Inuyasha 1. Prologue: Naraku's demise

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Inuyasha and any of its caracters, but honestly, who on this site does anyway?  
**Notes: **Well, after five months of waiting, here it is, the first chapter of after-effects (or rather the prologue he he). It's about the same length as my first story: Heart's destination, which surprised me a lot as I didn't really expect it to actually be that long. Anyway, I'm just rambling, on with the story.  
**Special thanks: **Thank you to watergoddess for reviewing and correcting this chapter :)

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Prologue : Naraku's demise**

Shippo stared intently at the cooking pot currently warming their evening meal. His stomach growled loudly as the enticing aroma of the food reached his nostrils. The day had been a long one indeed and the fact that Naraku had been able to retrieve the two jewel shards in Kouga's legs weighted heavily on everyone's morale.

**--Flashback--**

_"Inuyasha, how much further do we have to go?" asked a frustrated Sango._

_"The hell should I know?" he snapped back. "No matter how far we go the scent is always the same."_

_What the hanyou said was true, he had picked up their enemy's scent over two hours ago and so far there was no sign that they were getting any closer. "He's trying to tire us out!" he thought suddenly. "And I've been walking right into his trap all along!" he mentally slapped himself. Realizing his mistake, he slowed down to a walk and started to look for a suitable place to take a break._

_"Inuyasha? Why are you slowing down?" asked a confused Kagome._

_"We're taking a break," he answered gruffly before spotting a small clearing not far away. He immediately changed course and headed toward it._

_He was currently carrying her on his back like he often did when speed was of the essence in their travel, so she couldn't see his face when he answered. Had she been able to however, she would have been surprised to see him fuming._

_"A break? But Naraku will get away!" she exclaimed, unable to understand the hanyou's decision._

_His frustration, already at a dangerous level for falling in their enemy's deception, exploded at that last question. He dropped her unceremoniously to the ground and turned toward her. "He's been close for two hours!" he snarled before slumping down against a nearby tree._

_The other watched in amusement and anticipation as Kagome narrowed her eyes dangerously before picking herself up and making her way to the sulking hanyou. "Inuyasha?" she said in a sweet and innocent voice._

_Hearing her tone, he instantly knew something was wrong with her. Cracking an eye open, his suspicions were confirmed when he saw the look she gave him. He barely had time to realize what was coming before she said the word._

_"Osuwari!" she snapped and he instantly crashed to the ground. "That's for dropping me," she yelled. "Osuwari!" she repeated, making him eat dirt once again. "And that's for yelling at me," she said before stalking off and sitting against a nearby rock, her back to him._

_"Stupid wench," he muttered under his breath when he was finally able to sit up again._

_"I heard that!" came Kagome's reply causing the hanyou to stiffen in anticipation of another dirt eating session. It never came however and he eventually relaxed back into his usual sitting position. "Feh!" he spat before resuming his sulking._

_"I swear, with all the fighting those two generate, it's a wonder we're not dead already," sighed a very discouraged Shippo._

_"Well, I wouldn't worry too much about this argument, Shippo," spoke Miroku with a pensive look on his face. "What puzzles me more is the reason for this sudden halt, not that I'm complaining, I was starting to grow weary…" he stopped in mid sentence as something suddenly clicked in his mind._

_He turned to look at Kirara who was breathing relatively hard from the constant running. His gaze then swept over Sango who sported the same weariness as himself. Kagome was in no better shape and it was obvious that Inuyasha was not as fresh as a daisy either. "Two hours and we're not getting any closer," he thought as the hanyou's last words came to his mind._

_"Houshi-sama?" asked Sango, intrigued by his sudden silence._

_"Let's sit down and get as much rest as we can," he eventually answered. "I believe I know why we've stopped," he finished while settling down comfortably on the ground._

_"Really now," said the demon slayer once she had found a comfortable spot out of the monk's treacherous hand._

_"I think that Inuyasha has grown suspicious of the fact that the scent has remained unchanged for so long," spoke the monk softly. "I'm also willing to bet that, even now, the scent is not getting further away," he finished, looking at Shippo pointedly._

_It took a second for the little kitsune to understand Miroku' unspoken question. His face lit up quickly however and he started to sniff the air. "What the… The scent hasn't changed at all since we stopped," he answered frowning in confusion._

_Sango furrowed her brow at this declaration and started to think of a reason for this strange phenomenon. "It's almost as if the trail is moving with us," she reflected. "But why? Why would he keep us running like that?" she asked herself. "Wait… Keep us running? That's it!" her mind finally clicked._

_"He's trying to wear us out!" she exclaimed, suddenly understanding._

_"Exactly," answered the monk. "Which means that he is probably planning to attack us," he finished somberly._

_As minutes ticked by however, it became apparent that the monk's prediction were not going to come true anytime soon. "Why isn't he attacking!" cried Shippo, unable to stand the wait any longer._

_"Calm down Shippo, it's no use getting impatient," said Sango calmly, while polishing her hiraikotsu. "But you do have a point though, I wonder what exactly he could be waiting for," she reflected out loud._

_She didn't have to wait long for her answer as a tornado suddenly came whirling in the small clearing where they were currently camping in. It calmed down instantly and out of it came none other than Kouga, the wolf demon._

_"Well fancy meeting you here Kagome," he exclaimed as he made his way to her._

_"Kouga? What are you doing here?" she answered surprised at seeing him._

_"Well…" he started before a white haired hanyou suddenly blocked his path._

_"Get away from her," growled Inuyasha, visibly pissed by Kouga's presence._

_"Keh! Move away mutt-face, I have no business with a half-breed like you," he snarled back not impressed a bit by the hanyou's display of anger._

_It was Kagome who broke the exchange by stepping between the two quarreling males. "Alright that's enough, both of you!" she exclaimed angrily, separating them._

_Meanwhile, Sango had been watching the exchange with very little interest. It was always the same thing when Kouga was around. He would try to get close to Kagome, Inuyasha would step in and Kagome would eventually break the two apart. "He was probably following Naraku's trail, like us," she thought. A frown appeared on her face as she realized that the direction he had come from was totally different from theirs. "We were coming from the south and he came from the east, something's fishy here," she reflected. "It's almost like Naraku wanted us to meet with him," she continued to think._

_Her eyes suddenly widened in horror as her brain put two and two(or rather two and one) together. "Kouga! Kagome! Get away from each other!" she yelled, jumping to her feet and grabbing her hiraikotsu in the process._

_Her warning came too late however, because a swarm of tentacles appeared out of nowhere and quickly made their way to the two people. Not waiting for a reaction, she threw her weapon in the fray, successfully destroying the first wave of appendages._

_While Sango's swift attack didn't destroy all the tentacles, it did buy enough time for the three people to get over their surprise and successfully counterattack. By the time she reached the group, most of the oncoming tentacles had been disposed of._

_"Goddamnit you two! I said to move away from each other," she snapped while slashing a tentacle in two with her katana. "He wants the jewel shards, if you're standing together it makes it that much easier for him to get them!" she continued frustrated that no one was listening to her._

_"Well what do you suggest we do then?" asked Kouga, while clawing the last appendage in two._

_"We split up, you go with houshi-sama and Kirara, while I stay here with Inuyasha and Kagome," she said pointing to the coming monk and the cat youkai._

_"You better keep her safe mutt-face or I'll have your hide after this," launched the wolf youkai as he headed for his designated position._

_The hanyou simply growled in annoyance, too intent on his surrounding to bother with answering Kouga. The two groups took defensive stances as they waited for the next attack to come. Instead, an ominous laugh filled the air around them, chilling them to the bone. "Well, congratulation for seeing through my little scheme demon slayer," taunted the voice. "However, I'm afraid it will not be quite enough," it continued in the same mocking tone._

_Then, out of all the corner of the clearing they were standing in, ten forms walked out of the trees, surrounding the two groups. Each had a white baboon fur covering their body and sported tentacles instead of arms and legs._

_"Naraku you coward, why don't you come yourself instead of sending puny puppets against us," yelled a very angry Inuyasha._

_The only answer he got was the laugh of their enemy, pissing him even more. The circle was growing smaller and smaller however, forcing the two groups gradually together._

_"Damnit! Go to hell you stupid puppets! Kaze no kizu!" he yelled as he launched his attack toward one of the approaching enemy. The surrounding ones quickly put all their tentacles in the path of the wave, forming a wall. It blew up on contact, but it had served its purpose: the hanyou's attack had been deflected. Almost instantly, the tentacles regenerated and the puppets continued their advance._

_"What the hell?" said Inuyasha, looking in surprise at what had just happened._

_Kagome, who had been silent until this point suddenly spoke up. "Inuyasha, fire again, I have an idea," she whispered to him._

_"What idea?" he asked perplexed._

_"Sango, you aim at one of the puppets on the left, I'll aim at one on the right. We'll use the brief moment when the wall is destroyed to strike," she explained quickly. Both faces lit up in understanding and they immediately prepared their blow._

_"Kaze no kizu!" yelled the hanyou and again the attack was sent forth toward the enemy. The wave connected with the wall of tentacles, blowing it apart and effectively opening the way for the girls' attack. Both weapons flew through the hole and two puppets turned to dust as the arrow and the hiraikotsu struck home._

_The unexpected loss of their comrades brought the other puppets to a halt. Seeing this, the others quickly pressed their advantage and darted toward the opening created by the attack. The first to reach the hole was Inuyasha. However, the puppets had had time to recover from their surprise and one had managed to block the escape path of the group. The hanyou started to hack and slash at it, but was unable to land a successful hit. His ears then picked up a familiar noise and he barely managed to jump out of the way as Sango's returning weapon sliced the puppet in front of him neatly in half. With that unexpected blow, they were finally able to burst free of the enemy circle and regroup._

_"Alright, everyone behind me," snapped Miroku, unwrapping the prayer beads around his right arm. "Kazaana!" he shouted and effectively sucked in the 7 remaining demons._

_"I don't like this, he didn't send the saimyoushou," reflected Kagome, a frown on her face._

_Her doubts were well founded as the monk suddenly collapsed, gripping his right arm in pain. Naraku's ominous laugh sounded again at seeing their misfortune. "By the way, did I mention that I managed to incorporate the saimyoushou's poison directly into my puppets?" he said in a mocking tone._

_"Bastard! Show yourself!" yelled the hanyou angrily._

_"All in due time, my dear Inuyasha, all in due time," he taunted one last time before his scent disappeared without a trace._

_"Dammit! He's gone, that coward!" Inuyasha snapped again._

_"Inuyasha, we've got to get my backpack quickly, Miroku needs the antidote," pleaded Kagome visibly alarmed by the monk's condition._

_"Well I suppose I'll be going now since that bastard's gone," announced Kouga. "I'll be seeing you later Kagome," he said taking her hands in his, earning him a loud growl from Inuyasha._

_He had barely made it to the end of the clearing when a tentacle suddenly appeared out of nowhere and pierced him through the chest. He was then lifted in the air before anyone was able to do anything for him._

_"Let… go… of… ME!" snarled the wolf demon before delivering a powerful punch to the tentacle, severing it in the process. He fell right in front of a last forgotten puppet. Before it had time to react, he tore into its chest with his hand and crushed its heart. He then fell to his knees in pain and started coughing up blood as the demon in front of him dissolved away._

_"Kouga!" screamed Kagome at seeing the youkai's predicament. She started to make her way to him, but was stopped short when a powerful gust of wind suddenly swiped through the clearing. After it had cleared, Kagura was standing a few feet away from the wolf demon._

_"Well, well, look what we have here," she mocked._

_"Kagura!" Kouga snarled. Gritting his teeth, he managed to stand up shakily to face his opponent. Seeing Inuyasha making a move to strike at the wind sorceress, he stopped him. "Stay out of it mutt-face, this one's mine!" he spat before launching himself at Kagura._

_She easily sidestepped his blow however and while he was off balance, she launched her own attack. "Fujin no mai!" she spoke, waving her fan in front of her. At such a short distance he was unable to dodge and the blades tore at him viciously. To his horror, two of them sliced his legs and the jewel shards imbedded in them flew out. The wind picked them up in midair and they landed perfectly in Kagura's hand._

_"Well, I'll be taking those as a souvenir," she said before flying away and leaving a disgruntled group behind._

**--End flashback--**

Kouga had left shortly after, refusing any kind of treatment from Kagome. It was obvious that he was extremely angry at himself for losing his jewel shards. So that left them to head back to Kaede's village to ponder their next move. It was a slow progression though, as Miroku was still feeling the effects of the poison and was unable to walk properly. And now, here they were, camping for the night in a small clearing about half a day away from their destination.

"Kagome, is it ready yet?" asked the little kitsune after the girl had stirred the stew and tasted it.

"Yes it is Shippo-chan," she answered with a smile and proceeded to fill plates and hand them over.

He was about to take his first bite when he noticed the gloomy atmosphere hanging around the camp. Sango was feeding a barely conscious Miroku with downcast eyes. Inuyasha was wolfing down his food, but it lacked the usual enthusiasm. For her part, Kagome was barely touching her plate. "This is stupid," he thought. "It's almost like we already lost."

A mischievous smile appeared on his lips as an idea formed in his head. "So Inuyasha, what are you going to say to your mother when you see her?" he asked in an innocent tone.

"Huh?" came the hanyou's intelligent reply.

"Well, when you die, what are you going to say to her when you meet her in the afterlife?" he continued still playing innocent.

"The hell are you talking about runt?" Inuyasha answered furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"Well, since Naraku almost has the jewel to himself, it's obvious that we don't stand a chance against him," he sighted feigning discouragement.

His remark had the desired effect because almost instantly, Inuyasha grabbed him by the tail and lifted him to eye level. "Who said anything about losing against him," he said his voice dangerously low.

He crossed his arms and averted his gaze, clearly unimpressed by the hanyou's attitude. "Well, with Miroku out of commission, I don't see anyone here capable of putting up much of a fight," he answered, bracing himself for the punch he knew was coming.

At his last retort, it seemed as if time stood still for a second. Every eyes in the clearing looked at him in surprise and even Inuyasha was too dumbfounded to react immediately. "Why you little…" he snarled, his surprise being quickly replaced by boiling anger. He was about to hit him squarely on the head when Sango's laughter stopped him.

"Oh god, Inuyasha, you should have seen the look on your face, it was priceless," giggled the demon slayer.

He looked blankly at Sango for a moment as if not comprehending her reaction before Shippo snorted, trying to suppress his own laughter. This brought him out of his trance and his anger suddenly exploded. "SHUT UP!" he yelled throwing the little kitsune at the girl and stalking in Sango's direction. This only caused more laughter as the pair made their escape and the hanyou started to chase them around the clearing.

Kagome watched the display in amusement for a moment, barely suppressing her own giggles before looking at Miroku who sported a small smile on his lips. "The little fox may not know how to fight, but he might just have given us a chance," said the sick monk in a low voice.

She only nodded in response before shifting her gaze to the running trio in front of her. And as she looked at them, she felt courage flooding her being once again. "You can come Naraku, we're ready for you," she thought, as a look of fierce determination graced her features.

* * *

A few hours later found everyone asleep around the dying embers of the fire. On the surface, everyone appeared to rest peacefully, but if one looked carefully, he could pick up signs of uneasiness all around camp. For one thing, Sango was sleeping in her combat uniform instead of her traveling outfit. Then there was Kagome who was not in but on her sleeping bag, her bow in hand and arrows slung on her back. Inuyasha, for his part, had his eyes closed but his ears twitched wildly at every suspicious sound that could be heard. Kirara was dozing off in her battle form close to Sango and even Shippo was sleeping in a sitting position, ready to bolt off at the first sign of danger. 

Everyone was so on edge that when a swirling noise was heard, they all jumped to their feet in an instant. It was Inuyasha who deflected the incoming object with the Tessaiga. The blow in itself had been pretty harmless, but the fact that it had been Kohaku's weapon filled them with dread.

Sure enough, a few seconds after the assault, Sango's brother appeared followed closely by Naraku himself. "Well, I'm glad to see that you're all awake," he said in a low and menacing voice.

"Keh! You stink so much that no one with a nose would be able to sleep within a mile of you!" taunted the hanyou.

"Ever the flatterer I see," Naraku responded with an evil smile. It vanished however when he looked carefully at the group. "Interesting, it looks like they might actually put up a fight," he reflected.

"Anyway, I came here to make a deal with you," he continued and allowed himself a small amount of amusement at seeing their dumfounded face.

"What sort of deal could you possibly hope to make with us?" asked Kagome, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"It's quite simple actually. If you give me your jewel shard, I'll spare you the agony of watching Kohaku here die," he answered with his malicious smile.

"And I suppose you're planning on keeping your end of the bargain by killing us first, am I right?" rasped Miroku, barely able to stand.

"Well thought, monk," he started. "And if you're nice enough, I'll even consider making it a quick and painless death," he mocked.

"In your dreams!" cried Inuyasha. "Kaze no kizu!" he yelled sending a wave of energy toward Naraku. It was deflected however, when the evil youkai erected a barrier.

"Well then, say goodbye to your friend here," the demon answered, totally ignoring Inuyasha's attack. He then plunged his hand in the back of the boy beside him and extracted the jewel shard.

"NOOOOO!" yelled Sango, as her brother's lifeless body fell to the ground.

"Sango…" spoke Miroku softly. He was about to place his hand on her shoulder when she suddenly started to laugh. It was a cold, bitter and totally humorless sound that could even compare to Naraku's own laughter.

"Naraku," started the demon slayer in a low and menacing tone. "You played your hand well, setting us up with Kouga and then stealing his shards right in front of our eyes. Then coming here and killing my brother before we had time to recover. All this for the sole purpose of breaking our spirit so you wouldn't have to fight."

"It won't work however," she said settling her gaze on the demon in front of her. "Tonight, you're going down!" she exclaimed icily.

Everyone was taken aback by the fire that burned in the demon slayer's eyes at that moment, even Naraku raised an eyebrow. "Well then, give it your best shot," he mocked to hide his surprise.

"With pleasure," snarled Inuyasha with a feral grin as his sword started to change color. "Akai Tessaiga!" he yelled, effectively destroying the barrier erected by Naraku.

Kagome and Sango didn't waste the opportunity and quickly launched their attack. Both weapons hit home and the combined power of the arrow and the hiraikotsu tore the demon in half. Their victory was short lived, however, as he immediately started to regenerate.

"You cannot defeat me," he smiled wickedly before launching a swarm of tentacles at the group.

They all proceeded to fight back but the more they cut, the more came at them. Eventually Miroku, already weak, was sent flying across the clearing by an oncoming appendage. He hit the trunk of a tree hard and fell to the ground unconscious.

"Houshi-sama!" cried Sango before another tentacle grabbed her foot and she was hoisted in the air effortlessly.

For their part, Kagome and Inuyasha were very close to being overwhelmed. Only the frantic hack and slash of the hanyou prevented the endless swarm of tentacles from reaching them. It was then that a huge serpent appeared out of thin air and descended on Naraku.

"Petty tricks will not affect me," declared the demon before one tentacle swiped casually at the illusion and destroyed it.

"If only I could distract him for a second," thought Shippo from the bush he was hiding in. As he looked at the raging battle a leaf fell on his nose. He stared at it as an idea formed in his head. He could feel his feet shaking at what he was about to do. "I'm just a kid, why do I have to fight?" he whined before launching himself at the demon.

"Shippo! No!" yelled Kagome when she spotted the patch of red fur running toward Naraku.

Her warning fell on deaf ears though and she could only watch in horror as one of the appendages slashed at the advancing form. She was surprised however when there was a puff of smoke and the kitsune was replaced by a leaf. Almost immediately after that another Shippo look-alike appeared followed by another and another. Pretty soon a swarm of kitsunes was assaulting the tentacles.

"You are starting to annoy me, you little runt," hissed Naraku as he swiped most of his tentacles upward at once, throwing all the illusions in the air in the process.

This move gave Inuyasha the opening he needed though and he wasn't about to miss it. "Kaze no kizu!" he yelled. The evil youkai barely had time to realize what was happening before the wave hit him full force. There was a bright flash of light and he exploded into tiny fragments.

"Shit, this isn't working," panted the hanyou when he saw that the parts were converging back together.

"It's useless to fight him like this, we must find his heart and destroy it," said Sango now back on her feet.

"Don't you think I…What's this?" asked Inuyasha as his foot connected with a glowing red orb.

"That would be my heart," answered a woman's voice coming from the trees behind them.

"Kagura," snarled Inuyasha. "What are you doing here?"

"Simple, I know where Naraku's heart is. If you give me my own heart back, I'll take one of you to it," she spoke quickly.

The hanyou creased his brows in suspicion but before he could answer, Kagome spoke up. "Fine, I'll go, quickly Inuyasha, give it to her."

He looked at her like she had just sprouted another head. "You're crazy!" he said not believing what he had just heard.

"There's no time! Hurry!" the schoolgirl exclaimed growing desperate.

"Dammit! I can't just let her go like this! If something were to happen to her…" he thought desperately. "But… someone has to go! Someone who will be able to destroy this bastard's heart." His mind was racing, trying to avoid the conclusion he knew was coming. "Miroku and Shippo are out of the question and I can't go without Naraku coming after me. That leaves Sango and Kagome. Sango's strong physically but… she doesn't have the spiritual power needed to strike Naraku's heart… That leaves…" He felt his own heart constricting in his chest as he realized that there was only one possible course of action.

"Inuyasha! Please!" cried the schoolgirl frantically when he didn't answer.

He shifted his gaze from Kagome to the growing mass of Naraku. "I swore I'd never let anything happen to her…" he thought desperately as he clenched his fists so tight that his knuckles turned white. "I'm sorry Kagome… This is the only way."

"Fine…" he whispered, feeling his very soul shattering into millions of pieces. "Kagome can go, but Kagura, you will get your heart only when you bring her back safely and Naraku's dead," he continued in the same tone.

Kagura looked at him for a few seconds before answering. "Fair enough," she said before throwing one of her feathers in the air and lifting off with Kagome behind her.

Before she was out of sight though, the schoolgirl caught the moonlight reflecting something on the hanyou's cheek. "Is that… a tear?" she thought. "Oh Inuyasha… I'll be back, I swear, I won't let you down!" and with that, her eyes hardened with steely determination.

For his part, the hanyou, was starting to feel his pain turning into rage very fast. With his last amount of control, he turned to Sango and was surprised to see that she was sporting an expression similar to his.

"This bastard is NOT leaving this clearing alive, you hear me," he whispered in a tone that would have frozen the blood of any opponent.

"As long as there is breath in my body, he WILL NOT budge," she shot back in the same tone.

And with that they both charged at a nearly reformed Naraku.

* * *

"Kagura, if you know where Naraku's heart is, why don't you destroy it yourself?" asked a perplexed Kagome. 

"Feh! Naraku knows I'll betray him the first chance I get, so he put seals to prevent me from approaching," she answered.

"And how do you know that I will be able to pass through?" she asked again.

"I don't, but it's not exactly like we have a choice now do we?" the wind sorceress shot back sarcastically.

"How far exactly is it?" she inquired after a few seconds of silence.

"Geez, woman, do you always talk that much?" snapped Kagura. "Look over there, it's the castle's barrier. The heart is within." she said pointing at a purple dome.

The schoolgirl simply nodded at this and gulped. The jyaki inside Naraku's castle was so strong that no human could hope to stand it for very long. There was also something about all this that she didn't like, but she couldn't say exactly what, so for now, she simply ignored it to concentrate on the task at hand.

A few minutes later, they landed in the courtyard and already Kagome could feel the toxic vapors affecting her. Kagura on the other hand was peering left and right suspiciously as if expecting something to pop out of the darkness and leap at them.

"Is something wrong?" asked the schoolgirl, confused by the sorceress' behavior.

"It's nothing, let's hurry," answered Kagura. "Something's off today, I just wish I knew what it is," she thought as she headed off.

Kagome nodded doubtfully and they started to walk down a number of corridors seemingly at random. They finally stopped in front of a door that had a strange symbol on it. Kagura opened it to reveal a small room with a pedestal in the back. On it was a black sphere that was pulsating with evil energy.

"This is Naraku's heart, the seal won't allow me to enter," said the sorceress simply.

Kagome nodded at this and tentatively brought her hand forward through the door. Seeing that nothing happened, she tucked an arrow on her bow and took aim.

"Time to end this!" she said fiercely right before firing. It never reached the mark though. It slowed down almost as soon as it entered the room and simply fell on the ground a mere seven feet in front of the girls.

"Looks like I'm going to have to get closer," gulped the schoolgirl before taking her first tentative steps toward the pulsating sphere.

It was like walking through jelly. The very air around her seemed to press against her body to prevent her from advancing. With every step she took, the resistance increased and pretty soon she was unable to even move her feet. "Dammit, I… will… not… LOSE!" she yelled, letting loose all her anger and frustration.

Kagura watched in awe as a bluish aura suddenly enveloped the girl in front of her. As she screamed her last word, the sorceress was suddenly thrown into the wall as a powerful blast of miko energy knocked into her. When the dots in front of her eyes cleared, she could only gape at what she saw. Where the door had been, only a gaping hole remained. The walls and the floor were bent like something had pushed them outward and smoke was rising from a few planks. The only thing left untouched was the altar with the heart on it.

For her part, Kagome was starting to feel dizzy. The heavy use of her power and the jyaki were taking their toll on her, but she gritted her teeth and pushed it all back. The seals were gone and she wasn't about to waste her opportunity. Tucking another arrow, she aimed and fired again. This time, it was stopped by a purplish barrier that appeared about four feet in front of her target.

"Impressive girl, I didn't think anyone was powerful enough to break the protection seals," said a voice in front of her.

Then out of nowhere a huge creature materialized. It stood over seven feet tall and had green scales all over its body. Its head was vaguely draconic and sharp fangs could be seen sporting from it's mouth. On the hands and feet of the creature were long sharp claws ready to be used against any intruder.

"Now I'm afraid that you're going to have to die," it snarled, before launching itself at her with surprising speed.

Kagome didn't even have time to move before the claws tore her flesh apart. Strangely enough, there was no pain as she fell on the ground. "Is this how it's supposed to end?" she asked herself with a certain amount of detachment before unconsciousness claimed her.

When she opened her eyes, she was alone in a very dark place. All she could see around her was black as far as the eye could see. "Where… am I?" she murmured confused. "Am I… dead?" she whispered again incredulously.

Her eyes widened in horror at this realization. "No… please… it's not true, I can't believe it!" she thought frantically. But as she looked around her, she could see nothing that would bring her the slightest hope that she was still alive.

"I… failed," she whispered, tears starting to stream down her cheeks. "Shippo, Sango, Miroku, Kirara, Inu…yasha I… failed you all," she cracked before her knees gave way.

"Get up, wench!" came the hanyou's gruff voice causing her to look up in surprise at seeing him standing before her.

"Yeah, Kagome, I believe in you," said Shippo's voice right before his form materialized.

"You can still do this, Kagome-chan," said the shape of Sango.

"We're all with you, Kagome-sama," said the monk as he too appeared before her.

"You guys…" she said, her gaze sweeping from one shape to the other.

Memories then started to flash before her eyes. Miroku talking about the curse on his right hand. Sango crying over the loss of her brother. Shippo sobbing in his sleep, calling for a mother that would never come. Inuyasha, fighting desperately to avenge the woman he loved fifty years ago. Herself, watching helplessly as the hanyou she so desperately loved crumbled after losing himself to his demon side.

"So much pain… and all because of Naraku," she thought as anger like none she ever felt before exploded in her.

"I can't allow him to hurt anyone any longer!" she screamed in her mind as a blinding blue aura started to surround her.

On the outside, Kagura was in a very difficult situation. The guardian demon was currently holding her by the throat about ten feet above ground, cutting off her air supply. His maniacal laughter was cut short however when a bright blue light illuminated the room. Two pairs of eyes turned to its source in surprise to find Kagome glowing with miko power and about to launch an attack at the undefended heart.

"Damn, she's still alive!" exclaimed the demon in panic before throwing himself desperately between Kagome and her target, letting Kagura drop to the ground in the process.

He managed to reach his destination just as the schoolgirl fired. He hastily raised a barrier in order to divert the oncoming wave of purification energy and braced himself for the coming impact. A battle of will then began as the ray connected with the barrier. At first it appeared to be a stand-off, but after a few seconds, the demon's shield started to bend under the pressure of the schoolgirl's onslaught.

Kagura looked in complete disbelief at the display before her. "Where is all this power coming from?" she mused, taking in the girl's appearance and the pool of blood at her feet. "She lost so much blood that she shouldn't even be able to stand, let alone fire something that powerful," she continued uncomprehending.

Her train of thought was cut short however when a snapping sound was heard and the barrier gave way completely. It was followed shortly after by a howl of pain from the demon as the energy tore at him and headed for the pulsating sphere behind him.

"At last… It's all coming to an end," thought Kagome with relief.

It was unfortunately short lived as her vision started to blur and her knees began to shake violently. "Please! Just… a… little… more!" she hissed through clenched teeth. But her body would not listen to her pleas and she collapsed on her knees, her purification beam dissipating harmlessly into thin air.

She lay there panting, trying desperately not to pass out from sheer exhaustion and pain, for a long time. Eventually though, she could feel her awareness returning and with it the realization that someone was talking to her. She raised her head to see that Kagura was standing over her with a worried look on her face.

"Ka…gu… ra," she said between two heavy breaths.

"Well, good to see you're still alive, girl," said the sorceress with a note of admiration in her voice.

"Guar… dian?" asked the schoolgirl laboriously.

"He won't be bothering anyone anymore," answered Kagura while stepping aside to reveal a smoking corpse burned beyond recognition.

"You know, that last shot was pretty impressive," added the sorceress once Kagome's breath had settled.

"Yeah, but… it took everything I had to pull it off," replied the schoolgirl.

"Damn, if only we could strike now, it's completely defenseless," snapped Kagura in frustration.

The miko's ears perked up at this last remark. "You know, you're right, it is completely defenseless," said Kagome, a confused frown on her face.

"What do you mean?" asked the sorceress, puzzled by this cryptic observation.

"Well, if his heart is so important, why on earth is it protected so poorly?" answered the schoolgirl even more confused.

"Poorly? You're kidding, right? That thing almost killed us!" exclaimed a bewildered Kagura.

"I'm not saying that, I'm just saying that it's unlike Naraku to leave something so important lying in the open where everyone can see it," replied the schoolgirl calmly.

Kagura frowned a bit, seeing the truth in the wounded girl's words. "Well what could it all mean then?" she finally asked.

"I don't know, but I have the nasty feeling that everything so far moved exactly as Naraku planned it," answered Kagome.

Both girls were silent for a moment, trying to make sense of everything that had happened so far. "Have you noticed anything unusual about this place lately?" asked the schoolgirl eventually.

"Well…" she began frowning in concentration. "Something's not right, what is it?" she mused furiously. As she looked at the schoolgirl, something struck her. "She's alive! That's impossible the jyaki should have…Wait the jyaki… That's what's been bugging me!"

"The jyaki… It's lighter than usual," murmured the sorceress a feeling of dread suddenly creeping up her spine.

They looked at each other in surprise for a few seconds. It was Kagura who spoke first this time. "It's starting to make a lot of coincidences," she said voicing their common thought.

"You wouldn't happen to have found out about this room recently would you?" asked Kagome, growing more suspicious by the minute.

"Yesterday…" came Kagura's astonished reply a moment later.

"Add the fact that your heart is suddenly in our possession…" began the schoolgirl.

"And everything just seems a little too convenient," finished the sorceress.

"Well then, what do you say we actually do something unexpected for a change," shot Kagome as she got to her feet, ignoring the dizziness washing over her.

"What do you have in mind?" asked a puzzled Kagura.

"Naraku spent a lot of energy to get rid of his heart. What would he say if we suddenly gave it back to him?" asked the miko with a wicked smile.

"I'll say, that ought to tick him off," answered the wind sorceress with a similar smile creeping on her face.

With that said, Kagura headed for the pulsating sphere and neatly wrapped it in a cloth. Once it was done, she turned to the schoolgirl. "Let's go," she said simply and headed off.

Kagome turned to follow, but as she took her first step, her vision suddenly wavered. She caught herself on the wall before she could fall, but as she looked at her still bleeding wounds, she became painfully aware of just how serious her condition was. "I promised Inuyasha I'd be back," she remembered and felt some of her strength coming back at the thought of the hanyou. "Just a little longer," she thought as she pushed herself off the wall and headed off to follow Kagura.

* * *

"Kaze no kizu!" cried Inuyasha, only to have his attack deflected again by the demon's energy blast. 

Things were looking bleak right now for the team. Miroku was standing shakily to one side of Naraku, waiting for an improbable opening. He had managed to land one blow so far when he had regained consciousness, but that was it. Sango was on the other side panting heavily and holding her broken katana in a defensive stance. Her hiraikotsu lay on the other side of the clearing, severed in two. Kirara for her part was lying on the ground, breathing laboriously suffering from broken ribs. Inuyasha himself was barely standing up. He was breathing hard and he had more cuts and bruises on his body than he could count. In fact the only one not hurt was Shippo, but that was simply because he had not taken an active part in the fight. Not that he didn't want to, but since his little stunt in the beginning, all his illusions dissipated as soon as they entered the clearing and he wasn't foolish enough to try to take the demon head on with his limited strength.

"I grow tired of this, time to end this sorry excuse for a battle," said Naraku suddenly.

With that he made a swiping gesture with his right arm, sending a myriad of purple energy balls to the people surrounding him. They all screamed in pain as they were thrown back several meters and landed hard on the ground.

"Pathetic really, hardly worth my time," he said bored and turned to leave.

"Where… do… you… think… you're… going!" spat Inuyasha between two laborious breaths.

The evil hanyou turned around and raised an eyebrow in surprise at what he saw. His three opponents were struggling to their feet. Blood covered their bodies from their numerous wounds. They were barely able to stand; even Inuyasha had to lean on his sword to keep his balance and yet, despite all this, they were still willing to continue the fight.

"And what, pray tell, do you think you can do in this condition?" he asked in a mocking tone.

"More than you can think!" rasped Sango with fire in her eyes.

"Never underestimate the human heart," added Miroku, equally determined.

"Oh yes, speaking of heart, I wonder how Kagura and that Kagome girl are doing with my own," retorted Naraku.

He took a second to enjoy their surprised expressions before continuing. "Come now, you didn't honestly think that I hadn't noticed?" he added amused.

"You… knew?" breathed the monk in confusion. "He knew and he didn't make any move to leave?" he thought as his mind frantically searched for an explanation. "It's almost like… he doesn't care what happens to it." Horror suddenly filled him as he understood what their enemy had been up to.

"You planned everything," breathed the monk in astonishment. "The loss of Kagura's heart, Kagome's departure… Everything," he continued in a dead tone. "You manipulated us so that we would be the ones to destroy your heart."

"Impressive, monk, looks like you can actually use your brain once in a while. Too bad it's a little too late for that," taunted the demon before his ominous laugh filled the clearing.

"So tell me Inuyasha, how does it feel to know that you sent your woman to her doom?" he taunted mercilessly.

Inuyasha barely even heard that last remark. When Miroku had voiced his realization, his face had gone blank and betrayed no emotion. "I did this… I sent her to her death…" he repeated over and over in his head. "I… didn't even tell her how I felt," he agonized. "Please, Kagome… show me he's lying… show me you're still alive…" he prayed desperately.

Oddly enough, his plea was answered when the wind started to twist around the evil hanyou, raising a thick cloud of dust in the process. "Kagura, just what do you think you're doing?" asked Naraku in annoyance.

"Blocking your view," came the answer right before an arrow connected with his chest. It was a strange one though as instead of the usual pointed tip, it sported a rounded end draped in a white cloth.

As soon as it made contact with the evil hanyou, it started to glow purple. The light quickly grew so intense that everyone had to cover their eyes not to get blinded. When it died, Naraku was on his knees panting with a look of surprised horror on his face.

"My heart…" he said bewildered. "It's… back."

"Now, Inuyasha!" came Kagome's frantic cry from behind them. "Strike now while he's vulnerable!" she repeated urgently.

The sound of his love's voice sent electrical current coursing through his body. "She's… alive!" was his only thought as relief and happiness flooded his being. It was quickly wiped away by the reality of the current situation though. As he saw their enemy on his knees, he could suddenly remember all the pain and suffering they had endured because of him. An emotion like none he ever felt before burst into him. Rage, anger, hate -- it all mixed together and flooded his being, making him forget his wounds. His eyes held a dark gleam as he leveled his gaze on the demon in front of him. "You're through… Naraku," he spoke in a dead tone that froze the blood of everyone who heard it. "KONGOUSOUHA!" he yelled as he swung his blade.

Still reeling, Naraku was unable to dodge the coming wave of crystals. They hit him exactly where the arrow had, sending waves of agony coursing through his body. A bloodcurdling scream escaped him as the diamonds tore his flesh apart and found their way to the very thing he had tried so hard to get rid of: his heart.

He continued to yell, his voice rising in pitch as his body disintegrated until there was simply nothing left but a small black sphere. Cracks started to appear on it and it pulsed violently as if trying to keep itself whole. It proved to be a futile effort because a second later, it shattered into hundreds of pieces which in turn dissolved into nothingness.

* * *

An eerie silence fell on the small clearing. No one dared to believe what their eyes had just witnessed. Miroku was the first to recover from his surprise and quickly unwrapped the prayer beads around his right arm and looked at his hand intently. 

"Houshi… sama?" asked a curious Sango when he didn't move.

The monk showed no sign that he had heard the girl's question. He continued to stare at his hand like he was hypnotized. Worried, the demon slayer started to limp her way to the unmoving Miroku. "Houshi-sama!" she repeated more firmly when she reached him.

This time the monk heard and he shifted his gaze to her. The look he sported on his face was strange. It was a mix between disbelief, relief and hope. "It's gone Sango," he whispered. "I'm… free," he finished right before collapsing to his knees.

The demon slayer could only smile at this, her own torment dimming in the face of the monk's happiness. "Yes you are…," she finally answered as she sat beside him. "… Miroku-sama," she finished shyly.

The monk snapped his head in her direction, clearly surprised at hearing the demon slayer say his name. Before he could reply however, the voice of Inuyasha pierced the silence.

"KAAAGOOOMEEE!"

* * *

As soon as Sango had spoken, the surprise holding the hanyou in place dissipated, replaced by a sense of urgency. "Kagome…" he thought frantically as he scanned the landscape and sniffed the air trying to locate her presence more precisely. It wasn't long before he spotted her, leaning against a tree and looking positively exhausted. 

He wasted no time and in two leaps he was in front of her. His heart stopped when he saw the state she was in. Her normally shiny black hair was now dirty with a mix of blood, dirt and sweat. Her white and green clothing was stained dark red as the blood continued to flow from her wounds. Her skin was now a deadly shade of white and the fire usually burning so strong in her brown eyes was almost completely gone.

"Kagome…" was all the hanyou managed to say.

"Inuyasha…" murmured the schoolgirl, before collapsing in the arms of the hanyou. "We've done it, haven't we? We won," she said, her voice weakening with every word.

"Yes, Naraku's dead, but don't talk Kagome, save your strength, I'll take you to Kaede, she'll patch you up for sure," answered the frantic hanyou.

"I'm happy… that I was with you… in the end," she murmured weakly. "I… love… you," she finally whispered before going limp.

"No, Kagome! KAAAGOOOMEEE!" cried Inuyasha as his heart shattered in his chest.

* * *

**Author's note: **Well how's that for a cliffhanger? I know, it's cruel, but I enjoy it he he he! So of course, if you want the rest, you're going to have to read and review ;)  
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	2. The kindness of the human heart

**Disclaimer:** The usual crap, I don't own Inuyasha and its caracters, etc, etc, etc  
**note:** I would like to say thank you to kallian for posting the first review for this story and also for reviewing "remember the past" and "heart's destination". For those of you who are worried about the wait between the releases, rest assured, I'm planning to release one chapter every monday, last week was an exception he he. So without further ado, on with the story.

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* * *

Chapter 1: The kindness of the human heart**

Throughout his existence, Inuyasha had experienced many kind of pain, each more violent than the other. But nothing could possibly compare to what he was feeling now. The agony of knowing that he would never again be able to hold her against him, never smell her delicate scent, never have her sit him was unbearable.

"Kagome, this is a joke right? Speak to me!" cried the hanyou desperately. "Just say my name… Please!" he said his voice dying in a strangled whisper.

From behind him he could hear the horrified gasp from his friends as they saw the schoolgirl's fate. _"God, this can't be happening,"_ he thought frantically. _"You swore that you'd stay by my side and never leave even when I went to see Kikyo,"_ he finished before something odd struck him.

_"Kikyo… her soul… it's not leaving her body,"_ he mused, surprised by this fact. _"Which means she's still fighting to stay alive,"_ he thought again.

The others, unaware of the hanyou's train of thoughts, watched in surprise as he suddenly started to shake the dead body of Kagome and speak to her. "You're still there are you wench?" he questioned firmly. "So tell me how to help dammit, I know you can hear me!" he snapped again.

"Inuyasha, she's dead, " began Miroku sadly. "You can't possibly hope for an answer from her," he finished with his head bowed.

"NO!" yelled the hanyou angrily. "Her soul hasn't left her body, which means she's still…" he trailed off as his eyes caught something pink hanging around the dead girl's neck.

His eyes widened as he took the small glass vial in his hand and brought it to his eyes. His gaze then shifted to his friends behind him who all sported a look of sudden illumination on their face.

"The jewel!" they all cried in unison before darting to the center of the clearing in search of the missing item.

Kagura who had been completely ignored by everyone watched the display with a certain amount of jealousy. _"No one has ever cared about me like this,"_ she thought a bit disgruntled.

Her musing was interrupted when she spotted something shiny, lying on the ground a few feet in front of her. "The shikon jewel," she murmured as she bent down and picked it up.

Her gaze shifted to the searching friends as she contemplated her next move. _"I could keep it,"_ she mused before a wry smile graced her lips. _"Yeah right, this jewel's nothing but trouble, they can keep it if they want it,"_ she thought. "Yo dog boy," she called out loud catching everyone's attention.

Inuyasha spotted the jewel as soon as he turned his head in Kagura's direction. He was on her in an instant with a fierce snarl on his face. "Give it to me," he demanded in a cold voice.

"Well aren't we the fierce one," she began in a sarcastic voice. "We had a deal remember? I honored my end of the bargain, now it's your turn to honor yours." she finished pointedly.

The hanyou looked confused for a second before his face lit up in understanding and he fished a glowing red orb from one of his pockets. "Give me the jewel and I'll give you what you want," he answered simply.

"Fine," she said and dropped the sphere on the ground. In front of her, Inuyasha did the same with her heart and both moved to retrieve the object they wanted.

* * *

As soon as the hanyou had the jewel in hand, he immediately took the last shard and placed it in the hole. It fit perfectly and the jewel glowed a soft pink as the fragment fused with the body; it was finally complete. 

Inuyasha wasted no time and headed straight for Kagome. He kneeled in front of her, his heart jumping in anticipation. He gulped once and started to concentrate on the stone in his hands. _"Please jewel, hear me now and grant my heart's desire. Bring Kagome back to life,"_ he begged to the stone.

For a few seconds, nothing happened and the hanyou was beginning to think he had done something wrong. But just as he was beginning to lose hope, the jewel started to pulse. Lightly at first but it quickly grew in intensity. It shortly got to the point where everyone had to shield their eyes not to get blinded by the light. And as suddenly as it had started, it was over.

Four pair of eyes turned to the schoolgirl lying on the ground expectantly. They weren't disappointed because a soft moan escaped her lips and after a few seconds, her eyes opened.

"Where… am I?" she asked in a tired voice.

For her part, Kagome was really confused. Her memory was garbled and she couldn't remember anything clearly, much less why she was lying on the ground. _"Why are they looking at me like this?"_ she asked herself upon noticing that everyone had a silly grin on his face and was just about ready to cry.

"Huh guys? Is something wrong?" she said confused this time.

"Kagome!" cried Shippo happily before throwing himself at her. The kitsune buried his face in her chest and promptly started to sob, while the girl simply held him, not quite understanding his reaction.

It was then that it hit her. _"My chest…"_ she thought as memories started flooding back into her mind. _"I should be dead!"_ she mused uncomprehending. "How…" she started. "How can I be alive, I was dead… I know I was!" she exclaimed in a haunted voice.

"Well Kagome-sama, you have Inuyasha to thank for this," began the monk. "He made a wish on the jewel to bring you back," he finished looking approvingly at the hanyou.

Feeling all eyes turning to him, the said hanyou blushed lightly in embarassement. "Keh! It would have been too much trouble to explain what happened to her family," he grumbled while turning away to hide his discomfort.

_"He… wished me back?"_ thought Kagome bewildered.

_"Could this mean that…"_ she trailed off as her imagination kicked in and a picture of her and Inuyasha kissing filled her mind. This sent tiny goosebumps of pleasure down her spine and she couldn't help but shudder a little at the pleasurable sensation.

"Kagome, are you ok?" asked Shippo, sensing her slight motion.

The schoolgirl snapped back to reality and saw that everyone was looking at her with knowing glances. Her face turned a nice shade of crimson as she realised that she had been staring at the hanyou with a rather silly grin pasted on her face. Strangely enough, it was Kagura who saved her from her embarassement.

"Well isn't that touching," shot the sorceress in a sarcastic voice

* * *

Kagura could not begin to understand the emotions coursing through her being at that very moment. Ever since her birth, she had been a slave to Naraku, unable to do anything but his bidding because he held her heart in the palm of his hand. She had dreamed, yearned for this very moment all her life. Yet, now that she stood there, her heart in the palm of her hand, freedom only inches away, she felt afraid. 

_"Why… Why am I so afraid?"_ she thought confused. _"It's my heart, all I have to do is put it to my chest and I'll be free forever,"_ she continued.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't quite bring herself to make the simple movement that would put it back in its rightful place. Finally, after a few seconds, she managed to get her arm to work and she slowly started to bring her hand closer to her chest. However, for each inch that her hand travelled, her determination also wavered. So she eventually found her hand stuck three inches from its intended destination.

_"This is ridiculous,"_ she thought frustrated.

"Ah the hell with this," she said and closed the remaining distance in one leap. Her hand connected with her chest at the same time that a bright light engulfed the clearing. Although she did notice, what she noted the most was the warm sensation flowing through her body as her heart touched her skin. It felt like her body was coming alive after having been frozen in ice.

She gasped loudly as she felt the sphere penetrate her skin and take its place. There was a second of stillness and then she could feel it start to beat. Excitement bubbled in her as the realisation that she was finally free started to sink in.

"Free… I'm finally… free," she murmured as her heart sped up in response to her excitement causing her to feel more and more elated.

Closing her eyes, she opened her arms wide and started to slowly turn around on herself. The wind picked up slightly and she could feel it brush against her skin gently, as if it was giving her a welcoming embrace. She continued on like this for quite some time before her equilibrium started to waver. She chuckled lightly at her own antics and opened her eyes, only to meet the sight of Inuyasha and his gang welcoming back the schoolgirl in the world of the living.

For some reason, she felt her heart twitch at the scene before her. _"What's this?"_ mused the sorceress puzzled. She tried to dismiss the sensation, but the more she looked, the more her heart wrenched in her chest. "Oh, this is making me sick!" she exclaimed softly before making her way to the group of people.

"Well, isn't that touching," she shot to the group in the hope of ruining the moment. _"What the hell am I doing?"_ she thought.

"Kagura, what do _you_ want? I already gave you what you wanted," asked an annoyed Inuyasha.

_"That's true… What on earth do I want with them?"_ she mused. "Just curious to see if the jewel had worked that's all," she said in a detached voice before turning to leave. _"God that's lame,"_ she cringed as she walked away.

"Kagura, wait!" came the voice of the schoolgirl behind her.

She turned around to see Kagome sprinting her way. "What?" she asked briskly once the girl had caught up to her.

"I wanted to thank you for what you did," she said with a smile.

"A deal's a deal," shot the sorceress before turning away once again.

As she looked at the retreating form of Kagura, Kagome spotted a small hole the back of her kimono. Through it she could see part of the horrible scar that would forever be the testimony of her heritage. This mark would identify her as Naraku's offspring for the rest of her life. The schoolgirl felt a bit sad at this realisation. Her eyes brightened though as an idea formed in her head.

"Kagura!" she called again. "Hold on for a second."

"What…" she began but trailed off when she saw that the girl wasn't listening. Instead, the sorceress could see that she was running toward her friends and even calling the hanyou's name.

"Inuyasha, do you still have the jewel?" asked Kagome once she had reached him.

"Well, yeah it's here…" but he never got to finish his sentence because the young miko had promptly snatched the sphere from his outstretched hand and was currently sprinting toward the wind sorceress. He shot a confused look at Miroku, Sango and Shippo but he could see that they were as baffled as he was.

"So, what's this all about," asked Kagura a bit puzzled.

"Well," began the schoolgirl slightly out of breath. "I was wondering if you would like to get rid of the scar on your back," she eventually asked.

This caught the sorceress completely off gard and for a time all she could do was stare, dumbfounded. She had all but forgotten this stupid mark. However, now that she thought about it, she realised that as long as she bore it, she would never truly be free. The shadow of her heritage would always loom over her and she would be cursed to pay for the deeds of the one who had held her in chains for so long. Though the offer was very tempting, there was still something the sorceress didn't understand.

"Why are you making that offer?" she asked confused.

"Well… Children shouldn't have to pay for what their parents did," answered the young miko. "So that's why I'm offering to wish your mark away," she finished showing the shikon jewel in her hands.

"But what's in it for you?" countered Kagura shooting her a piercing glance.

"Well, I just thought it would be a nice way of thanking you for your help," said Kagome a little uncomfortable under the scrutiny.

"Forget it Kagome," shot Inuyasha as he appeared beside her. "She's not gonna accept your offer, she doesn't know what kindness is," he finished.

"Watch your mouth dog boy or I'll slice you open with my fujin no mai," threatened the angry sorceress.

"Kagura, you should just accept Kagome-sama's offer," said Miroku as he too popped up, followed closely by a limping Sango.

"Miroku's right, not everybody's cold and calculating like Naraku," added the demon slayer.

"Yeah, just say yes Kagura," finished Shippo who popped up on Kagome's shoulder.

_"What _is_ with those guys,"_ thought the sorceress uncomprehending. "After all I've done to you… Why?" she asked, unable to believe they would simply forgive her.

"Feh! If we were to blame you for all the evil you did, then we would have to blame Kohaku too," countered the hanyou.

"But he was under Naraku's control," she answered, confused by the last remark.

"True, but so were you," said Inuyasha simply.

This last retort struck home and for the first time since the beginning of this argument, Kagura could feel her resolve waver. "I…" she stammered, not knowing how to answer.

"Kagura, I'm just trying to make you happy," said Kagome.

"Why?" questioned the sorceress, as her will to resist the temptation of freedom slowly ebbed away.

"Because I find it sad that you couldn't choose your path in life. That's why… I'm offering to free you from all that is Naraku so that you may actually have a chance to be what you want to be," answered the schoolgirl.

"But what if I decide to become worst than Naraku himself?" asked Kagura, feeling herself giving in even as she spoke the words.

"Then you would have _chosen_ to be this way, no matter how sad this choice would be," said Kagome.

