Summary: Her Purity revised! Knowing the end was near, Naraku kidnaps and rapes Kagome, leaving her terrified of men, including Inuyasha. With this knowledge, Inuyasha tries to help her, but what happens when her condition only gets worse?
Notes: Her Purity revised.
Chapter Nine: Vengeance
Rating: M

The Crown Jewel

Shippo held his breath.

His eyes were wide with fear and he was physically shaking. He watched through his spot in the hollow tree as Naraku dusted his hands as if he finished some dirty job. The older demon stared down at the pile of ash and clothing that spread about the forest floor.

Suddenly, the ground shook.

The breath that Shippo was holding came out in a very high-pitched, very audible squeak. He swallowed and kept his eyes on Naraku, trying as best he could to squeeze back further into the tree, but his worry was for nothing. Naraku seemed as surprised as Shippo was at the tremors that shook the earth beneath his feet, and Shippo's squeal of terror went unnoticed.

Naraku stared into the blank space of forest to his left, where his barrier stood erect to ward off intruders. He contemplated for a moment before stepping through, disappearing to the other side and not noticing the pair of wide, green eyes following his every movement.

When he finally left, Shippo waited for several long minutes, afraid that Naraku might come back. When he didn't, Shippo escaped his small hole, turned the opposite direction, and ran.

Now would be a good time to find another hole to hide in.

oOo

It didn't take long for Sesshomaru to find his younger half-brother.

The monstrous, pure white dog towered over the castle, its feet stomping, jaws snapping. It scooped up multiple demons within its large mouth and crushed them, and Sesshomaru couldn't help but notice that some of their allies were amongst the poor souls that fell to Inuyasha's rage.

He was out of control.

Glowering suddenly, Sesshomaru slowly sheathed Tokijin and Bakusaiga. The sound of Inuyasha's growling and roars filled his ears; all other sounds faded away until they were a dull buzz, like he was listening to them through the barrier of water. His eyes burned, and Sesshomaru knew that they had bled red, signaling his first transformation. He pressed forward towards his brother, his steps slow as his bones shifted beneath his skin.

Then he stopped, his eyes widening slightly as he stared down at his left arm. It was pulsing rapidly in an unfamiliar fashion. Ignoring it, Sesshomaru proceeded with his transformation into his full demon. He inhaled and hunched over slightly as he felt the changes within his body. He felt himself contort; his body grew, his clothes melded with his skin before long, silky tresses spilled out from his body. Sesshomaru grunted as his lips pulled back over his teeth, showing off the long fangs glistening with poison. His left paw twitched involuntarily, and Sesshomaru noted that this was his first transformation since he'd lost the appendage to the Tetsusaiga all those years ago.

When the transformation was complete, Sesshomaru stood tall on all fours, a deep rumble of a growl emitting from his chest. The sound of it echoed ominously, but was so low that no one was able to acknowledge it against the thunderous roars from Inuyasha.

He stepped forward with his left paw first, testing it. It was stronger than before. Putting more weight onto it, Sesshomaru went from a slow gait to a full sprint as he charged his brother, moving at such speed that Inuyasha didn't even know what hit him.

The two giants tumbled to the ground, rolling one on top of the other, snapping wildly as they fought for dominance. Sesshomaru knew that he had the advantage; Inuyasha had rarely been in this form before, and therefore doesn't have nearly as much experience as Sesshomaru does. However, that paired with his lack of control in this body made this battle much more difficult than it needed to be. Sesshomaru breathed heavily as Inuyasha withdrew his sharp teeth from his right arm, a low warning growl escaping him as he pushed Inuyasha off and regained his balance.

Inuyasha's bad temper and stubbornness made him a force to be reckoned with when he was in this form as well, but Sesshomaru knew that he had to restrain from killing his brother right now; getting him under control was his first priority, and the only way to do that was to prove that he was the alpha.

He charged again, tackling Inuyasha from the side as the younger demon stood. They landed heavily on the ground, their combined weight and the force of impact causing the earth beneath them to crack; they skidded across the battle ground, allies and foes alike jumping out of their way with screams of shock and terror.

Sesshomaru pinned Inuyasha to the ground, his front paws on Inuyasha's shoulder and rib cage and his teeth pinching tightly at his throat; the standard dominance position. Inuyasha struggled wildly under him, turning his head this way and that, trying to find an angle to attack. His legs thrashed, trying to dislodge the larger demon, but Sesshomaru had more leverage and pressed down harder on Inuyasha's rib cage.

