The Rise of a Protector

by The Legendary Dragon Reaper

Wracked with guilt over Goku's death and blessed with a new power from the god of dragons, read as Gohan struggles with life, love, puberty, fulfilling his destiny, and above all, protecting the people he loves and his world. Please read each chapter until the very end and check for authors notes. Gohan x Kagome, OC x Erasa.

4. Enter Shippo, Enter Kikyo, Enter Miroku

As suggested by Gohan, him, Inuyasha and Kagome had started traveling around Feudal Japan to gather more Shikon Jewel Shards.

Right now, Kagome was showing Inuyasha the wonders of instant ramen "Ok, the three minutes are up."

Inuyasha began slurping the noodles like a vacuum cleaner "Not bad, not bad! I can see how this would catch on."

"See? Not everything from our time sucks. A large majority, I won't deny. But not everything. Although apparently surroundings mean absolutely nothing to you." Gohan looked around where they took a break. An old battle ground, much to the dismay of Kagome.

At the moment, Gohan was explaining to Inuyasha and Myoga about some of humanity's greater accomplishments, such as trading with other lands and how man has traveled to the moon.

Suddenly, the sky began to grow dark as a massive vortex appeared.

"You down there!" he vortex growled "You posses shards of the sacred Shikon Jewel.'

In response, Gohan drew the Ryuuga while Inuyasha prepared to draw the Tessaiga.

"It looks like foxfire." Myoga mused

Gohan raised an eyebrow "Fox-what now?"

At that moment, the vortex transformed… into some sort of cute gigantic pink blob.

"Hand over the jewel." It growled "The jewel, or your lives!"

Gohan and Inuyasha just shared a 'What the Hell?' kind of look before Inuyasha used one of his nails to 'pop' the blob, which then turned into a little red haired kid with a bushy tail.

"It's a kid." Kagome mused, while Gohan and Inuyasha looked on, disappointed.

"Who dares to burst my bubble?!" The kid growled, only to be picked up by the tail by Inuyasha.

"Looks like a badger or a squirrel." Inuyasha mused out loud

Gohan shook his head "No, I think he looks more like a fox cub."

The kid nodded "I am a fox."

Kagome raised an eyebrow "A fox? It's so cute!"

Suddenly, the kid switched himself out with a weighted statue, crushing Inuyasha's hands, while he dug through Kagome's backpack and took the bottle containing the sacred jewel shards "Our time together has been short but sweet! Farewell!" he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Not a minute later, Inuyasha noticed a skull with a bushy tail hopping away, and angrily clenched his fist.

A minuted later, the fox is seen sitting next to them, pouting with a huge bump on his head.

"My name is Shippo." said the little kitsune (A:N Kitsune = Fox)

"Why are you after the jewel shards anyway?" Kagome sprayed some medicine on his bump.

"For my father." explained Shippo "I need to get the shards of the jewel to avenge him."

Gohan raised an eyebrow at this "Avenge? As in he was killed?"

Shippo nodded and explained how his father had found a Sacred jewel shard, but the Thunder brother demons Hiten and Manten had killed him and stole the shard, with Manten skinning the poor fox and making the fur into an accessory.

"The Thunder Brothers?!" asked Myoga in shock and horror "Those two are very dangerous."

Inuyasha scoffed "So what? I'll just kill them and take all their jewel shards."

Shippo snorted "And man will travel to the moon. As if a mere half-demon and some human will be able to defeat the Thunder Brothers."

In response, Inuyasha thumped Shippo on the head repeatedly.

As advised by Gohan, Shippo quickly gave out an apology.

But Inuyasha had just fallen into his trap.

Shippo then trapped his arms using a Jizo statue and a fox charm seal, pinning him to the ground.

He then proceeded to swipe the jewel shards and ran off, with an angry Kagome chasing after him.

"You're not going after her?" asked Inuyasha

Gohan shook his head "Getting between and angry Kagome and her prey is pretty much suicide."

Unfortunately, that's when things got ugly.

