InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Suffer The Fray ❯ Owning A Heart ( Chapter 23 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: ...I think it's time for a new one...*clears throat*....Rumiko Takahashi holds the rights to InuYasha and company, while I only hold claim to my four-legged friend, Shunsoke. I make zero profit from writing all this babble...*sigh*

A/N: Okay people, I want to officially apologize for making you all wait so long for this update. There are lots of things you must know...but unless you want this note to be longer than the actual chapter, I strongly suggest you read the Author's Note I left on my livejournal community...

http://community.livejournal.com/reux_fiction

...it will definitely explain things a whole lot better than this, not to mention the responses to your wonderful reviews!! Thanks again to my amazingly hardworking betas- clnv & Dei Dei. You guys continue to floor me with your dedication and attention to the minutest details!!

Kagome paused to surrender the presence around her, drinking in each and every little nuance of the forest. She closed her eyes and absorbed the scent of even the tiniest flowers, the brush of every slick leaf, and the sound of the numerous woodland creatures.

If I can sense this much...I can only imagine what Inuyasha would feel.

It was a grounding experience to be reminded just how well life would continue to progress as her personal Armageddon was looming ever closer. Her eyes slid open and surveyed her muted surroundings, falling on the scenery one subtle pivot on her heels at a time. None of these beings, whether they were plant or animal, knew what kind of disaster lay beyond the horizon. They didn't know of her hardship, or of her companions' struggle...nor did they care.

Kagome knew that it would not phase them at all if she were to perish, but she also knew that if such a thing came to pass, their deaths were all but guaranteed. Should she or her friends fail to slay Naraku, nothing good and innocent in this world would be safe from his grasp.

Her eyes fell on a vibrant patch of wildflowers sprouting up from the base of a large elm tree. She strode toward them and knelt down in the grass, reaching out to brush her fingertips over their colorful petals. She had never been a fan of flowers, but knowing what lie ahead of her, Kagome knew that if she didn't fully enjoy nature's beauty now....she may never truly get the chance. Picking a small bushel, she buried her nose in the flowers and inhaled their sweet, nectar smell as her eyes flitted over the tree that stood as the wildflowers' guardian.

At first she thought nothing of the strange markings in the bark, thinking them to be the same as all the other gnarled marks on the weathered trunk, but after a long, hard look she realized what they were.

Claw marks...

Lowering the flowers, she stepped closer and ran her fingers over the ragged flesh of the tree. They came away sticky with sap. Kagome jerked her hand back when the first prick of tears hit her eyes.

Inuyasha's claw marks.

Her shoulders slumped as she dropped her impromptu bouquet to her side and backed up to see the entire picture. He hadn't used all his force, having left the tree standing, but the way they cut sharply toward the ground told of his mental state. A moment ago she had been wondering what it would be like to experience nature from Inuyasha's perspective...with all his superior senses...but it seemed he didn't much care for it.

Kagome stared at the jagged slashes, re-living every ounce of his raging frustration from the manner in which he attacked something so quintessentially helpless. Inuyasha could have easily taken that frustration out on her, or Koga, or even some poor forest creature, but instead he had maimed a tree. A tree couldn't fight back, couldn't speak up, and so his predatory nature decided to alleviate it's pent up frustration on a weaker victim.

It was really no different than a human punching a wall or pillow, or even screaming their lungs out, but the viciousness of the assault stressed a warning than Inuyasha was not entirely human. There was only so much humanity inside him and when it was gone, all you would be left with is a brutally primitive and instinctual demon dog. Those moments were so few and far between that she often forgot he was a hanyou, and almost because of that, Inuyasha always made a point to warn her about it.

This is another one of those warnings...Kagome turned away from the sight and started back onto the trail she'd been following.

These demonic flashes of his weren't caused by Naraku's games or the appearance of Koga, but because of her. It was her job to protect him when he couldn't protect himself, and here she was as the root cause of all his problems. Inuyasha had finally come to accept who and what he was, demon dog and all, and she was the one that wouldn't.

Sure she loved his strength, speed, and velvety ears, but in the grand scheme of things, she was forcing back his true self. All throughout their friendship she had been embarrassed by his bloodhound tracking skills and wicked possessive streak, constantly punishing him with a common obedience command whenever his 'doggy side' revealed itself.

Kagome blinked her burning eyes. I was just as prejudiced as everyone else.

She vaguely realized she was back on the bank of the creek where she'd washed up with Sango. Her sleeves fluttered in the mild breeze as she glanced around silently, looking for any sort of clue as to where her wayward hanyou had gone. She desperately wanted to find him, but at the same time dreaded what Sango had urged her to spill from her mouth and into his oh-so-touchable ears.

She wrapped her arms around herself, the green and white haori rippling as she sank down onto her heels to examine a few shallow indentations in the sand. Kagome traced the edge of the shape and nearly laughed aloud at how dumb she was.

