InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Taisho's Darling ❯ Freedom ( Chapter 30 )

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Disclaimer: I don't own these marvelous characters; they are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I merely torture them at will and put them in uncomfortable situations whenever possible.

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Chapter 30

Freedom

 

……

 

Jakotsu stood in the entryway of the bedroom, wishing he could be somewhere - anywhere - else. He squirmed, trying to ignore the glares coming from his boss and Kaede. The pair obviously didn't appreciate his interruption. Kami, but this was embarrassing…

 

“Taisho-sama…” Jakotsu attempted to keep the distress from his voice so as not to cause a panic. They needed clear heads, now more than ever. “We have a…situation...” He choked, finding it difficult to continue. How to tell your employer that you have failed to guard that which is most precious to him? He tried once more to convey the message. “Onigumo…has taken Kagome.”

 

His boss's response was immediate and predictably violent. “How did this happen? Where is she?” Taisho roared, leaping toward Jakotsu and grabbing him by the throat.

 

“They are outside,” the longtime bodyguard managed to croak. He didn't even bother to try and catch himself as Taisho flung him against the wall. He deserved this, and possibly more.

 

……

 

“And just where in the hells do you think you're going?” Inu-Yasha asked Sango.

 

“Outside with the rest of you,” Sango answered simply as she dragged a large, boomerang-shaped weapon from the back of her closet. As her mate started to protest, she placed a hand over his mouth to silence him. “Don't even try to tell me to stay in the hiding place with the children, Inu-Yasha. This entire event reeks of Naraku; there's no way he and Onigumo aren't connected.” She hefted the heavy weapon across her shoulders. “There's going to be a fight; it's going to be a big one; and quite frankly, this is the best weapon I have.”

 

Occasionally, the hanyou had the good sense to know when to shut up. With a pained sigh of resignation, he followed Sango out the door. “Should you be swinging that thing around while you're pregnant?” he asked, making one final attempt to force her to reconsider her actions. “What if you put your back out or something?”

 

“My back,” Sango announced, “is going to be the least of our worries. Far more troublesome will be what happens if I don't start throwing Hiraikotsu. And by the way,” she started, “I almost forgot. You should carry this; I don't think it's going to do me any good right now.”

 

Inu-Yasha flinched as she removed Tetsusaiga from her waist and thrust it into his hands. “It's not going to do me any good, either,” he sputtered.

 

“Take it; you never know when it might come in handy,” Sango insisted, her long legs stretching ahead of him as she moved quickly through the corridors. “If worst comes to worst, you can always make a suicide run at Naraku and shove that rusted piece of metal right up his ass.”

 

……

 

Kagome awakened to pain so intense that it literally blinded her. Though she was forcing her eyes to open, she couldn't see her surroundings, couldn't focus on anything. Searing white heat enveloped her senses, erasing every thought but that of making the pain go away.

 

A smooth pair of lips pressed against the slave bite on her arm, followed by a sharp bite. Paralyzing cold ran through her body, seeming to penetrate all the way through her skin and into her soul. An oily voice whispered softly in her ear. “It's time to restore my mark to its original condition, little miko. You'll like that, won't you?”

 

Onigumo. Had she been able to move, she would have killed him. Instead, Kagome concentrated on making her sight return.

 

When her vision cleared, she immediately wished to revisit the blindness. She was clasped in Onigumo's arms, and he was standing in the open space near the edge of the mansion grounds. Standing a short distance away, in front of the old storage shed, were Sesshomaru and Taisho-sama, with the rest of the household approaching from the distance. And as she swiveled her head, she saw Naraku standing just past the low hedges that marked the mansion's property line.

 

This was bad. Very bad.

 

……

 

“Release her,” Sesshomaru breathed harshly, his eyes bleeding red. His claws dug into his clenched fists as he spoke, but he seemed unaware of the pain. Tiny droplets of blood flecked the ground below.

 

“No, I believe I will keep my prize, youkai,” Onigumo spat, tightening his hold on Kagome's resisting form. “You see, I have issues with others trying to take what I have claimed.” He snaked his tongue against the side of Kagome's neck as he spoke, shuddering with unbridled lust.

 

“You cannot hope to win this,” Taisho warned as he placed a restraining hand upon Sesshomaru. “No matter where you take her or what you do to her, we will never desert her. You will let your guard down at some point, Onigumo, and we will not rest until your heart is silenced!”

