A/N: Thanks sooo much for the sweet reviews. You really lit my day ^^ Seriously, I nearly cried out of happiness ^.~ I feel all cuddly and warm inside now. Thanks mkh2 for pointing out that stupid mistake of mine. I read through everything before I upload it, but I tend to overlook so much ( which is becoming visible right after it's already on screen and jumping straight at me *growl* ). Anyway, since English is not my native tongue, I'd really appreciate it, if you pointed out all the mistakes, inconsistencies, even if you think they're tiny or whatever. Learning's part of the process of life ^.~ And don't worry, distorted-desire, I hate that myself and I tend to be suffocated and turned off, when it's too much and badly placed fluff. So, I hope you're going to enjoy the way I do it ^^

Anyway, here's the second chapter. As I already stated in my profile, I have serious problems, concerning FF.net's spacing crap. Does anybody have any helpful ideas? I know it must seem like I'm randomly typing the stuff and put a spacing, whenever I feel like it, but in reality the chapters are all neatly arranged. I even have a system when it comes to the spacing between the ' ~~*~*~~' signs, which mark a new sense unit ( I hate it, when there is no real separation between flashbacks and the present. You don't have to write it's a flashback because people will discover that within a fleeting moment; but there needs to be some sort of sign or whatever. ). How do you get it in the middle of the page by the way? I write my stories in .doc then change them to .html and the spacing's always perfectly fine then, but as soon as I upload it ………

Anyway, sorry for bothering you with this, but I needed to let off some steam *grr* Have fun and enjoy, nonetheless ^^

I also have re-opened my site *sighs* It was hell of a lot of work and it would be nice to see some of you there ^^ You can also find my current fanfics in the Fictional Grove under Fanfiction - Anime - Inu Yasha ( duh, obviously ^.~ ). The addy would be ( without all the spacing of course ):

h t t p : / / w w w . s e c l u d e d - g r o v e . n e t or, if that one doesn't work

h t t p : / / s e c l u d e d - g r o v e . n e t ( or just

h t t p : / / w w w . g e o c i t i e s . c o m / s e c l u d e d _ g r o v e ^.~ )

Disclaimer: [ insert angry growl and a glomping Phil here ]

Chapter II

Hateful Alliance

Sweat drops became entangled with her long, deep brown lashes, accidentally being mistaken for salty tears in the process - an association that wouldn't have been too far off. There was a hurtful sensation of deep stings and scratches penetrating the oh-so-sensitive skin and the first dark rivulets of blood melted down the neck and collarbone. Not much. Not fast. But time could transform even the tiniest stream into a roaring cascade.

Nevertheless, these were issues that did not matter to the girl, whose hair was still adorned by the many tiny, glittering shards and which stood ready in defensive stance in the middle of her shattered apartment.

Facing about half a dozen rather pissed-looking individuals. The bad Inu Yasha-look-alike included.

All on her own.

"Come and get it, if you dare." Kagome whispered again hoarsely. This time being not as sure about her words, as she'd been just a few seconds ago. It was true she'd often risked her life in the past. Sometimes even with the true assurance of facing death or worse in the end. Like being separated from the ones she cared for ……… another story.

But if she was being honest, then she would admit that having the Inu Yasha double stare back at her with hateful glances and greedy sparks in his eyes made her feel worthless and like scum. The hanyou and her had always picked fights in the past. Reconciled. Fought. Reconciled. And it had taken them far too long to realise how much they meant to one another.

Two years were hell of a long time.

And now this.

Kagome tilted her head, her jaw muscles clenching tightly, and intended to look at the rest of the intruders ……… who didn't seem interested at all!

While the nervous girl's hands were being readied to at least try to fight off anybody that came her way, the others stood there casually, waiting for her to finish her charade.

"Higurashi Kagome", a muffled voice spoke up, softly, if this word could be called suiting for the situation. The girl instantly turned, exhaling a shallow gasp, while getting hold of the jewel around her neck again, as if reassuring that it was still there. Where it belonged.

"Kagome, we really do not intend to hurt you." She noticed from the tone of voice that it must be a woman, who'd addressed her, even though the cat suits barely revealed a curve. Strange actually. Kagome had loved watching these movies where every heroine looked like a newborn Aphrodite in these things, tilting all the men's heads in the process. Well, reality proved to be different.