They're footprints. Following them with her eyes, the trail meandered over to the base of a stout tree, and Kagome though nothing of just glancing up at its thick branches. It was initially a shock to see Inuyasha roosting there, but when she finally remembered to breathe it made sense.

He was lounged halfway up the enormous tree's height, back propped against the trunk and his hakama-covered legs hanging from either side of his perch. Tetsusaiga was held protectively against his chest and his face was smoothed with relaxation.

She smirked at the half-mast set to his ears, amused at just how far he was willing to go to ignore her. She knew he was aware of her; she had made more noise than a herd of rampaging elephants when she came into the clearing. It stung a little to see the lengths he was willing to go, but Kagome wasn't about to start crying her eyes out. She was a grown woman with the intention of having an uncomfortably heavy conversation with the person she cared most about in the world.

Kagome swallowed. Yep...it'll be a piece of cake...

Staring at her reflection in the crystalline water, she cleared her throat.

"Koga left. He didn't say where he was going." Kagome fought her inevitable frown when he didn't answer, and scowled instead. "I wasn't sure I would be able to do this, Inuyasha. I guess that would make me a coward, but there it is. I'm finished trying to hide things from you."

Kagome turned her attention to the bushel of flowers in her hand and tilted her head as she stared at them.

"A long time ago, I fell in love with a boy."

She selected a soft yellow flower, pulled it from the bunch and tossed it into the water.

"He was rude, obnoxious, arrogant..." Kagome's throat seized for a moment, but she worked through it and this time plucked a violet flower from her bouquet. "He was strong and beautiful...and in love with someone else, but there were moments when I could imagine he loved me in return."

She watched the flower float on the surface of the water. "I stayed with him because of moments like that, even when his lost love returned and dominated his thoughts. I tried not to stay angry or jealous, but it was so very hard to see him go to her all the time. My heart was so full of hope that he would finally see what was right beside him...that when he turned to her, a tiny piece of that hope would chip away."

Kagome tossed another flower, this time a pale orange. "One day the object of our pursuit vanished and in the empty days that followed, the only thing I could think about was him. There was nothing else to occupy my thoughts, so I could only dwell upon my heartache. I didn't know if he loved me as anything more than a friend, and whenever I entertained the idea of telling him, I would be too afraid that it would be for naught." She threw the entire bundle of flowers into the creek. "I trusted him with my life, but..."

She turned around, staring at her empty hands before lifting tear-laden eyes to meet his golden stare. "Inuyasha, I couldn't trust you with my heart."

Inuyasha watched the flowers scatter in the water and found himself leaning forward anxiously. He wasn't sure if she realized it or not, but instead of wildflowers in the water, all he saw were pieces of a broken heart.

For the past five years he had spent most of his days trying to decipher the true reason for her abrupt departure and always came up empty. He had thought that she would always be there with him, and that nothing would be able to take her away from him. It turned out that the only thing capable of driving her away was him.

The hanyou was on the ground in seconds, striding towards her. "Kagome-"

"No, stop."

Inuyasha jerked to a halt, his out-stretched hand stilling. "Kagome?"

"Please, let me finish." She wouldn't look at him. "You need to know everything."

He forced his hand back down and nodded, unease squeezing his chest like a vise. "Alright."

Kagome gave him a fleeting smile before looking away.

"Eventually that fear turned to anger and I did something I will regret until the end of my days." She swiped a hand over her tear-stained cheeks. "I think I knew then that you were still confused about your own feelings, but I went ahead and backed you into a corner anyway. I demanded that you tell me which one of us you truly loved."

Flashback-

She jabbed an angry finger into his chest. "Tell me!"

His mouth moved, but couldn't form words. "I...I..."

"What is so hard about this, Inuyasha?! It's a simple question!" Kagome glared at him. "Who do you love more?! Kikyo or me?!"

His dumbstruck look shifted into a harsh scowl. "It isn't as simple as that!"

"What could possibly be simpler? It's me or her."

"Then I can't give you an answer." He crossed his arms and looked away.

Kagome blinked at him. "Why not?"

"I just can't."

"What do you mean, you can't?"

"I mean exactly what I said. I can't."

Her entire body was trembling with rage. "You don't know, do you?"

He shook his head. "I do so."

Kagome got up into his face and shouted. "Then why won't you tell me?!"

He turned and growled. "Because I love you both!"

-End Flashback

She let out a shaky laugh. "I was so stupid that day. There was no direct answer to that question because you really did love us both. I didn't understand that until I learned for myself that it was possible."

Inuyasha swallowed back his growl. "You fell in love with someone else?"

Kagome couldn't quite quell her sob and hung her head. "You were right, Inuyasha. When I agreed to see Hojo, forgetting you was my real motivation. I thought that if I fell in love with someone else that all my memories of you would disappear."

"Did they?" The hanyou didn't try to hide the anger in his voice.

"No, it only made them stronger in my mind. The harder I tried to get rid of you, the more rooted you became. I should have known that from the beginning." She met his harsh gaze and braved a smile. "You're the most stubborn person I know."

