InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Show Me How It Ends ❯ Show Me How It Ends ( Chapter 1 )

Ok I'm going to admit it. I suck at action scenes!!! I swear, anything to do with battle I couldn't write if someone held me at gunpoint! So trust me, I know this whole battle scene with Naraku is gonna suck, but I'm so much better at everything besides fight scenes, so I swear that it'll get better! I have an entire plot all worked out and its pretty good, so just bare with me I only had to do this first chapter to give the fic a good foundation to rise off of kay? So I promise, the next chap will finally start the plot of my ficy, okie dokie?

Luv, peace, and tanning grease

Deni

p.s. Your lord and master……………………FOAMY! Lol………………….okay yeay that was dorkie but I luv those foamy the squirrel cartoons! Go to illwillpress.com and watch 'em! I've seen like every single one a quadrillion times! So funny! I highly recommend 'Foamy's rant II' and 'five more minutes!'

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S h o w M e H o w I t E n d s

If you find your family, don't you cry
In this land of make-believe, dead and dry
You're so cold, but you feel alive
Lay your hands on me one last time

So cold - Breaking Benjamin

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So this was it. Naraku was dead, the tribe had been avenged, and the dead were put to peace. So where was the wonderful feeling of exhausted accomplishment, where was the ambiance of closure and new beginning? Ginta waited and waited. Waited to be like the others around him with exception of his friend, who appeared to be just as lost as he was. Ginta gazed around him suddenly feeling very small and lost, like a young child separated from his mother at market. He looked to Hakkaku who was staring down deep in thought at the very cause of such feelings.

----flashback----

"INUYASHA!"

Kagome screeched as the thorned tentacle ripped its way through the hanyou's left shoulder. The demon's tentacles curled about her like swirls of oil in water as she recoiled her thorn adorned weapon. Inuyasha dropped the but thankfully landed on his feet returning to fighting position and supporting the brunt of Tetsusaiga's weight with his right arm.

Demons, demons everywhere! All flowing around Naraku like the devil's halo. Losses were already being counted and tragedies marked for later mourning. Seeing the life giving shard plucked from her brother's back and watching him fall limp like a doll with the batteries removed shattered the last bit of mental restraint in Sango. She began to fight like a woman possessed, the Taijiya riding on Kirara's back flinging her Hiraikotsu like a crazed Valkryie.

Miroku faired no better, the kazaana spreading at an alarming rate as he opened the void using it recklessly as it was his last chance to rid himself of his curse. Demons were torn from the earth and sucked into the vacuuming void with such force that hailed onto the quickly exhausting Houshi.

Kouga along with what was left of his tribe had arrived just in time to help the barrage of demons and slowly force them back to allow Inuyasha greater access to Naraku. Unfortunately all intent on Naraku was lost to the wolf prince when he caught sight of the wind sorceress that had decimated his tribe. Eyes flashing red he was nothing but a brown and black blur as he ripped the head of the demon he had been fighting clear off its neck, and leaped from the ground towards Kagura.

"COME AND FACE ME WIND WHORE!!"

The wind demon turned just in time to see an enraged Kouga make a gravity defying lunge for her, his muscles taunt and fangs bared with full intent on ripping her apart with one or the other. She reared her fan back quick enough to block his first attack but could not shield herself from all of his barrage of claws and fists. Kouga was no longer the confident prince but rather a snarling, foaming, crazed, shell of himself. He swung, kicked, snapped and flung himself into every attack he could muster. Kagura growled and shoved him back just long enough to raise her fan and defend herself. The wind slice did nothing to deter the wrath filled youkai. He lunged at her again going for anything vital he could sink himself into.

There was no doubt about it, they were getting closer to Naraku as demon after demon dropped in bloody heaps. Inuyasha and the rest seemed to have a plan that Kouga and his tribe were not aware of but at the time it didn't seem to matter.

"Foolish hanyou, where do you think these meaningless efforts will get you?" Naraku drawled as he looked on with an amused grin, as an adult would a young child throwing a fit.

"Your blood on my claws you worthless bastard!" Inuyasha shouted back as he closed in, finishing youkai after youkai.

