Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha

A/N Can I say Wow? The amount of reviews I've gotten for this fic have been very inspiring I must admit. Thank you very much for you support, especially those that have been with me from the very start a couple of years ago. Really, I'm so happy. I hope you guys enjoy this final chapter, but don't be sad yet. There is still the epilogue after this. So one more posting before it's done. Well then, Enjoy! (:

P.S I meant to post this last week, but I obviously didn't because I've gotten rather busy with portfolios. So, I apologize for the tardiness.

Anyways, enjoy. And don't forget to review!

Awakened Dead

Chapter 24. December 18th

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"Kagome do you know what you missed!"

"Hojo-kun made a move on—"

Oh please, Kami please stop them now.

"—And then they went out to the corner of the gym—"

What was with all this drama? Especially over a guy she had no interest in.

"Oh and don't forget the part about—"

Then again, this was high school after all.

Still, why hadn't she stayed home today? Why had she been so adamant about coming to school and being a good student? Inuyasha had even encouraged her to stay home by making her sleep in too late. She had missed her first couple classes because of him and of course to top it all off her clock was broken.

No, not by Inuyasha in one of his fits. But by her. Her!

She had thrown it at him, completely forget for a split freaking second that it would go through him, which it did, causing it to crash into her wall. This created a new dent for her next poster to cover up, oh and of course she needed yet another clock. Well, not technically since the last time her clock went airborne Sango-san had convinced her to buy two instead of one. So she had one already waiting for her in her closet. It was the poster part that would be difficult.

Inuyasha didn't like her putting up posters of sexy shirtless men. So what else could she put up?

Maybe a calendar?

'Nah, not very useful for me.' Kagome listed off as a no, continuing her brainstorm while the three babbling girls in front of her, otherwise known as her friends, continued their rant about the previous evening. So she had missed some people hitting on others and yada yada, what was the big deal? To Kagome, she had some bigger fish to fry. Such as this whole get-Inuyasha's-body-back thing. That and there had been something else bothering her.

Obviously it was supernaturally related, because what else would her life be in turmoil about?

Basically she had gotten a message via text from Jakotsu-san and Bankotsu-san saying that there had been some minor demon sightings around town again. Great. Before she could even think of texting back they had sent her a message shortly afterwards stating 'don't worry about it'. Okay, fine. Except how did they expect her to do that? She could very well feel the presence of those youkai, albeit not anywhere nearby, but still residing in the city. Ever since last nights little encounter, she had been having a better grasp on her senses concerning youkai. She was able to feel them out, most likely because of their auras, and know in general where they could be found. So if last night was at all comparable to today, how in the hell were they going to kill flying demons if there were any?

Oh, new message.

Huh, guess that's where Kagura-san came in.

From what the message describes, she's able to manipulate the wind, causing deadly blades and tornadoes that could kill any flying demons without much of an issue. 'So where was she last night? Oh right, skipping out on the Formal to stay at home and watch movies while eating popcorn. I guess she's making up for the loss of fun from yesterday…' The girl snapped shut her cell and sighed lightly in relief.

"Can we go yet? These screechy girls are annoying." Inuyasha complained next to Kagome, his ears pinned against his skull in an effort to muffle them out. "I'm getting a damn headache."

On a lighter note, ever since the Tessaiga was moved to the new location, things around the house have turned back to normal. Inuyasha didn't have any form of complications with his demonic aura in the morning and was back to his teasing and cocky self. She didn't even feel all that heavy and moody in her room anymore like she had been for the past little bit. 'I shouldn't have been stupid when it came to the ancient sword in the first place. But either way, things worked out. Though not completely. I still have Inuyasha to worry about.' She shot him an apologetic glance. She had come to school to pick up on some extra notes for the exams. She couldn't just leave, especially since she missed some of her morning classes.

Thank Kami the teacher had finally shown up, briefly telling the class to simmer down enough so that he could finish up his lesson and hand out more study notes. Of course that didn't stop the three girls from passing her notes, basically foretelling the multi ability girl that she was in for a slow, torturous day.

Oh joy.

-X-

"Are you okay Kagome-san? You seem a little tense?" Miroku-san asked the girl during the lunch hour. "And why are we on the roof today anyways? It's cold out here…"

"I can't feel my toes…" Sango-san also added.

