InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Nigatsu no Hoshi (Stars of February) ❯ Fighting Fate, Kagomes the Contender ( Chapter 8 )

Disclaimer: I don't own inuyasha, so there!

Suteki: alrighty, here's the, hopefully, last chapter involving the battle with Naraku. Hope you likey! And also, id like to thank kagome3004 again for her wonderful reviews! They were definitely entertaining to read, lol. okay, on with the story!

Shizuka: yeah!!…………….sorry, had nothing else to say….oh wait, yeah I do, sorry to all those at fanfiction.net, I listened to your reviews and went back to check my stories. And sure enough, the paragraphs are running together, which they shouldn't be. We'll try to fix it, and if its confusing you, you can go to mediaminer and read it. its under the same name and authoress of course.

Suteki: so good luck with that, gomen.

Chapter 7: Fighting Fate, Kagome the Contender

"Kohaku…" Sango brought her brothers body close to hers again, racking in her silent sobs.

"no, poor Sango-Chan…"

"its good that he died this way. At least he didn't die while still in the clutches of Naraku, having his jewel shard ripped from his back while he still lived. Its better for both of them this way kagome."

"inuyasha" Kagome looked at inuyasha with an almost shocked look on her face, no matter how much he had changed, she would never get used to sympathy coming from his mouth like that. But she was quickly thrown from her stupor when there was a tug at the back of her mind, `that's right, the jewel shard…I hate to do this so soon…forgive me Sango'. Kagome walked over to Sango and embraced her from behind `shushing' her, trying to get her to calm down enough to listen to her. When her breathing slowed, and body stopped shaking, kagome whispered in her ear, "Sango-Chan…you know what you have to do, you said you wanted to do this, now its time…"

Sango's eyes went wide, and she had fight to stop from losing herself again, but she knew what she had to do. She slowly turned Kohaku's body in her hold, making it so that his back pressed against her chest. She pulled him away, and looked down at his body, scared to follow through.

Kagome saw the hesitation in her eyes, "it wont hurt him Sango-Chan, don't worry." Kagome held Sango's hand in her own, and carefully led it to rest over his spine. Sango waited there, not sure what to do. She gasped in surprise as her own hand started to glow in a pink light, and she could feel an even amount of power coming from Kagome's palm. She waited until she could feel something solid in her hand, and she pulled away. She looked at her hand, to see that she was holding her brother's piece of the shikon no tama, her brothers life was now being held at her fingertips.

Kagome put her hand under Sango's, and waited as Sango dropped the shard, and then fell to the ground unconscious, her body exhausted from physical and emotional trauma, and without a word, Kirara came from her hiding place and gently lifted her owner to safety with the others.

Inuyasha walked to join kagome, neither said anything as they met each others gaze, Kagome's were filled with determination and a bit of sorrow, and Inuyasha's held concern and anger. They turned to face Naraku, who was watching them without any emotion at all on his face, only waiting for the next move.

At that moment, inuyasha and Kagome's minds were flowing with memories of what had led them here, all the battles, all the loses, and the pain and suffering. Now they stood alone, facing their strongest enemy. They both knew it would be a hard battle, but neither were scared, they're hatred and need for revenge getting the better of them. On the other hand, Naraku had one thing one his mind, the jewel, and he wasn't going to let anything stop him from reaching his goal, nothing at all. He had waited for inuyasha and co. to gather the rest of the shards, making his acquiring them easier. And now that the miko had all, including the wolf princes and Kohaku's, it was time to take them.

Kagome was ready, she had never felt so ready in her life. Although she knew that one side was going to lose, she wasn't afraid of death anymore. She turned to look at inuyasha, to make sure that he was ready to do this also. Inuyasha's eyes now seemed to be in a far away place, but he felt Kagome's gaze, and looked up to her. He saw the question in her eyes, making sure that he was prepared to do this. In response, he nodded his head to her, and then reached out to take her hand in his. She smiled without looking down, and squeezed back.

Naraku was sick of watching them, it disgusted him. `How dare they act so calm, especially that woman.' He lunged out towards them, unleashing his spikes at them. Inuyasha raised his sword in the other hand, his left still gripping kagome, and he slashed through most of them with one swipe, the rest hitting another one of Kagome's barriers. Naraku them let loose his tentacles which were now dripping in poison. Inuyasha, letting go of kagome, jumped into the air to meet them. He sliced one by one, the poison splashing onto his skin, and he screamed in pain when it got in his eyes "Dammit!"