 

The human with Hojo's face merely laughed. “You won't be alive to seek justice, Taisho. And even if you are,” his face split into a horrific grin, “her life is bound to mine. Surely you have figured that out by now? Yes,” he continued smugly, “I can see by your expressions that you have. Kill me - and you kill your lovely little miko. And don't attack Naraku, either,” he warned as he caught Taisho eyeing the demon. “I have unfinished business with him.”

 

It was at this moment that Naraku chose to speak. “Enough of your posturing, Onigumo,” he addressed the man in bored tones. “In case you haven't noticed, I'm in the middle of something big. Give me one good reason to allow you to continue living.”

 

Onigumo smirked. “Not only will you allow me to live, Naraku, but you'll take me back within you. You need me.”

 

“I need you?” Naraku asked Onigumo incredulously. “I have no desire to be a lowly hanyou again, Spider Bandit. As a full demon, I have powers you can't begin to fathom. Why would I need you?”

 

“Don't try to impress me by boasting of your powers,” Onigumo hissed. “I'm not without skills of my own, Naraku. How else do you think I survived being torn from you? Not only can I acquire the bodies of others,” he gestured to his Hojo-countenance, “but I can bind souls to me forever! I hold the winning hand in this game,” he finished triumphantly.

 

“Oh, really?” Naraku questioned with an arched brow. “That's a fascinating theory, considering you're a miserable, puny human with artificial claws and fangs, and you're surrounded by youkai. In fact, I won't even have to dirty my hands with your blood. All I have to do is kill the little human wench - once you've lost your hostage, these two,” he pointed to Taisho and Sesshomaru, “will see to your death. I predict it will be very, very painful.”

 

“You will restore me to your body because I have something you want,” Onigumo informed him with a twisted smile. “Without me, you will never possess the Shikon Jewel. Take me back within you, Naraku. Our individual powers are great, but our combined powers will make us invincible!”

 

“So that's what you desire,” Naraku sneered. “With all you've acquired, you still need my youki. What's the matter, won't anyone else provide it?”

 

“I need you. I am part of you, carved from your body - my flesh longs to return to you! Consider my offer, Naraku. After all,” Onigumo continued, “I ask for so little in return - all I want is this woman.” He tangled a free hand through Kagome's hair and yanked her closer as he spoke.

 

“What possible worth can she hold?” Naraku asked curiously.

 

“More than you can imagine. You!” Onigumo rounded on Sesshomaru, who had made the slightest of movements in his direction. “You don't follow instructions very well, do you? Hear this, youkai - you move, and the miko suffers!” He drew a sharp nail against Kagome's throat, causing a welt of blood to rise from the surface.

 

“Stop it!” Taisho commanded as Kagome moaned in pain. “Do not harm her any further!”

 

Naraku studied the human he'd shed from his body so long ago. “Allow me to see into your mind,” he said slowly, carefully approaching the Spider Bandit.

 

Onigumo's face was serene. “I've already given you a peek,” he reminded him. “If you want to see the rest, you must join with me. Come,” he held out his pale hand to Naraku. “I will give you what you seek.”

 

……

 

They were blending, the demon Naraku and the human Onigumo. The helpless miko remained caught in Onigumo's arms, but the form of the bandit was slowly dissolving. Gradually, two bodies became one, the features of Naraku replacing Hojo's stolen face.

 

“Can't we stop this?” Kikyo cried as she reached Taisho's side.

 

“Not without risking Kagome,” Taisho answered grimly. “I'm not ready to give up on her just yet.” He was voicing what all of them were thinking - at what point would Kagome's life be counted against the greater good?

 

“Ah…ah yes!” Naraku panted with delight. “I see it all so clearly now! I see!” His eyes were wild with rapture, and he faced the stunned group with nothing less than a joyful enthusiasm. “The Shikon no Tama - the real Shikon Jewel - is mine!”

 

“Real?” Kikyo rounded on Taisho. “What does he mean, real? Are you telling me the Jewel in our possession is a fake?”