Very different indeed.

"Oi, you there. Stop irritating her", Yume shouted, meaning to get the aforementioned woman's attention. Kagome already thought he might actually want to fight for her. "The shikon's mine. No wussy batman doubles and hero-look-alikes will interfere. Did I make myself clear? Hey, that rhymed", he added with a surprised expression, imitating Inu Yasha's puppy-like look, when thinking over something.

While Kagome had problems with doing anything, the others seemed to have at least turned their attention on the boy, seeing that he might actually propose to be a threat. The girl could tell from the way their hands wandered to their sides, as she'd seen Inu Yasha do it, before unsheathing Tetsusaiga, when they had no other chance ……… This meant serious trouble.

The boy, however, didn't seem to care. He stood there, calmly and collected.

"If I were you, I'd advise you to put that away. But since I am not you, you're probably not going to listen and I can have my share of fun", he tore another wicked grin, displaying his human incisors.

"Say! Who are you? You coming from the Ven?" A male cat suit bearer barked with - if Kagome had read it correctly - a certain amount of insecurity and tenseness.

"From the what?" Yume's answer was rather unfriendly.

"I don't have a clue what you're talking about. But leave the girl alone."

"You're not the one who's giving orders here!" The bulky guy jumped, as if having awaited the hint and went for the slender-looking boy with a hateful expression ……… or, err ……… that was what Kagome thought she'd seen in his eyes. The only thing that wasn't concealed by a black mask. His hands lunged for Yume's throat ……… or better: intended to. However, Kagome's strange guest did nothing but get hold of a small, silvery shimmering device that had been deposited in one of his pockets and was now being directed straight at the guy's face.

"Say 'cheese'."

Yume's cocky statement fuelled the man's last energies ……… before it 'clicked'.

"Michelangelo would be proud of me." He continued, as he walked over to his attacker ……… who stood glued to the ground, his arms still anticipating getting in for the kill, one leg being lifted of the carpet, indicating he'd just intended to make his final big step.

Yume brushed over the dark cat suit ……… and even though Kagome hadn't been anywhere near it to know how it felt, she saw that the attire created no folds.

As if being composed of nothing but stone. The man included.

What the heck was going on in this place?!

She didn't appear to be the only one wondering, for the rest started to get increasingly restless. With the exception of the strange woman that had talked to Kagome earlier. She was just staring at Yume with absolute doubt crawling out of the small slits in her mask.

"Where did you get the RDC from? It's still only in the process of being developed!"

Yume cringed slightly, before patting his silver mane with an apologetic look, which wasn't exactly directed towards anyone in the room. It just seemed as if he'd remembered something vital.

"Ah, right. Damnit! Anyway, at least now you know I'm not bluffing. In fact ……… I should probably use it on all of you. Eradicating the witnesses. You know what I mean." He added the last part with a playful wink, but an inner voice told Kagome that he was not at all joking there.

"Right", Yume's answer appeared to have sufficed to appease the woman. For now. "That's where we're getting. Anyway, may I at least inquire what you want with the shikon no tama?"

"Keh. Bullshit. I'm not telling you a thing", Yume snarled dangerously, before folding his arms in an imposing manner.

"So ……… I'm correct in assuming you're not from the Ven then?"

"Stop giving me all this crap! What is it?!"

Each second that passed seemed to slowly transform the woman's doubtful and anxious look in a triumphant smile. She carefully brushed over her suit, playing with the folds it created.

"Okay then. May I enquire your name?"

"Keh!" At first it seemed, as if Yume intended to broaden his answer, but he decided against it and went back to penetrate the opposite wall with hateful stares.

"Right ……… fair enough. It's been a pleasure, meeting you both", the calm voice continued, dripping with sweet, deceiving venom. Kagome hadn't exactly realised what it was that made her feel so very uncomfortable, but Yume noticed her change in tone immediately. Foes talked that way when they'd successfully found a way to overthrow you. He knew how that felt like.

"What the - "

Originally, he'd wanted to go for the woman first. Drag her down on the floor and suffocate the living daylights out of her, if necessary - the primitive basics really. Kagome wouldn't have done anything else but stare and wonder. Stare and wonder. And occasionally believe the feeling of being in the wrong movie welling up within her. So, it wasn't a pity she hadn't gotten the chance to do that. Wouldn't exactly have changed a thing.