(Kagome and Shippo)

While running from Kagome, Shippo was found by Manten, the younger Thunder brother. Noticing that Shippo had jewel shards, Manten prepared to charge a blast of lightning to kill Shippo, but was pierced through the nose by an arrow, courtesy of Kagome.
Aiming for the jewel shards that Manten had in his forehead, Kagome fired a second arrow, but it only glanced off his head, causing 2 of his 3 remaining strands of hair to fall out.

Enraged, Manten shot a demonic blast of lightning towards them, intent on frying them. Kagome and Shippo barely avoided, but Kagome hit the ground hard and was knocked unconscious.

While Shippo was able to escape with the jewel shards, the unconscious Kagome was abducted by Manten.

(Gohan and Inuyasha)

Even with Zalama's power, Gohan was having no luck with peeling the tag off and freeing Inuyasha.

That's when Shippo returned "I'll help you. But only if you both promise NOT to hit me."

Both agreed. Somewhat.

Shippo then proceeded to peel the tag off "Now-"

He was cut off by Inuyasha continuously hitting him over the head. Well, I did say somewhat.

"I thought you promised…" Shippo got out.

Inuyasha then proceeded to shake Shippo down and took the jewel shards back.

"Hey squirt, where's Kagome?" asked Gohan, suddenly realizing she wasn't with the little kitsune.

At the mention of her name, Shippo flinched.

This didn't go unnoticed by Gohan, who angrily grabbed Shippo by the skull, clearly meaning 'tell me what I want to know, or I will crush your skull like an egg.' "Where. Is. Kagome?"

Valuing his life over his pride, Shippo informed them that Kagome was captured by the Thunder Brothers.

Reluctantly, Gohan let Shippo go "Inuyasha, can you track Kagome's scent?"

Inuyasha nodded as he picked up Kagome's bike and took off, with Gohan, Shippo and Myoga following suit.

(With Kagome)

In the lair of the Thunder Brothers, Kagome had come up with a plan to trick Hiten and Manten into believing that Gohan and Inuyasha have more jewel shards than they did combined. Hiten had three shards, Manten had two. She told them that Gohan, master of the Ryuuga, was in love with her, and that he would give them the shards as a ransom.

"Just remember." Hiten warned venomously "If you're lying, you'll be a head shorter."

It was the farthest thing from a lie, but Kagome didn't know that Gohan was in love with her.

(With Gohan and the others)

Back with the others, Gohan was in the middle of a conversation with Zalama inside his head, in preparation for the upcoming fight against the Thunder Brothers.

'Gohan, it's time I taught you how to counterbalance the demonic elements. There are 5 elemental properties in total: Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, and Wind. Each one counters another: Fire is strengthened by wind, Wind beats Lightning, Lightning beats Earth, Earth beats Water, and Water beats Fire. You have already unlocked the Water property. Also, every time you unlock one element in order to counter another, you also unlock the element used by your enemy. Since you awakened the water property, you also awakened the Fire property. I've now awakened the Wind element. Once you fight the Thunder Brothers, it should awaken the Lightning Property as well.'

'I thank you, Great Zalama.'

"Master Inuyasha, we must hurry before the Thunder Brothers do something to Kagome!" Myoga warned

Inuyasha shrugged "I'm sure she can take care of herself. She's probably knocking their blocks off as we speak."

Myoga shook his head "We can only hope. But if the rumors are true, the Thunder Brothers do not keep beautiful young women long before devouring them."

Shippo tensed "You don't think Kagome is…"

Inuyasha scoffed "Didn't you hear? He said beautiful young women."

Gohan ended the discussion with one word "Sit."

At that moment, the four of them were attacked by a massive blast of lightning. Fortunately, Gohan and Inuyasha got themselves, Shippo and Myoga out of the way in time.

"Very impressive maneuvers, dodging my lightning bolt." Hiten praised sarcastically before looking at Gohan "You must be Son Gohan."

Gohan sneered at him "So what if I am?"

At that moment, Manten appeared on a hovering cloud with Kagome, who beamed at seeing them "Gohan!"

"Kagome!" Gohan shouted in relief 'Thank god she's alright.'