 

“Of course it is, you silly little bitch!” Naraku laughed at her confused expression. “Did you really believe that the ancient priestess Kikyo would leave the Jewel in the care of a demon? As if a miko would ever trust a youkai! No,” he cackled, “the miko had the Jewel burned with her remains, and sent it to the next world. Onigumo somehow discovered this after I cast him from my body, and he waited - waited for her reincarnation to make an appearance, along with the Jewel!”

 

“Her reincarnation?” Kikyo squeaked, taking a step behind the two inuyoukai.

 

“Not you,” Naraku hissed at her. “You see, your predecessor was unusual in more ways than one. She had a very large soul, a soul too great to fit in one container, given this age of declining magic. She gave most of her soul to you, my dear little spy, but there was a portion left over. That bit of her went into someone else, along with the Shikon Jewel.”

 

“Who…” Sesshomaru began. His gaze fell upon Kagome, and he reached his conclusion at the same time as the others. “No,” he gasped.

 

“Yes!” Naraku cried exultantly as he plunged his clawed hand into Kagome's side and ripped her tender flesh, ignoring her cries of pain. He threw her limp body to the ground, where she curled into a sobbing ball at his feet, clutching at her side. “It was hidden within her, and now the Shikon Jewel is mine - mine!” Naraku crowed, raising his bloodied fist, fingers clutching the marble-sized sphere.

 

The rage crossing Taisho's countenance seemed to amuse the evil hanyou further. “What a magnificent game you've played, Taisho,” Naraku addressed the inuyoukai mockingly. “Onigumo placed a powerful masking spell on Kagome's body, hiding the presence of the Jewel - you saw right through it, didn't you? But instead of killing the girl and taking the object, you took the girl and masked her with a spell of your own. Only a sentimental human-lover like you would deem the worth of the wench to be greater than the object inside of her!”

 

Naraku brought his fist down before them. “Onigumo was clever, so clever,” the demon murmured ecstatically. “He kept the little miko alive, leaving her precious object inside of her. Then he tainted the container, allowing her to be used as a whore! What better way to turn the Shikon Jewel black with dark hatred? Is it not beautiful?” He opened his hand to show them the Jewel.

 

The sight was not what they were expecting. As he held the Jewel, it glowed a bright purple-pink, radiating a color that was intensely pure. “Ohh…” Kikyo murmured. “It is beautiful…”

 

“The Jewel is still pure,” Taisho noted with awe. “Onigumo spent years defiling Kagome's body, but he could not taint My Darling's soul.”

 

“No matter,” Naraku snapped, although it was obvious that he was disappointed. He closed his fingers around the Shikon Jewel once more. “Our world is filled with hatred; it won't take long to darken the object. First though, I need to take care of you, Taisho. As worthy an adversary as you have been, you are now an obstacle to my plans for dominion.”

 

“And like all obstacles, I suppose I must be removed. Do you really believe you can win this, Naraku?” Taisho challenged.

 

“Do you really believe you can stop me?” Naraku countered. His form shifted, and massive tentacles sprung from his lower body. “Today is the day you visit the hells, Taisho!”

 

“I won't be traveling alone!” Taisho barked, using his claws to hack at a tentacle wrapping around his leg. The rest of the group was doing much the same, using whatever weapons they had at their disposal to fight the appendages springing from Naraku.

 

“Oh yes, I knew I was forgetting something!” Naraku chuckled, a dark sound that sent shivers of dread through the group. “I dislike interference, and your companions aren't worth my time!” As he spoke, a loud crack sounded from the sky. Before anyone could react, a barrier slammed into place, leaving everyone but Naraku, Kagome and Taisho on the outside.

 

……

 

As Sango had earlier predicted, Naraku had an army of demons at his command. The flying hordes attacked the moment Naraku's barrier slammed into place. It was just the sort of rotten luck she possessed, Kagura thought bitterly. She'd finally found someone to share her life with, and now it was all going to end in a gruesome death.

 

Kagura was no novice when it came to fighting. She'd lived through several wars and defended herself with the best. This battle though…this was something different. This time, she was severely outnumbered and up against the Jewel-enhanced powers of a power-hungry psycho, which didn't bode well for their little group. Complicating things further was the fact that it had been ages since she fought, and her powers had declined considerably.