But for Yume it meant losing the battle.

"Say 'cheese'."

The venom now cascaded down the odd pair's ear, embracing their hearts and choking them until they felt nothing, not even pain.

A strange sensation of peace or upcoming slumber washed over the innocent girl, who'd continued to hold the shikon like a fierce, forlorn captain, awaiting his boat to be united with the sea.

Her breath had ceased and her heart had stopped to beat regularly, now jumping in uneven, painful lungs, before dying away completely.

She dropped to the floor. Alongside Yume.

~~*~*~~

"Inu Yasha! Prepare to die an agonising death!"

"Keh! I'm not going down before you, bastard!"

The roaring voices of the two archenemies seemed to fill the heath and their echoes still rang in Kagome, Sango and Miroku's ears. Shippou had long 'decided' to stay back in the woods. At first, he'd protested to obey Inu Yasha's orders. But a strategically placed, hanyou blow to the head had solved all the adults' problems. It had been a good decision. The kitsune was just a kid. Innocent and had been deprived of his right to be spoiled rotten by his parents. He didn't need to see this:

Sango's half-cut arm. Miroku's severe shoulder fracture and poisoned hand. Kagome's burning wounds in both her legs and arms. Even Inu Yasha, who'd constantly claimed to have gone through worse, was starting to let first signs of tiredness and frailty surface. The beloved red robe of the fire rat had been transformed into a shredded piece of cloth that barely protected him from another, seemingly equally strong, but definitely hated hanyou's attacks.

They had just defeated the second wave of innumerable youkais. Miroku had even chosen to use his kazaana, despite Naraku's Saimyoushou that he'd released almost instantly, once he'd seen through their actions. The houshi's fate seemed sealed. Kagome, however, had immediately treated his sickness, as Inu Yasha had taken on the aspiring full demon, thus distracting him from spotting the feeble ones. The man would probably survive, if his will was strong. And Kagome believed in it. So did Sango.

Their continuous struggle for the shards had come to the point they had all expected, but never anticipated and surely would have never wanted to fight. Even Inu Yasha found it to be more his duty - for sake of the shikon and Kikyou - than an actual enjoyment to get the opportunity to cut Naraku's throat. But there was no turning back. They all knew. The shards had been collected. The adventures experienced. The bonds of friendship strengthened. No excuses any more.

At first, the bastard hanyou had wanted them to be defeated by a horde of his puppets and an obeying Kagura and Kanna, which didn't exactly work out the way he'd planned. It was his time to interfere personally now. As it had been said: no excuses any more.

"KAZE NO KIZU!"

"You're not going to defeat me with this." The mocking answer was, at Inu Yasha's attempts to slice his spidery body in half.

"YOU BET!" The hanyou managed an attack with full force, blinding the opponent and scratching him here and there, but he would never even dream of defeating. It was then in that spare second they were blessed with that he turned his head in the direction of Kagome, blood adorning his perfect face in a twisted, beautiful manner, before shouting as loud and clear as he could:

"Kagome! The arrow! THE ARROW!"

Even though he hadn't given full instructions, Kagome still exactly knew what there was for her to do. There was sincere comprehension between the two of them, and when it was necessary they were able to communicate without much words, if words were needed at all. Well, ……… obviously anything that concerned the understanding of their relationship was a completely different story and hence irrelevant right now.

The girl got hold of her bow and an arrow out of her quiver, before readying her attack. The light that started to enclose the killing devices now consumed her whole body, her miko powers streaming through every single vein. She felt the throbbing pulse in her skull and her hands, as she aimed at Naraku's head, while Inu Yasha collected his final strength for a devastating Bakuuryha.

All the two years they'd spent together in each other's company flashed visible before her very eyes and these last few seconds dragged on and on, seemingly competing with eternity.

It was then that she felt the arrow slip through her fingers at head-spinning pace, the sensation of firm, warm, vivid wood brushing against her bruised skin.

It flew ………

~~*~*~~

"Oi, girl. Wake up. Open you eyes, wench."

A distant sigh became audible. But it could have also been the noise of a cat's tail wandering over the floor.

"C'mon. I know you're not dead. Now, snap out of it. Don't make me regret that I did this though."