Kagome shivered violently, sipping her hot chocolate to try and keep warm. "Y-Yuka-chan Eri-chan a-and A-Ayum-mi-chan won't stop harassing me about l-last night." Her teeth chattered and her nostrils were beginning to stick together. Damn it was cold today! So stupidly cold! Oh… Inuyasha was giving her a really annoyed look. 'Probably not happy about me being out here.'

"You mean to say w-we're up here because of them?" Sango grumbled irritably. "Look, why don't we go back inside, swallow our great fears and tell them to shove it?"

Miroku looked at her in surprise, as did Kagome.

"What!" Sango snapped. "I don't like the cold…" She added in her self-defence.

"I second that motion then. I also dislike the cold… I would rather face those harpy girls than this." Miroku added, leading the group back inside for some much needed warmth. He even had to tug Kagome inside, the girl surprisingly putting up a pretty good fight.

"Inuyasha you had better be coming too!" Kagome shouted back at the hanyou poltergeist, the boy still standing with a cocky grin on his face right outside the door.

"Nah, I think I'll sit this one out. I don't think I can take another minute of their mindless chatter."

That little… Oh she was going to sit him alright!

Except that Miroku had pulled her in and slammed the door shut right behind her with a lovely thud, bidding a temporary goodbye to the stubborn half demon. If it weren't for the fact that he was a poltergeist right now, he would be thinking that the moron had a death wish. There would be no way in hell that Inuyasha would survive that long after his revival. Assuming that this whole thing works to begin with, Miroku would be willing to bet that Kagome would sooner sit him into a cozy place in hell well before a week was over.

"I can't believe—It's not fair!" Kagome complained childishly. "You should have heard them this morning! I don't want to face that again! And—Wait—Where were you two this morning!" Kagome pointed an accusing finger at the two of them, raising a brow.

Miroku simply coughed and softly explained that he came in late while Sango merely turned scarlet and squeaked out a similar response.

Damn them… They probably slept in and had some sort of heavy make out session, as if she needed to think of them—'Higurashi! Stop that right now! That is down right nasty and so not what I need imagery of right now.' She needed to clear her thoughts, something that was usually a bit easier. Argh, she hated being stressed! 'I need to find a spot where it's nice and quiet, maybe relax, meditate, go over the spell a couple more times in my head.' She thought, beginning to chew on her lip.

Though where could she go to find peace? She was at school, which was important, so maybe right now wasn't the best time to meditate. 'But my thoughts are all over the place. I'm so jittery and anxious. Exams are around the corner and tonight we're supposed to try and help Inuyasha and I really need a moment before I get my butt yelled at again by those girls I call friends.' She let out a small groan.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure there is nothing to worry about." Miroku spoke convincingly.

Ha, he hadn't been there this morning. So how would he know?

Once they were back inside the school halls, Kagome had miraculously separated herself from the group right before said three girls had assaulted them. Questions of the recent rumours were asked, and the teens were all wondering about the relationship between the pervert and their precious Sango-chan. Giggling darkly to herself, Kagome had slipped away towards the library, hoping to get some form of meditation done in the large space.

Ah, today was already beginning to look brighter for her.

-X-

Overall, today had been the most exhausting of all days she had ever experienced. The fact that she had to be on constant girl alert didn't help any either. Plus there was the screechy Ayame-hime that came in during one of Kouga-sensei's lectures, cutting the class short and making most of the student body cringe at the high-pitched voice. Though Kagome at this point was immune to the pitch and merely laughed nervously at the wolf demons affection towards her sensei.

It was during her walk home, when she was inwardly reciting yet again the chant Jakotsu-san had taught her, that Inuyasha had spoken up. He had finally reappeared after ditching her for nearly the entire day.

"Ya know, those two are a lot closer these days. More so than I have seen in awhile." The hanyou poltergeist spoke up in all honesty, stuffing his hands in either of his sleeves.

"The Holidays do bring people together." Kagome shrugged off automatically, turning after a minute to face the calm hanyou with a fierce glare. "H-hey! Where have you been all day mister?"

He glanced at her briefly. "Feh, I can go wherever I want wench."

"Says you! You're usually glued to my hip!"

"Ya well, I didn't want to hafta bear the company of those annoying human girls all damn day. They can make any person loose their mind." He snorted. "And besides, they're your friends, not mine. So they weren't my problem."

Oh what a prick. Not even willing to suffer along side of her…

She was so jealous of him right now.

