren't as flighty and bubbly as Air Elementals, who were tricksy little buggers. But they weren't nearly as steadfast as Earth Elementals or as passionate as Fire Elementals. Water Elementals tended to be a tad bit forgetful, a tad bit loving, a tad bit violent, a tad bit stronger, they tended to last a tad bit longer. They were, Kagome had once heard them described as, like tad little bits of sea.

Not like a water drop. They weren't what the sea looked like. They were what the sea was, only just a little bit of it.

In the Murky Depths Of The Mind Kagome thought she'd heard something like that somewhere, only referring to a horse. Then she remembered it had been in a book she'd read years ago and she shook off her non-sequitor moment without another thought to it.

The Water Elemental began to drift towards Kagome's consciousness, reaching towards This World from That World. But it was only slightly curious and when it didn't see anything interesting it snapped back.

Or so Kagome thought.

She thought that she wasn't strong enough, that her power was underdeveloped and that she was going to die. She was wrong.

It was then that from the Murky Depths Of The Mind Kagome realized that she was strong enough, that her power was perfectly developed, and that she was dying. She realized that Naraku was holding her aloft and strangling her.

You idiot. You stupid, stupid idiot. Her left foot told her with enough spite to bring down the pyramids.

Oh my Life, I'm going to die. Was all Kagome's Brian had to say on the subject.

I'm…so…confused! Whined Kagome's heart.

Shut up! Yelped the kidney. You'll kill us all if you waste your strength!

Can't…inhale… Said the lungs.

Ack! Said the Brain, as it grew fuzzier and fuzzier due to lack of air.

Hey guys, what's up? Asked Inuyasha's left foot as the hanyou himself came barreling into sight on the back of…What on earth was it? It looked like someone had taken some earthquake and mixed it with a mountain spirit and then given it a horse-like form.

Inuyasha snarled at the sight before him. Naraku was glaring in a very annoyed fashion at Inuyasha, at the same time the villain's grip tightened around Kagome's throat and the girl was helplessly scrabbling at the bastard's hands, even as her face turned blue and her eyes started to bulge out. Naraku, thank the Lore, dropped Kagome and turned to face the intruder.

"So, Inuyasha." Naraku said in his slickest voice. "You did come. I must say, I'm not that surprised."

Inuyasha tried his best to look frightening and heroic, but the best he managed was mockingly silly. Mostly because his hair was sticking out at all angles and during the earthquake a bottle of red ink had broken over his head and his ears, forehead and most of his hair was a sort if dark pink.

It went very with his red haori, but that wasn't what he had been going for.

Air! Sweet Air! Bless you, oxygen! Bless you! Was what all the voices that made up Kagome's body were singing.

"Naraku, leave her alone! Your fight is with me!" Inuyasha declared.

"Actually, this has nothing to do with you, you selfish hanyou." Naraku said coldly. "I know it's remarkable, but I'm actually interested in this girl for her, not for you. Really. I know it must be a blow to hear that something doesn't revolve around you, but you must learn to accept that you are not the Queen of the Universe."

Inuyasha, for a moment, was confused. His mother had always said, "Because I'm the Queen of the Universe and I said so" whenever she wanted him to do something that he didn't understand, so what on earth did that have-oh! The little cretin was insulting Inuyasha's masculinity! The nerve!

"Vile wretch!" The hanyou screeched and leaped toward Naraku, claws extended.

"Tsk tsk, Inuyasha. You should know better." Naraku said, and jumped out of the way. "If you kill me, the curse can never be lifted."

Inuyasha froze.

"Let's review the curse, shall we? You'll always be guilt ridden, you'll never be able to experience any extreme, whether happiness or anger, terror or bliss, without going off the deep end. You'll never be able to release your substantial control over your temper, lest you murder all your friends and family and anyone else who happens to meet you before the government sends in it's military to put you down like a rabid dog. One wrong move on anyone's part, and you become neither man nor beast, yet with elements of both. Neither here, nor there. You will never be happy, and you will always live in fear of what you might do, every waking second and every sleeping one."

"…How does killing you make that at all worse!" Inuyasha screeched and leapt again.

"Because if you kill another soul, you really will lose it. Coward." Naraku started to laugh and Inuyasha stared in horror, trying to weigh pros and cons but the horrible grating laughter was getting into his head, soaking into ever bit of sensible thought! Then there was a coughing noise from the corner and Kagome sat up.

"Oh good." She rasped. "Because you haven't got a soul. So Inuyasha can kill you and be just fine, thank you very much."