Her eyelids fluttered painfully and she realised every movement would cost her a lot of strength. She decided to keep on sleeping.

"Listen. I've had enough with you, feeble bitch. Wake up I need to ask you something."

No response. That is ……… with the exception of the middle finger Kagome mentally pointed at the guy, who - from the volume of his voice - kneeled over her. She just wished she could have managed to do that in real life, as well.

"I need to ask you something about the shikon."

All pain and suffering was immediately forgotten ( Not washed away, but forgotten. Sometimes the two are very closely related though. ), as her eyes snapped open and her body instantly straightened, nearly hitting Yume's face dead on.

"Whoa! Calm down." He interrupted, putting his hands up in a defensive motion. "You're alright?"

Her hands instinctively wandered upwards to the small dale the collarbone and throat formed and where the jewel was, or better: was supposed to be. Since it had obviously vanished. Again she could feel the missing of her heartbeat, which became increasingly aching.

"You ………", her voice slipped away, as her vision became blurry once more, but she got a grip on herself, as a plan unfolded itself within her head, "BASTARD!"

Kagome violently grabbed the guy by his collar, which belonged to the ugly, colourful, hippie-like shirt, and acquainted him with her fist as intensely as could be. Usually, it wouldn't have been a problem for him to dodge the attack. And the girl wasn't all that strong. But she was pissed. And he'd been taken by surprise.

"SHIT! THAT HURT! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

"That was for betraying me! And that's - ", she intended to lunge at him another time, but Yume was prepared now and held her boxing hand, so that she needed to punch him with the free one. Unfortunately, the attack wasn't as hurtful, but it worked perfectly fine for her.

"for stabbing me in the back!"

"I thought that's one and the same thing!"

Yume's innocent, but provocative statement fuelled the last bit of her anger, as her eyes twisted with hatred.

"YOU ……… INSOLENT SON OF A BITCH!"

"Let me guess: that was the worst swear word you ever threw at anyone. And the first maybe?"

All her attempts to somewhat cause him to release possible, upcoming rage proved to be futile. Her last reserves of strength were quickly drained and she was left to look at him as hateful as she could muster. In his opinion it probably looked just sleepy.

"What do you want?" she asked wearily.

"As I said: I wanted to ask you something."

"And just what would that be?"

"Where did they take the shikon?"

She looked at him in bewilderment or as if he was talking some strange dialect of gibberish.

"What do you mean 'Where did they take it'? I thought you - ……… Where is it and ……… " Kagome held up her hands before her wide eyes and folded her fingers to form a clenched fist, reassuring herself she wasn't dreaming, as the last moments she'd been conscious unravelled themselves before her.

There was a strange 'clicking' noise.

And blindness.

Then darkness.

Until she'd woken up again.

"What happened?" she managed to whisper breathlessly.

"I saved you. And that's how you repay me? I am actually already regretting that I helped you."

"You ……… saved me? But - the guy, the woman ……… the 'click'", she continued, tearing a strange grimace in the process.

"Feh, she was a lucky bastard that's all. We were, too, by the way."

The girl's head spun. Too much information in too little time.

"Tell me, what happened. I don't exactly get this."

"Well, I'm not at all surprised."

Kagome would have tried to hit him again, but since she didn't even find the strength to blink properly she decided against it and only tried to stick out her tongue. It didn't exactly look convincing.

"She knew about my RDC and obviously had her handy with it. It's not surprising she tried it that way. Even though I hadn't exactly believed her to really want to kill us. I mean the guy ……… fair enough, but that bitch?"

Kagome didn't exactly feel any more enlightened than before. In fact, he'd succeeded in confusing her a lot more.

"Wait, wait", she moved up her right hand in agony, while massaging her temples with the other, "What's an RDC? What's a handy and what the hell are you talking about?!"

Yume growled slightly in response, as if not exactly desiring to answer her questions. He was quite hesitant and fumbled around his pockets, trying to find enough pro and contra arguments to justify his actions.

"Come on, tell me. I watched this whole insane asylum and I at least want to know."

"This is 21st century Japan, right?"

Kagome only nodded, as if he was asking an absolutely superfluous question.

"Put three more on it and you got my birthday."

"Years?"

"Centuries!"