He wasn't sure if he should take that as a compliment or not, considering the circumstances in which she meant it. "You still didn't answer my first question."

"Did I fall in love with Hojo?" She snorted at his raised brow. "No...at least not in the way you're thinking. He became a very dear friend that got the chance to steal a kiss from me once in a blue moon."

She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jeans. "And as much as I wished I could love him like he deserved, I couldn't...because my heart still yearned for you."

"How is all this supposed to make me feel any better?"

"Haven't you listened to a word I've said?" Kagome's jaw clenched with frustration. "I'm telling you that I was wrong to try and make you feel something you didn't feel. I couldn't understand then how you could possibly love two people at once, and although I don't love Hojo anywhere near as much as you do Kikyo, I understand how you feel now."

She took a deep breath and stepped toward him, ignoring the unapproachable body language he was giving off. "I'm trying to tell you that I was wrong and stupid...and probably made the biggest mistake of my life when I ran away. I should've trusted you because you've never failed me before, and..."

She blinked through her tears oncemore, his stern face blurring as her heart pounded like mad in her chest. "...and I'm sorry."

His inu-youkai whined at the sight of her and he choked back the knot in his throat. "You don't have to be sorry, Kagome. I could never blame you for leaving."

Kagome sniffled and wiped her eyes in agitation. "Then why have you been so angry with me?! I don't understand!"

The hanyou stepped around her and sat down on an old tree stump at the creek's edge.

"You're right. I have been angry with you...at least until I heard what you said earlier." He pulled his sword from his belt and laid it on the ground beside him so he could cross his legs. "How could I possibly be mad at you when it was all my fault?"

"No, it wasn't your fault." She stepped up to his left and knelt down in the glistening grass beside the stump, looking up into his pensive countenance. "Naraku was to blame."

He shook his head. "Naraku wasn't the bad guy this time."

"Inuyasha, I-" She started to sob. "He was screwing up what I thought and he made me do things..."

Kagome tore her eyes away when he looked down at her, unable to bear the scrutiny. "I let him control me, and I...I'm...I'm so ashamed..."

"Kagome,"

He barked her name to silence her, hooking a clawed finger under her chin to lift her head and turning to stare into her bottomless brown eyes.

"It because of me that he was able to do that in the first place. You said you resented me...that I made you feel hate and jealousy whenever I went to Kikyo. You said you thought your feelings were onesided, and..." He sighed and looked back into the water. "I know now that I was the cause of all that. I shouldn't have ignored you like that. I shouldn't have compared you to Kikyo all the time."

"I was being petty when I said those things, Inuyasha. Kikyo was an amazing person and to be considered in the caliber to her is an honor." Kagome wrapped both of her hands around the one brushing her chin.

"Right. Kikyo was an amazing person. When she came back from the dead...that person was gone." He got to his feet, pulling his hand free, and lifted his head to the sky, the breeze fluttering the silver forelocks framing his face.

"You were right, though. I did compare the two of you all the time in my head. You knew and I never even had to open my mouth." He smirked derisively. "Kikyo could never do that."

Her tongue ran along her lips before she spoke. "Do you know why I can do that?"

"Yes." Inuyasha took a deep, rejuvenating breath and was surprised when there was no pain from his smashed ribs. Pressing a hand over them, his memory entertained the feeling of Kagome's fingers on them again. "I think that was why I tried so hard to ignore you once Naraku was gone. I could see how you felt about me in your eyes every time I looked into them and...it scared me."

"You were afraid of me?" She frowned.

He snorted as he glanced back at her kneeling on the ground. "No, I was afraid of what I felt. The last time I returned someone's feelings for me, it got her killed."

Kagome got up and went to him, winding her arms around his waist and hugging his back. "She didn't die because you loved her." She pressed her face into the softness of his hair. "Kikyo died because Naraku is evil."

Inuyasha stared down at the hands locked around his waist, focusing on the stained bandage wrapping her injured wrist. "I...I was...afraid that if I...if I told you how I felt...you would..."

"That I would die too?" She squeezed him tighter, feeling his tense muscles bunch against her touch. "I could never die because of that." Kagome pulled away and moved past him, stopping at the water's edge again. "Inuyasha..."

He saw her delicate fingertips dig into the soft flesh of her upper arms as she hugged herself, the toe of her boot teasing the soggy sand of the creek's bank. She looked so forlorn standing there, like she was dangling helplessly from a rope and was watching the threads slowly unravel closer to the breaking point. The familiar optimistic spark in her eyes was slowly dimming, the ember of her usual fire smoldering into a pile of desolate ash inside her. He frowned as he waited for her to finish her thought, wondering if he had succeeded in finally destroying the one good thing he had left.

She pulled in a shuddering breath. "...Do you love me?"

