InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Corporate Deception: Fate of Her Land ❯ The Power of Hope ( Chapter 16 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

The final battle between the Taisho Clan and Naraku draws to an end. Who will be the victor in this epic struggle between the malice of evil and the purity of good? Will the Southern Lord get his just desserts or will the Taisho Clan fall in defeat?

Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 07.11.2005 | Updated On: 07.11.2005 | Pages: 12 | Words: 15.3K | Visits: 1.6K | Status: Work In Progress

Corporate Deception: Fate of Her Land

Chapter 16: The Power of Hope

By: TruSuprise

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all affiliated characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko. The views expressed herein are solely those of TruSuprise.

Naraku's chuckle continued to echo across the battlefield while Kikyou remained on the ground before him. Collapsed on her knees, kneeling in defeat, crying, expressionless and devastated. The dark hanyou's cruel smirk slid into a frown when he noticed a sudden distant expression and sensed her detached aura. What was wrong with her now, where had her mind gone off to?

The dark hanyou's laughter died in the back of his throat. He had been preparing his verbal assault, the last insult to injury that would aid him in fully corrupting the Shikon no Tama by further destroying Kikyou. Yet he paused in confusion when the former miko's head shot up and a strange, glassy haze formed over her eyes, her mouth hanging open.

* * *

It was only a second's time, but to Kikyou it would feel like an eternity. Onigumo. His body was dead but his soul was with her, in her mind, speaking with her. Finally detached from Naraku's prison of a tainted body, his soul was bright and pure, no different than he had been when they had first met so long ago.

`Kikyou-san, I'm so sorry.' His quiet voice, so unlike that of Naraku's whispered.

`Onigumo…' Kikyou began, the pain of the discovery of his betrayal still fresh in her mind. Torn, the former miko was undecided between hate, anger, love and longing. Unable to choose one single emotion in the warring sea of choices, she allowed him to continue, hoping beyond hope that her best friend and true love might somehow be able to make up for his terrible betrayal to her.

`I don't have long here, Kikyou, as I'm sure you know.' Onigumo urged with his soul's voice. Though he had just suffered the pain of final death once his deepest secret had been revealed to the one he loved, Onigumo was calm and collected, determined to express to Kikyou everything he had wanted to tell her for the past seven years since he had been trapped in his living prison.

`I want to apologize.' Onigumo explained. `For everything. I'm sorry for not being able to control my anger and hidden desire for you when we were young and I'm sorry for not being able to handle my masked jealousy of Inuyasha when you were with him. I'm sorry for being so weak as to make a deal with such a dark presence as Naraku. I had no idea what aligning myself with Naraku would do to me, but more importantly, I had no idea what it would do to you. Had I known, I would have refused his help and allowed death to take me. But I was selfish. I wanted to live on in any manner I could so I could stay by your side, and Naraku promised to grant me that wish. I just kept remembering that devastated expression on your beautiful face when the doctors told you that I was going to die, and so I blindly accepted his offer.'

Kikyou's anger began to melt away and she tried to interrupt him. `But Oni-`

`No.' Onigumo insisted. `Although this is no excuse for my weakness, it is something that I need you to know. You see, aside from sharing my body with him, Naraku had demanded one term that I fulfill before he would give me the life I wanted back. Of course, he had refused to divulge what that task would be until after I had accepted his help. When I found out that our first task would be to betray you in such a terrible manner, I had wanted out of our deal, but it was too late. Naraku had already bound me to him and I was powerless against his youkai strength to stop him. In my haste to accept his offer I never considered the consequences. I just wanted to see your smiling face again. I never actually thought about what Naraku's own motives were, what his own will to live was. And that is where I first failed you.'

Kikyou's heart throbbed painfully at the hurt and sadness in Onigumo's voice. It was obvious that her love had not wanted any part in the actions that Naraku had forced upon him. Yet the pain of the truth was still fresh in her heart, and she let Onigumo continue without interruption.

Onigumo's soul-voice cracked under the pressure and pain of the memory as he spoke. `I understand that there is no forgiveness for something so terrible as my betrayal that Naraku blamed Inuyasha for. Honestly, I think I almost died that very day, that very moment you opened the door and saw what you thought was Inuyasha with another woman. At that moment, when that monster Naraku used Inuyasha's form to… be with that woman, he tortured me in my own mind simultaneously. Mocking me, prodding me, insulting me. That was bad enough, but I knew how our actions would hurt you, and I hated myself so much that I almost lost my will to live on right then and there. But you know… I think that's what Naraku had wanted. What he had hoped for. And although it did send my consciousness into a reclusive, forced slumber deep within the confines of Naraku's mind, a small portion of me somehow lived on, laying dormant for years until she showed up.'

`She?' The former miko questioned.

`Kagome-san.' Onigumo said softly.

Kikyou sighed. Somehow, everything always came back to her cousin. She was somewhat upset, having long held a grudge against her distant family member, but for some reason she had been expecting to hear her name. If Kagome's power was great enough to make even herself reconsider her own motives, the girl was truly stronger than she gave her credit for.

`She reminded me of you, you know? So pure, so in love. You and I cared for each other so much back then, but we were never strong enough to show our feelings to each other. We had been too proud to leave our own current love interests, no matter how false they might have been. Kagome… she's stronger than that. More pure than you or I ever were. Watching her made me long for the existence I had cheated us of.' Onigumo admitted.

Kikyou sighed. `I'm just as guilty. I'm the one that went running back to you even though I had known a youkai had taken your body.'

`I was weak.' Onigumo admitted. `But you stuck around because you had wanted to help me though, hadn't you? That much I thought I could sense from you over the years.'

`I had hoped I could help you fight him.' Kikyou agreed. `But I was desperate. I was hurt and unsure after finding what I had thought was Inuyasha cheating on me. Though I was never really in love with him, it had been the straw that had broken the camel's back. All the pain compounded and I threw myself into Naraku's arms, even knowing he was youkai. I had hoped to be able to purify him and save you, but ultimately, I had waited too long. In my weakness, I had allowed him to corrupt me the way he had corrupted you. That day, when Naraku joined with your body and I threw myself into your arms, pretending that everything would be all right… I think I died on that day, too.'