"Fine then," began the sorceress while turning away. "Get rid of this mark and let's be done with it. Just don't expect any sort of payment for this, girl," she finished in an annoyed tone of voice. Deep down though, she could feel a strange warmth spread within her chest. _"Is this what it's like to know someone cares about you?"_ she asked herself right before Kagome interrupted her musing with her answer.

"I never expected anything from the start," said the schoolgirl with a smile.

_"Jewel please hear my plea, free Kagura from the curse of her heritage,"_ prayed Kagome.

Just like with Inuyasha a short while before, the jewel started to glow a bright pink. However instead of blinding everyone this time, it began to pulse. After a few seconds of this, a blue aura appeared around Kagome and it began to beat in synch with the sphere. And then two rays of light, one pink and one blue, shot toward the sky and started to twist around one another until they were completely merged. The new beam then shot back down and struck the wind sorceress full in the back.

Kagura had expected pain to rack her body when the beam hit her, but instead, there was only a pleasant warmth that spread quickly through her whole being. As she reveled in the sensation, she could feel something within her dissolve away. Something dark and ominous that would have consumed her had it been allowed to grow. After it was completely gone from her, the beam of light disappeared slowly and both girls fell to their knees.

Inuyasha was at Kagome's side in an instant despite his injuries. "Kagome, are you alright?" he asked frantically.

"Yes, I'm fine, just a bit drained that's all," she answered in a weak voice. "Kagura, how do you feel, did it work?" questioned the schoolgirl.

_"I never felt so light in my entire life, the darkness eating away at my soul is completely gone,"_ she thought in wonder. She was so lost in her own mind that it took her a second to realise that someone was speaking to her.

"Kagura? Are you feeling alright?" asked the schoolgirl with concern in her voice.

"Yes, I'm fine… I think it worked," she said not daring to reveal too much of her emotions to the people in front of her.

"Let me check," said Kagome as she got to her feet and walked toward the kneeling sorceress.

A quick look through the hole in the back of Kagura's kimono was all it took to confirm that the mark had indeed completely disappeared. Shippo however noticed something even more peculiar than what Kagome had just confirmed.

"Kagura, you smell different," he said puzzled.

All eyes turned first to Shippo in surprise before turning to the wind sorceress who sported a confused look on her face before finally settling on Inuyasha as if asking for confirmation. It came a second later as he sniffed the air.

"Shippo's right, your scent has changed, you used reek of Naraku, now there's not even a trace of his stench left," he said equally baffled.

"It would seem that the jewel not only cleared the mark on Kagura's back, but changed her scent as well," began the monk. "Kagome-sama, if I may ask, what exactly did you wish for?" he asked.

"Well… I asked that Kagura be freed from her cursed heritage," she answered frowning in confusion.

"Well then, I suppose the jewel did just that. It erased all traces of Naraku from Kagura, that's why her scent changed... I guess," he concluded.

"It makes sense," added Sango. "That may also explain the strange reaction it had when Kagome-chan made her wish. It probably needed to tap in her miko power in order to fully carry out her wish," she finished.

"Interesting idea, a sort of selective purification," said Miroku in wonder.

Throughout the exchange, Kagura had remained silent, too overwhelmed by the idea that all of Naraku's traces had been eliminated from her to take an active part in the conversation. _"That's why I feel so light, his presence is no longer weighting me down,"_ she realised suddenly. She then felt the overpowering urge to get away, to fly and enjoy this new freedom. Looking around her, she could see that none of them payed close attention to her. _"Time to take my leave,"_ she thought eagerly.

She had taken about ten steps before the voice of Kagome stopped her. "Kagura!" she called.

"I told you not to expect any payment for what you did," said the sorceress in an annoyed tone of voice. _"Let me leave already!"_ she cried in her mind.

"I just wanted to wish you good luck," said the schoolgirl with a smile on her face.

"Feh! Don't get too friendly with me because there's no telling when I might turn on you," she shot back before throwing her feather in the air and flying away.

"Keh! She could have at least say thank you," shot Inuyasha after she had disappeared.

"It's okay, I know that deep down, she was really happy... and it's all the thanks I'll ever need," said the young miko.

They all stayed silent for a few seconds, looking at the spot where the wind sorceress disappeared. "Well then," exclaimed Kagome suddenly, effectively breaking the silence. "What do you say we head back ourselves?" she spoke lightly.

This brought a comical reaction from the three people standing in front of her. The first thing that happened was that a dumbfounded look appeared on each person's face. A few seconds later, they looked at themselves as is just now realising the state they were in. And then, they all groaned loudly and collapsed on the ground in a heap.

"Hum… maybe I should go ahead and bring back some help," she offered after staring with a mix of amusement and concern at the three crumpled masses before her.

* * *

**Author's note:** Well, no cruel cliffhanger this time so I won't be beaten to death he he he. Anyway, read and review people :)))  



	3. Home is where the heart is

**Disclaimer: **As usual, I don't own Inuyasha nor any of the caracters, I wonder why I even bother putting that up he he.  
**Note: **Well, another thank you to Kallian, my only reviewer and known reader so far. Anyway, as long as I know even one person reads this story, I'll keep posting the chapters. And I know I said I'd post every monday... but I couldn't resist (anyway, I doubt anyone's going to complain about me posting early he he). I just finished writing and proof reading chapter 15 (I'm not lying, I do have that much written so far) so I decided that it called for a celebration, so here is chapter two. Enjoy everyone.

**

* * *

Chapter 2 : Home is where the heart is**

"Inuyasha I swear if you don't hold still I'm going to S. I. T. you into oblivion," said Kagome exasperated by the hanyou's fidgetting.

Hearing the menace, the half-demon grumbled something under his breath before doing as he was told thus allowing the schoolgirl to treat his numerous wounds. He had been in a bad mood ever since she had brought help back from Kaede's village. Though she wasn't sure exactly why, she suspected that he blamed himself for what happened to her. He _had not_ been pleased at all when she had left to get help, in fact he had been downright infuriated.

--Flashback--

_"YOU WILL NOT LEAVE!" yelled the hanyou in anger and frustration._

_"And just what do you suggest," snapped Kagome equally frustrated. "You can barely stand, let alone walk to Kaede's village, and as for the jewel, for some odd reason, it's not granting anymore wishes today," she finished._

_"If you carry that thing around, demons will be attracted to you," he countered pointing at the round sphere around her neck. "What do _you_ plan to do if you come face to face with one?" he asked._

_"I can't very well leave it here with all of you in this state, whose going to defend _you_ when a demon comes?" she argued back._

_At this the hanyou had no answer. He knew she was right, but still he couldn't bear to let her leave his side a second time. The first time, she had come back only to die in his arms. A miracle had saved her life then, but it was unlikely that they would be able to repeat such a feat a second time should the same thing happen again._

_And so the hanyou found himself face to face with his worst fear once again. He had to let Kagome go because there was simply no other way out of their situation. All of them were too weak to go anywhere, even he could barely stand as it was. _"Why is it that what I want most is the only thing I can't have!"_ he screamed in his mind. _"Why can't I keep her safe!"_ he cried again in frustration._

_"Go," was all he managed to say before turning his back on her and slumping on the ground._

_She looked at him for a few seconds before turning to Shippo. "Let's go," she said to the little kitsune._

_"Right," he answered before transforming into his balloon form._

_She climbed on his back and in seconds they were gone. Inuyasha's worries this time turned out to be unfounded, much to everyone's relief. Kagome and Shippo made it to Kaede's village and back in record time and everyone was able to be transported safely._

--End flashback

Now though came the laborious task of treating everyone's injuries. The good news was that none of them were permanently scarred, but the bad one was that it would take quite some time for all to recover completely. Especially Sango who had more than one broken bone in her body.

Surprisingly enough, the death of Kohaku had not affected the demon slayer as much as everyone thought it would. It was obvious that she was sad, but at the same time, she was glad that his torment was finally over and he was allowed to rest in peace. She had even asked Kaede to make preparations to burn his body tonight so that his soul may finally be able to move on. The old lady had accepted and an altar was currently being built in the center of town in preparation of the uncoming ceremony.

For his part, Miroku was positively extatic. Nothing could even begin to dampen his mood. His wind tunnel was gone and he would be able to finally live his life normally. He would glance from time to time at Sango and his eyes would sparkle with happiness. As much as he wanted to sit by her side, he was very aware of her loss and thus sat at a respectful distance that would allow her to mourn in peace.

The worst one of the gang was Inuyasha. He had not said a single word since they had been back and he had adamantly refused any sort of treatment for his wounds. Kagome had to threaten him into standing still and even now, she was the only one allowed near him. Anyone else getting close prompted a low and menacing growl from his throat.

"There, all finished," she announced proudly. She took a step back to admire her handy work and giggled lightly at the sight before her. The hanyou was wrapped in so much bandages that he looked like a mummy. Seeing his lack of reaction quieted her down and she sighed in frustration.

"Inuyasha, I realise you feel badly because of the decisions you had to make, but do you have to take it this far?" she asked a bit annoyed.

Seeing that he didn't answer, she tried again. "Everything turned out alright in the end, all because you were able to actually make those choices. If anything, I admire you for it, I don't resent you," she said. She waited a few minutes but no answer came.

"I'll go check on the others, I'll be right back," she spoke before turning to leave the room. She had taken only a few steps before Inuyasha's voice stopped her.

"That's not it," he blurted out suddenly.

"Huh?" was Kagome's only answer as she stopped in her tracks.

"My decisions… I don't regret them," he said quietly.

"Then what is it? What is it that's troubling you so much?" asked the schoolgirl suddenly confused.

"What you said right before you… died," he said, choking a bit on the last word. "Did you mean it?" he asked softly.

Her memory of what she had said at this particular moment came back to her and she turned a nice shade of crimson as a result. "Y… Yes, I… meant it," she finally managed to stammer while she looked down in embarassement.

Finally, he turned his eyes to her and she could see that his gaze was clouded with uncertainty. "I love you too Kagome, but now… which time are you going to choose?" he asked, pain and fear lacing his words.

This simple sentence struck her like a lightning bolt. She had waited so long to finally hear those words from him and she felt elated because of it. However, he was right, she couldn't afford to keep existing between two timelines. Now that their quest was finally over, she had to make a choice once and for all. She was silent for a long time, not knowing what decision to make.

"Think carefully about it," began the hanyou. "I know you'll make the right choice, just like I did," he finished while giving her a small smile.

"Thank you," she said smiling back before turning around and heading to the room where her other friends were treated.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't need anything?" asked the monk to the sitting demon slayer. 

"Miroku, you must have asked me this question at least ten times already and the answer is still the same: NO!" answered an annoyed Sango.

She was saved from further pestering by the overprotective monk when the door opened to reveal a very somber Kagome.

"Kagome-chan? Is everything okay?" asked the demon slayer upon seeing her friend's expression.

"What? Oh! yeah everything's fine," she stammered. "How about you?" she asked.

The two people could easily see that it was a lie but decided not to press the issue, she would open up to them when she was ready. "Well aside from being pestered by Miroku here, everything's as perfect as it can be," answered Sango while shooting a the monk a dangerous look.

"Now now Sango, I'm merely concerned for your well being, is that such a crime?" questionned the monk looking embarassed.

She was about to answer in kind when Kagome suddenly interrupted the argument. "Sango… How did you just call Miroku?" she asked in surprise.

"I… " she stammered as a blush appeared on her cheeks, which promptly caused the schoolgirl to smile mischeviously.

"Well you two sure didn't waste any time," said Kagome happily, causing Sango to blush even more and Miroku to shuffle in embarassement.

"How about you and Inuyasha then?" asked the monk in hope of diverting the attention from this particular subject. As soon as he popped the question though, he knew it was a mistake as the happy expression quickly dissolved in a mask of sadness on Kagome's face.

"I'm sorry Kagome-sama, it was not my place to ask," apologized the monk.

"No it's alright, I needed some advice on this anyway," answered the schoolgirl with a sigh as she sat on the floor.

"What's troubling you Kagome-chan?" asked the demon slayer once the girl had settled on the floor.

"Well… I don't know what to do," she said slowly. "Now that the jewel is complete and Naraku's dead, I have to make a choice," she finished while looking at the floor.

"A choice?" asked the monk, a bit confused by that last statement.

"I must choose when I'll live, I must decide which time will be my home," she answered softly.

At this declaration, the room grew very silent. Miroku and Sango could easily understand the situation that Kagome was in. The choice was not one to be made lightly and would involve a sacrifice no matter what the decision.

"Kagome-sama, we have been through a terrible ordeal," began the monk carefully. "The pain and hardship we've had to endure brought us quite close together," he continued. "I've seen you grow into a surrogate mother for Shippo, a second sister for Sango and, though he would never admit it out loud, a lover for Inuyasha. So it's obvious that a part of your heart is and will always be here. The only thing you have to ask yourself then is: Where does your heart belong?" he finished solemnly.

Kagome's gaze shifted from Sango to Miroku as if searching for further advice, but none came. It was the demon slayer who finally broke the silence. "There's really nothing more we can say Kagome-chan. In the end, home is where the heart is, I can only hope it's with us," she said with a smile.

"Thanks… I'll think about what you said," answered the schoolgirl before shuffling to her feets and exiting the room.

* * *

A while later, Kagome found herself sitting under a tree on the outskirt of town deep in thoughts. As she reflected on her possible future, she was suddenly brought back to the very beginning of her adventure, before she had broken the jewel. The villagers had realised she was Kikyo's reincarnation and had given her food out of respect. There had been too much for her so she had found Inuyasha and offered to share some of it with him. 

_"God, he was so suspicious then,"_ she remembered fondly. She giggled lightly when she recalled the accidental 'sit' she had given him. She also started to compare how he was then and how he was now and marveled at the difference. _"He's grown so much in the last three years, it's like he's a completely different person,"_ she noted.

Sighing, she laid on her back looking at the clouds. "Can I really do this? Let go of my time and live here?" she murmured to no one in particular.

Closing her eyes, she stopped thinking all together, simply enjoying the warmth of the sun on her skin. She stayed like this for quite a while and was even starting to doze off when a shadow suddenly blocked the light. Frowning, she opened her eyes only to be confronted by a pair of green eyes mere inches from her face. She yelped in surprise before shooting up from her lying position.

"Shippo!" she exclaimed a few seconds later at the young kitsune who was currently doubling over in laughter. "You know that wasn't very nice, scaring me like that and all," she said in a dangerous tone of voice.

This caught Shippo's attention and he immediately stopped laughing to look at his surrogate mother. Her eyes were narrowed dangerously and she was inching herself closer to him in a predatory way. Gulping he started to back away from her.

"Come on Kagome, it was just a joke," he said nervously.

"Really now, well I'm afraid that it's too late to apologize," she exclaimed with a feral smile right before she threw herself at him.

Surprised by the sudden movement, the kitsune was unable to dodge and the schoolgirl successfully caught him in a death grip. Moments later he was frantically squirming and screaming as she started to tickle him senseless.

"Surrender now and I may spare your life," she said in a mock evil tone.

"N… Never," squealed the struggling kitsune.

"Well then, suffer the consequences," she said and redoubled her tickling causing Shippo to squirm even more.

After a few minutes of this, she took pity on the little kitsune and finally set him free. "That's enough for now," she said playfully, as her captive crumpled on the ground, breathless.

As she looked at the panting Shippo, she felt a pulse of maternal love grow in her chest. _"He's so sweet and innocent,"_ she thought fondly. It then turned into a pang as she once again realised her situation. The same question that had plagued her mind a few minutes before came back, with a different meaning this time. _"Can I really do this? Can I bear to abandon Inuyasha, Shippo, Miroku and Sango?"_ she mused.

The answer came to her as clear as day: she couldn't. She had grown so close to them that the simple idea of leaving them behind was unbearable, especially Inuyasha who had revealed his feelings for her. A small smile crept on her face as she recalled Sango's words. _"Home is where the heart is, I can only hope it's with us," _the woman had said._ "It is Sango… This is where I belong now,"_ she answered the demon slayer's plea.

Shippo who had by now recovered from the tickle attack of his foster mother looked up to see a strange expression on her face. "Kagome?" he asked confused by the sudden change of mood.

The girl blinked once before her eyes snapped back into focus. She then brought her hand down and ruffled the young kitsune's hair. "Thank you Shippo," she said before standing up and heading for the village.

"Thank you?" he said baffled to the retreating form of Kagome. "For what?" he finished even more confused.

* * *

Kagome stood just outside the hut where she knew Inuyasha would be. She had come to announce her choice to him. While she was certain he would be happy to hear it, she couldn't stop her heart from hammering in her chest. _"That's it… The big jump,"_ she thought nervously. 

She was right, once she crossed that door, there would be no turning back. Her decision would become official and she wouldn't be able to come back on it. All the uncertainties, the unknowns the future held made her hesitate one last time. Yet through all this miasma of confusion, one thing remained constant: her love for the hanyou. It had given her strenght countless times before and now it was no different. Whatever the future held, she knew he would always be there to face it with her and that certainty gave her the courage to open the door and make the "big jump" as she called it.

Inuyasha had not moved a lot since she had left him. In fact, it looked like he hadn't moved at all. The only clue that there had been any movement on his part was the fact that he now wore his cleaned fire rat haori, something which he hadn't had on when she had gone out a few hours earlier. He was currently in his traditional sitting position with his legs crossed and his hands in the sleeves of his haori facing away from her. He didn't react at all when she got in, but the twitch of his ears told her he knew she was there.

For a long time, none of the two moved or said a thing. As the seconds ticked by, the tension between them increased. It grew to such a point that if one person had come in at this very instant he could have virtually _seen_ it. Unable to bear it any longer, Inuyasha finally decided to break the silence.

"I was beginning to think you wouldn't come in," he said while partially turning his head in the schoolgirl's direction.

_"How did he…"_ she thought confused before her mind caught up with the obvious. _"His nose you idiot,"_ she scolded herself mentally before making her way to him.

"How are your injuries?" she asked, immediately wincing at the stupidity of her question. _"I left mere hours ago and I bandaged them myself… How lame can I get?"_ she mused as she sat beside the hanyou.

Her question caused a light chuckle to escape the hanyou's mouth. "I won't even bother to answer that," he simply said as he kept chuckling.

"I have to admit it _was_ pretty stupid of me to ask that," she said while laughing nervously.

The two fell silent again, Inuyasha waiting for Kagome to talk and Kagome trying desperately to find the courage to speak her heart to him.

_"What's taking her so long,"_ he thought exasperated by the wait. _"One way or the other I don't care, but for heaven's sake SPEAK,"_ he mused again.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity, she took a deep breath and spoke softly. "Inuyasha… I… I chose," she mumbled while looking at his reaction from the corner of her eyes.

He didn't look at her, but she could see him tense up ever so lightly and his ears twitched her way, a sure sign that he was listening intently to what she was saying. _"It's always his physical behavior that betrays him,"_ she thought fondly before her nervousness came back with a vengance.

_"That's it… no turning back now,"_ she mused and steeled herself for the most crucial part of her revelation. "I'm…staying," she said practically spitting the last word out before she could stop it from coming out.

_"She's staying… I heard right, right? She IS staying!"_ he thought frantically as happiness started to bubble in his heart. It was almost too beautiful to be true, so beautiful in fact that he started to doubt what he had heard.

For the first time since she had gotten in, the hanyou turned to face Kagome directly. His breath left him as he watched the schoolgirl's face intently. In her eyes, he could see a myriad of emotions all battling together for dominance. Hope and despair, sadness and happiness, doubt and certainty, fear and courage. All fought with one another and yet, through all this chaos, only one remained unchallenged: love.

_"I did hear right, she IS staying,"_ he mused, feeling his happiness begin to spread. "Are you sure about this?" he asked softly, desperately in need of confirmation.

"Inuyasha…" she began as she lowered her gaze to the floor. "Right now, I don't know if I'm making the right choice. I don't even know if there IS a right choice. I know I'll miss my family dearly and I know that many trials await in the future. But…" she said as she raised her gaze to look at the hanyou straight in the eyes. "I wouldn't have it any other way," she finished in a determined tone of voice.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha whispered in awe at the schoolgirl's determination.

She surprised him by bringing her right hand up to his face and caress it gently. "I wouldn't have it any other way because… I know that as long as we're together we can overcome any obstacle that come our way," she added with a tender smile.

Inuyasha couldn't help but close his eyes and growl softly in pleasure as he leaned into her touch. After a while though, her hand left his face and he whimpered in protest at the loss of contact. Opening his eyes, he could see that she was looking at him with an amused smile.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" she asked softly.

_"Dammit, I hate it when she throws me off balance like this,"_ he thought frustrated. Yet despite his last thought, he couldn't deny the fact that his cheek was still tingling from Kagome's last caress and that he desperately yearned for more.

"Well… I'm not very good with words," he mumbled as he lowered his gaze to the floor. "But I… I feel the same way," he finished shifting his gaze to her once again.

A look of surprise flashed briefly in the schoolgirl's eyes at the unexpected reply from the hanyou before a bright smile lighted up her features.

"So you really _can_ say something nice openly," she said tenderly.

Inuyasha could only stare at her as he realised that what she said was true. He had always thought that making a compliment or revealing your heart was a sign of weakness so he had refrained to do so. But he could see now that he had been wrong. It had taken every ounce of willpower he had just to blurt out that last sentence and that made him understand just what Kagome had been trying to tell him in all the years they had known each other. To open up to others, trust them and believe in them, that took true strenght and courage.

"I suppose I can," he replied with a hesitant smile right before he averted his gaze to the floor.

Kagome watched in confusion as Inuyasha started to behave strangely. His hands kept clenching and unclenching nervously and she could swear that she had seen him trembling slightly. She contemplated helping him in some way, but before she could react, he reached out, took hold of her shoulders and looked straight into her eyes.

"I love you, Kagome," he whispered.

Despite the fact that she already knew of his feelings, her heart skipped a beat at hearing him say it again. What struck her the most however was the look he was giving her. His golden orbs had always been a mirror to his soul, reflecting his every mood, his every feeling and Kagome loved them for that. What she didn't like was the fact that the hanyou would never let anyone, wouldn't let _her_ probe very deep. This time though it was very different. There was no barrier, no defenses of any kind. His soul was completely and utterly naked.

The schoolgirl could only widen her eyes in silent wonder at the myriad of emotions she saw dancing there. It was mesmerizing to look at and she unknowingly found herself inching closer and closer to him, wanting to absorb everything that was there, yearning to let it become one with her.

Slowly the distance between them decreased until their breath intermingled together. They paused then, thorned between the need to drown in each other's soul and succumbing to a more primitive instinct. Finally, nature won the contest and their lips met making them forget all but the burning desire they had for each other. A burning desire only felt in the heart and soul of two people truly and deeply in love.

* * *

**Author's note:** Well, Kagome and Inuyasha are finally together, I hope you all enjoyed this fluffy chapter. In the next one, we're going to temporarily leave our favorite hanyou and schoolgirl in favor of another caracter. I'll leave you to puzzle out who I'm talking about. So stay tuned for chapter 3: Kindered spirits, next saturday (I think he he). As always, reviews are more than welcome :) 


	4. Kindered spirits

**Disclaimer:** Bla bla bla, Inuyasha and company are not my property.  
**Note:** Well, there isn't really that much to say here, another saturday, another chapter, as promised. I would also like to point that I started a new story and I posted the first chappy yesterday. Go to my profile page for the details ;). So without further ado, on with the story.

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Chapter 3: Kindered spirits**

Sighing in contentment, Kagura lowered herself in the warm water of a hotspring. Closing her eyes, she allowed her mind to travel to the events of the day. Her first day of freedom as she liked to call it. At first, she had simply flown without any particular goal in mind. _"The wind is free to go where he wants,"_ she had thought.

However, the wind doesn't have a stomach to feed and soon nature had to be answered. So, she found herself on the outskirt of a small village, contemplating the most effective way to get her food. That was when things got a little strange.

--flashback--

_"Let's see,"__ she thought. "If I barge in there and wreck everything, I'd get my food alright," she mused again with a certain amount of amusement._

_Yet even as she had this thought, the image of a schoolgirl in green and white clothing filled her head and something prevented her from going through with her plan. "This goddam miko, why did she have to go ahead and be so nice to me? Now I can't shake her image off my mind!" exclaimed the wind sorceress frustrated._

_Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone running in the woods behind her. She whirled around only to have a girl crash directly into her, making them both tumble to the ground._

_"Watch where you're going dammit," shot the sorceress as she got back on her feet._

_"I'm sorry, good mistress, I really am," said the young girl while looking at the ground. "I'm sorry, but…" she said and froze as she gazed at Kagura for the first time._

"Just realised I'm a youkai did you?"_ thought the sorceress amused by the reaction. Amused, until she realised that the girl wasn't looking at her but rather at something _behind_ her._

_Reacting quickly, she threw herself forward and a ripping sound could be heard as something tore the back of her kimono apart, narrowly missing her flesh. She did a diving roll and came to a stop on her knees, facing her opponent with her fan in her hand._

_The said enemy was a lower class bear youkai. Nothing dangerous enough to actually threaten her. It was in fact so weak that she could hardly feel his presence at all which explained why it had caught her by surprise._

_"Feh!" she exclaimed in disdain. "You actually believe you can take me on?" she asked the beast in front of her who simply growled menacingly in response._

_"Well don't say I didn't warn you," she said in a bored tone. "Fujin no mai!" she exclaimed with a wide swipe of her fan. The blades of air thus created flew toward the bear and sliced it apart, killing it instantly._

_"That's what happens to those who rip my favorite kimono apart!" she exclaimed before turning around._

_She was almost instantly confronted by the young girl who had bumped into her earlier. "Oh thank you, good mistress! Thank you so much!" she exclaimed while throwing herself at Kagura's feet._

_"Now wait a second!" exclaimed the sorceress after a few seconds of stunned silence. "What is this all about!" she said again in confusion._

_"You saved my life, good mistress, I can't thank you enough. Please if there's anything I can do for you, name it," said the young girl while looking up at the wind sorceress with grateful eyes._

_"Anything?" asked the sorceress surprised._

_"Anything that is within my power," answered the young girl._

"Well looks like I just found the solution to my food problem,"_ thought Kagura wrily. "Can you cook?" she questioned._

_This brought a huge smile on the kneeling girl's face. "Yes, better than anyone in the village," she beamed proudly. "If you shall accompany me, good mistress, I will cook you a meal fit for a queen," finished the young girl while getting to her feet._

"Goodness, who IS that girl!"_ thought Kagura bewildered by such overflowing gratitude. "One more thing girl," called the sorceress to the retreating girl. Seeing her stop and turn around, she continued. "Stop it with the 'good mistress' thing, it's annoying. My name is Kagura so use it," shot the wind sorceress._

_"As you wish Kagura-sama," said the young girl with a small bow before heading off._

"And I only just destroyed a sorry excuse for a youkai,"_ thought Kagura before shaking her head and following the young girl._

--End flashback--

Now up to this point, things were just strange to Kagura. That little girl wearing nothing but rags was overly grateful to her for saving her life and wanted to treat her to a meal. _"What meal,"_ she could remember thinking. Indeed, the state the child was in would suggest to anyone looking that the girl could hardly feed herself, let alone another mouth.

However, things really started smelling fishy when they reached the outskirt of the village. Her guide suddenly tensed up as if remembering something highly unpleasant and she could sense the smell of fear emanating from her. Nonetheless, they kept progressing steadily until they reached an increadibly beautiful house.

--Flashback--

_"Kagura-sama, would you allow me to warn my parents? I fear how they may react to your presence," she asked with a respectful bow._

_"Look, if you don't want me to be here, I'll just go, it's not like it really matters to me," said the sorceress._

_"No, please I beg you Kagura-sama, stay! My parents are... good people and they'll welcome you with open arms. It's just that since you're a youkai, they might be surprised a little bit," she finished, not once looking up from the ground._

_The sorceress raised an eyebrow in curiosity. She could have sworn that the girl had hesitated slightly when she had said that her parents were good people. _"Something's strange here,"_ she reflected. _"Chances are, I might be falling straight into a trap,"_ she mused again._

_The strangest thing of all was that while the little girl was definitively hiding something, Kagura could not smell any wicked intentions. Whatever fear there was, it was not directed at her, but at something else. Though these facts made her curious, what really decided her to stay was a strange tugging in the back of her mind. She felt drawn to that little girl and she wanted to know why. "Alright, I'll wait here while you go warn your parents," she finally said._

_"Thank you for your kindness Kagura-sama," the girl said before straightening and walking into the house._

"This girl's clothing don't match the luxury of this place at all,"_ she thought with a furrow of her brow._

_She didn't have to wait long before the lord and lady of the house appeared to greet her. They were both plump fellows with what could only be qualified as an honest and open face. While their clothes could not be called rich, it still bore a striking difference from the rags the little girl had worn._

_"I take it you are the one which saved our daughter's life?" asked the elderly man with a small bow. "Please allow us to welcome you in our humble abode," he said again and gestured with his hand for her to come inside._

_"Will you accept another kimono while we fix your current one?" asked the lady very politely._

_"That would be greatly appreciated," answered Kagura. "But I expect to have it back, I'm rather attached to it," she added._

_"But of course Kagura-sama, you will have it back as soon as it is repaired," answered the old woman as she lead her to a room._

_There, she took a blue kimono from a dresser and looked at it critically before deciding it would fit the sorceress. "I'm afraid it might be a little short for you, we are not exactly of the same size," apologized the lady._

_"I'll manage, thank you," said female youkai._

_"Thank you for your understanding," said the lady before she walked out to allow Kagura to change in peace._

_As she disrobed, Kagura couldn't help but reflect on the couple who had just welcomed her into their home. Something was off about them, maybe it was their overwhelming politeness, maybe it was their blatant openness, she didn't know for sure, but she intended to get to the bottom of this mystery. One thing was certain though, they were hiding something. She had to give them credit though, they were good actor, but it takes more than an act to trick a youkai's keen sense of smell._

"I'll play along for now, I have a feeling it won't be long before I know the truth,"_ she reflected as she finished putting the borrowed kimono on._

_Once she made her exit, she was confronted by the old woman who had waited for her outside the door. "You look great Kagura-sama," she said with a smile. "If you would hand me your kimono, it would be my pleasure to see that it is properly sewed," she added with her ever present smile._

_"Thank you," said the sorceress politely and handed her the damaged piece of cloth. "By the way, where is your daughter, I haven't seen her at all since I've come in," asked the female youkai curiously._

_"Yuna went to get changed into better clothing," explained the old woman as they headed to the common room. "You see, she loves to play in the forest and has a nasty tendency to rip her clothes, so we gave her these so she can play freely. I'm afraid they may be due for a little replacement though," chuckled the woman._

_"I see," answered the sorceress simply. _"That would explain the rags, but..."_ she thought suspiciously. She could have sworn that she had seen her host tense ever so slightly at the mention of Yuna. She didn't have much time to muse on this though as they had reached the common room and she was greeted by the ten years old and her father._

_"Welcome back, Kagura-sama," said the old man. "Please, have a seat," he said, motioning for the table in front of him._

_"I would like to thank you again for saving our daughter's life," he said once she had settled down. "So tell us, what exactly did happen, I'm afraid Yuna was a bit incoherent in her story and her praise for you clouded the actual fact," he added, shooting the ten years old a warm smile and causing her to crunch back in her seat with an embarassed blush on her cheeks._

_"Well, there isn't really much to say, I was taking a rest in the woods and she happened to run straight into me. The next thing I know, a bear youkai rips the back of my kimono apart. Let's just say not many could do such a feat and live to tell about it," she explained._

_"So I see," chuckled the old man. "Well in any case, I understand that Yuna has promised you a thank you meal," launched her host. "We shall make good on that promise, but first maybe you would like a bath to help you relax?" asked her host._

_"Well..." she started hesitantly. She wasn't sure exactly if accepting would be such a good idea. On the other hand, refusing such an offer might raise their suspicion and make it that much more difficult to extract the truth from them. "It would be nice, but I wouldn't want to cause you too much trouble," she said falsely embarassed._

_"Nonsense!" exclaimed the old man. "Yuna, prepare the necessary supply and show our guest to the spring," he finished._

_"Yes father," the young girl said before standing up and going away to execute her task._

--End flashback--

And so here she was, enjoying the feeling of the warm water under the watchful eye of Yuna. The little girl was sitting there, not making a sound and looking at the ground. _"If this girl is the type to run through the woods and rip her kimono apart, I'm ready to eat my fan,"_ reflected the sorceress.

Upon closer inspection, she noticed that the ten years old was sporting a rather pensive look on her face, as if she too was struggling with an unsolvable mystery of her own.

"Yuna, is everything alright?" asked the sorceress after a few seconds of scrutiny.

The child was so engrossed in her own thought that she litteraly jumped out of her skin when she heard Kagura's voice. "W... What," she stuttered in surprise.

"I asked if everything was alright. You seemed preoccupied with something," inquired the female youkai.

A spark of fear flashed in the ten years old's eyes before she recovered her countenance. "It's nothing important, Kagura-sama, nothing important," she said with another bow.

_"Nothing you want me to know about, you mean,"_ thought Kagura suspiciously right before she dipped her head under water.

Piercing the surface again, she stood and headed toward the side and reached for her towel. Before she could grasp it though, Yuna had it in her hands and was spreading it as wide as she could in the obvious intention of helping her dry herself.

"You know I can do that myself, you don't have to help me," said the sorceress a bit surprised by the attention.

"But I'd really like to help," blurted the child instantly. Then her eyes widened in horror as if she had commited an unspeakable crime. "I mean, I would be honored if you allowed me to help you Kagura-sama," she corrected herself with yet another bow.

_"That's far too formal for a ten years old, it's almost like she's a slave or something,"_ mused the sorceress.

Kagura's eyebrows shot up in surprise at this thought. Things that didn't make much sense before suddenly started to arrange themselves. The rags worn by the little girl, her mannerism and even the reason she was drawn to her, all of it suddenly made sense.

_"A slave... Just like I used to be,"_ she thought completely bewildered.

"Kagura-sama?" Yuna called in a small voice.

This jarred the sorceress back to reality and she could notice that the girl was still standing with her arms outstretched, waiting for her to move closer and help her dry herself. _"Well, there's one way to find out for sure if I'm right or not, but I believe I can at least get dressed before that,"_ mused the sorceress.

"Oh alright, let's just get this over with," she answered before moving out of the water.

Her answer seemed to please the little girl greatly because a huge smile appeared on her face. She then started to work on her task rather diligently and almost before she knew it, Kagura found herself fully dried and clothed.

_"Okay then, now to test my theory,"_ mused the sorceress.

Yuna didn't even have time to realize what was happening. One second the female youkai was standing in front of her and the next, she had thrown open her kimono.

The older woman's suspicions were confirmed when she saw the array of scars that crisscrossed the child's chest and back. With a sigh, she closed it again and sat down on the ground, motioning for the girl to do the same.

"So you're not really their daughter are you? You're their slave," she said matter of factly once Yuna had settled down.

The girl didn't answer, she simply nodded her head wth a faraway look in her eyes. "For how long?" asked the sorceress gently.

"They took me in four years ago when my mother died. At first they were nice, but then, they started to make me do chores for them. In the beginning I didn't mind, but they kept demanding more and more every day," she said with downcast eyes.

"As the months passed, I grew weaker and started to make mistakes. That's when they..." she whispered with a shudder.

"And now, I'm too weak to even try to escape," she said as tears started to appear in her eyes.

Kagura couldn't help but feel a surge of sympathy for the little girl. Not too long ago, she had been in a similar situation and only a miracle had managed to get her out of it.

"I'm sorry Yuna, I really am," began the sorceress while putting a comforting hand on the crying child's shoulder. "Still... There's something I don't understand," she said, causing the girl to raise her head.

"Why did you offer to make me a meal?" she asked.

"It was stupid of me really, but I desperately wanted to thank you for saving my life. I wanted it so much in fact that I... forgot my status for a second," she said, her cheeks flushed in embarassement.

"I see. But then why did you invent such a story about you being their daughter?" inquired the sorceress.

"They told me to say that if I met someone. I'm not sure why, but I think they don't want people to know," answered Yuna.

"You never tried to tell anyone about this?" asked the sorceress again.

"Yes, but the villagers always push me away, saying I'm the daughter of an evil witch or something like that," she answered while hugging herself.

Kagura wasn't sure where the urge came from exactly, but she found herself draping an arm around the child's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.

"There now it's okay," she murmured soothingly and both fell silent for a while.

"Your masters, they're planning something are they? I could sense it the moment I met them," said Kagura eventually.

"Yes, they are, but I don't know exactly what it is. I heard them whispering something about a good price, but that's about all I know," said the child sadly.

"I see," answered the sorceress. _"So they want to kill me and cash in the reward eh, humans are so stupid sometimes,"_ she thought with disdain. _"Well looks like I won't get my meal after all,"_ she reflected again.

"So that leaves only one thing to do I suppose," sighed the sorceress in a bored tone of voice.

"What exactly Kagura-sama?" asked the child in confusion.

"I need my things back. Once that's done, we can leave," she said.

"You... You'd really take me with you Kagura-sama?" asked the child, her face alight with sudden hope.

"Of course," answered the sorceress with a smile.

Kagura wasn't sure exactly what had possessed her to invite Yuna to come with her. Maybe it was because she pitied her, maybe it was because she was a slave just like her, she didn't know. Yet, the warm feeling she had when she saw the happy expression on the child's face made her think that for once, she might actually have done something right.

* * *

The walk from the hotspring to the house was mostly spent in a comfortable silence. But as they neared their destination, Yuna started to get nervous. Kagura, seeing this and not willing to get her in any more danger than was necessary decided not to bring her inside. 

"Yuna, you stay here and hide until I come out, okay?" she asked.

"Will you be alright Kagura-sama?" asked the child uncertainly.

"Don't worry, it will only take a few minutes and then we'll be able to leave," she added comfortingly.

This seemed to calm the girl somewhat, but she still looked somewhat jumpy. "Here," she said and handed her one of the feathers adorning her hair. "If you're ever in danger, this magic feather will protect you," she said soothingly.

When Yuna looked up from her gift, Kagura noted with satisfaction that all fear had vanished from her charge's face. So with a last smile and a friendly tap on the head, she headed off to recover her missing items.

Almost as soon as she crossed the door, she was confronted with her ever 'friendly' hosts. "Kagura-sama, welcome back, I trust you enjoyed your bath," the old man said in a friendly tone.

"Why yes, thank you," she said pleasantly, though inside she seethed.

"Kagura-sama, might I ask where exactly is Yuna," the old lady asked after looking around and not seeing the ten years old.

"She said to go on ahead while she gathered the things, I expect she'll be there shortly," answered the sorceress in her fake friendly tone. "By the way... I left something with my kimono and I'd like to have it back, can you show me where you left it?" she asked with a sugar tone.

"Of course," the old lady said immediately. "If you would follow me," she gestured in invitation before heading off with Kagura in tow.

_"Enjoy it while you can, you monsters,"_ thought the sorceress angrily. So far she had not smelled any hint of suspicion from the couple and everything was going right according to plan.

It wasn't long before they reached the room where her kimono was being kept. She spotted it along with her fan as soon as they entered. _"Excellent,"_ she mused silently.

Moving into the room, she quickly retrieved her two missing items, which prompted her host to look at her curiously. "Kagura-sama? Why are you taking your kimono, I haven't finished sewing it?" asked the old woman.

"Well you see, ever since I entered this house, I couldn't help but feel that something was wrong," began the sorceress, her tone gradually loosing it's friendly nature as she advanced on the old woman.

"The thing was that I didn't know for sure what it was until I talked to Yuna," she continued, not once breaking steps.

Up to now, the old woman had been slowly backing away from the advancing sorceress, nervous by the change of attitude. At the mention of Yuna however, fear suddenly appeared on her features and she tripped, falling hard on the floor.

Alerted by the noice, her husband suddenly appeared with a concerned look on his face. "What's wrong?" he asked, spotting his terrified wife on the ground at once.

"S... Sh... She..." stuttered the old woman, unable to talk properly.

"I believe that what your wife is trying to say is that I happened to find some very nasty scars on Yuna's torso and back," said Kagura with venom in her voice.

The sorceress looked in perverse amusement as horror started to appear on the old man's face as well. "I wonder if it hurts to be flogged like that," she mused out loud. "Maybe you could tell me," she said, a cruel smile appearing on her face.

By now, the couple was cowering in fear in front of the angry female youkai. "P... Please... I beg you, spare us," whimpered the old man.

_"I knew it, deep down, they're just cowards who prey on the weak," _she thought angrily.

"Feh!" she spat, looking in disdain at the pathetic forms before her. "You're not even worth my time," she said and started to walk away.

When she reached the door though, she stopped and turned around. "Fujin no mai!" she exclaimed with a wide swipe of her fan.

The blades danced around the two people, tearing their clothes apart and opening quite a number of gashes on their body. Once it was done, they were both lying on the ground in a moaning and bleeding heap. "Don't worry, these wounds won't kill you... unfortunately," she began in a disappointed tone. "However, they will leave scars all over your body. That way, you can always remember the pain you felt today," she finished icily and walked away.

_"That's weird... I didn't kill them,"_ thought the sorceress puzzled by her own behavior. _"They certainly deserved it, but... something stopped me,"_ she reflected again.

Her musing was interrupted when she heard the happy exclamation of Yuna as she spotted her coming her way. She couldn't help but smile as the ten years old jumped out of hiding and started to run her way.

"Kagura-sama, you're alright," said the ten years old happily.

"Of course, I promised I'd come back after all now did I," answered the sorceress with a smile on her face.

"Kagura-sama, what did you do to them?" asked the young girl her happiness dimming a bit.

"Don't worry, I just left them a little souvenir," the sorceress said soothingly and the child instantly brightened up again.

_"Was she... the reason I didn't kill them?"_ she mused, surprised by her own realization.

There are times in life when timing plays an important role in determining the success or failure of certain events. In this particular case, timing played a deadly role. The realization Kagura had just come to made her lose focus of her environment for a split second... that was a mistake. She barely had time to register the change of expression on Yuna's face before she found herself pushed backward with surprising force by the ten years old.

Then, time seemed to slow down as an arrow lodged itself into the child's shoulder and she was thrown on the ground where she remained motionless. Kagura didn't move, the full meaning of what had just happened slowly sinking in.

"Yuna..." she murmured in a horrified whisper.

She didn't have time to muse on this because a whizzing sound suddenly caught her ears. Not wasting time, she jumped to her feet and with a wide swipe of her fan, she severed the incoming projectile neatly in two.

Looking at her opponent, she noticed that it was the old man who she had spared before. "Y... You won't leave here alive!" he stuttered as he fumbled to tuck another arrow on his bow.

"You!" she said in a dangerously low tone.

All coherent thought left Kagura's mind as a rage like none she ever felt before filled her. The scene where Yuna was impaled by an arrow kept repeating itself with crystal clarity in her mind. Wind started swirling around her and a red aura, crackling with power, appeared around her. Her fan began to pulse in answer to the energy flowing through her and her eyes suddenly began to glow.

So great was her anger, so great was her pain, that it consumed everything, leaving only a burning wasteland of hate behind. Even if she had killed the man before her, chances were that she would never have been able to come back from her madness. As it was though, fate intervened in the person of Yuna.

"Kagura-sama..." called the child weakly.

Upon hearing the ten years old's voice, the fire that had been raging inside her mind suddenly died out. "Yuna..." whispered the female youkai as her eyes returned to normal and the red cloud surrounding her vanished.

Turning around, she could see that the child was lying on her side, looking at her through a haze of pain. "Don't... kill... it's... bad," she whispered before slumping on the ground unconscious.

"Yuna!" called the sorceress and before she knew it, she found herself kneeling in front of the little girl, cradling her gently in her laps.

"Yuna," she called again while shaking her gently.

There was no reaction though and this caused the sorceress to grow frantic. _"Dammit, what am I supposed to do!"_ she thought frustratedly.

Her eyes then fell on the arrow still protruding from Yuna's shoulder and a desperate idea formed in her head. _"That young miko... She's my last hope,"_ she mused.

Balancing the child in one arm, she took her other feather from her hair and threw it straight up. It promptly grew and lifted them off the ground. And as the last rays of the sun faded over the horizon, Kagura couldn't help but feel worry twist her stomach. _"A night... a night away," _she thought desperately. _"Hang on Yuna, I beg you... Hang on,"_ she cried desperately as her eyes started to burn with unshed tears.

* * *

**Author's note:** I sort of like Kagura being sentimental, an nice change if I do say so myself. I have to admit though that it was actually the manga that actually inspired this. There was a part where she actually saved Kohaku's life and that's where I realized that she wasn't as cold hearted as she appeared at first. And so... there you have it. The next chapter brings us back to the gang as they play a friendly game of cards he he he. So stay tuned for chapter 4: changing winds.  



	5. Changing winds

**Disclaimer:** Inuyasha and the gang are not mine, Yuna however does belong to me.  
**Note:** My goodness, I received a wopping 4 reviews for the last chapter, me HAPPY :))))))) Kalika, animeangel and montrith are the lucky ones I'm going to thanks this week for submitting them. I'm also happy that people actually like what I did with Kagura, I wasn't sure if it would be the case :). Anyway, I'm sorry if this chapter is a little shorter than the preceding ones, but when I write a chapter, I say what I have to say and stop. This time, it brought me 4 pages short of my usual 15. But I'm rambling on useless stuff. On with the story!

**

* * *

Chapter 4: Changing winds**

"Miroku, would you choose a card already!" exclaimed Inuyasha impatiently.

"Do not rush me, Buddha will show me the way," answered the monk in a desperately level tone of voice.

Everyone sighed in discouragement at this. Miroku had been staring at the two remaining cards in the hanyou's hand for the last five minutes, trying to determine which one to take and everyone's patience was starting to wear extremely thin.

Shaking her head, Kagome reflected back on the events that had led them to this point. The morning after Kohaku's incineration ceremony had been a pretty boring one. Everyone's injuries prevented them from doing anything but sit around and talk, meaning that the mood wasn't very high. She then had the idea of fishing her deck of cards from her backpack to show them how to play joker. The idea had been brilliant and everyone had enjoyed it considerably… Until a certain monk decided to take more than his bloody time to make his move that is.

Surprisingly it wasn't Inuyasha who exploded first, it was Sango. "Miroku, you take a card right now or I swear I'll slap you so hard you won't feel your face for the next month!" she snapped angrily.

All eyes turned to the glaring demon slayer in surprise. Her state was the worst of the gang with a broken leg, a broken arm and a few ribs which had seen better days. She had trouble moving around and breathing. It was therefore doubtful that she could muster the power to actually act on her threat. Yet the anger boiling in her eyes was enough to persuade the monk to stop stalling.

Gulping he finally took a card and his face fell when he saw that he had taken the joker from the hanyou's hand. "Keh! Serves you right for taking so long. Even your so called Buddha deserted you on this one," exclaimed Inuyasha as he dropped his last card on the pile, proclaiming him the winner of the game, much to everyone's relief.

"Really Miroku it was just a game!" said Kagome. "What on earth possessed you to take so long to decide," she inquired.

"Every decision you make must be carefully thought over, no matter how insignificant," was the monk's only answer, prompting a groan of discouragement from the other four people present.

"Geez, if he takes that long to decide between two cards, I wouldn't want to be him when he's faced with a real choice," Shippo added earning him a glare from the monk.

"How about we try another game, one where people wouldn't actually freeze in indecision," proposed the young miko while staring dangerously at Miroku.

"Well why not, it's not like we can do much of anything in our state," said the hanyou in a dispassionnate tone.

Looking around, she could see that everyone was agreeing with her proposal. "Good, hold on for a second," she said as she started to rummage in her bag for a special deck of cards.

"Got it!" she exclaimed after a few seconds. "This game is called Uno and the goal is to…" she froze as Inuyasha suddenly tensed up and sniffed the air intently.

"What's wrong?" she asked puzzled by this sudden reaction.

"I smell blood!" exclaimed the hanyou.

"Kagura!" Sango suddenly cried as the shape of the wind sorceress appeared in the door.

Everyone gasped as soon as they saw her. The female youkai was sporting a dazed expression on her face and was looking as though she might collapse at any moment. What caused them all to react this way however was the prone form lying in her arms. The little girl, no older than ten, was deathly pale and her breath came in short and labored gasps. An arrow was protruding from her shoulder, obviously the cause of the child's condition.

"Please... save her," murmured the sorceress weakly.

There was a few seconds of stunned silence before it was pierced by a common cry. "Kaede!" they all yelled at once urgently.

* * *

When the girl had been taken from her arms, Kagura felt a surge of relief flow through her. She had done it, she had gotten Yuna to safety and that thought alone made her happy. She was so lost in thought that it took her a second to realize that the young miko was talking to her. Yet, when she tried to focus on what she was saying, the world started to spin around her. _"What's going on,"_ she thought dimly before her legs gave way and blackness envelopped her. She woke up an unknown time later at the sound of two woman discussing. 

"...be alright Kaede?" said the first voice.

"The child is surprisingly resiliant, she will be just fine... Though I would like to give a piece of my mind to the ones who did this to her," answered the old miko with a dark undertone.

Opening her eyes, she could see that she was in an ordinary room. Turning her head slightly, she noted that two futon adorned the floor, one which was occupied by herself and the other by Yuna. She also identified the second woman present in the room as being Kagome. The latter seeing her slight movement immediately focused on her.

"Kagura, you're awake," exclaimed the schoolgirl happily.

"Yuna... How is she?" was the sorceress' first groggy question.

"The child will be fine, no need to worry," answered Kaede reassuringly.

The female youkai sighed in relief upon hearing this. "How long was I out?" she asked again after a few seconds.

"I would say about two hours," replied Kaede cooly.

"I see," said the sorceress quietly as she sat up on the couch. This was a mistake, because as soon as she righted herself, the world started to spin violently and black dots clouded her vision. She would have crashed right back on the mattress if Kagome had not been there to support her.

"You girl are not going anywhere," shot the old miko sternly. "I may not be a youkai expert, but I know exhaustion when I see it," she continued in the same tone. "Kagome, would you fetch our guest some food, I do believe that it would do her some good," finished Kaede as sternly as ever.

Only when the old miko mentionned food did Kagura realize that she hadn't slept nor eaten anything in two days, thus explaining her fainting episode. "How did you..." she asked the old woman in surprise.

"As I've said, I have enough experience with sick people to know the symptoms of total exhaustion..." began the old woman before a loud gurgling sound emanating from Kagura's stomach interrupted her. "And also those of ravishing hunger," she finished with a wry smile, prompting the sorceress to blush in embarassement.

"I think I can manage to put together something decent," said Kagome after stiffling a giggle.

With that said, both miko and schoolgirl stood up and headed for the door. Upon reaching it, Kaede turned around for one last warning. "Oh, Kagura, you are not to get so much as a foot off this bed before tomorrow, do I make myself clear?" she asked in a tone so firm that the female youkai could only nod in answer.

It was the first time since meeting Yuna that the sorceress had time to actually ponder on her behavior. The first thing she found unusual was the fact that she had felt drawn to the girl. She suspected that it was because she was a slave just like her though, so it didn't bother her that much. What did surprise her was the fact that she had actually grown fond of the ten years old over an extremely short period of time. So fond in fact that when an arrow had hit her in the shoulder, she had nearly lost herself completely.

That brought her to yet another troubling point, her outburst. While the madness that had come with her all consuming rage was unnerving, once she thought about it, the power that had flowed through her at that very moment was phenomenal. _"Even Naraku might have blinked at seeing me like this,"_ she thought amused.

