Chapter 17: The Allies

Kagome had to continue biting her lip from keeping from grinning like a mad fool at how uncomfortable Laxus had been. After hundreds of questions and comments, they finally left her house and made their way over to the well.

She had seen how people would look at him or how some would approach him. It was either out of fear or respect. Even admiration at times. The most popular look from people was fear. However, her entire family was smitten by him. She wasn't sure how or why, as the whole time, he couldn't form a sentence. He kept getting interrupted. Even her cat, who would run away at the sight of Inuyasha, kept rubbing herself on his leg.

But he was never once rude even with all the questions they kept throwing at him or comments. Even her grandfather offered him a drink for not "being a demon."

Apparently having the magic of a dragon was normal to him.

Indeed, it had been interesting and it made her be less mad at him. She still wanted to yell at him but couldn't bring herself to do so because she was filled with happiness for seeing her family.

They had reached the bottom of the small well house when he stopped her.

"Are you still mad at me?"

And even though he seemed to look indifferent, with eyebrow raised and all as he looked down at her, she knew better. Deep in his gray eyes, she could see the slight hint of worry of asking the question. They had both learned that they did not do well if the other was upset or mad. Not because their fights were like the ones her and Inuyasha would have. Those always held a sense of immaturity. With Laxus was different that it seemed they always needed to reach the bottom of the issue before moving along. He was not the type to have the same thing resurface again.

She closed her eyes and sighed, and then she felt him putting a strand of her long hair behind her ear.

She spoke as he held her face, "I hate fighting, especially when it involves people I care about. I know how he is, but it wasn't necessary for you to do that."

His look was dry but his eyes held no meaning behind them as he replied, "Give me some credit. I've been wanting to do that since I met him."

She sighed again, "I know."

He furrowed his eyebrows at her tone.

"Was my timing horrible? Yes. You just lost someone that meant a lot to you. I should have at least waited until we left."

And she knew that was his way of apologizing. She knew he could say it if he wanted to, but she preferred it this way. She found herself wrapping her arms around his waist, while he enveloped her in his own. A trembling breath escaped her lips as she found herself settling against him. He held her as long as she needed, just showing her that he was there for her and wasn't planning on leaving.

They shared a soft kiss when they slightly separated, and soon after, they jumped down the well.

She wasn't surprised that everyone was there, waiting for them the moment she came out of the well. Shippo quickly jumped in her arms while Wendy hugged her around the waist after Laxus helped her up. She welcomed their warmth and smiled brightly at them.

As she felt Sesshomaru's demonic presence, she raised her head to look at him dead in the eye.

"I think it's time we leave."

It took a lot of deliberation, but they were able to figure out how to travel to the West. Shippo was to transform into his giant ball, which Kagome had yet to figure out what it was supposed to be even after all the years of knowing him. There, Kagome, Levy, and Laxus were on it. On Kirara, it was Miroku and Sango. Carla had Wendy while Lily carried Gajeel. Inuyasha had refused, opting out with running instead. Wendy wasn't sure if riding Shippo would give Laxus motion sickness, and to risk having Gajeel from seeing him that way, as she knew it would instantly become a fight between the two dragons, she quietly placed her spell on him just in case.

Kagome ended up falling asleep, as the emotional rollercoaster she went through finally caught up with her. Being back, knowing Kaede's death, and seeing her family. Too many emotions at once.

Her head was on his shoulder as he had her on his lap. Levy couldn't help it but let out giggles every now and then.

As he finally glared at her because he had enough of her soft giggles, she smiled.

"I never thought I would see this side of you. It fits you."

He didn't say anything as his eyes went to the woman in his arms. Yeah, he never thought he would live through this either.

Even with everything going on, they made it to the gates of Sesshomaru's palace with no incidents. Sango expressed her worry, as she would have expected some sort of attack as they had been a big party traveling. Nowadays it wasn't safe, not even for a merchant who's just passing by.

But nothing.