"Submit!" Sesshomaru hissed. He bit down harder on Inuyasha's neck, just below his jaw, and allowed his teeth to sink into the skin. His venomous saliva slowly seeped into the wound, and green whirls of smoke issued from the openings. Inuyasha's struggles increased, the sound of his growls escalating as the poison spread throughout his body. Sesshomaru knew that it wouldn't be harmful (unfortunately, he thought); Inuyasha's body had gained an immunity from the last time he had poisoned him. However, he would still experience a temporary shock, which was all Sesshomaru needed.

Inuyasha's body finally went still and Sesshomaru pulled away and sat down before his paralyzed half-brother. The paralysis would only last a couple of minutes, so he'd have to be quick.

"She is alive," he said simply. Inuyasha's eyes, still able to move and look around freely, snapped to Sesshomaru. The older demon growled. He could already tell that Inuyasha was processing what he just said, but he wasn't sure if Inuyasha was able to really comprehend the language of demons. He must have had some semblance of what he was talking about, because his expression was of one akin to shock, but doubt and confusion was also hidden behind his eyes.

Inuyasha's body twitched suddenly; he was gaining feeling back into his limbs and was testing them out. Sesshomaru snarled, his long ears pressed against his head as he stood; he had hoped that his poison would last a little longer, and he knew that trying the same trick wouldn't work a second time.

"Control your temper," he ordered. The loud growl of defiance that escaped Inuyasha was all Sesshomaru needed to pull his lips back over his teeth in a ferocious snarl. "Listen to your alpha, pup!" Sesshomaru noted the look of deep concentration in Inuyasha's eyes as he tried, with all his might, to move his limbs; his hind legs twitched and his front paws were flexing.

Turning his back on his recovering brother, Sesshomaru faced the horizon, where the sun was beginning it's descent into darkness, and waited.

oOo

Kagome had no idea what she was supposed to do.

Obviously, Sesshomaru had wanted her to purify Kagura, which she had done rather grudgingly, but now that she had done that, she felt very uncomfortable sitting next to the body of the woman who tried to help her. Kagome's throat seemed to close up whenever she looked at the mutilated body next to her, and whenever she thought about what had happened, and the fact that Kagura had tried to save her from the inevitable, her eyes would water and her palms became sweaty.

Not able to bear it, Kagome stood, Tetsusaiga clutched in her hands, and fled to the door, then paused and looked back.

She couldn't just leave Kagura's body like that; she couldn't leave the one woman who tried to save her without holding a proper ceremony. Tightening the robe that once belonged to the other woman, Kagome tentatively walked back to the body and kneeled beside it, untying the knot of the yukata and wincing horribly at the large hole inflicted upon Kagura's chest. Tugging her out of the blood-stained robe, Kagome used the cleanest parts she could find to dab away at the dried blood on Kagura's face. When her face was clean of blood, Kagome slowly removed Kagura's traditional robe from her own body and carefully laid it over the owner, tugging it all the way up to cover her face.

Knowing that this was the best she would be able to do, Kagome wrapped herself in the yukata, dried with blood, and left the room.

She had no idea where she was going; every hall ended in the same shaded darkness, every corner led her to some place familiar, like she had already been there and was just travelling in circles. Tetsusaiga held out protectively in front of her, Kagome could feel her patience waning as she walked and walked along long corridors that seemed to lead her through a maze, and yet, she couldn't help but feel that something was pulling at her, telling her to turn around and head back. It was a familiar feeling, a sensation like there was a rope tied around her middle that was gently tugging her in the opposite direction. It frustrated her; she knew what this feeling was, but couldn't identify it, even though it was on the very tip of her tongue.

Kagome stopped.

There was a realization that struck her—something so important that she was absolutely astounded that it took her this long to realize it. Completely forgetting the strange yet familiar feeling she was just pondering, Kagome turned on her heel and ran back the way she came, all hesitation and self-preservation instincts gone as she burst through all the doors she came across, barely noting that the entire castle seemed to be empty save for her. It was like the castle had become larger and larger the longer she searched—pausing again to catch her breath after sprinting down a rather long corridor, Kagome clutched a stitch in her side and trekked onward, her breath coming out in quick, painful rasps. She wondered briefly if this was one of Naraku's tricks; was she meant to get lost in the castle forever? Wasting away as she sought freedom? Kagome grimaced, tormented at the thought; but it didn't matter right now. She would spend the rest of her life searching for Shippo if she needed to; she wasn't going to leave this castle without him.

