Close Encounters Of The Fluffy Kind

Kagome awoke excited. This was the day that they were finally going to go after Naraku and take back what belonged to them. She glanced over at her mate, but saw that he was still asleep. Shrugging, she threw back the covers and stood up. However, memories of the previous night came flooding back to her and she froze in horror.

She could remember waking up from her nap, and had felt the stirrings of the blood moon. She had put on a robe and went looking for Sesshomaru, but instead…instead she found a guard who had been on duty and she, well, she made a complete ass of herself. She had started to strip for him, and when she was close enough, he had taken over the job of undressing her, but for some reason, he had stopped, and that was when she threw her arms around his waist. However, it was at that time that Sesshomaru had arrived and saved her from making an even bigger ass out of herself.

She sighed and shook her head. She jumped when she heard Sesshomaru move around on the bed. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw a pair of golden eyes staring at her, and she cocked her head. She grabbed a hold of the sheet and wrapped it around her body to cover herself because her robe was in tatters.

“What?” She asked, wondering why he was just staring at her and not scolding her for her behavior. Finally, he sat up and said, “We need to talk, Kagome. It seems that my youkai has decided not to wait the year before creating our heir.”

Kagome stared at her mate. If his youkai had decided not to wait, then did that mean that she was pregnant? She paled and whispered, “Does that mean what I think it means?”

Nodding, Sesshomaru slowly got up from the bed and approached his mate. She was already shaking and he sighed. He could hear his youkai gloating about how well they performed during the mating act during the previous night and Sesshomaru had to block out the proud ravings of his youkai in order to think clearly.

“My youkai decided that it wanted an heir and so, it used your heat last night to make its desires come to pass. Since you are with pup, you will now be staying at the palace while we go after Naraku. We will find another way to get through the barrier.” Sesshomaru explained, his voice firm.

Kagome glared at the taiyoukai before huffing. Finally, she blurted out, “I don’t want to stay behind. I want to be there to see Naraku fall.”

Sesshomaru’s golden eyes narrowed at his mate. The bitch was trying her hardest to fight against him, but he would not allow her to join in the fight. He would just have to outsmart her.

When a knock was heard on the door, Sesshomaru called for the person to enter and saw his brother poke his head in.

“Are you two ready? We are waiting on you.” Inu Yasha said, his little puppy ears twitching in aggravation. He and Sango had been up since dawn and from the look of things, Sesshomaru and Kagome had just rolled out of the bed.

Sesshomaru nodded. “Yes, we will leave shortly.” He said, his hand waving in the air, signaling to his brother that he was to leave the room.

As soon as the hanyou left, Kagome turned and walked over to the closet and walked inside. She selected a light kimono and jumped when she felt Sesshomaru’s hands upon her shoulders. His breath warmed her cheek and then he kissed her softly.

Sesshomaru allowed his lips to caress the soft skin that adorned her cheek and then allowed his claw to snake around to where her pulse was. He smirked and whispered, “I will see you when I return, my mate.” Without hesitation, he pressed the point and quickly caught Kagome’s body before she fell to the ground, unconscious.

He threw the kimono that she was holding to the ground and then eased her out of the sheet that she had wrapped around her body. He placed her into their bed and covered her body. Quickly dressing, he finally put his armor on and strapped his swords to his side. He looked over at Kagome, who was breathing deeply and went to her side. He kissed her lips and whispered to her prone form that he loved her before leaving their bedchambers.

When he walked down the stairs, he saw that the group had assembled and decided to let them know the situation with Kagome.

“Kagome will not be accompanying us. She is now carrying my heir and I will not allow her to be involved in this battle.” He said, his voice firm.

Sango and Ayame nodded. They, too, had not really wanted Kagome to be involved, but she had been so determined to help and they simply did not have the heart to tell her no. They watched as Sesshomaru called for his general, and once the general appeared before him, he said, “My mate is not to leave this palace for any reason. She carried the next lord of these lands and is probably going to be combative when she awakens. She is in your personal custody until I return and should I find that she set foot outside of the palace gates, you will never sire your own pups. Am I understood?”