The dragon slayers could smell the scent of death whenever they would pass through any of the villages that were brought to ruins. The smell was nauseating, burnt flesh and wood swirling around in the air. Carla was trying her best for Wendy to not see any of it as she could hear the young girl sniff.

The damage was sickening. Inuyasha was glad that Kagome was asleep through the entire trip, as he wasn't sure how the young woman would react. If it were up to him, she would not see any of this. But they needed her.

As the sun finally set and the full moon shone upon them, they reached the gates of Sesshomaru's palace . Kagome was awake now and through the huge wooden double doors, she could hear the murmur of other voices inside. The doors opened as Sesshomaru stepped forward, what she saw made her gasp.

There were dozens of tents throughout the entire courtyard. What it was obvious that it used to be a beautiful view with flowers and a pond, it was all covered by equipment, tents, and humans and demons alike. She could see children, both human and demon, playing together. She could see women of both species helping one another with food and laundry. She could see soldiers of both species going over battle plans. She saw others tending to one another as some had terrible wounds.

To think someone as horrific as Naraku ended up bringing both demons and humans together. The irony.

The amount of injured soldiers was overwhelming to say the least. Some still had bloody bandages while other bodies were wrapped ready to be buried. Her throat felt hot as she saw some already with lost limbs. She could see small groups, either helping each other walk or giving each other water. Soldiers trying to take care of one another. It didn't matter what they were. They were brothers at this moment.

Laxus was trying to keep his face stoic, but even for him, it was difficult to do so. Compared to the battles Fairy Tail had faced in the past, that was nothing compared to this. This was a real war where hundreds have died already.

He felt her slip from his hand as she approached she a soldier that had a bandage around his head, covering one of his eyes. He was confused as she had just randomly appeared before him. Her hands glowed the vibrant pink as she helped him heal, the warmth spreading all over his injured eye. He gasped, and the other man that was with him was almost sobbing as he recognized her, as he had lived in Kaede's village.

"Sh-She is here!" He raised his voice, "LADY KAGOME IS HERE!"

It was like a buzzing sound as her name carried throughout the entire courtyard. Those that knew of her were cheering loudly, and those that had only heard stories of her could only stare in disbelief.

The man she was helping gripped her hands, as tears fell down his face.

"We are saved… we are finally saved…"

She smiled softly at him, "Get some rest. You deserve it."

More villagers and soldiers approached her in greeting. Kids that knew her were dragging along demon children, telling them that she was kind and knew a lot of games.

Sango caught the looks of the Fiore group and she smiled.

"We knew she was alive somewhere. We were not going to let her spirit die so easily."

Sesshomaru snorted, "It was foolish to make them believe she would come back, as it was not set in stone."

Wendy turned back to look at Kagome as she responded, "Sometimes a little bit of hope is what's needed to survive."

Gajeel grunted, agreeing fully with the small slayer. He knew Kagome was special. She had a light about her. But seeing how miserable looks turned to looks of relief, happiness, and hope, it was making him hyped up for the upcoming battle. She had raised the morale of an entire army just by smiling.

Laxus saw Wendy's hands twitching that he nudged her, "Go help her. Between the two of you a lot of them will feel better."

She smiled brightly at that, and with Carla on her shoulders, she went to where Kagome was as she had spotted a fox demon that was missing an arm.

The bleeding was profusely, as the wound was only a few hours old. Wendy's hands glowed green and with her magic combined with Kagome's purification energy, the wound was almost fully healed.

He stared at her in wonder, "A healing dragon?"

Wendy smiled at him. He was just a few years older than her, but he already had a strong jaw and eyes as bright as Shippo's, "I'm a dragon slayer. One of my skills is healing magic."

He looked at both of them and with a flash of determination in his emerald eyes, he got up. The two fretted over him, telling him to lay down and rest as he had lost a lot of blood, but the young demon wouldn't listen.

With the right arm, he placed his fist on his heart, got on one knee, and bowed.

"I will forever be in debt with you."