They were getting tired, the fight was slowly being beaten out of them. Sango was loosing the strength to back her fury and Miroku was weakening against the storm of demons flooding him. Ginta and Hakkaku were willing participants to fight in the background and keep the hoards of youkai back. Kouga still battled Kagura and was lost to anything else around him. Even though Inuyasha gained more and more leverage towards Naraku, the defenses would not be able to hold forever.

Though, through all of this, no one appeared to notice Kagome. Not Naraku, Kanna, Kagura or any other saw her zigging and zagging, dogging debris and tumbling out of the way of hurling demons being tossed from the battle field. Eyes were set on her destination as she used any sort of unintentional training her years of shard hunting had given her. 'Naraku, Naraku, Naraku, Naraku' She chanted in her head doing her best to take her mind off the burning in her air depraved lungs and the stinging in over worked calve muscles and even the occasional cramp or Charlie horse. She was doing her best to be small and unnoticeable in the sea of fighting demons. 'Good Kagome, Good Kagome, faster, oh Kami why didn't I sign up for the track team or something?' Kagome gasped for breath trying to get morr running fuel for her struggling lungs. 'C'mon legs, just a little furth-OOMF!!'

Kagome's body was batted aside like a rag doll as the tail of one of the more giant youkai sent her careening towards the center the field.

"KAGOME!"

Kagome groaned as her body hit the earthen ground with the muffled 'thud!' barely registering Inuyasha's panicked roar.

She had to get up, she knew she had to get up, but she racked her brain to figure out exactly why she had to get off of the ground that acted as a cradle for broken body. A cackling hiss brought her out of her pained reverie and forced her to jar her head up in time to see a rather large and grotesque figure loom over. Kagome vaguely registered the figure as a spider demon as she reared back into a crab walk to get some distance from the youkai before jumping to her feet. The demon sensing an impending escape attempt recoiled its body and lunged forward using the momentum to pounce on her. There was no time to run and it was too big to roll out from under, though this fact didn't stop her from trying. Kagome yelped as she jerked to her feet jarring her aching body. She waited for the weight of the demon to crash into her back as she tried to dive away.

Instead of the breath taking weight forcing itself into her back she felt a lighter weight collide into her right side abruptly yanking her away from immediate death. Kagome opened her mouth and desperately gulped at the air to regain the breath that had been forced from her with such an unexpected blow. Hard arms clenched around her knees and back bringing Kagome to look up at her supposed savior.

"Kouga!"

A quick 'arigato' dripped on her tongue but was swallowed back by the look on his face. His mouth was set into a cemented line and his eyes were hard like slitted diamonds rather than the deep oceans they used to be. Kagome swallowed and gathered her mission back into the forefront of her mind.

"Kouga-kun, drop me as close to Naraku as you can!" She shouted above the ringing in her ears and the sound of screams and torn flesh.

The wolf youkai gave a curt nod of acknowledgment. He had been drawn from his fight with Kagura. The filthy bitch that had destroyed his people and his home. He had seen Kagome careening through the air and managed to knock Kagura away with the a hasty kick to the gut. He would deal with the wind beast later, he had to protect his intended for now. He clutched her tighter, dodging attacks and falling demons. Kouga darted through the crowds of battling demons and made his way closer to Naraku's turned back.

The said demon no longer wore the amused grin he previously adorned. He frowned and overlooked the loss of his followers and the prevalence of the hanyou mutt. It may appear that he would have to kill the cur himself after all.

They were getting closer. Under any other circumstance Kagome would have grinned at such an accomplishing plan but knew better than to underestimate Naraku. She would celebrate when she could dance on his grave herself. She brought her mouth close to the wolf youkai's elven ear in order to be heard without having to scream.

"Stop here, I need you to have my back, this is important." She informed determinedly.

Kouga nodded skidding to a stop before gently setting her down. The instant his eyes caught her shoes touching the blood stained earth he was overcome with a feeling of inevitability. 'This is it, this is it, this is it.' His mind seemed to bellow at him as though it had never crossed his mind that this journey had an ending and that not all of its previous participants would be there when it ended. He looked at Kagome, searching her profile. She wore expressions of fear and dread but engulfing them was her resolve. Kouga had never had the time or the spare concentration to realize that she was actually out here, she was fighting Naraku and his youkai with the rest of them. 'Inu kuro actually let her come out here…' An unexpected wave of realization and dread over took him. This was a war. And wars' never let their player's go unscathed.

