Chapter Thirty-eight: The Love of a Vampire

Inuyasha, Miroku, and Naraku were all staring—thunderstruck—at Kagome as the brilliantly shining jewel in her hands, illuminating her pale face as she stared determinedly at them all.

"K-Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted, staring at her, stumbling to his shaky feet as he stared. "How did…?"

Even Naraku's usual smirk had been wiped clean off his face as he stared at the jewel. "So…" he said frowning. "You did have it all this time."

Kagome swayed where she stood, seemingly unable to stand on her own. Suddenly recovering his strength, Inuyasha felt his energy return with a vengeance, not even noticing his injuries anymore, he jumped and rushed to her side just as Naraku lashed out to attack her.

Inuyasha grabbed her around the waist and ducked away just in time. "Idiot," he gasped at her as a tentacle-like claw shot out from Naraku's shirt where an arm was supposed to be. He glared at Naraku in anger, realizing that Naraku was never fighting him seriously to begin with; but now that they had the jewel… there was no longer any point in holding back.

Kagome let out a sharp gasp and he looked down at her anxiously. Her hands were clenched tightly above her chest and through her fingers he could just make out the feeble light from the jewel she still had. "Kagome," he hissed at her, "Just what were you thinking coming here?"

"I…" she gasped out, her brown eyes focusing on him, a weak smile on her face. "I had to see you…?"

"Damn it," Inuyasha whispered as Kagome continued to slip in and out of consciousness and he jumped out of Naraku's next attack. He had to get her out of here… she would surely be killed if Naraku had his way.

He looked around desperately and spotted Sango rushing over to Miroku's side. He looked bad—he had suffered a great amount of blood loss as the scratch wounds on his back stood out through his shredded clothes.

"Miroku…?" she gasped as stabbed through the chains that held him there. "Miroku you better not die on me."

"Sango!" Inuyasha yelled at her as he continued to run from Naraku's unrelenting attacks. "Why'd you bring her here?!"

"I tried to tell her, but she wouldn't listen to me," she snapped back as she ducked around another tentacle that came to close to them. Naraku was looking angrier than ever before and Inuyasha knew that he had finally stopped playing around; now ready to do whatever it took to kill them all.

Gritting his fangs together, he ran around the other side and grabbed hold of the other two before he went bursting through the hole in the wall that he made earlier. Outside in the night sky Kagome opened her eyes to the bright full moon and she felt a weak smile spread on her pale cheeks. She looked up to Inuyasha and whispered, "Inuyasha…?"

"Not now," he told her firmly as he dropped Sango and Miroku at his feet and set her down more gently. "Kagome," he whispered to her alone as Sango went to Miroku. "Just hang on for me…"

"Yeah, sure…" she gasped back with a feeble smile. "I can hang on for awhile…"

"Kagome…" Inuyasha hissed as Naraku emerged from the broken-down building, his tentacles sprouting from his limbs, his eyes towards Kagome's clenched hands.

"You back away from her!" he snarled menacingly at him, spinning around and shielding Kagome from his gaze. "I will kill you if you touch her!"

He then charged at him, with Naraku smirking once again as he dodged around him. "You had better do better than that in order to kill me, Inuyasha," he called to him.

That little smirk enraged him only further as he spun around for a chance for another attack at him. Missing again, he gave a frustrated growl, when all he got for his effort was a shower of dirt from the gaping hole he had made in the ground.

His dog-ears swiveled to keep track of the Naraku's location, determined not to give him the chance to sneak up on him again. Inuyasha turned to face his opponent, growling, "Stop messing around, Naraku! All I have to do is kill you and this will be over! I'm more prepared to kill you now than ever before! I see why you just keep dodging me you're afraid of fighting me head on," he called to him and just like that, Naraku's smirk vanished to be replaced with a look of deep annoyance.

Naraku struck out with a large tentacle leaving a large crater in the ground where Inuyasha had stood a moment ago. Inuyasha saw the crater's size and his eyes widened in shock. He had never seen Naraku so mad before. Kagome was watching the fight with wide, shocked eyes from where she lay. It was hard to tell what she was thinking for she had never seen a fight like this before. Inuyasha was taking a lot of damage from Naraku's attacks, but he was still able to fight on a fairly even level with him.

"Don't make the mistake of thinking I am afraid of fighting you, Inuyasha," Naraku warned him darkly. "And once I take care of you… I'll deal with that woman you love so completely."