The hanyou watched the moonlight reflect blue against the dark blanket of her hair, braided down to her waist. His breath caught in his throat, suddenly feeling as if someone had put a set of blinders on him and all he could see was Kagome. The trees, the creek, the wind blowing in his ears...all of it faded away in the magnitude of her presence. She didn't have to move, or even speak, the sheer essence of her being enough to knock him flat. It had always been that way with Kagome. Even when he was on the edge of death, she was still able to dominate his thoughts.

Inuyasha moved up alongside her, reaching out to caress her hair. "You know the answer to that."

Kagome jerked away from his touch, wide eyes drilling him to the bone. "No, Inuyasha. I don't." She stared at him. "Do you really love me?"

He scowled at her rebuke to his affections. "What's the difference?"

"There's a big difference!" She gritted her teeth. "When you just love someone, you do everything in your power to help them and keep them happy...even if it's at expense of yourself."

Kagome pointed angrily in the direction of the camp. "I love every one of the people back there as if they were my blood family. I would do anything to keep them safe from Naraku. I would die for them...just like I would die for you."

The tears slammed her hard, burning thick trails down her cheeks as she walked over and framed his void face with her hands.

"But when you really love someone...with every fiber of your body and soul..." She traced her fingers over his brow, brushing aside his bangs as she moved to the strong line of his nose. "...and when you want nothing more than to spend your days constantly at his side, but that isn't what makes him happy...you can make the ultimate sacrifice and let them go."

"Kagome..." Inuyasha grasped her hands as their feathering touch brushed his skin. "What are you saying?"

Her lips quivered as she gazed into his enchantingly golden eyes.

"That I love you...enough to let you go be with someone else if you don't feel the same, but..." She strangled a sob and threw herself into the warmth of his broad chest, arms constricting around his tense neck. "I can't go on not knowing."

"Kagome, I..." The hanyou gently pried her arms loose and set her back so he could look into her ethereal features.

The miko surveyed his oddly calm expression and felt like someone had plunged a dagger into her heart.

It isn't me...it's her...

She squirmed in his steely grasp. "Please, Inuyasha...I can see it in your face." Kagome pulled futilely at her arms. "Just let me go so I can get on with my life!"

He disregarded her pleas, allowing himself to really look at her and comprehending for the first time that he didn't feel that normal sense of guilt he felt whenever he was alone with Kagome.

What she had said was true, he did love Kikyo...but that love paled in comparison to the one he felt for Kagome. It encompassed every part of him, even his dog, to the point where one of her smiles could kill any thoughts in her head...and a single tear could send him on a rampage to hurt whoever caused it.

I can't imagine spending my days with Kikyo the way Kagome means... Kikyo had desired living together, but the thought of it had always made the hair on the back of his neck rise. He had never felt that way for Kikyo, and although he fought for her, he did it more out of obligation than love.

The dead miko had wanted him to change...to become human, and here was this woman that loved him just the way he was. Kikyo had always been guarded around him, even at her most vulnerable, but he could kill Kagome at this very moment and meet no resistance. Kagome trusts me like Kikyo never could, and I can say the same of myself...

His mind darted back to Kagome's tearful declaration.

Could I let Kagome go if she didn't want me? He imagined seeing her brilliant smile gifted upon Koga or that bumbling idiot, Hojo...and suddenly realized how much he'd come to love that smile, with her twinkling eyes and glowing skin. He knew he'd rather see that smile gifted to someone else than to see it die off in his company like a diseased animal.

He gripped her harder when she nearly slipped loose. Yes, I could let her go.

By now she was too caught up in her struggle to get free, and tried kicking at his legs in retaliation. "You always do this to me!" She leaned back until her rump was nearly touching the ground, pulling desperately. "You're always torturing me!"

Inuyasha snorted. "Kagome..."

The miko ignored him. "Any time I ever try to have a meaningful conversation with you, you shut me out and turn into some kind of deaf, dumb idiot! I'm so stupid!" She threw her arms around wildly. "I should have never tried to explain anything profound to a shallow numbskull like you!"

"Kagome..." His voice dropped an octave as a vein ticked above his eye.

"All I wanted was a simple yes or no...but I guess that was too much of me to ask. It would only seem courteous considering how far out on the limb I went for you!"

Inuyasha felt his inu-youkai bristle and jerked her up against his body, pinning her arms to her sides. "Kagome!"

"What?!" Her chest heaved up and down against his as she shot him a full throttle death glare, completely unaware of the beast she was stirring.

He met her stare with a snarling one of his own. "Shut up!"

She stood up onto her tiptoes, her nose brushing against his. "Why should I?!"

"Because I love you!"

Kagome only had a second to register his words before his mouth slammed against hers. The surprise was short lived as she melted into the hot heat of his mouth, her fight fleeing in the face of such raw masculinity. His rough hands trapped her arms to her sides, but reined in the length of her body and sealed it tight to every valley and ridge of his muscled frame. The crushing force of his lips should have hurt, but all she could feel was a delirious pleasure stirring inside her belly as she surrendered to his mouth completely.

