The Search Begins and the Devilish Rogue

Shippo and Sango filled up the buckets of water for Kagome's dinner that she brought for all of them. While passing each bucket to Sango, Shippo wondered about how they were going to bring Inuyasha back.

"So.....what's the plan again, Sango?" asked Shippo as he struggled to pick up the first bucket.

"I'm not really sure myself, but as I understand it, we just have to keep looking for certain things that Inuyasha likes, dislikes and things like that. At least, that's what Keade said to do, but in my opinion, I'm not so sure. From being with Inuyasha for such a long time, ANYTHING could bring him back to normal."

Just then, the meaner Inuyasha grabbed Shippo's bucket and kicked him to the side.

"Watch out, wuss, I'm thirsty." he gulped down the whole bucket and threw it back at Sango.

"Hey! Inuyasha!" she rolled her eyes and filled the bucket up again cursing him with all her might. What a jerk! Inuyasha simply scoffed, laughed at Shippo and walked towards Kagome, who was organizing all her supplies with the nicer Inuyasha. He put on his 'I'm-not-interested' look and walk towards them.

"What is this," he asked,"a wimp meeting??!!"

"Well, we-we-we were just trying to get all these th-things together," studdered the nicer Inuyasha. It was obvious that he was terrified of his meaner brother. Kagome, however, was not at the least bit intimidated by his macho actions and gave a 'I'm-not-interested' look right back at him.

"What's it to you," she snapped. She knew he was stronger than she was but she didn't even flinch when he squatted next to her with his same careless stare. He grinned a roguish smile at her and looked at her from head to toe.

"Kinda tenacious there, aren't you?"

"Yeah, so what?" she didn't want to let him see her soft side if he was going to be rough.

"I kinda like that. Sorta gives me a reason to respect a human like you. Sorta gives me that anxious feeling I get all the time."

Kagome was confused, as well as the cowering nicer Inuyasha, but she didn't show it. All of a sudden, she felt something touch her bottom and she squirmed out of reach of the meaner Inuyasha's wondering hand.

"SIT!!! SIT!!! SIT!!!" she screamed. She subdued him with fury not realizing that the nicer Inuyasha was suffering as well. With every 'sit', the meaner Inuyasha cursed and the nicer Inuyasha cried with tears forming at a rapid pace. After she was through, she walked over to the nicer Inuyasha and comforted him trying to stop his crying. After all, he didn't do anything wrong. And as soon as the spell wore off, the meaner Inuyasha got up and cracked every part of his body.

"Come on," said Kagome to the crying Inuyasha, whose eyes continued to tear. "I have something that can help your back in a second." She walked off with him while the other Inuyasha scoffed.

"What?" he said to himself. "Its like she's never been touched before." He flew off into a tree and sat there thinking for the remainder of the afternoon.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

That night, after dinner and games (patty cake and tag), the group sat down next to the fire and began to organize an itinerary to search for a cure. The two Inuyasha's sat on opposite sides of Kagome. The nicer Inuyasha next to Kagome for comfort and the meaner Inuyasha on the other side in case he tried anything wrong.

"I think that the cure is food," said Shippo. Obviously, he didn't know where to begin, but it was a start.

"Uh....I don't think so Shippo," said Miroku. "Personally, I think that it is something that Inuyasha knows about such as a memory or something like that.

"A memory?" asked Sango.

"Yes, a memory." he continued. "Maybe if they both concentrate on remembering Inuyasha being pinned to the tree, or achieving his sword, their minds might come together as a whole.

"Well," snorted the meaner Inuyasha,"it worth a shot."

"What do we think about first?" asked the nicer Inuyasha to Miroku.

"Well, let's go in order. First, think about being pinned to the tree. Try to concentrate.

Both Inuyasha's closed their golden eyes tightly and thought. The memory returned to their minds in a limpid manner. First, they saw themselves as a whole Inuyasha stealing the jewel. Then, Inuyasha laughed in victory and continued to fly. All of a sudden, he heard his name being shouted and then an arrow through his chest. He turned to see Kikyo with her bow in hand and bleeding. And then, it grew dark. All of a sudden a flash arose into their minds. They saw Kagome pulling the arrow out of his chest. Their eyes opened suddenly, and they were thrusted away from each other as if opposite sides of a magnet.

At the same time that their eyes were closed, the others could see a shining aura surrounding them. Their bodies drew closer together. But at an instant, their eyes opened and they were thrusted away from each other.

"It almost worked!" shouted Shippo disappointingly. He stamped his foot and looked at the others who couldn't help but agree that it was close, but not enough.

