Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha. All rights are reserved for Rumiko Takahashi.

The scene before me got worse and worse it seemed. I was supposed to be helping them! Naraku had taken up a sword and had even dared wounding Sesshomaru. I continued to call out to him, with no luck of him hearing me. I tried to recall the information I had been looking for when the memory flashed before my eyes.

***Flash Back***

"Hey Mana? What happens to your power when you die?" I asked while laying on my bed.

"It's a very special power and so there is a very special outcome in death." She spoke quietly as she laid down next to me. "According to other shadow users who weren't born with the gift, they received it from a deceased shadow user. Though I heard it takes a few minutes after death for the power to transfer."

"So in death the power of the shadows is passed on?" I thought about it for a while before I rolled over on to my side to look at her. "How do you pass through a shadow like that?"

"I simply clear my mind and imagine passing through the barrier. All you have to do is believe in the power really..." She smiled at me with a knowing look that I couldn't understand...

***End Flash Back***

I held my breath now as the battle raged beyond me. Sesshomaru was bleeding and Inuyasha wasn't in to great of shape either. I gasped when the shadows went dark around me, killing my ability to see, but when the light reappeared it was in the form of little orbs.

"This is my gift to you... Be strong in life." It was Mana's voice speaking which made renewed tears well up in my eyes. "Do not despair, I died protecting my lady. And in the end I had someone to shed tears for me. Now the gift is yours." The light engulfed me and when I opened my eyes the shadows had become lighter than ever.

"Mana? You gave your shadows to me?" I asked between as the tears fell freely down my face. I stepped up to the shadow screen trying to calm my sorrow. I placed my hands on the barrier and imagined myself stepping through to the other side. "All I have to do is believe in the shadows, right?"

When I opened my eyes I found, to my delight and slight annoyance, that only my finger tips had gone through, but that meant it could be done. I closed my eyes again and concentrated on the shadows once more, but this time I didn't force the thought of going through the shadows. I felt the screen go transparent beneath my hand as my eyes snapped open. I walked through the shadows and found myself face to face with Sesshomaru. I looked up at him and, without any second thoughts, threw my arms around his neck.

"Where have you been?" He asked calmly while returning the embrace.

"I was trapped in the shadows..." I said quietly before pulling back. "And Mana, she-"

"I know," he said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

I looked up at him and then surveyed the battle scene. Inuyasha was taking on Naraku with Miroku and Sango at his side. I looked back at Sesshomaru and then to the wound on his right arm. I placed my hand over the cut and, with a glow of pink, healed it.

"We should end this once and for all." He righted his sword and poised to attack Naraku.

I followed his lead and grabbed an arrow from my quiver. As I put the arrow in place and summoned my powers I could feel the shadows calling out to me. I gasped when my arrow became dark and nearly invisible in the poorly lit room. It was perfect for this kind of environment. I aimed my arrow at Naraku, who surely still thought that I had been killed by his trap. I said a silent prayer in my mind for Mana before I let my arrow fly.

"Inuyasha, don't you see that your attacks are useless to-" He stopped his taunting as soon as my arrow sliced through his chest, revealing that his heart was indeed hidden from us. He growled and turned to see where the arrow had come from which he was dismayed to find nothing but shadows and, of course, the very unhappy Sesshomaru.

"Having trouble spotting your target?" Inuyasha said smugly as he released the wind scar which created a hole in the ceiling.

"Hey Naraku!" I called out from the shadows. "When you try to kill someone, you should make sure they're dead before you go shooting your mouth off. Otherwise you just might dig your own grave- Oh wait you've already done that." I smiled at his confused look as he searched the room for me. I stepped out into plain sight for everyone to see.

"No worries. I shall just kill you with my own hands." He said arrogantly, refusing to admit defeat.

"The scheming Naraku is finally going to get his hands dirty? And all that just to kill Kagome?" Sesshomaru looked beyond unpleasant as he glared at Naraku. "You wont live to lay a hand on her."

"Oh? And I suppose you are going to stop me?" He laughed, throwing his head back, and then smiled at Sesshomaru. "We shall see, Lord Sesshomaru."

I growled and returned to the shadows before Naraku could look over at me again. My process in and out of the shadows was still slow, but it worked to get me out of sight of the enemy. I watched silently from the shadows as he scanned the room again. "Thank you, Mana..." I whispered quietly to myself as I prepared another arrow.

To be Continued...

Thanks for reading! Ok so Mana's Gift is her powers over the Shadows, how awesome is that? Now Kagome can be super ninja! Thank you thank you thank you for the great reviews! Next chapter: Conquering the Shadows. Special thanks to Nosuka-chan! I'm glad you like the story!

-Lala 3