 

The shrieking and wailing of the hundreds of lower-level demons filled her ears, making it difficult to concentrate. “Miroku!” Kagura yelled, trying to be heard over the din. “Picking them off one at a time isn't going to help us! We've got to take a bunch of them out at once!” A sharp tooth nicked her shoulder, right before she sliced through the creature with her fan.

 

“I'm open to suggestions!” Miroku hollered back as he slapped a sutra on the demon attacking Kanna from behind. The white-haired youkai was sucking Naraku's minions into her mirror but couldn't capture more than one at a time. Like the other magic-based weapons, the mirror's power had faded.

 

“We need something to enhance the mirror's ki, some kind of focal point…” Kagura began. She was momentarily cut off by a shower of gore raining down from above. She followed the source and was nearly hacked in two by a large boomerang-bone. “Hey, watch where you're slinging that thing!” she shouted at Sango.

 

The pregnant woman caught Hiraikotsu with one hand, while waving the other hand at Kagura in apology. “Sorry,” she called back in response. “I'm a little rusty! I haven't practiced much since I got back from Australia!”

 

“What the hell is a cook doing with a weapon like that, anyway?” Kagura snarled as she watched the former taijiya tear into one of the demons attacking Kohaku. “Oh, never mind. Now listen, Miroku, I've got an idea.”

 

“Explain it quickly,” the former monk told her as he gave her a hard push. They fell to the ground, and Kagura felt the air currents ripple around her as the talons of some hell-born creature missed her by a hair's breadth. A rapid flick of her fan sliced the loathsome thing into pieces.

 

She gripped Miroku's shoulders and pulled his face next to hers. “Do you trust me?” she asked. “I mean, really trust me? I'm asking because I'm about to do something that's going to seem very strange.”

 

He started to make some sarcastic reply, but the look in her eyes stopped him. “With all my heart, Kagura,” he finally answered. “Do what is necessary.”

 

She kissed him on the mouth, hard. “Keep fighting, then,” she ordered. “And move toward Kanna.”

 

……

 

“Kohaku!” Sango whistled to get his attention. “Is that what I think it is?”

 

Her brother squinted, trying to see where she was pointing. “A fire-cat?” he asked in disbelief, wondering if this was some kind of illusion. The flying cat dove toward them, forcing Kohaku to take cover. “I thought those were extinct!” he exclaimed.

 

“Apparently not, and look at collar she's wearing!” Sango said excitedly. “She's been subjugated! You know what that means, don't you?”

 

“She's not fighting us out of her own will,” Kohaku answered. “So if we can remove the restraining collar…”

 

“She'd probably be more than happy to fight on our side,” Sango finished with a grin. “Cover me, little brother - I've got a fire-cat to catch. Here, Kitty-Kitty!”

 

“The woman can't be serious!” Jakotsu gaped.

 

“Trust me, she's serious,” Kohaku assured the guard as Sango ran toward the enslaved creature.

 

“We'd better give her a hand,” sighed Bankotsu. “If she gets hurt, Inu-Yasha's going to kill us.”

 

……

 

Behind a protective cover formed by Kaede's spiritual energy, Inu-Yasha and Sesshomaru were desperately trying to break Naraku's barrier. Their attempts were useless, as were the efforts of Kaede and Kikyo. The demon had managed to create a shield resistant even to the combined spiritual powers of the two women.

 

“We've got to figure out a way to get through the barrier!” Kikyo fired a frustrated wave of energy at the immovable wall. “Taisho can't possibly defeat Naraku all by himself!”

 

“He certainly plans to try,” Sesshomaru responded grimly, gingerly shaking fingers burnt by his earlier attempt to destroy the barrier. He tested another area and was repelled immediately. “He will transform and fight.”

 

“Transform?” Kaede echoed, temporarily distracted from her task of maintaining their protective cover. She returned her attention in time to purify an invading worm youkai. “He can't do that!” she continued. “He's hardly recovered his physical strength, let alone the spiritual energy required for such a thing! The last transformation nearly killed him!”

 

“Taisho must have guessed it would come to this,” Kikyo surmised. “No wonder he didn't think he'd survive the battle. Sorry,” she added, seeing the stricken look on Inu-Yasha's face.

 

“Oh, hell no! The stubborn old bastard isn't dying on us that easily,” the hanyou growled angrily, reaching out to slash at the barrier. The smell of singed flesh greeted his nostrils, just as the pain manifested itself in his fingertips. “Damn!” he cursed. “Can't you think of something?”