"I do too have a soul!" Naraku protested.

"Actually, no you don't." Said yet another new voice. Everyone looked to see Kikyo sitting atop the brick wall that Kagome had tried to climb up earlier. In her hands she had a blue sea glass jar that shone a wispy watery sort of light. She was grinning a grin like the Cheshire Cat, that is to say it had never been so clear that Kikyo was totally and utterly bonkers. "But I do. I've got your soul!"

"Kikyo." Inuyasha whispered.

"Kikyo!" Naraku gasped.

"You crazy bitch." Kagome said appreciatively.

She's completely right you know. Said Kikyo's left foot. You really are a crazy bitch. Kikyo frowned at the appendage.

"Shut it." She told her foot, and the three persons below wondered why she had just told her left foot to shut it.

"…Well, so what if you have my soul!" Naraku demanded. "And I'm not ever going to ask how you found it!"

"Just to prove a point." Kikyo shrugged. "If he ain't got no soul, then you can't fight him physically, can you? He'll just come straight back to life, won't he? Magic, on the other hand, now that'd work."

"Kikyo, darling." Naraku sighed despairingly. "Grammar."

"I know not this Kikyo of which you speak." Kikyo said in a dark and dangerous monotone. She then looked down at the glass in her hands. "Ooo. Shiny." She said in the same monotone and, before anyone could stop her, uncorked the bottle and swallowed the soul inside. Then she looked back at Naraku. "You know," she said. "You really shouldn't leave your soul next to your map of where the Shikon no Tama is. You know, that thing to break the Hanyou's curse. It is bad luck. I think it is jinxed." Naraku stared at her.

"You just gave away my evil plot and ate my soul." Naraku gaped. "I want a divorce!"

Kikyo just giggled and skipped away. Kagome, watching her leave with eyes that shone with something akin to hero worship, just said once more-

"You crazy, crazy bitch."

Inuyasha merely pointed at Naraku. "Sic." Our hero said, and suddenly Naraku found himself accosted by ten different Earth Elementals, all armed with grass blade swords and sediment rock maces. One even had a glaive made out of acorn shells and many had bows made out of pebbles and pine needles. Clingy showed up, and played the musical rocks as war drums.

Naraku laughed, again, and it didn't take long to see that Inuyasha, who was sweating like a pig with all the energy it took to keep his magic fighting, was losing.

"You spent all your strength making that thing!" Naraku said triumphantly. "You'll never best me like this!"

Inuyasha just closed his eyes and concentrated harder. He couldn't lose. Not after seeing Kagome, being strangled to death in front of him. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he punish this bastard for hurting the girl he loved?!

At this thought a new wave of fierce rage and even fiercer protectiveness washed over Inuyasha and he fought even harder, feeding his energy to the Elementals to keep them going, but it wasn't enough.

Kagome watched desperately. She had to do something, and there was only one thing she could think to do. Once again she cast out her net of awareness to That World.

Please! She called out. Please help him!

Suddenly an angry army of Water Elementals leapt to her command. Fierce and strong and pissed. Briefly and faintly, Kagome wondered whatever had Naraku done to make the Water Elementals hate him with the fervent passion she could practically taste. But this was irrelevant.

Help him! She cried pointing at Inuyasha, and the Water Elementals rushed to do her bidding.

Now, dear reader, a slightly lesson on Elementals.

There are, of course, four. Well, four standard ones. Two we will not come across in this story, and those are the Fire Elementals and the Air Elementals. Air and Fire feed one another, As Earth and Water feed one another. Fire can't abide Water though, and vice versa. Flee if ever an Air and Earth Elemental are within killing range, because you can be sure that's exactly what they'll do. Fire and Earth get along just fine. The same can be said for Air and Water, they're pretty neutral.

The point is, dear reader, that if you give Fire Air, Fire will roar.

Give Earth Water, and Earth will bloom.

And bloom Earth did.

Well, it was a really violent bloom, more like a boom, but you get the picture.

Before the last dusting of Naraku's disintegrated corpse had blown away in the magic-induced wind Kagome threw herself into Inuyasha's surprised but welcoming arms. Kagome pressed her face in the crook of the hanyou's neck and drew in a great shuddering breath. She allowed Inuyasha's smell and warmth and strength to wash away the horror and the stress, leaving her relaxed and comfortable. Hmmm…Kagome suddenly got a deliciously (if wildly inappropriate considering the surroundings. It was a disaster zone, after all) evil idea.