The general slowly nodded. He glanced over at the small group that stood behind his lord and then looked back at Sesshomaru.

“What would you like me to do with the guard that placed his hands upon your mate?” He asked. He watched as his lord thought for a moment and then heard him say, “I will deal with him when I return. Until then, he is to be transferred to the stables. Perhaps shoveling horse shit will teach him not to touch what belongs to this Sesshomaru.”

Nodding, the general bowed and watched as his lord and his small army left. He let out a sigh and called for an assembly. He needed to let his guards know that they were to keep a firm eye on the lady of the palace. He had heard rumors of her stubbornness, and he could just bet that she was going to prove to be more mischievous than the pups.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Kikyo panted. She glanced over at the heap that lay next to her and rolled her eyes. Once again, Naraku had fallen asleep right after fucking. He was not a subscriber to the belief that women needed to be cuddled after sex, and instead, he simply fucked and then passed out. Truth be told, she was shocked that she had not been the one to fall asleep during the mating act. He was a very boring partner.

She sighed and placed her hand upon his shoulder. Closing her eyes, she allowed her miko abilities do their job and when she was finished, she felt drained. It was tiring to do what she was doing, but after Inu Yasha and his group made their move, she could finally exact her revenge against the one who really wronged her.

Sitting up, she slid out of the bed and dressed. Just as before, her stealers were not allowed within the barrier, so she would have to make the short journey to the border of the barrier and gain energy. She would only need to take one or two souls this time. Thankfully, her time was limited and then she could rest. She just wished that she did not have to act as a whore in order to eliminate this vile threat.

She passed by the small girl, Kanna. Since her arrival, the child had followed her around and often presented her with her mirror to show her what was going on with Kagura and Naraku. Apparently, the child was not as empty as people would believe. So, it did not surprise her that the child had followed her to the barrier. She stepped through and accepted two souls. Once she was energized, she glanced at Kanna.

Without saying a word, the child held up her mirror and allowed her to see Inu Yasha. It was clear that his group was on their way, and Kikyo decided to send one of her stealers to him to show him the way to Naraku. It was time to die, and she could not wait.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Kagome awoke to find herself in bed and nude. She huffed and muttered, “Oh, he had better hope that I am in a better mood when I get downstairs, or there will be hell to pay.” Dressing quickly, Kagome made her way downstairs and found that the palace was strangely quiet. She shook her head and walked to the study, fully expecting her mate and the others to be waiting on her. However, the study was empty and Kagome finally figured out that she had been left behind.

Hissing, she turned on her heel and ran right into a very hard chest. She glanced up and found herself staring into a pair of bright blue eyes. A pair of strong hands steadied her and she stepped back. She recognized the inu youkai as Sesshomaru’s general and she gave him an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, but I am in a rush.” She said as she began to walk around the tall inu. She heard him sigh and then saw his arm extend, preventing her from walking past him.

“My lady, my name is Fakru, and I am the general of Lord Sesshomaru’s army. I am afraid that you are planning on following your mate, and I must inform you that I am under strict orders that you not be allowed off of the palace grounds. You are in my care and I have already informed my soldiers that you are restricted to the palace.” He said, his eyes staring down into her confused dark ones.

Kagome could feel her body grow hot with anger. She stamped her foot and said, “That is not fair. I don’t need a baby-sitter.”

“Well, whether you need one or not, you have one. So, please let us make this time as painless as possible. If you wish to go outside, let me know. I will accompany you. I have posted guards all around the perimeter, so please don’t think about sneaking off. We are experts when it comes to preventing our charges from sneaking off. Rin has taught us much with her wanderings.” Fakru said, chuckling.

Kagome grunted. She felt the general take her arm and lead her to the dining room. He had seen her come down the stairs and ordered one of the serving wenches to make lunch. He looked down at the small female and had to admit that she was lovely. However, there was already one guard in trouble for acting out on his lust for the woman, and he would not join him. Besides, his mate had a vicious right hook and was not afraid to use it, as he found out the night he came home drunk and mistook her sister for her.