"kukuku, the poison will render you blind in only a few minutes inuyasha. I'll let you enjoy the last seconds of sight, with the image of me slicing your woman in half!"

Inuyasha tried to find Naraku frantically. But his vision was blurring, and no matter how much he rubbed them, he couldn't see anything clearly. "Kagome! Where are you?!"

"inuyasha!" he spun around, looking in the direction of her voice. He could barely make out her image, but he saw her standing in a defensive position. Then he noticed the figure of Naraku positioned only a few meters infront of her. "Kagome!"

Then he watched as best he could, as Naraku attacked kagome directly. He came at her, and she dispelled another one of her barriers. But to her horror, Naraku penetrated it with ease, his own black shield sizzling as it conflicted with the pure aura.

Kagome didn't know what to do, his power was stronger than hers now. `How can that be? He wasn't able to do this before! Nothing so evil can resist a miko's energy such as mine!…he was putting on a show, leading us along until we gathered the jewels, to lure us into a false sense of security! That bastard'

Naraku laughed insidiously, "by the look in your eyes miko, it seems that you are surprised that I am able to stand so close to you."

"I'm never surprised by you Naraku, you're full of lies and deceit, making you very predictable."

Naraku's face spoiled when he heard her words of defiance and disrespect. "for someone that's about to die, you sure are a cocky little wench, aren't you?"

"Whoever said I was going to die? Now look who's the cocky one Naraku." Naraku raised his arm, and slammed it into the side of her head, throwing her to the ground. She shrieked in pain and surprise, and rolled a few times when she hit the ground from the force of the impact.

"Kagome!" inuyasha was fighting to keep his eyes focused, he knew if he was a human though, that his eyes would have probably dissolved by now, but his youkai blood was fighting the poison the best it could. He ran towards her, only to be thrown back by Naraku. "I'm having fun with her, do not interfere."

"Naraku you bastard, leave her alone!"

"And why should I inuyasha? This little wench holds the shikon no tama, I have every right to exercise my wrath towards her. It is a healthy desire among monsters, too bad you never learned to enjoy it, kukuku."

Kagome was lying in the dirt, slipping in and out of the realm of consciousness. She was hurt badly; the wound to her head had no doubt given her a horrible concussion, so she knew she couldn't fall asleep. But it was too hard for her, she heard two voices arguing, but they were muffled, almost like she was buried deep in the ground. She was about to welcome the comfort of sleep, giving into the waves of immense pain when something happened.

Suddenly, kagome started to glow in a violent white light. Naraku's barrier shattered, and he was assaulted by the intense beam, and was hurled a good hundred feet away, slamming into some rocks. Inuyasha though, stood unaffected by the power, but to his amazement, his sight was restored. Although he had his sight, he couldn't see what was causing the light. But at the source of the light, was the half of the jewel that kagome wore around her neck. It was reacting to its owners helplessness, and her unconscious will to preserve herself and inuyasha. Without kagome even knowing it, the jewel started to sink itself into the flesh of Kagome's chest that it rested on. Kagome body began to lift off the ground from the newfound power that was rushing and taking over her body.

When the light subsided, inuyasha saw kagome standing, eyes closed, and still resonating with white light. "ka, kagome?" she came out of her daze, and looked down at her hands, then rested them on her chest, searching for the jewel. "inuyasha? The jewel…where did it go? I can feel it, but I cant see it." then her eyes went wide when she felt another presence…within her? `the jewel's inside of me again? But why?' a little voice answered her. `Lady Kagome, protector of the shikon no tama, I bestow you with the power of these four souls; to protect yourself and the ones you love. You cannot give up; you have a destiny that needs to be fulfilled. You were given a second chance when you returned to this time. You might not get a third, so you must awaken all your strength and power; if you use these with the will to survive and protect the ones you love, you will be victorious. It all lies in your hands now Lady Kagome, you are a powerful miko, have faith.'