 

“Tetsusaiga,” Kaede abruptly announced. She looked at Inu-Yasha, hope written on her face. “Toto-sai said something to me about Tetsusaiga - the sword can pierce the barrier, can it not?”

 

“There's nothing left in Tetsusaiga,” Inu-Yasha answered, only to feel a throb from the blade resting at his hip. He drew the sword from its scabbard. “What the…?”

 

“For some reason, the blade has chosen to answer the call,” Sesshomaru told him in wonder. “It was, after all, forged from Father's fang.” He jumped to the side as he spoke, narrowly avoiding being hit by one of Kikyo's purifying volleys. “Careful, woman!” he snarled.

 

“Fine,” the miko answered shortly, pointing to the carcass of a demon that had pierced the protective shield. Several rows of sharp teeth were all that remained of the creature. “Next time I'll just let the thing bite you.” A booming noise sounded from within Naraku's barrier, and the ground beneath their feet trembled. “What are you waiting for, Inu-Yasha?” Kikyo cried.

 

Tetsusaiga pulsed within his hand, the ki within the blade gathering for what Inu-Yasha knew would be the sword's final act. It was obvious which path the weapon had chosen, but the hanyou stood there undecided, feeling as if his soul were torn in half. He could use Tetsusaiga, but somehow he knew that the ki required to wield it would ultimately destroy the blade. The weapon was Sango's last defense against his full demon side -how to choose between his father's immediate need and his mate's future safety?

 

“Inu-Yasha.” Sesshomaru's clawed hand gripped his shoulder. “Our time is short. Use the Tetsusaiga!”

 

He grabbed his brother's hand and yanked it from his shoulder, pulling the inuyoukai in front of him. “Promise me,” Inu-Yasha barked.

 

“What is it?” Sesshomaru asked, his tones impatient.

 

“Tetsusaiga is Sango's remaining hope,” Inu-Yasha told his brother. “My mate has no defense if I turn full youkai again and decide to go after the pups. Promise me you'll protect her,” the hanyou whispered urgently.

 

His brother, who had been tugging him in the direction of the barrier, stopped his movements. “You are more of a threat to your mate than Naraku?” he asked incredulously.

 

“You think I like this situation?” Inu-Yasha asked bitterly. “Are you gonna protect her or not, Sesshomaru?”

 

“Hurry up, you two!” Kikyo hissed at them. “Kaede can't keep this shield up for much longer!”

 

Sesshomaru stole a quick glance outside the protective shield, searching for the woman in question. He noted with some interest that she'd somehow acquired a fire-cat and was flying through the air on the creature's back. “I give you my word,” he announced as he watched her hack a serpentine youkai into several pieces with her boomerang weapon, “I will not allow you to harm her - although she appears to be more than capable of defending herself.”

 

Taking a deep breath, Inu-Yasha hoisted Tetsusaiga in the air. As he concentrated on channeling his energy into the blade, he felt the sword pulse within his hands. The blade sprang to life, growing to an enormous size and turning a bright red.

 

“Get ready!” he yelled. He brought the sword down in an arc, meeting resistance as Tetsusaiga ripped through the barrier. The blade was vibrating, tearing away from his hands as energy rippled around his father's fang. A narrow split appeared in the wall of the barrier, and Inu-Yasha wedged his sword into the base of the opening. “Now! Do it now!” he shouted over the wailing of Tetsusaiga.

 

Sesshomaru ducked through the opening, with Kikyo following right behind. “Move it along, Kaede!” Inu-Yasha snarled as the older woman hesitated. “I can't keep it open!”

 

“You cannot remain out here unprotected,” Kaede protested. “The shield will drop as soon as I enter Naraku's barrier!”

 

“Dammit, I'm safer out here than you'll be in there!” Inu-Yasha grunted. Tetsusaiga was pulsating violently, and it was all he could do to maintain his grip on the hilt. “Get inside, Kaede; my father's going to need all the help he can get! Go!”

 

She drew her mouth into a tight line and nodded her agreement. “Good luck,” Kaede whispered softly, planting a quick kiss on the hanyou's forehead. “If your father has never told you of his pride in you, then allow me to say it for him,” she murmured before slipping through the opening.