`Naraku is strong. Too strong for you and I. But maybe he's not too strong for you, Kagome and Inuyasha together.' Onigumo hinted.

`Do you think?' Kikyou began.

`I only hope, Kikyou-san. I wish I could stay here and help you, but my strength is diminished from fighting Naraku's will, trying to keep his dirty clutches from bringing about your death at his hands.' Onigumo said sadly.

`I had suspected so.' Kikyou replied. `You had been the one to steady his hand on more than one occasion.'

`Yes.' Onigumo admitted. `That had taken a great toll on the small amount of power I had left. And now, with the pain of my secret revealed to you, I have none left at all. Naraku knew that such a revelation to you would mean my death. He knew that I never wanted you to know.'

`Yet, had I known, Onigumo, perhaps this could have ended differently. Perhaps I could have saved you.' Kikyou said sadly. `I wish… I wish things hadn't had to end like this.'

`As do I.' Onigumo agreed sadly.

A short silence passed between them until Onigumo found the courage to speak again. `Kikyou?'

`Yes, Onigumo?' The former miko replied.

`I would understand if it is impossible, but could you ever forgive me of my weaknesses?' Onigumo asked tentatively.

Kikyou could feel her love's anxiety and hope. The knowledge of his betrayal was still painful, yet Onigumo couldn't be held solely at fault. Her desire to reclaim her old purity burned within her. What would Kagome have done? Of course. The first step would be to forgive her true love, to finally release the years old hurt and hatred that she had never let go of.

`With time, I think that might be possible.' Kikyou finally relayed with a small smile.

Onigumo sighed, relieved, and Kikyou could feel the warmth of his soul as a great weight was lifted from him. She smiled.

Feeling the tug of the demons that had arrived to take his soul to the next plain, Onigumo spurred himself on. `I'll see you again Kikyou-san. Perhaps next time, we won't be so foolish. Perhaps next time, we'll do things the right way.'

`Perhaps next time, I won't allow you to get away.' Kikyou said boldly.

Onigumo laughed quietly. `I'd like that Kikyou.'

Kikyou could feel Onigumo's soul disappearing, returning to the place where souls resided. `Onigumo?' She asked anxiously.

`I love you too, Kikyou.' Onigumo replied to her unspoken question.

Kikyou merely smiled as she felt the last traces her first love's soul vanish from her world.

* * *

It had felt like ages, but Kikyou knew that Onigumo had been with her for only a mere second. Her eyes shot open and she found herself staring down at her fallen bow, Naraku's threatening form looming over her in her peripheral vision. Knowing she had only a small window of opportunity, in a sudden spurt of determination, Kikyou's left hand lunged for her bow. Her fingers grasped the supple handle as, with a speed borne of many years of practice, she twisted her body and rolled away from Naraku. She spun to her feet swiftly as she drew an arrow from the quiver on her back with her right hand.

Yet for all of her bravado, by the time the former miko had strung her arrow, a fierce defiance shining in her eyes, when she met those of Naraku, she found she was already too late. The dark hanyou's increased power and speed had already prepared a bolt of miasma intended for her.

“Foolish woman.” Naraku spat as he unleashed his deadly projectile.

Kikyou heard the combined shout of Inuyasha and Kagome together. Her bow and arrow fell to the ground as if in slow motion as Naraku's shouki slammed into her shoulder, singeing her flesh and bone to the center of her upper torso, blood and bits of flesh soiling her miko garb. She knew immediately that the dark hanyou had purposely lowered the intensity of the blast to assure it wouldn't kill her on impact. After all, Kikyou knew he needed her to maintain her barrier at the very least.

Naraku laughed menacingly as Kikyou's eyes widened in shock and pain before she fell forward. Like a rag doll, her body hit the bloodied earth face first. He had dealt her a fatal blow with the intent of keeping her around only long enough to watch the end. He decided to leave her there as she slowly died. Perhaps her consciousness would hold long enough for her to watch the death of the others present.

For the moment, the dark hanyou's attention shifted to the Taisho clan. He was in need of more material to corrupt the Shikon no Tama around his neck that awaited the last bits of hate and sadness it required to release its final wish. Naraku could sense its closeness. Soon, nothing else would stand in his way.

A quick glance of the Taisho clan confirmed the consensus that the group was appalled at what he had done to Kikyou. Flanked by the two humans, the taiji-ya and the houshi, the Western Lord himself was physically restraining his hanyou brother and Kagome. Sesshomaru was the only smart one of the bunch, apparently. A slight smirk tugged at the corner of Naraku's mouth as he sent another shouki projectile into the crowd, intent on thinning out their ranks. After all, those that fell first would be far less entertaining to toy with.

* * *

A loud sound of explosion echoed off the convex walls of the barrier and the smoke slowly cleared from the blast of Naraku's shouki. Slowly, Sesshomaru tentatively opened his dry, bloodshot eyes. He had thrown himself in front of the blast, intending on protecting his pack, yet it was immediately apparent that the shouki's intensity had scattered around him, searching for weaker opponents.

His breath momentarily caught in his throat as his gaze fell on the two humans, his pack subordinates. Sango and Miroku lay on the ground at his feet, their charred bodies unmoving, their facial expressions twisted into frozen winces. They hadn't even had the time to scream.

“Sango-chan…” Miroku choked, wheezing as he gazed at his fallen friend through one swollen eye. He then fell unconscious.

Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands turned back to face Naraku angrily, a look of pure hatred etched into his normally apathetic features. Though he fought to maintain his composure, the situation was rapidly unraveling. Naraku was continuing to gain the upper hand. He quickly calculated his next move, relying on instinct and tactics gained from hundreds of years of fighting to guide him.

A blood-curdling scream broke the Western Lord's concentration, a frantic energy crackling in the air. A quick look behind him confirmed that his brother was turning youkai.