Hiten smirked deviously "Judging by your expression, it seems the girl speaks the truth. Now hand over the Shikon jewel shards, or you'll never see your lover alive again!"

Gohan snarled at him "Nice try. I'm no fool. Hand over the girl first, then you get the shards. But if you harm her in any way, shape, or form, you'll both be a head shorter."

Kagome was shocked by this 'Wow. Just, wow.'

Hiten smirked "Well, it's clear that you do have some jewels for us. Jewels that will be mine!"

Hiten charged in, aiming to kill, but Gohan used the Ryuuga to clash with Hiten's Thunder Pike spear.

Hiten retreated into the air and smirked "You do have power, but no style. This will be an interesting battle."

'And hopefully, your last.' Gohan took a battle stance.

Hiten charged an attack "Lightning Burst!" a demonic blast of lightning shot towards Gohan, but Inuyasha tossed him the sheath to the Tessaiga, allowing Gohan to block the attack.

Hiten broke away, and Gohan tossed away the sheath, which had cracked under the strain of Hiten's attack.

Manten rode his cloud to where Inuyasha was, but Kagome pushed him off of the cloud, causing it to dissipate, with Manten falling to the ground, and Kagome landing on top of him.

Enraged, Manten attempted to blast Kagome, but Shippo used his spinning top illusion to subdue him.

When the illusion faded, it happened.

The last strand of Manten's hair fell out.

In a fit of rage, Manten attempted to fry them both with his lightning, but suddenly collapsed forward and coughed up some blood.

It was revealed the Inuyasha had used the Tessaiga to impale Manten from behind.

"MANTEN!" Hiten screamed in terror, breaking off from attacking Gohan to tend to his fallen younger brother.

After some final parting words about how he would trade all of his hair just to be Hiten's brother again in the next life, Manten died with a smile on his face.

"You wretches! You slaughtered my brother!" Hiten screamed in anguish, tears streaming down his face "Rest assured that we will always be as one, brother." he bit down into Manten's corpse.

"What's he doing?" asked Kagome

"Hiten bit into Manten's head to fuse the jewel shards with his own body. Gohan, you must be even more cautious now. Hiten now holds the power of 5 jewel shards." Myoga stated grimly

"How dare you strike down my brother." Hiten spat with a venomous smirk "You killed my beloved brother. LET'S SEE HOW YOU LIKE LOSING SOMEONE YOU LOVE! SONIC THUNDER!" he shot a demonic blast of lightning towards Inuyasha, Kagome and Shippo.

Inuyasha leapt out of the way.

Kagome and Shippo, however, weren't so lucky.

"Kagome…" Gohan whispered in grief

Hiten smirked evilly "Wouldn't waste my breath on her."

"KAGOME!" Gohan screamed in grief and sorrow.

"What a shame. Seems that she and that fox child are dead." Hiten spat "Now you know how it feels."

"You wretch. You swine. YOU MOTHER ****ER!" Gohan screamed in grief and anger, tears of rage streaming down his face.

"Master Inuyasha, aren't you going to help him?" asked Myoga

Inuyasha shook his head slowly "This is his fight. It's not my place to get involved."

Myoga nodded in understanding.

With a sudden burst of speed, Gohan stabbed Hiten in the shoulder "That was for Shippo."

He then slashed at Hiten's chest, landing a deep gash, as well as destroying his armor and his Thunder Pike "That was for his father. Zalama, it's time!"

'Very well. Use it to avenge her. And for what it's worth Gohan, I'm truly sorry. She didn't deserve this. Never before had I seen a woman as strong or pure hearted as her.'

'Thank you Zalama, but now is not the time for feeling sorry for myself. Now, I must avenger her!' Gohan raised his sword as it was surrounded by demonic wind "AND THIS IS FOR THE WOMAN I LOVE! BURN IN HELL YOU WRETCH! DRAGON CYCLONE!" And a dragon made entirely of demonic wind shot out from the Ryuuga at blinding speeds, devouring Hiten, whose last thoughts were 'I was defeated… By this human…' as he was completely vaporized, leaving only his five jewel shards behind.