 

Kaede had barely made it through the rip when a huge burst of energy raced through Tetsusaiga, knocking Inu-Yasha back against a tree. The opening sealed shut the moment the sword lost contact, but the blade still vibrated. With a combined sense of horror and amazement, Inu-Yasha watched as the blade grew several times larger, then shattered into millions of tiny pieces. He dodged instinctively as the particles flew through the air, but it was unnecessary. The bits of Tetsusaiga dissolved before ever reaching him.

 

The blade was gone forever. Drained of the ki required to cleave the barrier, Inu-Yasha collapsed to the ground and, for the second time in a matter of days, turned completely human. He remained conscious just long enough to wonder if Naraku's attacking minions would kill him quickly now that the protective shield was down, or if they would toy with him first.

 

……

 

They were surrounded, Miroku realized. “Kagura, was this part of your plan?” he ground out. He'd erected a protective shield around himself, his mate, and Kanna, but he was fast running out of the spiritual energy required to maintain it. If only there weren't so many of Naraku's creatures attacking it at once…

 

The shield ripped with a loud pop, and several of the demons burst through the opening. With a series of rapid, frenzied movements, Miroku managed to slay his own attackers. As he staggered back to his feet, he frantically scanned the nearby area. Kagura and Kanna had been right behind him, where -

 

Kami, no! His mind screamed as he saw Kagura disappear into the gaping maw of an attacking centipede demon. Before Miroku could reach her, there was a bright flash of light from Kanna's mirror, and then there was…nothing.

 

She was gone - gone! - and so was Kanna! There was nothing left of the two sisters; not even their weapons remained. Numbed shock was quickly replaced by a deep, burning rage. The bastards would die, and he would send as many of them to hell as he could before he, too, departed for the next world.

 

A strange sensation began to tickle his hand, the palm with the hole in it. The feeling grew more uncomfortable, fast changing from a tickle to a stinging ache. Confused, Miroku ripped the cloth from his hand, allowing the rosary binding to dangle on his arm while he inspected his appendage.

 

A faint, howling noise was emanating from the hole, growing louder by the second. Alarmed, Miroku noticed the hole in his hand was growing larger, and he was starting to feel some sort of pull. He turned his palm outward and watched in amazement as the centipede demon, who had now turned her attentions to him, was sucked into the hole in his palm.

 

His hand had become a weapon. With a cry of fury, Miroku began to remove the attacking youkai from the mansion grounds. He was too wrapped in his grief and anger to notice that Kagura's mark upon his neck still remained.

 

……

 

“Cat scratches,” Jakotsu complained bitterly as he grabbed two demons by the neck and smashed them against each other. “I battle against an army of demons, and I get cat scratches. I don't suppose that - that thing has been properly vaccinated?”

 

“Stop whining,” his companion chided him. Bankotsu slashed the dagger in front of him as another demon slipped past Sango and Kohaku. The creatures met a quick death at the edge of the blade. “As grateful as I am to Kaede for giving me this nasty little piece, I can't help but wish she'd taken it with her. What do you suppose is happening on the inside of that barrier?”

 

“No telling,” Jakotsu answered. He lobbed a canister of poison gas into a cluster of flying-ant youkai, then moved his body to shield Bankotsu from the spattering of guts. “Determined to die with her demon lord, that woman is. I never thought I'd live to see Kaede get all sentimental over a grouchy bastard like him, though.”

 

“Love grows in the strangest of places,” Bankotsu mused. “Work your way over to Inu-Yasha, Jakotsu. Our hanyou has turned human again, and he isn't moving. I'm sure you'll want to offer your life in his defense.”

 

“The only one out here I'd consider dying for,” Jakotsu huffed as he knocked aside an attacking worm-demon, “would be you, Bankotsu.”

 

His companion was astonished. “Why, Jakotsu,” he remarked while stabbing the worm-demon as it tried to recover from the other guard's blow, “I believe you really mean that. Are you telling me that you value my life over Inu-Yasha's fuzzy ears?”

 

“Yes, but don't let it go to your head,” Jakotsu replied.

 

Bankotsu beamed. This odd conversation, he determined, was probably the closest Jakotsu would ever come to confessing his true feelings. Pragmatic as always, Bankotsu decided it was enough - at least for the next fifty years.