Inuyasha, for his part, was shocked beyond belief. Kagome…was hugging him. Why was Kagome hugging him? Not that he didn't like it, but…oh my dear gods…She'd just kissed his neck. That…Erk…I…She…

Inuyasha, to his credit, then did the very smartest thing he could have possibly done. He raised her chin with a crooked little finger, and he kissed her back.

For a very long time.

It's like a firework display. Said Kagome's right foot wonderingly. A passionate, beautiful, firework display.

And for once, no left foots has any comebacks.

And while the kiss didn't measure up to any grand kiss from one of the great romances of all time, it was one of those kisses that make you smile and go Awwww. It was one of those kisses that make you feel light and happy and contented. Especially if you're the one doing the kissing. The hearts of Kagome and Inuyasha were soaring lighter then air in total elation (much to everyone's annoyance) and the two lovebirds themselves, rumor has it, even started to levitate a little bit themselves.

Once they'd slobbered on each other's faces long enough to run out of oxygen, Kagome drew back and smiled shiningly at him.

"I'm…not very good with…love confessions," Inuyasha said haltingly. Kagome shook her head.

"Neither am I." She said.

"Then I shall say them for you." Said yet another new, but familiar, voice from the opening mouth of the alley. Shocked beyond belief (who would have expected this on top of everything else?) Kagome and Inuyasha, still in their passionate embrace, turned to find Miroku and Sango looking at them wryly. Sango was holding back giggles, and Miroku, who was shaking his head from side to side, smiled affectionately before continuing.

"Kagome, you love Inuyasha. Inuyasha, you love Kagome. Now may you both kiss again and then live happily ever after. Or at least live We-Get-Along-Sort-Of ever after."

"Dear, I do believe we missed something." Sango managed to say to her new husband between giggles.

Inuyasha and Kagome gaped.

"When did you get back?!" Kagome demanded. Her two friends flapped their hands in dismissal of the question.

"We're going back to the Feudal Era Mansion. See you there." Sango said, and she and Miroku started to stroll off. "We just wanted to make sure that neither of you were dead. But we've got to get back now, all the horses got out and it'll be neigh impossible to catch them all before Kanna sees if we don't get a head start now." As was their want, Sango and Miroku disappeared as suddenly as they had arrived. Kagome made to follow, but Inuyasha refused to let go. She looked up at him, and was surprised to find his face scrunched up in confusion.

"Inuyasha?" She asked.

"Was Miroku right?" Inuyasha asked suddenly. "About…Us?" Kagome didn't even hesitated. She just gave him a big wet smack-er-roo and nodded gleefully.

"He's a wise old man, that Miroku." Kagome told Inuyasha with a wink. "Who knew?" Inuyasha found he was too choked to reply, for some reason a mysterious lump had formed in his throat. But Inuyasha could care less whether or not he could talk. What good were words, anyway? Words were useless.

Hugs, on the other hand. And touch. Now, with hugs and touch you could really say something.

Inuyasha held Kagome tighter then he'd ever dared before, and allowed all the fear and hurt and horror he'd been holding back to just wash over him.

She had almost died.

She had almost died.

The word "almost" as in her face was still tinged purple and he could smell her blood and see the hand shaped bruises around her neck. He could hear the trouble her lungs were having from the raspy breaths she was drawing in, this was an affliction she wasn't even aware of!

He was goddamned lucky that he'd gotten here on time to stop Naraku from strangling her until she died.

He was even luckier, luckier beyond comprehension, that she hadn't died anyway. She didn't have internal bleeding, he could tell by the smell. He could also tell from her scent and his hearing that the damage to her lungs would heal in time, and so would the little things like bruises and cuts.

But she loved him? Really? Even after all he'd done to her?

Inuyasha and Kagome stayed like that, just hugging one another, for a very long time.

Whew! That was long! 24 pages in Word.

You lot better appreciate it!

(Glares half-heartedly)

Anyway, so I'm thinking my next fanfic will be an AU Mystery about what appears to be petty jewelry thievery, but is in fact something much, much more.

...Eh, so far it's better then it sounds. Why! I've even planned it out!

Starring Kagome as a daring, bold and stubborn jewelry store clerk and amateur detective, Miroku as her best friend, co-worker and fellow amateur detective, Inuyasha as Tall, Handsome And Mysterious Asshole Who Knows More Then He's Telling and new boarder, Sango as the detective, Sesshomaru as the chief of police, yadda yadda yadda. Basically, the whole gang's gonna be there. We'll make it a party.

Till next time!

Oh, heads up, the next chapter is, unless I'm very much mistaken, going to be the very last chapter.

Sincerely

Pwalefriend