Kagome steadied herself on the ground but the arms around her shoulders didn't move, rather they only tightened their grip. She turned her head to look questioningly at him but felt her body suddenly swerve around to face him. She panicked, not liking the idea of Naraku at her backside but it was quelled as she looked into his face. His eyes expressed a desperation that somewhat unnerved her. He gripped her tighter and she moved with his hands to keep her footing.

"Kouga-kun?"

This was quite possibly the worst time to be having this conversation. But Kouga could not control the uncontrollable feeling that churned his stomach like a whirlpool, a feeling that only fear can cause. This was something he hadn't felt since his youthful years as a pup ever dependent on his parents.

He could see it. He could see bodies hitting the now scarlet earth with small splashes as they involuntarily dived into a minuscule pool of blood. He saw the tiny, insignificant, burgundy drops fling themselves away from the crashing corpses. It hadn't affected him then. He had seen and caused death more times than numbers can count. But now……now he could see her being among those numbers that death claims. He could see her body being ripped apart and her blood draining from it like crimson rain. He could see her ears embrace eternal deafness that would forever block his words of affection and passion from her. So this could possibly be his last time confessing them.

"Kagome-"

"Kouga hurry! Now isn't the ti-"

"Now could be last damn time!!" He snarled at her abruptly cutting off her statement but not ending her impatience.

"What are you talking about?-"

"Listen to me! There's death everywhere! With shinigami this close to us things need to be said. You're going to live. Naraku is going to be defeated and then we can be together! You're going to come me and we're going to make a new life, start a new tribe! We're going to have our own litter and they'll grow up in a good world, a safer world. You're my woman and I'm in love with you!"

Kagome choked on her breath and stared at him. He was right of course. Death was everywhere. Just look at Kohaku. How many things had dear Sango never got to tell him. Did she ever get the chance to tell him that she loved him too? That she would die for him? That he would always be her little brother? No. Instead the last thing she heard from him was the shattering thud of his body on the cold ground. One would think Kagome would think of Inuyasha when considering things left unsaid. But no, after hearing Kouga's words the first image that popped into her mind was her mother. 'Oh Okaa-san, I'm so sorry.' She thought. 'For all the worrying, and excuse making, and the trouble I know you're going through.' Now she had wished she had stayed home just a few minutes longer to at least hug the person that loved her and understood her when it seemed as though no one else did.

Quickly she shook herself of the distracting thoughts and feelings and squared her shoulders.

"Kouga, I need you to cover me ok?" She didn't have the heart to correct Kouga in his assumptions of her future. It was a desperate time, let him believe whatever he wanted. Let him have faith in anything that gave him strength.

Kouga nodded determinedly and forcibly turned her towards Naraku seemingly unaffected by her lack of return of his confessions.

Kagome drew her bow and reached for an arrow, she strung the purifying arrow and took aim. 'Concentrate Kagome, focus.' She aimed at Naraku's heart as the corrupted hanyou guardedly watched Inuyasha. A lavender aura began to collect around the arrow as Kagome concentrated every bit of miko energy she could muster into it. She felt her force draining from her, weakening her. Her body shook with the effort it was starting to take just to hold her aim. 'Oh kami this isn't good!' She thought. All she got was one shot at Naraku and that one shot had to be all she was worth, unfortunately she didn't count on having the reserved strength for holding herself up. She panted with the effort when suddenly she felt strong arms grip her to hold her steady. Kouga took himself from his appointed task to steady the wavering girl. Kagome relayed on those arms to hold her as she drew back her bow.

"KOUGA!!!"

Came a spastic far away screech accompanied by a much closer choke and gurgle. Suddenly Kagome felt an explosive pain rip into the top of her back and a crushing unsupported weight fall into her, distorting her aim and sending her arrow off prematurely. Kagome grunted with a brief attempt to bare the unknown weight before collapsing to the ground. She felt her temple touch wet earth and winced as the new pain tied with the former. Her back felt wet and she could feel that liquid wetness dripping down her sides. Kagome opened her eyes and felt the air strangle her.

Kouga's forehead touched the earth as he lay on top of her. His mouth open in a distorted, silent cry of agony, as blood dripped from it like a broken faucet. His lifeless eyes lay open staring unseeingly at the ground.