 

……

 

They were greeted with an overgrowth of jungle the moment they stepped inside Naraku's barrier. The place was oddly quiet when contrasted with the shrieking demons outside. Here within, the only sounds were growls and hisses, accompanied by the ripping of flesh; the only sight was a network of slithering greenery. Slashing his way through the numerous snares attempting to bind him, Sesshomaru struggled to keep his youki in check as ancient bloodlust sang through his veins. His mate, his pack, all had been threatened!

 

“Kaede, take my hand and blend our powers!” Kikyo gasped. A thin, rope-like vine had snaked around her body. “There are too many to purify; we must freeze them in their place!”

 

The older woman grabbed the younger miko's hand, and with their combined efforts, the two of them managed to stop the motion of the vines. Once they were stilled, Sesshomaru was able to hack them into several pieces, thus clearing a path toward the middle.

 

“There!” Kaede shouted as Sesshomaru finished, pointing to a knot of vines. “Taisho is in that cluster!”

 

A loud baying sounded within the tangle, sending vibrations down the length of Sesshomaru's spine. His father was preparing to change, readying his body to release the inu within. Suppressing his instinctive answering howl, Sesshomaru leapt upon the greenery, slicing with extended claws through the thick stems.

 

One of Naraku's tentacles shot out, nearly impaling Sesshomaru as he burst through the opening. Kaede and Kikyo entered with him, purifying the attacking appendages as best as they were able. “Provide cover and distract Naraku!” Sesshomaru ordered the pair. “I have to stop my father!”

 

Slashing and cutting, Sesshomaru worked his way toward the elder inuyoukai. By the time he reached his father, the change had already begun. Taisho's eyes were a deep crimson, his claws lengthening.

 

“No!” Sesshomaru snarled, hurling himself at Taisho's back. The force of the impact sent the youkai face-down in the dirt. With a loud growl, Sesshomaru planted his hand square between Taisho's shoulders, distributing his weight in order to refuse his father any movement.

 

Taisho attempted to throw him off, but the young demon held on tight. “Submit!” Sesshomaru growled into his ear. He bared his fangs for effect and hoped like hell his father would back down.

 

The red within Taisho's eyes flickered to gold, and Sesshomaru pressed his advantage. “We need you with us, Father,” he whispered frantically. “Inu-Yasha, Kaede, Kagome, all of us, we need you. Stay with us! I promise you, Father, if there is no other way - I will allow myself to transform! I am stronger; it will not kill me!”

 

The inuyoukai slumped beneath him in submission. “For the time being,” Taisho gasped, breathing heavily as Sesshomaru helped him to his feet, “I will permit this. But we cannot allow Naraku to win, or else our world is lost.”

 

A ball of pink light sailed past their heads, and the two dog-demons moved to avoid being hit. “It seems the women are a distraction no longer,” Sesshomaru hissed, dodging to the side as a tentacle crashed toward them. “Where is Kagome?”

 

“She is over there,” Taisho motioned to a far-off patchwork of vines. “But it matters not where she is; her life is bound to Naraku! One cannot live without the other!”

 

……

 

The lower-level youkai were eliminated. Miroku sucked the last two into his void, just as Sango sent her Hiraikotsu flying through the middle of some one-eyed monstrosity swooping down to attack Miroku from the rear. The former monk offered a quick prayer of gratitude on behalf of Taisho-sama's foresight in allowing Sango to keep her old weapon.

 

“Close that thing before you take us in as well, Miroku!” Kohaku yelled. He, Jakotsu and Bankotsu were struggling to keep from being taken into the air-rip that Miroku had inadvertently turned in their direction. “They're all gone!”

 

He was right, Miroku realized. There was nothing left for him to do; Naraku's legion had been demolished. The battle against Naraku still raged, but those outside the barrier could offer no assistance.

 

The howling wind in his hand stopped, almost as suddenly as it had started. Miroku's legs buckled beneath him, and he collapsed to the ground, shaking with exhaustion and grief. He'd destroyed his mate's enemies, sent them to hell, but he'd been too late…

 

Another flash of light and a loud, ripping noise yanked him from his sorrow. There in front if him, on her knees and retching, was Kagura. Kanna was by her side, doing much the same. The two of them were absolutely drenched from head to toe in blood and gore.