With the battle over, Gohan fell to his knees, sobbing in grief, tears of anguish and pain streaming down his face.

"Gohan." Myoga said softly "The sacred jewel shards."

"I don't care." Gohan choked out "If only I had taken care of Hiten sooner, I could've save them. My weakness cost Kagome her life. It's all my fault."

"Gohan…" said a voice as a blue glowing light appeared behind him

Gohan dried his tears, turned around and gasped "K-Kagome?"

There was Kagome, holding Shippo in her arms, surrounded by a blue light.

"Gohan, you fought the battle hard and well." Kagome said with a smile

"Thanks to you, I was able to avenge my father." added Shippo

"Looks like their souls have come to bid a final farewell." Myoga said from Inuyasha's shoulder.

Gohan eyes widened "What?" as he ran over to Kagome and suddenly grabbed her by the wrist "Don't go!" much to her surprise.

The blue light then shot upward into the sky and disappeared.

"KAGOME!" Gohan screamed, but then looked down to find that she and Shippo were still there. And he was still holding her hand.

Both blushed lightly as Gohan let go.

"You're still alive?" Gohan asked after a moment of silence.

"Yeah. Where did that come from?" asked Kagome.

Shippo watched as the blue light disappeared 'Father. It was your Foxfire that saved us, wasn't it?'

In any case, Gohan hugged Kagome tightly, her face turning red in the process.

"I thought I lost you." He whispered softly as his tears dried.

Kagome pulled away from him and smiled "You can't get rid of me that easily."

Inuyasha looked on at the scene 'Gohan… He really is in love with Kagome. Hopefully, he won't make the same mistake I made.'

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After that little incident, Shippo decided to join Gohan, Kagome and Inuyasha on their quest to find the jewel shards.

Gohan and Kagome then decided to head back to the Modern World for a few days while Inuyasha left to repair the crack in Tessaiga's sheath.

The two ninth graders went to school, where Kagome reunited with her friends Yuka, Eri and Ayumi, while Gohan met with Kai on the roof.

(With Kagome)

"We heard about your accident with the cat." Eri mused "That is one bad place to get bitten."

"Before that, you were away for some diabetes tests." Ayumi added "Did you get the results back?"

Kagome was internally cursing her grandfather 'You couldn't have told them I had a cold or something?'

That's when he showed up. Hojo, the proclaimed 'mega hunk' of the school "Hey, Kagome! How are you feeling? Talk about a double whammy. Bunions and gout?"

Kagome was inwardly crying anime tears.

Hojo then gave her a pair of therapeutic sandals and took off.

Kagome was then bombarded by her friends with questions about whether or not she was going out with Hojo.

"Well, then who do you like?" asked Eri.

Kagome thought for a moment "Well, he definitely would be kind, caring, understanding, smart, funny, cute, and he would always be there for me."

"You mean like Gohan ?" all three asked simultaneously, causing Kagome's face to turn bright red.

Needless to say, the questions didn't end there.

(With Gohan- on the roof)

Gohan found himself being questioned on the roof.

"So what's the deal?" asked Kai "You off on a training trip with Piccolo or something?"

Gohan sighed "You know my mom would have my head, she hates the idea of me training."

"And yet she still lets you. How did you pull that off?"

"Well, I told her that Piccolo actually inspired me to become a teacher. He willingly passed his knowledge onto me and helped to guide me to become the best I could, I want to be that guiding hand for others too. She fell for it like a sucker. As for where me and Kagome have been, that's a lot more complicated. Gather my mom, Trunks, Krillin and Piccolo at the dojo downtown after school and I'll tell you all everything."

(Later- Dojo- Waiting Room)

2 hours and 2 bowls of popcorn later, Gohan finished explaining the details "And that's about it."

"...So let me see if I understand this." Chichi said slowly "There's a magical well hidden in the Higurashi Shrine that acts as a portal 500 years into the past, Kagome is the reincarnation of an ancient priestess who died 550 years ago, you have a mental connection with some sort of Dragon God named Zalama who lent you his power during your battles against Cell and that space pirate Bojack where you saved Zangya, now you have a sword infused with his divine power, and now you and Kagome are travelling around Japan with a fox demon kid and a half dog demon searching for shards of the Shikon Jewel?"