Wendy blushed and started to stutter at the display while Kagome smiled softly at him.

Before she could say something, a loud brash voice broke through the excitement and murmurs of all soldiers and villagers.

"I knew my nose wasn't tricking me!"

She barely had time to blink as she felt strong arms wrap around her waist and picking her up, twirling her around like a small child. She took notice of the pointy ears and the ponytail, that she laughed.

"Koga put me down!"

He finally did as he was told, setting her in front of him. His blue eyes were shining with excitement, a grin on his face as he looked down at her.

She grinned back at him, "Good to see you again!"

And unexpectedly, his eyes turned softer as his face turned more serious. He placed his hands on her shoulders and whispered to her.

"I wanted to keep believing that you were alive but—"

She interrupted him by giving him a hug. Regardless of the countless fights between him and Inuyasha, for all the times he embarrassed her for proclaiming his love to her, he was still someone very close to her. She was happy to see him alive, especially after knowing what happened to his tribe.

"It's okay. I'm here now and we are going to win this."

A snort was heard from the crowd, "Doubtful."

Her eyes turned to the voice, which turned out to be a tall handsome demon with tan skin and yellow eyes. He had pointy ears, short black hair, and a long black tail. A panther youkai.

Koga rolled his eyes as he pulled away from her, "Now what Kageharu?"

The man stepped forward, "You want us to believe that with just this human we are going to win against Naraku? You said we would when Kikyo was here, and look how that turned out."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed at the mention of the dead priestess while Miroku answered.

"We said there was a possibility. It was never a for sure thing as Lady Kikyo was not even alive or with her full soul."

The sneer on his face was more prominent, "And you want me to believe she can? Look at her, she's merely a mortal child!"

"Excuse me, I am not a child!"

He scoffed at her, "You are a child in my eyes."

And long and behold, it was Sesshomaru that spoke.

"This child has the capability to incinerate every demon here. Careful with your words, as she could save your life in the battle field."

Kageharu snorted and walked away. Laxus took notice that a few others followed him as well. Something didn't settle well about them and knew that probably the best thing was to keep a closer eye on them.

Kagome saw Koga rolled his eyes, and as they made eye contact, back was the playful grin. However, his nose twitched and his eyes turned confused as he took a closer step.

"Why the fuck do you smell like a dragon?"

Kagome blushed, completely forgetting that she apparently now she carried Laxus' scent. Koga's eyes then followed the scent that was very similar to hers. The man was tall, muscular, blonde, with a lightning scar on his face. By his posture, he could tell was a fighter and without a doubt, reeked of dragon.

Kagome grew nervous as she saw them sizing each other up. He then turned back to look at her and shrugged his shoulders, "As long as it isn't dog shit."

She blinked three times at him, completely confused by his reaction. Inuyasha however, did voice his opinion on that.

"And as long as it isn't you mongrel!"

"What did you call me?!"

Laxus had a feeling if something wasn't done, the two canines would start fighting. As he was standing next to Sesshomaru, who seemed to be the only canine with his head on his shoulders, he spoke.

"We should probably go somewhere to talk."

After many others approaching Kagome and questioning who the humans and dragons were, they finally made it inside. Even then, it was still chaotic. Kagome took notice that inside, women that were pregnant and elderly were residing in it with younger children. This really took her by surprise, as she never thought Sesshomaru would go to such lengths. It just showed her how much he had changed under that cold demeanor.

Rin had been beyond ecstatic to see her again, giving her a full hug and saying over and over that she had missed her. After the child ran off to play with Shippo, they finally made it to Sesshomaru's office.

There were various scrolls and maps all over the table. Just by looking at the mess, she knew Sesshomaru had been fighting hard for the past year so the West wouldn't fall.

With a side glance at her, he pointed at the map, his claw tapping at a certain point.

"That is where he resides."

Levy moved closer to the table, "That is only 20 miles away from here."