 

Kanna was the first to speak. “That, Sister,” she choked, “was the most disgusting experience I have ever had.”

 

“Can't argue with that,” Kagura gagged. “I'm going to smell exorcistic backwash for the next century.” She peered at Miroku through slime-covered bangs. “Did we get all of them?”

 

“Wha - what?” Miroku babbled, convinced he was hallucinating.

 

“I don't think he understands what happened, Kagura,” Kanna informed her sister.

 

“Oh, right,” Kagura nodded. She reached out and grasped Miroku's palm. “See, we used the hole in your hand as a focal point to amplify my wind powers, creating a giant vacuum of sorts. Combined with Kanna's mirror, my wind makes a pretty good weapon. The only problem, of course,” Kagura added as she plucked some entrails from the front of her shirt, “is that it's a really nasty way to kill something. The creatures are shredded apart by my wind before their souls are sucked into the mirror.”

 

Miroku blinked at his mate. “I thought you and Kanna had died,” he managed to say.

 

“Could you not feel your mark?” Kanna asked him curiously. “If Kagura were dead, the mark would have vanished.”

 

“I was a bit distracted,” he answered vaguely. “You know, what with the attacking demon army and all…” Too tired to continue speaking, Miroku pulled Kagura into a crushing hug. The stench wafting from his mate nearly caused him to pass out, but he held her nonetheless.

 

……

 

They were losing the fight. It was obvious, even to the young woman lying on the ground. Naraku was too strong, too determined, and he was gaining power every moment from the Shikon Jewel.

 

Kagome took shallow breaths, trying to clear her mind of pain's distraction. She watched the battle through fading vision, but she remained conscious. Every time she began to float back into the realm of darkness, she was jarred back to reality by a blow landing upon Naraku's form.

 

She could feel every hit. Onigumo/Naraku had bound her soul tightly; his pain was hers, his life was hers. Her loved ones knew this and were consequently fighting with the intent to disable the hanyou but not kill him.

 

And it would never work, Kagome thought despairingly. She heard a scream tear from Kaede's throat as a tentacle pierced the older woman's side. Kaede collapsed, and Kikyo moved quickly to surround the woman and herself with a protective barrier. Less than a moment later, she saw Taisho hit the ground with a thud, rendered unconscious by a tremendous blow.

 

Only Sesshomaru remained upright, and he was bleeding heavily from a number of wounds. Even worse, Kagome could see that his face was becoming elongated, his eyes turning the color of rubies. Her dog-demon was beginning to shift into his inu form, and the knowledge horrified her. Sesshomaru's youki was already drained from the fight; he'd never survive the transformation!

 

There had to be another way - the thought was interrupted as a sharp pain lanced through her head. The inuyoukai had landed a strike upon Naraku, but it wasn't enough to disable the monster. Sesshomaru was softening his blows on purpose, not wanting to inadvertently kill his mate.

 

Naraku would win as long as her life hung in the balance. “It has to end here,” Kagome whispered aloud, struggling to sit upright. “It has to end now.” Summoning all of her strength, the miko placed her hand over the slave bite on her arm and concentrated on directing an enormous jolt of purifying energy through the mark.

 

For one terrible moment, she thought it hadn't worked, that her best efforts were simply not enough. Then, as she was about to give up hope, a bright wave of pink light erupted from Naraku's chest, and the hanyou crumbled into dust in front of her eyes. It had happened so quickly the monster hadn't even known what hit him.

 

Her own death followed his, as she knew it would. Her senses heightened, Kagome could hear the beat of her heart as it slowed to a stop, could feel her soul separating from its earthly container. But as the ties binding her to Onigumo/Naraku snapped, she allowed the joy-filled final words to fall from her mortal lips.

 

“I'm free.”

 

……

 

A/N: This chapter has been brought to you by the efforts of the world's greatest beta, TitianWren.

 

A word regarding the ending of this chapter…I'm a big fan of the Gordian Knot. If you don't know what that is, check out (remove the spaces) http : // www . alexander-the-great . co . uk / gordian_knot . htm

 

The knot in my story? Kagome cannot be freed by any other means than Onigumo's death, but Onigumo's death results in her own. How to unravel this knot?

 

Think about it. And trust me, please.

 

Thanks so much for reading! - Lavender