* * *

Tessaiga lay forgotten on the ground at his bare feet as Inuyasha's eyes flashed red, glowing with intensity as his mate clung desperately to his side. He had just watched his past love become mentally and physically devastated. He had then suffered watching his pack sister and pack brother fall in defeat. He could sense both his brother's and Kagura's auras that radiated an uncharacteristic uncertainty, not to mention the growing fear and anxiety he sensed from his own mate. Something drastic had to be done and though it was an unreliable resource, Inuyasha's only answer was to call on the power of his youkai blood.

At the threat of Naraku readying another miasma weapon, Sesshomaru launched an offensive to protect his remaining conscious pack members. A powerful green light erupted from his deadly claws as the power of his dokkasou reached out for Naraku's threatening form, the poison of his claws not quite matching the strength of Naraku's miasma.

The Western Lord snapped his head back over his shoulder, calling to Inuyasha's mate. “Kagome, you must bring Inuyasha back from his youkai blood. He will be of no help to us in his rage.” His words were flat and unannunciated, yet he knew that Kagome had sensed his urgency.

Inuyasha was beyond comprehending human speech as he ignored the voices of his pack alpha and the wind youkai Kagura. His senses blocked out everything but the threat of Naraku before him as his wiry muscles surged with a sudden rush of newfound power. His eyes bled crimson, his pupils beginning to vanish as he almost fully surrendered to his youkai blood.

Though his ears and eyes had long ago blocked out any sound not pertinent to battle, a small voice nagged at the recesses of his mind. Even as he readied to launch himself at the dark hanyou, a confused expression suddenly crossed the Inu-Hanyou's battle hardened face as Inuyasha's primal half, unaccustomed to anything beyond animalistic instinct tried to understand why the voice seemed so familiar to him.

:Mate! Mate! Come back!:

The voice was so…familiar, so comforting, but Inuyasha's berserker mind couldn't place the importance of owner's voice. Finally, he looked down to see a dark haired girl clinging to his muscle bound chest, hanging on for dear life as tears streamed down her face.

:Mate?: His soul-voice asked of the woman.

Inuyasha's youkai sensed a wave of relief from the girl that clung to him. :Yes, baka. Mate. Please come back to pack!: She urged.

:…'baka'?: The darker half of Inuyasha's mind asked, rolling the foreign word around in his mind.

Kagome swallowed, remembering that Inuyasha's primal side was in control at the moment and it was likely not the best time for her to tease him. “Inuyasha, can you hear me?” She called, hoping he could now acknowledge her voice.

Another explosion sounded only a few feet from Kagome's right side, this time created by the collision of Naraku's shouki and Sesshomaru's dokkasou and yet Inuyasha didn't lunge to try to join the battle. Instead, he was waiting for his mate to continue.

A tilt of the Inu-Hanyou's head was Kagome's cue to continue, he was obviously fighting to return. “Come back to me, Inuyasha. I know you're stronger in this form, but you're more careless like this too. You won't help anyone by going berserker and getting yourself hurt! Naraku won't be beat by brute force alone. I need your help, Inuyasha. Please help me!”

Inuyasha's crimson eyes focused on his mate. A single tear slid down her dirt-smudged face, the sickly purple light of Kikyou's kekkai reflecting in Kagome's pure tear even as the earth shattering sound of explosions shook the ground beneath his feet. The double heartbeat that heralded changes in Inuyasha's blood echoed inside of his chest and he slowly collapsed forward, allowing his mate to support him as his hanyou features returned.

“You're right, Kagome.” Inuyasha admitted hoarsely.

Finally back to his senses, Inuyasha realized the situation he had left the remainder of his pack in. They needed his help badly. He forced his strength to return to him and he pushed his mate behind himself protectively as he bent down to pick up Tessaiga, the sealing sword soaring to life in his hand.

Naraku laughed, causing a pause on the battlefield. “How nice of you to come back to us, Inuyasha. I'll take much more pleasure out of killing you in your weakened state, hanyou.”

Inuyasha swung Tessaiga behind his head, calling on the power of his youki. “You know what you can do with your confidence, you arrogant son of a bitch? You can stick it up your-”

“Fuujin no Mai!” Interrupting the Inu-Hanyou, Kagura had never been one to wait for the proper moment and the youkai of the wind beat him to it, releasing her vicious wind blades. In the sudden silence, the whistling of the bladed projectiles being carried on her element screamed across the battlefield.

Naraku smirked as the weapons rushed towards him. He had been waiting for such an attack to come his way from his former charge. He listened with pleasure when, having expected the dark hanyou to put up more of a fight, all present gasped as Kagura's attack hit home. The dozen or so projectiles imbedded themselves into the dark hanyou's form with a sickening thud.

Naraku glanced down to his bleeding chest, the arched weapons sticking out of his flesh at all angles. “Lucky shot.” He choked.

“Lucky?” Kagura spat. “Or maybe I've just eclipsed my master, you fucker.”

The Southern Lord winced in pain and made an attempt to pull out one of the wind blades in vain. “Come back to me and I will hone your skills, Kagura.”

The wind youkai smirked, watching Naraku squirm, feeling the anxiety of the Taisho Clan behind her. Her intended's aura warned her not to push her luck, it was obvious that he felt that something was not right with the current situation, yet she chose to ignore his warning. Her former master was finally getting his just deserts at her own hands and she intended to enjoy every moment of it.

All of her hate for Naraku welled up in Kagura's chest as she spat at him, her anger threatening to overtake her cautiousness. “I'd rather be dead than serve you again, Naraku.”

Despite the devastating wounds to his chest, the Shikon no Tama around his neck was about to solidify almost completely and the dark hanyou laughed. “Suit yourself, but unlike your dead sister, I think you could still learn a thing or two from me, Kagura.”

Feeling an overwhelming wave of emotion from his intended mate, Sesshomaru unsheathed his sword, intent on finishing the dark hanyou off when Kagura again claimed ownership of the next blow to the Southern Lord.