Kagome's pupils constricted as if trying to block out the sight, her mouth hung open baring to the world a shaking chin and trembling lip. She felt tears gather at the corner of her eyes but did not feel the burning sensation behind them that usually accompanied crying. She no longer felt the searing pain in her back as her entire body seemed to go numb. Kagome's brain barely registered a familiar feminine chuckle.

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Ginta watched in horror as Kagura lunged at Kouga, it happened to fast that even his youkai eyes barely recognized movement at all. Before he could even alert his distracted friend the wind demon's hand snaked out and plunged itself into the wolf prince's back and leaped through his chest. Right through his heart. Ginta felt the bile rise from his stomach and bubble up his throat along with his howl of terror.

"KOUGA!!"

Ginta leaped away from his position and took off towards his fallen leader. He panted more in urgency and in weariness. He darted left and right avoiding anything that could hinder his flight. He leapt forward not even acknowledging Kagura as the demoness seemed to be waiting for him.

It appeared that her wait would be in vain as Hakkaku pounced on her preoccupied figure ripping into her with rage. Kagura shrieked in surprise and tried with useless effort to buck Hakkaku off her weary body as he tore into her tired frame. Flesh flew from the feminine body like a topless blender and in no time it appeared Kagura would be much like those flying pieces.

Ginta skidded to a halt next to the prone bodies. He cringed and once more felt the familiar bile of nausea bubble in his stomach at the sight of the fist sized hole in his friend's chest. It appeared to go right through him and out the other side. 'He's dead, he's dead, he's dead. He's dead, he's dead, he's dead.' Was the mantra looping in Ginta's head. He collapsed to his knees and placed a trembling hand on his leader's bloody shoulder. Shaking! Kouga was shaking! Ginta lurched forward over Kouga's body an ecstatic smile crossing his features. He was hurt but still alive! Ginta gently gathered his friend into his arms and removed him from the young woman child beneath. The shaking had stopped. The instant Ginta removed Kouga from Kagome's body he had stopped shaking. He examined his leader's body and realized that Kouga's heart was indeed torn, possibly from his body itself. Ginta felt the panic return and his jaw began to tremble. He heard a tiny whimper that stole him from his horror stricken reverie. It came from the ground. Or rather from a trembling Kagome that lay stricken on the ground. Her entire body from head to toe shook as if in the throes of a miniscule seizure. Ginta looked from Kouga to Kagome before softly setting Kouga to the ground. He leaned over the prone and quaking figure of his leader's mate-to-be. He saw that Kagura's fist had truly gone through Kouga and straight into Kagome's upper back, but not through her. Ginta shuffled his hands underneath her shoulders and lifted her up turning her along the way. Even her face was shaking. Had Kagome's mouth not been open her teeth would be chattering.

"Nee-san?" Ginta asked hesitatingly.

This was different, it was so different. Kagome had seen death before. She had seen youkai die plenty of times and had just seen Kohaku die. Yet this was different. This was Kouga. She knew Kouga. Kouga was a wolf youkai, he was confident, he was arrogant, and very determined and persistent. She knew him. He had just been there talking to her, telling her the sweetest things that at the time her impatience and paranoia would not let her appreciate. And now, his dead bleeding body had lain on top of her. She had heard his last breath. Her friend. Her friend was dead. No, her friend was murdered. Death was different this time. It was so much different.

Ginta stared into her face. He did not want to worry about her right now. His leader, his best friend was dead and bleeding right next to him.

"Kouga."

Someone breathed from behind. Ginta's head snapped around to see a crimson covered Hakkaku staring at the lifeless body of his prince. Ginta nodded sorrowfully, feeling a familiar stinging from behind his eyes but closing them before the stinging could set. He turned to look once more at Kagome before feeling a sudden jerk and absence of weight in his hands.

"NEE-SAN! COME BACK!"

But Kagome didn't hear him. She didn't hear anything but a dull ringing in her ears and head. Her fault, her fault, it was all her fault. Kouga was right, this was a war and people had to die. But she didn't think it'd be her people! It wasn't fair! She wasn't strong enough, she had to distract Kouga from his alert task just to help her steady a bow! Tears lined her cheeks flowing behind her like a liquid banner as she ran as fast as her human legs would carry her to her destination. 'There's death everywhere!...You're going to live…..' 'NO!!' Kagome could still hear him. She clenched her eyes shut as if it would block the words from her mind. 'No! Keep them open!' She had to keep her eyes open, she couldn't risk being careless and going off course.