_"If I could learn to control it, I could protect Yuna better,"_ she mused before stiffening. _"Protect... Yuna? When did I start thinking like this?"_ she reflected in surprise.

Her musing was interrupted when the said child stirred slightly in her sleep, causing Kagura to turn her head. She couldn't help but feel her heart warm up at seeing the ten years old's sweet and innocent features.

_"She's looks so peaceful,"_ she thought fondly. But then she noticed that the good hand of Yuna was clutching something. "My feather..." murmured the sorceress in surprise. "She... kept it," she finished in a whisper.

This realization brought forth a reaction the female youkai could not explain. The small warmth she had felt at seeing Yuna suddenly multiplied tenfold and began to fill her whole being until she thought she would burst. Her vision blurred as tears started to fall down her cheeks and a lump formed in her throat.

"Why am I... " she spoke softly. But even as she spoke the words, the answer came to her. _"If you're ever in danger, this magic feather will protect you,"_ she had said to the child.

"But it didn't... it didn't do anything! In the end, it was you who saved me Yuna!" she exclaimed angrily.

Up to now, Kagura had tried to hide from the truth, not willing to fully accept the reality of her situation. She even went as far as being surprised at her thoughts and behavior when, deep down, she knew why she was acting this way. The same thing went for the emotions she had refused to identify, she had known from the start what they were. And now, as her anger and frustration exploded she could not deny anything any longer. _"I care about her... I don't know how it happened, but it's true... I care,"_ she finally admitted to herself.

Of course, it so happened that Kagome chose that very moment to come back with her meal. Both human and youkai stared at each other in surprise for a few seconds before Kagura turned away in embarassement. _"Damn of all the time, why choose now to come barging in on me?"_ she thought, angry at being caught off gard like this.

The schoolgirl could only smile in amusement at the reaction. _"Just like Inuyasha would react,"_ she mused as she made her way to the sorceress.

"Here Kagura, I hope you'll like it," she said while presenting a tray with a few rice balls and some fish.

"I'm not..." the sorceress began before her stomach growled loudly, contradicting what she was about to say.

To the youkai's surprise, Kagome didn't laugh, instead she only smiled sympathetically at her. "Kagura... I'm not going to ask why you were crying, but if you want to talk, I'm here," she said before standing and heading for the door.

The girl was almost out when the sorceress decided to speak up. "I couldn't... protect her," she began in a low tone. "I didn't hear the arrow coming... She pushed me out of the way..." she finished while looking at the ground.

Making her way back to the sitting youkai, Kagome settled once again in front of her. "Here," she spoke handing her a rice ball.

Kagura looked at it for a long time, as if expecting the food to jump up and bite her. Finally, she extended her hand and took it from the smiling schoolgirl's grasp. "Did you know... When you used the jewel... Did you know I would turn out like this?" she asked hesitently.

"Sort of," answered Kagome. "I could feel that you weren't as evil as you lead us to believe, so I hoped that if you were given the chance... you'd turn up for the best."

Silence fell on the two, only broken when Kagura would take a bite from her food. "And the rest, how are they taking my presence," she questioned again.

"Well, Inuyasha's kind of suspicious, as always," she began with a wry smile. "Sango, Miroku and Shippo are mostly curious though. And as for Kaede, I think her order speaks for itself," she finished mysteriously.

Kagura blinked in confusion, her chopsticks halted halfway to her mouth. "What do you mean?" she blurted.

"Well... She could see that you cared for..." she spoke in a questioning tone.

"Yuna... Her name's Yuna," Kagura said softly.

"Right, so she could see that you cared about Yuna. She could also sense that you would be too stubborn to admit it openly and guessed that you would get out of the room at the first occasion. However, since you obviously have feelings for Yuna, once out, you would have only one thing in mind: get back into the room to watch over her. So she ordered you to stay in to satisfy your heart's desire and save your pride," explained Kagome.

The sorceress goggled at the schoolgirl in front of her in complete disbelief. "That woman is far too sharp for her own good," she said after a few seconds..

"I suppose you're right," giggled Kagome.

"So what will you do now Kagura?" asked the schoolgirl after yet another episode of silence.

The said youkai sighed heavily before answering. "I don't know. At first, I just wanted to fly and never stop, but now..." she said while looking at Yuna. "I don't know anything anymore," she finished.

"Children do have a tendency to throw our world upside down," spoke the schoolgirl with a dreamy smile on her face. "But in the end, they bring out things in you that you never thought you had. They make you stronger."

"Stronger?" asked Kagura in confusion.

"Hum let's see... I know! Tell me, how long did you have to carry Yuna to bring her here?" questionned the schoolgirl.

"All night and a part of the morning," said the sorceress, not quite seeing where this was all going.

"So basically, you flew all night long on an empty stomach and with an already sleepless night to account for? Anyone else would have collapsed in exhaustion," said the schoolgirl knowingly.

Again, Kagura found herself frozen in surprise. _"She's right... I was so concerned that I didn't even realized how weak I actually was,"_ mused the sorceress.

The smug expression on Kagome's face brought the sorceress out of her trance and she frowned a little in irritation. "Alright, I get your point," she spoke in an aggravated tone.

The schoolgirl was about to answer when Inuyasha's loud voice suddenly filtered through the walls. "YEOW!" he yelled in pain. "Why you little..." he spoke before a serie of crashing noises were heard.

"I think that's my cue," said the young miko with a discouraged sigh. "If I don't go, Inuyasha might hurt himself," she finished with a half smile.

"Rest well Kagura and if you need anything..." she began before another yell from the hanyou interrupted her. "...just scream," she finished wryly.

With that said, she got to her feet and walked to the door. Kagura watched her go with mild amusement when something struck her. "Kagome... You spoke as if I had already decided on my future," she said perplexed.

The girl stopped halfway through the door and turned back. "I think you have Kagura... I think you have," she said with a mysterious smile before closing the door.

* * *

On the outskirt of town, a shape draped in a black cloak was sitting lasily in a tree. It looked bored out of its mind but since its features were hidden, no one could tell for sure. It raised its head as the buzzing of a small bee reached its ears. 

"Well you sure took your time," he adressed the bug sternly as it stopped a few feet in front of him.

He paused for a few seconds as if listening to something before talking again in a bored tone this time. "Oh never mind your silly excuses, what do you have to report?"

Again there was silence. The more time passed however, the more interested the shape seemed to be in what the bug was saying. "Are you sure about this?" he asked in complete disbelief.

The bug seemed to buzz angrily at this retort prompting the shape to answer. "Oh don't get so worked up, everyone has the right to be surprised!" he exclaimed.

"Well in any case, you did good, here's for your trouble and keep me informed," he said and promptly threw a small round object that the bug caught in mid-air before heading back to the village.

"The wind sorceress befriending Inuyasha's gang was unexpected in itself. Her actually _saving_ a child's life though, that was something even the boss couldn't have foreseen in a thousand years. He was right, they _are_ an interesting bunch," he said with a light chuckle before leaning back against the tree.

* * *

**Author's note:** Well how about that, Kagura's hungry he he he. And what about that mysterious person who spies on the gang? What is he up to? who is he working for? You'll just have to wait and see (If you want to try to guess, you can he he). Next chapter, Yuna awakens and must get used to the idea of actually being free and something strange happens to Kagome. Stay tuned for chapter 5: An ending and a new beginning next saturday! As always, read and review people :)))  



	6. An ending and a new beginning

**Disclaimer:** Me no own Inuyasha and the gang, Yuna is my own creation though.**  
Note:** Once upon a time, I was reading a few of my already written chappy and stumbled on a particular part. I thought to myself _'God that is so lame, how could I even come up with such stupidity!'. _So I decided to change a little part of the story, which ended up changing another part, which ended up changing yet another and so on. You all don't have to worry as it won't change my posting schedule for this story, nor the already posted chapters, but I just had to tell you all as it will affect "Kikyo's lonely journey". Don't worry, I'm not giving up on either, just be patient with me. Thank you.

**

* * *

Chapter 5: An ending and a new beginning**

The bright rays of the sun filtering through Yuna's eyelids lifted the fog of sleep from her mind. Opening her eyes, the first thing she could see was the ceiling of an unfamiliar room. Confused, she turned her head slightly to gather more of her surroundings and stopped. Her head had rolled on something soft and warm that she identified as a pillow. Blinking in confusion, she looked down and, sure enough, there was a blanket on top of her.

_"Futon?"_ she thought groggily. _"When did I..."_ she trailed off.

Not completely understanding her situation, she tried to sit up in bed, but as soon as she did so, a sharp pain in her right arm caused her to gasp out in pain and abort her effort. While the experience was far from pleasant, it did have the effect of jarring her memory awake.

_"That's right... an arrow was headed straight for Kagura-sama..."_ she mused.

Careful of her injury this time, she tried again to sit up and was able to do it without jarring it too much. Looking around, she immediately noted the other futon next to hers. The state it was in suggested that it had been occupied not too long ago but gave no clue as to who the occupant had been nor to where he or she had gone now. As it was though, she didn't have to wait long for her answer because a few minutes later, the door slid open to reveal the shape of the wind sorceress balancing two trays of food in her arms.

"Kagura...sama?" spoke the child in confusion.

Upon hearing her name, the female youkai looked up to notice that Yuna was sitting up in bed, fully awake. "Well, finally up I see," she said with a small smile.

Setting the trays on the ground, the sorceress proceeded to push her futon out of the way to clear an area large enough for her and the child to eat comfortably. That done, she set them one in front of the other and sat down. Glancing at Yuna, she could see that the ten years old was looking at the ground as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. Upon closer inspection though, she noticed that her gaze kept wandering to the spare tray of food and that as soon as she saw it, she would look away as if burned.

"Aren't you going to come and eat?" she asked perplexed by Yuna's behavior.

The ten years old's eyes instantly shot up and looked at the sorceress in complete disbelief. "But..." she said, stealing an uncertain glance at the plates.

"But...?" said the sorceress, in an inquiring tone.

"It... it's... too much... I can't..." stuttered the child, while at the same time shooting hungry looks at the food displayed.

_"Too much?"_ thought the sorceress in confusion while looking at the bowl of miso soup and the few rice balls that made breakfast.

Something suddenly clicked in Kagura's mind. "Yuna... What did you normally eat for breakfast?" she asked suspiciously.

"L... Leftovers... when there was some," she answered timidly.

_"I thought so, those monsters didn't even bother to feed her properly,"_ mused the sorceress angrily. Furrowing her brows, she pondered over what to say to the child to get her to eat her food.

"Yuna... Do you remember at the hotspring when you helped me?" she inquired after a few seconds of reflexion.

The ten years old only nodded shyly in reply. "Why did you want to help me so much?" she questioned again.

"I wanted to... please you Kagura-sama," spoke the child softly.

"Well then, do you still want to please me?" the sorceress asked.

Another nod from the girl brought a small smile on the youkai's lips. "Then... eat," she said gently.

The ten years old looked uncertainly at Kagura for a few seconds, but the reassuring smile on the older woman's face finally decided her to get out of bed and head for her designated place. There was another hesitant pause when she settled down, but again, Kagura's encouraging smile won the battle, and the child finally took her first bite. It was like a dam had suddenly burst inside the young girl as her appetite took over and she began to litteraly wolf down her food.

Kagura watched the ten years in amusement for a moment before digging in herself. _"I'll teach you Yuna... I'll teach you what it means to be free,"_ thought the sorceress determinately.

* * *

"Well Inuyasha, your healing abilities will never cease to amaze me, no matter how often I see them," said Kaede once she had peeled off the bandages on the hanyou's legs. 

"So I can walk again, right?" he asked impatiently.

"Your legs are just fine, but let me check your chest now," answered the healer as she started on removing the white gauze that circled his waist.

Sighing in exasperation, he turned his head to the side and his eyes strayed to Kagome who was watching the process intently. Truth be told, he would have preferred if the young girl had given him the attention instead of Kaede. In fact, she had started to peel off the bandages on his right leg herself, that is until both had realized just how high it ran. The two had blushed bright red and in the end, the job was passed to the old miko. It was funny when one thought about it, because it had been the schoolgirl who had bandaged him in the first place. But things had been different then, their feelings had not been revealed and it had created a barrier that allowed for such close contact to exist without surrendering to passion.

While these thoughts were processed though, Kaede had managed to finish removing the bandages to reveal a wound that was not completely closed yet, but showed good signs of healing. This had been his most serious injury, one of Naraku's tentacle had pierced right through his chest, leaving a gaping wound that would have killed a normal person. Of course, being a hanyou, it had merely slowed him down a bit.

"Well, I think a few more days should do the trick for this one," said the old miko once she had eyed the wound critically.

"You can walk, but don't go around and get yourself beat up again," added Kaede sternly.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," answered the hanyou in a bored tone of voice.

Standing up, he stretched his legs a little, getting used to the feeling of walking on them again. Once he had done that, he headed toward Kagome and sat down. The girl was sporting a rather apprehensive look on her face and she quickly averted her eyes when his gaze fell on her.

"You know you can't put this off forever," he said surprisingly gently.

"I know… It's just that… it hurts… to say goodbye," she said with downcast eyes.

"Kagome…" said the hanyou as he started to drap his arm around the girl's shoulders.

Abruptly, she stood up and reached for her backpack, throwing the crouching hanyou off balance. "Let's just get this over with," she said and walked briskly to the door.

Inuyasha stared at the retreating form in surprise before standing up and following after her.

"It's sad," murmured Sango once they had both gone.

"I know," answered Miroku. "But it's for the best. If she had kept on with her double life, it would have caused unnecessary suffering for her and everyone close to her," finished the monk solemnly.

"Miroku? Why is it that you can say things like this when you can barely choose between two cards?" inquired Shippo innocently, prompting a snort of laughter from Sango and a glare from the monk.

* * *

"Leaving the village you say?" asked the dark shape at the bee. 

"No it's ok, I know where they're going. You keep watch in the village, I'll handle the girl and the dog demon," he said eventually.

"Well," launched the shape once the bee had retreated. "It's finally time to play a little," he exclaimed as he stretched and headed off.

* * *

The trip to the well was mostly silent. Both were too absorbed in their own thoughts to actually say anything. It was eventually Inuyasha who broke it with a rather cryptic retort. 

"I'm sorry Kagome," he said.

"Sorry? For what?" asked the schoolgirl in confusion.

"That you have to say goodbye to your family," he answered quietly. Seeing that she was about to reply, he raised his hand to stop her. "I always dreamed about having a family who would accept me," he continued solemny. "And now, to see you about to leave them all behind… I can't help but feel bad about it," he finished.

"Inuyasha… my life in the future ended when I first fell down the well. I just didn't realize it until now. So I have no actual regrets about leaving all that I was to embrace all that I can be," she said solemnly.

"But what happened about all those tests and classes you were always complaining so much about," he asked confused.

"To be honest Inuyasha, I failed a great number of them. I failed so many in fact that my friends have all graduated while I'm still stuck in highschool," she added with a little slump of her shoulders.

Frowning, the hanyou tried to remember what Kagome had told him about her school system in order to understand what she had just told him. _"Graduating… Graduating… Was it that thing about going to a bigger school?"_ he asked himself.

"Does that mean that you… got left behind?" he finally added hesitantly.

The schoolgirl looked at him in surprise. She hadn't expected him to understand her last retort but he had, at least in its most basic form, which was quite something in itself. "Well that's right, I'm impressed you actually paid attention when I explained my school system to you," she teased.

"Keh! You make it sound as if I never listen to you," he answered falsely angered.

"Well…" she answered teasingly.

"Okay, now I'm mad," he said and stalked menacingly toward the schoolgirl.

"Oh! No! I angered the big bad hanyou! Whatever will I do!" she exclaimed in mock terror before darting off in direction of the well, Inuyasha following not far behind.

She didn't know exactly how he had managed, but the hanyou had successfully made her laugh and forget the pain of separation she was about to live. Of course, the moment lasted only a few short minutes, but it was nonetheless very appreciated and her spirit had lifted considerably when she stopped in front of her destination.

_"That was fast,"_ she reflected. _"Looks like we were closer than I thought,"_ she finished as she turned around.

She was slightly surprised to see that the hanyou was just catching up with her. She could see that he was frowning in confusion at something.

"How on earth did you do that?" he asked.

"Do what?" she anwered, not understanding.

"What else, run like this, I mean you ran as fast as me. It shouldn't be possible for a human," he said obviously troubled by this.

This time it was Kagome's turn to be confused. "I didn't realize…" she said trailing off. "Maybe it has something to do with my miko powers," she added thoughtfully.

"What do you mean," he asked.

"Well in Naraku's castle… they triggered in ways I never imagined before. So maybe they triggered now without me realizing it and they sort of increased my physical abilities or something," she said not fully convinced.

"Maybe…" added Inuyasha dubiously.

"In any case, let's ask Kaede when we return. It's pointless to stand here and question ourselves," launched Kagome, effectively closing the debate.

"Right… Well then, are you ready?" asked the hanyou leaning against the side of the well.

"Yeah, let's go," answered the schoolgirl and with that, they both jumped down the well at the same time, the familiar blue hue surrounding them both when they reached the bottom.

In the trees not far behind, a black cloaked figure suddenly made his appearance. "Whoops! Looks like I just missed them," it said. "Oh well, I'll just get them on their way back," it said in a dismissal tone.

* * *

"So your quest is finally over? That great news!" exclaimed Kagome's mother happily. 

She and Inuyasha had spent the last hour or so detailing their last encounter with Naraku and the completion of the shikon no tama. They had conveniently omitted the schoolgirl's death and revival, not seeing the point in driving her family mad with worry over it. The coming announcement would be enough of a shock as it was.

"So it means that grandpa can stop making silly excuses to explain your absence," launched Sota wryly.

"Yeah... I guess it does," said Kagome somberly.

Seeing that his joke had not gotten the desired effect, the young boy looked at his sister in confusion. "Is something wrong sis?" he asked, concerned.

Kagome sighed in apprehension at what she was about to say and let her arms fall to her side. Turning her head, she looked at Inuyasha for the support she so desperately needed right now. Noticing her gaze, the hanyou offered her a small smile and discreetly took her hand in his. Feeling her courage returning with this small gesture, the schoolgirl took a deep breath and launched herself.

"I'm leaving... for good," she said bluntly.

A thick and heavy silence fell on the room at this announcement. Everyone looked at the couple in disbelief, not willing to acknowledge what they had just heard. It was Kagome's grandfather who was the first to react.

"Are you totally out of your mind girl?" he screamed in anger. "Do you know how dangerous the sengoku jidai is! You won't last a day in such a harsh period!" he continued. "Your place is with us and if you can't realize this..." he said before Kagome's mother interrupted him.

The older woman had watched Kagome crunch back in her seat at her father in law's outburst and now, she couldn't take anymore of his nonsense. "Be quiet old fool!" she snapped, her voice cracking like a wip.

Everyone's jaw in the room fell to the floor in surprise at what they had just witnessed. The sweet and kind woman everyone had come to know had suddenly revealed a hidden part of her personnality that no one suspected. Noticing that all the people present in the room were looking at her with rather disbelieving eyes, the woman cleared her throat slightly.

Having thus regained her composure, she continued in a softer tone. "I think you should also consider Kagome's feelings in this father," she said in her normal and calm tone.

"It's obviously a decision she didn't make lightly and also one she isn't likely to change. So the best thing for us to do is support her fully," she finished placidly.

The old man was about to object when he caught sight of the spark of ice in his daughter in law's eyes. All the arguments he had been about to present instantly died in his throat. Instead, he grunted in anger and left the room briskly.

"Don't worry dear, he'll come around eventually," said Kagome's mother reassuringly.

"He was always a bit hard headed," admitted the schoolgirl with a humorless smile.

"It'll be boring around here without you to tease sis," said Sota jokingly.

"Oh you'll find someone else to bug, I'm sure," launched his sister in the same tone.

"Now then, you may be leaving, but surely you two have time for a meal," inquired the older woman cheerfully.

Schoolgirl and hanyou looked at each other for a few seconds in surprise before Kagome spoke up. "Well... I guess," she said hesitantly.

"Excellent, I'll get right to it," answered her mother and promptly sat up from her chair and headed for the kitchen.

The three people present looked at the door where the woman had disappeared to for a few seconds before glancing at each other in worry. They had all felt that the cheerfulness had been faked and that in fact the woman was hurting inside. "I'll go see if she needs any help," announced Kagome. "Sota, could you take care of Inuyasha for a while?" she asked.

"No problem sis," answered her brother immediately.

She nodded and proceeded to make her way to where her mother had disappeared to. When she entered, she immediately spotted her. She had her back to her and was currently cutting down onions. _"How convenient,"_ thought the schoolgirl with a shake of her head.

"Mom..." she said softly once she was right behind her. The woman didn't turn right away, but she did stop her chopping, meaning that she had heard the call.

Finally, she did turn around and Kagome noted that even though she was smiling, tears had streamed down her cheeks. "I'm sorry dear, it seems that the onions are stronger than usual," said her mother immediately.

"You're right, I can feel them too," answered the schoolgirl as her own tears started flowing.

Both mother and daughter looked at each other for a moment before the dam finally broke down and they threw themselves in each other's arms. "Kagome..." her mother whispered as her arms tightened around her child protectively.

"Mom..." answered the schoolgirl equally softly.

They stayed like that for a long time, taking in the other's presence for what would most likely be the last time. No words were said, the silence the two women shared spoke louder than anything they could have said anyway.

"I'm sorry dear," spoke Kagome's mother once they had pulled away. "I didn't want you to see me like this," she finished, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

"It's okay mom, I didn't want you to see me cry either," said the schoolgirl with a sad smile on her face.

"Just promise me... that you'll be happy okay?" whispered the older woman softly.

"I will mom... I promise," answered Kagome as she hugged her mother another time.

"Now then..." began Kagome's mother with a newfound cheerfulness. "Why don't you go to your room and see if there wouldn't be a thing or two you'd like to bring with you while I prepare dinner," she finished.

"I think I'll do that," answered the schoolgirl. "And mom... Thank you... for everything," she finished.

"Don't mention it dear. Now go, dinner won't cook itself," said the older woman lightly as she hushered the girl out of the kitchen.

Alone in the corridor, Kagome suddenly felt a wave of apprehension flow through her as she looked at the stairs she had climbed over a million times before. With each step she took, the feeling only grew worst and upon reaching her door, she found herself frozen and unable to enter.

_"This is silly,"_ she thought in a desperate attempt to quell the fear that held her in place. _"It's just my room, there's nothing scary in there,"_ she mused again.

But deep down, she knew why she was feeling this way. This was more than just a simple bedroom, it was _her_ bedroom. It had seen her grow up, it had seen her happiness, her sadness, her trials. It had always been a safe heaven when she needed it. This room was like a part of her and now, she had to say goodbye to it for good. That was what she was loathing. It was one thing to say farewell to other people, but to say goodbye to a part of yourself was quite another matter.

_"How many partings must I endure today,"_ she thought sadly.

Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself, pushed open the door and entered. She didn't know exactly what to expect upon being confronted with the familiar scenery. As it was, she couldn't even begin to describe exactly what it was that hit her. Thousands of emotions rushed through her, causing a lump to form in her throat and tears to start welling up in her eyes. She quickly locked herself in, not willing to let anyone see her like this and promptly broke down crying.

Her moment of weakness didn't last though. _"I won't break down like this,"_ she thought in anger. _"I won't let myself be overcome by my pain,"_ she reflected again as she got back to her feet.

Doing so, her eyes fell on her backpack that lay on her bed. _"That's right, I asked Sota to bring it here when we arrived,"_ she mused.

Without waiting any further, she proceeded to do what she had come here to do in the first place. Shutting off her emotions and allowing her practical mind to take over, she emptied the bag and set the miko outfit, _her_ miko outfit, on the side for later. Fishing through the rest, she began to sort the items that could be useful and those that could not.

When she was done with the content of her backpack, she widened her search to encompass the rest of the room. Every drawer, every rack, every square inch was thoroughly emptied and its content examined. When that was done, she filled the bag again and strapped it shut. Then, she put it on the ground and changed into her new clothing. She hung her school uniform on a hook in her wardrobe and finally slumped on her bed.

Throughout the whole process, Kagome had kept a close seal on her emotions. It was the only way to accomplish what she had done without breaking down completely. Now that everything was done though, it was time to open the dam. Closing her eyes, she released everything that she had kept pent up inside. Pain, anguish, sadness, despair, all of these mixed together in a swirling vortex that swallowed her whole. It got her to a point where she didn't even know what she was feeling anymore and in the end, she simply fell asleep emotionally drained.

Her mother's call roused her from her slumber. Looking at her alarm clock, she noticed that she had been unconscious for almost an hour. She felt a little better though, her emotions had run their course and the violent pain in her heart had turned into a dull ache.

"Coming mom!" she called back to her mother as she pushed herself to her feet.

She grabbed her backpack and headed for the door. Upon reaching it, she paused and looked at her school uniform one last time, a nostalgic smile appearing on her face. "Goodbye," she whispered before exiting the room for the last time.

* * *

"Good luck Kagome," said her mother while giving her a hug. 

"Thanks mom," answered the young miko with a smile.

"Sis... just be careful okay," muttered Sota not exactly sure of what to say.

"I will and you'd better not bug mom too much now that I'm gone," she said while ruffling his hair playfully.

Sighing, she looked around the shrine one last time in hope of spotting her grandfather. The man had not eaten with them at lunch and now that they were all standing in front of the house that contained the bone-eater's well for a final farewell, he wasn't there either.

"Will you tell goodbye to grandpa for me?" asked Kagome, a little sad at his absence.

"We will dear, we will," answered her mother reassuringly.

"Thanks," she said softly before turning to face Inuyasha who stood near the door, her backpack on his shoulder, waiting patiently.

Sighing once again, she steeled herself and started to walk toward the door. She had taken about three steps when her grandfather's voice interrupted her. "Kagome!" he called from the house.

Turning her head, she could see him coming toward her in a sort of half walking half running way. He stopped a few seconds later when he reached her side.

"Kagome...You... You," he panted.

"Calm down grandpa," said the girl as she placed a supportive hand on his shoulder.

When his breath finally came back, the old man began in a solemn tone. "Kagome... I still consider your decision to be crazy," began the old man and he immediately raised his hand to signal he had more to say.

"However... It's the privilege of the youth to be crazy like this. I was a fool not to see it sooner," he amended.

"Grandpa..." murmured the girl before throwing herself in his arms.

"Now now, if you keep this up, I may end up crying too," said the old man jokingly.

"I'm sorry," said Kagome with a smile while breaking the embrace and wiping her wet eyes with the back of her hand.

"Here, this is something I'd like you to have," he said, presenting her with a small rectangular box.

"What is it?" she asked perplexed.

Taking the box from her grandfather's outstretched hand, she opened it and her eyes widened in shock at the two golden circles it contained. "But grandpa, this is..." she trailed off.

"These are your grandmother and I wedding bands. I'm sure you'll find someone who will be worthy of wearing mine," he said while shooting Inuyasha a knowing glance.

"But... But..." stammered the young miko.

"I intended to give them to you on the eve of your wedding day, but I suppose now is as good a time as any," he said with a smile.

"Grandpa...I... I don't know what to say," stammered Kagome.

"Don't say anything child, just be happy in your new life," said the old man solemnly.

"I will... I promise," she answered with a shaky smile.

With that said, she started once again toward the well house where Inuyasha was patiently waiting for her to finish her farewell. When she reached him, she simply nodded to signal that she was ready. Seeing this, the hanyou opened the door and headed inside first. Turning around, she could see her family waving at her. She felt her heart warm up at seeing the gesture and she returned it.

"Goodbye," she whispered with a small smile before heading inside, away from the 21st century and toward the sengoku jidai.

* * *

**Author's note:** Well there you are everyone, Kagome is gone from the future for good and back 500 years in the past. But that is also where the mysterious dark shape is waiting for them. Who is it has yet to be revealed. And what about Kagura and Yuna, they seem to be going along just fine, but Yuna still thinks mostly like a slave, can the sorceress break that way of thinking? So stay tuned for chapter 6: Growing bonds. See you all next saturday. Read and review people :)  



	7. Growing bonds

**Disclaimer:** The only caracter I do own are Yuna and Mattemaru. Thank you.  
**Note:** Yawn... can someone tell me why on earth I wake up at 5 in the morning for no god damn reason on my DAY OFF! Anyway, since I won't have time tomorrow to post the chapter, I'm doing it today, so enjoy. Not much to say today except that I'm pissed that my story doesn't appear on the list when I update. In any case, enjoy the chappy everyone.

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* * *

Chapter 6: Growing bonds**

It was a very quiet couple that exited the well. Kagome was still trying to come to term with her separation and Inuyasha didn't know what to say to comfort her so he kept quiet. As it was though, the two didn't have much time to dwell on the events that had just taken place because a voice interrupted their respective musing as soon as they set foot on solid ground.

"Well you sure know how to keep someone waiting," said the voice lightly.

Both turned in the direction it had come from to see a dark shape wearing a cloak.

"Who are you," demanded Inuyasha, his hands instantly straying to the Tessaiga at his side.

"Me, I'm just a pitiful youkai trying to survive in an unforgiving world," the form answered jokingly.

"Cut the crap! You've been waiting for us, so obviously there's something we have that you want," snapped Inuyasha losing his patience quickly.

"Ah! Straight to the point, I like that. You see I've come for the lovely little jewel your woman is currently wearing. Now if you were to just hand it over, it would spare all of us a lot of trouble, wouldn't you say?" he asked in his eternally jovial tone.

"Do you honestly think we would do something _that_ stupid?" asked Kagome with a dangerous gleam in her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to be given time to sulk a little and this guy with his bubbly attitude was seriously trying her patience.

He appeared to think over what the young miko had said before answering. "Well to be honest... no, but it never hurts to try now does it?" he asked before drawing a blade from under his cloak.

"Keh! After Naraku, defeating you will be a breeze," shot the hanyou while drawing his own sword which instantly transformed.

"We'll just have to see about that," said the youkai before launching himself at the hanyou full speed.

The impact of the blades caused sparks to fly everywhere and the force of it made Inuyasha slide back a few inches. His loss of ground didn't last long though because with a sudden grunt, he pushed back his opponent.

"Not bad for a half-breed," mocked the form. Its playful tone was betrayed by his weary movements though; he was now careful of his opponent.

Noticing this change of behavior, Inuyasha decided to press his advantage a bit. "Now who underestimated who?" he taunted.

The form didn't answer, instead it started to circle the hanyou slowly, looking for an opening. Not falling for the ruse, Inuyasha carefully maneuvered himself so that he would remain between the youkai and Kagome.

For her part, the young miko was feeling highly frustrated at her powerlessness. _"Damn it! If only I had a bow, I could help Inuyasha!"_ she thought angrily before she suddenly remembered what had happened in Naraku's castle. _"Wait, maybe I _can_ help him, all I need to do is remember how I did it,"_ she reflected.

Oblivious to Kagome's musing, the two opponents had started another exchange. So far, both looked evenly matched, but with his wound, the hanyou knew he couldn't keep this pace up forever. His only chance was to end the fight as quickly as possible, and to do that, he needed to use the kaze no kizu. His opponent kept pressing him though and he simply didn't have the opening he needed to perform the attack.

Behind him, Kagome was concentrating hard, digging deep within her soul, trying to awaken the power that she knew resided there. She searched and searched, totally unaware of what was happening around her, until she found what she had been looking for. It felt pretty much like lighting a candle and with the rising flame, the surge of purification power became stronger. Opening her eyes, she could see that the two were still exchanging blows but that Inuyasha had started to visibly slow down.

_"His injury is troubling him,"_ she thought worriedly. She looked at the fight for a few seconds, trying desperately to find a way to release her power without touching the hanyou, but he would always stay between her and her target. _"Dammit Inuyasha, move to the side, jump, duck but for heaven's sake get out of the way!"_ she cried mentally. _"Wait... duck... That's it!"_ she exclaimed.

The hanyou was starting to seriously worry about the outcome of the fight. His injury was putting him at a great disadvantage. He was currently in a blade to blade struggle against the unknown youkai and he was losing ground fast. That was when Kagome suddenly spoke up from behind him.

"Osuwari!" she yelled and instantly the hanyou was thrown to the ground.

The unexpected lack of resistance against his push caused the unknown youkai to lose his balance and stumble forward a few steps. He probably would have fallen over Inuyasha's prone form if a huge beam of purification energy hadn't slammed into his chest and thrown him backward at that precise moment. He flew for several meters before he crashed against a tree trunk and fell to the ground in a smoking heap.

The hanyou, who by now had recovered from the spell picked himself up from the ground and was about to give a piece of his mind to the miko behind him when a moan from their opponent stopped him. Turning around, he could see that he was slowly struggling to his feet.

"Not dead yet are you?" snarled Inuyasha. "Well this should finish you off," he smarled before launching his favorite attack. "Kaze no kizu!" he yelled and watched as the beam of energy raced toward its destination. It connected with a huge blast of energy and when it cleared, all that was left were the burning remains of a cloak.

_"It didn't hit him,"_ thought Inuyasha warily as he scanned the trees for any sign of their opponent. _"Where is he hiding!"_

As it was, his question was answered when the voice of the unknown youkai suddenly resounded from all around them at once. "I'm impressed you managed to best me," it mocked lightly. "This is a feat that demands some sort of reward," it continued in the same tone of voice. "I'll give you the privilege of knowing my name: Mattemaru. Remember it the next time we meet," he finished and with that he was gone.

* * *

"Whoooey! That was too close for comfort! These guys didn't defeat Naraku by chance!" exclaimed Mattemaru as he contemplated his still smoking arms and the smoldering spot on his chest where Kagome's beam had hit him. 

"But that girl... channeling her powers like that. It shouldn't be possible," he reflected more seriously.

"Well in any case, I think I'll let them enjoy their victory for a while. I wager the boss is dying to get an update," he chuckled before heading off.

* * *

"Are you alright Kagome?" Inuyasha asked after he was sure that the youkai was gone. 

"Yeah, but how about you? He didn't worsen your injury did he?" she asked with concern.

"No, he didn't even scratch me," answered the hanyou with a worried frown.

"Kagome..." began Inuyasha hesitantly before he was cut off by the young miko.

"Don't even think about it," she said darkly. "I'm not going back through the well again even if it means using 'the word' until your back breaks," she finished determinately.

An angry staring contest then started between the young miko and the hanyou. Neither wanted to let go of their idea, but in the end, it was Inuyasha who relented first. "Let's just get back to the village," he said with a hunch of his shoulders.

Kagome looked at him in concern. It wasn't at all like Inuyasha to give in so easily. "Inuyasha... What's wrong?" she asked softly.

"What's wrong?" he began in a low tone. "I'll tell you what's wrong!" he said, his voice suddenly exploding. "We've just been attacked by a freaking youkai that's after the shikon jewel! That means others will come! That means _you _are in danger! That means someday, eventually, maybe something bad will happen to you!" he finished in a whisper.

The young miko looked at him for a long time, surprised by the outburst, but finally understanding what was plaguing his mind. "Inuyasha... I'm sorry," she spoke with downcast eyes. "I didn't actually think you'd be that concerned about me," she continued. "I'll... go back then, if you think it's the best thing to do," she finished and quickly turned away to hide the tears that were welling in her eyes.

She had taken one step toward the well when the voice of the hanyou stopped her. "The thing is Kagome... I don't want you to go. I need you by my side, I... I feel... stronger and happier and more at peace and... and..." he trailed off, not knowing what else to add to his list. "I love you and don't want anything to happen to you, but at the same time... I don't want to be away from you... It's... confusing," he finished in a whisper and raised his head to see that Kagome had walked up to him.

"I know Inuyasha," she said softly. "I can't bear to be separated from you either," she whispered. "But I told you before, as long as we're together, we can accomplish anything," she said gently, but firmly.

He remained silent for a while, gazing into his love's deep brown eyes. In them he could see all the pain and suffering she had endured in the past. He could see all the trials she had faced and yet, through all that, there was an unwavering conviction and determination to face what was to come. Confronted with such a powerful emotion, the hanyou couldn't help but feel his confidence return. _"She's right, we faced countless trials before and this one's not going to be any different,"_ he thought while a smile appeared on his lips.

"You know you're the craziest girl I've ever met," he said wrapping his arms around the girl in front of him.

Sensing the change, Kagome couldn't help but smile back at the hanyou. "You know it and love me for it," she whispered hotly.

"You got that right," said Inuyasha in the same tone, right before he captured Kagome's soft lips in a sweet and tender kiss.

* * *

Yuna swallowed the last of her food and sighed in contentement. She felt pleasantly full which was not a feeling she had experienced often. In fact, since waking up, none the things that had happened to her were things she was used to. First, she had experienced the comfort of a futon. The soft and fluffy mattress and the warm covers were a striking difference with the straw she used to sleep in. Secondly, her wound had been expertly cleaned and bandaged. That was yet another surprise. In the past when she had hurt herself, it had been up to her to see that her injuries didn't get any worse. And last but not least, a meal, a real meal, and with Kagura-sama to top it all off. She simply couldn't believe that her new master was someone this considerate of her well-being. So, to make a long story short, she was in heaven right now. 

"Kagura-sama... I thank you for your infinite kindness," she said softly with as deep a bow as she could manage with her injury.

She stayed still for a few seconds, waiting for some sort of acknowledgement but none came. So she dared to raise her head slightly and could see that the sorceress was looking at her with a rather surprised look on her face. "Kagura... sama?" she spoke again, suddenly fearful that she had done something wrong.

This seemed to shake the female youkai out of her trance because she suddenly shook her head, as if discouraged. "Well... I guess it can't really be helped," came the cryptic reply.

"Yuna... stop bowing like this," said the femaly youkai in a sympathetic tone. The child looked uncertain for a moment before she pushed herself back into a sitting position.

"Now look..." Kagura began but stopped short. How was she to explain freedom to a child who had grown up in servitude and knew nothing else. _"Wait, maybe she does remember a little of her life with her mother. That would be a good start,"_ she mused.

For her part, the ten years old was confused by the sorceress's reaction. She had meant to flatter her new master but apparently, she had not taken her thanks well. _"Maybe I offended her without knowing it,"_ she reflected before a horrifying thought crossed her mind. _"Maybe... she's trying to tell me she can't keep me,"_ she mused, feeling dread creep up her spine.

She couldn't really explain why she was feeling this way but, just like she had wanted to cook her a meal, just like she had wanted to help her out of the hotspring, just like she had wanted to save her life by taking the arrow in her place, she now desperately wanted to stay by her side. Gulping down her fear, she prepared herself to beg the youkai to reconsider her decision, but it turned out that Kagura was faster by a split second.

"Yuna... do you remember what your life was like... with your mother?" she asked softly.

The question was so radically far from the child's actual train of thought that all she could do was stare dumbly at the sorceress before her. "Yuna?" asked Kagura when no answer came from the ten years old.

The said girl snapped back to attention at the voice of the sorceress and blushed a bit in embarassement. "Well... not much," she answered meekly.

"I see... Is there anything you _do_ remember?" inquired the youkai again.

"I remember that she would always try to keep me inside our house. She said that bad people would hurt me if I went outside," spoke the girl softly.

"Really? Do you know why?" Kagura questioned, curious this time.

"... No," whispered Yuna softly.

Sighing a bit, the sorceress rubbed her temple in exasperation. Things were definitively not going the way she had planned. She had thought that the girl had at least some concept of what freedom was, but as it turned out, even her mother had kept her locked up, though for what reason, she wasn't sure. She promised herself she would find out, but now wasn't the time for this. _"Well, maybe a more direct approach will work better,"_ she mused a bit discouraged.

"Tell me Yuna... have you ever dreamed of... being free?" she finally asked.

The ten years old looked in confusion at the sorceress before her. She couldn't for the life of her understand where all of this was going. She didn't see any link between her childhood and the question she had just been asked. But still, it was not her place to question her master, so she answered as best as she could.

"I... I'm not sure I understand," she said fearfully. This was probably the boldest she had ever been in her entire life. Daring to imply that her master was not giving her enough information was probably going to earn her a good flogging, but there was simply no other choice. She had no answer to supply because she didn't understand the question.

"Well I mean free as in not being a slave anymore," explained the sorceress totally unphazed by the question.

This was yet another bewildering moment for Yuna. She had expected anger and there had been none, in fact, she even got the information needed to form her answer. Things with Kagura were drastically different from what they had been with her former masters. Finally realizing that the youkai was expecting her to answer, she jarred herself out of her thoughts and spoke.

"I... I'd be lying if I said I hadn't," she began carefully. "But it's because my former masters were cruel to me, unlike you Kagura-sama," she added immediately.

"I see," chuckled the sorceress and Yuna felt relief wash over her at the positive reaction. "Now then, what if I told you that you are not a slave anymore?" asked the youkai, looking carefully at the child's reaction.

It took a few seconds for the full meaning of the question to sink in the child's mind. When it did however, her eyes widened like saucers. "But Kagura-sama... that would mean... that you are not... my master," spoke the ten years as tears started to appear in her eyes.

Kagura raised an eyebrow in surprise upon seeing this. She had expected many things, but definitively not _that_. "What's so wrong about that?" she asked in confusion.

"If... If you're not my master...then that means that... I can't stay... by your side," she sniffed sadly.

Such a simple and naive statement, yet the sorceress could suddenly feel her heart swell upon hearing it. _"Is she... that attached to me already?"_ she mused, tears threatening to start.

In truth, Kagura had felt an attachement for the child almost the minute they had met. Not being used to this sort of thing, she had not acknowledged it until yesterday when Kagome had surprised her in tears. But even when she had admitted her feelings, she had half expected the child to feel different. In a way, it was a sort of self-defense mechanism against the pain she knew would assault her if she were to be rejected. But now... now Yuna had just admitted feeling the same way. It made her happier than she ever thought possible... and also incredibly afraid that she wouldn't be up to the task of taking care of her.

_"Taking care of her?"_ she reflected incredulously before the words of Kagome resounded in her head. _"You may not realize it, but you _have_ decided,"_ she had said to her. And the girl had been right, her heart had been set then, and even more so now. She had just been too stubborn to realize it. _"Am I that easy to read?"_ she mused almost amused by that fact. _"Well... I suppose it's time to take the plunge,"_ she thought, focusing back on the present and the child in front of her.

"Yuna... why wouldn't you be able to stay by my side if I'm not your master?" she asked gently.

"Because..." started the child but trailed off. A baffled expression replaced the tears when she couldn't give any reason to the youkai in front of her.

"So you see, there's really no reason for you to be sad," added Kagura when she noticed that her point had gotten across.

Yuna only nodded in answer and looked at the ground nervously. It was all so overwhelming that she didn't know what to think anymore. There had not been a day in since her mother's death that she had not dreamed of a better life, one where she wouldn't have to be afraid of being flogged or being starved to death. And now, fate had finally smiled upon her in the person of Kagura who offered her what she had craved for the most all these years. But now what? What was she to do? How was she to react? She had no idea. While her bleak future had suddenly turned bright, it had also become far more uncertain than it had been up to now and, truth be told, it scared her, it scared her a lot.

She jerked slightly in surprise when a warm hand suddenly made contact with her shoulder. She raised her head and noticed that Kagura had moved and was now sitting beside her. "It's scary isn't it? To think about the future and not knowing how it's going to turn out," spoke the female youkai dreamily. The expression didn't last however and it quickly switched back to a normal and friendly one.

"But you know, it's okay to be afraid," she continued. "Everybody fears the unknown, it's normal. However, not everyone has the courage to face it," she said again and fell silent.

"The thing is Yuna that I'm scared too. I never had to take care of someone other than myself and I'm not sure if I'm going to be up to the task. But I'd like to believe that if we both do the best we can, things will work out somehow," she confessed softly.

Yuna didn't know how to answer to such a heartfelt speech. Was there even an answer to give? One thing was for sure, Kagura's words had not left her unaffected. She felt a swirl of conflicting emotions rush through her causing her to want to cry out with happiness and at the same time to cower in a corner in fear. But then, her gaze met the sorceress's and all of it simply dissolved into nothing only to be replaced with an odd sense of familiarity. As her mind tried to work out where she had seen this look before, something strange happened. For a split second, the red eyes of the sorceress turned grey. Her black, neatly tied hair turned deep brown and shoulder length. The pointed ears were replaced with human ones and the shape of her face changed slightly.

The apparition was gone almost as soon as it had come. But it was enough. She had seen and remembered the only other woman who had ever looked at her like this: her mother. Warm and happy and safe, that was the only way to put into words what Yuna felt at that very moment. Gone were her previous fears and gone were her uncertainties of the future. There was only one certainty now: Whatever would happen, Kagura would be there to face it with her. This brought a huge smile on her face as she spoke up.

"Kagura-sama... I'll do my best," she said softly but firmly.

The sorceress wasn't sure exactly what she had done, but whatever it had been, it had successfully calmed the child's fears. "Then I'll give this back to you... for good," she spoke showing her a white feather. Seeing the flash of recognition in the ten years old's eyes, she smiled and continued.

"That's right, it's the one I handed to you the other day to protect you," she began. "Now let this be the symbol of our promise to always do our best and to always be there for each other," she spoke solemnly. When she finished her sentence, she deposited the feather in the child's outstretched hand.

It might have been the light, but Yuna could have sworn she had seen it glow softly when it had touched her hands. Dismissing it as her imagination, she clutched it tightly in her hand and put it to her heart. "I swear Kagura-sama... I won't disappoint you," she said more seriously than she had ever spoken in her life.

"You won't Yuna... You won't," answered the youkai reassuringly.

* * *

**Author's note:** Well, that's it for this chapter. So the youkai's name is Mattemaru and he's after the jewel (what a surprise). The problem is that Miroku and Sango are down for the count, so they won't be able to help much. And what on earth are Kagome and Inuyasha going to do? How are they going to prevent the jewel from eventually falling into that annoyingly mocking youkai? And so, if you want to find out, stay tuned for the next chapter: Searching for a way, coming next week. As always: read and review people :)  



	8. Searching for a way

**Disclaimer:** Yuna and Mattemaru are my own creation, as for the rest, you all know the drill.  
**Note:** I would like to thank Mirandal and torturedinuhanyou for reviewing my story. To Mirandal, I'm going to say: I have something planned for our favorite undead miko, don't worry. And to torturedinuhanyou, thank you for sharing your opinion with me, I value it a great deal. Your idea was really good, but it doesn't fit well with the flow of the story. Anyway, thanks a lot for reviewing, because of you all, I now have a grand total of 8 reviews which is a new personal record for me :). Thank you all and now, on with the story.

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* * *

Chapter 7: Searching for a way**

"Well the good news is that you have recovered completely from the saimyoushou's poison. But I'm afraid that for the rest of your wounds, it will be a little longer," said Kaede once she had finished rebandaging Miroku.

"Now for you Sango," she spoke again, turning to the demon slayer who was sitting not far away.

"Is it even necessary to check?" muttered the girl. "We all know it's going to be months before I'm back on my feets," she added disgruntled.

"True, but it will be even longer if I allow the wounds to fester, now stay still," admonished the old miko sternly.

"As if I could even move to begin with," she spoke ironically.

Shippo looked at the wounded girl in slight confusion before jumping on Miroku's shoulder. "Something seems to be bothering Sango," whispered the kitsune in the monk's ear.

"I do believe it has something to do with Kagome," answered the said monk equally silently.

However, it seemed that they weren't quiet enough because the retort came as soon as they had spoken. "If you want to talk about me, at least have the decency to do so in my face," said the demon slayer angrily.

"Now now Sango. no need to get angry, we were merely concerned about you, that's all," replied the monk placidly.

"Worry about your own self, I don't need your sympathy," she spat back.

The monk and the kitsune exchanged knowing looks at that last retort. Something was definitively wrong with the girl. Yet before either of them could answer, Kaede decided to speak up.

"Getting angry at Miroku and Shippo is not going to accomplish anything except making the atmosphere around here unbearable," she said calmly. "Why don't you find a way to vent your energy in a more constructive way?" asked the old miko.

Sango could only stare in complete disbelief at the woman before her. Her accuracy in reading what was really affecting her was a bit unnerving. Looking at the monk and the kitsune youkai, she noted with some relief that they, at least, had not been able to identify the cause of her frustration. And it was true, for one used to train from dawn to dusk with barely time to rest, sitting around and doing nothing all day long proved to be an almost impossible ordeal. Her whole body demanded to move, to be used in some way, but the slightest movement caused searing pain to her injuries.

Kagome had been what had kept her from going crazy. She and the girl were practically like sisters and her presence had calmed her down somewhat. It wasn't that she disliked the company of Miroku and Shippo, quite the contrary, she loved the attention the monk was giving her, though she would not show it openly in front of anyone else, and Shippo was always a distraction. But things with your best friend are always different than what they are with your lover or a little kid.

As it was, she was spared from having to answer by none other than Kagura who chose this very moment to make her appearance. The youkai was carrying the two empty trays of food Kagome had given her earlier and behind her, the shape of a young girl could be seen shifting nervously. Sango was the first to notice the arrival and was instantly struck by the aura of protectiveness radiating from the sorceress. It was so unlike Kagura to be this way that for a second, Sango actually thought she might be dreaming. But then the youkai chuckled slightly, obviously amused by the looks she was receiving and turned to whisper to the young child behind her.

The child nodded in answer and moved slowly in front of her. The way she tugged at her sleeping kimono with her good hand proved just how scared the little girl was. Nonetheless, she managed to gather her courage and speak up, albeit in a small and stuttering voice. "My... My name is... Yuna... I'm... pleased to... meet you all," she managed to say with a small bow.

It was Miroku who shook his surprise off first and promptly started to introduce himself. "It is a pleasure to get to know such a lovely young lady," he said with flourish. "I am named Miroku and I am a wandering monk," he finished in the same tone.

Noticing the twinkle in his eyes, Sango promptly butted in before he could ask his traditional question. "Miroku..." she spoke darkly. The said monk turned an innocent look toward her and answered her unspoken menace.

"Now now Sango, there is no need to get angry over a simple introduction," he said a little too lightly for his own good. It earned him a knowing look from everyone in the room.

Shaking her head half in amusement, half in discouragement at his antics, Sango decided to take her turn. "Sorry about that," she said to the confused child. "My name is Sango and I'm a demon slayer, it's nice to see you Yuna," she continued with a smile.

Jumping off of Miroku's shoulder, Shippo spoke up next. "I'm Shippo, and this is Kirara," he said pointing to the cat youkai that had just joined their circle.

"And I am named Kaede," spoke the old woman. "I am the one who treated your wound, I trust you are feeling better?" she asked with a friendly smile on her face.

"Y... Yes Kaede-sama, thank you," she answered softly.

Kagura had said to her that the people here would not harm her and she had been right. None of them had even so much as raised her voice at her, they even smiled. That was... unnerving to say the least. She was used to dealing with harshness and even anger, but friendliness... that was a first. And now that she had introduced herself, what was she to do? They were all looking at her as if they expected something else, though she couldn't fathom what. This scrutiny was making her more that a little uncomfortable. Luckily for her, the sorceress seemed to sense her feeling and coughed a little to draw the general attention away from her.

"Well, now that we're all formally introduced, could someone tell me where I can drop these things?" she said, pointing at the trays in her arms with her chin.

"Just put them in the corner over there, I'll take care of them later," pointed Kaede, who had returned to her job of bandaging Sango.