The memory of Naraku's puppet killing her sister flashed before her eyes and she leapt forward to attack. “Ryuuja no Mai!” She shouted, her maniacal voice breaking in anger and bouncing off the kekkai overhead.

Naraku smiled in anticipation as the erratic tornadoes born from Kagura's winds raced towards him. She was such a fool, really. So gullible. The façade of pain he had previously adopted suddenly disappeared as the dark hanyou stood upright and the wind youkai's blades fell from his chest harmlessly as he thrust his hands out before him at the last second.

A bright light flashed between Naraku's form and Kagura's approaching tornadoes and suddenly, Kagura's winds paused, their approach being held back by a force that belonged to Naraku. The two powers remained in a stalemate for a long second, neither of their masters willing to give in to the other.

When Naraku finally addressed Kagura, his tone was laced with superiority. “You were nothing but a worthless whore when I picked you up off that filthy street corner three years ago, and likewise you'll die a worthless whore, just like your sister did before you.”

For a brief moment, the wind youkai's mind took her back to a time three years ago when she had thought Naraku to be her savior, taking her and her sister away from a life of humiliation and hardship. But he had lied. Instead, the dark hanyou had enslaved them in a different kind of bondage and he had become their master.

The harshness of her former captor's insults and the memory of her dead sister slammed into Kagura like a tangible object and she lurched in response, allowing Naraku the moment of her lack of concentration he needed. Kagura gasped as she felt the forward tension of her tornadoes suddenly reverse. Her panicked mind tried desperately to comprehend the situation and with an icy clarity, she suddenly understood Naraku's game, a game she had been on the opposite side of one too many times. She had become his pawn. For a brief moment, the image of her intended mate flashed before her mind.

“Sesshomaru. I'm sorry.” She whispered, understanding grimly her fatal, irreversible mistake.

The Western Lord choked in surprise and sudden fear as he, too, understood what Naraku was attempting. His youkai speed helped him to cover the distance between his position and where his intended mate stood frozen, intent on once again throwing himself in the path of an oncoming attack. But he was too late. Naraku's powers had deflected Kagura's tornadoes quicker than he had been able to scramble and the rapidly whirling winds slammed into their mistress before his body had been able to cross its path.

The wind youkai's scream of agony bit into Sesshomaru's pointed ears, shaking him to the core as a foreboding chill ran down his spine. The Inu-Youkai's body, having narrowly missed blocking the attack aimed for Kagura, got caught in the aftershocks of the passing tornadoes even as Kagura's own was thrown backwards by the deflection her own attack, her own winds tearing her flesh apart as she was thrown into the distance.

Sesshomaru picked himself up off the ground, his exposed skin scratched and bleeding. His senses were on full alert as his aura detected his chosen's try to connect with his own. Just before it established full contact, Kagura's aura slipped away and disappeared into nothingness. The Western Lord's stomach dropped in apprehension and he was then left with the loneliest pain he had ever felt clawing at his heart, eating him away from the inside as he feared the worse.

Feeling emptier than he had ever imagined possible, Sesshomaru's eyes searched for Kagura's form, afraid of what he would find. What he finally saw made him want to vomit. His chosen's lifeless body lay in a bloody, broken heap against the one standing wall of a destroyed shrine building. He tensed, expecting to see the demons of the other world come to collect her, yet he was once again surprised. Instead, he saw the ghostly outline of Kanna's form before he felt Kagura' s soul die completely. His intended had left the mortal plane.

Sesshomaru turned back to the dark hanyou, all expression drained from his now pale face. Naraku's laugh struck a chord inside of him and suddenly, the Western Lord lost his tightly controlled grip of his powerful youkai blood. Out of the corner of his eye, he detachedly noticed Inuyasha scurry away his mate before coming back to gather the bodies of his two fallen pack members to take them with him, away from the battlefield.

The next thing the Inu-Youkai knew was that his skin was burning, his muscles were exploding, and his bones were popping, breaking and changing. He was suddenly rising to a great height so that he was looking down at Naraku, an arrogant grin still on the dark hanyou's face. Finally, an unnatural roar that he detachedly identified as his own filled the stale air. Sesshomaru had gone youkai.

Though his outward appearance was that of calm composure, Naraku's excitement was barely containable. His frame shook and his muscles quivered with anticipation. The jewel around his neck was humming with power as the turbulent clouds that coated its surface darkened further. The legendary wish was now in his grasp, moments away from his possession as Sesshomaru wallowed in his chosen's death. Yet now, although the Western Lord's transformation had given the Shikon no Tama that much more hatred and pain to feed off of, the jewel would require only the smallest fraction of more anguish. With a smile, Naraku knew that Inuyasha and Kagome would be easy targets, but first, the dark hanyou had to dispose of the giant, raving canine that stood in between him and domination.

Naraku laughed at the poison drooling form above him, unwavering in his certainty of his own power against the Western Lord's even as the shouki and stench of the Inu-Youkai's poisoned saliva dripped around him, eating away the earth at his feet.

Sesshomaru had gone mad, unthinking as a result of the pain of losing his chosen. The Western Lord bared his long, sharp fangs and growled at the small creature underneath him as light gathered in Naraku's palms, another shouki projectile charging in his grasp.

The leader of the Taisho clan would soon join his worthless whore.

* * *

“I told you to leave me.” Kikyou gasped, her voice thick with fluid as Inuyasha laid her down next to Sango and Miroku behind the remains of Kagome's old home, the sounds of the battle between Naraku and Inu-Youkai Sesshomaru almost deafening.

“They'll be safe here.” Inuyasha said hurriedly to Kagome as he ignored Kikyou's protests. It was true that there had been a monumental misunderstanding between himself and the former miko, but neither he nor Kagome would allow the woman to die in pain, alone.

Kagome gasped for air in the thick humidity of the acrid atmosphere. She spared a moment to kick away a chunk of youkai flesh that lay next to Sango's clenched hand, the taiji-ya's muscles fighting the intrusion of Naraku's poison. She and Miroku were alive, but barely.

“Did you hear me, Kagome?” Inuyasha snapped.