With a surge of determination, Kagome pushed open the largest set of doors she came across, trying to ignore the strange tugging sensation that had been growing stronger and stronger ever since she had turned around, and after one brief glance around the room, discovered that she was not alone in the castle after all.

She screamed.

oOo

Away from the castle, the battle against good and evil raged violently on. Bodies, both mutilated and normal, were scattered as far as the eye could see; severed limbs were spotted across the horizon; a mist of blood changed the once dead and desolate field into a warzone. There was a mixed combination of screams—pain, shock, terror, and even glee were the only sounds filling the ears of the thousands who remained strong enough to fight.

Koga felt like the fighting was getting nowhere. Over and over, he would destroy the nearest demon to him, and yet two more would sprout in its place. There were now two other of Naraku's puppets in addition to the first, and no one was making any progress in taking down even one of them, and he was quickly losing his patience. Continuing on like this would just drain all the energy from him, his pack, and his allies; it was a losing battle.

Lost in his thoughts, Koga barely jumped out of the way of a tentacle that very nearly speared him and bumped into someone who had just cleaved the appendage in half. After nearly knocking the man off his feet, Koga raised his right arm in preparation for a strike when two realizations occurred to him. One was that the man whom he was about to kill was an ally—Miroku. The second, and much more detrimental realization was the fact that there was something wrong with his right arm; it was moving slower than usual, and Koga felt as though it wasn't as strong as it used to be. He stared at it, disbelief flooding him so fast that it was making his breath quicken. Ignoring Miroku's questioning look, Koga sprinted off towards the castle, hissing curses under his breath all the while.

He couldn't believe he had been so careless—he had been using the shard for so long; shouldn't he have felt it right away when it left his body? Dodging past foes attempting to cut him down, Koga sprinted as fast as he could, his tornado whipping up a fine layer of dust, dirt, and debris in his wake. He arrived at the place he had been earlier: The part of the castle that had been destroyed when he and the others had first arrived was as desolated as ever, but, throwing caution to the wind, Koga took a step towards the hall, and suddenly found himself facing a demon he never thought he would have come across.

Eyes extremely wide, he jumped back as far as he could as a huge demon—pure white with pointed ears—a dog—blocked his path into the castle. It had come out of nowhere. The demon pounded its huge paws into the ground, crushing those beneath it, and then it leaned forward, its mouth opening wide, and scooped up several dozen bodies into its mouth. Koga jumped out of the way, a gasp escaping him as he barely cheated death. Those in the monsters mouth screamed in terror, but the sounds were cut off abruptly as the giant snapped its mouth shut, and Koga winced as he heard the grotesque sounds of bones snapping under the pressure. The giant opened its mouth, and the bodies of those it had killed fell to the ground. The distance between the demon's mouth and the ground was immense; each body created its own crater upon impact on the hard ground. A cloud of dirt rose from under the bodies after they hit the ground and settled gently over the lifeless forms like a sick burial ceremony that forcefully reminded Koga of Kagura's first massacre on his pack many years ago.

Adrenaline pumping wildly through his system, Koga watched in shock as the monster leaned down again, but it didn't have time to scoop up another dozen demons to crush; there was a wild pounding sound, as if something huge were sprinting across the field, and Koga felt the earth shake violently as another giant dog—this one with facial markings—rammed into the first. Tackled to the ground, both dog demons skidded across the land, forcing warriors to jump out of the way, and crushing those who hadn't escaped in time. The second giant was towering over the smaller one, its head bent as it sank its teeth into the others neck. There was a great tremble; the earth itself seemed to split as Koga watched the two giants battle each other for dominance. The one that had very nearly killed Koga was snapping its large jaws, pulling its lips back to show off glistening white and dangerously sharpened canines. Koga stared at the facial markings on the larger ones face, wondering where he had seen the crescent moon and violet stripes before, and a stunning connection was made in his head.

"Sesshomaru?" he rasped out. He had never seen the Lord of the West in his true demon from before. His size alone was enough to stun anyone. Koga stared briefly before shaking his head. He had more important things to do than gawk over big dogs.

More determined than ever before, Koga turned on his heel and rushed into the castle.

oOo

"Get back!"