Nodding, the sorceress proceeded to make her way to the designated location, leaving a very unsure Yuna to stand by herself. She wasn't alone for long though as the kitsune and the cat youkai made their way toward her. Upon reaching her, the cat miewed softly and started to rub itself on her legs. This made Shippo smile wryly. "Looks like Kirara likes you," he said.

"She does?" Yuna answered a bit unsure.

"Yep, she only does that with people she likes," he answered, his smile never wavering.

Looking at the cat youkai, she couldn't help but feel a surge of warmth flow through her. _"She's so cute,"_ she thought fondly and had the sudden, uncontrollable urge to pet her. Kneeling down, she reached with her hand carefully and gently passed it through her fur. It wasn't long before Kirara started purring in contentment.

Shippo chuckled softly at the display. "You know, she especially likes to be scratched behind the ear," he pointed.

She looked up at the kitsune with an inquiring look, as if asking for permission. He simply nodded in encouragement and she timidly reached for one of the cute little triangle on top of Kirara's head. Upon starting to rub it, the purring increased to a loud rumbling sound and the cat youkai leaned in her touch as if trying to get even more out of the sensation. Yuna couldn't help but giggle softly at seeing Kirara act this way and Shippo joined her heartily.

Behind them, Kagura watched carefully the scene unfold and couldn't help but smile herself at seeing the display. _"Maybe it won't be so hard after all,"_ she mused fondly.

* * *

A couple making its way through the woods holding hands would present nothing really out of the ordinary, even if none of the two said a word. Silence sometimes spoke louder than words, especially for two people in love. Of course, it didn't take a genious to see what was really peculiar about the pair. The man had long silver hair and two dog ears on top of his head that showed right away he was a hanyou. It was also quite obvious by the looks they wore that the silence they shared was far from casual. 

Kagome had so many things to think about that she didn't really know where to start. The family she had left behind for good, the jewel she had to protect, her miko powers suddenly awakening. It was all mind buggling. She had thought that she would be able to sit down and think things over carefully once back at Kaede's village, but Mattemaru's attack had thrown her plans down the drain. Now, she had to figure out a way to keep the jewel safe and also to master her powers. Sulking for the loss of her family would have to wait a bit. She sighed deeply and shook her head in discouragement, nothing ever seemed to go her way.

"Something the matter?" asked Inuyasha upon seeing her reaction.

She looked at him for a few seconds with an unreadable look before she decided to speak up. "Let's see, I just severed all bonds with my family. My miko powers are awakening in strange ways. And now, some lunatic's after the jewel. I really don't see what could be the matter," she said, her voice dying in a light chuckle.

"Alright, that _was_ a stupid question," he said, equally amused.

"What about you? You seemed to have something on your mind too," she inquired.

"I was thinking about Mattemaru. I can't help but wonder who he is and how he knows so much about us," he answered somberly.

"Yeah, it's a bit unnerving," admitted the young miko. "He must have been observing us for quite some time before he decided to come out in the open like this, the question is how," she continued pensively.

"Yeah, I can smell spies a mile away and this time, it eluded even me," agreed Inuyasha.

"Anyway, I think it's best to talk to the others about this, who knows, we just might be able to puzzle things out," said Kagome as the village came into view.

The hanyou only grunted slightly in agreement and they fell silent again. When they entered the outskirt of town, a few people turned their heads toward the couple in curiosity. The villagers had grown so used to Kagome's peculiar clothes that ironically, seeing her dressed in a miko outfit was an oddity. What more, they had never seen Inuyasha openly demonstrate any form of affection for anyone before and seeing him hold Kagome's hand raised quite a few eyebrows.

Kagome noticed the stares they received, but didn't mind really much. She was more concerned about the hanyou's reaction than what the villagers would think. To her surprise, he didn't let go of her hand, if anything, he held it even tighter than before. _"He's changed so much,"_ she thought fondly as a smile spread slowly on her lips. He didn't turn toward her, but she knew he had seen her reaction because when she glanced up at him, she noticed that the corner of his mouth angled imperceptively upward.

A few minutes later, Kaede's hut came into view and both couldn't help but stare in surprise at what they saw. The path they had taken made it so that they came toward the hut in such a way that they were currently facing one of its side instead of the front. From their point of view, they could see Shippo and a little girl with her right arm in a sling handing pieces of cleaned laundry to someone who was hanging them to dry in the bright afternoon sunlight. Now, there was nothing really peculiar about this. The kitsune had helped with these kind of chores more than once in the past and the presence of the little girl wasn't really surprising either. What was really striking was _who_ they were helping. It was none other than Kagura.

As they got closer, the youkai noticed the pair and scowled at them, daring them to make any comments about her predicament. Shippo who sported none of the female youkai's reservations promptly greeted the couple... well the young miko anyway.

"Kagome!" he exclaimed as he made his way to her, a happy smile on his face. "How did it go?" he asked and immediately winced at his stupid question. "Sorry," he apologized immediately.

"It's alright Shippo, I'm fine really," she answered reassuringly. It wasn't entirely true, but then again now wasn't exactly the time to be sulking over her family. And also, despite the warning glance the sorceress had shot her and Inuyasha, she simply couldn't help but ask the question that was itching her.

"Shippo..." she said in an inquiring tone while looking at the laundry currently being held to dry.

The kitsune looked embarassed for a second before answering. "Well you see, the house being filled with wounded people, that makes for a lot of chores to do... and precious few arms able to do them," he said softly.

"So she got dragged into it," finished the hanyou, obviously amused by the whole situation.

"Well of course," began Kagome as if it was the most natural thing to do. "Only someone totally devoid of any sense of responsibility would refuse to do those tasks," she launched in a grand tone, but winked discreetly at the sorceress.

The said youkai looked surprised at the unexpected support but after a few seconds a wry smile broke on her lips and she shook her head in amusement. The young miko didn't understand exactly what had prompted the reaction until Kaede herself spoke up from behind her.

"Well, I'm glad to see that at least some people around here have a touch of common sense," she began in a serious tone that made the girl jump in surprise. "Since you think like that, I believe you won't complain if I place you in charge of our evening meal," she continued.

"But there are important things we must talk about," she argued. The old woman would have none of that however.

"Important things cannot be thought through on an empty stomach. Whatever it is that's troubling you does not seem urgent enough to justify missing a meal, now get to work," she admonished sternly.

And then turning to Inuyasha who was currently trying very hard to hold back his laughter, she assigned him his own task. "You can laugh all you want, but the food won't cook without a fire and a fire won't burn without firewood, now go and earn your meal," she launched in the same tone.

Hanyou and human stared at each other in dumbfounded silence before bursting out laughing at the way they had been caught.

* * *

"So someone's already after the jewel," said Sango somberly. "I would have thought we would have a little more time before something like this happened," she finished. 

"True, but reality being as it is, we must now find a way to keep it safe," spoke Miroku calmly.

They were all sitting in the common room of Kaede's hut, finishing the food Kagome had prepared. It had been quite an interesting meal. First, Yuna had introduced herself to the two new people and Kagura had finally been able to relate her encounter with the child and how she had gotten her wound. This had prompted an instant wave of sympathy and promises from everyone to help her in any way they could. This had caused the child to blush furiously in embarassement and even Kagura seemed to feel a bit uncomfortable.

And then the unpleasant subject of the shikon jewel had to be brought forth. Kagome and Inuyasha told everyone about their encounter with the youkai Mattemaru and his promise to come back for it. This had sombered up the general mood quite a lot.

"And how do you propose we do this?" asked Inuyasha briskly in answer to the monk. "The enemy can come at any time and from any direction. It's impossible to stay on gard all the time," he finished while folding his arms across his chest.

"Why don't you just... get rid of it?" came the small voice of Yuna. All heads turned toward her in surprise.

She had not taken an active part in any of the conversations so far and had seemed quite lost when the subject of the jewel had been put on the table. Yet, here she was, making a suggestion and what's more, a suggestion that actually made sense.

"You know, that may not be such a bad idea," replied Kagome, mind suddenly alive with new possibilities. "If we can find a way to purify the jewel, then our problem is essentially solved," she said.

"The thing is that we have no idea how," Sango said. "I used to think that a selfless wish would be enough to purify it, but it seems that I was wrong," she finished.

"And then, there's also the fact that ever since Kagome-sama made her wish, the jewel has gone silent," added Miroku.

"Keh! Just what we need now, another mystery," shot the hanyou angrily.

"So basically, we're right back where we started," summarized Shippo. "The only way we knew of to purify the jewel proved to be a dead end. That doesn't leave us with many options," said the kitsune somberly.

"That jewel, didn't it originate from somewhere close to the demon slayers's village?" asked Kagura.

"There is the cave where Midoriko's last battle took place not too far away from my hometown alright," confirmed Sango. "But what do you propose we do there?" she questioned in turn.

"Well... who knows, maybe bringing the completed jewel back to where it was born will free the souls trapped in it," she said dubiously.

The sceptical looks sported by everyone showed just how much they believed in the alternative proposed by the female youkai. Still it was better than nothing and it was Inuyasha who agreed first.

"I say we give it a try. It's better than just sitting around anyway. Being on the move will make it that much more difficult for whoever is after us to catch up," he said and turned his head toward Kagome to see if she agreed with him or not.

"Why not? I'm not one to wait for danger either," answered the young miko. "How about we leave tomorrow morning? That way, we would minimize the chances of being caught by Mattemaru again," she proposed.

"That's a plan, but I'm afraid Sango and Miroku are going to have to stay here this time," he said, sounding almost apologetic.

"That's okay," replied the demon slayer. "You can travel on Kirara's back, it will shorten the trip significantly and prevent you from leaving any sort of trail behind," she added pointedly.

Everyone nodded in approbation and then the hanyou turned to the wind sorceress. "How about you Kagura, wanna come?" he asked.

The female youkai looked a bit shocked that he had made such a proposition. Obviously, she was not used to being part of a group like this. She recovered quickly though and shook her head. "No... I'll stay here, that way if that Mattemaru guy decides to come and ask for your whereabouts, I'll be able to point him in the right direction," she said with an evil gleam in her eyes.

"Well then, I suppose that you are going to need some supply for this trip. Come Kagome, if we want to get everything ready, we must start now," ordered the old miko.

The girl didn't protest as she rose and followed the woman out the door. In fact, this would be the perfect opportunity to ask the questions that plagued her mind about her powers. Also, knowing Kaede's sharp mind, she had the nasty suspicion that this was part of the reason she had asked for her help.

"Kaede..." she began once they were out of ear shot. The old woman cut her short however.

"I know you have many questions to ask child, but before I can give you answers, I must ask questions of my own," she said seriously.

"Well... go ahead I suppose," said the girl uncertainly.

The old woman nodded once before beginning her questioning. "First of all child, I want you to tell how you are feeling."

"How I'm feeling?" asked the girl, completely baffled by the seemingly senseless question.

"Headache, nausea, cramps, even something as insignificant as an itch. I want to know if anything out of the ordinary has afflicted you recently," precised the old woman.

"Well... I haven't been _sick_, if that's what you mean, but something peculiar did happen to me and that's precisely what I wanted to talk to you about," answered Kagome.

"What happened?" asked the old miko, her eyes suddenly focusing on her like a hawk.

"You see, when Inuyasha and I went back to the well, we had a sort of... friendly race," explained Kagome, shifting uneasily under the intense scrutiny.

"And?" urged Kaede.

"I... almost outran him," she finished quietly.

A long silence followed Kagome's admission, a silence during which Kaede's gaze only grew more and more piercing, until the young girl simply could not take it anymore.

"Kaede... is there anything wrong with me?" she asked worriedly.

This seemed to jar the miko out of her stillness. "I cannot say just yet," she answered, puzzlement evident in her voice.

"The only way to be certain would be to read your aura, but for that, you're going to have to summon up your powers," said Kaede, with a frown on her face.

"I can do that," agreed Kagome.

Taking a deep breath, she concentrated and reached within her soul. This time, she knew exactly where to look so it didn't take her long for her to feel the surge of purification powers envelop her body. She held it like this for about a minute before releasing them. Opening her eyes, she could see by the look of intense surprise on Kaede's face that something was indeed not right with her.

"Kaede?" asked the girl fearfully.

"This is impossible," whispered the old woman as if in a trance.

"What is it Kaede? What is impossible?" questioned Kagome, her voice growing more and more urgent.

"Preposterous! Absurd! Something like this should not even be possible," continued the miko, completely ignoring the girl in front of her.

"Kaede!" snapped Kagome, unable to stand being ignored any longer.

The woman gave a start as she snapped out of her surprised daze. "Kagome..." began the miko carefully, finally adressing the girl. "I don't know how it can be but... your purification powers are tainted with... youki," she finished and at that moment, Kagome's world stopped spinning.

* * *

**Author's note:** I just love cliffhanger don't you? He He He. So Kagome's powers are tainted with youki... how is that possible indeed. Well for answers, you're going to have to wait, because it won't be for some time yet. And Yuna finally introduced herself to everyone. She's still shy and used to being bullied, but with the help of the whole gang, how could she not make it? he he he. In any case, stay tuned for chapter 8: Another goodbye. See you all next week and as always: read and review. :))  



	9. Another goodbye

**Disclaimer:** Me own Yuna and Mattemaru, the rest are not mine.

**Note:** Well, another saturday, another chapter. There isn't much for me to say aside from the fact that I'm glad this story received over 200 hits. No one reviewed this time so no thanks to anyone new. I do thank those who reviewed so far, it warms my heart to have such positive feedback. For those of you who have not yet read my other stories, I invite you to visit my profile page. Well then, without further ado, on with the story.

**

* * *

Chapter 8: Another goodbye**

"What's the matter Kagome, you look troubled," questioned Sango when the said girl entered their shared bedroom.

Troubled was probably an understatement for what the young miko was feeling right now. Her powers... tainted with youki. How was that even possible? They were supposed to actually dissolve this type of energy, not blend with it. But of course, as luck would have it, that was not the only thing happening to her

--Flaskback--

_"How... how is that possible Kaede, my powers purify youki on contact, they can't possibly become tainted!" exclaimed the young miko incredulously._

_"I do not understand either child, but the fact is undeniable," answered the old woman, as baffled as Kagome._

_A heavy silence then fell on the two women. Both were too overwhelmed to actually say anything. Finally, Kagome let out a long and weary sigh and spoke up._

_"Okay, so my powers are becoming tainted. Now what exactly does it mean for me? Am I going to get sick and die? Are my powers going to disappear?" she asked, feeling suddenly very tired._

_"I cannot say for certain, but if you were to get sick, I believe that at least some symptoms would have started to show and if you are not sick, then it is even less likely that you will die from this. As for your powers disappearing, I don't think this is going to happen because from what I could tell... they are actually getting stronger," said the old miko seriously._

_"Stronger?" repeated the girl. Things were definitively getting stranger by the minute._

_"Yes. You see when you light two candles and you bring the flames together, they merge into a bigger and stronger one. What I saw when I read your aura was pretty similar," she explained._

_"I see... but it still doesn't explain how such a thing is even possible," muttered the miko._

_"I know, but... I somehow have the feeling that this might just be the beginning," finished the old woman somberly._

--End flashback--

The beginning Kaede had said, but the beginning of what? Her powers, her burst of speed, the jewel, the separation from her family, Mattemaru... everything was all happening at once, leaving her no time to adapt at all. All she really wanted to do was spend some quiet time with Sango and Miroku and Shippo and most of all Inuyasha. She also desperately wanted to be able to come to term with her separation with her family. But she couldn't. She couldn't because she had a responsibility to everyone to keep the jewel from falling into the wrong hands.

"Kagome!" yelled Sango, causing the girl to jump at least a foot in the air in surprise.

"S... Sango! Don't do that," stuttered the girl, her heart hammering in her chest.

"You're one to talk, I've called your name at least ten times before getting your attention," shot the demon slayer in a half-amused, half-annoyed tone.

"Sorry... I have a lot of things on my mind," muttered the miko, her cheeks red with embarassement.

"I can guess. It took you so long to finish with Kaede that Kagura had to help me to bed. And now that you finally show up, you're so lost in thoughts that you don't even acknowledge my presence. Something is definitively bothering you. Mind sharing with me?" asked Sango seriously.

"Sango I..." began Kagome, but she trailed off as she realized that if the demon slayer was to ever find out about her tainted powers, the woman would most likely be worried to death about her.

_"I can't... I can't afford to have Sango worry like that about me,"_ she reflected sadly.

She wanted so much to break down and cry, to curl up in a ball and weep like a little girl. She wanted someone's comfort. She wanted someone's arm around her shoulder, murmuring soothing words in her ear. But she couldn't have any of those things. She was Kagome Higurashi, she had a jewel to protect from the hands of evil and as such, she had to be strong, she couldn't afford any sort of weakness.

And so, she sighed deeply and squared her shoulders, once more burying her pain in the depths of her mind. "I just wish I could have some time to come to term with all that's happened in my life recently. Problems just seem to pop up faster than I can handle," she admitted. Not the whole truth, but enough to give a hint to Sango that she was definitively not at her best.

"Yeah," agreed the demon slayer. "I just wish I could come along with you and help. I just can't stand it when my friends are in danger and all I can do is sit back and watch," she continued, unconsciously flexing her good hand in frustration.

"I know you do Sango... I know you do," whispered the young miko somewhat sadly.

"Kagome?" asked the demon slayer, worried by Kagome's somewhat depressed reaction.

The miko raised her downcast gaze to look at Sango with pained and unfocused eyes. She blinked once, as if not realizing where she was and then she jerked slightly as reality crashed back on her.

"Sango... when everything's over let's go on a picnic together, an all girl picnic!" exclaimed the girl suddenly

The change of topic and mood was so radical that all Sango could do was stare at Kagome in complete and utter confusion. "Are you sure you're feeling okay Kagome-chan?" questioned the woman.

"I can already picture it from here. You, me, Kagura and Yuna too. We're all sitting in a small meadow filled with flowers. No Miroku to grope, no Inuyasha to constantly complain... No youkai to attack us, no shikon jewel to worry about. Just four friends having a good time together. What do you say Sango, wouldn't it be great?" babbled the miko, completely ignoring the slayer's question.

Abruptly, Sango understood just what was going on in Kagome's head and what had brought on such a drastic change of topic. The girl was litteraly cornered on all sides by problems that kept popping without stopping. So, in order to keep going through all this, she had to keep hoping beyond hope that things would turn out all right. To do that, the girl had chosen to picture a happy scene, one where everything had been taken care of, one where all her problems were finally over, and do everything in her power to make it happen.

"You're wrong Kagome-chan. It won't be just 'great', it will be the greatest we've ever had in our life," the demon slayer answered with a smile on her face.

_"I may not be able to fight Kagome, but if I can help it, we're going to see this dream of yours come true,"_ thought the demon slayer almost fiercely.

* * *

She was walking in the forest slowly, all her senses on full alert, not making the slightest noise. The sun was high in the sky, basking the under of the trees in a surreal light. Her eyes scanned her surrounding carefully in search of something, though she had no idea what exactly. 

And then, a flicker of movement caught her attention and her gaze instantly locked on it. A rabbit was lazily jumping through the grass a short distance from her, completely oblivious to her presence. Her lips curved upward in a predatory smile as she started to stalk carefully in its direction. She had almost reached her destination when the wind suddenly changed and carried her scent to her prey. Immediately, it bounded away, trying to escape her. Her smile turned to a snarl and a deep growl emanated from her throat as she launched herself after it.

It was a wild chase, the branches were scratching her face, leaves were getting tangled in her hair, but she didn't notice any of it. The only important thing right now was her prey. She was getting closer now as the rabbit started to tire. She could smell its fear now and it fueled her strength, exhilarated her beyond what she even thought possible.

Finally, with one last leap, she caught it in a death grip. It struggled futilely in her hands, trying to escape its fate, but Kagome would have none of that and in one smooth movement, she promptly snapped the poor creature's neck, killing it instantly. She laughed then, cruelly, sadistically at the pitiful form that she now held in the palm of her hands. She laughed and kept on laughing even when she sank her fangs in the soft flesh and took a bite. She reveled in the rich flavor of the raw meat mixed with blood, not bothering that some was dripping down her chin and staining her clothing.

Abruptly, Kagome bolted up in bed, furiously scrubbing her sleeves against the corners of her mouth while at the same time wiping her hands, trying to get the blood off of them. Finally, after a few seconds of this, she dared a look at her sleeves, only to realize they were clean and so were her hands. Burying her face in her palm she started taking deep and steadying breath, trying to stop shuddering at the memory.

_"A dream… It was just a dream,"_ she kept repeating unsteadily.

After what seemed to her like an eternity, her heartbeat finally slowed down and her erratic breathing became more regular. As her last attempt to dismiss her vision, she ran her tongue along her teeth and noticed with satisfaction that nothing was out of the ordinary about them.

"Just a dream," she sighed in relief and flopped back down on her futon.

Looking out the window, she noticed that the eastern sky was slowly becoming tainted with grey, a sign that dawn was fast approaching. As the calm of the early morning seeped into her, her thoughts wandered back to her dream. It had been so… primal and animalistic. It was like she had been reduced to the state of an unthinking beast for the space of a few moments. Her train of thought didn't get very far before a strange warmth between her breasts caught her attention. Curiously, she brought her hand down and it came in contact with the shikon jewel.

_"The jewel is... hot?"_ she thought in confusion.

Before she had time to dwell on this though, yet another distraction came in the form of Sango. The demon slayer moaned softly beside her and started to shift a little, showing signs of awakening. Sure enough, a few seconds later, the slayer opened her eyes and started to stretch. She stopped short with a painful hiss though and grumbled something unintelligible. Kagome couldn't help but smile a bit at this, Sango always loved to stretch when she woke up, it was a habit that had stayed with her since childhood and she always did it without even thinking. Being wounded as she was though, the movement proved to be a little hard to do.

"What was that Sango?" asked the miko in a light tone, causing the slayer to look at her.

"You don't want to know," muttered the wounded girl sleepily.

Laughing softly, the miko threw back her covers and got out of bed. She then headed over to Sango's futon and started helping her sit up. It wasn't really that Sango couldn't do it, but the wounds in her ribs made it excruciatingly painful to do the movement alone. So in the end, she had to rely on someone else's help to support her back while she pushed herself upward.

"I feel so helpless like this," said the disgruntled demon slayer.

"Sango..." the miko said, voice filled with sympathy.

"Don't say anything Kagome," said the slayer with a small smile. "It takes more than a few scratches to knock down a demon slayer like me," joked the wounded girl.

"Well they certainly do nothing to dampen your mood, that's for sure," chuckled the miko lightly. "So then, what do you say we go and get ourselves some breakfast?" she asked enthusiastically.

"Good idea, I have a feeling the next few days will be rather hard on my stomach," agreed the demon slayer and both girls burst out laughing.

_

* * *

"Hmm, not quite fixed yet, but it's more than decent enough,"_ mused Kagura as she looked at her ripped kimono critically.

There were a few reasons why she had went to the trouble of recovering it from Yuna's former masters. The first one was of course its regenerative properties which allowed it to mend itself back together if thorned, a bit like Inuyasha's fire rat haori. Also, being made from the hair of a water sprite, it had the ability to stay dry even in the dampest weather you could imagine and fire had a hell of a time getting even close to it. It was also very light, soft, resistant and incredibly comfortable to wear, nothing like that blue dress she had "borrowed" from the old lady. Behind her, Yuna sighed deeply and started to stir, bringing her out of her musing.

"Good morning Yuna, did you sleep well?" asked the female youkai once the girl had opened her eyes.

The child looked at her surroundings in confusion for a second before her brain caught up with her body and she recalled her current situation. "Good morning Kagura-sama, I slept very well thank you," she answered the sorceress.

As the girl sat up, she winced a little as she jolted her wound accidently. "Does your shoulder hurt?" inquired Kagura, concerned by the sudden grimace.

"Not too much, only when I move it," she confessed.

"That's normal I suppose, but just to be sure, we'll have Kaede take a look at it today," Kagura replied, motherly concern taking over.

Seeing the child nod in answer and get out of bed to get dressed, Kagura started getting out of her sleeping kimono and into her almost repaired one. She had just finished putting it on when her eyes fell on the hairbrush Kagome had given her the day before. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see the disheveled appearance of the ten years old and an idea suddenly popped in her head.

"Yuna?" she called.

Upon seeing the child turn to face her, she felt her heart speed up in her chest and her hands get somewhat clammy. _"Get a grip Kagura, the worst that could happen is for her to say no,"_ she berated herself. "Would you like me to... brush your hair?" she asked with a smile, trying to sound calmer than she actually felt.

"B... brush my.. hair?" she stuttered in surprise and the youkai merely nodded in answer.

As the surprise faded, she suddenly found that she couldn't look at Kagura's face any longer so she promptly averted her gaze to the ground, her cheeks bright red with embarassement. She didn't know why exactly she felt this way, maybe because the sorceress's hair were so much prettier that hers. And it was true in a way, you couldn't possibly hope to compare her hopelessly tangled and knotted tresses to the youkai's shiny, soft and silky mane.

"I'm sorry Kagura-sama but... I'd rather leave them like this," she declined. It was hopeless anyway, her hair had always looked like this and it wasn't about to change anytime soon. _"No... That's wrong, they weren't _always_ like that,"_ she suddenly remembered. But before she could go any further in her musing, Kagura spoke up.

"That's a shame, I'm sure that, if given the chance, your hair would look a lot prettier than it does now," answered the youkai with a touch of disappointement.

"Really?" she blurted out without even thinking and Kagura, who had been in the process of putting the brush down, froze in mid-gesture.

"Once all the knots and tangles have been smoothed out, I'm sure you'll look like a little princess," she replied, surprising herself by the sudden compliment. She hadn't really meant to say so much, but seeing the reaction of the ten years old before her told her it hadn't been such a bad slip after all.

Yuna was currently blushing so furiously that she was sure her face was going to explode. For some reason, the idea of looking like a princess made her incredibly jittery. She simply couldn't wait to see what she would look like. It was a long time since she had paid any attention to her appearance and it felt strangely good that someone close to her would suggest that she could be beautiful if given the chance.

"Kagura-sama..." she began, her voice faint with emotion. "Could you... do my hair... like yours," she finished in a quiet whisper.

Now _that_ was not something the sorceress had expected and it showed plainly on her face. As the shock faded though, she realized something else: the child wanted to look like her because she considered her beautiful. This warmed her heart and embarassed her both at the same time. But in the end, she couldn't do anything but smile tenderly at the ten years old before her.

"I'll see what I can do," she answered and promptly settled behind Yuna with brush in hand.

* * *

"So how long are you two going to be away," asked the sorceress who was currently supporting Sango. 

"Well, it should be around five days on Kirara's back to get there and as much to get back and then a few days to investigate. That should bring us to about two weeks," answered Kagome.

They were all gathered outside Kaede's hut to say their goodbyes to the pair. Shippo, Kaede, Miroku, Sango, Kagura and last but not least Yuna. The little girl had been quite a surprise when she and the sorceress had emerged from their room. Her hair had been combed free of all knots and tangles and had also been arranged in an exact reproduction of Kagura's haircut. Even the white feather was there. Though the child's timid nature had caused her to shy away behind the sorceress immediately upon entering the common room, Kagome had not failed to notice the tiny spark of pride glittering in her eyes.

"Sango... you take care of yourself," the young miko said as she got closer to the wounded demon slayer.

"Don't worry about me Kagome, you just make sure to come back in one piece," she answered and gave the other girl a pointed look.

Kagome didn't miss the stare and she smiled reassuringly in return. "Don't worry Sango, I'll be fine."

She then kneeled in front of Yuna, causing the child to take a small involuntary step toward Kagura.

"Yuna, you have very pretty hair, make sure to take good care of them so that they'll be even prettier when I get back ok?" she said with a smile.

The girl looked surprised for a second, but then she nodded mutely, a faint blush appearing on her cheek. Standing up, Kagome winked at the sorceress before turning around to face Inuyasha.

"Yo Kagura, be careful not to kill Miroku while we're gone. It's something we'd _all_ want to see," launched the hanyou, prompting amused chuckles from everyone but the sorceress and Yuna.

And then, seeing the monk's outraged expression, he immediately jumped on Kirara's back and extended his hand toward Kagome. The said girl took it and climbed behind him. "Goodbye everyone," she said turning back one last time. "See you in two weeks," she launched again and grabbed on the hanyou's back as Kirara took off in the sky.

"Is it just me or did they looked suddenly eager to leave?" questioned Kagura, once the pair had gone out of sight.

"I think you're right," Shippo answered with an amused smirk.

The sorceress's gaze shifted when she noticed that the monk was looking at her intently. "What?" she asked briskly, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Instead of answering, the monk simply raised his hand to his face in a praying position and murmured "All is vanity," before limping inside.

"Huh?" she answered intelligently, confused even more by the strange behavior.

Beside her, Sango sighed heavily and answered her question. "You just passed Miroku's beauty test. Pretty soon, he'll ask you to bear his child. He does that to every pretty woman he encounters," she muttered while shaking her head in discouragement.

"I see," answered the youkai, as she suddenly understood. "And what about the part about keeping him alive?" she asked again.

"The hand," Sango said. "Watch the hand," the slayer answered with an even heavier sigh than before.

Behind them, a bee that had been lazily walking on the wall of Kaede's hut decided to fly off. No one saw it but even if they had, would they even have paid attention? After all, there's nothing really peculiar about a bee flying around.

* * *

**Author's note:** Well the least we can say is that Kagome is having strange dreams indeed. And what about her powers undergoing some wierd changes. Yuna on the other hand is starting to wake up to her freedom, which is a good sign. Now then, the road to Midoriko's cave is long and many things can happen. So stay tuned next week for chapter 9: Unexpected encounter. I garantee you will like what is in store for our heroes.  



	10. Unexpected encounter

**Disclaimer: **Me no own Inuyasha, though sometimes I wish I did he he.  
**Note:** Well another week has passed and it's time for another chapter. There isn't much for me to say this week. No new reviews so no special thanks. I have almost 300 hits however so at least this is encouraging he he. Anyway, enjoy the chapter everyone.

**

* * *

Chapter 9: Unexpected encounter**

"So what do you think Inuyasha, will our going to Midoriko's cave really accomplish anything?" asked Kagome in a tone that clearly said she wasn't exactly hopeful to begin with.

"To be honest... I don't think so," replied the hanyou. "I do know that it's better than staying put and wait for Mattemaru to pounce on us though," he added.

"Yeah," agreed Kagome. "I feel a lot better doing something than just lying around waiting for him to come down on us," she finished while looking carefully at the fishes that were roasting over a small fire.

It was around midday and the pair had elected to stop near a small river for lunch. Their trip so far had been very uneventful, but then again, they had merely been gone for half a day. "Food's ready!" the girl announced as she straightened up.

This caught the attention of the other two other occupents of the small camp as surely as if a youkai had decided to show up. Kirara and Inuyasha promptly bounded nearer to the fire in hope of getting their share of food faster. It was rather comical to see and Kagome couldn't help but giggle a little at seeing the display.

"What's so funny?" asked the hanyou, eyes narrowed in suspicion. He had the distinct feeling that the girl was making fun of him.

"Oh nothing really, you just look like a bunch of hungry animals, that's all," replied the miko lightly, her amused smile never fading.

"Keh!" snorted the hanyou as he snatched the fish from Kagome's hand. "I'm not just any hungry animal, I'm _your_ hungry animal," he launched back and smirked as Kagome's cheeks turned bright red.

Sitting down, he started munching down on his food with smug satisfaction, the sweet taste of victory actually making the fish taste a lot better. The miko for her part handed another fish to the demanding Kirara and flopped down, her back to the hanyou, sulking and muttering unintelligable things while eating her own share of food.

As Shippo had once pointed out, when they weren't fighting youkai side by side, they would be fighting each other. In the beginning it had been true. The hanyou's aggressive and overly protective nature had lead them both to bitter and violent arguments. The event where Inuyasha had insinuated that something may have happened between her and Kouga after he had rescued her from the said wolf youkai had become virtually legendary. Over the years though, things had smoothed out considerably and while the two would constantly bicker at one another, it had become mostly a game where they showed each other affection. Now wasn't any exception to this rule and while the girl appeared to be sulking, there was no real anger behind it, she was merely plotting her revenge so to speak.

Finally, after a few minutes of silent chewing, the girl decided she had enough moping for one day and turned back to face Inuyasha. "You know, I'm surprised that you actually trusted Kagura enough to leave her in charge of everyone's safety," said the miko thoughtfully.

"Well I might be an animal..." he began in a slightly moking tone that earned him a glare from the miko. Smirking slightly, he continued, more seriously this time. "… but I'm not blind. I know a mother when I see one," he finished matter of factly.

"Yeah, I suppose you'd have to be blind not to see," she replied ruefully.

"Anyone trying to force his way through Kagura had better prepare himself for one hell of a challenge," she finished, a slight shiver running down her spine as she tried to imagine the thing.

The rest of the meal was spent in silence. As they started cleaning up their camp though, Inuyasha suddenly tensed up, Kirara started to growl agressively, though still in her small form, and Kagome felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

"Youki," spoke the hanyou warily. "And it's coming this way," he finished.

Sure enough, after a few moments of idle waiting, the river in front of them suddenly parted ways and a huge serpentine form emerged from its depth. For all its size and obvious strength, it was still a lower class youkai, and thus did not present much of a threat to them.

"Keh!" snorted the hanyou in obvious boredom. "What a disappointement, I was expecting something stronger than this," he finished in the same tone.

The huge serpent growled menacingly, but it felt confused nonetheless that the two people in front of it were not afraid of him. He had half a mind to stay put and consider the situation, but then it could see it, the source of the power that had called him here. It was hanging around the girl's neck. It didn't know what it was of course, but it knew it must have it. So, with a loud shriek, it lunged for it.

Seeing the attack, Inuyasha promptly reacted by grabbing Kagome and jumping away to safety. Danger thus avoided, he turned to his enemy with the obvious intent of making short work of it. He had taken one step forward when the miko stopped him.

"Wait Inuyasha," she said. "Leave it to me," she spoke with narrowed eyes. _"I want to see just how strong this taint is actually making me,"_ she thought to herself.

The hanyou was about to object, but then he saw the bluish aura of purification energy surrounding the miko. He abruptly realized that she was about to pull the same trick as when they had battled Mattemaru. Remembering the strength with which the said youkai had been hurled back, he had the sudden desire to get out of the miko's line of fire. "Are you sure you don't want me to finish him off?" he asked, just to be sure.

"Positive," came the immediate answer.

Shrugging, he moved back to her side and watched warily. If anything went wrong, he wanted to be ready to push Kagome out of danger. Even if the youkai was relatively weak compared to Naraku, it could still kill the miko in one blow.

For her part, Kagome was focused only on the enemy in front of her. Reaching into her soul, she called forth her powers and they immediately answered her plea. She _was_ getting the hang of this. This time though, something was subtly different. She couldn't really tell what, it was an indistinct sensation, hardly noticeable. But it was enough to tell her that there had been a slight change. _"Is this… the taint?"_ she asked herself, but she didn't have any time to ponder on this because her opponent suddenly lunged at her.

Immediately, she did as she had done with Mattemaru, she willed the flow of energy coursing through her to converge toward her hands. As the youkai in front of her got closer and closer, she let the energy build up and, right before it was on her, she let everything fly. An enormous beam of purification powers slammed into the serpent youkai and disintegrated it on contact.

The threat being gone, she closed her eyes and allowed her powers to reced back into the recesses of her soul. She then turned back to Inuyasha and caught him gaping at her. Smiling at his expression, she was about to make a humorous retort when her knees suddenly gave way.

The hanyou was on her in mere seconds. "Kagome, are you alright?" he asked in concern.

"Y... Yeah," she panted. Obviously, that little stunt had taken a lot more out of her than she thought. "Just a little... drained that's all," she added tiredly.

"Geez woman, don't scare me like that!" he admonished angrily. "But still... that _was_ a pretty neat trick," he continued as an afterthought.

She was a bit confused though, against Mattemaru, she had hardly breathed hard at all after her attack and now she had a hard time standing up. She was missing something there and wanted to find out. So with the hanyou's help she managed to struggle to her feet and turn around to survey the damage she had done. Her mouth dropped open in surprise. More than half of the serpent youkai was gone like it never existed. _"Surely I didn't channel _that_ much power,"_ she mused in complete bafflement. But the evidence was there, as little as she felt she had channeled, she had still brought forth enough energy to destroy almost any youkai that threatened her.

"Is something wrong Kagome?" asked the hanyou upon seeing her expression.

"What? Oh everything's fine really. It's just that I didn't expect my attack to be this strong," she answered truthfully.

"Well, one thing's for sure," began the hanyou. "If you can master this... I don't think we'll have to worry about the jewel falling into the wrong hands," he added in an impressed tone of voice.

"Yeah..." the miko replied absently. _"My god, if this is merely the beginning… just how powerful am I supposed to become?"_ she asked herself, a bit unnerved by the idea.

"Kagome!" he snapped, jarring her back to the present.

"W... What?" she stammered in surprise.

"Are you coming, we don't have all day?" he shot back in a rather annoyed tone of voice.

Looking at the hanyou, she noticed that he was standing near a transformed Kirara and was tapping his foot impatiently. "Well _excuse_ me for being impressed," she snapped back, but nonetheless, she moved and started gathering her things.

* * *

The clearing of the bone-eater's well was quiet under the midday sun. Only the gentle breeze would disturb the absolute silence that reigned over the place. But then, the sound of soft footsteps coming closer could be heard. A few minutes later, a shape clad in the red and white uniform of a miko made her appearance through the trees. At casual glance, one would have thought the woman to be Kagome and indeed the resemblance was uncanny. Same hair, same face, same height, same stature. The one difference resided in the eyes though. While Kagome's were full of warmth and life, those sported by the figure currently strolling through the clearing were cold and calculating. 

"The rumors were true, you look so much like her that's it's almost scary," a voice suddenly pierced the silence.

Turning around, the girl immediately spotted a shape leaning casually against a tree. The pointed ears, the sharp claws and fangs and also the tail denounced the speaker as being a youkai.

"I have no interest in a panther youkai," dismissed the miko in a cold tone and turned to leave.

"You're wasting your time," launched the feline, effectively catching the miko's attention.

Shifting her gaze once again to him, she narrowed her eyes in suspicion and shot the youkai a piercing glare. "How so?" she asked.

"Well, due to some annoying interference, the hanyou and your reincarnation left early this morning so you won't find him here Kikyo-_sama_," he answered with a hint of mockery at the title.

"Since you are so obviously well informed about everything, I suppose you also know where they went. But since you are too weak to face them, you come to me in hope of evening the odds," the miko stated.

"Quite correct," the youkai answered, ignoring the jab. "You see, I'm merely interested in the shikon jewel. If I can get my hands on it, the rest won't matter. So that is what I'm proposing: You can have the hanyou as long as I can have the jewel," he finished simply.

"So you can take it back to your master and be praised for it," added Kikyo with a cold smile.

Surprise flashed briefly over the youkai's features, but it was enough to confirm the miko's suspicion. "I thought so, you are too well informed to have worked alone on this," she cut in before the feline in front of her could place a word.

"As sharp as ever I see," smirked the youkai. "So what will it be? Yes or no?" he asked again.

"Fine, just as long as I can get Inuyasha," she answered after a few seconds of pondering.

"Well then, now that that's settled..." the youkai said and let out a shrill sound. Almost immediately the shadow of a bird darkened the sky and huge gusts of wind swiped at the pair as it made its landing.

Once everything had settled down, Kikyo was able to take in this new arrival. White head, dark brown feathers and sharp amber eyes. In short, the beast looked exactly like an eagle, only about fifty times bigger.

"Not exactly the best thing to have if you want to sneak up on someone," shot the miko critically.

"He may be big but when it comes to speed and eyesight, he can't be matched. He'll be able to spot them from so far that they won't even know we're there," said the youkai.

"I'll take your word for it," answered the miko coldly before starting to climb on the eagle's back, the panther demon close behind.

Once they were both securely in place, the bird took off in a gale of wind and in seconds they were out of sight. About half an hour after the two were gone, a dark shape wearing a cloak suddenly materialized in the clearing. It was immediately greeted by a small bee that started buzzing frantically.

After a few seconds of this, the figure known as Mattemaru chuckled lightly. "So they left heh? Exactly as planned," he said in a satisfied tone.

A few more buzzing from the insect and suddenly the youkai raised an eyebrow. "Midoriko's cave? Now there's an interesting destination," he commented, visibly amused. "In any case, the important thing is that they actually left. To where is not important," he finished.

"So then, what else do you have?" he asked the bee after a second of silence.

Another buzzing fit prompted a frown to appear on the normally bubbly kitsune's face. "Kikyo and another youkai?" he asked seriously.

"A giant eagle?" he said after yet another buzzing session from the bee.

"Well it seems like _She's_ starting to pick up the pace," launched Mattemaru with obvious amusement. "Kikyo and Kagome face to face… this promises to be quite a show, I definitively don't want to miss it," he added with obvious anticipation.

"I'm going to go and see how the competition fares," he shot to the bug before heading off.

The insect immediately flew in front of him and started buzzing in what appeared to be an angry way. "Of course! Silly me," Mattemaru exclaimed. "Here you go, that's for a job well done, keep it up," he said and threw a small round object that the bee caught in midair.

"Now, time for me to take my leave if I want to be in time for the opening act," he chuckled right before disappearing into thin air.

_

* * *

"Okay, one more time,"_ thought Kagome as she once again let her power flow.

Ever since her battle against the serpent youkai four days before, the miko had devoted a few hours every evening to the mastering of her "new" skill. Kaede had definitively not been lying when she said that this taint was making her stronger, it still gave her the chills at how she had disintegrated that youkai without really trying. So, in order to prevent any unfortunate accident, the girl had firmly decided to master her powers completely, taint or no taint. So far, her progress was good as she had learned to dose her bursts, thus avoiding the unfortunate and also dangerous side-effect of passing out when she was drained.

Now though, she was trying to test a theory. It was Inuyasha who had inadvertently spurred this experiment when he had slain a youkai with the Tessaiga earlier that day. She had then wondered if it was possible to control the flow of power enough to make a blade out of it. So there she was now, focusing all her attention on her right hand where the energy was concentrated. She was currently stuck though. No matter how hard she tried, she could not push the flow more that a few inches out of her hand without losing control of it.

Sighing, she finally decided to give up for now, she could feel fatigue beginning to cloud her mind and that was not a good sign. "No good," she murmured as her powers receded back to the depths of her soul.

"Something the matter?" asked the hanyou who had caught her last retort.

"Not really," answered the miko while wiping her brow with her sleeve. "I just tested something and it didn't work," she finished, stiffling a yawn.

The hanyou only nodded in answer. He wasn't sure he fully understood Kagome's explanations about channeling and controlling the flows of purification energy, but he knew two things. One: it was powerful. The way she had torched that serpent youkai a few days ago was proof enough of that. And two: Stay away from her when she's training. Last night he had carelessly walked up to her and surprised her. It had broken her concentration and she had accidently released an energy blast at him. Luckily, the blow had merely grazed his forearm, but even through his fire rat haori, his arm had been burned. He didn't want to think about what would have happened if it had fully connected.

"Anyway, I'm going to go take a bath," said the miko, jarring him out of his thoughts. "Don't peek," she admonished.

"Keh! Why would I? There's nothing to see," he said apparently bored out of his mind.

"Really now," answered the miko. "So you won't mind if I undress here then," she added mischeviously.

"If that's what you want," he shot back, calling her bluff. At least he thought it was one until she started to fumble with the laces of her hakama. _"She's _doing_ it?"_ he thought in complete bafflement. Sniffing the air discreetely, he tried to detect anything that would tell him she was _not_ going to go through with this. The only thing he could detect though was... excitement. _"What the hell? She's not only _doing_ it, she's actually _enjoying_ it!" _he thought with growing apprehension.

Frantically he jumped to his feet and firmly took hold of her hands. "Dammit wench, stop this nonsense!" he exclaimed, his heart thundering in his chest.

Fiery golden orbs locked with surprised brown ones for a few seconds until Kagome broke off in a fit of giggles. She then shook her hands free of the hanyou and proceeded to tie back the laces she had undone. "You're cute when your embarassed did you know that Inuyasha?" she said playfully and before he could think of a reply, she disappeared through the trees toward the hotspring they had been lucky enough to find.

Once she was safely away, the hanyou let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. "Damn that woman!" he mumbled angrily as he flopped in front of the fire. "What the hell did she think she was doing!" he continued in the same tone.

In truth, he wasn't exactly angry, but the idea of seeing Kagome naked somehow made his blood boil. He could easily picture her curves, the creaminess of her skin, its smoothness, the warmth emanating from her body... "Argh! That's IT! I need to break something!" exclaimed the hanyou, unable to get his passion under control.

Abruptly standing up, he whirled around only to come face to face with a figure clad in red and white, face hidden in darkness. He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed Kagome's return. "What? Did you forget something?" he snapped.

"I think it is you who forgot something Inuyasha," the figure answered. While she said this the figure moved toward the fire and revealed her face to the hanyou.

His blood that had been boiling a mere second ago abruptly turned to ice as he saw who exactly it was that emerged from the forest. "Kikyo," he whispered, dread kreeping up his spine.

* * *

Kagome couldn't help but giggle at Inuyasha's reaction. She hadn't really meant to go that far, things merely happened on their own and before she knew it, she had found herself unable to back away. Strangely, she found the idea of the hanyou seeing her naked more exciting than embarassing. Unknowingly, she found herself wondering what _he_ would look like naked. The feel of his muscles rippling under her touch, his warm breath against her neck, his... _"Get a grip girl, you're starting to sound like a female version of Miroku,"_ she berated herself. 

As it was she had reached her destination anyway. The inviting waters of the hotspring lay just a few feet in front of her. Humming slightly in anticipation, she made to undo the lace of her hakama when the hair on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end.

Whirling around, she barely had time to see a dark shape barreling toward her before she found herself sprawled on the ground, the humanoid shape straddling her. Acting on instinct alone, the miko threw her head to the side and the blow that would have surely killed her merely grazed the side of her neck. The slight pain it caused was enough to wipe the shock from her mind and make it function again though.

Turning her head to face her opponent, she was able to take him in for the first time. Pointed ears and sharp fangs told her immediately it was yet another youkai coming for the jewel. It took a mere instant for her to note all this and an instant was all it took for her opponent to get over his surprise at having missed its intended target.

"Lucky bitch," he hissed malevolently. "But I won't miss a second time," he said and with that, he placed his left hand on her forehead, crushing her scalp roughly, while he poised his right hand for another strike.

"Get your dirty hands off of me," she shot him in a cold and emotionless voice.

A look of surprise flashed of the youkai's face but was quickly replaced with a feral smirk. "Or else what? You're going to call upon your hanyou friend?" he chuckled.

Bringing his face an inch from Kagome's, he locked his gaze to hers and started talking again. "Don't count on it, he's probably in hell with that undead miko by now," he whispered cruelly.

"No..." Kagome breathed, her eyes widening in horror.

Straightening up, the youkai couldn't help but laugh in sick pleasure at seeing its prey's despair. Victory was so close that he could virtually taste it, the jewel was mere seconds away from falling into his possession. In his mirth though, he made the mistake of not paying attention to the miko under him. So it was that the next thing he knew, he found himself encased in a huge beam of purification energy. His laughter abruptly turned into a blood curling scream as the miko power destroyed his cells one after the other.

Grunting with the effort of maintaining that powerful of a flow, Kagome watched as the last of the youkai dissipated into thin air, effectively silencing him. Only then did she allow her powers to recede to the back of her soul. "Dammit! I... I... channeled... too much," she panted as dots danced in front of her eyes.

Gritting her teeth, she laboriously started to get to her feet. Between unconsciousness that threatened to overtake her and a body that demanded rest more than anything, Kagome somehow found herself on her feet, holding against a tree in order to keep her balance. Breathing hard from the effort, she shifted her weight and started staggering toward the camp, grabbing at whatever she could to remain standing.

"Inuyasha..." she whispered in a silent prayer, hoping beyond hope that she would be able to reach the hanyou in time to prevent the worst.

From the trees in the opposite direction she had gone to, the air suddenly started to shimmer and the shape of Mattemaru slowly came into focus. "Now _that_ was very nice, albeit a little short maybe," he commented gleefully.

"Still, it would have been nice if she had left _something_ worth taunting," he added, bending down and picking up a small piece of fabric that had miraculously survived the miko's wrath.

"Oh well, that's life I suppose," he shrugged nonchalantly. "Okay then, act two is about to start and I definitively don't want to miss that," he snickered and with that, he disappeared into thin air once again.

* * *

**Author's note:** Well, I did say that I had plans for Kikyo didn't I he he he. So the taint on Kagome's powers is making her really powerful, even she's impressed by it. And of course, our favorite undead miko is back in the picture. What will happen, will Inuyasha follow her to hell? Stay tuned next week for another exciting chapter. As always, read and review (and don't kill me for the cliffhanger or you'll never see how things turn out he he he). 


	11. For Inuyasha

**Disclaimer:** Well, Inuyasha and the gang are not my property... as usual.  
**Note:** Well, first of all, I would like to thanks Nicole for her two reviews. Thanks to you, I finally broke the two digits which makes me very happy :). Second of all, I dedicated a lot of energy to this chapter, I rewrote it at least three times before actually coming up with what you have there. My only hope is that it will be up to your expectations. So without further ado, let the story continue.

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* * *

Chapter 10: For Inuyasha**

"Kikyo, what the hell are you doing here?" asked the hanyou, dread filling his whole being.

"So you really _have_ forgotten," the undead miko answered, somewhat sadly.

"Forgotten? Kikyo what _are_ you talking about?" he inquired again, suddenly fearful of what was coming.

"Your promise Inuyasha. Your promise to come with me to hell once Naraku was defeated. Or have you even forgotten giving me your word?" she asked, anger flashing in her eyes.

Upon hearing those words, the hanyou's blood already cold brutally solidified in his veins. His heart stopped beating in his chest and his breath caught in his throat. He stood there, unable to move, unable to breathe, unable to get so much as a word out of his constricted throat.

Seeing his expression, Kikyo smirked slightly, though it did nothing to soften her cold features. "So you _do_ remember," she said, strolling casually closer to the hanyou.

When she reached him, she gently cupped his face with her hands and he couldn't help but wince slightly at the coldness of the contact. "What happened to you Inuyasha, do you resent my touch now?" she asked, eyes narrowing in anger and suspicion.

"Kikyo..." he finally managed to utter in a hoarse whisper. But the undead miko didn't give him the chance to continue.

"It's her isn't it? That barely clothed wench from the future, she swayed your heart away from me!" she exclaimed in disdain.

She realized she had made a mistake when she saw anger flash in the hanyou's eyes. Abruptly, he grabbed her by the throat and lifted her so that she was eye-level with him. "Don't you dare insult her, you hear me?" he growled menacingly.

At that moment, a blood curling scream shattered the silence of the clearing. It lasted a few seconds before it was cut short abruptly. "Fine," she agreed. "I'll leave her out of this if it is what you wish for, now release me," she ordered with a strange gleam in her eyes.

The hanyou complied, though he couldn't help but feel suspicious about Kikyo's sudden compliance. "What are you up to? And what was that scream?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

"This is beside the point, I came here for one purpose only and that is to make you honor your word. You _will_ come to hell with me," she shot fiercely.

The undertone "whether you want to or not" was obvious enough that the hanyou easily caught it. He felt confused at that, why was the woman so intent on making him keep his word? Why was she behaving like this? And what about that gleam in her eyes when the scream had been heard, had it been... satisfaction?

