Hey guys. Sorry that I didn't update for the last two weeks! I was really busy. Actually, I'm still really busy. Or maybe I'm just lazy. Something like that. But I apologize! I'm very sorry! Please forgive me! Anywho, here's your chapter.

Save Me From Myself

Chapter Twenty-Four: Fight to the Finish

It was a cave. Did this guy have no originality, whatsoever? Wait, I said that... But whatever! Okay, I can't expect much from Naraku, but he could have done something different, for once. But no, he had a damn cave. The stupid cave that was full of stupidness. GAH!

- - -

The group started to go in the cave, holding onto the wall to find their way as the darkness swallowed them whole. If it was day they might have been able to see, but all they had to lead them was InuYasha's voice as he led them. Shippo, Kirara and InuYasha all could see fine, like it was day out, but the humans were having trouble even telling where InuYasha was.

Soon a dim light could be seen ahead of them. For a while they thought it was something at the end of the cave, but once they arrived there, they realized they had just passed through a tunnel and had ended up in a valley in the mountains.

The moonlight shone off the water in the middle of the valley, making the area seem almost like it was bathed in sunlight. To their right was a small village, cut off from the rest of the world. Kagome watched as a small group of people walked out to the edge of the village and knelt down.

The miko saw a shimmering light and realized that those people were high in spiritual energy and had just put up a barrier around their village.

"They must sense the battle that is soon to come," Miroku said in all seriousness.

"Well, let's not make them wait!" InuYasha said, walking towards the lake in the middle of the valley.

The rest followed, and stood at the edge of the water. No one moved, no one spoke, not even the wind blowed.

The lake started to bubble and bulge, sending the shore line up a foot. A huge grotesque body rose from the water, sending the shore line even farther.

Shippo moved back, not wanting to get wet, but everyone else stayed, the water rising to their knees.

"This is it," Sango said, glaring at the huge body beating and pulsing.

"Do or die," Kagome said, surprising the other three.

"You're acting morbid," Miroku commented.

"No, I'm just trying to be realistic."

"Don't. It's not like you," InuYasha said, taking out his Tetsusaiga.

"Fine. Whatever. Let's just finish this," Kagome said, taking out her bow and nocking an arrow.

Naraku's head popped out of the mass of pulsing flesh and laughed loud and hard. Tenticles and diamond shards flew towards everyone, forcing them to dodge thousands of attacks. InuYasha became angry and used his sword to deflect most of the attacks.

Kagome pulled back the arrow and released it, aiming at where she thought Naraku's heart may be.

It went through his body, but his insides instantly filled in the hole that was made by Kagome's arrow. The young miko gasped when she sensed a familiar presence.

"The Shikon Jewel is in Naraku's neck!"

Naraku laughed once more and said to Kagome, "You're becoming a nusance once more. I'll have to do something about that."

Kagome gripped her head as sudden pain poured into her body. She knew what was going on, but she couldn't do a thing.

"Kagome!" InuYasha shouted, running towards the young miko. Sango and Miroku, knowing that they couldn't help, continued to fight, but glanced back at Kagome once in a while.

"InuYasha! Stay back!" Kagome said to him as he neared.

The hanyou shook his head and said, "No. I won't. You're in trouble."

"The Shikon Jewel isn't what he used to control me. I don't know what it is, but he still has it! You're in danger! I think he wants to get to you from me!" Kagome warned.

InuYasha sat there and tried to stop Kagome from transforming, but it was no use.

"InuYasha..." she moaned, gripping her head tightly.

"Kagome?" asked the hanyou, moving closer to her.

Her hand reached out and grabbed the handle of Tetsusaiga, yanking it out of InuYasha's hand. The sword tried to reject Kagome, but before it could harm her, she threw it far behind her.

InuYasha gasped and looked up to see Kagome, standing tall and looking down at him with wings spread out and claws curled and ready to strike.

"Now it's time for you to die, hanyou," Kagome said, jumping at him with trimendous speed.

She slashed out with her claws and barely missed him, nicking his shirt a little.

"Kagome?" InuYasha asked.

"Don't talk to me like you know me," she said, running at him again.

I have to get the Tetsusaiga! If Kagome hurts me, I could transform! InuYasha thought, running towards his rusty old sword sticking up from the ground. Kagome jumped and blocked him from his path, forcing him to stop and look for another path.

Miroku and Sango couldn't help but notice the other battle going on behind them. While distracted, Sango didn't notice the diamond spear heading towards her from the left.

"Sango!" Miroku shouted, causing the exterminator to turn in time to see Miroku jump in front of her with his wind tunnel open.

The diamond spear was sucked into Miroku's Kazaana, and he winced in pain.

"Houshi-sama!" Sango said as the monk fell to the ground.

"The attack nicked the sides of my hand. I think it's widened..." Miroku said painfully, holding his hand in a fist like it was going to suck him in if he opened his palm.

"Houshi-sama, I'll fight for now. You rest for a bit," Sango said, standing up and blocking any attack that came their way.

A ways away, InuYasha jumped above Kagome, trying to get to his sword. Kagome jumped as well and threw her clawed hand into InuYasha's stomach, throwing him back and knocking him to the ground.

Kagome landed and stood triumphantly above him, smirking down at the unmoving body. She turned away and started to walk away, but stopped at a change of scents in the air.

Naraku laughed. "Your hanyou friend has lost to the youkai blood inside of him," Naraku said to Sango and Miroku, who were trying to protect themselves with the little energy that they had left.

Kagome turned around and saw InuYasha stand up, looking at her with blood red eyes. Two jagged, purple stripes went down his cheeks and his fangs and claws were longer.

The miko's eyes widened as she saw InuYasha.

"You... have changed?" she asked, looking at InuYasha quizzically.

He held out his claws and started to run towards Kagome, intending on taking her head. Kagome jumped back just in time and started to dodge every attack he sent at her.

"You've become better, hanyou. You no longer hesitate while fighting me," said the miko with a smirk.

"I'll kill you!" InuYasha shouted, lashing out at Kagome again.

It was a battle between demons. They glared at each other with red eyes and battled with claws alone. The only main difference between them was that Kagome could fly.

Kagome smirked and said, "I think this has gone on long enough."

Kagome lunged at InuYasha and punched him in the gut, followed by a hard punch in the jaw.

- - -

Meanwhile, Sango and Miroku fought a battle themselves. While Miroku tried to refrain from using his Kazaana by resting and using sutras, Sango was stuck to fight Naraku almost by herself.

Sango sent her Hiraikotsu flying towards Naraku, doing almost nothing except get rid of a few limbs that would just quickly regrow.

Sango got her weapon back and tried to send it flying again, but it was nocked out of her hand by a tenticle. The exterminator turned to try and retrieve it, but was struck in the stomach by another tenticle.

"Sango!" Miroku shouted, getting up and running over to his fallen comerade. He picked her up and put her on his lap while putting up a barrier at the same time.

Sango looked at Miroku warily and said to him, "Houshi-sama... what are we going to do?"

Miroku didn't answer.

End Chapter