She could still hear him. His sweet words. Sweet words that he would never say again, never say to someone who could love him back. They were wasted on her. Why couldn't she have returned his feelings?! If just for a moment he would have at least went knowing someone returned his love. 'But you didn't…' A voice whispered in the back of her head. Kagome let out a strangled sob. 'I don't care!'

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"Well, congratulations Inuyasha. It appears you've earned yourself a position in the finals after all." Naraku drawled the amused grin reappearing on his flawless face.

Inuyasha felt a feral snarl rumble in his belly and work its way through his chest. "You're not walking away this time Naraku." He growled.

"Let's let fate decide that now shall we?" Naraku paused and cocked his head as if considering something. "Of course, I have always believed in making my own fate." A wicked parody of a smile stretched across his lips and he slid his hand out. His fingers curled gracefully outward like a demented flower before revealing a full and complete Shikon no Tama.

InuYasha's eyes widened and he felt his hybrid blood go cold as Naraku drew the marble shaped jewel to his lips.

Naraku never took his eyes off the motionless hanyou as he opened his mouth and whispered with deceptive sincerity "Make a wish InuYasha." And with that the precious jewel was elegantly tossed into his mouth.

InuYasha's muscles froze watching the small ball slide down the other demon's throat.

The said demon frowned and his eye brows furrowed as if studying some sort of curious concept. Suddenly his head was thrown back in a gasp as his muscles grew and mutated creating a grotesque symphony of cracking bones and tearing flesh.

There was nothing InuYasha could do as he stared at the convulsing body of Naraku. The demon continued to grow and transform as the hoard of youkai that made up the hanyou changed and grew with the strength the shikon no tama had given them. He rose as his skin was manipulated. New limbs grew, colors changed, smiling teeth turned into hideous grinning incisors. InuYasha looked up at the newly transformed Naraku. He no longer hid under the guise of a man. Now his gigantic skeletal body took its place, long spindly arms and legs stretched out under blackish skin, claws extended to what looked like the very size of InuYasha himself, long, coarse, purple hair flew out of a hard skull that encased a long demonic beak full of hideous fangs and not a single tooth. And finally the eyes. Blood red eyes mockingly bore into InuYasha as if attempting to stop his heart just by looking.

InuYasha shook off any sort of fear the tried to clamber into his stomach and squared himself against his enemy. He bared his fangs raising Tetsusaiga.

"THIS CHANGES NOTHING YOU DISGUSTING ASSHOLE!"

InuYasha leaped up and lunged towards the new Naraku bringing down Tetsusaiga. Naraku laughed and easily dodged the blow.

"I have told you what I believe, InuYasha, now tell me, what do you believe in?" Naraku mocked with maniacal laughter.

InuYasha growled and continued to swing. The blows that didn't hit only served to make him dodge an attack from Naraku, and the blows that did barely left a scratch upon his scaly skin.

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"NO!" Kagome screamed as she watched the small orb disappear into Naraku's human mouth. 'No no no! It wasn't supposed to happen this way!' She screamed into her head. This wasn't right! Kouga wasn't supposed to die, her arrow wasn't supposed to miss its course, and Naraku was supposed to make a wish on the shikon no tama! Not swallow it! The plan had failed. She was supposed to wait for Naraku to reveal the Shikon and release her arrow when he was distracted with making his wish. This was not supposed to happen. 'Well then I guess you'll just have to adapt to a new plan, now won't you……' whispered the same voice in the back of her mind. Kagome nodded and set herself as she looked up at the newly transformed Naraku. She took a deep breath ignoring the spastic bellows and screams coming from behind her and took off once more. 'I can still do it! This can still work!'

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"InuYasha, once more I have to ask you, where do these meaningless efforts get you? I am stronger, more powerful, and already possess the Shikon no Tama. The game is over and you have failed, now why not just lay down and die?"

"SHUT YOUR FILTHY MOUTH AND FIGHT!" InuYasha screamed back.

Naraku shook his massive head dodging another blow and let out a low chuckle from the back of his throat. "As you wish." Naraku waited for InuYasha to raise himself to strike again. Right before the attack came Naraku reared his twisted clawed hand back and backhanded the hanyou away from him.