"miko, Midoriko?" she smiled in acknowledgment, "arigatou, Lady Midoriko"

"Midoriko? The warrior priestess that formed the jewel? She was talking with kagome? She must be the reason why she became this strong." Inuyasha wondered aloud. Kirara's ears perking up at the sound of the name, and she was calmed at the thought of her old master helping them. She had never had more faith in anyone besides Midoriko, but if she had to choose, she would say the kagome would be next on that list, although she felt unfaithful to Sango for thinking so.

Kagome looked down at her hands again, still shocked by the feeling of the vast amounts of energy she now had control of. She looked over at inuyasha, who had his eyes so wide, she swore they would fall out. She smiled to him reassuringly, and he only stared. He could feel the power radiating off of her, and it was starting to scare him.

Naraku was also frightened, he had never been so easily knocked to the ground before, not by a woman for that matter. `she has to go, I cannot allow her to live much longer, and risk her getting use to her powers. But how can I? I cannot get close enough to her. Damn her, I need to kill her if I want to get the jewel.' Then I small smile tugged at the edges of his mouth, as the comforting image of him digging his whole hand through the girls chest, and drawing out the shikon no kikara came to mind. `this shall be fun after all.'

Kagome though, was suddenly overcome by the increase of unnatural power momentarily, and as she became dizzy, she fell to her knees. Inuyasha was about to run to her, but Naraku, never being one to pass up an opportunity such as this, got to her first. In a flash, he had his tentacles around her neck, slamming her into a nearby tree. A small mirror appeared in the center of his chest, and it began to shine. The black light wound itself around her waist, neck, and wrists, binding her. Her eyes were now wide in shock, not liking being caught of guard. She struggled to move, but found that she couldn't even blink. `I repressing spell! No! I cant move, and I cant summon my power, he must have used Kanna's mirror to increase the strength of the spell, or I would easily be able to break free. Inuyasha! Help!'

"kagome! Get your fucking hands off of her you dirty bastard! What did you do to her?" Inuyasha rushed at Naraku, who was smiling at his handiwork, always glad to win the upper-hand. He looked at the, once again enraged inu-hanyou rush him. He drove one of his tentacles through his left shoulder, rewarded by his sounds of agony.

"fool. When will you learn that you have no chance of beating me? This woman was more of a threat than yourself, I have no use for you. I will kill your woman, and take the jewel. But I think I shall kill you first now, you are beginning to aggravate me, inuyasha, and the more I look at her, the more she reminds me of that bitch Kikyou." He thrust out two more limbs, one going through his chest, and the other through his upper leg.

`INUYASHA! I cant help him…inuyasha, please survive…' although she was unable to move, tears began to flow from her eyes as she watched the one she loved be mutilated by the enemy. `Midoriko, thank you for the effort, but I fear that I cannot do this.' She was answered by silence, the voices gone.

Inuyasha winced in pain, and coughed up a little blood. With the only strength he could muster through the pain, he raised his claw, and sliced away from Naraku's hold, falling to the ground. When he landed, his knees buckled, the pain too much to even allow him to stand. Naraku laughed again as he threw spikes at him. Inuyasha moved his sword infront of him, using it as a shield. It reflected a few of them, but some evaded the barrier, catching him in the shoulders and arms.

Kagome continued to watch, wanting so much to be able to close her eyes, to be able to screen her eyes from the horrifying scene infront of her, she was sure she would lose inuyasha. It was hopeless now, she couldn't move, and inuyasha was badly wounded. She would be killed after him, but she would welcome it after this, she wouldn't want to live with this, these images would be forever engraved in her mind. As she heard inuyasha scream in pain again, her heart began to rip in two. ` I need to help him! I cant let him die like this!' she continued to scream inwardly, feeling the heat raise in her numb body, begging for it to move. As Naraku approached inuyasha with a speed that could only be meant for the final blow, she felt like she'd explode. Then, her screams suddenly exited her mouth, "INUYASHA!" and her hands broke free.

Naraku stopped to look at her, `how could she break free? Kami himself wouldn't have been able to overpower that spell! Damn her to the seven depths of hell!' inuyasha looked through one half closed eye when he heard her scream, and watched as she rose her hands from the binding spell. "kagome, I knew you could do it," he whispered.