He held out his lady’s chair and then sat down beside her. They ate lunch in silence, and when they were done, Kagome mumbled that she wanted to go to the library to read. Nodding, he escorted the lady to her destination and told her that he would return in an hour or so to check on her.

Once the general was gone, Kagome tiptoed to the sliding glass door that led to the garden. She snorted at how easy it was to get the general to leave her alone and snickered as she made her way towards the forest. She looked around and could not see or detect any guards and so, she darted towards sweet victory.

Fakru was not stupid. He knew that Kagome would try something, so he decided to check on her by looking at her through the glass door that was in the garden. However, to his surprise, the lady was already gone. He turned when he heard loud cursing. He tried not to laugh, but seeing Lady Kagome being carried back to the palace by one of the guards, and hearing her curse at him, well…it was quite funny.

When the guard deposited the lady before him, he saluted his general and then went back to his post. Fakru looked down at the angry female and shook his head.

“Did you think that I was lying, my lady? I promise you, I was being honest when I said that we have every way you can escape covered. Now, why don’t you go into the library and enjoy a good book. I will have a guard posted at the door so you can’t try to run off again.” He said as he led Kagome back inside of the library.

He led her to a small couch and smiled down at her. Turning, his ears picked up her muttered words and he smirked. Well, it was better that she think him an asshole than for her mate to hand him his ass on a silver platter. He walked back out into the garden and called for one of his female guards. When she arrived, he explained about Kagome’s escape attempt and told the female not to let the lady walk outside without supervision.

Once the female was in place, Fakru went about his duties and could not help but wonder when his lord would return to take the angry female off of his hands.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Sesshomaru sniffed the air and shook his head. “Without Kagome to lead us, we are wandering around blindly.” He growled, his impatience showing.

Inu Yasha and Kouga nodded. They, too, had been trying to pick up Naraku’s scent, but they could not smell a thing. However, the hanyou began to look around when he picked up a familiar scent.

A soul stealer floated down and hovered close to him. He narrowed his eyes and slowly approached the floating creature. As he neared it, it turned and began to fly in the direction that it had come from. It stopped a short distance, and looked back at the group.

Inu Yasha shook his head. What in the hell was Kikyo up to now? He shrugged and glanced over at the group. “Well, should we follow it? Kikyo has been to Naraku’s palace, so perhaps that is where she is, and sent her stealer to lead us to her.” He said, crossing his arms.

Sesshomaru slowly nodded. After the group agreed, they took off after the stealer and soon found themselves facing a large forest. At first, they were confused, but then a twig snapped and all eyes turned to see the white-haired child that had been seen with Naraku step out from behind a tree.

Flexing his claws, Sesshomaru stepped forward, but stopped when Kikyo appeared by the girl’s side.

“Don’t you dare threaten her, Sesshomaru. She has only done as she was told. She doesn’t deserve to die, and has not taken anyone’s life.” She said, her arrow ready to fly.

“What is the meaning of this, Kikyo?” Inu Yasha demanded. He was sick and tired of his former love’s games. He watched as the dead miko lowered her bow and sighed.

“I am so damn tired. I never asked to be brought back to life, but here I am and I just want to return to dust. But, before I can do that, I want a promise.” She said, her dark eyes finally looking up into his golden ones.

When he nodded, she said, “After this battle with Naraku, I want you to take Kanna away from here and let her be a normal child. I know that she is youkai, but she has never known the life that a child should live. Naraku has made her life a living hell and I will not rest until I know that I have repaid her for her loyalty to me. She deserves a chance to grow and to be happy.”

Inu Yasha glanced at Sango, who blanched. There was no way in hell that they could take her. However, the decision was taken out of their hands when Kouga stepped forward.

Ayame knew that Kouga would offer the pup shelter within their tribe. He had a huge spot in his heart for pups and he had once mentioned to her that out of all of Naraku’s creations, the little girl was the most pitiful. In their tribe, she would be allowed to play and would be adopted by the tribe, giving her a sense of family, something that the inu hanyou could not do.

