Unrequited Love

Disclaimer:  I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters; I'm just borrowing them to write a spiffy story!

Dark raven hair whipped around her face as Kagome sprinted through the dense forest, Shippou clutched tightly in her arms. She jumped over fallen logs, and twisted around trees desperately trying to get away from the mass of youkai behind them.

Kagome cursed Inuyasha's gullibility. Kikyou had betrayed him again, leaving them in the hands of Naraku and his horde of demon puppets. The small group was split up when Naraku opened a void in his hand to shoot out a mass of youkai at Kagome.  Sensing that Inuyasha would immediately use his kaze no kizu on the flood of demons, Naraku coiled his tentacles around the hanyou rapidly. 

Thus leaving Kagome and Shippou to themselves.

Oh how Kagome wished that Sango hadn't been wounded from a previous battle so that she and Miroku could be here now, helping her.  Of course Miroku felt obligated to stay by Sango's side since her injury was caused from protecting him.  Sometimes Kagome wondered how Sango couldn't see the love reflected in the monk's eyes when he looked at the demon slayer.  How she longed to see that same look in a certain silver-haired, amber-eyed hanyou…But when he looked at Kagome, all he saw was her, the earth and clay replica of his former lover.

A lone tear made its way down her cheek.

Shippou shuddered against her in fear, startled from her thoughts, Kagome ran faster and dried her eyes.  Trying to think quickly, she masked their scents by using the simple spell she learned from Kaede.  She didn't know how well it would help, but it was all she could think of at the time. 

When they reached a clearing, Kagome stopped. Her breath hitched, in front of her were thousands of Naraku's youkai. Kagome turned around and ran back to the shelter of the forest. She knew was tiring rapidly, but she couldn't let them hurt Shippou!

'I can't let those demons lay a claw on Shippou!  He's like a son to me.  I have to protect him, even if that means my life.'  She vowed with determination as another thought struck her, 'Not like anyone would miss me anyways…'

 Somehow she dodged the youkai looking for her within the forest and ran back to the field where Inuyasha was still fighting.  She'd still be fighting too, instead of running, but she had quickly run out of arrows.

'Damn, I knew I should have let Hojo teach me sword fighting!' Kagome thought with a grimace as she thought of the multiple times Hojo lectured her on self defense while in her time.  He had been worried about her, like always, and offered to teach her basic sword fighting.  It was hard for her to picture the gentile, caring Hojo with a sword.

***FLASH BACK***

"Hey, Higurashi!"  Hojo waved frantically as he approached Kagome after school. 

Kagome sighed and waved back politely as Hojo came to a stop in front of her and presented her a brochure.  She looked at it blankly for a while until Hojo spoke up at her unspoken question.

"It's a class for sword fighting and self defense!"  He said excitedly to her as he took the pamphlet and flipped through the pages to show her pictures.  "See!  You learn all these great moves!  And of course it keeps your body in great health!  Just what you need Higurashi!  I've taken these classes for a couple years now and I just realized that this could be what you need.  Especially to get your body back in shape after that coma you just came out of a couple weeks ago.  What do you say?"  He finished with a dashing smile that would make any other girl at her school swoon.

"Uh- Thanks Hojo-kun!  But I'm really not into sword fighting…I don't like fighting at all really! Hehe…Um, thanks anyways though!  Bye!"  Kagome said as she anxiously slipped by Hojo and jogged home.

'Man!  That boy never gives up!  I feel bad that I never have time to really get to know him…but'  She thought as she fingered the bottle with the shards around her neck, 'I have too many responsibilities to live like a normal teenage girl anymore.'

She raced up the stairs to her family shrine, through the courtyard to the old well house she had seen too much lately and jumped in.

***END FLASH BACK***

But now she really wished she had taken that offer.

Kagome bit her lip as she pondered, 'Even though I have been meditating with Kaede and Miroku a lot lately, I still don't know how to harness the full extent of my powers' She could feel it rising inside her, begging to help her, but Kagome had no clue how to release it!  She could also feel the soft hum of power that the shards around her neck were creating.

'The shards!  Duh, Kagome, of course they're after the shards!  Great, if I lose them Inuyasha will be really pissed at me'  Kagome huffed at that thought and struggled to will her body into running faster. 

Panting from being out of breath, Kagome nearly cried in relief when Inuyasha's red haori came into view at the edge of the forest.  Kagome broke through the trees and skidded to a halt, almost falling over. To her right was a portion of the youkai that chased her through the forest, the second wave of youkai was slowly approaching from the line of trees to her left. Clutching onto Shippou tighter, Kagome backed up until she was between both sides. She glanced around her nervously, desperately trying to find any crack in their defense. Kagome knew she couldn't fight them, she had no arrows!  And Inuyasha was too busy to come to her rescue.  Inuyasha was fighting Naraku himself, and with a closer look Kagome noticed that Kouga had shown up and started fending off the circle of youkai. 

'Probably when I was running my ass off in the woods.' She thought as her attention was drawn back to the youkai surrounded her and her pup.  Her eyebrows knitted together as she squeezed Shippou to her breast.  She didn't know what to do.  The humming of the shards was getting stronger.