InuYasha flew back, the attack an unprecedented one. He shook his head to clear it and growled. This was not going well. He had seen Kagome's arrow fly off course but didn't have time to inspect what had happened.

"INUYASHA!"

Both demonic heads snapped to attention down at the darting Kagome. Naraku grinned and InuYasha felt panic flood his gut.

"KAGOME, GET AWAY!!"

It all happened in the blink of an eye, even InuYasha's enhanced vision could barely register what had happened before seeing Kagome fisted in Naraku's grip. Naraku licked his false and stared at the hanyou.

"I saw this and thought it belonged to you." He drawled as if having a conversation over tea.

"Let her go! She's useless!!" InuYasha roared. He had never felt so helpless, and found that he did not like the after feeling it left in his throat.

"I believe the saying goes 'finders keepers' neh?" Naraku chortled. "All joking aside, that blasted ball did not satisfy me nearly enough. Perhaps a second course?"

"NARAKU!!" InuYasha screamed watching Kagome mercilessly thrown into Naraku's massive mouth like anyone would pop a pill.

Naraku chuckled and ran his lavender tongue along his the side of his elongated beak where his lips used to be.

InuYasha froze. The helplessness seemingly paralyzing his entire body. The only movement a small tick that had suddenly appeared in his left eye.

A surprised look spread over Naraku's hideous features as the Tetsusaiga dropped to the floor. The hanyou didn't even seem to notice it leaving his blood covered hand.

Gradually the tick appeared to spread over his entire body. His muscles twitched and his golden eyes clenched shut. The helpless feelings were rapidly turning into a fury propelled wrath he had never felt before. His entire body now naked, with the exception the torn bottoms of his hakama, clenched and trembled with rage as he suppressed it, not fully understanding the blinding emotions within him.

Naraku looked on entertained with the spectacle. He had always wondered how the hanyou would react to the death of his second miko. Hm, it was indeed interesting. He thought and cocked his head as InuYasha's body stopped its tremors and waited to see the hanyou's expression when he rose his head.

InuYasha's eyes snapped open to reveal pools of crimson and violet. Fangs and claws long since elongated and his cheeks streaked with mauve stripes. He flung his head back to look the rival demon in the eyes. Foamy saliva dripped from the dog demon's mouth as it shot open to let out a fang filled snarl.

The new Naraku recoiled his head in an amused surprise. Maybe this would get interesting yet. Those were his last thoughts as Inuyasha flung himself at Naraku.

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The new demon could recall nothing but blinding, maddening rage and the absolute need for blood to quell it. Something had disappeared. Something precious. He couldn't exactly remember what it was but new that the massive demon in front of him was the cause. He lunged and drew back and lunged again releasing attack after attack of claws and razored teeth.

He was fast. Much faster than Naraku had anticipated. He was having trouble blocking and returning blows. This was unexpected, Naraku thought grimacing as claws tore down his shoulder. The demons very claws were piercing him deeper than Tetsusaiga had.

It was still living. The damnable demon was still alive. 'Kill it kill it kill it kill it..' InuYasha's instincts chanted to him. The demon had invoked his blood craving wrath and he would deal with it.

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Sango looked around as the youkai seemed to be backing off and retreating. Miroku too noticed the phenomenon.

"Kohaku! I have to find Kohaku!" Sango shouted to the houshi.

The Taijiya ran about searching for her brother's body, hoping that it hadn't been torn to pieces. She suddenly felt a hand grip her shoulder. Sango turned to look at Miroku whose eyes were focused on something beyond her. Something above her. She frowned and turned her attention to see what was so enthralling.

InuYasha had transformed. The newly transformed dog demon was hurling itself at Naraku blindly tearing at anything he could reach.

Sango's eyes widened and on instinct began scanning the ground for sight of Tetsusaiga. She spotted it, it was a ways from Naraku's very feet. She made a move to go for it when Miroku tightened his grip.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now he seems to be doing better than he was."

Sango frowned and nodded worriedly. If they were possibly winning then why did she have this foreboding feeling in her abdomen?

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This had stopped being amusing and was now swiftly becoming annoying. Naraku glared at the new youkai blocking himself from its attacks. This would have to end. Now. Naraku snarled and threw his weight at the Inu Youkai slamming it down with his enormous palm. He growled and smashed InuYasha into the ground determinedly crushing the full youkai into the earth with his palm.