The Higurashi girl snapped back to attention, looking into Inuyasha's golden eyes. “Huh?”

The Inu-Hanyou sighed. “I'm going back to help my brother. I want you to stay here and protect Sango, Miroku and Kikyou.”

“But you know that physical strength alone won't stop Naraku, he's too powerful!” Kagome warned.

Inuyasha turned back to his mate, fire burning in his eyes. “I know, and even Sesshomaru's youkai form doesn't stand a chance. But I still can't let him fight alone! What else is there that we can do?”

Kikyou coughed loudly as she attempted to sit up, grabbing at the ground with one hand while the other side of body lay limp, the wound in her shoulder rendering her right half almost useless.

“Kikyou!” Kagome cried in concern, helping her cousin to sit up by resting the former miko's back against the side of the house.

“I think there might be a way.” Kikyou gasped.

* * *

His tail flicked in agitation as the monstrous, white Inu-Youkai towered over Naraku's small form, roaring down at him. Although he was beyond the point of feeling, blood dripped from Sesshomaru's canine flanks where Naraku's shouki bolts had already ripped holes through his thick skin. Although his strength was failing him rapidly as he assessed the barely injured hanyou beneath him, Sesshomaru could no longer stand the arrogant smirk on the Southern Lord's face. When presented before his Inu-Youkai presence, even Naraku should be smart enough to show some respect.

With the desire to see that hated face no longer, Sesshomaru reached out with the giant paw of his front left leg, threatening to stomp the smirk right off Naraku's face. When the dark hanyou merely laughed at him, the Western Lord came down on the Lord of the South, unthinking and driven by rage as he hoped to pound his enemy directly into his grave.

Sesshomaru's hatred flared even more as Naraku stood unmoving in the shadow of his approaching limb, yet he felt a wave of elation as it came down on top of his pack's nemesis. However, the Inu-Youkai's paw never met the earth it so desperately wanted to feel underneath his bloody claws.

Suddenly, the air was ignited by the largest blast of Naraku's shouki he'd seen and the next thing Sesshomaru knew was an intense pain unlike any other. The blast quickly decimated his entire leg right off of his body, a mere stump left hanging from his torso. His red eyes rolled back into his head as his colossal form fell sideways, frozen in pain. When he hit the ground, he caused the earth to shake.

When the Lord of the Western Lands finally found the courage to open his eyes, he saw the pulpy remains of his leg that Naraku had obliterated lying about him. From a distance, he heard the roar of his brother. His energy depleted, his white, furry form shrank back to his humanoid body, his clothes torn and bloodied, wounds bubbling in his sides, and his left arm missing. He knew no else as he blacked out. He had failed.

Naraku laughed at his victory, the Shikon no Tama around his neck resonating with his energy. It was so close. So very close. He breathed in the gaseous remains of Sesshomaru's poison as though it were spring air. “Who's next?” He growled.

* * *

Inuyasha nearly stumbled as his brother's pain and anguish somehow reached his mind. A voice next to his ear moaned in pain as her living crutch jerked unpredictably.

“Inuyasha, what's wrong?” Kagome asked worriedly from the other side of Kikyou, where she supported her cousin between herself and Inuyasha as all three of them limped back to the battlefield together.

The heir to the Taisho clan, or what was left of it, anyway, knew that his brother had fallen. “Sesshomaru…” Inuyasha forced himself to feel anger towards his brother to hide his true fear and worry, “The fool was badly wounded. He's teetering between life and death.”

“We must hurry.” Kikyou said icily as she attempted to be as little of a burden as possible despite the fact that she was too injured to walk by herself.

Inuyasha nodded and picked up the pace as they rounded Kagome's old house, his stomach sickening at the sight of his fallen brother who lay in a pool of his own blood. He felt Kagome's aura supporting and soothing him and Inuyasha fought back the desire to simply give up. Instead, he forged ahead, keeping Naraku's image locked in his vision.

The dark hanyou stood triumphant, only mere scratches and bruises marring his pristine form. His body radiated an unrivaled sense of power and the jewel around his neck shone with a dark power all it's own. Kagome shivered in fear as a wave of nausea threatened to overtake her. Kikyou tightened her grip around her cousin's shoulder as a sign support and Kagome took a moment to breathe deep and collect herself.

She lingered on Kikyou's plan that she had briefly shared with her and Inuyasha while they plotted before they had returned to the battlefield. The former miko was sure of her plan, but Kagome was uncertain if it would really work. Could the three of them really work together as a team? Could Kikyou and Inuyasha really concentrate solely on Naraku and his trespasses against them without feeling any anger towards each other? Was she, herself, strong enough to perform the task that Kikyou was convinced that she could accomplish?

Kagome banished her doubts. She had to be strong and believe in herself or their plan would never work. She had to be strong for her mate, for her pack, even for her cousin who once had strayed, but now was obviously fighting not only for Naraku's defeat, but also her own redemption.

Naraku almost looked bored as the three of them approached, stopping a respectable distance away from the Lord of the Southern Lands. He watched as Inuyasha and Kagome took care to make sure that Kikyou could stand on her own. “Larry, Curly, and Moe, what brings you three stooges back?” He mocked as he examined the already exhausted condition the three of them were in.

“Fuck you, Naraku. This ends here.” Inuyasha growled, his words harsh but his voice calm as he unknowingly lent his strength to his mate through their link.

Naraku chuckled. “To be said by you, of all people. Your entire pack is in ruins and it's all your fault, hanyou. Have you ever thought of that? It's too bad, really. Had it not been for Onigumo introducing you to Kikyou, you would have never gotten your family involved in this mess.”

“Keh.” Inuyasha spat, though Naraku had made a particularly good point and he suddenly began to doubt himself.

“Now look at what you've brought upon them. Your brother, you pack leader is lying on the edge of death. His chosen is dead. Your two humans are at the very least severely wounded. Well, for the time being at least. I'll be sure to finish them off after I'm done with you three. Oh and Kikyou, you won't have to worry about her much longer either, her time on this earth is obviously short anyway. You three will follow the fate of the rest of the Taisho Clan. A fate that you, Inuyasha, brought to them.”