Shippou wiggled from her arms, standing in front of her. "Don't worry, Kagome. I'll protect you!" Shippou proceeded to use his fox fire, attacking any youkai that came close. After a while, he wore out. Jumping back to Kagome's shoulder he wiped the beaded sweat from his tiny forehead. "I'm sorry Kagome," he whispered as the youkai came closer.

Kagome hugged him closer to her. "Its ok Shippou…you were great, I bet your father would be proud."  The kit sniffled and buried his head in her chest as Kagome backed up further until her back bumped against a tree.  Her heart stilled at the youkai closing in on them.

Shakily Kagome stood there against the tree, panicking she thought, 'Is this really the end?  I'm not ready to die!  No!'  

Shippou could feel her body quivering with emotion; he smelt her fear, but mostly her anger.  Then he saw it.

Kagome's eyes hardened as she felt her whole body tingling with sensations.  Power was radiating off her in waves and it only seemed to fuel the oncoming youkai's lust for blood even further.

With a burst of power she didn't know she had, Kagome raised a shield around them before the youkai attacked. The youkai attacked the barrier fiercely, weakening it with each blow. Kagome sank to her knees, trying to think of something to do.  She didn't even know how she created the shield to begin with!

'INUYASHA!' her mind screamed as her barrier collapsed under the intense pounding by the swarm of youkai above her.

Inuyasha was dodging Naraku's swipes at his already battered and bloody body when he sensed a power spike nearby.  He looked back and almost dropped his sword when he spotted Kagome huddled on the ground holding a trembling kitsune.  That wasn't what shocked him though; it was the fact that she was surrounded by hundreds of Naraku's youkai that sent fear coursing through the hanyou.

"KAGOME!!!"  Inuyasha screamed as he sent a power blast at Naraku, succeeding in tearing his flesh apart until Naraku's body dissolved into a wooden doll and hair on the dusty ground below.

'Fucking asshole!  Distracted me so he could get to Kagome I bet!'  Inuyasha growled as he sped toward the dome of youkai he knew Kagome was under.  He just prayed he wasn't too late.

***FLASH BACK***

"Bitch!  Stay the fuck out of my business!"  Inuyasha yelled into Kagome's face.  They had previously fought with the wind demon, Kagura that had not ended the way the hanyou would have liked.

"What?!  If it wasn't for me you would've been blown to pieces!!  You should THANK me you jerk!"  Kagome screeched with her eyes wide and angry.

"I should THANK you for SITTING me?!?! What the fuck, wench!  I was gonna fucking tear her to bits, but nooooo, some bitch SAT me!  And cuz you SAT me, the fucking attack she sent to ME was directed at YOU, you bitch!"  Face red as his haori and fists clenched at his sides, Inuyasha turned away from Kagome and spoke in softer tones, "What if the spell didn't wear off in time Kagome?  What if I didn't get there in time to push you out of the way?"

He felt arms surround his waist as Kagome laid her head against his back.  "I'm sorry…"  she whispered.  Worry flickered through his eyes before they hardened again.

He moved out of her arms and spoke roughly, "Yeah well, don't do it again wench!"  And he left her there to think over his words as he went to distract himself from the days events. 

'I could have lost her today…NO, I won't ever lose her.  I'll always be there to protect her… always…'

***END FLASH BACK***

Eyes hardened in determination, Inuyasha practically flew to the huddled mass of demon flesh, intent on killing every single one of them for even daring to touch his Kagome.

Over the sound of ripping flesh and demon snarls he heard her terrified scream as he neared, then all he saw was a bright flash before his world went dark.

Kouga had driven back most of the demons that tried to take advantage of Inuyasha's occupied state.  At first he was just here to see how his woman was doing, but when he saw no sign of her with Inuyasha, he became worried and irritated that the dog-breath couldn't protect HIS woman.  Naraku had taken that moment of distraction on Inuyasha's part and struck Inuyasha through the chest with a tentacle and swiped his feet from under him with another. 

Kouga had come to the rescue, to Inuyasha's chagrin, and gave the youkai surrounding Naraku and Inuyasha a different target.  The wolf demon grinned confidently and cracked his knuckles at the snarling neko-youkai in front of him.  Faster than it could react, Kouga had used his shard-induced speed to rip a sizeable hole through the youkai's gut.  Blood splattered across his face as he charged another.  

His worry increased when he could smell Kagome near and that she was scared beyond belief.  He reached his senses out to locate her as he still fought furiously with the never- ending mass of demons.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Inuyasha send a powerful blast towards Naraku and then saw a streak of red as the hanyou shot towards the forest edge.  He only had one thought.

'Kagome!'

Kouga immediately took off in a whirlwind after Inuyasha to what seemed like a pile of youkai, but he stopped when a distinct smell overtook his senses. 

Kagome's blood.  And lots of it.  A blood-curdling scream pierced his sensitive ears as a bright light exploded around them.  He shut his eyes against it.  He felt a hard body crash into him, knocking them both to the ground, then all he knew was emptiness.