“What if she were to come with us to our tribe? There are several pups who would play with her and she will be under mine and my mate’s protection.” Kouga said. He watched as the miko looked down and then patted the child’s head. She gave the small girl a slight push and said, “Go to the wolves, Kanna. They will take very good care of you.”

The little girl made her way to Kouga and stopped before him. She looked up into the bright blue eyes of the male who had said that he wanted her. For the first time since she was created, Kanna felt the spark of hope.

Kikyo watched as the male wolf extended his hand to Kanna and then turned her gaze to the group. “This forest is an illusion. You cannot see anything but trees, but I can see the aura of the jewel. I will get you through the barrier.” She said, her voice soft. “After this battle is over, I want to return to death, and I would like for my ashes to be buried under the God’s tree.”

She did not wait for an answer, and turned her back on the group. She heard Inu Yasha tell his companions to gather their belongings.

Kouga felt a small tug on his hand and looked down at the little girl he had basically just adopted. He smiled down at her and was about to tell her to stand with Ayame when she lifted her mirror.

His eyes widened as Kagura’s image suddenly appeared. He heard Ayame’s gasp and heard her ask, “Where is she, Kanna?”

Kanna cocked her head. “Kagura is waiting to ambush you right before you come to the barrier. But, she is not the only one waiting. Kohaku is also waiting. He has orders to kill any who come close to the barrier.” She whispered. She looked at her hand, which was still being held by her new father. It felt…nice.

Sango’s face paled. However, she sat up straight and looked at Kanna. “Will you show me where he is? I need to face him.” She said.

The child slowly nodded. The image in her mirror changed and Kanna said, “He is near the three rocks.” She pulled her hand out of Kouga’s grasp and pointed in a direction. Sango nodded and walked by the child, patting her on her head before leaving to kill her brother.

Inu Yasha watched his mate walk away. She did not even give him a goodbye kiss. He glanced over at Sesshomaru and found that his eyes were trained on the dead miko. She was very silent and finally, he walked over to her.

“Kikyo, I know that this is hard for you…” He began, but she cut him off. “Inu Yasha, you don’t know anything. Loving you was the hardest thing I have ever done. I knew that we could never really be together, but even when I was brought back and discovered that we were tricked, I had a small ounce of hope that we could somehow, someway find ourselves together, but it is simply not meant to be. So, instead of assaulting me with little proclamations of sympathy, let’s just concentrate on the task at hand, hm?” She said, her face devoid of any emotion.

Ayame watched as Kanna approached her. She knelt down and smiled at the child, who leaned forward and whispered, “Kagura is in the opposite direction of Kohaku.”

Smirking, Ayame whispered, “Will you go over and hold onto Kouga’s hand? Tell him I said that he is on daddy duty, ok?”

Kanna slowly nodded and did as she was told. Once her hand was in Kouga’s hand, Ayame quietly took off. She could not wait to get her claws into Kagura.

Sesshomaru could not wait any longer. “Let’s go. It’s time to end this.” He said, his golden eyes narrowing.

“Yes, let’s.” Kikyo agreed, nodding. She began to lead the way and the males followed. She heard the male wolf ask Kanna, “Now where did Ayame run off to?”

“She said that you are on daddy duty.” Kanna whispered, her dark eyes looking up into his blue ones.

Kouga growled softly. Ayame had gone off to face Kagura and he could almost bet that Kanna had told her where to find the bitch. He looked down, and before he could ask, Kanna pointed in the direction in which Kagura was. However, it was not the direction in which Ayame had taken. Kanna had sent her new mother on a wild goose chase to give Kouga a chance to avenge his fallen comrades.

Kouga called out to Miroku, who quickly came to his side. Kouga explained that he needed to leave his new daughter in his care, and if he should find out that his hands wandered, the monk would never have to worry about fondling anything ever again. He would no longer have hands to fondle with.

Miroku looked sick. “I am many things, Kouga, but I do not take advantage of little girls.” He said, his tone offended.

Kouga quirked an eyebrow and asked, “So, at what age do they become fair game?”

Miroku thought for a moment, but was answered by Inu Yasha. “He begins to hit on them when they begin to develop into women.” He explained.