"Kikyo..." he started but trailed off as a scent suddenly tickled his nostrils. Fear once again filled his being as he recognized it and immediately associated it with the scream he had just heard: "Kagome's blood!" he exclaimed in horror.

Turning his head to the undead miko, he shot her an accusatory glance. "You knew didn't you?" he rasped, trying desperately to keep his rage under control.

"It doesn't matter anymore," replied Kikyo coldly. "The girl is most likely dead or dying by now," she added in an emotionless tone.

"Why!" screamed the hanyou in agony. "Why did you do something like this?" he yelled again.

"I did nothing!" she shot back equally angry now. "I needed to get to you and the youkai merely provided me with a way to do it," she answered with not even a touch of regret in her voice.

"But... you did not... exactly try to... stop him... did you?" said the panting voice of Kagome from behind them.

Swirling around, the hanyou immediately spotted her at the edge of the clearing. She was holding on to a branch, trying desperately to remain standing despite her obvious exhaustion. As he noted all this though, there was a sharp cracking sound and her support suddenly gave way under her weight, making her lose her balance.

"Kagome!" cried the hanyou, immediately bounding toward the falling girl. He reached her just in time to catch her in his arms.

"God Kagome, are you alright? You're bleeding!" exclaimed the hanyou as he shifted her in a more comfortable position.

"I'm ok, it's just a scratch," she answered, squeezing his arm reassuringly. "I was so afraid that I would never see you again," she said softly, wrapping her arms around him and holding on tightly.

"Don't worry Kagome, I'm not going anywhere," he whispered tenderly, hugging her back.

Behind the pair, Kikyo looked with growing anger at the intimate scene currently unfolding before her. _"Damn that girl, she has no right to hold Inuyasha that way! He belongs to me and no one else!"_ she seethed inwardly.

"Yes you are Inuyasha. You're coming to hell with me," she spat in a cold and venomous tone that would have made even Naraku flinch.

"Kikyo..." began the hanyou, unable to find the right words to convey what he was feeling right now. He still cared for the undead miko, he couldn't deny that, but he cared even more about Kagome. How was he to ever get out of this situation?

As it turned out, he was saved from having to answer by Kagome who actually did it for him. "So he doesn't even have a say in this matter? You're going to strip him of his very right to live?" asked the girl accusingly.

"He already made his choice when he gave me his word," answered the Kikyo cooly.

Pushing away from the hanyou, Kagome struggled to her feet. It was difficult as her legs were wobbly and threatened to give way, but she would not back away from this. It was time to make her stand, to settle things with the undead miko once and for all.

"Why Kikyo, why on earth are you so intent on making him stay true to his word?" she asked suspiciously.

"This does not concern you," answered Kikyo flatly, eyes narrowing in a scowl, effectively hiding the confusion she felt right now.

"I think it does Kikyo, because if Inuyasha keeps his promise, I'll be the one left behind, I'll be the one to left to cry over his dead body," shot Kagome firmly.

"And if he chooses _not_ to keep his word, _I'll_ be the one left behind, I'll be the one to cry as I see him move away from me," the undead miko shot back and immediately regretted it.

In a moment of anger, she let slip a lot more than she had intended and from the surprised look Kagome was giving her, it was plain that the hidden meaning behind her words had definitively not gone unnoticed.

"You're... jealous!" exclaimed the girl in a tone halfway between a question and an affirmation.

Angry. That's what Kikyo felt right now. Angry at Kagome for trying to take Inuyasha away from her. Angry at herself for having revealed more than she had intented. And finally, angry at Inuyasha for having been so hesitant, if he had not stalled for so long, they would both be happy in hell right now. Thinking of the hanyou, the miko couldn't help but shift her gaze slightly to look at him. That was not a good idea. She was confronted with a look so filled with hurt and betrayal that it made her take an involuntary step back. However, what really made this gaze so unbearable was the incredulity swimming in it, telling her that despite everything, Inuyasha refused to believe that Kagome was telling the truth.

Unable to stand it any longer, she tore her eyes away from the hanyou, feeling something break within her in the process. She had lost, utterly and simply. By looking away, she had admitted to the truth and had thus wasted her last chance of ever winning back Inuyasha's heart. He would never agree to come to hell with her now, not now that he knew how low she had stooped. Ice seemed to envelop her heart, thankfully numbing the agony she felt right now. She may have looked cold and uncaring. She may have been jealous of the couple in front of her. She may have tried everything she could to break them apart, but she had loved the hanyou with all her heart and to lose him like this... No words could describe the sensation.

"Kikyo?" asked Kagome in confusion when the undead miko turned around without a word and started walking away.

The miko stopped and turned to look at her. "If you ever break Inuyasha's heart, I will personally kill you," she spoke in a tone so cold that the very air around her seemed to solidify.

So that was it? Kikyo was actually going to leave Inuyasha in her care without so much as a word in edgewise? This didn't feel right, something had happened that she had missed. Something that had made Kikyo simply give up. Something that had hurt her beyond belief, because she hadn't missed the pain in her eyes as she had spoken her last words. Quickly coming to a decision, she turned to Inuyasha and spoke urgently to him.

"Inuyasha... you can't just let her leave like this, you have to do something!" she demanded.

The hanyou shot Kagome an incredulous look before he spoke up. "But..." he said uncertainly.

"No 'buts' didn't you see how hurt she was? Dammit, she loves you with all her heart, no matter what she did and I know you still love her. There has to be a way to let her see that and the only person who can do this is you. So go before it's too late!" and with that she shoved him toward the retreating miko.

He took a hesitant step forward and looked at Kagome who merely nodded firmly in encouragement. Finally, squaring his shoulders, he leaped forward and landed in front of Kikyo, who took a step back in surprise.

"What do you want now Inuyasha? Haven't I done enough already?" asked Kikyo angrily.

"Do you honestly think that I would let you leave like this?" questioned back the hanyou, equally hotly.

The miko looked up at the hanyou in surprise. Surely he couldn't be _that_ heartless!

"How can I possibly be happy when it's plain to see that you're agonizing inside! Dammit I still love you Kikyo and nothing's ever going to change that! I may not want to go to hell with you, but I can't just discard you like nothing ever happened!" he snapped again.

"Stop trying to be a hero Inuyasha," hissed the miko as she started to brush past him. Well at least, he wasn't _that_ heartless, but it made walking away all the more difficult.

The hanyou grabbed her by the arm and promptly pulled her back in her original position. "And stop trying to be a goddam martyr! There's no right way to solve this situation, but I'll be damned if I let you walk away from me with tears in your eyes," he snapped back.

With that said, he wrapped her in his arms and kissed her. She immediately tried to break free from his iron grip, she twisted, she pushed, she punched, she trashed as much as she could, but he wouldn't budge. His lips remained pressed against her own, firmly but tenderly conveying his feelings like no words ever could.

Her struggle increased as she started to feel the ice around her heart rapidly melt away along with her resolve. She had to get out of here! This was all wrong! Inuyasha was supposed to hate her and yet he was kissing her. This was all Kagome's fault! she had put him up to this! She felt the burning flame of anger start to rise within her at the memory of her rival and was grateful for the distraction, but even this died down under the hanyou's unwavering kiss.

In one last desperate attempt to break free, she placed her hands against his chest with the intention of pushing as hard as she could, but her body betrayed her. Instead of stopping at the intended position, her hands continued upward until they met the firm muscles of his shoulders and then, they wrapped around his neck tightly, bringing her in closer to him instead of away from him. So, in the space of a few minutes, Kikyo once again admitted defeat, though this time, she had to admit that it felt rather good to surrender.

After a blissful eternity, the two finally broke their embrace to look in each other's eyes. "Why Inuyasha... why did I ever fall in love with you in the first place?" asked Kikyo as she buried herself in the folds of his haori.

"I don't know... I really don't know," answered the hanyou in kind.

From his point of view, Inuyasha was able to see Kagome plainly. He could see that she had an understanding smile on her face. He felt his heart constrict in his chest at the sight. He knew he had hurt her by doing what he did. That had been the price to pay for healing Kikyo's heart. Yet... she understood his feelings, she understood his heart so well it was almost disconcerting at times. And that was why she wouldn't allow her sadness to show right now even if it was plain obvious that she was suffering.

_"No matter what I do, one of them always gets hurt,"_ he reflected sadly.

This had been meant to be a personal thought never to be heard by anyone but himself and yet, in his pain, he had unknowingly spoken aloud. The tone had been very soft, hardly above a murmur, but Kikyo, being as close as she was, did not miss it. This caused the undead miko to realize something important, something her mind, too clouded by hatred and jealousy, had not been able to realize until now.

_"The one who is really suffering through all of this is neither me nor Kagome. It's... Inuyasha,"_ she thought in sudden illumination.

And from that, there was only one small step to take to reach yet another realization. He was suffering because she and Kagome were apart from each other, because their souls, originally one, were now two. This left but a single course of action, a course she wasn't sure she liked, but a course that had to be taken nonetheless... for the hanyou's sake.

"Inuyasha..." she said, pulling slightly away to look at him in the eyes. "Thank you... for everything," she finished with a shaky smile.

Had she still been human, she would have cried then, but her fake body did not allow such luxury. And so, with one last look at the hanyou's confused face, she broke free of his embrace and headed straight for Kagome. By the time she reached the girl, the pain in her features was replaced by determination.

"Let us put an end to all of this," she spoke in a level tone of voice.

"Huh?" blinked Kagome, not understanding in the least what the woman in front of her meant.

"It is time for my soul to go back where it belongs," she explained.

"But Kikyo... if you do that you'll..." Kagome stuttered as her eyes widened in understanding.

"What? Die?" asked the undead miko wryly. "Rejoining your soul does not exactly match my own definition of this term."

"And besides, as long as there's two of us, Inuyasha will never be able to move on. Guilt and remorse will eat at him until he dies. That is why we must become one again. Not for me, not for you, but for Inuyasha," she continued more seriously.

If Kagome had had any reservation about the course of action proposed by Kikyo, they all vanished when her eyes met the undead miko's. There was more emotions dancing in there than she could count, but what really captured her attention was that burning desire overpowering everything else. The same desire that burned brightly inside of her. The desire to make Inuyasha happy. When she saw that, Kagome's doubts vanished and, with a look that mirrored the woman in front of her, she extended her hand.

"For Inuyasha," she said firmly.

"For Inuyasha," repeated Kikyo while taking hold of the extended hand.

As soon as their body touched, a pulse of energy emanated from the two of them, quickly followed by a bright light as the lost souls contained inside the undead miko's body escaped to the heavens. After an undetermined time, the flow stopped and Kikyo collapsed to her knees. With great difficulty, she managed to raise her head to look at her reincarnation.

"I know that you will succeed where I failed Kagome. I know you will make Inuyasha happy," she whispered with a smile before one last soul exited her body.

This one however did not ascend to the heavens, it instead started slowly swirling around Kagome's body, almost lazily before finally moving slightly away and plunging directly into her chest. This caused Kagome to jerk violently backward as if she had been shoved by someone. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened in a silent scream before she too collapsed on the ground.

"KAGOME!" exclaimed Inuyasha and in a flash, he had bounded beside her and gathered her in his arms.

"Kagome, are you all right? Answer me please!" he begged.

He heaved a sigh of relief when the girl looked up at him dizzily and smiled. "I'm okay Inuyasha..." she murmured. "...And so is Kikyo," she added unexpectedly.

The hanyou blinked in surprise and confusion at that last addition, causing the smile on Kagome's face to widen a little. "She's right here Inuyasha," explained the miko while putting her hand to her heart. "I can feel her soul pulsing beside my own."

"You mean that you two haven't merged completely?" he asked in surprise and confusion.

"We are one... but at the same time we aren't. I can't really explain it," finished the girl, causing Inuyasha to feel even more confused than before.

He cast the girl in his arms a searching glance before giving up trying to understand altogether. "And is she... happy where she is?" he asked, his features creased with something very close to guilt.

Kagome's eyes glazed over for a few seconds before they once again focused on him. Instead of answering, the girl pushed herself up from his lap and encircled his neck with her arms. She then tenderly pressed her lips against his, answering his question with actions instead of words. It wasn't long before the hanyou got the message and started kissing back. It felt really strange. It was like he was kissing both Kikyo and Kagome at the same time and yet... despite the oddity, it felt… right, it felt like this was how things had been meant to be from the very beginning.

"What do you think Inuyasha? Is she happy or sad?" asked Kagome once the two had broken their embrace.

The hanyou smirked a little at that before answering. "I think she's happy Kagome, I think she's happy."

Before the two could get another word out, a clapping sound suddenly erupted from the side of the clearing. "Bravo!" exclaimed a voice they would have rather not heard at this moment. "Nicely done! Encore!" praised Mattemaru, as if what he had just witnessed had been a show of some sort.

"You!" growled Inuyasha, jumping on his feet and unsheating the Tessaiga in the same movement.

For the first time, the couple was able to take in his appearance, his cloak having masked most of his features during their first encounter. His hair was a very dark color that looked something between red and brown. The traditional pointed ears and fangs were coupled with a pair of dark blue eyes that shimmered in the light of the fire.

"Oh! As aggressive as ever I see," mocked the youkai.

"I should have known. You're the only one capable of coming up with such a twisted situation and actually enjoy it," accused Kagome as she also struggled to her feet.

"Well, you were right on one thing: I did enjoy it, quite a lot I may say. But I'm afraid that I can't take credit for the arrangements," admitted Mattemaru with a shrug.

"Nice try bastard! Who else would know where to find us beside you… and come to think of it, how _did_ you manage to catch up to us?" asked the hanyou, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Well I _am_ a kitsune and kitsune are full of surprises," he said as if that answered everything. At that moment the air around him shimmered and he disappeared, only to reappear behind the baffled pair.

"Keh! Just what we need, a kitsune who can actually teleport," snorted the hanyou in annoyance once the shock had worn off.

"I'm impressed, you actually know about this talent, not many have actually heard of it," mocked the youkai.

"Oh spear me the compliment! This can explain a lot of things, but it doesn't prove that you weren't behind that little encounter we just had," snapped the hanyou angrily.

Ever since she had spoken her one reply, Kagome had remained silent as something tugged at her. For some reason, she just knew that Mattemaru was speaking the truth, though she couldn't explain why. It was an indistinct sensation, something about…

_"Well, due to some annoying interference, the hanyou and your reincarnation left early this morning so you won't find him here Kikyo-sama," he answered with a hint of mockery at the title._

Kagome blinked as the vision dissipated as suddenly as it had come, leaving her a little disoriented. This had been one of Kikyo's memory, one about her meeting with the youkai that had attacked her. But what did it mean? Why did Kikyo…

_"Annoying interference!"_ the words resonated in her mind like a gong, making her dizzy with comprehension.

They had left _because_ of Mattemaru so if the youkai had actually worked with the kitsune he would never have said something like that. Her heart froze in her chest as she realized something else. This conversation had happened beside the bone-eater's well, very near Kaede's village meaning that they had actually managed to _catch up_ to them, meaning that they not only knew exactly where they were going, but also that they could move very fast.

"Mattemaru… tell me that youkai was working alone," said Kagome with a haunted look on her face.

"Well looks like _someone_ finally realized the truth," mocked the kitsune flippantly. "As for working alone, I think you already know the answer to that question."

"What's all this shit about working alone?" asked Inuyasha, visibly angry at being left out of something so important.

"You can always ask your woman there, I'm sure she'd be happy to explain. As for me, I have some other matters to attend to," replied the kitsune with a small bow.

Before the hanyou could even think of something to reply, the air around Mattemaru shimmered and he disappeared. "Dammit!" exclaimed a very pissed Inuyasha.

He then turned to Kagome in the hope of getting an explanation but met only empty air as the girl was in the process of furiously rummaging through her backpack for god knows what. "Goddammit will someone please explain to me what the hell's going on?" he screamed in frustration.

Instead of the awaited answer, the hanyou only got a satisfied "ah ha!" as Kagome finally found what she was looking for: Her blanket. Still without a word, the girl headed toward Kikyo's body, which had not moved from its kneeling position and carefully laid the fabric on the ground right next to it. And then she went to the other side of the statue and tipped it over so that it fell on top of the blanket. The impact of the fall was too much for the clay to endure and it shattered, making a nice pile of dust. All that was left for the girl to do was pull the four corners together in a knot to make sure nothing would fall out of the makeshift pouch and put the thing back in her yellow backpack.

Only then did she noticed that Inuyasha had not moved an inch since Mattemaru had left. "For crying out loud Inuyasha! Are you going to stand there all night or are you going to help me gather our things together?" she asked frustratedly.

"Well I would probably be more enclined to help you if I had any idea of what the hell's going on," the hanyou snapped back, visibly shaking with the effort of holding his temper in check.

Sighing impatiently, Kagome started explaining her reasoning. "Okay. First of all, Mattemaru was not lying. He didn't plan our 'little encounter' as you named it," she began but was interrupted by the hanyou.

"Look, I'm not stupid wench. If Mattemaru wasn't behind all of this, then somebody else was. Somebody who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. And that probably means that they're going to try and kidnap one of our friends in order to exchange him for the jewel," he shot back with a scowl.

"If you already figured this much out, why on earth are you still standing there?" questioned Kagome incredulously.

"Well, why do you think we left Kagura behind?" asked the hanyou.

"Okay mister dense, let me start things from the beginning," said the miko in a voice that was too calm to be natural.

"First of all, the youkai I killed brought Kikyo with him, meaning that he knew about our past relationship," she began, ticking down one finger.

"Second of all, he waited for the specific moment when the two of us became separated to strike, knowing full well that a head-on attack would lead to failure," she continued, ticking one more finger down.

"And last but not least, when the youkai finally did attack, he went straight for me. He tried to kill me before I had a chance to summon my powers and he sent you Kikyo to prevent any form of interference on your part," she finished.

"Now tell me Inuyasha. If _one single_ youkai was able to get within an inch of stealing the jewel. Do you honestly think that Kagura will be able to stand up to the rest of the group?" she asked angrily.

The haunted expression on the hanyou's face told Kagome in no uncertain terms that he had finally understood her point. He remained frozen for about a second, reality sinking in, before he suddenly exploded, becoming a flurry of movement. Only one word ever escaped his mouth during this whole process. A word that the hanyou had spoken countless times in the past but that ironically described the current situation with disconcerting accuracy.

"SHIT!"

* * *

**Author's note:** Well, down a cliffhanger right up to another he he. Oh how cruel life is. So Kikyo is finally back where she belongs. The funny thing is that when I wrote the lines about Kagome saying that "we are one but at the same time we aren't", I myself didn't know exactly what it could mean. It sort of popped out on it's own he he. Anyway, next chapter is going to be about the gang as they enjoy a little quiet time before things explode. Miroku's going to have more than his hands full trying to fend off both Kagura and Sango and Yuna is going to reveal a hidden talent that no one expected. So stay tuned next week for chapter 11: The calm before the storm.  



	12. The calm before the storm

**Disclaimer:** Inuyasha not mine, never was and never will.  
**Note:** I would like to thank trekker4life, nicole and Batto-jitsu for their reviews this time. A special thank for nicole who voiced her opinion in a rather vehement way he he he.  
**Special Note:** I would like to thank trekker4life for pointing out one mistake (out of many I'm sure) I made about writing moral instead of morale. It has been corrected and I reposted the prologue with the error corrected. There is one thing I would like to point out though and it's about my choice of spelling for Inuyasha's sword. I invite you to go to** (w w w . a n i m e - k r a z e . o r g)** and go to their forum section. There, you will find a translation issues section. Go to the search link and type Tetsusaiga. The second result should be "The end to the Tetsusaiga-> Tessaiga debate". Read all you want, but in short, I merely went with the Tessaiga faction so it is not a mistake on my part.

**

* * *

Chapter 11: The calm before the storm**

"Are you certain that everything will be alright?" asked Kaede dubiously.

"Perfectly certain, Kaede-sama, now go, that sick child needs you more than us right now," reassured Miroku.

"If you say so," replied the miko, though it was plain obvious that she didn't believe a word the monk had said. "In any case, I'll be back around sunset, try not to break anything," she admonished sternly while adjusting her umbrella hat.

"Rest assured Kaede-sama, your hut is in good hands," said the monk in his ever calm tone.

The old miko humphed a little at that, but nonetheless turned around and walked outside in the heavy rain. It had been six days since Inuyasha and Kagome had gone and little of importance had happened. The gang had taken quite a liking to Yuna however, especially Shippo who found in her the playmate he always dreamed of having. It warmed everyone's heart to see her slowly cast away her slave's skin and become a sweet and innocent ten years old once again.

But it was by far Kagura who surprised everyone the most. Once she had overcome her initial embarassement at being stuck doing simple chores like laundry and cleaning, she had proven herself to be a most enjoyable companion. She had learned quickly how the current flowed in the small group, especially when it came to matters concerning a certain lecherous monk. As Sango had predicted, the man had eventually asked his trademark question. A threat to chop his personal parts off and feed them to the birds had been more than enough to keep Miroku and his venturing hand at bay though. All in all, she and Yuna were fitting in rather nicely. Even the villagers had stopped staring at the unfamiliar youkai so she could walk around freely without having heads turn in her direction, much to her relief.

_"Not that it would be much of a problem today,"_ mused the sorceress, a wry smile appearing on her face, though it was quickly replaced with a frown.

Ever since she had been awake, the female youkai had had an ominous feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had the distinct impression that something bad was going to happen today, though she couldn't tell exactly what. So it was somewhat of a relief when Kaede had been summoned to another village to treat a sick child. She now knew that whatever would happen, the miko wouldn't be part of it. Her brooding was interrupted by the enthusiastic call of Yuna

"Kagura-sama, please you have to try this game," said the child eagerly.

_"Oh well, we'll just have to see how things turn out,"_ she mused, shrugging off the matter for the moment.

Turning around, she noticed that everyone was sitting in a circle, holding strange rectangular things with symbols she couldn't quite make out from the distance. "Oh? And what game would that be?" she asked as she made her way to the sitting bunch.

"It is a very entertaining game that Kagome-sama brought from her home," explained the monk.

"It's called Uno," cut in Sango from her place in the circle. "The object of the game is to..." she cut short as she drew a card from the stack, a wicked smile appearing on her face when she saw what it was. "Draw four Miroku and the color is now red," she exclaimed, prompting a groan from the monk.

"Get rid of all the things you hold in your hand I presume?" guessed the sorceress.

"Cards actually, but you got the right idea," answered the demon slayer while watching with sick satisfaction the number of cards increase in the man's hand.

"You know, you're right Yuna, it does sound like fun," said Kagura, an evil smile dancing on her lips as she looked at the monk.

Miroku couldn't help but feel a small chill run down his spine as the sorceress sat down thus enlarging the circle. _"It's going to be a long game,"_ he mused and looked around the other players discreetly. Shippo had a malicious twinkle in his eyes when he looked at him. Yuna was trying hard to look like she was only focusing on her game, but her eyes darted to him every few seconds and a gleam of amusement could be seen dancing in their depth. And of course, there was the predatory looks he received from Sango and Kagura, the two of them looked just about ready to eat him alive.

_"Yep, quite long indeed,"_ he reflected once again as he dropped one of his numerous cards on the pile.

* * *

Thirty miles east of where Inuyasha's gang were playing cards, there was an array of long abandoned huts that had, at one point been a village. The soil was all rocks and angles, making it close to impossible for even weeds to grow. This was probably the reason why the people originally living here had left. However, as desolated and quiet as the place was, one silhouette could be seen standing in the village's square, totally ignoring the rain violently pouring down, as if waiting for something. 

It was clad in a black robe quite similar to the one Miroku wore, except without the purple streaks. It had dark eyes that were devoid of any pupils thus giving it an unnatural expression. If you added to this the sharp fangs and pointed ears, you ended up with a bone chilling face that was definitively female looking. She was also holding a very particular staff. The thing was about as tall as she was, which made it around six foot in size. It was made of wood, all twisted and gnarled to give it an ominous look and it had a dark purplish gem embedded in its end that pulsed every now and then with evil energy.

The figure looked up when a loud and piercing screech could be heard over the noise of the rain. The large form of a bird could be seen making its way through the storm toward where the youkai was currently standing. It made its landing, causing violent gusts of wind to blow water and mud everywhere. Somehow, the fact that her robe was now covered in dirt and that an eagle about fifty times her size was standing in front of her didn't seem to phase her at all. If anything, she even seemed pleased at that occurance.

"So you've come back Washisuto," she said to the bird, her voice dry and cracky.

The eagle shifted his head lightly as if acknowledging the youkai in front of him and let out a series of low wailing sounds.

"I see, it's just as I predicted. That fool failed miserably," she continued, as if answering to what the bird had said.

"You there!" she spoke sharply, whirling around. This caused a bunch of panther youkai to suddenly come into view.

"Go to the village and kidnap one of them," she ordered briskly, not bothering to precise exactly who she was talking about.

"But... Akkimaru, what about the wind sorceress," said one of her underlings, fear lacing his voice.

She looked at him with narrowed eyes for a few seconds before pointing her staff in his direction. The youkai started clawing at its throat frantically, trying to get air back into his lungs, but an invisible force prevented him from doing so. After a few seconds of this, she put her staff back in a vertical position and ground its tip in the ground brutally.

She barely gave the panting offender a glance before she spoke up. "If anyone of you incompetent fools wants to address me, you will do so with the title 'sama'. I will kill anyone who fails to remember it," she spat angrily.

A chorus of 'Yes, Akkimaru-sama' told her that the lesson had been understood. "The sorceress will not be a problem for you if you do not give her the space she needs to attack," she said, answering the question.

"Now go! And make sure the hanyou and the miko find their way here!" she ordered icily, prompting the kneeling youkais to scurry away.

"Bunch of fools," she grumbled and turned back to the eagle. "Keep an eye on them Washisuto, I doubt they will succeed without your intervention," she told the bird in what could be considered a friendly tone, but still sounded very cold.

It wailed in acknowledgement before opening his wings and flying off in a gust of wind. "Quite an impressive pet you got here," launched a voice in an appreciative tone of voice.

Whirling around to face the newcomer, she immediately spotted the kitsune sitting lasily on the roof of a house about twenty feet away. "Who are you?" she questioned sharply, eyes narrowed in suspicion. She didn't like the fact that this particular individual had managed to sneak up on her unnoticed.

"Who me? I'm the youkai sitting on the roof of course," he answered petulantly.

This had the effect of severely pissing Akkimaru off. She couldn't believe the nerve of that guy. Not only did he take her by surprise but he also had the audacity of insulting her. That didn't stand very well with her. _"Time to teach this impudent kitsune a lesson,"_ she mused and leveled her staff at him.

She expected to see him fall down on the ground howling in pain but instead there was a small puff of smoke and a leaf appeared in the place the youkai had been sitting. "Very handy toy you have there, can you tell me where to find one?" asked his mocking voice coming from another roof, once again behind her.

She turned around and glared at the troublemaker in annoyance. She didn't bother raising her staff though, it was likely just another illusion and it would be a waste of energy to destroy it. "I doubt you came here for the sole reason of pissing me off, so get on with it, I have better things to do," she hissed, barely containing her anger.

"Ah! Straight to the point, exactly like the hanyou and the miko, I like that," he said petulantly.

"You know of them?" she asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"But of course and I must say that they are quite an interesting pair," admitted the kitsune.

Something suddenly clicked in Akkimaru's mind and her eyes widened in sudden realization. "It was you! You're the one behind their sudden departure!" she accused.

"Just like you were the one who came up with the idea of asking Kikyo for help. A very neat plan, and it would have worked if your soldier hadn't grown careless at the last second, giving the girl the opening she needed to summon her powers," chuckled Mattemaru.

"Spare me the lecture kitsune!" snapped Akkimaru. "Now tell me your real reason for being here," she demanded angrily.

"Oh you're no fun," he said in a disappointed tone, even adding a slight slump of his shoulder for emphasis. This of course caused Akkimaru to start growling in annoyance. "Anyway, I came to tell you that my boss is finding your attempt at recovering the jewel rather annoying so he's coming in person to dispose of you," he piped in before she could say anything, all traces of disappointement gone from his voice.

"I fear no one," answered Akkimaru with disdain. "Let him come and then we'll see then who will dispose of who," she finished and turned around, considering the conversation closed.

Though her face had regained her composure somewhat, inside she was fuming. She had taken great pain to make sure all her tracks were covered and that no one was aware of her presence here. But now, not only was someone _aware_ of her intention, that same someone knew _exactly_ where to find her. Despite the wound her pride had just sustained, she found herself wondering where she had gone wrong, where the leak had come from.

As if sensing her thought, Mattemaru ended up supplying her with an answer, in a way that made her bristle of course. "By the way, if you want a few lessons in the art of creating illusions, I'd be happy to oblige. The one you put on that bird to hide it while it flies was rather lame," he chuckled lightly before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

She stared at the spot where the youkai had been sitting for quite some time, eyes burning with hatred. Finally, with a supreme effort of will, she managed to get her emotions under control once again. "You kitsune, when I get my hands on the jewel, I swear you'll be the first to go down," she hissed before turning around and heading in one of the houses to make her last preparations.

Had she not been so blinded by her own anger, she might have stopped to wonder why Mattemaru's taunting had gotten to her like this. She might have then noticed that in the space of a few sentences, he had successfully destroyed all that she had been so proud of. He had mocked her acute senses by sneaking up on her. He had mocked her efforts to stay hidden by simply being there and by saying that whoever he was working for also knew where to find her. And finally, he had mocked her skills in the art of creating illusion by following Washisuto all the way here. Yes, Mattemaru had been very thorough in his taunts, but of course, she didn't notice any of this, just like she didn't notice the small cracks that had mysteriously appeared on her staff.

* * *

"Uno!" announced the monk and indeed he had only one card remaining in his hands, thus justifying the call. 

33 games they had played and 33 games he had lost so far. In other circumstances, he would have said that luck was simply not on his side, but this time he just _knew_ that luck had nothing to do with his losing streak. If he had any doubts, they were completely wiped out by the look of acknowledgement the other players shared upon hearing his announcement.

"I don't think so Miroku," announced Sango. "Draw four Shippo, and switch to blue," she announced.

The kitsune merely smiled mischeviously as he placed a draw two card on top of the one already present. "Draw six Yuna," he said, turning to the ten years old who was currently extracting a card from her hand.

"Draw eight Kagura-sama," she said, adding her own misery to the stack.

"Well Miroku... draw twelve," announced the sorceress with satisfaction as she sealed the monk's fate with her card. "And I change the color to yellow," she added as an afterthought.

Strangely, the man did not make any move to draw, instead, he was currently in a praying position and looked in deep concentration. "Miroku, what are you doing?" asked Sango in confusion.

"I am asking Buddha to forgive me for what I'm about to do," he answered cryptically. "And now I ask you to forgive me Sango... draw sixteen," he announced putting his last card on top of the pile. "And I switch the color to green," he said, his eyes gleaming with vindictive pleasure at having finally won a game.

"I don't believe it," exclaimed Shippo in surprise.

"Me neither," added Sango.

"The monk actually won" finished Kagura, not believing what had just happened.

"I suppose one can't _always_ be unlucky," reflected the kitsune in an innocent tone.

"Of course," answered the monk. "And devious plans can't always succeed can they?" he asked in a knowing tone.

They all looked at each other in silence for a few moments before everyone burst out laughing. "I suppose it's only fair that he should win at least _one_ game," said the demon slayer, voice filled with mirth.

"We did make him lose 33 games after all," said the quiet voice of Yuna. She instantly clamped her mouth shut and fear flashed in her eyes when she realized what she had just said.

Every eyes in the room turned to her in surprise before shifting to the monk who sported a discouraged look on his face. "And here I thought you were actually playing fair, how naive of me to believe that," he shot back in a falsely hurt tone of voice.

"Anyway," chuckled Sango after yet another laughing fit. "I think it's high time we consider getting something to eat, we _have_ been playing all morning long after all," she said in good humor.

"Yeah! Food!" exclaimed Shippo enthusiastically. "By the way, who's cooking?" he asked innocently.

At this, a heavy silence suddenly filled the hut. They had completely overlooked that small detail. It was usually either Kaede or Kagome who was in charge of the cooking and at different occasions, Sango could also be seen doing her share. Now though, all of these people were either gone or in no state to accomplish the task. Kagura felt suddenly very self conscious as three pair of eyes turned to her expectantly.

"W... Why are you all looking at me like that?" she stammered, though she already knew the answer.

"Well Kagura, it would seem that you have been appointed our cook of the day," answered the monk with barely concealed mirth in his voice.

"Oh no!" she exclaimed in horror. "I... I... don't know how to... cook," she stammered, cheeks burning in embarassement.

"But being the only one valid and able makes you the logical choice," countered the monk seriously.

"Really, and what about you, I'm sure your injuries are not serious enough to prevent you from doing such a simple task," she shot back, openly fuming at the monk's amusement of her situation.

"As light as my injuries are, they are preventing me from putting any strain on my arms," he answered truthfully but still with a touch of vindictive pleasure in his voice.

_"That monk, he's actually enjoying this,"_ she bristled, while frantically fumbling for an answer to give him. Surprisingly, it was Yuna who saved her from further embarassement by pulling at her sleeve lightly.

"Kagura-sama, do you think... I could do it?" asked the child nervously.

As if asking the question hadn't been hard enough for her to do, the girl now had to deal with four pair of eyes that looked at her like she had suddenly grown a second head. Unable to stand that much pressure, she lowered her gaze to the ground, her slave conditioning kicking in, making her feel both ashamed and embarassed. "I... I'm... s... sorry," she managed to stutter, her cheeks flaming red.

Kagura felt her heart ache at seeing the girl act like this. _"You still have a long way to go haven't you Yuna?"_ she mused sadly. Looking around, she could see that all eyes were fixed on her expectantly. _"Great, now everyone's expecting me to clear up this situation,"_ she thought frustratedly.

"Yuna..." she began hesitantly, frantically raking her brain for something, anything to say to the child that wouldn't crush the tiny spark of confidence she had just shown. She was rewarded when the memory of their first encounter replayed in her mind.

--Flashback--

_"You saved my life, good mistress, I can't thank you enough. Please if there's anything I can do for you, name it," said the young girl while looking up at the wind sorceress with grateful eyes._

_"Anything?" asked the sorceress surprised._

_"Anything that is within my power," answered the young girl._

_"Well looks like I just found the solution to my food problem," thought Kagura wrily. "Can you cook?" she questionned._

_This brought a huge smile on the kneeling girl's face. "Yes, better than anyone in the village," she beamed proudly. "If you shall accompany me, good mistress, I will cook you a meal fit for a queen," finished the young girl while getting to her feet._

--End flashback--

_"That's right, she _does_ know how to cook,"_ mused the sorceress in sudden illumination.

"... what do you want to prepare?" she asked the child with a smile.

Yuna's reaction to this announcement was rather comical to watch. First her scrunched back stiffened and her eyes snapped open wide. Her head then shot up to stare in complete disbelief at the youkai in front of her and finally, her mouth began opening and closing as if she was trying to say something and was unable to do so.

"R... Really," she finally managed to say after a few unsuccessful tries.

"Sure, after all you did say that you were 'the best cook in the village' when we first met," she said with a playful wink.

A small blush appeared on the girl's face as she remembered her own words. "But Kagura, what about her arm?" Shippo piped in innocently before Yuna could get over her embarassement.

"Well I suppose I could help her a little, after all, we wouldn't want Miroku to put too much strain on his arms now would we," she countered jokingly, prompting a snort of laugher from Sango and a sour look from the said monk.

"Yeah me too!" exclaimed the kitsune enthusiastically. "I'll help too!" he added, bouncing with excitement.

Yuna stared at the smiling Kagura and the jumping Shippo with an unreadable expression on her face. Quite frankly, she felt a little hesitant about going through with it. For one thing, she loved to cook... with a passion. Over the last few days, the urge to hold a knife and chop down vegetables had been growing steadily stronger until finally, she had spoken up just a few moments ago. On the other hand, if the two youkais were to help her, she would have to _tell_ them what to do and that was definitively not something she was comfortable with.

"So what do you say Yuna, are you up to this?" asked the wind sorceress when no answer came from the child.

As it was, she didn't even get the chance to decide for herself because Shippo as bouncy and energetic as ever ran up to her and grabbed her by the arm.

"Yeah, come one Yuna, it'll be fun!" he said as he started dragging her to the side of the room reserved for food preparation, Kagura following close behind, an amused smile on her lips.

The kitsune's energy coupled with the incentive of being able to jump back into her element finally got rid of her fears and when they reached the "kitchen" she was ready and eager to start with her self-appointed task. Behind the trio, Miroku turned to Sango with a raised eyebrow, the question he wanted to ask obvious on his features _"Do they know what they're doing?"_.Sango simply shook her head and shrugged in answer _"No idea Miroku"_.

They watched a bit surprised as Yuna started picking out the ingredients necessary for her recipe without hesitating even once. And then she began giving timid suggestions on how the vegetables were to be chopped down. After a few tries, Kagura managed to get the hang of it somewhat, but Shippo was a lost cause. So he was instead relegated to the task of fetching water for the soup or whatever it was that they were preparing. By the time the kitsune came back, Sango and Miroku's surprise had turned to amazement and by the time the last rice ball was put neatly on the stack, amazement had turned into open wonder. The girl was not just good, she was a born natural.

"Well looks like someone underestimated your abilities Yuna," chuckled the wind sorceress when she brought the food back to the wounded couple and she noticed their expression.

"Well we are hardly to blame, she has demonstrated a level of skills that would take a lifetime to attain normally," praised the monk.

"I agree with Miroku for once," seconded Sango. "You really are a born natural Yuna," finished the demon slayer.

Beside Kagura, the girl could not remember her cheeks having felt so hot before. She reflexively turned her gaze downward to try and control her whirling emotions. She had never really been praised about anything before now and quite frankly, one could get used to the feeling. The warmth that spread through her being was definitively worth the embarassing blush that covered her face.

"There you go, Yuna," announced the wind sorceress while depositing a bowl of soup, _"my soup,"_ she couldn't help but think proudly, in front of her.

Looking up, she noticed that while she had been trying to overcome her embarassement, everyone had been served and was eagerly waiting for the signal to dig in. Once the wind sorceress settled back down in front of her own serving, a chorus of "ittadakimasu" was heard and all the people present took their first bite.

A heavy silence fell on the room as everyone froze. Yuna too stopped her motion when she saw everyone's reaction, though it was more out of nervosity than anything. She had started to wonder if something was wrong with the food when Sango spoke up.

"This is beyond good," the demon slayer praised.

"It tastes even better than it smells," added Shippo.

"Even a high lord would be unfit for such a meal," said Miroku admiratively.

"Absolutely delicious," finished Kagura while smiling proudly at the girl beside her.

Upon hearing the positive comments, the ten years old let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Though they had shown their appreciation even before tasting the food, it was still a relief to know that it had met their expectations. As she stared at the piece of raddish between her chopsticks, she felt both happiness and pride flow through her. Happiness at being able to give something back to the people who had given her so much already and pride at having successfully carried out her task. Something clicked in her mind as a long forgotten memory suddenly replayed itself.

--Flashback--

_"Mommy, here, I made this to help you get better," said the six years old Yuna, handing a bowl of stew to her mother lying in bed._

_"Thank you dear, that's very nice," answered the older woman with a gentle smile, right before a violent coughing fit wracked her body._

_"Mommy," cried the child in alarm._

_"It's... alright dear, everything's... alright," panted the said woman._

_"Tell me Yuna... is there anything you want to do when you grow older?" she questioned weakly._

_"I want to cook food for the whole wide world," answered the child enthusiastically while spreading her arms wide for emphasis, causing her mother to laugh softly._

_"Then cook Yuna, cook and keep on cooking until the whole world learns of how good you are. And then everybody will want to taste the food prepared by the great Yuna," she said with that ever gentle smile._

--End flashback--

That was one of the last memories Yuna had of her mother. She had died of her unknown disease a short time later. _"Mommy,"_ she thought with a small twinge in her heart at remembering the woman. _"I'll follow my dream mommy, and I'll make you proud, I promise,"_ she reflected again, with the same determination as when she had made her promise with Kagura.

"Is everything all right Yuna?" asked the sorceress, jarring her out of her musing.

Looking up, she suddenly realized that she had been sitting there with her chopsticks halfway to her mouth. She felt her cheeks redden in slight embarassement as she answered. "Everything's fine Kagura-sama, thank you," she said meekly and promptly started to eat.

The youkai looked at her curiously for a few seconds before shrugging and digging in herself. Whatever had happened to the child in those few seconds didn't look like a bad thing at all. If anything, she sat straighter now than she could ever remember her sitting before. _"Keep it up Yuna, you're doing great,"_ thought the sorceress fondly.

The rest of the meal passed pleasantly with the occasional praise at the ten years old's skill, earning an almost instant blush. All too soon, the food was eaten and everything had been put back in its proper place. Now that she was back to watching the rain fall, Kagura's foreboding feeling came back, stronger than before. Turning around, her gaze met Miroku's and Sango's and in their eyes, she could see that they sensed exactly what she had been sensing since morning. _"Something's coming,"_ she thought grimly. _"Something definitively is coming."

* * *

_**Author's note: **Well, another cliffy, though not as big as the last one he he he. So yet another youkai is after the jewel and she definitively lacks Mattemaru's bubbly attitude. She means to get what she wants, no matter the way. So next chapter is where everything comes together, you definitively don't want to miss it._  
_


	13. Rushing home

**Disclaimer: **Inuyasha and the gang... I don't own them and never will.**  
note: **I'M BAAAAACCCKKKK! Did you miss me? he he. I finished moving into my new appartment and I got my internet working. I didn't get much writing done last week, but since this chappy has been finished for a while, I figured that it would be cruel to my readers not to post it he he. Anyway, thanks for your understanding and enjoy.

**

* * *

Chapter 12: Rushing home**

"Inuyasha, you have to sleep!" admonished Kagome sternly. "You've been carrying everyone all night long and you will be carrying us tonight as well. You need to rest!" pleaded the miko.

"Shut up!" growled the hanyou in response. "I don't need to sleep as much as you humans do, I'll be perfectly all right!" he exclaimed again.

Kagome simply huffed in answer and started muttering some ungodly things under her breath. "You're not fooling me! You're exhausted and it shows! You _will_ get to sleep right this moment!" she snapped again.

"I told you I'm not tired so leave me alone already!" yelled Inuyasha angrily.

Kagome gritted her teeth in frustration. If anyone could be stubborn, the hanyou sitting in front of her was definitively that person. Ever since Mattemaru's warning the night before, they had been on the run, trying desperately to get back in time to stop the attack on their friends. The plan was to have Inuyasha carry everyone at night, allowing Kirara to rest, and to have the cat youkai carry them by day, allowing Inuyasha to relax a little. The idea was excellent and if they could maintain their current pace, they would reach the village sometime tomorrow.

The only problem with this was that Inuyasha refused to go to sleep no matter what she said. And despite his earlier statement, it was plain to Kagome that he desperately needed to rest, if only for a few hours.

_"Rub this carefully in your husband's shoulders everyday for a week and his pain should go away."_

Kagome blinked as the scene flashed in her mind briefly. Something like this had happened the day before, when she had found out that Mattemaru was saying the truth. One of Kikyo's memory would pop into her head, leaving her feeling slightly disoriented. It was the other woman's way of communicating with her. A bit disconcerting, true, but also extremely efficient. Kagome could not help the evil smirk from appearing on her feature as she understood Kikyo's plan.

_"Nothing like a good massage to help a man relax,"_ she thought mischeviously right before she got to work.

The hanyou jerked a bit in surprise at the unexpected contact and turned to her. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he questioned sharply.

"Well if you won't sleep, at the very least you should let me get rid of the knots in your shoulders," she answered in kind.

Inuyasha looked like he was about to protest for a few seconds but then thought better of it. With a snort he turned around again and lowered himself a little to make her job easier. Sitting on Kirara's back and flying a hundred feet in the air was definitively not the best condition for a massage, but it seemed to work nonetheless.

Despite anything he had claimed to the miko behind him, the hanyou was tired, dead tired in fact, and his shoulders were aching from the night before. His worry prevented sleep from actually taking over him though, thus the argument he just had with Kagome. When she had voiced her idea, he couldn't help but feel a little suspicious, like she had an ulterior motive for doing it. But seeing as he didn't really feel like arguing with her anymore, he decided to put up with it, if only to shut her up.

He had to admit though that it did feel good. He could feel the cramps in his shoulders gradually melt away under the relentless action of her hands. Closing his eyes, he let out a deep sigh of contentment. He also unconsciously lowered his head to give her better access to his stiff neck.

As it was, this turned out to be his undoing, so to speak. First, his eyelids being already closed, he didn't notice the gradual increase of weight in them and second, his head couldn't dip down more than it actually was so he failed to notice the heaviness there too. Thus, by the time he realised what was happening, it was already too late. He had only one thought before sleep overtook him. _"I'll get you for this Kagome," _and then there was nothing.

He didn't know exactly how long it was, but eventually awareness did come back to him. The first thing he noted was that his head was resting on Kagome's shoulder and that his arms were draped around her waist loosely. He was tempted for a split second to remain as he was, basking in her warmth, her delicate scent teasing his nostrils, but the memories of their current situation drove these thoughts from his head. So instead, he opened his eyes and straightened his posture, thus informing the miko in front of him of his state.

"So, did you sleep well?" she asked, turning her head slightly to look at him.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes in anger. He hadn't failed to notice the slightly amused undertone in the miko's question. "Keh! Thanks to your dirty tricks," he answered gruffly.

Kagome giggled at that. "Well it did get you to rest and I won't have you say you didn't enjoy it," she replied knowingly.

The hanyou merely snorted in response. There really wasn't much to say to this. He _had_ enjoyed it and quite a lot at that. What's more, he felt a lot better now that he had had his fill of sleep. The same thing couldn't be said about Kirara though, she had slowed down considerably since he had last been awake, a sure sign that the cat youkai was growing tired. Looking at the sky, he noted for the first time just how low the sun really was in the sky. _"Have I really slept that long?"_ he mused incredulously. _"God there can't be more than an hour of daylight left!"_ he thought again.

Just then, a small gust of wind swiped at the hanyou's face, bringing with it a scent that made him cringe. _"Great, just what we needed: rain,"_ he reflected glumly. "Kirara, pull us down over there," said the hanyou, pointing to a small clearing to their right.

"Inuyasha?" asked the miko, puzzled by this unexpected stop.

"There's rain coming this way," he explained. "This is our last opportunity to make a dry stop, so let's use it," he added.

"What?" he questioned upon seeing the strange look Kagome was giving him.

"Nothing, I just didn't expect you to actually make such a decision," she answered with a touch of humor in her voice.

"Keh! And what's that supposed to mean wench?" the hanyou shot back in a menacing tone

"Well that you're usually a reckless fool who don't think twice about jumping into a hopeless situation," she replied jokingly, earning herself a very nasty glare.

Kagome couldn't help but giggle at the hanyou's expression. "Don't worry," she amended, snuggling against him for emphasis. "You wouldn't be even half the man I loved if you weren't like this," she finished with a smile.

The hanyou looked at the miko for a few seconds in wonder before wrapping his arms around her and holding on tight. _"That's Kagome for you. One moment she insults you, the next she's all over you,"_ he thought amused.

The embrace, as enjoyable as it was for the couple, was short lived as Kirara reached her destination and made her landing. The cat youkai was so exhausted that as soon as she set foot on the ground, she transformed back into her small form, not even allowing the people on her back to get off. Both passengers landed on the ground in a heap with a loud 'hoof' as the air was knocked out of them.

"Kirara!" Kagome called as soon as she managed to disentangle herself from the mess she and Inuyasha were in.

"Poor thing," she said as she gathered the youkai in her arms. "You must really be worried about Sango and the others to have pushed yourself so hard," she added softly.

"Don't worry Kirara, we'll reach them in time. Just rest for now and leave everything to me," Inuyasha added confidently.

He promptly turned around to prevent anyone from seeing how uncertain he really was and went away to gather some firewood. As he chopped down some nearby branches, two questions plagued his mind. "How long until the mastermind realized the failure of his agent?" and "How long would it take him to stage an attack on their friends?"

When he came back a few minutes later, he noticed that Kagome had the necessary supply all ready for cooking and was just waiting for him to bring the wood. He also noted that Kirara was lying on the ground motionless, likely fast asleep from her long day of flying. _"Tomorrow's going to be hard,"_ he reflected grimly, but he wisely refrained from voicing such thoughts. Instead, he busied himself with starting the fire.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome suddenly spoke up, startling him from his thoughts.

"What is it?" he asked, a bit more sharply than he had intended.

"Do you honestly think we'll make it in time?" asked the miko, concern evident in her voice.

"I don't know anyone who's better at staying alive than them Kagome. We'll make it," he spoke firmly, trying make himself believe what he had just said.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," she said, not sounding convinced at all, if anything she sounded defeated already. "Still, one can't help but worry that..." she began but never got to finish her sentence because Inuyasha suddenly jumped over the fire and wrapped his arms around her, holding her to him tightly.

"You're the one who taught me that it was okay to show my weak side once in a while," he whispered softly in her ear. "So out with it," he admonished gently.

"Inuyasha... I'm fine really," she said, rather surprised by his action.

"Bullshit!" he exclaimed. "You died and got revived, you left your family behind, you got dragged into another battle for the jewel and now our friends are in danger. How can you possibly be okay?" he shot, his voice growing firmer as he spoke.

Now that she thought about it, what the hanyou said was true. It seemed that everytime she actually wanted to acknowledge her pain, something came up, forcing her to bury it deep within herself. She didn't have time to shed tears for her family, she didn't have time to spend with Miroku, Sango and Shippo. She would have wanted so much to get to know Kagura better and little Yuna too. But most of all, she desperately wanted to spend some real time with Inuyasha without the shadow of evil looming over their head.

"Inuyasha... " she whispered as tears started to stream down her cheeks. "Why is it that we can't be happy Inuyasha? Why is it that no matter how hard we fight, happiness is always out of our reach?" she murmured before collapsing in his arms, sobs wracking her body.

The hanyou was a bit taken aback by Kagome's reaction. In the three years he had known her, he had never seen her look so... vulnerably. _"She must have had a lot on her mind to break down like this,"_ he reflected while gently stroking her hair.

As surprised as Inuyasha was by the miko's sudden outburst, he was even more baffled when a few minutes later, she sighed deeply and snuggled against him comfortably. "Kagome?" he asked confused.

When the girl raised her head to look at him, he could see that her eyes reflected not sadness but instead happiness, only adding to his bewilderement. Upon noticing the hanyou's expression, the miko couldn't help but giggle softly.

"I guess I must look a little strange, crying my heart out one minute and smiling like it never happened the next," she amended. "But I simply can't stay sad, not when you're holding me like this," she explained.

Now that, the hanyou could understand, because he felt the same way. Having her in his arms, her rich scent permeating his senses, her warmth radiating into his body, it made everything else seem insignificant. He even found himself contemplating the idea of staying like this until sleep overcame them both. Of course, the threat on their friends quickly banished such a fantasy from his thoughts.

Thinking of Miroku and the others dispersed the fog of drowsiness that had been slowly filling his mind. Glancing down, he noticed that the miko had once again settled against his chest and was showing no sign of moving. Sighing deeply, he resigned himself for the inevitable.