"That's about it, yeah." Gohan drew the Ryuuga from his katana "Now I can harness Zalama's power through this sword, but I can't use any of my other abilities. No Ki blasts, no Super Saiyan, no flying, no Saiyan durability, I'm as useless as a normal human." he got glares from Kai, Chichi and Krillin "No offense. Anyway, whenever I try to use Ki abilities, I've been feeling this sharp pain in my neck and Inuyasha says he smells something dark around there too."

"Let me see." Piccolo took a look and saw a mark on Gohan's neck that looked like a smaller version of the dragon mark on Gohan's arm "There's some sort of seal back here. Gohan, try entering your Dragon Saiyan form."

Gohan flashed into Super Saiyan and did the chant, but suddenly stopped and powered down to his base form as he grabbed his neck in pain "Dammit!"

"This mark seems to be sealing his power in this era. He might only be able to access it in that era or with the sword."

"The sword did make it easier to wield that power."

"Yeah yeah let's get to the important stuff." Kai cut in "Did you give Kagome the necklace or not?"

"Well yeah, but I couldn't tell her."

"I see." Piccolo glanced at Gohan, a look of sorrow in his eyes. He'd been one of the first to know about Gohan's feelings for Kagome, and how while she didn't know it, she was really hurting him by not returning his feelings.

"Yeah, but there's always next time."

"And now you can protect Kagome." Kai pointed out "And you can impress her."

"First, Kagome isn't the type to be impressed by macho-jackass stuff. Second, I'm not strong enough. Not yet." he looked towards his first mentor "Piccolo, I have a request. All this time, ever since you trained me, I've been letting people down over and over again because I've been too weak or too scared, now I've got the confidence but I don't have the power to back it up. Can you train me and help me get the strength to protect everyone?"

Piccolo smirked "Don't worry kid, I'll get you back into shape in no time."

"Great, now just one thing." Gohan turned to Chichi "Mom?"

Chichi sighed "Go ahead."

"I know that- Really?"

"Really."

Gohan wasted no time in grabbing Piccolo and getting the hell out of there.

Kai then rounded on Chichi "Alright Mrs Son, spill."

Chichi blinked "What're you talking about?"

"The Gohan's mom I know would go apeshit whenever Gohan brought up training in any way, shape or form."

"Well sometimes a mother has to give her son room to grow and let him make his own choices."

Kai turned to Trunks and Krillin "Drunk or stoned?" his response was Chichi giving him a frying pan to the head.

But little did any of them know that something was going to happen. Something big.

(Higurashi Shrine)

Back at the shrine, grandpa Higurashi smelled smoke coming from the shed and went in to discover that not only was it on fire, but the talismans that have been in place for generations have also been destroyed along with the seal of the box, releasing the Noh Mask. Grandpa poured a bucket of liquid over himself before hurling several slips of paper at it, only for them to bounce off. The Noh Mask attacked Grandpa before attaching itself to a faceless wooden warrior, only for it to fall apart mere seconds after. Thereafter, Grandpa found himself pinned to the ground by the wooden planks that collapsed atop him as the mask resumes its search for live flesh.

(With Gohan)

Gohan had finished a workout with Piccolo and was on his way to the Higurashi Shrine when he heard something that made his blood run cold "Hey did you hear? Higurashi Shrine is on fire."

Almost immediately, Gohan blitzed towards Higurashi Shrine and whipped out his cell phone and dialed a number "Kai."

"I know, I heard. Do what you've gotta do, I'll meet you there in about 20 minutes."

"Thanks." Gohan stopped running when he found the Higurashi shrine in havoc. Fire engines and police cars were parked outside. There was a massive crowd gathered to see what was going on.

Gohan met up with Kagome, who quickly slipped in "Mom, what happened?"

"The old storehouse caught on fire, and grandpa was trapped inside in the smoke." explained Mrs. Higurashi

Kagome's eyes widened "Grandpa's hurt?"