'I wish I had the ability to be invisible. And to appear wherever I wanted to.' Kagome mentally groaned, sighing loudly without realizing it. Kami it had been one of those days. The best part was that it wasn't even close to being finished. Note the sarcasm used in that sentence. Tonight was the night she would be attempting to free Inuyasha, thus the practicing of the spells thing. She really needed to know her shit and was beyond worried of screwing this whole thing up. All it would take would be a small mispronunciation and boom!

One freed demon or possible hell portal. Which was worse really? A hell born demon or an actual rip in this dimension allowing demons from hell to come over freely? 'I guess it'd be the portal…'

'But the way I was warned about this demon in Inuyasha… It sounds terrifying. I don't even know if I can handle something like this. What if I really can't do anything about it? What if Inuyasha gets put back into the sword? What if—'

"Oi wench." Inuyasha's gruff voice broke the girl from her panicking and trailing thoughts, grounding her back to earth. "I dunno what you're thinking about, but would ya calm down already? I don't like it when you get all worried." He added the last part in a mumble, nudging the girls' arm with his own in a form of comfort.

Didn't he know that tonight they were going to break the spell? Wasn't he at all worried?

How could he be so damn calm all the time!

She opened her mouth to yell at him again, but was interrupted by the buzzing of a new text message from her reliable informant, Jakotsu-san. She had pulled out her cell phone and read over the message quickly, mumbling something about 'A late night' under her breath. She was supposed to meet up with the boys a little bit into the evening, preferably around ten-ish. Just enough time for at least her grandpa to be asleep. Souta would most likely still be up (it was Friday night after all), but he could cover for her.

"You don't hafta do this Kagome, you know that. Right?" Inuyasha muttered towards her, shadowing his face with his silver bangs.

The girl stiffened, shutting her cell and pocketing it. The nerve of him! Did he really think she wouldn't do anything and everything in her power to set him free? Not only was she doing this for him, to give him his second chance, but she was selfishly doing this for herself too! She… She was in love with the idiotic blockhead.

Didn't he get that?

"Don't be stupid!" She barked out harshly. "I'm not going to let you stay locked up forever in that stupid sword. I mean, don't you see? Don't you think I was born in this freakishly powerful body for a reason? This was all meant to happen. I know it. So…" She struggled a bit with her words, feeling a bit sheepish now. "So please don't have any doubts in me."

He had wanted to argue back, that much she had noticed. Surprisingly though, the hanyou had kept his mouth shut, simply snorting at her but otherwise not saying another word. Needless to say, the rest of the walk home was made in silence.

-X-

Saying she was really really ridiculously nervous at the moment would be an understatement.

She was freaking terrified.

Because not only was she standing within the sealed iron room by herself, but also she was standing in it with a bubbling, heavily tainted yet innocent enough looking katana a few feet away from her. Although it was sitting in a devils trap, it still gave off a foul aura that weighed like led on her shoulders. Which was why everyone else was standing safely on the other side of that thick iron door. The aura in here was so bad, that Miroku couldn't even take standing in here for more then a few minutes. Besides, it was better this way. They really didn't know what to expect during this incantation thing.

"Are you ready?"

Oh yeah, like that didn't scare the pants off of her. Of course she had forgotten that Inuyasha was standing behind her… He had been so quiet that it had momentarily slipped her mind that she had let him in with one of her barriers. Duh.

"W-well, I-I think s-so." Kagome lamely stuttered, feeling a bit embarrassed at her show of weakness. 'You can do it Higurashi! Stop being a wimp! It's just like before. Just like what you did in your mirror on Halloween.' She mentally encouraged herself.

This little encouragement was then followed by a surprising grunt from the poltergeist behind her.

"Don't worry so much wench, you'll wrinkle."

Gee, that was exactly what she needed to hear. Well, kind of anyways. It was sort of his way of saying 'chill, you'll be fine'. So she had swallowed hard and taken a small peek back at the iron door. The latch to look inside was open, and there stood Miroku-san and Sango-san, both nodding at her with confidence. The other Hunters and the Wind Witch were back upstairs, standing guard outside of the store (in case more demons would somehow be drawn in by this aura). She sort of felt bad for them since it was supposed to be really cold this evening. Like a my-nostrils-are-sticking-together-after-breathing-in-once type cold.

Yep, it was chilly out.

And here she was, delaying the inevitable by thinking about everyone else. But hey, this was her way of calming down under tight situations. Breathing in slowly, she took in the scene around her, mentally imagining herself back in her washroom. This was almost exactly like then, except now she would be saying some foreign words she didn't really understand. Though candles were lit around her the lights were still on, and the room had been cleared of anything valuable. It was virtually empty, ready to do battle with this supposed great demon from hell.