"What did you see? Surely SOMETHING you saw made it almost work." he looked at them with his eyes digging for answers. The nicer Inuyasha nodded and told Miroku and the others exactly what they saw from Inuyasha stealing the jewel to Inuyasha seeing Kagome pulling out the arrow. Miroku, afterwards, look stunned and not surprised at the same as if he expected their story, but not in depth.

"Try thinking about when you got the sword now," said Kagome.

Both Inuyashas closed their eyes for a second time and retrieved the memory. In their minds, they saw the whole Inuyasha fighting Sesshomaru in his father's grave. Kagome, all of a sudden, ran out to Inuyasha when she saw that he was in danger. She accidentally pulled out the sword pausing the deadly battle. Both Inuyasha and his brother were stunned. A flash emerged into their minds again. Kagome, after disparaging Inuyasha's brother, turned to Inuyasha and gave him the sword telling him to beat Sesshomaru with all his might. Inuyasha nodded, turned back to Sesshomaru and began the battle.

Once again, at the same time they were thinking, the others saw their bodies coming together with the shining aura surrounding them. However, this time, it was closer than before. There arms joined together forming one arm, but soon they were thrusted away from each other by an invisible force. They sat up shaking their heads to ease the headache. Miroku, once again, asked them what they saw. In detail, for a second time, the nicer Inuyasha explained and the meaner Inuyasha, in his own reluctant way, agreed on their view.

"This is ludicrous!" shouted the meaner Inuyasha. "It ALMOST works, but it NEVER works! Why don't we just forget before we com out half-connected or something like that?!"

"Will you calm down?!!" shouted Shippo.

"NO! I'm am tired of being told what to do! I'm not doing this anymore tonight! And if it doesn't work again, I'm not trying it ever! I LIKE the way I am now. I don't have a wimp next to me holding me back from doing something. Yeah that's right! We are both stuck inside one Inuyasha deciding 'what's right and what's not right!' That's bullshit! And then, inside one mid, we would fight and fight and fight and fight and then either the nicer side would win or we both had to go equally. It has been a long time since I and ME ALONE decided what we were going to do. Now that I'm free, I don't think I wanna go back!"

"You don't mean that do you?" asked Kagome. She was furious at this meaner side of Inuyasha.

"Hell, yes I do! And if you don't like it, you stupid bitch, you cam sit me for I care!" With that said, he jumped and flew off leaving the rest of the group amazed. The lighter Inuyasha couldn't believe what he just heard. His eyes began to tear and a wail came from his fang-full mouth.

"WAHH!! HE DOESN'T WANT TO BE WITH ME," he wailed. " I AM A WIMP!! WAHHH!!!" Shippo sat the lighter Hanyou down and comforted him giving him a lollipop that Kagome had treated him before. Kagome, frustrated at the darker Inuyasha stormed off to find him. She could smell the ramen aura and it led her to a tree. How a typical. He's up a tree.

"INUYASHA!! GET DOWN HERE NOW!" No answer.

"SIT!"

"OH SHIT!!" Inuyasha fell to the ground with a loud *boom*. Kagome smiled.

"What is your problem saying things like that?!" she shouted.

"So what?!" he yelled back. "I meant every word. Gotta problem with it?!"

"Yes I do! You had no right!"

"Well now that I'm free from that wimp, I have every right!"

"You make me sick!"

"You make me retch!" he spat at the ground. He got up, the spell obviously broken. He dusted himself off and gave her the same roguish smile she had given him before. This time, Kagome backed away. It was nighttime which made her scared of his golden eyes that stared oh so deeply into hers.

"W-what?" she stammered backing away.

"Like I said before," he continued to walk towards her, "now that I am free I am able to do the things that the nicer side would NEVER let me do after I met you. He claimed you would bring us real balance. I never listened. I tried and tried to fight him. At first, I wanted to kill you. Then he took over that little incident. Then We both started to like ya little. I liked you for your spunk, he liked you out of love. I loved arguing with you. I respected you more.. He loved you for you, but he never wanted us to tell you. Sometimes, we would hint it, but it was only because we were fighting whether to tell you or not. I didn't want to, he did. SO instead it came out in hints. Usually, I would win retaliating with a put-down or some kinda excuse for my strange, touchy-feely behavior. Soon, I wanted you for something else other than the jewels. He still wanted you for love and he would hold me back when I wanted you. He didn't want you hurt. but now that I'm free, I can do what I please. I can do what I want with you."

"W-what do you mean?" she was even more scared now. With every step backwards she took was a step forwards for him.

"You shall see," he said smiling that devilish smile once again.....