Trapped, trapped, trapped. His instincts screamed at him to get out, that he was trapped and would die if he did not escape. InuYasha struggled and clawed into the gigantic hand encasing him to the ground. He desperately tore into it trying to go through the hand if he could not get around. He grunted as he reached unrelenting bone. He couldn't get out. The hand wouldn't give! Frustrated and panicked the demon flung his arms out to reach anything in which to escape with. Quickly and unexpectedly he felt his fingers brush metal.

Naraku's eyes widened a fraction and he let out a smirk as he watched the youkai become a hanyou again as he gripped his sword. Crimson turned to gold and mauve returned to tanned skin. He chuckled and pressed harder. This would be much easier.

InuYasha struggled and looked around trying to get his bearings. What happened? He cringed feeling his ribs snap under the pressure of Naraku's enormous hand. He swung Tetsusaiga down and down trying desperately to either cut into or remove the offending limb altogether.

And suddenly, the pressure lessened. Curiously InuYasha looked up at Naraku's looming face to see a look of surprise and confusion, and was that a hint of pain?

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What was happening? Where was the pain coming from. His stomach, yes Naraku investigated, most decidedly his stomach. It had started out just like a warmth spreading from it, now it was a searing heat that was developing into a burning pain. He choked coughing up a spray of pea green blood.

InuYasha grimaced as the disgusting and foul smelling liquid dripped into his face. What the hell was going on. Inuyasha began to feel warm. Or rather Naraku's palm was getting warmer. 'What the fucking hell is that?' All exertions seemed to stop as both demons looked down towards Naraku's stomach that had begun to pulse with a faint lavender light.

Naraku's entire massive body reared back, his head thrown backwards in a silent cry of agony.

"WHAT IS THIS?!" He bellowed.

InuYasha leaped to his feet and stared at the crazed youkai. Naraku brought his grotesque hands to his temples and swung his head back and forth trying to block out the plain that was slowly eating him from the inside out. Naraku stopped rocking back and forth and fixed his maddened stare on the hanyou.

"YOU!! YOU DID THIS!" He roared lunging forward swinging his hand back to create a death bringing blow.

InuYasha set himself into fighting position ready to defend himself with Tetsusaiga. He bared his fangs and tensed his body when suddenly……………..it stopped. Naraku stopped, his talons only feet away from InuYasha. InuYasha looked on, curious as to what was happening to the gigantic demon. Naraku choked and looked down towards his stomach. The light had increased into an intense pulsing and with an ear splitting cry Naraku knocked himself back and felt his body burn from the inside out. The light grew engulfing his entire body with its pulsating glow. Naraku gasped as his body let out one last throb of light before exploding into disintegrating pieces.

All occupants on the field which mostly consisted of Sango, Miroku, InuYasha, and the dwindled wolf tribe shielded themselves against the flying gooey pieces of the once world threatening youkai and against the blinding light that seemed to have swallowed the earth whole.

The light dimmed somewhat and InuYasha removed his arms from his eyes to see Kagome floating, completely incased in the lavender glow with the transparent presence of a raven haired woman floating all around her. Her eyes were closed and head tipped slightly upward in reverence, her hands closed around something over her heart, her hair lifted swirling around her body like charmed snakes. The transparent women then began to become ever more translucent and faded away to nothing. Kagome dropped from the sky like a falling star.

He was nothing but a snowy blur as InuYasha dove to catch the descending miko. She landed in his arms with a sticky 'whoosh'. He gasped as she almost slid from his arms like oil. InuYasha knelt to the ground ignoring the rapidly approaching remnants of his friends. A foul odor reached InuYasha's sensitive nose and he blanched, scrunching his offended nose away from the smell that had combined itself with the green and yellow substance that seemed to encase the girl like a mother's womb. He shook his head in an effort to regain his bearings and also to weakly fan away the stench. He raised a clawed hand from underneath her legs and wiped away the gut saturated bangs from Kagome's eyes. InuYasha looked into her face as she weakly tried to open her eyes. He sighed a breath of relief and clutched her tighter to his overheated and overexerted body. He looked down at her noticing her hands still clutching something to her heart. She struggled to look up at him as she parted her hands to reveal a dull but whole shikon no tama. It was strange, just the mere rumor of a shikon shard sent him running, the whole world be damned, but now as he looked upon the whole thing he didn't feel the thrilling elation he expected but rather a dim mixture of exhaustion and accomplishment.