Koga let out a growl, "We have only been able to get half way. It's only been a few times he's been on the field and Inuyasha destroyed the shield once, but he quickly fled after he impaled dog shit here," He ignored the growl coming from the dog demon as he continued, "It's always his reincarnations or those remaining from the Band of Seven on the field."

Sango shook her head, "The amount of demons he has under his disposal, it's unbelievable. Reminds me too much of Sounga's army."

Inuyasha crossed his arms as he leaned against the wall, "The issue is that Shinda keeps reviving his forces. That's why it always feels like we are starting at zero every single time."

"What does she look like?" Gajeel asked.

"Short black hair, black eyes, pale skin. Carries a staff with her. That's how she revives them."

Kagome turned to Inuyasha, "Even with the wind scar you can't get far enough?"

He sighed, "I can't use it much. I risk injuring our own."

Laxus had been staring at the map and taking note of the writing on it. Finally, he spoke.

"You've been doing it wrong."

Inuyasha glared as Koga looked curious, "What do you mean?"

"Few of us should be going first, front of the line. Take out as many of those demons with brutal force, you using your attack, before having the rest of the army join us."

"Brutal strength has always been my little brother's specialty."

Inuyasha answered by growling at his brother.

Laxus then looked at Kagome, "You're not joining us."

She was defensive in a second, "What?!"

"We need to focus on killing as many of them as we can. We can't be worrying about you. You will join the battlefield, but until we give you some sort of sign."

Sesshomaru pondered on the plan, "But if the miko is on the battlefield, it will drive the demons insane. They will be too focused on her to not anticipate our attacks."

Laxus' eyes flashed, "She's not going to be in the middle of it."

Miroku stared between the two men, "Laxus' plan could work."

Kagome crossed her arms, unhappy to know she wouldn't be in the first wave of attack.

"What if something happens to you?"

Laxus shrugged his shoulders, "Wendy will be there."

Gajeel grinned as he cracked his knuckles, "Gotta give us more credit than that Kags. You brought three dragon slayers with you. There's no magic council here to stop us from rampaging."

Levy took notice of Kagome's face, "It will be better, for now at least. If you are the key to end this, you must be at your greatest strength."

Lily hopped on Kagome's shoulder, "I will stay with her and fly her over when it is time."

Shippo then came in and heard Lily's comment. The young fox demon pouted and crossed his arms, "I can protect her!"

Lily looked at him, and in a puff of smoke, he was now standing behind Kagome in his battle form. Everyone that had never seen him like that before did a double take, except of course Sesshomaru who looked indifferent. Inuyasha couldn't help but gawk at him. He had not expected that from the tiny fur ball with a deep voice.

Shippo found himself stuttering as he looked at Lily wide eyed, "I-I t-think yo-u g-got it!"

Sesshomaru looked at the map and then at everyone in the room.

"The plan is set then."

She bit her tongue to the point that she could taste the metallic taste of her own blood. She could barely see, her right eye blurry while her left was swollen shut. The soreness she could feel throughout her body was throbbing. She knew she had a broken rib, or more. She wasn't sure anymore. Her right arm had multiple cuts and her bare back was burning and wet.

Wet from her own blood.

She coughed, blood flying everywhere as her coughs turned to heavy heavings.

She hated him.

She knew it had been risky letting that blue cat take the last jewel, but that was practically the last hope for Naraku to not win. She knew that would never make up for her sins, as she had committed too many and she knew her days were numbered.

However, she would make sure that Naraku would come down with her.

So she had done it, she had let the blue cat take the last piece of the jewel. She played it off well, that she had not realized that it had taken the last piece of the jewel. She had foolishly hoped that he would not punish her.

But he wasn't a fool.

The punishment had been instant once they got back to their world and she stepped foot back inside the castle walls. He had first crushed the hand that she would use her fan with and knocked her out cold. She came back to screaming as the whip had slashed her on her bare back.

He did it for hours.

As she could barely move on the cold stone floor in the cellar where she laid, she smiled.

This is your end Naraku.