Kagome could sense Inuyasha's will floundering dangerously and she used their link through their auras to reassure him.

:Mate. Don't believe. Fight back!: She urged. :Enemy is playing you!:

Kagome felt a wave of relief as she felt Inuyasha's renewed spirit as he took her words to heart.

“Keh!” The Inu-Hanyou spat before he growled a deep warning. “Don't you dare blame this on me. I won't be controlled by your mind games anymore, Naraku.”

The dark hanyou was caught off guard, Inuyasha's normally malleable will no longer giving in to his suggestions, yet he recovered flawlessly. “And the Inu-Hanyou matures. A whole lot of good it did you too, waiting until the last minute to make a change within yourself that no one will be around to notice.”

“That's where you're wrong, Naraku.” Kagome spat. “Inuyasha changed a long time ago, exponentially so, just since I met him. He's grown stronger both mentally and physically, and he's learned not to take the blame for your actions. He's learned not to be chained down by his past, and that's something that you can't take away from him.”

“And the little miko speaks.” Naraku growled, his hate for Kagome unhidden.

“That Inuyasha has learned is more than I can say for you, Naraku. You haven't changed one bit.” Kikyou commented icily.

“She's right. The world has changed around you, Naraku, and meanwhile, you've been spinning your wheels, trying to use outdated, violent, manipulative methods to stay on top. But if you were really as strong as you thought you were, you would have been able to evolve with everyone else.” Kagome said coldly.

Naraku frowned, unaccustomed to a new emotion he was feeling. Could it be doubt? Impossible. “I think you're sadly mistaken, little girl.”

“That name is only for Inuyasha's use.” Kagome spat back venomously, protecting her mate's nickname for her. “Both Inuyasha and Kikyou have evolved, matured, learned to let go of their past. Now you're the one still stuck in their past. You're the one still being eaten alive by their own demons. And you'll never accomplish the things you desire if you can't learn to adapt.”

Naraku laughed heartily. “The things I desire? You think I won't win this battle, you think I won't achieve the domination I deserve when everything is so firmly in my grasp, only moments away from my possession?”

“I know you won't win because the demon that eats you alive is the fact that you've never gotten over who you really are. You've never come to terms with the fact that deep down inside, you are still just a mass of lower youkai who had to resort to tricking a poor, dying human into giving you his body.” Kikyou said smartly, a smirk on her lips.

“What?” Naraku snapped dangerously, his unchacteristic one-word question hanging in the air menacingly, anger rolling off his form in thick, visible waves.

Kikyou smirked. “If there was one thing I could sense from you, even back during the days in the hospital, when I could feel your jyaki slinking around the room in the Intensive Care unit, watching, waiting for the right moment to make your presence known to Onigumo, was that you were scared. Scared and over-compensating. Yet once you gained that body, you never stopped over-compensating, always having to throw around your power, bully others, and use violence and fear to control others.”

The dark hanyou, once a symbol of strong, evil energy finally began to shake, though this time his muscles weren't being driven by the power granted to him by the Shikon no Tama. No, this disruption in him was caused by realization. Anger. Fear. Doubt. His very foundation was being rocked to the core.

Though he had tried to hide it, the former miko picked up on Naraku's fearsome wince when she continued to speak. “You once told me Naraku, that prayers and good will was not what made the world go round. I think you were terribly wrong.” Kikyou said knowingly. ”I think you only said that because you fear an ideal world where you can't use your aged skills to manipulate others. You're simply too scared to evolve, to mature. I think you are the sorriest one of us all.”

Tired of all the talking, and eager to put an end to the battle, Inuyasha stepped forward, displaying Tessaiga in front of him offensively. “And so, this is where you meet your end.” He growled menacingly.

Naraku snapped back to reality, forcing himself out of his fears and doubts, focusing on the hatred and evil he had been so accustomed to all his long, hard life. Those were much safer emotions. He was so close to everything he had ever wanted to achieve, he would not back down now. His cruel laugh returned and even though he wasn't nearly as confident as he sounded, he was impressed with the conviction of his own voice as he spoke.

“Are you three really that stupid? You really think you can defeat me? Even Sesshomaru in his greatest form was no match for me. Yet you think a half dead human, a half wit miko and a half a youkai can stand against my power?” Naraku asked, chuckling amusedly.

Kagome frowned. “Although Kikyou only remembered such emotions and ideals just recently, we have something you've never understood Naraku. We know what it is to trust.”

The Higurashi woman looked at Inuyasha, a small smile lighting her face. “All three of us know what it is to love.”

She turned her eyes back to Naraku, once again a cold glare. “But most of all, we have the power of hope. Hope that evil won't take hold of our world and take those things that we hold dear. And so, no matter what the odds, we'll stand against you.”

Kikyou's breath caught in her throat at her cousin's touching words, even as her strength continued to fail her. Again, Kagome's purity shocked her, and she felt her insides warm at the younger woman's sentiments, sentiments Kikyou had long ago forsaken that had just begun to return her.

Naraku shook his head in disgust. Kikyou may have forced him to realize his own weaknesses, which he had promptly shoved to the back of his mind, but Kagome's naivety would not influence him. He refused to believe that her ideals were stronger than his own. “Kagome, you are truly the single most naive woman I've met in my many hundreds of years of existence. You have no idea how happy it will make me to destroy you.”

Inuyasha's growl filled the space between the lone avatar of evil and the three champions of good. “Fat chance, hanyou.”

Naraku sighed as a dark light gathered around his form indicating the gathering of his power for another devastating bolt of shouki. “Really, I tire of this game we play. It's time for you three to die so I can get on with my life and consequently end all of yours.”

Inuyasha wasn't hearing the dark hanyou's words. Now was the time for action. “Hijin Kessou!” The Inu-Hanyou shouted as he launched his blood based projectiles at the dark hanyou, delaying Naraku's impending attack.