They both didn't know for how long they'd been staring at each other, but it was Kagome, who finally broke the silence was a doubtful and mocking "Puh-lease."

"I mean 'hello'?! I may look strange to you, but I'm certainly not retarded! We're not in science-fiction land and time travels do not exis - ……… " Her voice grew increasingly quiet until it died down completely. The beginning uproar of sarcastic emotions had turned into an utterly shocked expression.

"Erm ……… hello? Kagome - that's you're name, right? Kagome, you still in there?" He intended to knock on her skull, as she got hold of his wrist and just held it in place, before speaking up again after what seemed like eternity.

"No ……… I'm fine. Doesn't matter. So, three centuries you say. What do you want here?"

Now, it was definitely Yume's turn to watch in bewilderment. Hadn't she just said she wasn't in science-fiction land?! He would certainly laugh at anyone that would tell him about time travels. And this girl just accepted it?!

"In fact ……… I do actually believe that you are quite retarded, if I may say so."

"You may not. So, how did you get here? What do you want?"

"You ……… understood what I was saying, right?"

"I did. Now, let's finish this conversation. All I want is the shikon back. And I feel I cannot do this without your information."

Of course, she knew. The shikon didn't belong to anyone. It never had. No one had the right to claim ownership over it. Those that ( had ) possessed shards or larger pieces of it were nothing but thieves. Inu Yasha included. But if someone had the right to keep and protect it, it would definitely be her. Kikyou had been the keeper and she was her reincarnation. Despite how bitter and horrible the realisation tasted. She may have been given it by Inu Yasha, and he could not call himself the owner, but she was to protect it with her life. And she'd done so for two years now and had failed miserably today.

"Before I do that, I want to know just who you are and why you had the shikon no tama in the first place."

Kagome didn't exactly feel comfortable, answering that, but knew it was the only way of getting rid of the guy, who so horribly reminded her of the one she'd lost and could not see again.

"I'm Kagome, keeper and protector of the jewel. I received it from ……… a friend of mine and promised not to lose it - "

"Well, that worked out wonderfully!" he barked mockingly, but she just ignored it. She still felt a little dizzy.

"So, what is it with you. You came through the well? It works again? You've been at the shrine?"

"I - what? What the hell are you talking about?"

"You came from the future. You must have gotten through the boneeaters well then."

"What 'well'? Why do I need to jump in some - "

"So, how did you get here?"

"I ………", he grew quiet again. This time not exactly because he felt she couldn't handle the truth, but because he wasn't comfortable with admitting it at all, "dunno."

"Why don't you know?! How can you own this thing", she pointed at his pocket, where she assumed this strange device was located, before continuing, "time travel and not know what happened?"

"That's the thing! Three centuries seem like hell of a long time - "

"You bet. Try five", she whispered quietly, but he still heard it.

"What? Anyway ……… time travel is an unreachable phenomenon. Has always been. And will probably always be. Not all RDCs and handys in the world could make up for that. I needed to get here in order to find the jewel. That's all I knew. And somehow I succeeded. But I just can't remember how."

"Why do you need a tiny gem, if you have that stuff?" Kagome inquired stonily, pointing yet again at where she guessed the gadget would be.

"I ……… I can't tell you. An RDC is a great thing, but it's not going to help me ………"

"You're from the future. How did the woman know about it?"

He snorted in response to the girl's innocent question.

"The RDC - ReDemolecularisationCompressor - has officially been invented in 2075 for military, defensive purposes", he spat, "It was primitive of course, but the idea for it already came up in 1998 and had been secretly devised. Only the highly-ranking members of the WO - "

"The WBO?"

"The WO, wench", he interrupted Kagome's wandering thoughts, while rolling his eyes, "the World Organisation, some secret thingy. Went on for a about a hundred-ten years, before being discovered by the FBI. Nasty stuff. Anyway, they, its members, only knew about it and drove forth the device's development ……… and those of others. Came in quite handy for the Fourth World War - "

"The fourth?"

"Ah right, you just experienced the first and the second."

"I didn't experience anything!"

Kagome had always had a tough time learning her stuff at school and currently learning her dry law paragraphs for uni didn't make it any easier, but this now was like some Star Trek or Ren Dark fan completely reinventing history for her!