That was what did it. A feeling of pure rage went throughout his body. At that moment, he no longer cared what happened to him. He didn't care if he lived or died so long as he could take him with him when he did… he would never let him near Kagome again…

Inuyasha snarled, "You're a dead man!"

"Oh, really? Do you really think you can take me on, defeat me, and live to tell the tail?" Naraku chuckled with amusement at what he thought of as stupidity to try to do such a thing. Inuyasha was ignoring him. He would avenge his friends and everything he's done. Even if he did die trying he would take Naraku with him if that was what it took.

Inuyasha said calmly, "I do not care if I die or not when I fight you as long as I take you with me when I do that'll be enough for me!" And he attacked again. Naraku underestimated his speed and it cost him a deep slice in the tentacle arm.

Inuyasha continued to attack, and Naraku continued to dodge him—missed the claws by a hair, feeling the shirt he wore tearing. Naraku landed on his feet, legs starting to shake and breathing becoming ragged from blood-loss.

"You are through Naraku," Inuyasha snarled, but then Kagome saw something that scared her more than anything else at the moment. Inuyasha's beautiful golden eyes suddenly turned red… the same red eyes that had almost succeeded in killing her.

"INUYASHA!" she screamed at him just as he charged again. Naraku tried to dodge the attack, but too late realized that he barely had enough strength to stand let alone dodge Inuyasha again. Inuyasha's claws went through Naraku's chest and at the same time Naraku's tentacle went through Inuyasha's stomach. Naraku fell backwards and Inuyasha went with him.

Blood pouring from both mouths, she screamed as she forced her aching, tired body to get back up. Gritting her teeth together, she stumbled upright and ran over to where Inuyasha was lying face-down.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome cried out before screaming out, "INUYASHA!"

She collapsed by his side, turning over his body, she could see his handsome face covered in blood as he gasped for breath. She shook his shoulders, trying to wake him up as Naraku continued to spit up blood from where he lay.

"Inuyasha," she cried out, tears falling from her pale face, "Please… please wake up!"

As her hot tears fell onto his face, he finally opened his eyes—and for a moment, they were still blood-red as they had been. But as soon as he saw her, they faded away to be replaced with the golden color that she loved so much. The second that they turned back, she could see that the pain in them seemed to fade to be replaced with a look of complete peace.

Inuyasha turned his head, to look at her. "Kagome… why are you—ugh!" he spoke, gripping onto his chest from the pain.

"Inuyasha, no!" Kagome shouted, holding him tightly against her. "Inuyasha, don't go… I'm begging you!"

"Kagome!" screamed a voice from behind her in time to see Sango there, pointing wildly to the sky. Distracted, Kagome looked up, expecting to see Naraku or another vampire flying down towards them… but instead she could see the moon… it was slowly vanishing as it grew dark.

"The eclipse," she whispered, opening her hands again to see the jewel shining back. "Now…?"

"Kagome!" Sango screamed. "Now is the time! This is our only chance! Do it before it's too late! You know what we want! Wish for it!"

Kagome looked down to Inuyasha and cried. "But what about…?"

"Please Kagome…" Inuyasha gasped out through the blood. She continued to cry, knowing that she should, but her greatest fear at the moment of what might happen if she did. And what of Naraku? She looked up to see him gasping for air as blood continued to bleed from his own neck.

She glared at him, knowing that he was the cause of so much pain… but… at that moment he looked so pathetic that she couldn't wish him dead even if she could. Suddenly, she knew what was to be done.

Looking down at Inuyasha she croaked out, "You won't… go away will you?"

"Not… forever…" he promised holding her hands. Hot tears continuing to fall, she held the jewel tightly, and lowered her head to his lips firmly… possibly for the final time…

She prayed with all her heart… she made her wish…

At that moment, the jewel grew hot in her hands and the blinding light shining around them caused her to wince at the pain as she shut her eyes tightly, only focusing on Inuyasha. But when the light faded, his lips were gone. And when she opened her eyes, she saw that she was completely alone. No Sango, Miroku… no Inuyasha… not even Naraku was here anymore…

Not that she was surprised.

The wind blew gently though the trees. The crickets started to sing again sensing that the danger had passed. The world started to move again, the rest of the world completely oblivious to what had happened here the last couple of days. The only ones who even knew that a battle had taken place was her and her little brother who was back at the house… now possibly scared out of his mind.

For he was now alone in that big house…

She cried as she fell forward, her tears soaking into the ground, "Inuyasha…" she whispered through her sobs. "I love you…"

(I'm not good with battle scenes and I know that this chapter was really short, but it's almost finished now. I hope that even though it was small, you enjoyed it.)