Well then, it was time. She was ready. She knew she was. And she absolutely believed in what she was doing. One hundred percent for sure. So that's why she began the chant, slowly beginning with the ancient phrases, one by one she continued knowing that there were a total of thirteen phrases to be said (the last one needing to be chanted three times so really it was more like ten ish and a half…). Gradually as she spoke one spell after another, the aura would increase.

The demon was beginning to come out.

Inuyasha, who stood directly behind her, had begun to growl in his territorial way. His own demon blood stirring within him. Naturally his stripes had surfaced almost as soon as he was let into this room. But now his transformation was much more along then it had ever been in the past. He was more primal, feeling more violent than usual. Almost as if he wanted to hurt his mate who was standing in front of him, just for the sake of feeling his claws run through flesh once again.

Oh the smell of blood…

No! No he had to focus, had to protect. This was his purpose. Protect her from himself.

This thought though, this primary rule of his was getting even more difficult to keep in mind. As the aura thickened, and the Tessaiga coated itself with that awful and yet familiar smell, he could tell that it was close now, the demon was almost out. This scent brought back the fresh memories of that night in the Sengoku Jidai. It was the very smell his nose picked up before the world had gone black for him. And that chuckle… It was pure malice.

His ears perked at the familiar sound just as Kagome's voice shouted for the last time that final phrase. That's when it was released, burning out all the candles in whoosh of air. And though that demons voice was infused with his own, the chuckle it made was still as bone chilling as he remembered it to be.

There stood that hell born youkai in his meat suite. He looked exactly like he remembered himself being. Clad in red clothing, long silver hair, fangs and claws. The only difference being the face. The face that was on Inuyasha's body was terrifying.

Blood red eyes with blue tattoos encircling them on his skin. The jagged stripes were doubled and attached to the blue markings, the thing grinning its large fangs as it let out another chuckle. Behind him lay the Tessaiga, no longer carrying any other aura besides a dull golden one. However the rest of the devils trap was completely encased with a thick purple mist, poisonous by the looks of it.

'Kami, this was what he looked like when he got sealed? He's… He's not even himself!' Kagome clenched her fists, feeling pretty pissed off now at this smug youkai. Oh was she ever going to wail on him.

"So." It began to speak; its voice intermingled with Inuyasha's natural voice. "This made waiting all the more interesting. Kukuku… To be awakened by one of your kind, this brings back fond memories."

'Memories?' Kagome blinked in thought. Well what the hell was that supposed to mean?

"I see you do not know who I am? I suppose that bitch Midoriko would be stupid enough not to mention me." He spat darkly, his eyes glinting when he noticed the girls' attention. "Oh, so you do know of her after all?"

Kagome bit her lip, feeling Inuyasha stir uncomfortably behind her. She knew she was being stupid by asking, but she couldn't help it. "H-how do you know Midoriko-sama?" Damn her stutter!

The youkai chuckled deeply, his eyes widening with madness. "That woman… She was the one responsible for creating me of course!" He bellowed, delighted by her shocked face. "If she hadn't slain me as that weakling half demon Onigumo, I would never have been reborn as this powerful creation." He lifted a clawed hand, increasing the thick purple mist around it. "A new youkai born from several in hell. Powerful enough to rise up again and to take a new body."

She was gently increasing her own spiritual powers not only to counteract this horrible air, but to be cautious enough to have a bow ready at her side. "So what, you decided to come back to kill more people?"

"Precisely. I delight in causing harm to others, more specifically through deceiving and trickery. As a shape-shifting half-breed I could do so without more than a thought. Until that woman found me. Quite a powerful body she had… Exactly like the one you are currently possessing. Much better than the one I am residing in I'm sure." He licked his lips in excitement. "Yes, you are exactly the thing I had been searching for when I originally returned from the depths of hell. The perfect host for this new power of mine."

Oh my Kami was she ever getting pissed at him. Did he really think he was going to get this fine piece of ass so easily? Stupid… "Good luck with that. 'Cause there is absolutely no way of you getting out of that so effortlessly pal." Kagome gestured to the circle on the floor. "Plus I'm not naïve enough to come in here unprepared." 'Not like before.' She mentally added.

No way was she a weak little schoolgirl anymore.

"You dare to challenge me? The great Naraku born from the flames of hell?" He questioned in all curiosity, very amused with this human's spirit. "How remarkable this is."