“Not all of the time.” Miroku yelped, his face flaming. “Oh, yeah? What about Koharu? She was fourteen when we met up with her and she was very eager to screw your brains out, you hentai.” Inu Yasha growled.

Kouga glanced down at Kanna and then looked at the mutt before placing Kanna’s hand in his. “Here. I trust you more than him.” He muttered, turning away.

With a smile to Kanna, Kouga took off. He smirked as he caught Kagura’s scent. This was going to be sweet.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

She was just not in a good mood. That damn general was getting on her last nerve and if she was sure that she would not get yelled at, she would have purified him, just to get him to leave her alone.

Fakru sat before her and quietly did his reports. Finally, he looked up when he heard her huff in anger.

“Why am I not allowed any time alone? I have already promised not to try to leave, so why won’t you trust me?” She asked, her arms crossed over her chest.

“May I remind you, my lady, that it took three of my guards to fish you out of the pond in the northern sector of the grounds? Then, you led Karasui on a chase that resulted in the both of you being chased up a tree by a wild boar until help could arrive. You are lucky that she was able to lift you up and jump that high. If she had been unable to do it, you both could have been killed. So, would you care to repeat your question, my lady?” He asked, his amusement clear in his tone.

Kagome slumped in her seat. “No, that’s quite alright.” She muttered, her eyes glaring at her feet.

Nodding in satisfaction, Fakru turned back to his work. He was sure that she would behave for a while. He had to admit, she was a feisty little human.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Sango walked into a clearing and looked around. She had known that this day would come and here she was, ready to kill off the last member of her family. She could sense that he was there, but where was he?

Kohaku emerged from his hiding place and allowed his weapon to fly. However, his blank eyes widened when the girl before him swiftly turned and caught the deadly weapon in her hand. She gave it a strong yank, and managed to cause him to fall off of the tree branch that he had been standing on.

When he hit the ground, Sango yanked the chain from his hand and she threw the weapon into a bush. She placed her hand on the hilt of her sword and unsheathed it. He followed her example and looked over at her.

The forest was quiet. It was as if nature was holding her breath, waiting for the battle between the siblings to take place. Neither moved for an instant, but then the boy shifted and began to run at the girl, his blade held out in front of him.

Sango blinked. This was not what their father had taught them. However, she had a job to do, and she would not prolong his misery any longer. She effectively blocked his blade and watched as her own blade sunk into his body, tearing through the material of his uniform and the tip appearing through the material that adorned his back.

For a minute, they stilled. Finally, Sango yanked the sword from her brother’s stomach and watched as his sword fell from his hands and onto the ground. His body quickly followed.

Kneeling down, Sango turned the poor boy onto his back and looked down into the focused chocolate eyes of her beloved brother. He smiled at her and lifted a shaky hand to her cheek.

“I knew that you would save me. You were always the one that danced in my head.” He whispered, the corners of his mouth lifting in a shaky smile.

Sango leaned into his touch. She could feel her tears streaming down her face and she said, “You are finally free, Kohaku. It’s time for you to join our father.”

Kohaku slowly nodded. It was getting hard to focus on his surroundings, but he could hear her soft-spoken words. “Yeah, I would like that.” He said as the light in his eyes dimmed.

His hand fell from her cheek and his chest stopped moving. Sango’s sobs were soon drowned out as nature returned to her daily activities.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Ayame glanced around. She could not detect that foul bitch’s scent and she sighed. Somehow, she knew that she had been fooled. Clearly, her new daughter had already bonded with her mate and sent her away so that Kouga could get his revenge.

Shaking her head, she began to trot back to where she had left the group and knew that she would find the group a wolf short. Kouga had probably already gone after Kagura and she wanted to be there to see the bitch die, even if it was by another’s hand.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Kouga glanced around and growled. The bitch was close. He took a couple of steps forward and heard Kagura laugh.

“You are a real idiot, you know that, wolf? Pity that you are mated. I could have used you as my personal sex slave. But, Naraku has ordered that you are to die, and I will not cross him.” She sneered.

