"Inuyasha! There's a Shikon Shard coming towards you!" Kagome cried, revealing herself. She felt naked and shameful, but her feelings weren't important right now, making sure he was safe was.


Inuyasha jumped out of Kikyo's embrace and drew his Tessaiga. The long, fang-like sword felt hot from all the power swimming inside of it. Inuyasha's face was about as hot as his sword felt; he couldn't believe Kagome had seen what he had just done! Ugh, she'd never forgive him now! I can't think about this now; there's a demon to slaughter. "Where's it coming from, Kagome?!" His voice went a pitch higher when he said her name. It was as if his body was preparing from the worst from her.

"It's…" Kagome spun around, and then looked at the sky, "It's everywhere!"

Big, ugly, black beetles began to rain from the sky. Hundreds of them; and they were the size of a human's thumb. The air echoed with the clicking sound of their wings.

Great…bugs. Inuyasha was not a fan of bug demons. Now where's the king demon of these nasty things? Just as Inuyasha thought about it, a huge beetle flew out from the sky and landed in front of Kagome. It looked like a dung beetle with a human man's head. The head had tiny, black dots for eyes and pinchers instead of a mouth. That ugly thing is wayyy to close to Kagome! "Stay away from her!" Inuyasha warned the beetle with his Tessaiga drawn.

"Yoooou have sharrrrds, child. Give them to meeeeee!" The beetle hissed out of his pinchers.

Kagome shrieked and turned to run. The demon beetle and clicked his pinchers loudly and suddenly, a wave of the thumb sized beetles swarmed at Inuyasha. They clasped onto his skin and clothes with their pointy legs and teeth.

"Get off of me you nasty bugs!" Inuyasha slashed wildly at the beetles; but every time he killed one swarm, another would attack.


Kagome darted into the forest and away from the beetle demon. Where's Inuyasha?! I hope he's ok!! Kagome heard a scream of pain from behind her and stopped running abruptly…Kikyo? Her heart drummed loudly in her chest as she twirled around and ran towards the beetle.


"KIKYO!" Inuyasha slashed the last swarm of mini beetles. "GET AWAY FROM HER!"

The beetle demon wrapped his prickly arm around Kikyo's body and lifted her close to his pinchers. "Youuuu smelllllllll like the girl who had sharrrrrdssss." A long, scaly tongue slithered out of his black pinchers and caressed her face, "But youuuuuu taste like graaaaaave soil."

"Get your disgusting hands off of her!" Inuyasha coiled his Tessaiga over his head, "Wind Sca…!"

"Don't use Wind Scar, Inuyasha!" Kagome appeared across from him, and behind the beetle, "You'll kill Kikyo if you use it!" I know I shouldn't care, but I do. I don't want him in any pain…physical or emotional.

"The girlllllll!" The beetle demon threw Kikyo into a tree trunk and snatched Kagome. "You smelllll perfecttttttt."

"Kikyo!" Inuyasha sprinted to Kikyo's body. She was limp, but breathing.


The beetle demon's arm felt like prickly plastic. Kagome felt blood trickle down her skin where he was holding her. Inuyasha…why aren't you saving me? Kagome watched Inuyasha take care of Kikyo…he doesn't care what happens to me.

"Giiive meeee youuuuur shards, girlllllll." The demon hissed.

I should give him my shards; Inuyasha doesn't seem to care about them either.

"Over my dead body!" Inuyasha barked as he raced towards the beetle.

Inuyasha…you do care. Kagome watched him race towards her, and all she wanted was to be close to him. He didn't need to embrace her or look at her the way he did to Kikyo…all he had to do was stand next to her. So she could breathe him in, hold him inside, and then let him go.

Inuyasha jumped into the air and sliced the beetle demon's arm off, releasing Kagome. She felt his strong, soft arms carry her safely to the ground. "Hide next to Kikyo!"

"Noooo!" The demon hit Inuyasha across the face, sending him flying into a nearby tree.

"Inuyasha!" Both Kagome and Kikyo cried. They turned and looked at eachother, each hating and understanding the other.

"Youuuu are miiiiiine!" The demon grabbed Kagome again, but this time his arm was covered in a green slime. The slime was pouring out of the prickles in his arm. As soon as the goo touched her she felt like her body was on fire. Her skin seemed to be drinking up the weird poison like it was water, and she was powerless to stop it.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha howled before slicing the demon's head off. The ground shook with the impact of the fallen head. The large beetle body convulsed before it tumbled and dissolved into the ground.

He scooped her into his arms and carried her to Kikyo. Everything stung. Her head was spinning.

"She has been poisoned." Kikyo muttered, "It's a rare poison, only found in the skin of the demon beetles."

"What does it do?!" Inuyasha hovered over Kagome, concern scribbled across his face.

"It steals the memory away from its victim." She wiped the sweat away from Kagome's forehead and checked her pulse, "It's a way for the beetle demons to confuse and devour their enemies."

"Inu….yasha…." Kagome coughed up blood…everything was spinning…her eyes were shutting…everything was turning black.