"Kagome..." he began, not bothering to hide the disappointment he felt.

It was the girl's turn to sigh this time. "I know," she answered in a tone that mirrored the hanyou's. "All good things must come to an end," she reflected out loud while slowly disentangling herself from Inuyasha's embrace.

Before she was completely out of his reach though, she froze and looked at him intently. "Inuyasha... promise me... when all of this is over, we'll spend some real time together okay?" she asked him halfway between pleading and begging.

"I swear Kagome, no evil, no jewel, just you and I snuggled against each other," he answered her plea in kind. _"When all of this is over Kagome, I'll take you as my mate and then, we'll do more than just snuggle together,"_ he swore silently.

* * *

Cursing slightly, the miko wiped the water streaming down her face yet another time only to have more coming back once she was done. _"Damn it all to hell, this isn't rain, it's a bloody flood!"_ she exclaimed silently. 

Everything had started about an hour before dawn when the first drops of water had fallen from the sky. Though not even close to the level they were currently experiencing, it had been enough to rouse Kagome and Kirara from their light sleep on Inuyasha's back. Things had only gone downhill since then. The rain had increased so much that the ground had become like a lake, forcing Inuyasha to slow down in order not to lose his balance.

Of course, what was really annoying the hell out of her right now was the fact that her clothing was not providing any protection from the water any longer. Every square inch of her miko uniform was soaked through, making her very cold and excessively irritable. And then, to add to her misery, small rivulets of water started running down the length of her hair and into either her face or her back, which was driving her positively insane. All in all, the day promised to be just wonderful.

She was grumbling under her breath, not really paying attention to anything when Inuyasha stopped his frantic running. He knelt down and allowed Kagome to set foot on the ground.

"Kirara, how about it, are you up for the last round?" asked a very tired and panting hanyou.

Perched sleepily on Kagome's shoulder, the cat youkai opened a tired eye to gaze at Inuyasha. Appearantly, the previous day combined with lack of restful sleep had taken a lot out of her. Nonetheless, she jumped on the ground and moved a few steps away in order to accomplish her transformation.

For a few seconds, nothing happened, causing the miko and the hanyou to look at each other in concern. Just as they were about to ask if everything was all right, the fireball usually accompanying Kirara's metamorphosis started to appear and grow. It didn't get very far though, before it was even halfway from its maximum size, it suddenly receded back, leaving the cat youkai completely unchanged. There was an instant of stunned silence on her part and then she collapsed to one side.

"Kirara!" exclaimed Kagome before hurrying to the youkai's side.

"Poor thing, she's completely exhausted," said the miko as she cradled her in her arms. The said youkai miewled softly, as if apologizing for her inability to continue any further.

"Get on Kagome," ordered Inuyasha gruffly. "I'll manage the rest of the way," he added.

The miko nodded in agreement and promptly got in position. _"Even if we do make it back in time, what good will that do?"_ she thought worriedly. _"Dammit! If only I was stronger, I could take Inuyasha's place and carry him instead. That would allow him to rest and be ready for the fight!"_ she mused, her worry quickly being replaced by frustration. These were moments when she really envied Sango's almost superhuman strength.

And so, it was back to grumbling and sulking once again as Inuyasha made his way through the forest and toward Kaede's village. The treacherous terrain combined with his fatigue caused him to slow down considerably. As the minutes passed however, Kagome started to note a dangerous sway in the hanyou's steps. It didn't take long for her to put two and two together.

"Inuyasha let me down right now, you can't go on like this," she ordered.

"Shut up!" he snapped back. "It doesn't matter if I'm tired or not, I'm not going to let anyone die today, not if I can help it!" he shot back in her face.

"Moron! At the rate you're going you won't even be able to stand straight when we reach Kaede's village. It's a miracle we haven't fallen down already," she answered, her voice rapidly increasing in volume.

It is common knowledge that if you call upon misfortune, it will come running to you. This time proved to be no exception to this rule because as soon as the words left Kagome's mouth, the hanyou's left foot suddenly slipped in the mud and everyone was sent sliding down a slope, where they landed in a heap.

"Dammit you stupid wench, look what you made me do!" yelled a very angry Inuyasha.

That was it. Kagome's patience already dangerously thin evaporated and she exploded. "What _I_ made you do!" she screamed at him. "You're the one who refused to stop when told!" she continued in the same tone.

"You're the one who..." he began but his words died in a strangled choke as he put his weight on his left foot.

Kagome's anger was instantly replaced with concern at seeing the hanyou's reaction. "Inuyasha, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing!" he snapped back and promptly turned away from her.

The miko would have none of this nonsense however. Her eyes took on a dangerous gleam as she spoke. "Osuwari!" she said angrily effectively making the hanyou crash to the ground.

"You stubborn fool of a hanyou!" she grumbled while making her way to him.

By the time she reached him, the spell had worn off and Inuyasha's foul mood was back in full swing. "Dammit wench what did you do that for?" he spluttered, his face full of mud.

Instead of answering, the miko knelt beside him and pressed a finger at a specific point on the hanyou's foot. This caused him to catch his breath and wince in pain. "Just as I thought," she said, completely ignoring Inuyasha's murderous glare. "You just sprained your ankle," she finished.

"Keh! As I said, it's nothing," he spat back at Kagome and made to stand up once more.

"If you dare to stand on this foot before I tell you it's okay, I swear that when I'm through with you, you won't be able to even sit up for a week!" she threatened.

While Inuyasha wasn't usually one to fear menace, this time he found that he simply couldn't ignore the murderous glare in Kagome's eyes. Growling, in protest, he sat down on the muddy ground. "And just what do you suggest, that we wait here for half a day until my ankle heals?" he questioned sardonically.

This caused the miko to frown. He was right, if they ever hoped to get to their friends in time, they couldn't afford anymore delay. Finally, she stood up and threw her backpack at him. She then turned her back to him and lowered her stance. Inuyasha knew exactly what Kagome meant to do, but he couldn't actually believe she was crazy enough to consider it.

"You've got to be kidding!" he exclaimed in surprise. "Kagome, you're not strong enough to carry both me and Kirara on such a long distance!" he said again.

"Get on," she answered in flat tone.

The hanyou exchanged a doubtful gaze with the cat youkai that was propped on his shoulder before sighing and standing up, mindful of his injury. With the mood she was currently in, there was no way the miko would listen to reason. Better to let her see just how impossible her idea was, it would be a lot simpler.

Kagome knew that she was nowhere near strong enough to carry out her plan, but stubbornness alone kept her from backing out. _"If I can carry us for even one meter, that'll be one meter less to travel,"_ she mused while gritting her teeth, preparing herself for the effort she knew was coming.

Only when Inuyasha did settle on her back did she realize just how heavy he really was. It took every ounce of her strength just to remain crouching. _"I have to do this,"_ she thought. _"For all the ones I care about,"_ she reflected again. "I... will... not... LOSE!" she screamed.

As she spoke the last word, the jewel hanging around her neck suddenly started to glow softly. A strange grey mist started to seep out of it, only to be sucked into her body. The effect was immediate. The world around her abruptly snapped into focus, sounds coming in more clearly, things appearing more sharply. She felt her muscles harden as the weight on her back all but disappeared. She stood there for a few seconds, trying to actually puzzle out what had just happened to her when Inuyasha, who had not missed the transformation, broke the silence.

"Kagome, you..." he trailed off, not knowing quite what to say.

"I'm fine," she answered with finality in her voice. "Now you just hang on tight," she finished before taking off, surprising both her passenger with just how fast she was going.

_"This speed,"_ reflected the hanyou. _"It's impossible for a human to attain and yet..."_ he trailed off. _"What did the jewel _do_ to her?"_ he asked himself, uneasiness washing over him and making him shiver.

For her part, Kagome knew that what was happening was far from being normal. She didn't mind though. Right now, this newfound strength was helping her get closer to her friends and it was all that mattered to her. _"Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Kagura, Yuna, Kaede... Hang on, we're on our way,"_ she thought, cold determination filling her body and soul.

* * *

"Fujin no mai!" exclaimed Kagura with a wide swipe of her fan that caused blades to race toward her opponents. It did little good though as all of them evaded in time. 

_"Dammit! They're just too swift, I can't hit them,"_ she thought frustratedly.

The attack had started about an hour after their lunch, thus materializing the fear everyone had been feeling since then. The first thing they had tried to do was overwhelm her at close range. They had burst through the door and litteraly jumped on her, pinning her to the ground. Their plan had almost worked, but the monk saved the day by launching a serie of hamafudas in the fray, forcing them to get off of her and thus giving her the opportunity to place an attack of her own. Summoning a huge gust of wind, she had pushed the enemy back outside, far from Miroku, Sango and Shippo, but most of all, far from Yuna.

_"Kagura, I'll try to erect a barrier around the house, that will keep us safe, but I need some time," the monk had said to her._

_"Don't worry, they won't get through me," she had answered with fierce determination before rushing off to meet the panther youkai outside._

_"I'll protect you Yuna, even if it's the last thing I ever do!"_ she thought grimly.

The group of panther youkai she was currently facing was very well organized. They kept moving in a general circle around her, not staying in the same place for more than a second and never going in the same direction twice, making them almost impossible to hit. The problem was that they were getting closer with each pass and pretty soon, they would be on her.

"All right then, time for something a little more substancial," she muttered as the loop tightened yet again. "Ryuuja no mai!" she exclaimed, sending a huge tornado toward her opponents.

At this distance, those directly in front of her didn't have time to dodge and they were caught in the whirlwind. When it died down, a few panther were lying motionless on the ground, but most of their group had managed to escape the deadly attack, much to Kagura's dismay.

That seemed to be the trigger they had been waiting for because as one, all the remaining youkai charged at her. Frantically swiping, kicking and punching anything that got in range, the sorceress managed to last about a minute before someone tripped her and she fell on the ground.

Instantly, she found herself pinned and her fan was wrenched from her hands. She could only watch helplessly as one of the youkai made his way toward the house she had been so desperately trying to defend. She frantically fought against the hands restraining her, but no matter how much she trashed about, they kept holding strong. _"Yuna,"_ she thought desperately.

_"Miroku dammit hurry up with that barrier,"_ but even as the thought crossed her mind, she knew that there was just no way the monk would be able to complete his spell in time.

And then, just as she had lost all hope, everything seemed to happen at once. A blast of purification slammed into the youkai heading for the house, disintegrating him on contact at the same time that a red blur of movement crashed into the pile of panthers pinning her to the ground with a loud "Sankontessou!". The grip of her assailants instantly slackened, giving Kagura the opportunity she needed. Wrenching her hands free, she started punshing and elbowing blindly at the mass and in seconds, she was free and had recovered her fan. The sorceress' vindictive anger couple with Inuyasha's might proved to be too much for the panthers to handle and before long, most of them were lying motionless on the ground with the rest running for their lives.

"Well I'm sure glad that you showed up, though I can't figure out just how you managed to know we were in trouble," said Kagura once the youkai had retreated.

"It's a long story," he answered tiredly.

"By the way, where's Kagome? I saw the blast of energy, it had to be her," she asked frowning in confusion.

"Right... here," came a panting voice from behind her.

And sure enough, there she was, Kagome Higurashi... or what was left of her anyway. She was standing on wobbling knees in a very muddy and drenched miko uniform. Her hair was a hopeless mess of dirt and water and to complete the picture, her shoulders were hunched in exhaustion. Clinging to the miko's shoulder was Kirara who looked about to fall on the ground at any time. Turning to face the hanyou, Kagura noticed that he was in no better shape than the rest of them.

"What the hell happened to you two?" she asked, not sure if she should be amused at their condition or amazed that either of them were still standing.

"It's... a long story," muttered the miko before finally giving in to her body's demand and falling to her knees.

Looking up, she could see Shippo and Yuna running toward them, a happy expression on their faces and a bit further back, Miroku was holding Sango up in the doorway, not daring to venture on such a treacherous terrain with his charge. "Kaede? Where's Kaede?" Asked the miko once she noticed the missing face.

"Gone for the day. She had to treat a sick child at a neighboring village," explained the sorceress.

Just as she was about to sigh in relief at hearing the news, a huge gust of wind suddenly caused her to fall to her side on the muddy ground. When she looked up, she could see Shippo and Yuna being carried away by a giant eagle.

"No! Yuna... Shippo," she rasped while futilely extending her arm to try and reach the retreating pair.

_"Why?"_ she thought frustratedly. _"Why must things like this always happen to the ones I care about?"_ she reflected again, despair washing over her like never before.

She tried to get back to her feet, god only knows she tried, but her exhausted limbs refused to obey her command. "Dammit... I... have... to... help..." she croaked right before all form of strength definitively left her body, causing her to crash on the ground.

_"Yuna... Shippo... forgive... me,"_ was the last thought she could manage before the blissful oblivion of unconsciousness claimed her mind.

* * *

**Author's note:** Yet anothre cliffy he he. Oh how cruel life is... so much effort to get back in time only to see everything fly away. On another note, Kagome is undergoing some kind of a transformation... what will happen with that? And Yuna and Shippo, will they be okay? Next chapter... the gang lick their wounds before going to meet up with the mastermind behind the kidnapping. Also, Kagome gets some answers as to what has been going on with her... from quite an unlikely person. You don't want to miss it. Chapter 13: Comfort. Coming up next week. Stay tuned.  



	14. Comfort

**Disclaimer:** Inuyasha and the gang are not my property, but I think everyone knew that already.  
**Note:** Well, there isn't that much for me to say this time. No new reviews, no special thanks. However, for those of you who might be a little confused about this chapter, I recommend that you recheck the chapter list as last week, I did not just post my contest announcement. I also posted a chapter entitled "rushing home". So then, without further ado, on with the story.

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Chapter 13: Comfort**

Everywhere Kagome looked, grey mist filled her vision. The fog was so deep and impenetrable that there was no way to tell up from down. For all she knew, she could be floating in the air instead of standing on solid ground. "Where am I?" she asked to no one in particular.

Not expecting an answer, she almost jumped out of her skin when one did come. "You are in the deep recesses of your mind," answered a woman's voice.

Now _that_ was definitively not something she had expected. "Inside my own mind? But why?" she questioned incredulously.

"Because I called you here," replied a form that had suddenly materialized in the mist.

The person in question was a woman dressed in very ancient battle gears. A small cross shape design orned her forehead and she was armed with both a bow and a sword. It didn't take long for Kagome to recognize the figure standing before her.

"You're... Midoriko!" she exclaimed in surprise.

"It's nice to see that some people remember me, even in this day and age," said the other woman with a smile.

"But... how?" asked Kagome, baffled by this unexpected encounter.

"I'm afraid that explaining it to you would take too long and my time is extremely limited," answered the old miko.

Seeing that Kagome was on the verge of asking yet another question, the ancient miko abruptly raised her hand, effectively silencing what the girl had been about to say.

"Before I start explaining anything, I must ask you something. Did you have any strange dreams lately?" questioned the old woman seriously.

Snapping her mouth shut, Kagome stared at the woman before her in complete and utter confusion. She could not for the life of her understand where all of this was going. However, the look she was receiving was so sharp and demanding that she could do nothing except answer the question.

"Well… yeah the other morning, one where I was chasing down a rabbit and…" she trailed off, shuddering in revulsion at the memory.

"That's what I thought, the jewel has awakened your youkai blood," muttered the miko grimly.

There was a second during which Kagome desperately tried to make her brain function again. The piece of information revealed by Midoriko had effectively frozen it up completely and utterly. Finally, with a supreme effort, she managed to overcome the block just enough to blurt a loud "WHAT?"

"It's just as I said girl, your youkai blood has awakened," repeated the ancient miko, visibly not understanding the girl's surprise.

"But I don't _have_ any youkai blood!" exclaimed Kagome incredulously.

"Oh but you have child, though it is so incredibly diluted that it is barely noticeable; a tiny drop of milk in a glass of water," conceded the woman.

"Where on earth did I ever get that?" she asked the woman in front of her.

"Distant ancestry I suppose, but that is irrelevant child, what matters now is that it is awake," shot the miko sharply.

"Fine, if you say so," huffed Kagome irritably. "But you could at least tell me why it chose now of all time to manifest itself," she questioned back.

Sighing in defeat, Midoriko began her explanation. "It started when Inuyasha made his wish to revive you. You see, the jewel is not all powerful, it can do extraordinary things, but it can't bring a corpse back to life. Now in your case, he happened to be so fast in making his wish that there was still some traces of life left in you, so you were technically not dead yet."

She paused for a second to see if Kagome was still following her before continuing. "And so, to fulfill his wish, the jewel did two things. One: It healed your wounds, which was relatively simple. The second proved to be more of a challenge however. You see, your lifeforce was so depleted that you would have died if the jewel had not found a speck of youkai blood in your veins. It immediately fed it power, nurtured it out of its dormancy until it abrupbly realized what was going on and woke up, boosting your life-energy in the process and saving your life."

"I see," answered Kagome quietly, still trying to sort all the information that had just been given to her. "But Midoriko... what exactly is so wrong with me having a bit of youkai blood in my veins, even if it is awake?" she asked frowning.

"For any person but you Kagome, there would be absolutely nothing wrong, but in your case... things are a little different," explained the ancient miko somberly.

"And why is that?" inquired the girl impatiently. She was growing tired of those riddles, she wanted clear answers for once.

"Have you ever stopped to wonder _why_ the jewel was not granting your wishes anymore?" asked Midoriko pointedly instead of answering Kagome's question.

"Well as a matter of fact I did, but I just happened to come out totally empty on this one," she shot back in frustration.

"That's rather simple: The jewel cannot grant two wishes at once," answered the ancient miko.

Kagome frowned at this. It didn't make any sense, whose wish could the jewel possibly be trying to grant. Her brows furrowed even more when she tried to put this together with the rest of the conversation. How on earth could the fact that the jewel had gone silent be linked with the fact her youkai blood was now awake unless... Her eyes widened as a horrible and terrifying idea suddenly sprung in her head.

"Midoriko... just whose wishes is the jewel trying to grant?" she asked in a low tone that was filled with dread.

The woman heaved a heavy sigh of relief when she noticed that the girl had finally put the puzzle together. "It's trying to grant the wish of your youkai blood Kagome... To take back what it considers to be rightfully his," she answered sadly.

Kagome gulped once before asking her next question. "So... am I going to turn into a mindless killing maching? Like Inuyasha when his youkai blood takes over him?" she asked fearfully.

"Who knows... but I do know that there is no stopping it... unless you consider killing yourself that is," answered the woman with a sheepish smile.

Kagome merely grimaced in answer and shook her head negatively.

"I didn't think so," answered the woman quietly.

"There is somewhat of a good news to this... I think," she continued hesitantly.

"You think?" repeated the girl doubtfully.

"Well, you see, in order to strengthen your youkai blood, the jewel has to feed it with its own energy. The thing is that it's a one way relationship. So in essence, the more powerful your blood becomes... the weaker the jewel gets..." she explained and trailed off as Kagome finished for her.

"Until it is completely empty," the young miko finished flatly. "But what happens to you then? Isn't your soul inside the jewel too?" she asked curiously.

"My soul is intertwined so tightly with the youkai's that if you take one, you have to take the other. That is mainly why I've been able to talk to you now, because a fragment of myself is now present within you," Midoriko answered.

Kagome had about a million more questions to ask the ancient miko in front of her, but as she opened her mouth to form the first, Midoriko's body slowly started becoming translucent. Noticing this, the woman's face took on a resigned expression.

"Child, youkai and human blood cannot mix together... but they can coexist. This may be the only chance you have of surviving this," she spoke softly before disappearing completely

As soon as the old miko was gone, Kagome ended up bolting up in bed, panting with the jewel burning her skin. Hurriedly taking it in her hands, she noticed that the pink was several shade paler that it used to be. She was startled out of her thoughts when the door to the room she was sleeping in opened to admit Inuyasha.

"Kagome, you're awake!" he exclaimed, relief evident in his features.

"Yeah..." she muttered as memories of what happened before she passed out started flooding back into her head.

_"I couldn't protect them,"_ she thought guiltily. _"If only I had been stronger, I could..."_ but then she stopped thinking altogether, now was not the time to let guilt consume her.

"Inuyasha... how long was I out?" she asked instead to the hanyou in front of her.

"You've slept for most of the day," he answered. "I was really worried when you collapsed, but Kaede came back a while ago and she said that there was nothing wrong and that you would be okay after a little rest," he finished.

_"Just that?"_ she reflected in surprise. _"But with how tired I was, I should have slept for at least a week,"_ she mused again.

That was when she noticed for the first time how sharp her senses actually were. First, she could hear Inuyasha's heart beat in his chest, which was not something that she should have been able to do. And then she could see, despite the room being pitch black. And last but not least... scents. God there must have been a hundred of them invading her nose at the same time. The musky odor of damp wood, the subtle aroma of the soap used to clean the sheets of her futon, but what mostly caught her attention was mostly Inuyasha's scent. A unique alluring scent that roused her most basic instincts and, at the same time, soothed and calmed her.

In an attempt to actually hide her rising blush, she put her hand to her face and felt her muscles ripple with the movement, promising a strength and power that she definitively had not possessed the day before. She looked worriedly at her hand and was relieved when she saw nails at the end of her fingers instead of the half-expected claws.

"Kagome?" asked the hanyou, puzzled by the girl's strange behavior.

If she had heard him, she gave no outward sign. Instead, she was looking around as if searching for something. When her eyes fell on the pieces of Sango's hiraikotsu, she abruptly stood up and made her way to them.

"Kagome, what are you..." he trailed off when the miko bent down and picked up one of the pieces as if it weighted nothing at all.

Putting the severed weapon back on the ground, she turned to Inuyasha, only to find him looking at her curiously. "I wanted to see if I still had that strength the jewel gave me," she answered his unspoken question.

It was not the entire truth, but she couldn't afford to tell him everything. If she did, he might end up locking her in a closet while he went to deal with whoever was after the jewel alone. She didn't want that, partly because she wanted to be by his side during the coming battle, but mostly because she felt it was her responsibility to see everything through to its end. She had been the one to bring back the jewel to the sengoku jidai after all.

"Kagome, what's troubling so much?" the hanyou asked, obviously not satisfied at the miko's previous answer.

"I just can't help but feel guilty about what happened to Yuna and Shippo. I wish I could have done more. They were a few feet away and yet I couldn't help them at all," Kagome answered with a deep sigh.

Without a word, Inuyasha closed the distance between them and wrapped her in a comforting embrace. He seemed to do that a lot lately, comforting her. In a way, she was glad that he was more open about his feelings, but on the other hand, _he_ was comforting _her_ which meant that she was constantly breaking down and needed him to keep her up. She could easily remember a time when she had been Inuyasha's anchor, when she had been the one he could hold on to when he needed it. But now, somehow, the tables had turned and she found herself desperately clinging to him in order to keep herself together.

"Don't worry Kagome, tomorrow at first light, we're going to go after whoever kidnapped Shippo and Yuna and trust me, he's going to regret ever messing with us in the first place," the hanyou said in a low and menacing tone.

That made something click in Kagome's mind. "_You_ didn't rush after them?" she asked in surprise, pushing slightly away in order to be able to look him in the eyes.

"Trust me Kagome, it took all I had to keep myself from jumping after that eagle," he answered and the stiffening of his body told her just how difficult that had been for him.

"But with you unconscious and me hardly able to stand straight, going after it would have been pointless. Besides, the way these youkai attacked Kagura is proof enough that you were right. These people are organized soldiers, not ruffians," explained the hanyou, his voice and body tense with emotions.

That was when she realized that she wasn't the only one feeling responsible for what had happened to their friends. The kidnapping also weighted heavily on the hanyou's shoulders, if not more than hers. It came to her that she was not the only person in need of comfort in this room.

"Inuyasha..." she began, snuggling back into his embrace. "Could you... sleep with me tonight?" she asked, unable to keep from blushing.

She felt the hanyou jerk in surprise at her suggestion and hastily continued before he could interrupt her. "Nothing perverted, I just want to feel your arms around me tonight. I could... I mean I'd feel..." she trailed off, unable to continue, unable to find words to explain what she meant.

Her embarassement disappeared though when she could feel the hanyou relax against her. "Then will you hold me too Kagome?" he asked softly. "Will you wrap your arms around me as well while you sleep?" he inquired again in the same tone.

"Yes... I will," she murmured.

* * *

"Kagura, you've been moping around all day. It's high time you snap out of your daze," admonished Sango sternly. 

"That's easy for you to say," answered the sorceress evenly. "I swore I would protect her... and I failed. How do you think I feel?" she shot back in an accusatory tone.

"And how do you think _I_ feel lying helplessly in bed while my friends are risking their lives?" the demon slayer questioned back angrily. "How do you think Miroku feels? And Kagome and Inuyasha who rushed back here only to see their efforts go to waste?" she continued on, her tone rising by the second. "You're not the only one in pain here Kagura, everyone in this house is. It's about time you realize what it means to be part of a family," she finished hotly.

The sorceress gave a small start when she heard the other woman's speech. _"A... family?"_ she thought in surprise.

As the full meaning of the words sank in, scenes of the last week started flashing in front of her eyes. Her arrival with the wounded Yuna. Herself doing laundry and keeping a watchful eye for Shippo and Yuna. Herself helping Sango to bed and having a quiet conversation with the woman. Herself playing cards with the rest of the gang, sharing in the fun of teasing Miroku, but more than that, sharing in the fun of simply being together.

One week, seven little days. It was a mere drop of water in the ocean of her life, but somehow, she found that this single drop was more precious to her than all the years she had lived so far. "Sango... do you... mean it?" she asked, not daring to believe. "Do you really consider me part of your... family? Even after all I've done?"

"Yes Kagura, I do. And not just me, everyone here does," answered the demon slayer seriously.

"Besides, not just anyone's allowed to tease Miroku the way you did without repercussions," continued Sango, with a dead serious tone that made the sorceress look at her in surprise.

They stared at each other for a few seconds before the slayer, unable to hold it in any longer snorted to repress her laughter. Kagura wasn't long to follow and before long both youkai and human were laughing their heart out.

"Thanks Sango... I feel a lot better now," the sorceress said once she had regained her composure.

"No problem, I needed this as much as you. Just make sure that whoever did this will regret ever messing with us," answered the demon slayer.

"I wouldn't worry about that too much if I were you," said the sorceress in a sinister tone. "Whoever kidnapped Yuna and Shippo is going to pay... dearly," she finished.

* * *

"So basically, all we do know is that they've been taken east. That's a bit vague," said Kagome dejectedly. 

"True, but I believe we might be able to narrow the search area a bit," said Miroku. "Since it is quite obvious that we have been observed, it is logical to deduce that wherever the mastermind is, he is close enough for him to spy on us, while at the same time far enough to escape our attention," reasoned the monk.

"That's really nice and all, but it still doesn't tell us much monk," shot back Kagura, rather let down by the man's conclusion.

"Well then how about 30 miles east, is that precise enough for you?" taunted a voice from the door.

Inuyasha was on his feet in an instant, hands gripping the hilt of his sword. "Mattemaru," he growled menacingly at the form.

"Now now, is that any way to welcome an old friend," laughed the kitsune.

At this, the hanyou's grip on the Tessaiga tightened and his eyes narrowed dangerously. "If you have something to say then say it and leave," he snarled.

"Well it's not really what I have to say, it's rather what I have to bring," he answered lightly. And with that he reached for something just beside the door and hurled it inside.

When it landed, they noticed with surprise that it was one of the panther youkai that had attacked them the day before. "He was supposed to tell you where to meet Akkimaru," explained the kitsune. "But he wasn't fast enough for my taste so I gave him a lift," he snickered.

"Akkimaru?" asked Kagura in confusion.

"She's the one behind the kidnapping. I'd be careful though, she's definitively not someone to be taken lightly," he explained in a serious tone for once.

"Well then I'll get going, after all I wouldn't want my boss to think I'm slacking," he said, his normal attitude immediately coming back.

"Your boss? Who on earth could be crazy enough to actually hire you?" questioned Kagome incredulously.

"Oh don't worry too much about that, you'll find out soon enough," answered the kitsune right before he bowed and disappeared into thin air.

"Man I can't stand this guy!" exclaimed Inuyasha as he flopped down on the ground irritably.

Ignoring the hanyou's outburst, Kagura turned to the panther youkai currently sprawled on the ground. Grabbing the back of his kimono, she lifted him off the ground and eyed him menacingly.

"So you came here to tell us something?" she asked darkly.

"Y... Yes," stuttered the captive. "Akkimaru-sama wishes to exchange the jewel for her two prisoners. She'll be waiting for you at the abandoned village 30 miles east of here," he blurted out, fear evident in his features.

"Anybody knows where that is?" inquired the sorceress.

"I think he means the old miner's settlement near the mountains," butted in the hanyou. "We'll be there in a few hours at most," he finished.

"Good. Then you're no longer needed," said the sorceress, turning back to her captive. "Get lost!" she snapped and with that she quite litteraly threw him out the door.

"So what do you think?" asked Kagura as she settled down once again.

"Whatever that Akkimaru has in mind, it's definitively not fair trade," answered Kagome.

"Yeah," snorted the hanyou in agreement. "Give her what she wants and we're all dead meat," he finished.

"She has hostages, she chose the ground, she has numbers and she knows us," counted Kagome. "And what do _we_ have?" she asked.

"I have the Tessaiga and my claws," answered the hanyou.

"I have my fan and I can fly," Kagura added immediately.

"And I have my arrows and my powers," finished the miko.

A miewling sound caused her to look down and she smiled. "And let's not forget Kirara too," she added.

"So basically, Akkimaru has all the cards, but it's our turn to play," the hanyou summarized.

"Exactly," agreed the miko. "And I think I have an idea," she added with a mischevious smile.

"Really? Then by all means, speak Kagome-sama," said Miroku, both eager and curious at the same time.

"Well, I say we hide one card with another," said the miko. "Since she's expecting Inuyasha, Kagura and me to show up, let's use this to our advantage. Inuyasha and I will go through the front door while Kagura sneaks around in the back to free the hostages."

"When only two of us shows up, she'll instantly know the other is sneaking up her back. That's not very smart," countered the hanyou.

"That's exactly my point, she'll be expecting _one_ of us to sneak up on her, not _two_," she added, lowering a meaningful gaze to the cat youkai sitting beside her.

Inuyasha and Kagura looked first at Kirara, then at each other, then back at Kirara and finally their gaze settled on each other. "That's the craziest plan I've ever heard," began the hanyou.

"But you know what? It just might work," finished the sorceress with a smirk.

"Well then, I think it's high time we show that Akkimaru what it means to mess with us," said the hanyou, cracking his knuckles for emphasis.

"Let's do this," added Kagome, gathering her bow and slinging a quiver of arrows on her shoulder.

"No one messes with the wind sorceress and gets away with it," Kagura finished darkly, snapping her fan shut with a loud snap.

Just as they were about to go out, Sango's voice stopped them. "Don't you dare let anything happen to you," she said firmly. "Because if you do, I swear, eternity won't be enough for you to forget what I'll do to you," she finished menacingly.

"Don't worry Sango, we'll all return safely," answered Kagome with a smile.

"We'll even give Akkimaru a few extra bruises in your place, just to make sure," Kagura added with a sardonic smile.

"Keh! As if I'd let anyone kill me," snorted the hanyou.

And with that, they made their exit, leaving a wounded monk and demon slayer to hope for their safe return.

"Don't you think it was a bit extreme of you Sango?" questioned Miroku as he shifted his head toward the woman beside him.

He couldn't help but stare in surprise when he saw the demon slayer's expression. Fire burned brightly in her eyes and when she spoke it was in a cold and emotionless tone. "I swear Miroku... if even one of them dies, I'm going all the way down to the pits of hell and I'm bringing him back."

Not knowing exactly what to answer, he kneeled beside her and took her good hand in his. "Don't worry Sango, everything's going to be okay," he whispered reassuringly.

Inside though, he couldn't help but feel uncertainty grip his stomach painfully. _"Buddha, I beg you, I may not be the most virtuous monk there is, but please, allow my friends to come back safely, if not for me, then for Sango. Spare her the agony of seeing another of her loved ones die before her eyes,"_ he prayed silently. And as the minutes passed, he kept praying, because after all, that was all he could do, that was all they could do.

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**Author's note:** Well we finally found out what was happening with Kagome, I hope you're not too disappointed with what I've come up with he he. So now, the gang's off to meet the deadly Akkimaru. What will happen? Will they manage to come out on top? Will they be able to prevent the jewel from falling into her hands? And what about Mattemaru, what exactly is his role in all of this? And who on earth is he working for? If you want to know, stay tuned next week for chapter 14: Desperate plans, desperate measures. See you then :)  



	15. Desperate plans, desperate measures

**Disclaimer:** The usual.  
**Note:** Well, what can I say... I received 11 reviews for my last chapter along with over 600 hits! God I can hardly believe it! You don't know just how happy that makes me :). So here we go, thank you to trekker4life, some one, Voakands, InuyashaGal, Taeniaea, Elizabeth hemingway and, last but not least, Love of the twiligh who submitted a whopping 4 reviews :). Thank you all, really, I mean it. So, now that I said my thanks to all the people who reviewed, I think it's time to go on with the story you all like so much :).

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Chapter 14: Desperate plans, desperate measures**

The first rays of sunlight filtering through an opening in the roof caused Shippo to open his eyes. The first thing he saw was the concerned face of Yuna hovering a few inches over his own.

"Shippo-chan!" she exclaimed once she noticed he was awake. "Are you all right?" she inquired with concern.

Grunting, the kitsune managed to sit up, though his head felt like it would explode at any moment. "I've been better, but I'll live," he muttered.

"What did she do to you?" asked the girl. "She simply pointed her staff and suddenly you were on the ground, screaming," she added.

That much Shippo remembered. Every nerves in his body had suddenly started screaming in pain for no apparent reason. His head had been filled with the most intense pain he could imagine, but the worst came in the end when he felt something being ripped away from him. Even now, he could feel something amiss, like a part of himself was not there anymore.

"I don't know," he answered truthfully.

Before the two could go any further in their conversation, a shape suddenly appeared in the door. "Well, looks like the brats are awake," said the youkai disdainfully.

Noticing the staff in the hands of the newcomer, Shippo instantly recognized her as the one who had hurt him the day before. "What did you do to me?" he demanded angrily.

This didn't seem to stand very well with Akkimaru as her already cruel gaze turned as cold as ice in an instant. "Moderate your tone kitsune, or I'll give you another taste!" she snapped. "As for what I did... I merely made sure you wouldn't try anything funny," she said with a sadistic smile.

Shippo's eyes suddenly widened in understanding. The emptiness inside of him, that ripping sensation he had felt at the end... she had taken away his powers. Seeing his horrified expression seemed to please their captor immensely as she started to chuckle.

"If you want your powers back kitsune, you're going to have to break my staff," she taunted in a sadistically satisfied tone.

"You won't get away with this!" Yuna exclaimed angrily, causing two pair of eyes to turn to her in surprise.

That was it for the little girl. She had been a slave all her life and as such, she was used to punishment of all kind. She was used to being beaten for no reason. She was used to hours of hard labor without eating. She was used to insults when she made a mistake. She could endure everything... but this was beyond her. No one had the right to torture her friends! No one!

"Oh? And what makes you think that?" the youkai questioned in a sinister tone.

Yuna was beyond fear and concern for her own safety right now. Eyes glinting with defiance, she locked her gaze to Akkimaru's and spoke without a hint of doubt. "Kagura-sama is going to come for us and she's going to break your staff," she said fiercely.

Lowering her face so she could speak in the girl's ear, the youkai smirked evilly once again. "By all means, I expect her to come," she whispered. "That way I'll be able to rob her of her powers, just like your friend here," she finished, nodding in Shippo's direction.

Whatever the effect Akkimaru had been expecting her words to have, she couldn't have possibly expected what actually happened. It began with Yuna shaking slightly. Thinking she had broken her hostage's spirit, a smirk appeared on the youkai's face. It didn't stay there long however as a strange pulsating light coming from the top of the child's head caught her attention. Looking up, she could see that it was coming from the feather ornating the girl's hair.

"What the..." she spoke as a spark of apprehension suddenly lit up inside of her, causing her to back away slightly.

That was just about all she had time to say, because Yuna suddenly raised her head and the youkai could see that the trembling had not been caused by crying as she had thought, but rather by barely controlled rage.

"NO!" screamed Yuna.

One simple word, but with it everything seemed to explode and Akkimaru suddenly found herself hurled backward with such strength that she went right through the wall and landed in a heap a good 30 feet away.

Shippo, who had been silent through the whole exchange could only gape in astonishement at the hole in the wall where their captor had passed through. "Yuna... how did you..." he asked, shifting his gaze to the girl.

All the questions he had fled his mind at the sight before him. The ten years old was on the ground, panting in exhaustion. Apparently, whatever she had done had taken a lot out of her. "Yuna, are you all right?" he asked as he helped her up.

As it was, she didn't have time to answer because Akkimaru's enraged voice interrupted them. "You... little... bitch!" she panted. "I'll... kill... you!" she added, lowering her staff.

Placing himself in front of the girl, Shippo stared at their captor defiantly. "If you want to kill her, then you're going to have to kill me first," he said. "That way, you're going to lose all your hostages," he added, trying to keep the fear he felt at bay.

His last argument seemed to reach home though because the staff wavered slightly at his words. After a few seconds of this stalemate, Akkimaru started righting it up very slowly. Once it was perfectly vertical, the youkai slammed it on the ground firmly.

"Don't expect my mercy to extend for long," she spoke through clenched teeth. "Once the jewel is in my possession, you will die... very slowly," she added, gripping her staff so tightly that her hand trembled. Finally, with a last growl, she whirled around and left the two alone.

Breathing a deep sigh of relief, Shippo finally collapsed to his knees. "I thought I was a goner," he whispered.

"Thank you Shippo-chan, you saved me," said Yuna, coming up to sit beside him.

"That was nothing," he answered, blushing slightly at the praise.

Both were silent for a moment and then Yuna spoke up again. "Shippo-chan, did you see her staff?" she asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?" he answered in confusion.

"Well I'm not sure but... I think it's cracked," she said softly.

"Cracked?" said the kitsune incredulously.

"It was almost invisible but, just above her hand, I saw a small crack in the wood," she explained, sounding more certain this time.

"Yuna, we have to find a way to let our friends know about this when they get here," he said with sudden urgency.

"But how?" asked the girl.

"I don't know," sighed the kitsune. Shifting his gaze to Akkimaru's retreating form, a frown appeared on his face as he racked his brain for an idea. That was when something in the retreating youkai caught his eye. _"She's left handed,"_ he realized with surprise.

Turning back to Yuna, his eyes immediately fell on the makeshift sling they had made for her _right_ arm, the original having been lost in the kidnapping. Illumination dawned on his face as the germ of a plan sprouted in his mind. _"This is absolutely crazy,"_ he mused, not believing he could even come up with such an idea. _"But if they're observent enough, it just might work."_

* * *

It was a very quiet couple that made its way through the forest. Ever since Kagura and Kirara had split up with Inuyasha and Kagome a little earlier, worry and tension had been steadily climbing with each step taken toward their destination. The two were so jumpy that when a voice suddenly broke the silence they both litteraly jumped out of their skin. 

"Well, aren't we gloomy today," said someone they would both have rather not met right now.

"Mattemaru..." growled the hanyou, his hands straying to the Tessaiga immediately.

"Easy there, Akkimaru's your opponent today, not me," he said, raising his hands to demonstrate he was not willing to fight.

"That's right, Akkimaru's our opponent, not you, so get out of the way," shot the miko sharply and made to pass him by.

"I'm afraid that if you want to pass you're going to have to leave the jewel with me," he answered, moving to block her path.

At this, Kagome's eyes narrowed in anger and a bluish aura appeared around her. "Move," she ordered in a low and menacing tone that made even Inuyasha take a step back.

"Well..." he said, his gaze flickering hesitantly between the hanyou who had his hand on his sword and the miko who was ready to unleash her powers on him.

Finally, he seemed to think that his chances were somewhat limited because he finally moved to the side. "And here I was, looking forward to having a nice conversation with you," he launched in an melodramatic voice. "How disappointing," he finished and couldn't help but chuckle at the death glare he was receiving.

His good mood was litteraly blown away however when a huge explosion suddenly rocked the earth. In front of him, the hanyou quickly looked at the miko who simply nodded before jumping on his back. The pair then quickly bounded away, effectively leaving him behind. A frown appeared on his face for the space of a second before he shook himself off and followed suit.

It wasn't long before Inuyasha and Kagome reached the village and it was even shorter to discover the origin of the blast they had heard, especially when the said location was surrounded by a huge cloud of smoke. As everything started to settle, the two began to make out the two shapes contained within. The first had the traits of a panther youkai and was clad in black robes similar to Miroku's. She was also holding a long scepter with a glowing purple gem at the end. The second was wearing a white kimono along with a black plate armor. What was really peculiar about him though was his long silver hair and golden eyes that were extremely similar to those of a certain hanyou.

"Sesshomaru?" they both exclaimed at the same time causing the two opponents to turn in their direction.

If seeing him there wasn't surprising enough, the state he was currently in proved to be even more dumbfounding. His kimono, usually so clean and pristine was thorned everywhere and stained with blood in numerous places. His usually expressionless face was now replaced with cold and barely contained anger.

"Stand back Inuyasha!" he snarled. "She is my prey!"

With that, he launched himself at who had to be Akkimaru and made a swipe with his sword. Something seemed to be wrong with him though, his usually graceful movements were now slow and sluggish. It was no surprise then when the panter youkai easily jumped out of the way and retaliated by slicing him across the back with her staff.

"I'm afraid I don't have time to play with you anymore dog-boy," she mocked from behind the kneeling youkai. "Time to end this," she added while leveling her staff.

The jewel at the end flashed once before a beam of purple light launched itself at Sesshomaru. The youkai, barely capable of standing up was unable to avoid it and he was promptly engulfed. An inhuman roar of pain emerged from his troat as the beam tore mercilessly at him. Just as he was about to be completely overcome, the Tenseiga started pulsing and a bubble of blue light envelopped him. There was a blinding flash of light and after that, the youkai was completely gone.

_"It's just like the time when I hit him with the kaze no kizu,"_ thought the hanyou incredulously. Turning his head to the miko at his side, he could see that she remembered the occurrence as well.

Akkimaru on the other hand was looking rather puzzled by the fact that her target had vanished in the middle of her attack. "What sort of trickery is this?" she asked to no one in particular. But then, she seemed to remember why she had ended the fight in the first place and promptly shook off her surprise and turned to the pair.

"Well, at least _something's_ going according to plan today," she said in an angry tone. "So I suppose..." she started but then, her eyes fell on something behind the pair and whatever composure the youkai had, it instantly evaporated from her features.

"You!" she roared, pointing her staff accusingly.

Kagome and Inuyasha both turned their head at the same time to see Mattemaru leaning nonchalantly against a broken house. "Who... me?" he answered innocently.

Trembling in barely contained rage, the panther youkai slowly righted her staff and took a deep breath. "Hear my words kitsune, once I have the jewel, you will be the first to die," she hissed.

"I'm flattered," he shot back mockingly, causing Akkimaru's eyes to flash dangerously. "But you don't have the jewel yet, so I'm in the clear," he added.

"I'll have it soon enough, and then, you're mine," she countered with a feral smile. "Come on you two, we don't have all day," she ordered, turning to Inuyasha and Kagome.

The pair exchanged looks that said _"so we're not the only skins he's getting under"_ before hurrying after the retreating panther youkai. "Hey, what about me?" called the kitsune.

"You can go to hell as far as I'm concerned," came Akkimaru's venomous reply.

Mattemaru frowned in a falsely insulted way before shrugging everything off. "Oh well, I know when I'm not wanted," he said and with that, he vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving only a leaf behind.

"Keh! The bastard wasn't even here in the first place," muttered Inuyasha.

After that, there was silence for a few seconds broken eventually by Kagome who couldn't stand it anymore. "Where are Shippo and Yuna?" she asked in a concerned tone.

"Don't be impatient," answered the panther youkai coldly. "You'll see them soon enough."

Akkimaru seemed to speak the truth because a minute later they all entered a large plaza of some sort. The miko was on the verge of asking herself why on earth there was such a large opening in the middle of a small village like this when she noticed that it wasn't how things originally were. All around, she could see spots on the ground where houses had stood, but nothing was there now except a few splinters of wood. The area was circular in shape and covered a radius of at least fifty meters. Alarm bells started to ring in Kagome's mind and apparently in Inuyasha's as well because he suddenly stopped.

"What's all this?" he asked suspiciously, motioning to their general surrounding.

"That, half-breed, is what we call a security perimeter. It's to ensure that someone, like the wind sorceress for example, is unable to sneak up on us," she answered with a knowing smile.

They both stiffened a little at this, though not exactly for the reason Akkimaru would have expected. Kagura was their decoy, so it wasn't really a surprise that the panther youkai knew. What really had their stomach in a knot was the concern they had for their _real_ trump card, namely Kirara. How much did she know? Was she aware of their plan? Was she playing dumb just to humor them? One thing was certain, with so much open ground, coming up unnoticed _was_ impossible.

"Well, are you coming or not?" asked Akkimaru sharply, jarring them both out of their respective thoughts.

Inuyasha grumbled something under his breath and reluctantly followed suit, Kagome close behind. For some reason, the alarms inside Kagome's head didn't stop ringing. The explanation did make sense in a paranoid kind of way, but then why did she have the nasty feeling that there had been an ulterior motive for this plaza's creation?

Her fears were momentarily put on hold when they reached the center of the circular area. Two other panthers were there, each restraining a familiar form. "Shippo! Yuna! Are you all right?" she asked, relieved to see they were both alive and apparently unharmed.

"Kagome!" exclaimed the kitsune with urgency. "Yuna's wound is getting worse, we have to get her to Kaede fast!" he screamed before being silenced by a sword pressed against his throat.

Kagome's eyes flicked worriedly to the ten years old, only to notice how weak she looked. Her good arm was lying limply at her side and her eyes were glazed over, telltales of a very high fever. _"Dammit,"_ she thought grimly before Akkimaru interrupted her.

"All right, enough useless chatter, give me the jewel and I'll consider freeing your friends," ordered the youkai coldly.

"If you want the jewel, you're going to have to free them first," countered Inuyasha, moving in front of Kagome for emphasis.

"Don't try my patience hanyou," she growled and to demonstrate her point, one of her underling brought his blade closer to Yuna's throat, ready to kill at the slightest command.

While this small exchange occurred, Kagome's mind was working overtime trying to figure a way out of this hopeless situation. She knew quite well that as soon as the jewel was in Akkimaru's hands, they were as good as dead. But what on earth could they do? They had nothing to bargain with in the first place, aside from the shikon jewel that is.

"Well girl are you going to stand there daydreaming or are you going to give me the jewel?" questioned Akkimaru, impatience evident in her voice.

_"Daydreaming?"_ she thought and the image of Midoriko flashed briefly in front of her eyes. And then she had it, a way out, desperate and extremely risky. In fact, she might not even survive this at all, but nonetheless she had to try it.

"Inuyasha... if I should lose myself... please kill me," she said firmly but sadly.

"What..." began the hanyou. He didn't say anymore however because the look in her eyes stopped him.

_"I know you can hear me and I also know exactly what you want,"_ she began, adressing her demon blood. _"Do it then, take it all in, take all of the jewel's power and revive! Swallow me whole if you want to, I don't care! Just get rid of the goddam jewel!"_

She could feel it, her plea had been heard and power very slowly started to seep into her body. "Thank you," she whispered before focusing her gaze to Akkimaru.

"So you want the jewel don't you Akkimaru? Well, I'll give it to you... but there's one last thing that I must do before I hand it over," she said in a dark tone.

"And that is to make sure that it will not cause anyone pain ever again!" she exclaimed just as the sphere around her neck began pulsating brightly.

A strange and ominous grey mist slowly started seeping out of the jewel and encircle Kagome's body until it became impossible to see the miko inside. After about a minute of this, the light in the jewel died out along with the leakage of fog. And then, as if sucked in by a powerful vacuum, all of the grey mist started to penetrate Kagome's body. When it was done, an eerie silence fell on the village. Everyone was staring in dumbfounded silence at the miko, not quite understanding what had happened and not really knowing what to expect.

After a second of absolute stillness, the girl suddenly collapsed on her knees, eyes wide and mouth open in a silent scream of agony. There was no words to describe the pain she felt right now. It had started with her blood abruptly turning into liquid fire in her veins. As a result of this, her lungs seemed filled with lava and the little air she managed to get passed her constricted throat was definitively not enough to cool them down. And then, there was also the problem that she could _feel_ her body rearranging itself. Her muscles were tightening, her bones were hardening, her senses were sharpening, her nails were growing, turning into claws, her incisors were elongating, turning into fangs. And then a red mist started to descend on her mind, pushing away all rational thoughts, leaving only the burning desire to kill in its wake. A deep feeling of resignation mixed with sadness filled what was left of her mind.

_"I'm sorry everyone... there was... no other way,"_ she thought before closing her eyes and letting herself sink.

She drifted like this for a few seconds before a voice suddenly filtered through to her.

_"Don't give in Kagome!"_

Opening her eyes, she could see a blurry form in front of her. The features were hard to make out, but she thought she could see brown hair. The person also had her hand outstretched toward her, trying desperately to reach her before she drifted out of reach. Weakly, she extended her own hand, her fingers brushing slightly against the other person's, but remaining just barely out of reach.

_"Fool! Not all hope is lost... Remember!"_ the voice snapped angrily and abruptly, her black surrounding morphed into a mountainous scene.

She suddenly found herself floating in mid air contemplating... herself as she sat behind Totosai, watching intently a scene unfolding below. Shifting her gaze, she was able to make out a huge dragon with a strange sort of mask between his eyes.

_"That's... Ryukossei,"_ she realized with surprise.

She was jarred out of her stupor when Miroku spoke beside her. _"Just a minute... Inuyasha is acting strangely."_

She couldn't help but look down and, sure enough, there was the hanyou. From her point of view, she could see his red eyes that told her that his youkai blood had taken over. And yet, he was stumbling toward his sword, desperately trying to get a hold of it.

_"He's transformed and yet he's trying to pick up the Tessaiga,"_ this time it was Sango, but Kagome hardly heard it.

Tessaiga! The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. It had the ability to seal off youkai blood, if she could get a hold of it maybe...

The scenery around her shifted back to the blackness of a few moments ago. The figure was still there, with her hand outstretched, but this time it was clearer, allowing her to make out the features.

_"Kikyo..."_ whispered the girl as she recognized who was standing in front of her.

_"Come on Kagome, let us put that youkai blood of ours back in its proper place,"_ said the miko firmly.

Kagome looked surprised for a split second before her features hardened in determination. _"Yeah!"_ she answered as she closed her fingers around the outstretched hand.

White light blinded her for a second, causing her to cover her eyes with her free arm and when it died down, pain once again assaulted her senses. She had regained consciousness and partial control of her body, but the transformation was still in progress. The red mist that had clouded her mind before her little lapse was thicker than before, almost overpowering in fact. It was becoming increasingly urgent for her to get ahold of Tessaiga. Turning her head to the side, her eyes immediately fell on Inuyasha who stood a few paces away, looking at her with a horrified expression. Her vision clouded for an instant as her youkai blood overpowered her human mind, but she stubbornly held her ground, forcing it back enough to regain control of her limbs. Slowly, painfully, she struggled to her feet, fighting mind-blowing agony and a youkai blood that refused to cooperate. But getting herself standing was just the beginning, she now had to cover the distance separating her from Inuyasha and the Tessaiga... not an easy thing to accomplish.