There was a fog wrapping around his brain that could not be budged. It was her scent and it was driving him insane. He wanted to touch her, taste her,...devour her until she was only left capable of moaning his name. Inuyasha basked in her submittal, ensnaring her tongue with his own and growling low in his throat when she whimpered. He raked his teeth along her lower lip, nudging her chin up with his nose and latching onto the satin-like skin of her throat.

Inuyasha's tongue blazed a trail up her neck to suck on the tender flesh behind her ear and Kagome simply let her head fall back, eyes fluttering from sensory overload. It was all so overwhelming...she had never imagined in her wildest dreams that he would be like this with her. Kagome was finding it hard to breathe and was leaning more and more of her weight into his body as the strength in her legs failed. He caught her when her knees buckled and wasn't deterred from the focus of his attention in the slightest when he followed her down onto his knees.

Biting her lip, Kagome tried to twist her hands free. "Inuyasha..."

"What?" The hanyou gave himself a mental shake and dragged his mouth back over to nip her chin, thoroughly enjoying the sight of her so flushed and glowing.

"Let me go..." She tried to push closer, but his hands held her back. "Please..."

He gave her a wolfish grin and loosened his hands. "Alright."

Kagome sat up onto her knees and took hold of his face, kissing him just as aggressively. He didn't kiss back at first, letting her smother him with her frustration, but when her hands crept up to massage the base of his ears, Kagome felt him shudder. She instantly gentled the pressure of her lips and slowly traced them over his face.

She continued to feather kisses along his jawline when the rumble in his chest became constant, and pressed herself intimately into the bizarrely arousing sensation. Turning back to his insistent lips, she sighed when he broke the tie holding her braid and freed her long wavy hair.

Inuyasha delved his hands through her ebony locks, his arms wrapped around her back. He focused on the silken texture to help himself relax, and it was nearly impossible when she so willingly threw herself at him. The heavy weight of her aroused scent tried to rob him of his wits, but he managed to keep a hold on his senses.

His inu-youkai threatened a hostile takeover even now, but he knew enough to know that he couldn't let that happen. He didn't want to do this here...out in the middle of nowhere...and with his dog so very close to rising, he didn't want to hurt her. Kagome's body was sending him all the right signals, but he held back. He wasn't sure if she realized what she was asking of him, and if he acted on it, he might scare her.

Kagome leaned away from him when he went still, worry permeating her lust-induced state as he trembled under her touch. "Inuyasha..." She touched his cheek where a soft lavender stripe had appeared. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," His amber eyes opened to stare intensely at her. "but we have to stop."

She moved her hands to rest on his shoulders, easily feeling the quiver of his muscles underneath her fingers. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha."

"No, don't be sorry." He pulled her tightly into his arms, and smothered the urge to continue where they had left off. "I just don't want to hurt you."

"You could never hurt me, Inuyasha." She pressed her face into his neck and just inhaled his earthy, male scent.

He growled. "Do you know what you're asking? I don't want to risk scaring you because I hurt you."

Kagome smirked at his stubbornness and gently pushed his shoulders. "I'm not a nervous, naive teenager anymore. I know exactly where this leads."

"No." Inuyasha stiffened against her, dropping his arms and pushing her away. "I'm sorry, Kagome. I won't...not like this. You deserve better than out here in the woods." He growled through another wave of his inu-youkai's protest and was left panting. "I...I don't know if I could control myself."

Kagome watched the sweat pour off his brow. "Inuyasha..." She leaned forward and touched her forehead to his, closing her eyes and reaching into her power. "Ssh, Inuyasha..."

There was suddenly a tingling sensation running rampant through his body, and his dog ceased its rebellion in the presence of Kagome's power. The tremors racking his body vanished and the tightness in his chest lifted. "Kagome..."

Her brown eyes snapped open and she jerked back. "Oh! I didn't hurt you, did I?!"

"No, I'm fine."

"Oh, good." She grinned and touched his cheek, now blank. "I didn't know you were such a handful"

Inuyasha ignored her attempt at humor and dropped his head. "I'm sorry, Kagome. I didn't mean to do that. It won't happen again."

"Inuyasha...it's alright. I'm fine and I'm not upset." She smiled and tipped up his face. "I trust you."

He watched her yawn and had his haori draped around her shoulders before she could finish. Snagging her hands, he pulled her with him when he laid back and rested his head on a root of the tree stump. "You should get some sleep."

"Yes, mother." She settled between his legs and laid flat against the warmth of his body, feeling the evidence of his arousal pressing against her belly.

Inuyasha froze. "Kagome..."

"I told you. I'm not scared of you." She smiled warmly and gave him a languid kiss before nestling her head against his shoulder.

He swallowed awkwardly and just buried his nose in her hair, pulling his haori tight around them to chase away the chill. They stayed that way for at least an hour, but he knew she was still awake by the rhythm of her breathing. "Kagome?"

"Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"That you love me?"

He snorted. "Of course it's true. Why else would I say it?"

Kagome lifted her head to look at him. "Because you know it's what I wanted to hear."