Kagome didn't even give a moment to wonder at how she broke free, she raised her hand above her head, and concentrated her energy there. In a second, an object flashed above her palm, energy solidifying into what looked like a bow. She drew it down infront of her, and placed her right hand at the string, and in another flash, a bolt of power formed, and she let it fly. It blazed through the barrier that had been around the tree, and headed straight for Naraku, who was paralyzed in fear.

The `arrow' hit its mark, hitting Naraku where his heart would have been, if he had one. The energy blowing his body to pieces, scattering them over the clearing. Kagome sighed in relief as the spell vanished and she fell to the ground, landing on her hands and knees. `I did it! Naraku is gone! And inuyasha and I are still alive, the battle is won. Finally, its all over.' She looked up, remembering what else she had to do when she sensed the jewel near her. She crawled towards it, finding it in a chunk of Naraku's mauled flesh. She pulled it out, `he put it in his own body for once, I guess he was really determined to get the rest of it this time.' She then picked herself up, and began to walk over towards inuyasha.

"inuyasha? Inuyasha, wake up." Inuyasha felt someone rocking him gently, and he looked up to see Kagome's happy eyes. "kagome? What happened, where's Naraku?" he asked, his teeth slightly gritted with pain as he tried to sit up. "he's gone, inuyasha, he's gone. I destroyed him, and look what we won!" she held out the other half of the jewel to him, and his eyes went wide. "its time to decide what we are to do with it now…the other halves in my body again, so we either rejoin it together within me…or we use it."

Inuyasha's mind was racing, `us it? I could fulfill my wish now that we have it, I can become full youkai! But what would kagome say? She said that there was no reason to become youkai, that she liked me fine the way I was.'

"you do…what you think is right kagome, I have faith in your judgment. After all, you are the shikon no tama's keeper." Inuyasha said in a low voice. Kagome's eyes went wide, "nani, kagome. Why are you looking at me like that?" inuyasha asked raising an eyebrow. "nothing inuyasha, that's just the most mature thing, and unselfish thing I've ever heard you say." She threw herself at him, and kissed him on the cheek and hugged him tight. He embraced her thankfully, not because of what was just said, but because he was relieved that she was okay, that they had both survived the trauma, and nothing would disrupt them again. He pulled her away from him reluctantly, and stared into her eyes. He could see where she had been crying, and reached up with his thumb, and wiped away the wetness. She smiled at him, and he warmly smiled back. they stayed like that for only a few moments, but it felt like an eternity, both wished it would have been. Kagome released him, and inuyasha reluctantly did the same. "well, we had better get this over with, before I pass out as well."

She stood up and took a step back. she stared at the half of the jewel in her hand, pondering her action. She then smiled, and placed it against her chest. Inuyasha watched as her chest began to glow, as the jewel sunk into her body. And once it did, her whole being flashed in a soft pink light as the jewel became complete again. Her eyes were closed, and she had a small smile on her face. But then all of a sudden, inuyasha felt a presence behind him, and turned to see something fly past his face, missing him and head towards kagome. He looked up and watched as it pierced into kagome chest, coming straight through the other side. Inuyasha attacked it in a hurry, not letting it get more than 5 feet away from kagome, blasting it apart with his windscar. Before he obliterated it, he noticed to his horror, that it had been the hand of Naraku, apparently the only part left over by Kagome's attack. In its hand was held the complete shikon no tama. He picked it up, and then turned around to look at kagome. She was still standing, but she had a gaping hole through her, and he could see her clutching at her chest on the other side of the wound. "kagome…"

And she silently began to fall to the ground, "inu…yasha…"

Shizuka: ahh!! Sutekis so evil for ending it here! How could you?!

Suteki: evil grin. Actually, I'm sorry, if I hadn't ended it here, than the chapter would have been way too long. I'll write the rest soon. But I wanted to thank all those that have reviewed so far, including both viewers at mediaminer and at fanfiction.net.

Shizuka: don't be mad at me guys, it wasn't my idea. But like I said before, she has some good ideas, and the best is yet to come!

Suteki: damn straight! Alright, next chapter: kagome is dying in Inuyasha's arms, can he save her? Will she let herself be saved? And what role will the shikon no tama play in all this?

Shizuka: I hate it when she asks questions like that, like she expects you to answer them, lol. but, if these questions intrigue you, read the next freakin' chapter! Thank you and come again! =)