One step. She extended her hand, almost pleadingly toward the hanyou. Inuyasha took a step back uncertainty painted on his face. Two steps, Inuyasha's hands strayed to his sword, she tried to speak up but it came out as an indistinct gurgling growl. Three steps, Inuyasha's grip tightened, his whole body shaking with apprehension. She tried once again to speak, putting everything she had into that one desperate word.

"T...ess...ai...ga," she rasped.

* * *

To say Inuyasha was confused right now was probably an understatement. He didn't understand what had happened in the least. One moment, Kagome was standing there with mist swirling around her, the next, she was kneeling on the ground, agonizing as her nails grew, her muscles tightened, her teeth elongated and her ears changed form and place. And now, she was stumbling toward him, eyes bright red in a testimony of complete impossibility: youkai blood had taken over her. 

_"No... not completely,"_ he corrected himself.

The way she was stumbling, the way her hand was outstretched toward him, the way she was looking at him. It all spoke of a desperate struggle. She was still holding on to her sanity, if just barely. As she took her first step, her words came back to him, stabbing him through the heart, causing him to take an involuntary step back.

_"Kill me,"_ she had said. She had suspected that things would turn out this way. She had known... and she had done it anyway. She wanted to see all of her friends safe and that was why she had done... whatever she had done.

_"How can you ask that of me Kagome?"_ he asked her silently. _"How can you ask me to kill you?"_

As she took her second step, he felt his heart constrict in his chest. He was certain now why she was looking at him this way. She was telling him to finish her off before she lost herself completely. She didn't want to turn into a mindless killing machine. Hesitantly, his hands strayed to his sword. The feeling was a hundred times worst than when he sent her off alone toward Naraku's castle. But he understood, he understood because he would have asked the very same thing of her had this happened to him. He knew then that he would honor her wish, he would kill her and allow her to pass on while a glimmer of humanity still remained within her. After that, he would probably kill himself. He couldn't bare to live with her death on his conscience, not when he had been the one to cause it. His hand tightened on the hilt of his sword, his whole body trembling with the force of his emotions. Just as he was about to draw, something caught his ear. A wheezing sound emanating from her throat, so faint he almost didn't hear it. But he did pick it up and what he heard made him frown in confusion.

_"Tessaiga? Why on earth would she..."_ he began and stopped abruptly as the answer suddenly appeared in his mind, blinding him, taunting him with its obviousness.

Not even allowing himself time to come back from his surprise, he closed the distance separating him from Kagome and firmly placed the sword in her outstretched hand.

The girl let out a strangled gasp of relief when her fingers closed against the hilt. The fire in her veins almost instantly cooled off, the red mist clouding her mind dissolved away and the pain in her body vanished like it never happened in the first place. God it felt good to be able to breathe again, to be able to think again. She would have cried out in relief had she not been so intent on avidly filling her lungs with air.

It took her a good five minutes of panting before she recovered enough to register her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was that someone was talking to her.

"K... Kagome?" asked Inuyasha hesitantly, concern evident in his voice.

Turning her head toward the sound, her eyes were immediately confronted with glowing golden orbs that she knew all too well. Talking was still a little way off, but seeing her hagard yet sane expression seemed to be enough as relief flooded his features for a split second before being replaced with a scowl.

"Dammit wench! Did you have to go and scare the shit out of me like that? I almost ran you through!" he exclaimed in a tone that sounded angry, but lacked any definite edge.

Kagome's shoulders shuddered in silent laughter at the hanyou's reply and her lips curved upward in a grin, causing her two fangs to poke out at the corners of her mouth.

"You have such a way with words Inuyasha," she finally managed to say.

Her voice sounded raspy and dry, which was understandable with what had just happened, but it basically remained unchanged. It was comforting to know that at least something of her old self had survived through that maelstrom of transformations. Speaking of which... Her smile dissolved as her eyes traveled the length of the Tessaiga's blade, coming to a stop on her hands.

_"Claws heh?"_ she thought dispassionately. And then, unable to contain her curiosity, she brought her left hand to the top of her head and sure enough, her fingers brushed against one fuzzy dog ear. The last words of Midoriko suddenly came back to her mind _"youkai and human blood cannot mix together... but they can coexist"_. A smile appeared on her face as she finally understood the full meaning of it. A meaning that could be summarized in one single word: hanyou.

"What I wouldn't give for a mirror right now," she whispered in an amused tone of voice that caused Inuyasha to stare dumbly at her.

Finally, with one last shake of her head, she lowered the Tessaiga and turned to Akkimaru who had been too stunned by the whole occurance to react. Fishing through the folds of her kimono, Kagome extracted the jewel from around her neck and looked at it for a second.

"Here," she said, throwing it to the unsuspecting youkai. "You can have it now," she finished.

Akkimaru stared at the miko in surprise before lowering her gaze to the round object she now had in the palm of her hands. Faint traces of energy tingled her skin slightly, but they felt more like drops of water left on a glass after you emptied its content than the torrent of power that should have been there.

"That cannot be," she whispered, a mixture of horror, surprise and disbelief appearing on her face. "It's empty... completely... empty," she finished, her eyes wide.

Even as she said those words, cracks started appearing on the now colorless sphere. They continued to grow until they covered the whole surface and then, with a snapping sound, the jewel shattered into pieces, which almost immediately turned to dust. The shikon jewel was finally no more.

* * *

**Author's note:** Well, what do you know, the jewel is finally gone for good... and Kagome somehow managed to come out on top, even if it turned her into a hanyou. But now... what on earth will happen, how will Akkimaru react to this unexpected turn of events? She still holds Shippo and Yuna in her grip after all. If you want to know... stay tuned next week for chapter 15.  



	16. Showdown! Kagome VS Akkimaru

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Inuyasha and the gang, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction now would I?  
**Note:** Well, another saturday, another chappy. It's the one you've all been waiting for. With the jewel gone and Kagome turned into a hanyou, it's time to see just how Akkimaru is going to react (though I think the title of the chapter is pretty self-explanatory he he). I would like to thank trekker4life for his review (live long and prosper my friend ;) he he), EliciaS (I hope you found the time to finish reading he he) and Inuyasha-kagome-forever99 (I'm glad that you're so enthusiastic about my story :)))) he he). Well then, I think it's high time that we went on with the story don't you think ;). 

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* * *

Chapter 15: Showdown! Kagome VS Akkimaru**

If one word could describe Akkimaru's mood right now, it would be absolute devastation. For years she had been watching the struggle between Naraku and Inuyasha's gang, waiting for one of them to fall. And then, it had happened, the evil hanyou had been struck down, leaving a weakened party in its wake. It was the golden opportunity she had been waiting for. Quickly but carefully, she had rounded on the unsuspecting party and she would have succeeded if one goddam kitsune hadn't had the bright idea of causing the miko and the hanyou to leave unexpectedly.

That was when one of her underlings suggested that they might be able to enlist the help of Kikyo to retrieve the jewel considering that there was only two of them to deal with now. A brilliant idea that had failed due to the sheer incompetence of her underling. And then she had elected to take someone hostage, a classical strategy but very efficient nonetheless. Once again, thanks to Mattemaru, her plan almost failed. Fortunately, her loyal Washisuto was able to scoop down and bring her not one, but two bargaining chips.

Mattemaru had been an annoying pain in the ass from the start, butting in unexpectedly and very efficiently disrupting her carefully laid out plans. He even went so far as to lead the lord of the western lands himself, Sesshomaru, to her. Though she had won, the youkai had proven to be remarkably resilient to her attacks.

And yet... as annoying, as enfuriating as Mattemaru had been to her, nothing could compare with what the girl in front of her had done. By purifying the jewel, she had successfully crushed her ambitions and rendered years of careful planning completely meaningless. In short, she had taken away her very reason to exist.

_"I'll make you pay wench! I'll do the same thing I did with Sesshomaru and that brat Shippo. I'll strip you of your powers and after that, I'll take my time torturing you to death,"_ she thought enfuriated.

With a feral growl, she stuck her staff in the ground. The purple jewel pulsed once and a barrier immediately started expanding. Before anyone could react, they found themselves pushed away, all except Kagome that is. Finally, after the barrier reached the limit of the cleared area, it stopped growing.

"What the..." said the girl as she looked around her in confusion.

It was rather surprising, Inuyasha who had been standing right next to her was now fifty meters away, picking himself up from the ground, looking as confused as she right now. Finally, her eyes came to rest on the staff planted in the ground and Akkimaru who was sporting a predatory snarl on her face.

"What's the meaning of this?" she demanded angrily.

"It's actually quite simple," began the youkai. "It simply means that you're going to die!" she exclaimed and with that, she tore her staff from the ground and pointed it at her.

There was a ripping sensation inside Kagome's soul followed quickly by a feeling emptiness unlike any she had ever experienced before. She was on the point of wondering what had just happened when Akkimaru interrupted her train of thoughts.

"Well girl, how does it feel to be stripped of your spiritual powers?" she taunted.

Looking at the youkai in disbelief, Kagome tried to summon her powers, but no matter how hard she focused, nothing happened. A cold feeling of dread started creeping up her spine as she realized that she was completely helpless. Absorbing the jewel may have turned her into a hanyou and given her the strength to go with it, but she didn't have any sort of skills when it came to fighting barehanded, so it all amounted to nothing in the end.

_"Use this Kagome,"_ a familiar voice suddenly rang out in her mind.

_"Midoriko!"_ she exclaimed mentally right before something happened.

It felt really strange, in the space of a second, her perception of Akkimaru changed. The pulls and flexes of her muscles that had meant nothing a second ago were suddenly clues to an impending attack as well as possible openings. The Tessaiga in her hand that had felt alien was now exactly like an extension of her arm. In short, it felt like she had held a sword all her life, which was impossible, unless...

_"Midoriko, what _did_ you do?"_ she asked in confusion.

_"This is my gift to you Kagome,"_ answered the miko, her voice suddenly becoming weaker. _"Use it... well,"_ she finished so lightly that Kagome had to strain to hear it and then, all traces of the old miko's soul were gone from her mind.

"I hope you're ready girl because when I'm through with you, you're going to beg me to kill you," laughed Akkimaru, jarring her out of her thoughts.

"Come on then, I'll show you just how powerless I really am," she answered the youkai, her eyes hardening and her body automatically shifting into a defensive stance.

The youkai froze for a second at seeing the girl's behavior, but the cruel smile quickly returned. "Looks like this is going to be more interesting than I thought," she said right before she launched herself at her hanyou opponent.

Akkimaru wasted no time and began with a flurry of fast and furious strikes that immediately got the girl hanyou on the defensive. The blows were raining on Kagome like there was no tomorrow. Using her staff sometimes like a club, sometimes like a quarterstaff, the youkai started pushing the hanyou girl back slowly.

She didn't know exactly how long she managed to hold out, but suddenly, Kagome put her foot on a piece of wood and it slipped very slightly, making her waver. This was all the opening Akkimaru needed and with a victorious roar, she raised her staff above her head and brought it down in a vertical slice. The hanyou girl instinctively raised the Tessaiga above her head in a desperate block. Already off balance, she was unable to put any strength in her move and when the staff connected with her untransformed sword, the impact sent her flying backward. She landed in a dazed heap a few feet away, her chest burning with a newly received wound.

"Kagome!" called a chorus of voices.

She looked up to see Inuyasha, standing on the other side of the barrier which was only a few feet away from her. He was looking both frustrated and helplessly worried. Beside him were Shippo and Yuna who sported the same expression as the hanyou on their face. She also noted with a small amount of relief that they were now free of their captors.

When she saw Kagome looking her way, the ten years old girl immediately moved forward a few steps. "Kagome-sama, her staff..." she began in an urgent tone, but before she could say more, the girl hanyou had bounded away in order to avoid yet another assault from the insane youkai.

"What's this about her staff?" asked Inuyasha, curiosity temporarily overriding his worry for the girl on the other side of the barrier.

But the child wasn't listening, all her attention was focused on the fight in front of her. The hanyou was about to repeat his question when she suddenly took off at full speed. Raising an eyebrow in confusion at this unexplained behavior, he turned his gaze to Shippo, hoping to get some sort of explanation but he ended up empty as the kitsune had also decided to take off.

"The hell's going on here?" he asked to no one in particular before bounding after the retreating pair.

Meanwhile, Kagome once again found herself barely holding her own against Akkimaru's onslaught. It was frustrating in a way because, for all the skill she now possessed with a blade, the youkai proved to be far too swift for her to mount any sort of attack.

_"Dammit, I can't take much more of this!"_ she thought as she felt her arms start to burn from her incessant parrying.

Finally, after blocking yet another blow, a plan formed in her head. She voluntarily let her left foot slip slightly, altering her balance and making her look like she was stumbling. Akkimaru went straight for it and roared victoriously as she swiped horizontally at the girl hanyou's neck. At the last possible moment, Kagome suddenly threw her weight down, the blow going harmlessly over her head. Not expecting such a move, the youkai was thrown off balance for a split second, giving the girl the opening she needed. Immediately jumping up from her crouching position, she slashed upward across Akkimaru's chest, causing the youkai to stagger backward.

"That... was a pretty... neat trick," panted Akkimaru when she regained her balance. "But, with such a dull blade, you can't possibly hope to win," she finished mockingly.

The panther youkai was right, in her untransformed state, Tessaiga was about as effective as a wooden practice sword. Of course, Kagome wasn't about to admit that to her opponent. "Tessaiga's a stubborn sword," she shot back with narrowed eyes. "So even if she won't transform for me, I know she won't allow herself to lose to the likes of you!"

"Kagome-sama!" called a voice suddenly. "Her staff! You must break her staff!" it said urgently.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Kagome could see the person who had just said those words: Yuna. The child was currently pounding frantically against the barrier with her left arm, the sling hanging loosely around her shoulder. That definitively caught her attention and she was immediately reminded of the time when Inuyasha and her had left Kaede's hut. _"That's right!"_ she suddenly realized. _"It's her right arm that's wounded, not her left. But what could it all mean?"_ she asked herself.

Akkimaru didn't leave her time to puzzle things out however. "Shut up you annoying little brat!" she snapped and leveled her staff at the helpless Yuna. There was a flash of light from the gem at the end and immediately a purple energy ball was sent hurtling toward the kid. Before it could reach its target though, Inuyasha had already scooped Yuna in his arms and had bounded away to safety.

The panther youkai snorted in annoyance before turning back to her, an evil smile appearing on her lips. "So you want to destroy my staff do you?" she asked mockingly. "Well, it's going to take a lot more than that broken down sword of yours," she laughed.

"This staff is like an extension of my soul. It draws all of its power from there, that's why its so strong... and that's also why it will never break, because my soul cannot be broken," she explained confidently.

"That's awfully cocky coming from someone who hardly managed to scratch me, a puny half-breed," taunted the girl hanyou.

While these words were exchanged, Kagome's mind was racing, frantically trying to figure out the meaning behind Yuna's actions. _"Why? Why did they put Yuna's sling on the wrong arm?"_ she kept asking herself. But no answer came to her. Eventually, her train of thoughts was interrupted once again by Akkimaru who, in answer to her last retort, leveled her staff at her and started to hurl ball after ball of purple energy in her direction.

"I'll show you just how cocky I can be," she snarled angrily.

After about a minute of frantic leaping around, Kagome's luck finally ran out and one of Akkimaru's shot connected directly with her chest. The force of the impact sent her flying backward, straight into the barrier. All the air was forced out of her lungs as pain radiated through her whole body and her legs gave out from under her. Though she had been more critically wounded before, the girl hanyou found with surprise that her body refused to obey her commands.

_"What's going on?"_ she thought as she desperately tried to make her arms and legs function.

"What's the matter girl? Can't move?" asked Akkimaru mockingly, raising Kagome's head with her staff so that she could see the fear in the girl's eyes. "It wouldn't be because you were hit by one of my paralyzing shots would it?" she continued in the same tone.

Kagome wasn't listening to the youkai's rambling however because something on her opponent's staff had captured her attention. Just above Akkimaru's left hand there was a small crack, barely visible, but there nonetheless. _"So that's what she was trying to tell me,"_ she thought as she finally understood Yuna's hidden message.

Of course, her lack of attention didn't go unnoticed on the panther youkai's part. Without warning, stars filled the helpless hanyou's vision as the angry Akkimaru's hand had come down in a hard slap.

"You should learn to listen when someone speaks to you!" she snapped.

"Kagome! What are you doing? Get up!" screamed Inuyasha's voice right behind her.

"Kagome, please!" this time it was Shippo.

"Kagome-sama..." and now it was Yuna.

_"Dammit!"_ thought Kagome as beads of sweat started to form on her forehead from the effort of trying to break free of the spell she was under.

"You know," whispered Akkimaru in a conspirational tone. "I think I'll spare you for now. It'll be a lot more fun to kill your friends with you watching," she finished.

Now _that_ was probably the biggest mistake the panther youkai could have made. Rage suddenly flared inside the paralyzed hanyou, increasing her strength tenfolds. Her whole body began to shudder and shake and a menacing growl emanated from her throat. Akkimaru, suddenly uncertain, started to back away slightly as the shuddering increased and the growling grew louder. Finally, there was a popping sound and Kagome's body jerked violently as her bonds shattered.

"Impossible! She... broke free" exclaimed the youkai as the hanyou girl slowly got to her feet.

Firmly planting herself between Akkimaru and her friends on the other side of the barrier, Kagome locked her burning gaze with that of the youkai. "Just try and hurt my friends and see what happens," she snarled.

And then, as if answering to her own feelings, Tessaiga started pulsing in the hanyou's hand. Temporarily forgetting her anger, she brought the sword up and looked at it carefully. _"Tessaiga... you want to protect our friends too do you?"_ she asked mentally and the katana pulsed once again in answer to her question.

_"Thank you,"_ she thought before returning her gaze to the panther youkai.

"Akkimaru, you'd better prepare yourself because now... you've made even Tessaiga angry!" she exclaimed as the blade abruptly transformed into its fang form.

Behind her, three pair of eyes witnessed the metamorphosis in complete bewilderement. "Say Inuyasha," said Shippo after a second of stillness. "When did Kagome learn to use the Tessaiga like this?" he asked, but of course, no one answered him.

Akkimaru on the other hand was finding her position less and less comfortable as the hanyou girl started advancing toward her. She had already taken one involuntary step back before she caught herself and realized what she had been doing. Strangely, this caused her to burst out laughing, immediately halting Kagome's movement.

"And to think the first one to strike fear in my heart, even if it was for a mere moment, would be a hanyou... how ironic," she said with unexplained mirth. "So you think you can protect your friends with that sword girl?" she asked, all traces of amusement gone from her features. "Well think again!" she exclaimed.

"Washisuto!" she called. "Come and show this girl just how powerless she really is!"

At those words, Kagome's heart litteraly stopped beating in her chest. She whirled around in time to see an enormous eagle descend on her friends. "NOOOO!" she helplessly screamed.

But then, something unexpected happened. Before the bird could reach its targets, an enormous and extremely localized tornado suddenly encased the bird. Unable to withstand the raging winds, Washisuto was sent hurling harmlessly away from its intended targets. And then, as suddenly as it had come, the wind died down, leaving the bird to hover in place, completely disoriented. Before it could do so much as catch its breath, a ball of fire, that looked minuscule compared to his immense proportions, but was really as big as a man, connected with its chest, sending it crashing to the ground.

This created huge gales of wind that sent dirt and debris flying everywhere and forced everyone not in the barrier to cover their eyes. This, of course, didn't last and once things began to settle down, two shapes slowly started to appear through the cloud. One was distinctly humanoid with pointed ears adorning its head while the other was feline-looking, with two tails trailing lazily behind her.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you Akkimaru, but your dirty tricks won't work this time," called the wind sorceress once she and Kirara had gotten out of the cloud of dust.

"Keh! You sure took your time," exclaimed the hanyou in a falsely reproachful tone.

"Hmpf, so much for gratitude," answered Kagura, immediately catching on to the hanyou's playful mood. "Remind me not to save your hide next time it's in danger," she finished, snapping her fan shut for emphasis.

While Yuna had been outwardly silent during that last exchange, inside of her, emotions whirled uncontrollably. She couldn't understand it. When Kagome and Inuyasha had showed up to try and save her and Shippo, she had been glad... but nothing like this. She was so happy that it was almost painful. Her heart was so full that she was sure it would burst. Tears streamed down her cheeks in a vain attempt to quell a little of the emotions coursing through her. Her feet moved one hesitant step forward as the sudden need to feel Kagura's arms around her rose within her. Her pace quickly increased though and before long, her walk had turned into a full-fledged run. It wasn't just a need now, it was a frantic craving, a desperate yearning. She wanted to bask once again in Kagura's motherly love.

"KAGURA-SAMAAAAAA!" she yelled as she threw herself at the sorceress, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.

The youkai stared at the child clinging to the folds of her kimono for a few seconds, surprised by her overwhelming reaction. It was quickly replaced with a warm feeling though, a feeling that caused Kagura to kneel and gently wrap her arms around Yuna in a gentle and tender hug.

"Yuna..." whispered the sorceress softly, tears of her own threatening to spill from her eyes.

"I knew... I knew you would... come," sobbed the ten years old while returning the embrace as best as she could with her good arm.

Finally, the youkai pulled slightly away in order to be able to look at Yuna's face. "You're not hurt are you?" she asked while wiping the girl's tear with her finger.

The ten years old simply shook her head in response before noticing the youkai's wet cheeks. "Kagura-sama... you're crying," she said, a bit surprised by that fact.

"It's okay, I'm just... happy to have you back in my arms," answered Kagura, a somewhat shaky smile appearing on her face.

"I'm happy too, Kagura-sama," replied Yuna before burying herself in the folds of Kagura's kimono once again.

* * *

To say Kagome was relieved at Kagura and Kirara's surprise attack was probably the understatement of the century. In the midst of the battle, she had completely forgotten about the two supposed trump cards hiding in the shadow, especially when she had noticed that Shippo and Yuna had broken free from their captors. While she felt her heart warm up at seeing the display of affection, someone else was having another opinion on the matter altogether. 

"God this is making me sick," said Akkimaru, disdain evident in her voice.

The girl hanyou's mood changed instantly upon hearing the panther youkai's words. Her temporary happiness turned into downward hatred in the matter of seconds. Fire seemed to surround her as she turned around to face Akkimaru once more. When she leveled her gaze at the youkai, it was so filled with anger and hatred that Akkimaru couldn't help but take an involuntary step back.

"You shouldn't have done that," growled Kagome while taking a menacing step forward. "Trying to harm my friends is the one thing I will never... FORGIVE!" she roared before launching herself at the youkai.

The speed at which Kagome moved was so great that Akkimaru barely had time to raise her staff in defense before Tessaiga connected, sending bolts of energy flying around the two opponents. The force of the blow reverberated through her arms all the way to her toes and caused her to almost lose her grip on her weapon. _"Impossible! Such strength from a hanyou... it cannot be,"_ she thought as she found herself being pushed backward.

That was when she felt something that she knew was impossible: Her staff was actually beginning to break. Glancing up in both horror and astonishement, she watched helplessly as cracks she hadn't seen before started to widen under the hanyou girl's relentless push. _"My staff! I have to do something!"_ she mused, panick flooding her being.

Without thinking, she summoned her staff's power and made it that the flow of energy would go through the Tessaiga and into her opponent's body. Too late did she realized her mistake. The energy coursing through her staff acted exactly like electricity going through a damaged wire. Finding an easy exit in the numerous fissures present, the power went straight out of the weapon and into her own body.

Gritting her teeth in frustration at her own stupidity, she willed the power to stop flowing, only to find that it didn't work. What was worst, the flow was increasing, causing her muscles to cramp up and preventing her from releasing her staff. It wasn't long before the pain became too much for her to endure and she found herself screaming in agony.

Having sensed the danger she was in, Kagome had long since jumped a safe distance away and was currently watching helplessly as the youkai was staggering back and forth under the growing pressure of her own backfiring attack. Her eyes widened slightly and she took an involuntary step back as a pulsating purple light started to surround the staff.

"Her staff is... overloading!" she whispered about a second before the full meaning of what she had said sank in.

Whirling around, she started bounding away from the howling youkai, trying to put as much distance as she could before the inevitable happened. "Everyone, get down!" she screamed to her friends right before a snapping sound was heard and the energy contained within the staff was all abruptly set free in a formidable explosion.

Kagome was still too close to Akkimaru to be able to put her own warning to good use and as such the blast caught her full in the back and sent her flying for a good ten feet before gravity pulled her back to the ground. She landed flat on her belly, effectively knocking the wind out of her and making stars dance in front of her eyes.

She didn't know exactly how long she lay there, ears ringing and head spinning, hovering between consciousness and unconsciousness but eventually, her faculties started to return, albeit slowly. The first thing she registered were scents. They were all intermingled together, making it difficult for her to determine how many there were and who they belonged to. There was one that stood out however, one that filled her with peace as soon as she recognized it.

_"Inuyasha,"_ her mind instantly identified.

And then, as the fog lifted further, voices started to filter through.

_"Kagome! Hang in there Kagome!"_ said a voice that couldn't belong to anyone but Inuyasha.

_"Is she going to be all right?"_ asked a much younger voice, Shippo this time.

_"Don't worry, she's just shaken from the blast. Look, she's coming too,"_ answered an older woman's voice, Kagura.

And indeed, a small moan had escaped the hanyou girl's lips as her brain finally kicked into second gear. Opening her eyes, she blinked a few times to clear her vision and was immediately confronted with a pair of very concerned golden orbs. The expression was quickly replaced by relief as he noticed her looking up at him.

"Kagome!" he exclaimed. "Geez woman, did you have to go and make us all worry like that?" he snapped in what he probably meant as an angry tone, but was spoiled by his lack of conviction.

The hanyou girl couldn't suppress a giggle of amusement at Inuyasha's antics. "Sorry about that," she answered. "But it's not like I did it on purpose you know," she finished with mirth.

Her smile was quickly replaced by a serious expression as she asked her next question. "What about Akkimaru?"

"Well... from the looks of it, I'd say she did a rather thorough job of doing herself in," answered the wind sorceress as she moved a little to the side to allow Kagome to see her fallen opponent.

From her point of view, the hanyou girl could see that Kagura's claims had not been exagerated. The panther youkai was lying in a crumpled mass on the ground. Her whole body was burned beyond recognition and smoke still rose from what was left of her clothes. Struggling to her feet with Inuyasha's help, Kagome slowly made her way to the fallen youkai.

When she reached her, it was all Kagome could do not to look away in disgust. _All_ of Akkimaru's skin had completely evaporated under the force of the explosion, leaving behind a grotesque mask of burned inner flesh marred with blood and dirt. As repulsive as the whole picture was, when a raspy sound emanated from the youkai's throat and her lips moved feebly in a desperate attempt to talk, Kagome forgot all about it.

"Akkimaru!"exclaimed the girl hanyou as she knelt beside the panther youkai.

"Enjoy your... life... hanyou," she wheezed in a barely audible whisper. "And remember... as everyone you... hold dear... forsakens you... that it was all... because of... me," she finished before going completely limp.

Straightening herself up, Kagome looked at her clawed hands in sudden apprehension. The words the youkai had said resonating with what she knew of Inuyasha's past. _"Will everyone I know really reject me? Will I be forced to endure what Inuyasha had to endure?"_ she thought.

But then a hand was gently placed on her shoulder, bringing her out of her reverie. "Kagome, is everything okay?" inquired Inuyasha softly.

Turning her head around, her gaze took in the hanyou's worried expression and then trailed off to look at Kagura, who stood a little in the back along with Yuna, Shippo and Kirara. She also remembered Sango, Miroku and Kaede who were eagerly awaiting her return. The fear lacing her feature abruptly dissolved away only to be replaced by a bright smile. "Yes... everything's fine Inuyasha," she answered the hanyou in a cheerful tone.

_"It doesn't matter if the whole world forsakens me Akkimaru..."_ she thought as she got back to her feet.

She then proceeded to take in all the people present. Kagura, the wind sorceress. Shippo the kitsune youkai. Yuna the former slave. Kirara the cat youkai. And last but not least, Inuyasha, the proud and stubborn hanyou who had captured her heart. Happiness bubbled inside of her as she realized just how lucky she was to be able to count such wonderful people as her friends.

"Let's go home, shall we?" she finally announced, feeling her eyes grow watery with the amount of emotions coursing through her at that very moment.

_"... because as long as I have my friends by my side, I'll never be alone.

* * *

_**Author's note:** Well guys, there you have it, Akkimaru's gone and Kagome came out on top. I have to say that this chapter is the one I'm most proud of. I worked a lot on it and it came out _exactly _as I wanted it to come out, which is quite something in itself. For those of you who did not understand why Sesshomaru was so easily defeated by her, well she used her staff to seal away his own youkai powers, thus rendering him just about as weak as a human. In opposition, Kagome is a hanyou and as such has two sorts of powers flowing through her. Akkimaru did not think about this detail and sealed away only the human part, completely forgetting about the youkai's. That was why she was able to keep her strength and also make the Tessaiga transform. In any case, I just felt that this little detail needed clarification since I did not explain it directly. Well then, now the action is over, now it's time for the fluff he he he. Stay tuned next week as Kagome and company get back home to Kaede's village. I dare think that everyone's in for quite a surprise he he. In any case, see you next week for chapter 16: Homecoming._  
_


	17. Homecoming

**Disclaimer:** No own Inuyasha and company. Yuna and Mattemaru are mine though.  
**Note:** Many thanks to taeniaea, trekker4life and Tunia for their reviews this week. I would also like to apologize to trekker4life for assuming she was a guy. I assure you that it was an honest mistake and no insults were intended. Well then, I think that about sums it up for now. So without further ado, on with the story.

**

* * *

Chapter 16: Homecoming**

"How about this one?" asked Shippo, pointing to yet another cloud.

"Hmmm, it looks like Kagura-sama," answered Yuna after a few seconds of reflection.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, the kitsune observed the cloud more attentively. "You know, you're right, it does look like her," he agreed.

"I don't see the resemblance," countered the wind sorceress. "The shape is too twisted and the ears are too pointy to be me," she argued critically, prompting the two youth perched on Kirara's back to burst out laughing.

It had been a few hours since the group had left the abandoned miner settlement where the fated battle with Akkimaru had taken place. They had been progressing at a more than leasury pace, thanks to a certain hanyou couple. It was understandable, in a way, the two had been litteraly running around for days in order to foil the panther youkai's evil plans and now that everything was over, they simply wanted to slow down a little. After about an hour of this, Shippo, bored out of his mind had suggested going a little faster. This had only prompted a 'go on ahead if you want, we'll catch up' from Kagome, effectively closing the discussion.

That reminded him that the said girl had not answered any of their numerous questions. They still did not know how she had turned into a hanyou, nor where her skills with a sword had come from. She promised she would explain once they had reached Kaede's village, claiming that she didn't want to repeat herself needlessly. So, finally, the kitsune had resorted to watch the clouds with Yuna, trying to find out what they looked like. But even that was getting boring now, even with Kagura's occasional intervention.

Shifting his gaze to the hanyou couple walking a small distance ahead of them, he frowned a little. "What's up with them?" he asked.

Two additional pair of eyes were suddenly trained on Inuyasha and Kagome, watching curiously as the male hanyou suddenly missed a step and turned to the girl by his side, a look of utter disbelief on his face. They exchanged a few words and surprise was replaced by understanding on the red-clad hanyou's face. He then smiled warmly and draped his arm around Kagome's shoulder and in return, the girl encircled his waist with her own arm, leaning her head against him in the process. The three couldn't do anything but stare in astonishement at the romantic display. Before any of them could think of something to say though, Inuyasha turned his head in their direction and glared at them.

Instantly, they all looked away, pretending like they hadn't been staring in the first place. The hanyou merely snorted at them before returning his gaze to the front, totally ignoring them. As soon as he stopped looking though, the three eyed each other mischeviously before returning to their observation.

* * *

To anyone looking at the couple walking hand in hand in the forest, they would have appeared to be lost in the secret universe shared only between lovers. Things couldn't have been further from the truth. 

For her part, Kagome was a little nervous. While she didn't doubt that Miroku, Sango and Kaede, once over the surprise of her transformation, would accept her, she had more reservations about the rest of the villagers. And then there was also Inuyasha. After being so warm on the battle field, he had locked himself up in his own little world, hardly paying her any mind at all. She could deal with the whole world rejecting her, but if Inuyasha were to ever push her away... she wasn't sure she could bear it.

Ironically, while outwardly ignoring the girl beside him, the male hanyou's thoughts, were all centered on her. He couldn't stop his mind from replaying the scenes where Kagome had battled Akkimaru. Things he had been too concerned to notice suddenly appearing as clear as day in his mind's eyes. The grace of her movements as she lowered herself in a fighting stance. Her agility as she dodged the furious onslaughts of the youkai. The fluidity of her movements. Everything mixed together, bringing him to one conclusion that made his stomach churn: He found Kagome more attractive now than she was as a human.

And so, it had gone on for hours, the silence between them growing to deafening proportions, while on the outside, they appeared to be the perfect couple. Finally, after hours of sulking, Inuyasha couldn't take it anymore and spoke up.

"How's your injury?" he asked softly, referring to the slash she had received across the chest.

"It's fine, it's already starting to heal," answered the girl, equally softly.

Silence fell on the couple once more, heavier and thicker than ever after that small exchange. _"I have to tell her... Even if she hates me for it... I just can't keep it from her,"_ he thought as he braced himself for the revelation he was about to make.

"Kagome..." he began hesitantly, instantly capturing the girl hanyou's attention. "How do you like it, being a hanyou?" he asked slowly, his eyes trained ahead, not daring to look at the girl.

"Well... I can hear, see and smell better. I'm also stronger and faster than I was as a human. I suppose that I'll also have to deal with quite a bit of rejection from people around me, like any other hanyou, but I don't really mind. I can deal with strangers pushing me back, just as long as the ones I love keep standing by me," she answered while tightening her hold on Inuyasha's hand.

The hanyou never once so much as glanced at her, but Kagome thought she could see a spark of surprise dancing in his eyes, quickly drowned by fear and uncertainty. _"He probably wants to tell me that he doesn't love me anymore,"_ she thought upon noticing his expression.

But then, why was he still holding her hand like this? Why wasn't he pushing her away? Was this some sort of sick joke on his part? She was on the verge of anger when everything abruptly slammed into place.

_"How do you like it, being a hanyou?"_ he had asked. **Like**_ it,"_ she repeated mentally, voluntarily emphasizing the word. _"How do I **like** it,"_ she continued, truth shining brightly in front of her.

"Inuyasha... you want me to stay a hanyou do you?" she asked gently.

If she had needed any confirmation that she was right, the stiffening of his body and the widening of his eyes were all the proof she needed. "I'm sorry," he said, his gaze lowering to the ground and his ears drooping slightly in shame. "I know you probably hate me for having such a thought but..." he blurted out before Kagome interrupted him.

"I don't hate you Inuyasha," she smiled reassuringly.

"You... You don't?" he stammered in surprise.

"No, because I don't want to turn back into a human either," she answered back.

This revelation was so highly unexpected that the hanyou let out a strangled choke of surprise as he missed a step. "W... What?" he blurted out, while staring at the girl in complete and utter disbelief.

"Inuyasha, when I met you three years ago, I thought you were nothing more than a conceited jerk. I couldn't understand why you were so aggressive toward me at first, but as I got to know you, I began to see how deeply wounded your heart really was. I took it upon myself to try and heal it, but as time went by, I realized that no matter how much I tried, there would always be a gap between us... because I was human and you were hanyou," she explained.

"Kagome..." murmured the hanyou, not sure what to answer to that.

"I then started to entertain some fantasies about me becoming a hanyou. I sometimes found myself wondering what it would be like to have fangs, dog ears and an acute sense of smell like yours," she continued, ignoring the hanyou's interruption. "Of course, I never really acknowledged these as more than childish dreams. But then, a twist of fate has now turned me into the very thing I dreamed to be turned into," she finished.

"So basically Inuyasha, even if I could turn back into a human, I don't think I would. I want to experience all that it means to be a hanyou. The pain, the rejection, the joy, the happiness, I want to experience it all... with you by my side. That is... if you'll have me," she added softly.

The red-clad hanyou stared at Kagome for the longest time, not believing what he had just heard. _"This has got to be a dream,"_ he kept repeating to himself expecting the girl in front of him to vanish or tell him it had all been a joke. But as the seconds passed, she continued to stare at him with gorgeous golden-brown eyes filled with love and worry. Her black dog ears were slightly drooped, a testimony of the amount of emotions coursing through her.

It was a picture of cuteness that would have melted all but the coldest of hearts and Inuyasha was far from heartless. It was no surprise then when a warm and tender smile started appearing on his lips in response to the girl's plea. _"If you'll have me?"_ he mentally repeated Kagome's question. _"God Kagome, who in their right mind _wouldn't_ have you?"_ he asked himself again.

"Idiot," he answered as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He could feel her stiffen slightly in surprise at his gesture, but he paid it no mind. "Did you really think I would push you away?" he asked softly.

She relaxed then, melting against him as she encircled his waist with her own arm. "No," she answered equally softly. "But I couldn't help how I felt."

"Are you sure you're okay about us being all over each other like this?" she asked suddenly, earning her a confused look from the red-clad hanyou. "I mean, we're not exactly _alone_ are we?" she continued when he didn't understand.

Turning his head slightly, Inuyasha was rewarded by an array of innocent looks from the people following them. He snorted once in amusement before gazing ahead once more. "I don't mind Kagome, the whole world can see us for all I care. Right now, you're in my arms and it's all that matters," he said firmly.

"You're right," murmured the hanyou girl after a second of silence. "It's all that matters," she finished and after that, no other words were exchanged between the two.

* * *

Miroku wasn't sure exactly what was worse. Worrying about his friend's wellbeing or having a totally helpless Sango worrying about those same friends, right beside him. The demon slayer's mood had began as slightly tense when Inuyasha and the other had left. It had transformed into uncontrolled anger and frustration around lunch time and after that, the woman had not said a word. While her earlier outburst had rater grated on Miroku's nerves, he quickly found that her silence was a lot scarier than her anger. 

The woman was sitting there with a look that would have melted iron if that had been possible. Her good hand was clenched so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. Her jaw was clenched tight and every once in a while, her eyebrows would twitch nervously. In short, Sango looked like a volcano ready to explode at any moment. Unwittingly, Miroku found himself praying for his friends to come back, not because he was worried about them, but because it would be the only thing that would diffuse the demon slayer's explosive mood.

Oddly enough, his prayers were answered when a kid suddenly burst through the door excitedly. "They're... back! I... saw them!" he panted, visibly out of breath.

"Are you sure?" asked Sango, suddenly eager to hear more.

"Yes," answered the kid. "There was Kirara with Shippo and..." he trailed off, frowning as he searched for a name. Coming up empty, he continued nonetheless. "... a girl on his back. There was also that red-eyed youkai with a fan and Inuyasha too and... a miko with black dog ears like Inuyasha's. She looked like Kagome-sama, but..." he stopped short at a gesture from Miroku.

"Thank you young man, here is what we promised," said the monk while handing the kid a few coins.

The child immediately brightened up and grabbed them before bowing and running back outside. Once he was out of the hut, the monk and the demon slayer looked at each other in puzzlement. A miko with black dog ears? What could it all mean?

"Well the description fits... for the most part," said Miroku hesitantly.

"But what about Kagome?" asked Sango, voice filled with worry. "It had to be Kagome that kid was talking about. What do you suppose happened? Why does she have black dog ears?" she asked, almost accusingly at the monk.

"I do not know Sango, but I expect our questions will be answered soon enough," replied Miroku in a level tone of voice that seemed to tick the demon slayer off to no end.

"Dammit Miroku, how can you be so calm about all of this! It's Kagome we're talking about here KA.. GO... ME!" snapped the woman, finally letting out all the anger that had built up throughout the day.

"Yelling at me is not likely to accomplish anything Sango," argued the monk smoothly, though he was as concerned as the demon slayer.

That seemed to be the last straw holding the woman's patience in check because a deep growl started to emanate from her throat, foretelling of an explosion unlike any the monk had ever seen before. Bracing himself, Miroku closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable, but strangely, it never came. Instead, the growl died in a strangled choke as a familiar voice spoke from the door.

"Sango... Please calm down," Kagome said softly and instantly, the monk's eyes snapped open to stared at the apparition before him.

The said girl was standing in front of the door, the others filing in behind her slowly. Her hair was the same black shoulder length it had always been. The hazel of her eyes had changed to something in between gold and brown. Fangs were clearly visibly at the corner of her lips and two distinctly inhuman dog ears adorned the top of her head. All in all, it was still definitively Kagome, but with some unexpected changes.

"Kagome-sama... are you... I mean... How... I mean..." stammered the monk, unable to formulate even one clear question.

"What on earth is going on here?" asked Kaede's voice, coming from outside.

Questioning looks were suddenly directed at Kagome, not for her appearance this time though. "My new looks attracted... a few stares," she answered sheepishly, right before the old miko finally burst through the door, looking positively peeved.

She instantly froze when she took in Kagome's transformation. Her good eye blinked once before she recovered from her surprise. "I see, this is a rather remarkable development," she said simply. "But clearly not one that requires the whole village to stand outside my door," she added a bit louder, though she was clearly not addressing the people present in the room.

Immediately, countless shuffling sounds were heard as whoever had been standing outside got the message and left. Once things had settled down, Kaede turned back to Kagome and spoke again. "As difficult as it may be for you child, I'm afraid some explanations are in order, this is just too much to brush off," she said softly.

The girl hanyou merely nodded in response before taking a deep breath and proceeded with telling her story. From her unusual burst of speed when she had gotten home to her display of strength when she had carried Inuyasha on her back all the way to her fight against Akkimaru. She told them all that had transpired, not forgetting a single detail. When she was done, everyone sported somber looks on their faces.

"So that's it, you all know what happened," she concluded. "I just hope my new appearance isn't too much for you to handle," she added worriedly.

"Nonsense Kagome-sama, though I have to admit it was a bit surprising at first," immediately replied the monk.

"I agree with Miroku Kagome-chan, besides, if we can handle Inuyasha, I don't see why we wouldn't be able to handle you as well," continued Sango playfully.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean," cut in the said hanyou, prompting laughter to erupt from the other people present.

"Whether hanyou or human, you're still Kagome... Kagome," added Shippo, hesitating slightly at how strange his sentence sounded.

"You accepted me as a youkai, I don't see why I wouldn't accept you as a hanyou," continued Kagura, looking positively bored with the whole process.

"Maybe I'll create another set of prayer beads, that way we would be able to keep you both in check," joked the old miko, prompting a sinister smile to appear on Inuyasha's face.

"That's a good idea. Then I'd finally be able to get even for all the 'sit' I've been given me in the past," agreed the hanyou, earning himself yet another bout of laughter.

That left only one person to give her opinion: Yuna and as such, all eyes turned on her, prompting the child to shrink a little under the combined gaze of all the people present. But nonetheless, her voice was clear, if a little embarassed when she spoke.

"I hum... I like your ears Kagome-sama," she muttered, blushing profusely with her admission.

A dumfounded silence fell on the hut as they all took in what Yuna had said. It was broken when Kagome chuckled softly, followed almost immediately by Shippo and pretty soon, everyone was shaking with mirth.

"In any case I believe that this calls for a celebration, regardless of our current state," said Miroku once everything had settled down.

"I agree Miroku, but there's one last thing to do before we can enjoy ourselves," answered Kagome in a serious tone, instantly catching everyone's attention.

Turning around, she started rummaging trough her big yellow backpack and extracted a sort of pouch made out of a blanked filled with what appeared to be dirt. She then turned to Kaede and solemnly handed it to the old woman.

"Those are Kikyo's remains Kaede. Everything we could gather has been put in this pouch. We wanted her to be buried here, where people loved her," she said in a low and respectful tone.

The old miko closed her good eye as she took the pouch from Kagome's grasp. "Sister," she whispered almost inaudibly. "Was she..." she trailed off, unable to continue.

"She _is_ happy," said Kagome, emphasizing the present tense.

"I see," answered Kaede quietly.

"Well then, she shall be properly buried, I'll make sure of that," she continued after a second of silence. "But I doubt she would want us all to look so depressed on a day such as this, so off with the long faces," admonished the old miko sternly.

"Now that is probably the wisest thing I've heard all day," shot a bubbly voice coming from the door.

"Mattemaru," sighed Inuyasha in total discouragement, not even bothering to get up this time.

"What are you here for this time? The Tessaiga?" asked the hanyou.

"A good idea, I hadn't thought of that," joked the kitsune. "But... Seeing as I'm a youkai, I wouldn't be able to handle it anyway, so you can keep it," he added in a falsely disappointed tone.

"So then what? There's nothing here that you could possibly want," shot Kagome, growing impatient with the whole process.

"Well actually, I came to bid you all farewell," he said and he couldn't repress a light chuckle at seeing their surprised expressions.

"F... Farewell," stuttered Inuyasha in disbelief.

"Why of course, the jewel is gone, so there's no reason for me to tag along any longer," he answered as petulantly as ever.

Before he could say anymore though, a bee suddenly flew off the wall and started flying in front of him, looking distinctly angry. After about a second of that, the kitsune shook his head in amusement.

"Of course I didn't forget, here, you can go now and thanks for your help," he said and threw a little round object that the bee deftly caught before flying away.

"You're a bug-talker!" exclaimed Sango in complete disbelief. "That's how you've been spying on us!"

"My my, give this girl a prize!" mocked Mattemaru.

"Bug-talker?" asked Inuyasha, not really understanding.

"Some youkai have the ability to talk to other creatures and this one here..." said Sango, pointing at Mattemaru for emphasis. "... can talk to insects. So the reason why he was aware of our slightest moves was because he..."

"... Bugged us," cut in Kagome, voice filled with astonishement. Of course, being 500 years in the past, no one but her even remotely understood the pun.

"Well, I suppose you could say that," continued the demon slayer, realizing she had just missed something, but not knowing what.

Mattemaru on the other hand simply burst out laughing at the whole display. "You really _are_ an interesting bunch, I'm really going to miss you," he said with mirth before turning around to leave.

"Hold it wise guy, there's still one thing I want to know," interrupted Inuyasha.

"Really, and what might that be?" questioned the youkai in good humor.

"Why on earth did Sesshomaru want the jewel?" asked the hanyou.

A small chuckle escaped the kitsune at that question. "Well it's not really that he _wanted_ it, it's just that he couldn't really afford to have _someone else_ have it," answered the kitsune in a mischevious tone.

"Anyway, I have to get going now. So if you can't puzzle out the rest, you can still go and ask the guy himself," laughed Mattemaru before the air around him shimmered and he disappeared into thin air.

"Now what on earth was that supposed to mean?" asked Kagura to the empty air.

"Sesshomaru... could he have done all this to actually... prevent the jewel from falling into the wrong hands?" asked Miroku a little incredulously.

"But why would he do something like this?" questioned Kagome.

"To protect the western lands," spat Inuyasha before falling in his traditional sulking position, hands in the sleeves of his haori and feet joined together.

He looked up a second later when he felt the eyes of the entire room on him. "Well he's the ruler, so he has to do at least _something_ to ensure his kingdom's safety," he added before returning to his sulking.

It was obvious that there was more to it than what Inuyasha had let on, but everyone knew the hanyou too well to try and pry anything out of him. Wisely deciding to let the subject drop, Kagome turned to her other friends and spoke up.

"Well, I don't know about all of you, but I'm starving. So what do you say we fix ourselves some lunch," she launched cheerfully.

"An excellent idea Kagome-sama. But may I suggest that you enlist the help of a particular someone," agreed Miroku, turning to Yuna with a mischevious twinkle in his eyes.

"You want Yuna to help me?" asked the hanyou girl in confusion.

"Not exactly Kagome-chan... not exactly," replied Sango, winking playfully at Yuna who smiled back even as a faint blush started appearing on her cheeks.

* * *

**Author's note:** Well, it seems that Kagome's new appearance did not break the bond uniting Inuyasha's gang. The transformation even seemed to deepen the bond between our favorite couple he he. So then, next week, the fated moment finally comes as Kagome and Inuyasha finally becomes mates. You definitively won't want to miss it chapter 17: Happiness at last. As always, read and review.  



	18. Happiness at last

**Disclaimer:** Me no own Inuyasha and the gang, as always.  
**Note:** Well, thank you to New moon nomad, watergoddess and InuKurama for their kind review. And a warm welcome to watergoddess as my new beta-reader :). There isn't much for me to say this time aside that I'm glad of all the support I'm getting. Hell, I've received almost 1000 hits just this week for my story and I can't help but find this encouraging. Thank you all :).  
**Warning:** There is some suggestive writing in this chapter. Seeing as it is not very strong, I do not see the need to crank up the rating for my story, but I do think you should be warned beforehand. Thank you all and have a good reading.

**

* * *

Chapter 17: Happiness at last**

"You should have seen his face Kagome, it was positively hilarious," giggled Sango. "He went from normal to as white as a sheat in the space of a few seconds," she finished with mirth.

"Well Kagura did threaten to rip my personal parts out... and looked quite serious about it if I do say so myself," countered Miroku with a grimace.

"Considering how much of a letch you usually are, I think I might have actually done you a favor by going through with it," replied the wind sorceress, prompting everyone to burst out laughing.

It had been a more than pleasant evening for the gang so far. Everything had started with Yuna surprising everyone yet again with her cooking skills. The meal had been filled with idle conversations mixed with a good dose of compliments directed to the girl who had put everything together. The praise always caused the child to blush in embarassement, but one could not miss the spark of satisfaction dancing in her eyes at hearing such positive comments.

After having their fair share of food, things got rather... interesting. It was Shippo who began the whole thing when he decided to calculate how long it would take him to make Inuyasha snap out of his unexplained sulky mood. From hurling a huge spinning top at the hanyou to biting him, to throwing fox-fire directly at him, he had done it all. It took about a minute of this treatment for Inuyasha to explode and give the kitsune a few good bumps on the head for good measure. This marked the beginning of what could only be called a silly game spree. Everything they could think of somewhat became twisted into a new idea for a game... and the sillier the better. The main idea of the evening was to simply have fun, forget all their problems and enjoy the simple pleasure of being together. Something none of them had been able to do since meeting each other.

As enjoyable, as pleasant and as relaxing as the evening turned out to be, the events of the day eventually began to catch up. The joyous atmosphere gradually turned sleepy as the evening dragged on and the games stopped, replaced with casual conversation once again. However, not everyone in the gang was as resistant to exhaustion as the adults and Kagura suddenly found that she had been turned into a makeshift pillow by Yuna.

"Aaah! She's so cute," said Kagome in a sweet voice.

Kagura's first instinct was to snap back at the girl hanyou for having made fun of the sleeping child, but it died as quickly as it had come when she realized that no taunt had been intended, it was merely a statement of fact. And one that the sorceress could not do anything but agree on. The harsh life Yuna had been forced to live so far had left many marks on her body. One of them was her skinniness, which was most apparent in her hollow cheeks as the rest of her body was always covered with a kimono. The second was the permanent mask of fear and worry warping her features, thanks to the cruelty of her former masters. Now that she was asleep though, it was like those wounds had never even existed. The creased features were now completely smooth and relaxed, there was even a small smile of contemps gracing the child's lips. The hollowness of her cheeks was always there of course, but it did not seem as apparent as it once had been. All in all, it was a picture that made Kagura's heart melt.