"When have I ever lied to you?"

She stared at his hurt scowl and knew he was right...especially when it came to his emotions. "I'm sorry. It just that I've waited so long to hear those words that it feels too good to be true."

He shook his head. "I'm the one that's sorry. I should have told you a long time ago." He kissed her brow. "I just can't believe how someone like you could feel that way about someone like me."

"You sell yourself short, Inuyasha. Everyone deserves to be loved by someone, no matter who or what they are." Kagome rubbed his ear. "I love you and I dare anyone to tell me I can't."

"Feh." He snorted. "Always trying to take on the world."

She smiled. "Tell me again, Inuyasha."

"Tell you what?"

"You know what."

"Oh, that I love you?" He smirked.

Kagome nodded. "Yes."

"Okay. I love you."

She leaned up and kissed him softly. "I love you, too."

Akago could see the miko's eye was drawn the girl sitting silently in the corner of the room. "Is she a bother? I'd be more than happy to remove her presence."
Kikyo looked at Rin a moment longer before sliding her disdainful gaze back to him. "You endanger yourself greatly to choose her as your vassel."

He smiled. "I have not suffered yet, and I do not fear any recoil for it. Sesshomaru has shown no interest in the girl's welfare."

The reanimated woman noted a subtle stiffening in the girl's spine, but alerted Akago to nothing. She isn't his puppet as much as he seems to believe. She turned her full attention to Naraku's incarnation. "Are you prepared for what I have planned?"

"I never imagined that I would be following the order of my mortal enemy, but yes, I am fully prepared to aid you in your quest to destroy Kagome."

"I was told you still possess the Foyoheki."

Akago smiled at her. "Why would you ask such a question when I know you can sense auras?"

Kikyo got to her feet. "It was a mere question. It would not do well for you to ambush Inuyasha and his precious Kagome without proper concealment."

"Oh, I assure you, Kikyo. I am fully aware of their capabilities." He crossed his arms and looked up at her mischievously. "I have a special treat in store for them."

She frowned. "What are you-"

The rickety doors to the hut slid open and Kohaku stepped through them, going down onto to one knee. "Please excuse my interruption, Lady Kikyo, but Kagura has returned from her scouting mission."

"Thank you, Kohaku." She spared Akago one last glance as she stood up. "Don't forget that Kagome is your target. I will make sure that Inuyasha is occupied."

"And what of the monk and slayer?"

"They will be taken care of as well."

Akago nodded. "Very well, Kikyo."

The meeting over, the miko strode through the doors and into the dark blanket of night. Kohaku took it upon himself to lead her to the wind witch, taking her down the steps and along the muddied street. He stopped after only a few houses, and stood at the foot of the stairs. "She is inside."

Kikyo gave him a curt nod and strode up the steps and into the secluded hut. The one-room building was even darker than outside, but she could find Kagura nonetheless. Cutting her eyes to the right, she made out the slim silhouette of her near the wall. "Is something bothering you, Kagura?"

"Yes." She stepped forward with a delicate sneer on her face. "I detest you."

"Such is the way of youkai and mikos."

"That isn't what I was referring to and you fucking know it."

Kikyo lifted a calm brow in the face of her wrath. "Did my little errand upset you?"

"I may be a demon, but I respected you and your power. I thought you would always be at the very least honorable, but I guess having a soul ruled by hatred would be able to rid you of even that." She spat the words like a bad taste was stuck in her mouth. "You're acting no different than Naraku now...slinking around in the shadows and having me spy on your enemy."

"I never claimed to be anything but what you see before you, and if it insults your delicate sensibilities to be used as you were meant when Naraku created you, then you can forget about getting my help in achieving freedom."

Kagura's hand twitched on her fan, longing to strike her down. "I was mistaken to seek your aid."

"That very well may be, but I have not forgotten what you swore to me. If you continue to do as I ask, then I will hold to my end of the bargain." She smiled. "I may have lost your respect, but you still have my word and if you wish to keep it, I suggest you refrain from these childish complaints."

"Have you forgotten who you're dealing with?" Kagura slid her fan from her obi.

"No." Kikyo effortlessly turned to face her with her bow raised and an arrow notched. "If my errand was so unpleasant, then what was your purpose in completing it?"

The wind sorceress smiled sardonically and dropped her hand from her fan. "I wish to keep my life. I am not so stupid, Kikyo."

"Good." She lowered her weapon. "Tell me what you saw."

"The hanyou and the miko."

"Where?"

"A few miles from here, near the creek."

Kikyo slid her arrow back into her quiver. "What were they doing?"

Kagura gave her a dispassionate glance. "Is that information really necessary?"

"Yes."

"I'm not going into any detail, but it seemed they were having an intimate encounter."

She waited for the miko to explode into a rage, but instead a soft chuckle escaped her lips. "It is as I suspected."

The youkai eyed her warily. "What do you mean?"