"Anyway, the third was ……… damnit, I knew that one, something round 2043. Don't kill me, if it's actually two or three years before or after. But I at least warned you now ……… it's probably not going to help you anyway, but doesn't matter."

He was crazy.

"Still, the RDC should have been known to her, if she belonged to some secret organisation. I had originally hoped you would know of them or at least have a clue where she went, but that's probably not the case. Ah SHIT! I need to start all over again now. Thanks!"

Well ……… crazy was not the correct word. Completely and utterly insane would do.

"I should probably be going. Need any help with that stuff?"

Kagome looked in the direction his index finger pointed ……… and saw the frozen man still standing in the middle of her ruined apartment, still wanting to go in for the kill ……… what he would probably never manage to achieve. Not even the girl's high-pitched scream could break him out of his oblivion. It seemed to be very serious.

"What on earth is he still doing here?!"

"I told you, the RDC had officially been invented in 2075. And it was still primitive by then. The woman probably owned a handy, but it cannot decompress and remolecularise, so they were bound to leave him here."

"Oh, DON'T try to confuse me with your GIBBERISH. What's a HANDY? What does it do?! And more importantly: How are we going to get rid of ……… YOUR DAVID?!"

He blinked at her in confusion.

"Remember ……… Michelangelo ……… David ……… sculpture?"

It took Yume another three seconds to get it, but he finally slapped his forehead.

"And you're telling me I'm retarded ……… "

"A handy was the thing that knocked us unconscious. Some mean little device that triggers off some technical 'umdadibum'. Don't ask me about the actual process, I'm no technician, just the guy that blows up stuff. Anyway, it only works on highly-developed devices, usually killing its owner - "

Kagome inhaled a deep breath ……… as she realised it didn't exactly matter what it did. They were still alive!

" - as I said: she was lucky I had the RDC and was standing so close to you and we were lucky the RDC is so highly-developed, thus only killing off those that stand by close and not the actual owner."

Kagome was about to heave a relieved sigh, as the information began to sink in. That meant ………

"What happened to me?!"

"As I said: you were dead. Clinically speaking. Be glad, I was only knocked unconscious for a minute or so and managed to revive you in time. And thank 24th century medical achievements. You would have died, if I was some average guy of the present."

"If you were some average guy of the present, I wouldn't have gotten into this mess in the first place!"

"Wrong. They came here anyway. Would have taken the shikon, nonetheless. Maybe not killed you. But you would have still been robbed, threatened, deprived of your apartment - nice curtains by the way. So in the end, there's not much difference. Even though now, you have to put up with me. The beauty and the beast. Only with the genders switched around." He flashed a condescending grin, receiving yet another grateful 'thanks' of her female fist.

"Ow! You are a bitch, you know that?!"

"All I want is the shikon back. I need it!"

"So do I. Desperately. Preferably now!"

Kagome gave him another glance. To her there could be nothing more important than fulfilling her old plans. It was just a matter of time until she would have solved the riddle. Until she would make herself happy again. But she needed the shikon for this.

Surprisingly, she found enough strength to lift herself off the ground and to stand up relatively straight before her intruding, annoying and irritating life-saver.

"I see. So that's what the situation looks like right now. You and I need the shikon", he snorted at her last remark in disdain. "And You and I both won't get it all on our own. You've no clue about this time - your shirt's an absolute pain to the eyes, I'd wanted to tell you that all along - "

He instinctively turned to look at it in horror, before pouting.

"But I like it!"

" - and I have no idea about the things I'm getting myself into. So, one hand washes the other."

"And what's with the jewel then?"

"We'll find a solution for that." She carefully raised her hand, intending to display her sincerity, which was supported by the calm and sympathetically-looking smile that danced around her lips.

Yume had folded his arms in a weird knot once again, eyeing the friendly gesture with pure suspicion becoming visible in his expression. But it only took him another few moments, before answering her with a smile of his own. It looked strange, however, since it could only be placed somewhere between amusement and acceptance. He didn't exactly seem to smile that often just for the sake of smiling.

"Right. Since we have no better plan and that's all we can muster. And we'll just find a solution for later."

Yes ……… we will.

A phrase that synchronically passed both adults' minds and would have made them realise that their back thoughts weren't very different from one another. In fact, they were very much alike.

In the end, the winner gets it all.