Kouga smirked. “So, not only are you Naraku’s whore, you are also a coward. Well, don’t worry, Kagura. I am about to end your miserable life, so Naraku will just have to find another pussy to pump.” He said, chuckling.

Kagura glared at the wolf, and then whipped out her fan. “Dance of blades.” She hissed, her eyes narrowing.

Kouga jumped out of the way and watched as Kagura’s blade cut into the trees that had been behind him.

Kouga took the opportunity to run at Kagura and managed to tackle her. When they hit the ground, Kagura’s fan flew out of her hand and she gasped. She was now defenseless.

Kouga glared down at the female beneath him. For so long he had dreamed of this moment and he flexed his claws, ready to strike her down. However, Ayame’s words haunted him and he knew that she had spoken the truth. He could not kill a female, even if she deserved it.

Smirking, Kagura quickly brought her knee up into the wolf’s groin. He yelped in pain and was pushed off of the wind witch. Not caring about dignity at the moment, Kagura began to crawl over to her fan and when she got to where she could reach it, she turned and sneered, “So, you can’t bring yourself to kill a female. How unfortunate for you, wolf. However, I have no problems about killing a male.”

She reached for her fan while her eyes were still glued onto the wolf and instead of her hand touching the fan, her fingers ran across the soft skin of a foot. Gasping, Kagura looked up and found herself looking at the enraged face of the redheaded wolf.

“You know, I should have known something was up when Kanna approached me, but I was too eager to get to you that I did not think. However, let me assure you, bitch, that I have no problems with killing a female and I will gladly demonstrate that fact to you.” Ayame growled. She lifted Kagura’s fan up and snapped it in two. She threw the broken fan down to the ground and snarled.

Kagura’s screams echoed throughout the forest, and did not stop for nearly ten minutes. Once she was satisfied that Kagura had paid for the murders of her people, Ayame dealt her the death blow and finally, the wind witch was silenced.

Shaking her head, she glanced at Kouga. “I told you that you would not be able to do it.” She said, as she stood next to him.

Kouga huffed and massaged his poor package. He glanced up and in a pitiful voice, he asked, “Do you think that you could kiss it and make it better?”
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

A loud yelp was heard and the group stopped. Inu Yasha cocked his head. “What in the hell was that?” He demanded, his golden eyes narrowing dangerously. “That sounded like Kouga.”

Miroku shrugged and asked, “How close are we, Lady Kikyo?” He watched as she turned.

“We are at the barrier. I only stopped so that we could await the arrival of your companions.” She replied.

After a few moments, Ayame and Kouga emerged and Ayame looked pissed. She pushed Kouga over towards Miroku and hissed, “Since you want to act like him, you can stand by him, you hentai.”

She turned and walked over to Inu Yasha and took Kanna’s hand from him. Glaring at her mate, Ayame led Kanna away from the males and muttered, “Those two are examples of the kinds of males you are not allowed to be around.”

Kouga and Miroku glanced at each other and smirked. They had clearly found a common ground and could not help but act on it.

Inu Yasha’s head whipped around and he saw his mate making her way towards them. Shaking, she held out her hand and whispered, “I took the shard from his back.”

Inu Yasha nodded and pulled her into a hug. Miroku calmly walked over and took the shard from her hand. He placed it in his pouch and said, “We will have Lady Kagome purify it when we return.”

Kikyo cleared her throat and said, “Prepare yourselves. Naraku awaits.”

The group nodded and watched as she opened the barrier for them. A palace could be seen and they quickly entered.

Kikyo made sure to keep her senses up, and could already detect a change in the miasma. It had lessened in its potency. She motioned for the group to follow her, but froze when she heard Naraku’s voice.

“So, you and Kanna betrayed me. Do not worry, Kikyo. I will gladly repay the both of you for your treason.” He hissed, his eyes narrowing at the dead miko.

Sesshomaru quickly drew tokijin. He pointed it at the hanyou and said, “This no longer involves her, Naraku. Now, you will die.”

Naraku chuckled. He could see Kanna trying to hide behind the female wolf and he shook his head.