_"So this is what you really look like Yuna,"_ thought the sorceress fondly.

"I'll put her to bed," she said softly and carefully gathered the sleeping child in her arms.

On the way to their rooms, the girl let out a small moan, causing Kagura to stop dead in her tracks, fearful that she may have awakened her. She was relieved to find out that it had not been the case. In fact, Yuna unconsciously snuggled deeper in the youkai's arms letting out a long and contented sigh in the process.

"Mommy," she murmured in her sleep.

A physical blow would probably have had less of an impact on the sorceress than this one single word. If her heart had melted when seeing Yuna's peaceful features, now it had completely liquefied. The warm feeling that always accompanied intimate moments with the child came back, only about ten times stronger, filling her entire being until she thought she would burst. Her vision started to blur as tears formed in her eyes in response to the emotions coursing through her and finally, a shaky and watery smile graced her features as she once again glanced at the sleeping form in her arms.

A round of laughter emanating from the common room brought her back to reality enough to make her realize that she was stupidly standing in the middle of the corridor. Hastily, she covered the remaining distance separating her from their room and went in, promptly shutting the door behind her. With great care, she lowered the sleeping child comfortably on the futon and tucked the cover over her, looking every bit the mother Yuna had just called her.

There was a long pause during which Kagura looked at the sleeping girl tenderly. Finally, an impulse born from deep within her soul caused her to bend down and kiss the child gently on the forehead. As she did so, words spoken by Kagome what seemed like a lifetime ago, but was really only a bit more than a week, came back to her.

_"Children do have a tendency to throw our world upside down," spoke the schoolgirl with a dreamy smile on her face. "But in the end, they bring out things in you that you never thought you had. They make you stronger."_

And it was true. Her initial dream of simply flying around seemed to have vanished somewhere between her meeting with Yuna and her arrival at Kaede's doorstep. Oh, she would fly again, that much she was certain. She loved the gentle caress of the wind on her face too much to simply give it all up, but it would be different now, she had an anchor. She knew now that however far she may go, she would always come back here, because this was were her heart lay, with Yuna and her newfound family.

_"I am not the wind..."_ she thought to herself.

"Sleep tight Yuna," she whispered with a smile on her face.

_"... I am Kagura, the wind sorceress and Yuna's adoptive mother,"_ she finished before heading out of the room to wish everyone goodnight.

* * *

"You know it's funny how things work out sometimes. A few months back, I'd never have believed that Kagura would end up like this," reflected Sango once the youkai had left with Yuna in her arms. 

"Yeah and a few months back, I'd never have believed that I'd turn into a hanyou... I still have a hard time believing it actually," agreed Kagome, while giving her new claws a considering look.

"Well, as Shippo said, whether a hanyou or a human, you are still you Kagome-sama, and that is what's important," added Miroku solemnly.

There was a second of absolute silence following the monk's statement. "Is something the matter?" he asked once he noticed that everyone was looking at him like he had just sprouted a second head.

"_That_ is definitively something I'm never going to get used to," said Kagome as if she had not heard the question.

"I agree with you on this one Kagome-chan," replied the demon slayer with a shake of her head.

The monk's head was going from one face to the other, trying to figure out what the two were actually talking about when Inuyasha butted in.

"Keh! Typical! He can't stay wise for more than one reply," mocked the hanyou, causing everyone but Miroku to burst out laughing.

"Hmf! I think I shall retire for the night. At least this way, I will not have to face anymore silly insults," snorted the monk in a falsely offended tone.

"Trying to take the easy way out are you Miroku?" replied the hanyou, beginning to enjoy this more and more.

"Actually," cut in Sango before the man could reply. "I think I'll follow his example. The day has been rather tiresome," explained the demon slayer while stiffling a yawn.

"Some of you did not need any encouragement," spoke Kaede from her corner. She had both Shippo and Kirara propped against her, happily snoring away.

The woman had not really taken an active part in the excitement of earlier. Not that she had been forgotten by the celebrating people, but it was just that she felt content to sit back and watch as the gang enjoyed themselves for the first time in years. Shippo the Kitsune youkai, Kirara the cat youkai, Kagura the wind sorceress, Sango the demon slayer, Kagome the girl from 500 years in the future, Miroku the hopelessly pervert monk and last but not least Inuyasha the hard-headed hanyou. All of these people were as different as you could make them, not very likely to stick together, and yet there they were, all held together by something that went far deeper than mere friendship. These people actually formed a family. Granted, possibly the strangest she had ever seen, but also one of the most tightly bound together that she had ever lay her eyes upon.

"The day _has_ been long," agreed Kagome while stretching. "Come on Sango, I'll help you to bed," she added while making her way to the wounded demon slayer.

"That's okay Kagome-chan, I can have Kagura help me once she comes back," countered the woman while looking discreetly at someone behind Kagome.

"No Sango, this is something I want to do," she answered with a small smile to show she had perfectly understood the allusion.

Raising an eyebrow in confusion, the demon slayer nonetheless accepted the help and pretty soon, she was hoisted carefully on the girl hanyou's back and they were heading for their room. On the way, they met Kagura who had a rather dreamy expression on her face.

"Kagura? Is everything okay?" asked Sango curiously.

Somehow, the question made the smile on the female youkai's face widen. For a second, she looked about to say something, but then, she shook her head as if changing her mind and the her features returned somewhat to normal.

"Everything's just fine," she chuckled. "Good night you two," she added before heading for the common room, not waiting for her answer.

"That was weird," commented Kagome. "What do you suppose happened?"

"I have no idea, but it didn't really seem like something bad," answered the demon slayer.

For a while the two girls looked at each other, as if this would help them figure out what had befallen the wind sorceress, but then, they both shrugged and Kagome resumed her walk. It wasn't until she had reached her destination that the girl hanyou broke the silence.

"Sango I..." began the girl, visibly not knowing where to start.

"You don't have to say anything Kagome-chan. You came back along with everyone else. That's all that matters to me," said the demon slayer.

"Even if I..." she started to say, looking dubiously at her clawed hands, but Sango interrupted her.

"_You_ came back Kagome-chan," said the woman firmly in a tone that would not tolerate any disagreement.

The silence that followed those words spoke louder than anything the two women could have said. It was a moment where all of Kagome's uncertainties were met with Sango's reassurance, a moment where a bond, already strong, found itself reinforced with a new thread. Tears of relief started blurring the girl hanyou's eyes and before she knew it, she had thrown herself against the demon slayer causing a painful hiss to escape the wounded woman's lips. Blushing in embarassement, Kagome backed away slightly.

"Sorry about that," she said meekly.

"Don't mention it Kagome-chan," answered the demon slayer with a shake of her head. "But now that you had your reassurance, don't you think it's time you go back to Inuyasha? He looked quite... disappointed by your decision," she said with light chuckle.

"I suppose he was," agreed the girl hanyou with a giggle of her own. "But... I needed this more than you could imagine Sango, so let him be disappointed," she finished firmly.

"It's nice to see that you have your priorities straight," mocked the demon slayer.

"Yep, indeed it is," shot back the girl hanyou and with that, both girls burst out laughing.

* * *

By the time Kagome got back to the common room, everyone present had settled as comfortably as possible for the night and, much to her dismay, Inuyasha was nowhere to be found. Frowning a little at that, she wondered a bit about where he could have disappeared to when a whiff of his scent tickled her nose, reminding her of her new ability. With a lopsided grin, she started following his trail. After a time, she didn't even need it as his destination became as clear as day: he was headed for the goshinboku. It didn't take her long to cover the remaining distance separating her from the tree and even lesser time to spot the object of her search. 

"So that's where you've been," she said lightly, but Inuyasha didn't answer, even though she knew perfectly well that he was aware of her presence.

"Don't tell me you're _still_ sulking about Sesshomaru?" she asked incredulously.

Now it was Inuyasha's turn to look at her with a disbelieving stare. "Keh! Even the _great_ lord of the western lands doesn't warrant such attention on my part," he answered scornfully.

"What the hell is with you? Why does it bother you so much that he did something to protect his lands?" asked the girl hanyou impatiently.

_"So much for my romantic night,"_ she reflected sourly.

"That's exactly it Kagome! Those are _his_ lands! Lands inherited by none other than Inutaisho, who happens to be my father as well," he spat venomously.

"That never bothered you before. Why choose now of all time to let it get to you?" she asked again, not understanding in the least why he was behaving this way.

"Because I want to have something to offer you Kagome," he said without thinking, causing both people present to freeze in surprise.

"Something... to offer me?" asked the girl tentatively. Somehow, everything seemed to fall into place perfectly, forming a picture that she dared not look at yet.

"Yeah... a place to live," he answered while turning away to hide the reddening of his cheeks.

Before she could say anything though, he continued, the words stumbling out of his mouth in an unstoppable flow.

"He has the lands, the wealth. He has the means to ensure his potential mate security, while I, as a hanyou, have nothing. The only thing I have is myself. That's why it's bothering me, because for once... he has the better end of the bargain," he finished sourly without turning back.

"Does he now?" asked the girl hanyou softly, causing Inuyasha to turn a tentative glance to the woman behind him.

"All the riches in the world cannot possibly compare to what you have already given me Inuyasha," she said with a smile.

Her smile widened when she saw his confused expression and she moved closer to him. "You've given me your heart Inuyasha and nothing is more precious than that," she whispered and before he could come up with any reply, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his.

_"I might just get my romantic night after all,"_ she reflected before losing herself completely in the moment.

* * *

Inuyasha watched dreamily as the eastern sky began to turn grey, indicating that dawn was fast approaching. A satisfied, if maybe a tad incredulous, smile appeared on his lips as the events of the night before came back to his mind. Kagome's warm body pressed against his own, the still tingling mark on his neck, all of those assured him that it had not been a dream. He and Kagome were now officially mates. It was strange because he had not exactly meant for things to happen so fast. He had merely wanted to propose tonight, not go all the way. But with Kagome, one had to be prepared for everything. 

--Flashback--

_Inuyasha didn't know exactly when things began to go out of control like this. Maybe it was when their tongues started to dance in each other's mouths, turning a sweet and tender kiss into a hot and passionate one, making his blood boil and his heart thunder in his chest. Maybe it was when Kagome's hands began to play with his ears in the most exquisite way possible, turning his legs into jelly and making him almost lose his balance in the process. He didn't know for sure, and quite frankly, he didn't care._

_He did know one thing though, there was nothing casual about the way his hands started exploring her back, elicting encouraging moans from the girl pressed against him. There was also nothing casual about the way she answered his minstrations with teasing caresses of her own, going increasingly lower with each pass. But when her scent suddenly exploded in answer to her growing excitement, all senses of casualness left his mind and quite probably hers too. That was also when his last thread of sanity blared into life, reminding him that there was something they needed to accomplish before they could give in to their primal desire. It took every ounce of will power he had to still his hands and bring them to the girl's shoulders to push slightly away. Even as their mouth began to separate, he could feel her reaching forward, not willing to end their kiss just yet._

_"I... Inu... yasha?" she whispered hoarsely, trying to contain her own raging emotions._

_"We're... not... mated... yet," he answered in a tone very similar to the one she had used a mere second ago._

_"Who cares, let's do it after," she shot back and leaned forward with every intention of continuing where they had left off._

_"We... can't," he argued, stopping her well short of his mouth._

_"Oh come now, it's not like you're going to dishonor me! We're practically mates already," she replied frustratedly._

_"That's not it at all!" he snapped, effectively silencing her. Taking a deep breath to settle his racing emotions, he spoke, his voice softer this time. "Kagome... it's not a matter of honor or dishonor. It's a matter of recognition," he explained._

_"What do you mean?" asked the girl, confused by this statement._

_"The bond between mates is something that can be felt by other youkai. It's a way to tell whether a male or female has already been claimed. The thing is that if we make love before bonding ourselves, it changes the feel of the link. Youkai calls it an impure bond and it is seen as something as low and despicable as rape," he clarified._

_"I see... so in short, you want us to become mates before making love, so that other youkai will not think that you forced yourself upon me," she summarized._

_"That's about the core of it," agreed Inuyasha._

_"So how do we do it?" she asked suddenly, causing the male hanyou to goggle at her._

_"You mean us? Here? Now?" he stammered, taken aback by Kagome's straightforwardness._

_The girl hanyou grabbed two strands of silver hair from Inuyasha's head and yanked them forcibly forward, bringing his face within an inch of her own. "Now look here Inuyasha. In the last two weeks I've died, got revived, had to fight not one but two youkai hellbent on getting the jewel, had two close friends kidnapped and, to top it all off, I was turned into a hanyou. Do you have any idea how hard it's been for me so far?" she asked firmly, almost to the point of anger._

_"N... no," he stuttered nervously._

_"I didn't think so. You see, there were a few things I wanted to do when I settled here permanently. Spend relaxing time with Sango and the others, get to know Kagura and Yuna better, improve my healing skills with Kaede, but most of all, I wanted to be with you and become your mate. So mister dense, are you going to deny me, now that my blood's boiling?" she questioned again._

_There was a second of stunned silence on Inuyasha's part. He wasn't sure if the girl had done it on purpose, but when she had spoken her last sentence, her scent had peaked once again. He instantly felt his own desire explode inside of him and it took everything he had not to give in._

_"Fine," he whispered his agreement hoarsely. Not that he had much choice in the matter, the woman had made sure of that._

_"Close your eyes and concentrate on me. Open yourself to me as wide as you can. Trust me and no matter what, don't try to fight back," he instructed._

_He waited for the girl to comply before bringing his head to the side of her neck, searching for one precise point where her flow of life-energy converged. Once he found it, he licked and nipped the skin gently, preparing it for what he was about to do (and causing a strong shudder of pleasure to travel down Kagome's body in the process). When he considered he had softened the spot enough, he abruptly sank his fangs in her warm flesh, causing a momentary opening in the flow of her life-energy. He immediately sent his own strand through that hole before it closed and suddenly he could feel her. Not as an outside presence like before, but as a sort of pulsing awareness deep within his soul. He knew then that his part of the bond was now in place. He felt a deep satisfaction well up inside of him until he noticed that Kagome was as stiff as a statue against him._

_"Kagome?" he asked softly while backing away to look at her face._

_The girl was just standing there, staring at nothing with her eyes opened as wide as they would go._

_"Kagome?" he repeated more firmly this time, concern quickly flooding his being. If he had hurt her in any way, he would never forgive himself._

_Fortunately, his voice seemed to bring her back to reality because she suddenly let out a long breath and the tension drained from her body. Before he had time to ask anything though, her head shot up and he could see anger burning in her eyes._

_"You conceited little jerk! You could have told me it would hurt like that!" she snapped._

_"Hurt?" he asked carefully. He hadn't known about that part._

_"Yeah hurt! Dammit I thought I was gonna pass out!" she continued._

_"Sorry," he amended. "I didn't know about that."_

_Kagome looked at his meek expression for a while before huffing in annoyance. "Well in any case, it's done. So, are we mates now?" she asked, anger replaced with impatience._

_"Almost. All that's left is for you to do exactly as I did," he said._

_Kagome blinked once before an evil smile appeared on her lips. "Do I now. Well then, let's get to it," she shot back mischeviously._

_As he closed his eyes and opened up to her in the same way she had done earlier, he could not help but gulp down in apprehension. The look on the woman's face had been anything but reassuring. He felt her tongue graze his skin slightly in preparation and he unwittingly braced himself for what was to come. Surely the woman had been exagerating, it could not be..._

_White hot pain obliterated his thought as she sank her fangs into his neck. It was a pain like none he had ever felt before. It felt like something was trying to rip his soul apart, not pleasant at all. He dimly realized that Kagome had definitively not been exagerating when she had said that she had almost lost consciousness, he himself was barely holding on to it. Luckily, it didn't last long, but it had been so intense that, for a minute, all he could do was stand there, trying to get his brain to function again._

_"So, you still think I was exagerating?" she teased once he had recovered enough to understand her._

_He merely growled in answer, but stopped short when her teasing smile turned roguish. "So we're mates now aren't we?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around him, her scent peaking once again._

_He hardly had time to nod before she sent him crashing to the ground, claiming his lips with a ferocity he had not known possible._

--End flashback--

There were a few things he had imagined about his first night with Kagome. The feel of her skin, the way her body would move against his... but the woman had effectively thrown everything out the window. The way she used to behave had led him to believe that she might actually be somewhat submissive to his advances. Nothing could have been further from the truth. She had struggled with him, fought savagely to try and be on top instead of him until he managed to pin her down with his superior weight. He hadn't exactly known where all this agressivity had come from until he saw that her eyes were tinted with red, telling him that her youkai blood was roaring. It did not exactly surprise him considering that his own was pounding rather strongly in his ears. The difference was that he had been trying to hold it back while Kagome had visibly embraced its awakening. Before he had much time to contemplate this though, her scent peaked again. Every rational thought instantly left his mind and his youkai blood started roaring in his ears. The last rational communication between the couple was a sort of satisfied growl coming from Kagome when she saw that he had finally let go of his inhibitions.

As afraid as he had been at letting his youkai blood run free, Inuyasha had to admit that this time, it had been one of the most exilarating experience of his life. He unconsciously started to wonder what people could possibly find attractive in a tame mate that quietly lay under you when you seek pleasure. Kagome's answers to his pleas had been what made the whole experience so incredible.

_"They don't know what they're missing,"_ he reflected wryly and couldn't suppress a light chuckle at the thought.

As this idle questioning filled his drowsy mind, the object of his thoughts stirred lightly in his arms and opened her eyes. There was an instant of confusion as she blinked the sleep out of her gorgeous golden-brown orbs but then a bright smile graced her lips as she realized just where she was.

"So it wasn't a dream," she said softly.

"Unless we both had the same," replied Inuyasha in the same tone.

There was a long and comfortable silence during which Kagome snuggled closer to Inuyasha and the male hanyou tightened his hold on the girl. It was broken after a time when Inuyasha chuckled lightly.

"You know Kagome, you really are the craziest girl I've ever met," he noted wryly.

"Oh really, and why is that?" asked the girl while playfully poking one of the numerous scratches present on her mate's chest.

"Any other woman would have wanted some sort of ceremony accompanying their mating, but not you. All you wanted was me... and boy did you ever want," he explained, his tone going increasingly dry toward the end of his sentence.

"Hmpf! It's not my fault that you're such an attractive and sexy hanyou. Hell just being near you makes my blood warm up," she shot back, her finger tracing tantalizing circles on the rippling muscles of his chest.

"And besides," she added before he could get a word in edgewise. "Who said I gave up on having a ceremony in the first place?" she added with a mischevious smile.

"What do you mean?" asked the male hanyou, frowning in confusion at this.

"There's a pair of rings in my backpack that my grandfather gave me especially for that purpose," she explained, her grin never leaving her face.

Inuyasha's blinked once, then twice before the full meaning of Kagome's words hit him full force.

"Surely, you can't possibly mean..." he trailed off, unable to finish his thought.

"Why not? We are hanyou after all," replied the girl, giggling softly at her mate's reaction.

He stared at the girl in his arms for about a second in complete bafflement. He tried to find any sign saying that she may have been joking, but found none and that surprised him even more. Still, he had to admit that what she was implying did make sense... in a very twisted kind of way.

"You really _are_ crazy," he said, a lopsided grin appearing on his face, replacing his dumfounded expression.

"You know it and love me for it," she replied huskily.

"Damn right," he shot back before bending down and claiming her lips in yet another passionate kiss.

And, as the two once again let their passion roam free, the sun finally decided to rise over the horizon, shedding its warm light on the new couple, blessing their union with all the warmth and glory of its golden radiance.

* * *

Author's note: Well people, I hope you liked it. A note on Kagura's "mommy" scene. I had originally intended to put it earlier in the story, but found that it was too much too soon for the sorceress so I edited it out. After that, I simply couldn't find any place to put it, which pained me a lot... until I got to this point he he. It really made my heart melt when I wrote it, and I hope yours melted too when you read it he he. In any case, see you next week for the next chapter :). 


	19. A new sorceress

**Disclaimer:** Inuyasha and his gang are not my property. Yuna is however.  
**Notes:** Well, thank you to trekker4life and babybanana616 for their kind reviews :). Thank you also to my precious beta, watergoddess for her wonderful job on this chapter :))). So, without further ado, on with the story.

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Chapter 18: A new sorceress**

The sun was barely poking its head over the horizon when Kagura opened her eyes to the now familiar view of Kaede's hut. Her eyes instinctively strayed to her left where Yuna was still sound asleep. The sight of the peaceful child brought a tender smile on the youkai's lips. The fact that she had called her mommy even unconsciously filled her with a happiness she didn't know possible. Shaking herself off, she sat up in bed and stretched. Today marked the beginning of a new chapter in everyone's life, a chapter without the accursed shikon jewel. While the path ahead was clouded in an impenetrable fog, Kagura did not feel any apprehension toward the future; in fact it was quite the opposite. She was filled with an energy and determination she had never had before. In short, nothing could possibly stand in her way. Beside her, Yuna stirred and opened her eyes, bringing her out of her musing.

"Good morning sleepy head," she greeted playfully.

"Morning," muttered the child, still half asleep.

"I trust you slept well," teased the sorceress when she saw the state the girl was in.

Yuna merely nodded while stifling a yawn. As she proceeded to sit up though, her head started throbbing. While it was nothing more than a dull ache in the beginning, the pain quickly grew until she couldn't even think straight. Grabbing her forehead with her good hand, she let out a small plaintive wail as the pain grew to agonizing proportions.

"Yuna, what's wrong?" exclaimed Kagura in alarm.

"My... head... hurts," muttered the child painfully.

"Okay... her head hurts... something to ease her pain... anything..." she whispered to herself, trying to keep panic from overtaking her.

Just as she was about to give up, her eyes fell on the feather she had given Yuna. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise when she noticed that it was actually pulsing.

"Her feather is reacting! But that's impossible, only a sorceress' power can..." she began before her jaw dropped in astonishment.

_"She's a sorceress! But that's impossible, humans can't..."_ she thought, but once again, she did not finish her thought. Now was definitely not the time to wonder about possibilities and impossibilities.

Making her way to the twisting child, Kagura gathered her in her arms and summoned her own powers, forming a comforting blanket over the two of them.

For her part, Yuna could not care less about what Kagura had been doing. Right now, it felt like someone was trying to rip her head from the inside out and it hurt like hell. She was dimly aware that Kagura had wrapped her arms around her, but she hurt too much to really notice. And then, just as she thought her brain would explode, something warm and soothing washed over her, something that made the agony recede a little.

_"Yuna..."_

That voice... she knew it, who did it belong to?

_"Don't be afraid Yuna; everything's going to be all right."_

A face appeared in her hazy mind. Red eyes, black hair, pointy ears and, to top it all off, a warm and motherly smile that made Yuna feel loved and accepted. Kagura! Yes, that was the name she had been looking for. She was right there, with her. For some reason, that simple realization made her fears vanish like they never existed. With Kagura around, she just knew that nothing bad could happen.

_"That's good Yuna, calm down and take a deep breath,"_ encouraged the sorceress.

She did as she was told and flinched when the pain suddenly flared back to life. Instinctively, she tried to fight it, to block it, but it only made things worse.

_"Don't struggle Yuna, surrender to the pain, and let it flow through you."_

She just had to be kidding. If she surrendered, the agony would swallow her whole! She couldn't just give up like this.

_"Please Yuna, trust me. You know I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you."_

That was true. Kagura cared about her. She had saved her from her cruel masters, she had saved her from Akkimaru, she had braided her hair, she had given her her feather. In more ways than one, Kagura felt like the mother she had lost years ago. She couldn't possibly be suggesting something that would be bad for her now, would she? And so, with that truth firmly anchored in her mind, she gradually started to let the pain take over.

As preposterous as the suggestion had sounded at first, Yuna had to admit that it worked. The more she surrendered, the less her head hurt until finally, she ceased her battle completely. It left her with only a strange buzzing sensation that started spreading through her whole body, making her tingly all over. After a few seconds of this, everything sort of burst out of her body, causing her to snap her eyes open.

The first thing she saw was the smiling face of Kagura hovering above her. The details were blurry though, and she had to blink a few times to clear the strange red cloud surrounding the wind sorceress.

"How do you feel?" asked the female youkai once Yuna had recovered completely.

"I..." started the child and she trailed off. Her brow furrowed as she searched for words to describe what she was experiencing. "... feel different," she finally resigned herself to answer.

"That's normal, don't worry about it," reassured Kagura, her smile never leaving her face.

"Kagura-sama... what exactly... happened to me?" asked Yuna in a tone that was halfway between hesitant and fearful.

"Well Yuna, it seems that your sorceress' powers have just awakened," answered the youkai.

This reply was met by a completely blank stare on the child's part. Giggling slightly at the lack of reaction, Kagura shook her head slightly before answering.

"Why don't you sit up and I'll explain," she urged.

As the child righted herself, Kagura turned around and rummaged through their shared belongings, extracting a small mirror offered by Kagome. She then turned back to Yuna and pointed it at her, making the girl gasp in surprise.

"My eyes... they're glowing," she murmured in awe. And indeed, a pale hue could be seen emanating from her pupils.

"That's right, it's a little side-effect of the power that now courses through you," explained Kagura patiently.

"But... Kagome-sama and Miroku-sama have powers too and their eyes don't glow like mine," countered the young girl.

"True, but their powers are spiritual while yours are elemental, there's a huge difference," answered the female youkai.

Yet another blank stare met the explanation and Kagura smiled understandably. "Let's just say that your powers are different from theirs," she simplified and Yuna nodded, her confusion gone for the moment.

A flash of realization suddenly lighted the ten year old's features, followed quickly by hope. "Kagura-sama... does that mean that I can summon huge tornadoes like you?" asked the girl eagerly.

The youkai smiled sympathetically at the girl before answering. "We still have some ground to cover before actually getting to that point, but one day, I'm sure you'll be able to," she answered.

"Really?" questioned the ten year old, eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Of course," reassured the sorceress while ruffling Yuna's hair playfully. "But now, what do you say we go and get ourselves some breakfast?"

The child nodded vigorously to show her assent. "And then you'll teach me, right?" she questioned again, hopefully.

"Of course," reassured the female youkai. "But one can't very well learn on an empty stomach can she?"

* * *

"So you're actually saying that Yuna is a sorceress? I'm afraid it is rather hard to believe. I have never heard of any human with that gift before," commented Kaede in a calm but disbelieving tone. 

The news of Yuna's unexpected ability had caused quite a bit of turmoil in the members of the household. The child had scrunched her back a little at the disbelieving stares she was receiving, but as the surprise dissipated and calm returned, her confidence seemed to come back slowly. It was Kaede who had recovered first and asked her question.

"Well, with what happened to Yuna, I'm not surprised," answered the female youkai.

"And what really did happen to you, child?" asked the old miko gently.

"Well..." began the girl, searching for words to describe accurately what she had experienced. "It felt mostly like my head was being ripped apart. But then... Kagura-sama did something and the pain diminished. After that, I just surrendered to the pain and it went away."

Kagura beamed proudly at Yuna for the accurate description, prompting the said child to blush a little, before explaining everything a little more thoroughly.

"What Yuna just described is called the awakening. It happens when the link between a sorceress and one of the four elemental essences asserts itself. It is very painful and also inevitable. If the link cannot be formed adequately, the person dies sooner or later," clarified the female youkai.

"Interesting, but it still does not explain why there are no human sorceresses," commented Miroku with a thoughtful expression on his face.

Before Kagura could answer, Kaede cut her in with a question of her own. "Kagura tell me, what happens when the link is not established correctly the first time?"

"It will keep trying to reassert itself periodically," came the immediate answer.

"And could her powers trigger sporadically during this phase? Causing unexplained occurrences around the person?" she asked again.

At this, Miroku's eyes suddenly lit up in recognition. A knowing smile spread upon Kagura's lips as she replied. "Very astute of you Kaede. It's very common for an untrained sorceress to trigger her powers accidentally, especially during the awakening phase."

The monk and the miko did not answer, but their expressions spoke volumes. It was as if a long mystery had finally been solved with that revelation.

"Did you two actually encounter something like this in the past?" asked Kagome, sensing the shift of mood from her friends.

"Once, years ago," began Kaede somberly. "The woman was said to be cursed and I was called upon to lift it. She was plagued with violent headaches and whenever they occurred, all the water around her would boil and swirl around. I could do nothing to save her as it was neither a curse nor an illness."

"And what about you Miroku?" questioned the girl hanyou.

"My story is extremely similar to Kaede-sama's. The only difference is that the woman would cause earthquakes when her headaches occurred. Had I known what was happening, I might have been able to save the lady, but unfortunately, all I could do was watch helplessly," answered the monk regretfully.

"As it is, even if you had known, there's nothing you could have done anyway. When the link establishes itself, it causes a violent shock to the body, a shock that is too violent for a human to bear," reassured Kagura.

"But... Yuna survived," argued Kagome.

"True, but that's because I was there. With my own powers, I was able to shield her from the blunt of the blow by slowing the establishment of the link, giving her body the time it needed to get used to it all," explained the female youkai patiently.

Shippo did not really understand most of what the other had just said. The only thing he did managed to understand was that Yuna had the same kind of powers as Kagura, which did not really matter to him, just as the fact as Kagome had turned into a hanyou did not bother him at all. But then something clicked in his mind and he bolted to his feet.

"So that's how you were able to push Akkimaru away yesterday!" he exclaimed, for the first time taking an active part in the conversation.

Everyone turned to the kitsune before shifting their gaze to Yuna, the unspoken question evident in their features. The said girl blushed and lowered her head in embarrassment before replying.

"Well... she threatened Shippo-chan and also promised to take away Kagura-sama's powers with her staff. So... well I... sort of got angry and... something exploded inside of me and before I knew it... she had flown right through the wall... and was lying about thirty feet away," she related, her cheeks having turned a bright crimson by now.

"Yeah, you should have seen it, the feather on the back of her head flashed and then something exploded, pushing Akkimaru away like this, BOOM!" continued the kitsune enthusiastically, punctuating his explanation with wild gestures.

"Impressive, I wish I could have seen it," congratulated Sango with a playful wink.

"I'll say, I bet Akkimaru must have been fuming after being caught like that," agreed Kagome with a smile on her face.

"That's an understatement," replied the kitsune, shivering in remembrance of the panther youkai's expression back then.

Everyone burst out laughing at this except Kagura, who wore a pensive frown on her face instead. Of course, Yuna, who was always trying her best to please the wind sorceress was the first to notice her expression and react.

"Is something wrong Kagura-sama?" she asked worriedly. Had she done something bad by summoning her powers like she had done? She felt fear grip her heart at the thought.

"What?" blinked the female youkai, snapping out of her stupor. She gazed down at Yuna who was pulling her sleeve lightly and was gazing at her with almost pleading eyes. "Oh! Nothing's wrong Yuna, I was merely trying to figure out what was your element," she answered with a smile.

The worry drained out of the child's body almost instantly, replaced with confusion this time. "My... element?" she questioned.

"One of the four basic elements: Fire, Water, Earth and Air. Your powers will come from one of these and it's important to figure out which one before you begin training," she explained patiently and once again, she could see that the ten years old did not understand. "After breakfast, Yuna, after breakfast," she concluded while patting the child's head in a friendly manner.

"That was quite a surprise," commented Kagome as she watched the two sorceresses walk away.

"Yeah, who would have thought... another sorceress, as if one wasn't enough," joked the red-clad hanyou.

"It did bring them quite close together though, like mother and daughter," added the girl dreamily.

Inuyasha watched the retreating Kagura and Yuna for a few seconds before shifting his gaze to the girl beside him. If he had had any doubts about what she had been thinking about, they evaporated when he saw the look on her face. Turning his eyes once more to the sorceresses ahead, he allowed his mind to wander slightly making the image shift until it wasn't Kagura who was walking beside Yuna, it was Kagome, holding the hand of a faceless child and beaming brightly at him or her.

_"Pups..."_ he thought, feeling his heart warm up at the thought. _"Yes... that would be... nice wouldn't it?"_ he asked himself, looking at Kagome with a loving smile.

Noticing his eyes, Kagome turned to face him and when their eyes met, they both could see the same desire burning brightly in each other's soul. No words were exchanged between the two, but they were not needed. Wordlessly, Kagome's hand sought Inuyasha's and squeezed gently. Not saying anything more, the male hanyou draped his arm around his mate and both walked back to Kaede's hut.

* * *

"Kagura-sama, why are we getting out of the village to train?" asked Yuna, perplexed. 

"Well, for one thing, I don't want us to be disturbed. And for two things, it reduces the chances of accident," answered Kagura pleasantly.

"Accidents?" came the immediate, fearful reply.

"Don't worry, as long as we're careful, nothing bad will happen," reassured the youkai.

Seeing that her charge's fears were alleviated for the moment, Kagura once again focused on their location. They were nearing a small stream bordered with a large grassy area, the perfect location to start "school".

"This place is perfect," she commented with a hint of satisfaction. "Now we can begin."

Motioning for Yuna to get herself comfortable, she grabbed a stick from the ground and went back to the sitting child.

"Okay, first a few general facts so that you can understand your powers better," started the youkai.

"This..." she began while drawing a big circle on the ground. "... represents magical powers in general."

"You mean like yours or Miroku-sama's?" asked Yuna.

"Exactly. Now if one were to look a little closer, he would realize that he could divide these powers into two different classes: Spiritual and elemental," she continued and looked up to see if the child was still following.

The said girl was looking at the drawing with a frown of concentration. It didn't last though because after a few seconds of silent contemplation, Yuna's features brightened with the light of understanding. "That's why my eyes are glowing and not Miroku-sama's," she exclaimed, the fragmented pieces she had gathered so far finally slipping into place.

"Are there more differences between the two powers?" asked the ten year old, eager to hear more.

"There are plenty, I've heard of some scholars that spent their entire life trying to list them all. The main one, however, lies in the source of the power," Kagura answered.

And then, seeing Yuna's confused expression, she continued. "With spiritual powers, the energy comes from a person's own soul."

"And what about elemental powers?" asked Yuna, her brows creased in confusion.

"They come from one of the four basic elements: Fire, Air, Water or Earth. Depending on your link, you'll be able to draw from one of the four," she explained.

"Really?" asked the girl, her eagerness returning. "But... which one am I?" she asked once she realized that she lacked this crucial information.

"Now that's what we're about to find out," shot back Kagura with a knowing smile.

Without another word, Kagura sat up and motioned for Yuna to do the same. She then walked to the small stream with the child on her heels.

"Do you feel anything peculiar about this stream, Yuna?" asked the sorceress once they had reached their destination.

"Well I..." started the child before a strange tingling sensation caused her to trail off and shiver slightly in response.

_"Excellent,"_ thought Kagura as she watched the reaction. "Well then, looks like we just found out what your element is, Yuna," she said out loud.

"We have?" answered the girl in confusion.

"Yes, we did. _You_ are going to be a water sorceress, Yuna," answered the youkai, her smile never leaving her face.

"A water sorceress," repeated the child as if testing how the term sounded. Apparently it did not displease her at all because when she turned to face Kagura once more, her features were shining with eagerness.

"So then Kagura-sama... when do we start?" she asked.

If possible, the sorceress' grin widened before she answered. "Right now."

And, as she began explaining the rudiments of using her powers, the wind suddenly picked up, caressing her face gently. She stopped talking abruptly and frowned. For a second, she had been sure that someone had whispered 'Thank you' but... there was no one there.

_"Am I hearing things?"_ she asked herself.

"Kagura-sama? Is something wrong?" asked Yuna, puzzled by the abrupt halt in the sorceress' speech.

The female youkai's eyes went back to the child sitting in front of her and she suddenly understood what that murmur had been all about. "It's okay Yuna, nothing's wrong, I just thought I heard something," reassured the youkai, her smile returning.

_"Don't worry, I swear I'll take good care of her,"_ she thought, answering the invisible voice with a promise of her own.

The wind picked up yet again and once again the soft murmur came, fainter than the first time, but the sorceress heard it as clear as day. _"I know you will... Kagura."

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_**Author's note:** Well Yuna is a sorceress, which explains her little outburst in an earlier chapter he he. And it looks like Yuna's mother is finally going to find peace, all thanks to a fateful encounter a few days earlier :). In any case, this story is practically over, next week is the epilogue. So stay tuned for the conclusion of it all next saturday :). Thank you all for staying with me until now :)._  
_


	20. Epilogue: The picnic

**Disclaimer:** Inuyasha is not mine, as you probably guessed.  
**Note:** Well, I would like to thank babybanana616 for her review (don't worry, I won't forget to e-mail you he he). Then, there's SeeC, Dark Inu Fan, Inuyasha05 and... Mizuumi13. Thank you for submitting so many kind reviews :).

As this is the epilogue, I would like to thank everyone who stuck with me until the end. The number of hits I received as well as the number of kind reviews were what kept me going through all of those months. Now I know that many of you are sad to see all of this coming to an end, but to those, I will say: Don't be. Indeed, Watergoddes and I are hard at work preparing the sequel. So I garantee you that you haven't seen the last of Inuyasha's gang ;). So, without further ado, on with the story.

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Epilogue: The picnic**

In her entire life, Kagome had never been more certain that something was being planned behind her back. Everything had started this morning after breakfast when Kaede had asked her and Inuyasha to fetch some firewood because their supply was running low. It had seemed a sensible suggestion... until she saw the remaining pile on her way out that is. There was at least a month's worth left, which caused her to frown a little in suspicion.

But then, as if that wasn't enough, Inuyasha, usually so expedient about this sort of things had started to use what could only be called ridiculously obvious delaying tactics. He paused to examine every tree, judging, gaudging the quality of it before huffing in disapproval and moving to another. The little act was so transparent that it took everything she had just to keep from bursting out laughing. Obviously, Inuyasha was supposed to keep her away from Kaede's hut for as long as possible while something was being prepared. Shaking her head in order to keep her face straight, she decided to play along for now.

"How about this one?" she said, pointing to a random tree.

The hanyou turned to see where she was pointing before narrowing his eyes critically. "Too green," he concluded eventually. "It won't burn at all."

Nodding in understanding, she started to look around for another possible candidate when her eyes landed on a dead tree. The wood was all rotten and it looked like the slightest push would send it toppling to the ground. A spark of mischief rose inside of her and she couldn't help herself.

"And this one?" she asked in a dry tone.

Inuyasha shifted his gaze to see where she was pointing and couldn't help but snort himself when he saw the tree. "Yeah right, it's so rotten that it'll turn to dust before we even reached Kaede's hut," he replied in good humor.

This little game lasted for about an hour before Kagome started getting bored out of her mind. There was a limit to just how long she could endure a joke, so she started to add a little twist to it.

"You know Inuyasha, don't you find Kaede's request strange?" she asked innocently.

She noticed with satisfaction that the hanyou immediately tensed when she asked her question. "What do you mean?" he questioned back defensively.

"Well, she asked us to gather firewood while her supply can last for at least a month," she replied, keeping her tone as innocent as she could.

She watched with increasing amusement the distress growing on the hanyou's features. "Well... hum... I..." he stammered, frantically searching for something, anything to say.

Unable to contain her mirth any longer, the girl burst out laughing. "You know Inuyasha, I think it would be a lot simpler if you actually told me just how long I'm supposed to stay away instead of continuing on with this silly little act," she giggled while wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

There was a second of stunned silence on Inuyasha's part before he grumbled something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'I knew it wouldn't work'. "Two hours," he muttered sourly, frustrated at having failed his mission.

"Well then that means we have another hour all to ourselves," chirped the female hanyou with a rather teasing smile.

Inuyasha's brows rose at the barely disguised suggestion before he made his way to her. "I think Miroku is having a bad influence on you," he whispered to her when he had her safely wrapped in his arms.

"Oh? And is that a bad thing?" she inquired innocently.

"It depends," answered the red-clad hanyou. And then, seeing his mate's questioning look, he continued. "If you start rubbing the butt of every man in sight, then that'd be bad..." he trailed off and his eyes widened in surprise as he felt Kagome's fingers give his backside a good squeeze.

"Otherwise, I think I can live with it," he concluded, a sly grin spreading on his lips.

* * *

"They're late," stated Shippo as he looked left and right, trying to spot the hanyou couple, but to no avail. 

"What will we do? If they don't come back soon, then all of our preparations will have been in vain," added Yuna, also worried.

"I don't think there is anything to be too concerned about," cut in Miroku. "I believe that they merely got... sidetracked," he added with a strange gleam in his eyes.

"Oh get a grip on yourself Miroku! Not everyone has a twisted mind like you," exclaimed Sango angrily.

As it was though, they did not have a chance to argue further because Shippo suddenly cried out, effectively silencing them both. "They're back!" he exclaimed happily.

"Well it's about time," huffed Kagura, relief evident in her voice. "For a moment there, I actually thought we'd have to go and fetch them ourselves."

It didn't take long for the pair to reach the hut and immediately they were assaulted by Shippo who voiced the question that was burning everybody's tongue.

"What took you guys so long?" he asked urgently.

"Sorry Shippo, we got a little... distracted," confessed the female hanyou.

At this, Miroku couldn't help but snort in order to contain his growing laugher. He could feel everyone's eyes on him, but he didn't care in the least, this was just too good an occasion to pass out.

"All right Miroku, so just this once you were right, no sense in making such a big deal out of it," muttered the demon slayer.

In an effort to change the topic to a more comfortable one, Kagome promptly butted in before the conversation had any chance of getting too visual. "In any case, would anyone mind explaining what exactly is going on here?" she asked, glancing curiously at the bundle that rested near Yuna's sitting form and that smelled distinctly like food.

"Ah yes," Sango said with a mysterious smile. "Well, with your keen sense of smell, I think you already know what's in that basket over there don't you Kagome-chan?" inquired the demon slayer.

"Well unless I'm mistaken, it's food," answered the girl hanyou with a puzzled frown.

"Exactly and now, do you remember the night right before you left for Midoriko's cave?" she questioned again.

Kagome's brow furrowed even more as she tried to remember exactly what she had said that could be linked with the picnic basked Sango had so kindly pointed to her.

_"Picnic basket!"_ she suddenly thought and her eyes widened in revelation as a flash of memory replayed itself in her mind.

_"Sango... when everything's over let's go on a picnic together, an all girl picnic!" exclaimed the girl suddenly_

_The change of topic and mood was so radical that all Sango could do was stare at Kagome in complete and utter confusion. "Are you sure you're feeling okay Kagome-chan?" questioned the woman._

_"I can already picture it from here. You, me, Kagura and Yuna too. We're all sitting in a small meadow filled with flowers. No Miroku to grope, no Inuyasha to constantly complain... No youkai to attack us, no shikon jewel to worry about. Just four friends having a good time together. What do you say Sango, wouldn't it be great?" babbled the miko, completely ignoring the slayer's question._

Her gaze wandered back to Sango who wore a satisfied smile on her face, confident that Kagome had finally understood what this was all about.

"Sango you..." stuttered the girl hanyou, her eyes filling with tears of happiness at her friends attention.

"Hey, I may be wounded, but I'm not totally helpless," answered the woman with a playful wink.

"In any case," cut in Kagura. "I think we should go while the food is still warm. It would be a shame to see Yuna's efforts go to waste don't you think?"

"Oh! Yes, sorry," stammered the girl hanyou, snapping back to reality.

A few minutes later, Sango carefully hoisted on Kagome's back and the picnic basket safely in Kagura's hand, they were ready to go. As they started to move away from Kaede's hut, something peculiar struck Kagome.

"The boys aren't coming?" she asked in confusion.

"This is an all-girl picnic Kagome-chan, that's what you wanted isn't it?" answered the demon slayer, a hint of worry in her voice that she may have done the wrong thing.

"Of course!" came the immediate reply. "Of all the things I wanted to do once things began settling down, this was one of the top on my list. How on earth could I ever forget?" she asked out loud to no one in particular.

"Well, if I were to formulate a guess, I think it has to do with the mark on your neck," Kagura said teasingly.

Kagome jerked a little, a slight feeling of apprehension beginning to rise in her chest. Not that being mated with Inuyasha shamed her, quite the contrary, but sharing the intimate details of their bonding was not exactly something she was willing to discuss.

"That's right, we never really had the opportunity to actually ask you about it," added Sango mischeviously when she sensed her friend's rising discomfort.

"Kagura-sama, what exactly does that mark mean," Yuna questioned innocently, prompting the wind sorceress to smile darkly at Kagome.

The girl hanyou let out a long sigh of defeat at her friend's behavior before litteraly bursting out in a fit of childish giggle. Everything that had happened in her life had made her forget the simple fun of ganging up on a friend and making her spill every juicy details of a particular experience.

"I'll tell you all about it when we reach our spot, I promise," she eventually said, a wide and happy smile gracing her lips.

* * *

Heaving out a huge sigh of content, Kagome set her bowl down and rubbed her belly. "Yuna, I just _have_ to hand it to you. Never in my life have I met someone who cooked better than you," she praised. 

Being her usual shy self, Yuna could not help a slight blush from coloring her cheeks at the praise. "Thank you very much Kagome-sama," she answered simply.

And then, as if nothing had happened, the girl's gaze suddenly shifted to the wind sorceress, excitement dancing in her eyes. "Kagura-sama, can I practice?" she asked eagerly.

The femaly youkai gave the ten years old a considering look before she broke into a smile. "Go on Yuna, just be careful not to hurt yourself okay?"

"I will I promise," answered the child before bounding toward the small stream twenty paces away.

On Kagura's suggestion, the four girls had elected to spread their blanket at the clearing the two sorceresses trained into. Even though it wasn't filled with flowers like in Kagome's fantasy, it was still a more than lovely place where one simply could not help but feel peaceful.

Wordlessly, the three people started to watch as Yuna summoned her powers and started to raise a small bubble of water from the stream into the air. It was really fascinating to see it rise and fall, then go left and right seemingly at random, depending on what side the girl decided to make it go to.

"She seems to handle her powers well," commented Sango after a few moments of silent contemplating.

"She's making good progress," agreed Kagura, her voice filled with motherly pride. "But she's not even beginning to show her true potential. This is merely a small exercise to help her concentration. One day, I believe she'll be able to lift entire lakes without even breaking a sweat," predicted the sorceress.

As it turned out, Yuna chose this very moment to let her focus waver. This caused the small bubble of water to pop and splash all over her kimono.

"One day indeed," replied the demon slayer dryly.

"One day," shot back the wind sorceress firmly before heading toward the dripping child with the obvious intention of drying her up and offering a few pointers.

Kagome watched the two interact for a few seconds before speaking up dreamily. "Those two look more and more like mother and daughter everyday," she commented.

"Yeah," agreed Sango quietly.

Another moment of complete silence fell on the pair before the demon slayer decided to break it this time. "Do you miss them Kagome-chan?" she asked carefully.

"Them?" answered the girl hanyou in confusion.

"Your family, your friend... your time?" clarified Sango.

Kagome did not answer right away. She merely closed her eyes and brought forth the images of her mother, her grandfather, her brother and everything else that she had left behind. A small stab of pain gripped her chest when she realized that now that the jewel was completely gone, the passage through time had most likely been closed forever, effectively sealing her here for good. Even though she had never really intended to go back, it still hurt to know that the door was forever locked.

"Yes Sango, I do. I miss having Souta play tricks on me. I miss mom's smile. I miss my grandfather's antics. There's not a thing that I don't miss about my family," she answered eventually, sadness evident in her voice.

The demon slayer couldn't help but wince at her ill placed question. Here she was, trying her hardest to make Kagome happy and with one single question, she had successfully ruined everything.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," apologized the woman.

"It's okay... with everything that's happened, I didn't even get a chance to acknowledge this loss so talking about it sort of makes me feel better," replied the girl hanyou.

"If you want to talk to me about it, you know I'm always ready to listen," said Sango truthfully.

"I know you are Sango-chan," answered the girl hanyou with a grateful smile. "But not today... not when I'm enjoying some quality time with my friends," she added softly.

As she said those words, the demon slayer's gaze shifted ever so slightly to a point right above her head and her eyes widened in horror and surprise. Raising an eyebrow in confusion, Kagome made the mistake of actually looking up. She didn't even have time to blink before a bubble of water connected with her face, effectively drenching not only her, but Sango as well.

A few seconds of coughing and spluttering later, the girl hanyou had recovered enough to fix Kagura and Yuna with an angry glare. "All right, which one of you two actually came up with this ridiculous idea?" she demanded.

Of course, none of the two answered, they were too busy doubling over in laugher. She looked at the demon slayer, as if asking what she should do but Sango merely shrugged in answer while wiping the water from her face as best as she could with only one arm.

"Well then, if that's the way it's gonne be..." said a slightly miffed Kagome while standing up and making her way to the two laughing sorceresses.

She couldn't help but grin darkly when she saw the confused stares she was receiving. Obviously, none of the two had taken into account that she had inherited more than just the appearance of a dog when her demon blood had awakened. And so, before any of them had time to react, she dropped on all four and vigorously started shaking herself dry.

Silence hung heavy as she made her way back to a stupefied Sango, a satisfied smirk plastered on her lips. It hung even heavier when she flopped down and put her hands in the sleeves of her miko uniform, mimicking Inuyasha's trademark pose almost perfectly.

Time itself seemed to have stopped as the four women looked at each other's pathetic appearance. It was finally Yuna who broke the spell by snorting in order to try and hold back her laugher. Kagura was the next to succumb, followed closely by Sango. For her part, Kagome just sat there, looking at her laughing friends, unable to surrender to her rising mirth just yet, the image of her family reawakened by Sango's question was still too present in her mind.

_"Why are you crying little girl?" asked Kikyo softly_

_"I miss my mommy!" sobbed the child._

_"Oh? And what happened to her?" she questioned again, carefully._

_"I... saw her this morning... her body was all white and cold... and she didn't even react when I sneaked in to say hello to her," came the answer, the tears falling down harder than before_

_"That's really sad," whispered the miko softly. "But you know, your mother is not gone," she added mysteriously._

_At this, the child's head snapped up and her eyes suddenly lit up with hope. "She isn't?"_

_"Of course not, she's still right here, with you," explained the woman with an encouraging smile._

_"W... where?" replied the child while looking left and right, trying desperately to see her missing parent._

_"Right... here," answered the miko, while pointing at the little girl's heart._

_"My... heart?" she asked a little confused._

_"Exactly. And if you concentrate hard enough, you'll feel her as if she was right next to you," continued the woman._

_"Really?" asked the girl dubiously._

_"Absolutely. After all, no force in this universe is strong enough to keep a mother from her child," answered the miko with a reassuring smile._

Kagome blinked once as she came back to reality. The message carried within that small fragment of Kikyo's memory was so powerful that she was stunned for a second. And then, everything she had held in so far abruptly exploded, causing her to burst out laughing and start crying at the same time. And she laughed and cried and laughed and cried until her lungs burned and her stomach hurt. Dimly, she became aware that her friends had stopped laughing to look at her, but she didn't care. Right now, she was happy, simply and utterly happy and she knew that somewhere, 500 years into the future, so was her mother.

* * *

**Author's note:** Well, that's really it this time. It's over... for this story anyway ;). Thank you all for your kind reviews and for your support. And while you wait for the sequel to come to life, you can always visit my profile page and read my other work :). So, for the last time, read and review people :) and thank you all once again.  



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