"K'gome.." Inuyasha growled behind the girl wearily, a full range of snarls escaping his lips as he watched his own body ahead of him move without his soul inside. "Kill it." He grunted, trying to convey the message of 'shut the hell up woman and kill that thing already!' in his demonic form.

She did partly understand what he was saying, it was time to stop gathering information since the longer they waited to get rid of this Naraku entity, the thicker this poisonous evil aura would get. "I don't care who you are, born or not in hell I won't let you stay in that body! Or in this world for that matter. If Midoriko-sama was able to kick your butt in the past, then you had better believe that I can too!" She bit her lip to keep from growling inhumanely.

This prick was laughing at her! Like full blown laughing at her as if she had told a stupid joke. She couldn't believe it. Unbelievable.

When Naraku had calmed his laughter somewhat he had eyed Kagome with his crimson gaze. "Such spirit, and yet you do not see your dilemma? If you want that filth to be able to re-enter this flesh then you can't hurt me. So you see, I've already won. I am free of that irritating spell and can now resume my plans."

There was no way he could do that, because he was stuck inside this chamber with her. Stuck inside that circle! He couldn't even—Wait, what was that noise? Something burning... Kagome's blue eyes darted around Naraku, who still stood grinning with those frighteningly large fangs. That's when she noticed him walking forward outside of the circle, well what was left of it at least. 'He burnt the markings on the floor with his aura. It was like pouring acid on it!' She thought in alarm, her face drained of its colour. She swallowed hard and kept taking a step back for each step forward he took.

Well shit.

"Afraid yet little ningen? I hope so, for you see possessing that body of yours would be exactly what I would need. That great power encased with my own, we could do so many things. Raise armies, open the gates of hell and rule the worlds." He continued to walk forward, each step slowly melting away the salt and iron that covered the floor. "Join me willingly, and perhaps I will allow you some enjoyment during our conquering." He held out a clawed hand towards her.

Kagome inwardly whimpered now that the safety net was taken way. 'What do I do? What can I do?' She took another step back, shaking her head at him. "I w-won't let you take my body!" Stupid stutter. Where had all her confidence gone?

"Then I will take it with force."

That's when Inuyasha could no longer hold himself back. His urge to protect Kagome had just won him over and pushed him forward to attack his own body. Of course despite it being his body, his claws merely slipped through the flesh, not even causing a small scratch.

"Oh?" Naraku purred in delight. "I see you are as pathetic as I remember you to be."

Inuyasha went to slice at his possessed body again, his clawed hand entering the body before suddenly freezing. With great dread settling in his stomach, his mind slowly began to see that he was stuck. His hand was stuck inside his own chest.

"You useless mongrel. You can't harm your own body like you can a hunters or a priestess for that matter. You are weak, not even worth reabsorbing into this horrible excuse for a meat suite. But I will anyways, just to silence your irritating growls." Naraku bent forward, orbs widening along with his sickening smile.

Kagome could only watch helplessly as Inuyasha's soul started to fade, the boy returning to his body against his own will at this point. 'No! No if he goes back now—I can't—I'll kill him!' She thought in distress. "Inuyashaaa!" She cried in desperation, only receiving a whisper of her name from his lips before his form had completely disappeared within his body.

Naraku rolled his shoulders back, breathing out easily in satisfaction. "Now then girl, where were we before that mutt had interrupted us so rudely?"

Honestly, her brain was now working overtime trying to think of various ways to get rid of this thing without harming Inuyasha's soul or his body. 'He says I can't do squat, but I know that's bull. Maybe a priestess can't do anything, but a necromancer sure as hell can! As long as I have my amulet he can't possess me, so first thing is first!' She dropped her purifying abilities that had been curling within her palms to form her bow. Instead, she started to concentrate on her other half of her identity.

"Giving up are we?" Naraku taunted, resuming approaching her.

She shot him an icy glare. "Over my dead body." She grounded out darkly, giving her first mental push at his demonic soul.

He struggled with his next step and instead took a small one back with a hint of disbelief to his expression. "As expected, you do have some form of understanding to your abilities. However it will take more then a simple nudge to force me from this body." He snorted almost as if insulted by this show of weakness.

'That was a nudge to him? A freaking nudge?' Kagome mentally shouted, trying yet again to pull him out of that body. She even imagined her usual veil, a hand reaching out and giving a firm tug. When he brushed off the attempt like it was nothing she decided to try shoving him instead of pulling. Of course it did nothing, not even making him flinch. 'I don't get it, I've pulled possessing souls out of a host before. I can even summon them. Why isn't this working?' She took another step back from him.