“I created you, Kanna. I made you and this is how you repay me. Let me tell you this…I will make your existence even more miserable than I made Kagura’s.” He sneered. He watched as the pale child paled even more.

Kouga and Ayame shielded Kanna from Naraku’s eyes. “If you want her, then you will have to kill us before you can take her.” Kouga spat, his eyes beginning to turn red at the threat to his pup.

“Well, then. Let’s get down to business, shall we?” Naraku asked, as a tentacle quickly formed and darted towards the wolves.

Kouga grabbed Kanna and leapt out of the way. Ayame darted to the opposite side and slashed at the tentacle with her claw. She heard the hanyou hiss and watched as he yanked back his injured appendage.

“You bitch.” Naraku hissed. He swiped at Ayame and managed to hit her in the chest, sending her flying into a tree.

Kouga watched as his mate fell to the ground, unconscious. He told Kanna to stay up and watched as the others attacked the hanyou. He made his way to Ayame’s side and was thankful to see that she was breathing. He lifted her up and moved her to where she could not be injured further.

Naraku saw his chance and took it. He allowed another tentacle to form and sent it towards Kanna, but someone managed to stop him from connecting with his incarnation.

Suddenly, everything was quiet. Inu Yasha, Sesshomaru, Miroku, and Sango stopped fighting and looked over at Kikyo, who now had Naraku’s tentacle lodged into her stomach.

She could feel her body beginning to crumble and she gathered up the rest of her strength. She could hear Kanna softly calling out to her, but she could not allow her attention to be diverted. When she had started her plan, she had gotten close enough to the jewel to hear Midoriko. It was the great miko who had told her what to do and it was the miko who provided her with the extra power to follow through. Her reward would be paradise instead of hell. It was a nice thing to look forward to.

She grabbed hold of the tentacle and smiled. “As you did to me all those years ago, I take your power now.” She said, as a bright pink light enveloped her body. She watched as Naraku’s mouth dropped open in a silent scream. Tiny hands grabbed onto the back of her haori and Kikyo closed her eyes. A barrier quickly covered Kanna and protected her as Kikyo stripped the final demons from Naraku’s form.

When the light faded, a very thin man crumbled to the ground. He looked up and glared at Kikyo, whose fingers were crumbling.

“What did you do to me, you little bitch?” He roared, his eyes flashing with hate. Kikyo sighed and shrugged.

“I used the time that we were together to purify your youkai, but I did it while you were asleep. You were just too stupid to notice. Now, you are as you once were…you are human. You are Onigumo again.” She said, her eyes closing.

Kanna felt the barrier drop and she quickly went to Kikyo’s side. The first person who had ever shown her any kindness was now dying and there was nothing she could do about it. She could feel something wet coursing down her face and she gasped. Was it about to rain?

Kikyo weakly opened her eyes and smiled at Kanna. When Naraku had become human, his hold on Kanna was broken. She would no longer have to fear him. She lifted her hand and whispered, “I am very happy to have met you, Kanna. I want you to be the best little girl that you can be, and you mind your new parents. The wolves already see you as their pup. Live the life that I cannot.”

Kanna reached out to grasp Kikyo’s hand, but when she touched the miko, her hand crumbled, and fell to the ground as ash. She watched as Kikyo took a final breath and then slowly released it. A white orb floated out of Kikyo’s form and flew into the air. Suddenly, Kikyo’s body crumbled and all of the souls that she had ever absorbed flew into the air and faded, all intent upon finding the peace that they had been denied.

The human formerly known as Naraku slowly got up. He scowled and pulled out the shikon jewel. He was about to wish upon it, but Sesshomaru’s strong hand engulfed the hand with the jewel and Onigumo gasped.

Once Sesshomaru had the jewel in his hand, he glanced over at his brother. For so long, Inu Yasha had been wanting to pay Naraku back for all those lonely years that he had been pinned to that tree. Now, it was payback time.

Onigumo glanced around and gulped. Without his youkai, he was vulnerable. He slowly backed up as Inu Yasha approached him, his claws extended.

In the end, the wicked never win.