The Southern Lord cocked an eyebrow at the weak attack as the blades impacted his body, sinking into his skin. With the mere flexing of his powerful muscles, the blades fell from his flesh, leaving the wounds to heal instantaneously. Although even the inu-Hanyou's strongest attack couldn't damage him with his newly acquired strength, he had assumed that Inuyasha would have at least tried harder.

The dark hanyou watched as the miko and his former whore scattered away from Inuyasha to take up defensive fighting positions. He smirked. Such an easy opening. Inuyasha had left Kagome unprotected. Naraku's lips curled into a wicked smile. First, he'd take out the hanyou's mate. No doubt as a result he'd get the amount of anguish from Inuyasha that the jewel needed to release his wish. The Shikon no Tama glowed with power as if to confirm his thoughts and he re-aimed his projectile towards Kagome.

This time, Inuyasha wasn't caught off guard by the dark hanyou's increased speed. He called on his inner strength and tapped into Tessaiga, calling on his father's fang to aid him. Would Kikyou's plan work? If it didn't, and he had willingly put Kagome in the path of danger, he would never forgive himself. An image of her appeared in his mind and he knew that if he believed in himself, he would prevail. He would protect his mate.

“Kaze no Kizu!” Inuyasha roared, his voice tearing across the battlefield.

Simultaneously, Kikyou winced in pain as she drew back her bow. It took all of her strength just to pull the arrow back to her chest. An image of Onigumo appeared in her mind as the tip of her arrow centered on Naraku's form. “Hama no Ya!” She shouted as she released her arrow before falling to the ground in pain, her mental energy weakening as she continued to maintain her barrier.

Naraku sensed the two attacks approaching him and disregarded them both. Even the two combined couldn't hurt him. He was sure of it. He continued to focus on his shouki bolt, aiming, preparing to release it. Kagome stood still but thirty feet in front of him as though she were a target. Smiling, he released his deadly weapon.

Keeping his eyes trained on Kagome as he waited for the impact of his projectile, Inuyasha's wind attack slammed into his side. Though he had expected the physical impact, the amount of emotion attached to the blast shocked him. Feelings of Inuyasha's betrayal, hurt and need for revenge all slammed into him. When Kikyou's arrow pierced his shoulder, the wave of purifying energy accompanied by the former miko's anguish of betrayal and similar need for revenge scalded him like fire. Their overriding hate for Naraku cut through the dark hanyou like a knife.

The hurt and pain he had caused after seven long years of manipulating Inuyasha and Kikyou ate away at his very soul and Naraku fought the urge to scream in the unexpected torture of the intense emotion. Yet even still, he remained in wait of Kagome's death, fighting through the emotions of his enemies as he held on for the young woman's demise and Inuyasha's pending anguish, waiting for the wish to be released from Shikon no Tama. It would all be worth it when he had the power capable of dominating all that he hated.

In the face of the approaching dark energy, Kagome stood tall. Inuyasha and Kikyou's attacks had hit home and the dark hanyou stood, frozen. She notched her arrow and pulled back the string. Closing an eye she couldn't see Naraku's form past the blinding missile coming toward her. Holding her breath, she shut her eyes, envisioned her mate and called upon her strength. Pouring all of her energy into her attack, she released her arrow.

Becoming overwhelmed by the surprising pain of Inuyasha's pain and Kikyou's betrayal that battered his body, Naraku's mouth slid open as he watched Kagome's arrow fly towards his projectile. The arrow burned with power brighter and greater than the dark power of his corrupted Shikon no Tama. His heartbeat quickened as the two forces met, the two powers assessing each other, when suddenly, the sickly dark light of his shouki simply dissipated, the bright pink of Kagome's power overcoming the darkness before continuing in its rapid approach towards him.

A cold sweat broke across the dark hanyou's body. The lactic acid in his muscles made his limbs feel like lead and the hair on his neck stood on end. Was this fear?

Suddenly, Kagome's arrow impaled him through his stomach with a sickening thud. The pink light enveloped his body and nullified the emotions of Kikyou and Inuyasha, healing their old hate and betrayal instantly. Naraku's hands met at his middle as numerous foreign emotions flooded his mind. His body felt as though it were on fire as he suddenly experienced a series of seemingly random visions.

The elation of Christmas morning while opening presents. The warmth of a goodbye hug from a set of parents. The excitement of a sibling being born. The sweetness of a first kiss. A sense of accomplishment after helping an old woman across a busy street. Pride after a perfect score on a test. The happiness of merely talking with friends. The joy and fulfillment of finding a soulmate. A sense of wholeness after being accepted into a new family. A sense of duty and purpose with the gift of children.

The dark hanyou gasped as he realized the images in his head weren't simply visions, they were memories. Kagome's memories. His entire body warmed and he fought against it, digging deep into his mind to try to crawl away from the itching sensation of the foreign feelings that plagued his entire body, yet the itch begged to be scratched. Finally, he found he couldn't summon his own memories, his own emotions that were the opposite of the strange feelings he was experiencing.

A small smile tugged at the dark hanyou's lips as his eyes slowly shut. `Is this love?' He asked no one in particular, a blinding pink dominating his vision.

`Yes, Naraku. This is love.' A voice answered. `I only wish you could have learned to experience this on your own.'

The dark hanyou gasped in recognition. It was Kagome's voice.

`And only because I know that one like you cannot be forgiven and cannot be saved, even from yourself, this is purification.'

The dark hanyou's breath caught in his throat as the dark energy of the corrupted Shikon no Tama suddenly vanished from his body. He felt the concentration of power seeping from his veins, pulling out of his muscles, burning as it dissipated. Still consumed by the blinding purity of Kagome's power, the dark hanyou's eyes rolled into the back of his head, his body shaking in convulsions. Weak and tired, he was vaguely aware of his body falling backwards only to bounce on the ground.

Kagome was right. The power of hope was stronger than the power of hate. Hope led to love, and had he had love, perhaps he wouldn't have failed in every aspect of his long, painful life. He smiled momentarily. At least he had gotten the chance to experience this love once in his life before he died. Thanks to Kagome, who had once been a symbol of his hate.

