Disclaimer: I own nothing

Summary: Kagome lost everything, but through that loss she may just gain more.

Pairing: Kagome/?

Rated: T maybe M

A large yellow bag fell onto the grassy plains with a gentle but hard 'thunk'. A hand came up over the side of the well that resided not too far from the yellow bag. As another had gripped the side of the well a head peeked over the edge to check the surroundings. When it was clear that everything on the other side of the well was safe, Kagome Higurashi swung her long pal legs around so that she was sitting properly on the edge.

Since summer vacation had just started for Kagome, she was no longer wearing her green short school skirt or her green and white top. Instead she was dressed in light brown khakis that were riddled with pockets, and a green tank top that read 'super-awesome' on the front in Japanese kanji. As she stood up, Kagome stretched her arms in the air to bask in the warmth of the sun, causing her shirt to rise up showing her lean stomach.

Walking over to extra large yellow backpack, Kagome leaned over and with a slight grunt lifted the bag onto her back. Although Kagome was nowhere near as strong as Sesshomaru or Inuyasha, she had over the years of her travels gain quite a bit of strength and stamina. With her precious backpack settled onto her back Kagome made her way to Lady Kaede's hut not too far from her mystical time traveling well.

In the years of traveling with Inuyasha to collect the shards of the Shikon no Tama, after having accidently crack the jewel, Kagome had become a completely different person. She no longer had to rely on Inuyasha or any of her other companions to protect her. Although the Jewel had yet to be completed, as Kagome gripped the shards that she had collected, they were making progress. Now that school was out for summer vacation Kagome could spend more time in the Feudal era.

Kagome stopped in her tracks as she came to the edge of the hill that over looked the beautiful village below. She smiled widely at the thoughts of seeing her precious friends again. Although they had not beaten Naraku as of yet, they were however, able to get Kohaku back. It had been a struggle to do so but, as she really hated to admit it, thanks to Kikyo and herself working together they were able to collect his soul, Kikyo's part, and place in back in the boy and take the contaminated jewel out, Kagome's part. Kagome's eyes narrowed at the mere thought of Kikyo, the deceiving and manipulating witch. After they had successfully put Kohaku's Soul back, Kikyo had told Inuyasha that she wished to help him defeat Naraku, so that she may finally rest in peace.

Of course Inuyasha, being so easy to manipulate fell right into her trap, only after she gave him pleading eyes, when nobody else believed her. However over time the others, Miroku, Sango, Kirara, Lady Kaede, and even Shippo had come to adore and want to help Kikyo. Although Kagome loved her friends dearly she could not stand staying with them but it was her job to protect them now, so she could not leave them. Every night had become a battle with Kikyo to keep her from stealing the rest of her soul away.

Having to watch her friends bend to Kikyo's will had also become something that made Kagome sad to see. She had been replaced as Sango's hot spring buddy in favor for Kikyo; they would always sneak away so they wouldn't have to bath with Kagome. Inuyasha had taken to having Kikyo ride on his back, while Kagome struggled to keep up with the group on her own. Shippo, had been the hardest for her to see replace her, after awhile Shippo no longer wanted to sleep next to Kagome or play with her, no he wanted nothing to do with her, the only person he wanted was Kikyo.

Miroku had actually forgotten her, he basically put Kikyo in as a substitute for her, and he would often not even acknowledge her existence. Even though Kagome struggled day in and day out she still held her head high, training constantly so that when Kikyo betrays them she will be ready. Kagome shook her head with as much determination as she held the first time Kikyo had proven just how evil she truly was and continued on her way down the hill toward the peacefully village below.

With a withered sigh Kagome, clutched her stomach as the scar where the jewel had once been lodged ached. "Great, just great, can't I ever come back without having to go through a fight," Kagome said wistfully, as she turned her body ever so slightly to face the monkey demon that had decided she would make a fantastic snack. It was hunched over slightly, with drool falling from its lips and making a small puddle on the forest ground, and a blank but feral look in its eyes, which made Kagome almost, convinced that this demon could be possessed. Straining her eyes Kagome looked at the monkey demon looking for what she hoped would be a shard of the jewel.

Instead of an ever so slightly tainted pink jewel that she had become accustomed to seeing lodged into demons, she saw a rather harsh red light shining from this demon. "What-," Kagome was cut off when the monkey demon swiped its arm across Kagome's stomach, trying but failing to leave a deadly gash. She of course had dodged the limb, jumping back in a defensive stance since she had not thought to carry her bow and arrows with her.

"Don't you know, it rude to interrupt a lady when she is talking?" Kagome sneered with one eyebrow raised at the monkey demon in mock anger, as the monkey demon seemed to stagger toward her, in an almost unresponsive trudge. Kagome tried to look around for something she could use as a weapon, while still keeping an eye on the demon.

"You know maybe you could come back and we could fight some other time maybe?" Not finding any weapons Kagome tried her best to distract the demon through talking but nothing she said seemed to have an effect on the staggering monkey, that just so happened to be staggering toward her.