Crap, she really needed a plan C right now.

'Think Higurashi. You've got time before he realizes that your amulet is protecting you. So come on! Why isn't my power working on him? He's a possessing youkai, so I should have power over him.' She felt beads of sweat gathering at the back of her neck. Kami, what could she do? Glancing around the room, she couldn't even locate where the door was let alone Miroku and Sango's eyes. She really could use their support. She didn't even know where the walls were; all she could see was a deep purple mist. The only thing that wasn't covered in it was her because her body was naturally purifying it as it neared her.

'What's the point of being super strong if I can't even use these stupid powers to save the person I love in the first place? I—' She had final backed into one of the iron walls of the room, swallowing hard. This was the end of the line. It really was. Her confidence was gone and all that she was left with were these legendary powers that just weren't working—'Wait a sec, why are my powers so strong in the first place?' She questioned herself.

"It's the end of the line. I'll be taking that body little girl."

She ignored him as he continued to near her. 'I am unique because I was born with miko and necromancer abilities. Both equally boosting the other in a continuous circle. That's why they are so limitless. Midoriko's book said so. To get the best results I can't just use one at the time, I need both to take down a true demonic possession. I need both!' Kagome gasped, partially loosing her breath when a hand had wrapped itself around her throat.

"I'd say you put up a fight, but it was hardly anything comparable to that bitch Midoriko. So farewell little ningen, I will do much with this gift of yours." He smiled sinisterly, opening his mouth to transfer himself.

Kagome shook not in fear but with determination. She ground her teeth and lifted her right hand. "Piss off!" She spat, sending a jolt of bright blue power into his chest. And oh man did he ever fly. He went as far as across the room, sliding against the floor roughly with a strangled cry. The air around Kagome had purified quite a bit more as her new blue aura circled her, adding a brighter glimmer in her eyes. She began to form the light in her right palm, preparing a bow.

The hanyou body on the floor lifted itself weakly, Naraku looking none too impressed at the sizzling and smoke rising from him. "You bitch, I don't know what you did but I won't let you do it again." He hissed, standing quickly and now running at her. Play time was over, that was for damn sure.

And she couldn't agree more. Her bow had formed in a flash of cracking blue light, an arrow formed in seconds and within those seconds shot at Naraku. The first had missed since he had leapt to the side, but that hadn't stopped her. She had fired arrow after arrow like they were nothing, catching his shoulder once in the process. This in turn revealed a portion of his youkai soul emerging from Inuyasha's body before stubbornly returning inside. She'd have to hit him in the right spot to get him fully out. So the rounds continued until he got to her again. At that point she had given him a firm whack to the forehead with her bow, the thing stunning him.

He choked, the jagged blue markings and red eyes flashing away briefly to reveal Inuyasha's true face underneath.

'Keep going. Almost there!' Kagome took that opportunity to pull back the string on her bow and fired an arrow square in his chest.

Bulls' eye!

A dark, purple-black entity had shot out of Inuyasha's body, floating into the centre of the room with a horrifying screech. His true face shown, Naraku had solidified into the form he had taken when he had risen from hell. A mixture of various demons attached to a pale humanoid chest and head. He had inky long tresses and those same crimson eyes and blue tattoos on his face. He looked positively hideous.

"How dare you!" He roared. "No, it no longer matters for I will take your body and be done with it now!" He moved forward, laughed darkly as he did so until he was inches from touching her. "Mine!" He reached to her neck, but had been forced back by a powerful jolt of searing electricity. Howling in pain, he had hovered away from her with a scream. "Nani?"

Kagome's lip quirked upwards in a smirk. "Baaaka." She yanked out the amulet that was hidden under her clothing, revealing the glowing gem. "I told you I came prepared!"

He showed recognition upon seeing the charm, snarling at the girl in an animalistic manner. "Then I will return to him!" He decided, his youkai spirit flying back towards his original host.

"Oh I don't think so." Kagome's blue arrow struck him before he could even remotely reach that far, freezing him in place. "You've caused enough trouble for several lifetimes." Her aura instantly shifted from blue to pink, the girl now forming a pure pink arrow with her purifying powers.

"No." His crimson orbs shifted to her in slight fear. "No don't do it!" The youkai receiving a flashback of a similar death when he had previously been Onigumo. Except this time, in the form of a spirit, a floating tainted demonic soul, this would truly be the end.