"i-inuy-" Was as far as she got before her head went slack over his arm and she passed out.

InuYasha shifted the girl so her head rested on his chest and he looked around. The ground was littered with bloodied and decimated bodies, any surviving demon with the exception of himself and the wolves had retreated. Sango knelt at his side desperately trying to support the weight of her brother's corpse in her arms but exhaustion was fighting her ever step of the way. Miroku slumped to the ground a few feet behind him. InuYasha quickly heard the violent tearing of cloth and rattling of beads. He gently rocked Kagome back and forth not really knowing what to do now. Naraku was gone and the shikon- the shikon no tama! What were they going to do with it? Had Kagome made a wish? Wouldn't the shikon no tama disappear or something after a wish had been made? They hadn't really talked about it. InuYasha sighed, he would deal with it when he had to.

Miroku tiredly looked over at the remaining occupants of the field.

----end flashback----

Ginta watched on as Hakkaku knelt by Kouga's blood soaked figure. Hakkaku began to pant with barely suppressed rage and suddenly let out and blood curdling scream flinging his fists to the ground and tearing at the crimson dirt pulling up burgundy grass and weeds. Neither knew what to say, to curse, to scream. Nothing could describe the onslaught of emotions and physical feelings. Ginta looked over to see InuYasha and the rest surrounding Kagome, the hanyou cradling the young woman child in his arms. 'Kouga wouldn't like that' was Ginta's first thought. Thinking of his lost friend brought his eyes to the body. Ginta rapidly tore his gaze away and fixed them on something else, anything else. He was not ready to face the sight of his den brother's bloody soaked figure. Hakkaku continued to snarl and beat on the ground obviously loosing his once charming composure. The white haired wolf sighed fighting the burn behind his eyes, no, now was not the time to cry, Kouga wouldn't have cried. Ginta swallowed and crept over to his remaining friend placing a gentle and soothing hand on his shoulder.

"Come, we….we have to go." Ginta spoke softly, his usual hyper spastic attitude lost to him.

"WHY?!" Hakkaku spat, before retracting his feral anger realizing he was taking it out on the wrong person.

"We have…….we have things to do." Ginta said in a quiet voice, unable to bring himself to say the specifics of those 'things' that needed to be done.

Hakkaku sniffled, swallowing his sorrow down and allowed himself to be helped up. The two youkai looked at each other knowing what had to be done but both were neither ready nor willing to do it. A panicked look entered Ginta's eyes resembling the once paranoid expression he often got before all of this. Hakkaku sighed, his friend was slipping, and doing this task would certainly shove him off the edge.

Ginta let out an unheard breath as he watched Hakkaku bend over to scoop up their leader's body. He felt guilt eat at his belly seeing the cringe that overtook Hakkaku's face upon touching the corpse of their fallen friend. With that they began to walk. They walked away from the battle field neither knowing exactly where they were going but had a vague idea of what they were searching for. Ginta slowed his pace as the thought of looking back to cast one last gaze at their allies and the field, but quickly shook it off and continued. The two friends did their best to set their faces to stone but neither really accomplished the task. Hakkaku's eyes were too glossy and Ginta swallowed and gulped a little too frequently to be normal. While mourning their friend, and adapting to a sense of deep unalterable loss, and sorrow churning and bubbling in their stomach a single question arose that struck a dull pang of dread yet stayed at the forefronts of their minds.

'What do we do now?'

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Okay how was that? Too descriptive? Boring? Too much detail? Off subjecty? All criticism is wholly welcomed kay? Except those lil' nit pickers that spend their time reviewing every single chapter and waste it picking out any sort of spelling or grammar error. Ok nit pickers, I'm gonna warn u here and now, there will be fragments here, k? I know the sentence fragments are there, I do have mic.word. They are there purposefully, okie dokie? Ok, review people's and it'll get the better next chappie out k? C-ya

Luv peace and tanning grease!

Deni

Chapter II - O b l i g a t i o n

-"Do you hate me?" She asked in a small quiet voice. She stared up at him both fearing and dreading the answer, but needing to know it just the same.

He didn't look at her as she probably wanted him too. He looked into his lap and then at the window before whispering a determined "Hai".