With a loud growl and grunt, the demon once again leapt into the air landing only inches away from Kagome's weaponless person. The demon took another swipe at Kagome; however, Kagome being prepared for the demons rather sudden on slaughter of attacks quickly grabbed her backpack and swung it around so she could use it as a defensive tool. The backpack tore almost as easy as paper, ramen, crayon, clothes, and other miscellaneous objects fell to the forest ground in front of her and the demon.

"Alright, alright, I get it. You demon, me food. Well sorry mister but I refuse to be anybody's meal." Kagome grunted as she throw her torn backpack at the demon with as much force as she could muster, and decided that now was a good time to start running.

However, before Kagome could get to far, the monkey demon screamed, or what sounded like a scream, and gripped its head. Her back still toward the demon, Kagome never noticed the harsh red light that tor from the demons chest and was heading toward her, burning the demon in the process and leaving nothing but a carcass of bones and little tidbits of flesh hanging off. The tingling started back up in Kagome's stomach as the light surrounded her, stopping all movement. One stray thought went through Kagome's mind before the darkness took over,

"Guess Kikyo won."

Kagome could feel her head almost dancing from the nauseous feeling that was commonly accompanied with being unconscious. Raising a hand to her head, Kagome rubbed her temples in hopes of calming her on coming headache. Ever so slightly Kagome opened her eyes, only to be met with darkness and a slight red glow.

"Okay, now this is weird" Kagome whispered to no one as she shifted her eyes around, hoping to find some indication of where she could be. Finding nothing but the red glow, Kagome started to walk over to it only to find a mirror of sorts; the mirror looked more like an antique mirror with rusted edges and a few cracked chips peeling off. The mirror was roughly the size of Kagome's upper body; she wondered idly where the red light had come from, when she no longer saw the tinted light surrounding the strange antique mirror. Looking through the strange mirror Kagome saw Kikyo standing over the carcass of what she could only assume was the monkey demon that had attacked her. Kagome raised her fist to pound on the object to try and gain Kikyo's attention, however her attempts were futile.

Kikyo walked over to Kagome's backpack that laid in shreds not too far from the demon's carcass. "Kukuku, did you seriously think that you could grow strong enough to defeat me, little miko. I've been around longer then you could imagine, your frivolous attempts to decimate me have failed." Kikyo said aloud as she cackled at the torn backpack.

Kagome looked through the mirror in horror, she knew Kikyo had wanted her dead but she never thought she would be able to defeat her. After all the years of trains she had gone through, this moment, watching Kikyo cackle in victory, made all her efforts seem insufficient.

"Although I would have preferred to have your soul, as long as you are gone, it doesn't matter." Kikyo whispered this time, her cackle coming down to a soft snickering, as another person soon joined her from the tree's, landing softly on the grass without making a noise.

Kikyo turned and wrapped her arms tightly around Naraku, as she told him with conviction, "We now have nothing to worry about my love, with that miko gone we will soon take over, and no one will stop us." Naraku pulled the hood of his cloak down to reveal his face, and pulled Kikyo's face to his in heated passion.

"You have done wonderfully, my dark princess" Naraku replied once they had pulled away from each other.

"I must go now, Inuyasha will be here any minute now" with one final reluctant kiss Naraku vanished leaving Kikyo by herself.

Kagome watched on, with anger, as Inuyasha came running through the forest, toward Kikyo.

"Have you found her yet? That wench still has the jewel shards, we have to find her" Inuyasha asked with a mock of worry and slight anger etched on his face. Kagome couldn't help but wonder if she truly meant so little to Inuyasha, if he had to fake his worry for her.

"No, nothing my love, except this hideous backpack" Kikyo held up some of her backpack to Inuyasha. Inuyasha took the scraps of backpack from Kikyo's hands and sniffed the material, as he did this the others came bounding through the thick trees. Shippo jumped into Kikyo's arms, and snuggled lovingly into her chest.

"Lady Kikyo, are you okay, we sensed Naraku?" Miroku asked as he held a tree back for Sango. Once through Sango made her way to Kikyo to check the dead priestess over.

"Kikyo?" Sango asked, silently inquiring about Miroku's previous question. Inuyasha's ears seem to perk up at their questions of Kikyo's health. Kikyo seeing this gave a cunning smirk, or as they saw it a smile, and told them all, "Please don't worry about me, as you can see I 'am perfectly fine." The group seemed to sigh with relief and they made their way out of the forest and headed back to the village completely forgetting that they had been looking for Kagome.

As Kagome watched her friends go back to their safe village complexly forgetting about her, Kagome could feel a tear trickle down her face at the danger her friends were in and the feeling of not being loved. As her lone tear dripped down her chin and dropped onto the group Kagome felt the area around her turn cold, as a winter storm. Kagome closed her eyes as the air began to smell of sea water and the sound of an ocean lapping became prominent.

Kagome laid down and curled into up into a ball as she allowed herself to wallow in self pity.

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