Kagome hadn't even thought twice before letting her pink arrow fly at him. The room had been engulfed in a pink light, the girl realizing that with the uncontrollable amount of purity in here she could easily severely injure Inuyasha unless he was protected. She had swiftly formed a barrier around his unconscious body, wincing when she noticed some pale burn marks on cheek and hands. Looking back up, Naraku's screams had faded along with the light, the iron room looking empty and feeling weightless now that the heavy aura had been lifted. Though it could probably use a little remodelling after all that acidic air…

It was over.

He was really gone.

The bow in her palm had disappeared as well as her barrier around Inuyasha's body. She had trudged over to him, actually feeling a little exhausted and had fallen to her knees next to the motionless body. She had placed her hands on his chest, then one on his burnt cheek. She pulled back in alarm, a gasp escaping her lips. She hadn't even heard Sango or Miroku's shouts when they had entered the room, she was partially frozen in her own reality of disbelief.

He was warm.

His chest was rising and dropping.

"In-Inuyasha?" She blubbered a bit, her eyes watering. She hadn't hurt him too bad, right? He was still in there wasn't he? Or was he in a coma? Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to hit him with those blue arrows. Albeit she had been aiming for Naraku this entire time and manage to even force him out and kill him—Oh gosh she was yammering on for the sake of calming herself down again. Breathing out, she whispered yet again more clearly. "Inuyasha?"

A lone silver ear had twitched.

Kagome placed her hand back on his burned cheek softly. Interestingly enough, she had noticed that as soon as he had been forced back into his body the same beads she had cursed him with had tagged along. They hung around his neck as if his body had always had them, making her smile a bit. "Inuyasha, you need to wake up. I swear if you don't I will say the word and you will not like it."

A painful mumble had answered her call. "Duun't do it… Mmm hurts." He slurred, his eyes slowly opening. "K'gome?"

"Inuyasha!" Both Miroku and Sango said in unison.

Kagome smiled a bit, some loose tears falling. "Y-you're… Warm." She sniffled.

He blinked slowly, now beginning to realize what she was saying. Why he felt so much like crap in the first place. His muscles never got sore like this, and his skin prickled in pain. He felt the absolute need to breathe now, and greedily filled his lungs with her wondrous scent. He was alive. His heart was beating strongly in his chest, and he could feel it speed up as heat rushed to his cheeks in a true blush. He would be jumping with joy and would be gladly using his Tessaiga if he didn't feel so crappy. But sitting up was enough because he was able to grab Kagome, and for the first time, hug her fiercely, sharing his body heat with her.

And obviously he followed that with the most passionate kiss Sango and Miroku had no business in watching.

Oh yeah, he could get used to this.

"Wow wow wow, save the fireworks for later. I might go blind here!" Came Bankotsu's voice from the doorway.

Kagome, whom had somehow ended up straddling Inuyasha sometime during that kiss had turned crimson in embarrassment, shooting a little glare at the giggling Miroku-san and Sango-san.

"Keh! If you're so insulted by it then scram!" Inuyasha barked, about to yell some more when a high-pitched squeal had caused his ears to flatten against his skull. OH damn.

"It worked! It worked! Look at that handsome man!" Jakotsu gushed, trotting into the iron room with a giggle. "Oh I bet you missed me!"

"Not in the least." Inuyasha yipped, suddenly forgetting his injuries and leapt to his feet with Kagome safely in his arms. He cringed at the floating hearts around the approaching flamboyant male and made a couple jumps back to his Tessaiga, managing to snatch it up from the broken devils trap and slipping it into his belt where it belonged.

"No need to be shy!" Jakotsu beamed pleasantly.

"I ain't being shy!" Inuyasha snapped, putting Kagome back onto her feet and setting her aside.

"Jak!" Bankotsu sighed in exasperation.

The boy merely rolled his eyes. "Oh Ban-Ban you can't possibly understand this relationship—" He teased.

Inuyasha made no hesitation when withdrawing his Tessaiga, the legendary fang transforming into its larger form. "Leave me alone! Or I'll use it!"

Naturally this had no apparent affect on him. "Oooh, that's a very large sword." He winked.

Kagome, though exhausted, was very amused by all this and actually amazed by the beauty this sword actually held. She was blown away when it had begun to glow.

If anything, one of his golden eyes had twitched. Encircling the blade with his golden aura, he had formed adamants on the blade. "Back off!"