Kikyo gifted her with a wicked grin. "Inuyasha is always watchful for danger, especially when around Kagome. If you were able to be within close proximity and stay there for an extended period of time...it means he was too distracted to sense your presence."

"Inuyasha has never been the one I worry about. Kagome is just as dangerous."

"Perhaps, but she has never been an alert girl. She is easily surprised and although she possesses my powers, Kagome has not received the proper miko training."

"What does all this mean, exactly?" Kagura watched as the miko strode over to the wall and sat down.

Kikyo set down her bow and quiver, closing her eyes as she leaned back against the wooden planks. "It means the two of them are too absorbed in each other to protect themselves from an ambush."

Sesshomaru cracked open one eye and watched the dark cloud approach from the south. The scent was one he knew well, and it took all the strength in his body to keep from launching himself into his father's courtyard and attacking.

Naraku...

He remained sitting beneath the large tree on the plateau overlooking his father's estate, pure ire flooding his veins as the cloud swept down to blanket the fortress where he had been raised. Naraku had committed numerous trespasses against him, thinking the mighty Daiyoukai could be manipulated, but knowing that he had chosen this place above all others was the highest insult. The Western Lands were the foundation for Inu no Taisho's legacy, the last remaining piece of the great inu-youkai...there was no end to the length he was willing to go in order to defend it.

And yet he stayed reclined against the robust tree, relying on his extensive senses to keep informed of his enemy's movements. Sesshomaru had spent the last two days simply observing the brat, Hakudoshi...learning all that he deemed relevant to his knowledge. He knew the adolescent's aura and its behavior when he was experiencing various emotions, and he could feel the boy's fear and frustration now as he spoke with his master.

It was extremely obvious that he despised his role in Naraku's little scheme now that there was no one to fight. Hakudoshi had been restless for hours now and Sesshomaru could envision him pacing up and down the long corridors of his father's fortress. The unwavering buzz of his aura was so prolonged that Sesshomaru had to actually force himself to remain awake through sporadic periods of exhaustion.

It was a very rare thing for him to become physically tired, however, it routinely occurred when he remained stagnant in one position for many hours. He would have preferred to strike immediately, but he was forced to stay his hand until Jaken and Ah-Un had returned from their errand. Never before could he imagine having to seek the aid of his half-blood brother, but years ago his father had barred him from the fortress...just as he had barred the Western Lands from Inuyasha. In order to gain access to the estate, he had to first allow his hanyou sibling passage at the border because only Inuyasha could lift the barrier from around the fortress itself.

It is maddening to think that just anyone or anything can venture through such sacred ground, except for the only one worthy of such a privilege.

Sesshomaru continued to monitor the rising agitation in Hakudoshi's aura, and just when he thought the boy would shatter into pieces, Naraku's presence lifted from the fortress in the all-too-familiar swirling cloud. As much as he would like to pretend his curiosity wasn't piqued, the Daiyoukai actually had more trouble containing himself now than before. It was obvious now that something big was being put into motion.

What has transpired?

Not a second after the thought passed through his mind, an enormous figure appeared, crawling up the side of the massive tower overlooking Inu no Taisho's estate. It held a human form...but it was a stretch to consider it such. The flesh was marked with stripes of deep green and only a short amount of hair fell around it's face. Sesshomaru didn't know that the creature had a name, or that his hanyou sibling had already encountered it years before, but his instincts told him to be wary of it anyway. He watched fastidiously as a pair of wings erupted out of the flesh of it's back, spreading wide to launch itself into the darkness of the night.

Sesshomaru watched Moryomaru disappear over the horizon and relaxed back into the tree, knowing the only action he could take was to continue waiting for his servant's return.

"Is he asleep?"

Kagome listened to the soft waft of Inuyasha's breath in her ear and smiled at Sango.

"Yeah." She adjusted her posture so the snoozing hanyou could lie against her back more comfortably, and massaged the reins to reassure Shunsoke that the added weight on his back wasn't going to hurt him. "It's stupid, really. He decided to stay awake all through the night because we were away from the camp. I don't know if you noticed how close he was to collapsing this morning."

Miroku yawned and scratched the back of his head. "He did seem off, but I just assumed it was because of something else."

"Miroku!" Sango let out a soft gasp and gave him a sharp elbow to the ribs.

"What?!" He clutched his torso and scowled at her, turning on Kirara's back so he could face Kagome. "I only assumed that..."

"You assumed that they-!"

"Did nothing." Kagome interrupted the irate slayer, choking back the furious blush in her face. "Nothing happened...we just..."

She tore her gaze away from the couple, and the amused grin on Shippo's face, to stare down the hill at the approaching village. "...talked."

"That must have been quite the conversation."

Sango twisted around to grab the folds of his robe, her voice growling out from between clenched teeth. "I swear, monk. You will not live to see tomorrow if you don't shut up."

Kagome couldn't help but laugh as they continued to bicker, lavishing in the warmth Inuyasha's body was lending her. It was an indescribable feeling to finally wake up caught in his powerful embrace...to tilt her head and meet his soft amber eyes as they gazed upon as if she was a goddess among the living.

