"I missed? I had a clear shot!" Kagome lamented as her arrow hadn't hit the mark.
"No, you did not." Sesshomaru said.
"What armor is that? That's unlike anything I've ever seen." Inuyasha commented.
"Impressive, isn't it?" Naraku drawled out smirking as he stopped some feet away from them. "Reintegrating my incarnations have given me an impenetrable armor, among other attributes."
"So that was your plan for them all along?" Kagome questioned haughtily. "To let them think they were gaining their own strengths and abilities only to take them for yourself."
"Here I thought you would be glad, now there is only one of me to fight." Watching as he snaked his eyes to Sesshomaru his smirk widened. "And don't think for a moment I haven't given up on absorbing your powers Sesshomaru."
"Enough of this nonsense." Sesshomaru hissed out. Lowering his head somewhat he charged much to Kagomes protest. Unsheathing Tokijin in one swift move he swung at Naraku only to have it be met by the armor he wore.
Pressing down harder Sesshomaru dug his feet in using a considerable amount of his strength to no avail. Chucking in his face Sesshomaru met his eye and growled.
"My turn." Naraku stated. Feeling a sudden build up of energy Sesshomaru jumped back. An orb formed around Naraku as dark tendrils snaked around his body within it.
"Everyone take cover!" Inuyasha shouted as Sesshomaru covered Kagome with his body wrapping his arm securely around her as he still held the Tokijin.
Jaken hurried Rin and Shippo on to An and Un as the dragons took flight.
"No! Lord Sesshomaru! Kagome!" Rin cried out as they were taken away with a considerable amount of Samiyosho trailing them.
"Hiraikotsu!" Sango shouted wiping out the insects allowing them an escape. Kirara went closer to the ground to allow Miroku to climb on as she took them to higher ground.
Inuyasha braced himself placing the Tessaiga in front of him. Their motions lasted only a few moments as time seemed to slow down before Naraku blasted the energy field out from his body and it erupted into a massive cloud of miasma.
Holding her breath Kagome closed her eyes against the choking mist that threatened to blind her. Burying her face against Sesshomaru she grasped for him with her free hand while she clutched her bow tightly.
Jumping up at the same time as Inuyasha allowed them to get a better view of the area. Naraku had covered it in a sea of miasma. The shrine was no longer visible as it had been engulfed in the brackish fog ensuring there was no safe place for them to land.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted. "Can you see the jewel?"
Reopening her eyes she straightened herself out as she peered over Sesshomarus shoulder.
"There's too much miasma. I can't get a read on it." She replied.
"Kagome! Inuyasha!" Miroku called out as Kirara flew closer to them. Sesshomaru remained suspended in the air while Inuyasha began to fall back down.
"Time to see if this stuff works; hiraikotsu!" Sango said throwing her heavy weapon down to try to clear a path of the poison. As it cut through Inuyasha landed on the ground charging forward with sword ready.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled out worriedly. Having the top of the shrine cleared Sesshomaru placed her down on its highest point.
"Seek out Naraku. We will weaken him to the point you can shoot the sacred jewel from his body." He commanded.
"Sesshomaru." Kagome said staring at him with fear etched into her eyes.
"No matter what happens we will be free of his influence in our lives, one way or another." Sesshomaru said before he jumped down. Kagome watched as he took the same path Inuyasha had before disappearing into the miasma.
Desperate she scanned around to find where Naraku was. Shaking her head she didn't know if it was because of the stress of the situation or her own inability but she could not sense it anywhere.
More so she didn't hear any sounds of battle, it was as if they had vanished. Notching an arrow she infused it with her sacred energy watching as the aura flowed from her fingertips into the arrowhead.
Aiming for the miasma she held her breath before releasing it clearing a considerable amount of the poison away. As Sango and Miroku fought off the barrage of insects she stared down at the ground sensing something.
It felt like Sesshomarus energy but it seemed to be mixed with Inuyashas.
"Something is wrong." She whispered to herself. Swallowing hard she looked away for a moment before the world turned upside down on her.
The sound of wood cracking came to her ears as the shrine crumbled under her feet and she was falling. "Ah!" Screaming out she braced herself for impact.
Bracing for impact she closed her eyes tightly only for it to never come. Opening one lid at a time she looked around feeling her mouth drop. "No. This isn't real. It's an illusion."
Shaking her head from side to side she stood in front of the sacred tree on the grounds of the Higurashi shrine. It was wrong though. There was no drone of traffic from the city or any other signs of life for that matter. The silence was deafening.
Turning around slowly forced her to take a step backwards. "Naraku! What have you done with Sesshomaru and Inuyasha? Where are they?!"
"Don't you recognize their demonic energy Kagome?" Naraku questioned low in his throat his voice sounding more harsh than usual.
"No! They never would have allowed themselves to he absorbed! This is just another one of your tricks!" She shouted aiming her weapon at him despite her hands shaking considerably.
Laughing out darkly Naraku held out his hands palms up. Kagome felt her breath quicken and then become stuck in her chest as the Tessaiga and the Tokijin appeared in his hands.
"Still unconvinced?" Naraku queried. "Perhaps you would like a demonstration of my new found abilities."
Raising the Tokijin Kagomes eyes widened as she shot an arrow at Naraku that once again easily was deflected by the hard armor. Shivering from head to toe she reached backwards towards the tree stumbling and becoming entangled by her own feet. "Dragon strike."
Cowering in front of the tree she raised her energy to form a barrier around herself covering her head with her hands and yelling out.
The attack engulfed her and assaulted her energy with each prick soon becoming a stabbing pain.
"Sesshomaru! Inuyasha! Help me!" She shouted out as blood began to drip from her hands as she was sliced.
"Ha! Stupid woman. They can't save you and it is all your fault. Your inability has brought them to their fates of joining with me." He gloated as he next raised the Tessaiga. "Adamant barrage."
Compounded by the shards of adamant Kagomes barrier began to break as she felt the burning pain of electricity flow through her body.
Convulsing and screaming she felt her limbs lose control as she slumped down on the ground unable to move. Breathing shallowly as her vision tinged from red to black she knew it was over except this time there was no second chance and no one to save her.