Jakotsu merely giggled and brushed him off. "Always so serious. My my aren't we just a party pooper? Much like your brother I see. Who is by the way on his way here. When he heard about this whole releasing thing he hadn't even booked a flight. He just took off to the air himself." He laughed.

Inuyasha had coughed. "N-nani?" He shot a glare at Bankotsu. "I'm not even fucking alive for five minutes and you sick him on me and send my bloodthirsty brother after me? You son-of-a-bitch!" He pointed his adamant covered Tessaiga at him. "I should be killing you!"

Bankotsu held up his hands in a surrendering fashion. "Whoa, down boy. I am unarmed you know."

Behind the Hunter, the Wind Witch made herself visible, tapping her fan idly against her ruby red lips. "I wouldn't worry much dear." She hid her smile as she set her eyes on the pissed off hanyou. "Hm, so this is Inuyasha? I've heard much about your brother. Actually he has quite the reputation in the West."

"Keh! As if I hadn't noticed." He grumbled, sheathing the Tessaiga angrily while keeping his eyes on the witch.

Kagome looked quickly between everyone, letting out a bit of a nervous laughter. "U-uh we-well why don't we go upstairs? It's getting late and—"

"Yes upstairs! Get some fresh air—" Miroku cut in, supporting Kagome.

"Maybe even a snack!" Sango-san added with a bright smile, all hoping that the tension would lessen somewhat.

"Sure." Bankotsu had shrugged nonchalantly, leading the way out with Kagura on his arm.

Kagome had shot a thankful glance at her friends before following after them. Though she had hung back a little, to form her barrier and to have that much more alone time with Inuyasha. She had turned to him shyly, her cheeks burning a bit as the memory of landing in his lap in a full out make-out session flashed back to the front of her mind. "So…" she began. "How do you feel?"

Inuyasha had smiled a true warm smile, wrapping his arms around her lower waist. "I haven't felt this crappy in a long time actually. It's in fact nice to be able to feel real pain again. But aside from that—" He rolled his shoulders a bit to loosen them up. "—It feels amazing to be alive again. The blood in my veins, my heart beating—it's an wonderful sensation." He brought her in closer to his chest, nuzzling his way into her hair and inhaling deeply. "I can't thank you enough for doing this for me. Considering the shit I've put you through anyways."

Kagome giggled against him. "You don't have to thank me. Really. But… You could… You could stay with… You know… me? I mean I'd understand if you wanted to go back with your brother to maybe catch up on some stuff—" She began to ramble, and she knew it. Thankfully Inuyasha had silenced her with a reassuring squeeze and had even growled at the mention of his brother.

"Look wench, let me put it this way. You are my mate. Wherever you go I go. I don't plan on separating from you if I can help it." He nuzzled his way down to her neck, giving her a small peck. "I'd even mark you this moment if I knew my brother wasn't on his way here. The prick would only piss me off even more with a dog remark."

"Speaking of which, we really should go back up. I'm feeling a bit of a stir up there."

"The prick?"

"Uhh." She lifted her head, briefly staring at the ceiling. "Yeah.. That was fast. How did he do that?"

The hanyou shrugged. "Most likely took on his second form. A bit of an arrogant move on his part." He grumbled.

"Second form?"

"Yeah, basically a gigantic dog demon—You know what, let's just get this over with. He's probably going to try the same shit and attempt to steal the Tessaiga. Again. Or maybe kill me." He separated himself from his soon to be mate, deciding to link her hand in his tightly.

"Inuyasha, I'm sure he's perfectly capable of holding a polite and rational behaviour. It has been five centuries after all." Kagome said with confidence, forming her barrier around them quickly.

"Are you willing to bet on that wench?"

"Name your terms!"

"I win, I get to make you mine tonight."

"Fine! But if I win, you have to go on an outing with Jakotsu-san."

"Wait—Wh-what?"

"Having doubts?"

"Of course not!"

Kagome clicked her tongue. "Then it's a bet."

When they got upstairs, they headed for the main store doors that led outside to the streets. Inuyasha could already see his brother through the window, his eyes narrowing on the increasing demonic winds around him. As if his brother knew he was being stared at, his eyes had shifted to Inuyasha's, the boys exchanging the fiercest glares.

Heh heh…

"Fine, it's a bet."

There was no way he could loose this.

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A/N So there you have it. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. There will be an epilogue of sorts. Not necessarily long, but it will reveal how the bet ends up and all that. Overall it should tie this story all together and end it well. So, R&R!