She had thought she might have had a chance to watch him sleep for a change, but he had ousted her before she had the chance. There had been a handful of times she had caught him sleeping in the past and those moments were precious to her. Kagome only hoped she would get to chance to see him so peaceful again soon.

She dropped the reins onto Shunsoke's neck and pulled Inuyasha's arms tighter around her middle, reaching up to steady his head on her shoulder. She hadn't been happy when she found out he had stayed awake the entire night. It was a reckless move considering how close they were to meeting up with Naraku again, especially when he was still healing from the wounds Koga had inflicted on him the day before.

She'd staunchly ignored his 'I'm half youkai' excuse and had to almost literally drag him back to the camp. That in turn. led to a ten minute staring contest when he refused to get up on Shunsoke with her. His eyes had eventually drooped and she had victoriously ordering him up onto the horse, all the while questioning the health of her sanity in her desire to pursue a relationship with him.

The shabby outskirts of the village popped up immediately upon their cresting of the hill, and group slowly made their way down the muddied slope and into the narrow streets. Kagome shivered in the face of such a desolate landscape, seeing the ghosts of the people that had once inhabited the tiny community as if they hadn't left. They moved up the economic scale with each new row of buildings, from the poorest peasants to the richer nobility, and seeing that the destruction had been dealt out equally to them all. No one and no object had been spared.

The miko glanced over at her friends and saw the apprehension in their faces. This was the same area they had come to yesterday, only to be attacked by an unsuspected enemy. Miroku gently wrapped an arm around Sango's shoulders, careful of her sling, and leveled his Shakujou. Kagome watched his eyes scan the buildings intently, as if he was looking for trouble already.

She suddenly felt her stomach knot, and brought Shunsoke to a halt. "There's something out there."

"Yes." Miroku nodded. "I can sense it too...but what is it?"

Kagome's eyes drifted over each and every piece of debris, along every housing structure, and into every shadow. There was a presence there with them, watching and waiting. She gave Shunsoke a tentative nudge with her heels, reaching behind her to gently squeeze Inuyasha's thigh. "Inuyasha..."

It was if it had been waiting for her anxious whisper, because there was suddenly an arrow protruding from Shunsoke's delicately arched neck. The horse reared, whinnying shrilly with pain and fear, and Kagome desperately tried to stay on, but the abrupt movement had woken up Inuyasha and in his disorientation, he tightened his hold on her body. As she could see was the wild eyes of her horse as they fell, rolling in their sockets like a thing possessed.

They slammed into the unforgiving dirt, the hanyou breaking her fall as she watched Shunsoke fling his head wildly while he bolted into the village...taking her bow and arrows with him. She lamented for their loss for only a moment before rolling over. "Inuyasha!"

"I'm fine." He pushed her off of him and got to his feet, sliding the Tetsusaiga from its sheath and staring in the direction from which the arrow had come. He didn't want to make assumptions because it tended to bring him more trouble than he wanted, but it was impossible for him to not think of Kikyo. None of their enemies used such a weapon, and it obviously wasn't Kagome's....so who did that leave? "Come out, you fucking coward!"

As if commanded, a pair of blades flew out of the hut directly in front of them to carve a set of shallow ditches at Kirara's feet. The saber-tooth cat leapt into the air just as Kagura dashed out of the ramshackle building to chase them, sweeping her fan upward to send forth more blades. The onslaught was so great that it was all Kirara could do to evade them, her passengers nearly helpless on her back.

Inuyasha made to follow them, but was thwarted by another expertly placed arrow. He whipped his fiery amber eyes to the dark doorway, a heart-stopping growl rising out of his throat.

It's her...I can feel it.

He felt a soft touch on his shoulder and felt, more than saw, Kagome move behind him. He suddenly felt nauseous knowing who hid behind the veil of shadows and all the implications that came with it.

Why is she siding with Naraku?!

The thought was short-lived as the woman herself stepped into the light, her bow trained on his head. There was no evil, crazed smirk that twisted her face into an ugly mask...only a hard stare on an otherwise empty expression. She had not changed at all; what he was was expecting, he didn't know. She stared at him and the intensity of her gaze drove straight through him, seeing through his angry facade and falling upon the immense sense of guilt infecting his heart. Kikyo didn't react to that either, continuing to just pin him where he stood...that was until he realized she was really staring at Kagome.

Inuyasha flexed his fingers around Tetsusaiga's hilt. "Why are you helping him, Kikyo?"

He felt Kagome's fingers dig into his flesh as the reanimated miko pulled her bow tighter. "You're in my way, Inuyasha."

Kagome glared from over Inuyasha's shoulder. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm taking back my soul."

The only thing either of them heard was the sharp twang of Kikyo's bowstring as she released the arrow to strike.

A/N: I implore you to go read the Author's Note on my livejournal page...I would hate to keep you all in the dark!! Reux