The yell of warning went unnoticed amongst the chaos. Miroku jumped forward and pushed Sango roughly to the side before rushing away again, barely escaping a large, clawed hand as it came swinging down where he was only seconds before. The demon to whom the clawed hand belonged over-shot, and its hand sunk deep into the ground. Stealing his chance, Miroku decapitated the demon with ease and quickly returned to destroying others around it.

"Thanks!" Sango shouted. Miroku, who was busy trying to fend off a rather aggressive bird demon, merely grunted in return. He had lost track of time a while ago, and so had no idea how long they had been fighting this battle. All he knew was that he was beginning to get tired; his muscles were sore, and his breath was quickening the longer he moved. Much more of this, and he'd be out.

Purifying the bird demon with one of the few sutra's he had left (his stash was beginning to deplete itself, an ominous sign, as he had had several hundred before the battle started), Miroku spun around to check on Sango's progress. She, as he expected, was keeping well on her own, but she too sported the familiar signs of exhaustion. Her bangs were plastered to her face with sweat, her eyes were tired, and Miroku noticed that her movements were slowing. Glancing quickly around them, Miroku gathered that they had enough allies to get along with the fight without them for a few minutes and, purifying any demon that got in his way, ran to Sango and ushered her down a steep slope under the protection of several large, dead trees.

The look she gave him was menacing, and he knew that if she had enough breath to speak, she would be asking "What the hell do you think you're doing?". However, she merely shoved her elbow into his gut and tried climbing her way out of the small ditch, but didn't last long; her limbs were shaking so badly that it was very soon when she collapsed, clutching her large boomerang. It was then that Miroku realized that his body was shaking also, and he slowly sank down beside her, cupping her face. She had closed her eyes and was breathing heavily, and her face had become flustered from all of the fighting. She had never looked so gorgeous.

"Hands off," Sango said softly, and Miroku was surprised that he could even hear her above all the catastrophe going on several feet above them. Laughing in a pained sort of way nonetheless, he removed his hands and cupped her own.

"You need to rest..." Miroku reprimanded gently. Sango opened her eyes and stared at him, and the fire that Miroku was so used to seeing burned as brightly as ever before. He smirked at her and nodded.

Minutes later, the battlefield saw the return of the priest and demon slayer.

**Important Note**

Okay, begin raging... NOW.

I know, I know. I took forever and a year to upload this dang chapter. And I know that it's not as long as the others, too.

"Miyopiyo, what the hell you doin'?" some of you may be asking. Well, I'm going to be VERY honest with you guys. I've reached a point in my life where I don't really think writing is a suitable outlet for me anymore. What do I mean? Well, I had always used creative writing as a sort of vent to siphon off my feelings, as I'm sure is the same for some of you who are reading this. I've been writing for so long that, well, I suppose it's really become quite a boring hobby now.

I will guarantee to you guys that there will be ONE more chapter to this story (that does not mean the story is ending)-I have big news to tell you all, but I don't want to break it to you just yet. However, until that time, I would like you to consider that this story is on hiatus. I know you guys don't want to hear that, but there it is. Not only this story, but also everything related to my fanfiction life. And I don't want you guys to get too excited at the prospect of another chapter-though I guarantee that there WILL be one, it will not be out for a while. And after that chapter is up, I'm gone. I'll be too busy to upload any more chapters after that. I'll try as hard as I can, but DO NOT expect anything from me for the next several years.

HOWEVER, if you guys still want to keep in contact, then please shoot me a Private Message by going to my Profile! Really, your guys' reviews are great and thank you all for taking the time leave your opinions, but there is no greater happiness to me than seeing a message in my inbox asking me to be friends with you. I really want to get to know each and every one of you guys, and though I can't devote my time to fanfiction or writing, it's a completely different story when it comes to making new friends. So, send me an email or something! You can talk about whatever you want-the weather, the color you painted your bedroom, even if there's an annoying fly buzzing around your head, I don't care! I'll respond to you, I promise.

My only request from you guys is that, if you do decide to make friends with me, DO NOT ASK ME TO READ ONE OF YOUR STORIES OR TO BECOME BETA FOR YOUR WORK. If you already asked me before I posted this chapter, of course it doesn't apply to you, but my beta status is now unavailable. As I said before, I will spend time just chatting with you guys for fun, but I can't use up time to edit or read/review your stories. I'm sure they're good ones, but just be patient and ask me again when I come back to being a full-time writer.

Love you all,

~Miyopiyo