Inuyasha and Kikyou held their breath as the Lord of the Southern Lands screamed in pain, his voice echoing in the cavernous kekkai. His tightly gripped palm that held the corrupted Shikon no Tama glowed a bright pink as Kagome's energy purified Naraku's darkness. The purity of the jewel became too scalding for the dark hanyou to hold it in his grasp and the pink orb fell from his hand, rolling onto the soiled ground. His head tipped back towards the purple sky as the pink light became so blinding that the onlookers had to shield their eyes.

Finally unable to bear the pain, Naraku's mind surrendered to the light and warmth and suddenly, the dark hanyou simply knew no more.

* * *

A still silence screamed across the devastated shrine grounds. When the scalding light faded, Naraku lay motionless on the ground, eyes open and unseeing, his body stiff.

Inuyasha didn't trust the unmoving body. Taking several leaping bounds, he lifted Tessaiga over his head, his muscles protesting even that small action. “Kaze no-”

“Inuyasha, stop.” Kikyou commanded, her voice coming in bubbling gasps. She was surprised that the Inu-Hanyou had actually listened, looking back at her with a confused expression. “He's dead. It's Kagome that needs your attention right now, not Naraku's corpse.”

“Kagome…” Inuyasha whispered breathlessly as though he had forgotten about his mate. His sword slipped from his hands as he ran to Kagome's fallen body.

“Kagome! Kagome!” Inuyasha shouted as he kneeled down and picked his mate's body off the blood soaked ground. Her eyes were shut, cuts and bruises peppered her body and her breath came in shallow gasps as he continued to shout her name.

:Mate! Is mate okay? Answer!: Inuyasha's soul-voice shouted across their link.

:Stop shouting. Mate not deaf.: Kagome wearily returned.

Inuyasha breathed a heavy sigh of relief and he cradled his mate's body close to him. The amount of energy required to purify Naraku, even with the help of Inuyasha and Kikyou's attacks to weaken him had taken its toll on the young miko and so the Inu-Hanyou lent his mate his strength and support through their aura's link.

Kagome's eyes cracked open tiredly. She was not ready to look upon Naraku's corpse yet, but her eyes fell on her cousin. Kikyou's body lay slumped against a rock, the wound in her shoulder bleeding heavily. The former miko's life energy was fading fast.

“Kikyou, I can heal you.” Kagome offered, conscious of Inuyasha's surprised, yet concerned gaze on her.

A ghost of a small smile touched Kikyou's lips and she slowly shook her head. “No. You are too weak.”

Forgetting her own pain and exhaustion, Kagome tried to sit up in Inuyasha's arms but failed miserably, falling back into the cradle of his hold on her. She settled on arguing with her cousin from her reclined position. “But Kikyou, you'll die!”

The former miko sighed. “I know. But you would suffer my same fate should you try to heal me. I will not have that happen to you when you've already done so much for me. You've opened my eyes, Kagome, and that's more than I ever thought was possible.”

Tears began to stream down Kagome's face and her small hands fisted in Inuyasha's hi-nezumi haori. “Inuyasha!” She pleaded. “Please talk to her!”

“I can't allow you to attempt to heal her. It would be your death!” Inuyasha exclaimed and then averted his gaze from Kagome's desperately searching eyes as he shook his head. “Besides, this is what Kikyou wishes. I respect that.”

Kikyou smiled and gasped as her labored breathing worsened. “Wish. The Shikon no Tama's wish belongs to you, Kagome.” The former miko reached her hand to her side, pulling the Shikon no Tama off the ground. Though it had rested in a pool of blood, it's pink, round surface was unsoiled. She held the jewel out weakly for Inuyasha to take from her.

Feeling the Inu-Hanyou's clawed fingers take the Shikon no Tama, Kikyou whispered, “I'm sorry Inuyasha. For all that I've done to you.”

Unable to respond, the Inu-Hanyou swallowed sadly, trying to force down the growing lump in his throat as he nodded at his first girlfriend. He offered her a small smile of absolution and she smiled back.

“My soul will hold the barrier in place until its usefulness is no longer needed to you.” Kikyou informed Inuyasha, who again nodded gratefully.

The former miko then winked at her younger cousin. “I only hope that in my next life, I can be as strong as you showed me you are, Kagome. Thank you.”

“Kikyou…” Kagome whispered, tears streaming unchecked down her face as her cousin slowly shut her eyes. The former miko's erratically rising and falling chest suddenly hitched and then all together stopped.

Inuyasha said a short, silent prayer. “She's gone to join Onigumo.” He whispered to his mate as he pressed the Shikon no Tama into her palm.

“I know.” Kagome returned sadly.

The young miko looked at the small, round orb in her hand, the legendary jewel that had made everything possible, from her meeting with Inuyasha to Naraku bringing about the death of so many innocents. She shed another tear for all the lives lost. Sensing her mate's attempt to console her, when he was as emotionally and physically exhausted as she was, Kagome's gaze traveled back to the jewel in her hands.

“It's over. It's finally over.” She whispered.

Unable to lift her head, but still worried for her friends, Kagome once again looked up at Inuyasha, afraid of the answer to her own question that however terrible, needed to be addressed. “Our family.” She whispered. “Are they all…”

“Some of them are still alive.” Inuyasha said curtly. He knew they needed to check on their fallen pack members, but he wanted to give Kagome a moment to gather her strength. He knew the sights that awaited her would not be easy for the caring woman.

Feeling Kagome's mourning, Inuyasha tipped his head back and roared his same sadness and frustration to the purple sky above.

* * *

Author's notes:

Hold on, it's not over yet!

Please review if you liked the chapter. I always like to know the reader's thoughts, it makes writing so much more enjoyable! Chapter 17 is mostly completed and will be posted soon, and it will then be followed by an Epilogue. I still can't believe I've written as much as I have.

As always, special thanks to my awesome beta and KS, YoukaiMusashi! Post that bizzle! Thanks also to all the readers who have stuck it out this far and are enjoying the read!