Mrs Higurashi shook her head "He fainted and suffered from some smoke inhalation, but he stood be fine in a few days. I'm actually on my way to see him."

"I'm going too." said Kagome

Mrs Higurashi shook her head "Someone has to stay and explain everything to Sota."

"I'll do it." Gohan spoke up "Kagome, you should go. I'll stay and explain everything to the kid. Oh, and here's the notes for the test tomorrow. I got a copy from Kai."

Kagome quickly hugged him out of gratitude.

After they left, Kai showed up and Gohan quickly explained the situation.

At that moment, Sota showed up "Gohan!"

Gohan put his hands on the kid's shoulders "Relax Sota. It wasn't in the main shrine, and nobody got seriously hurt."

"Umm, you might want to rethink that." Kai muttered

"Why?"

Suddenly, one of the fire trucks started, ramming into several police cars and speeding off.

"That's why." Kai stated flatly, earning a smack upside the head.

According to the news, the fire truck was smashing into anything and everything in its path. Everyone who has come into contact with it had vanished into thin air.

(Hospital)

After leaving Kai to look after Sota, Gohan rendezvoused with Kagome and her mother at the hospital "How's he doing?"

"He's still unconscious, but the doctor's a little baffled." Mrs Higurashi explained "He said it's nothing serious, so he should've woken up by now."

Gohan then noticed she was holding several paper tags "What are those?"

"Talismans." replied Mrs Higurashi "They were found plastered over his face and in his mouth. Something must've really spooked him."

Gohan then heard Grandpa Higurashi muttering in his sleep "Beware the flesh eating mask… Beware of the flesh eating Noh mask."

"So it's just the two of us here since mom is staying at the hospital to watch over grandpa." explained Kagome before she heard something dragging across the carpet.

"Sis, can I stay in your room tonight?" asked Sota.

"No chance. Stop acting so scared. There's nothing to be afraid of."

Sota wasn't convinced.

Then it happened.

A firetruck ladder crashed through the window. On it was the dissolving body of the Noh Mask.

"A Noh mask! That must be what Grandpa was talking about." Kagome quickly snatched the bottle with the jewel shards, grabbed a traumatized Sota and ran. Realizing that the Noh mask was after the jewel shards, she quickly came up with a plan "Sota! Get Gohan! Get him over here, fast!"

Sota reluctantly did so.

(Dojo)

Trunks had drawn his sword to clash against Gohan's Ryuuga sword "Tell me Gohan, do you wish to just impress her or do you want to protect her to your fullest?"

In a sudden burst, Gohan kicked Trunks in the ribs and sent him into a wall "No Trunks, I'm not some shallow jackass that misuses my abilities like that. I don't want Kagome to worship me, I want her to love me. I'd never take advantage of someone grovelling up to me. I don't want sacrifices and altars, I want love and support. I want her to fall for me, for who I am, not what I do or can do. I don't need or want her worshiping me as her savior, which I actually am when I think about it, I want her to love me as an equal."

"It takes a strong man to say things like that Gohan." Trunks sheathed his sword "But actions speak louder than words. Don't forget that."

"I won't." then Gohan saw Sota rush in "Sota? What're you doing here?"

Sota quickly explained the situation.

Gohan turned deadly serious 'Great Zalama, I need more of your power.'

"Very well. Remember, each one is double the power of a Shikon Jewel shard. Use them wisely."

4 dragon scales appear in Gohan's hand and he places one in each arm and leg "Alright Sota, get on my back."

Sota did so.

"Alright, brace yourself."

"You're going?" asked Trunks.

"Yes. I'm gonna prove what I said to be true." and Gohan left in a blur.

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Thanks to his already immense physical strength and speed combined with the enhancements of the Ryu Scales that Zalama gave him, Gohan was running and jumping across the rooftops of Tokyo faster than he ever had before "Hold on tight Sota, it's a long way down."

"Do you really know where to find Kagome?" asked Sota.

"Oh yeah, I can sense her from here."

They ended up tracking her to an unfinished skyscraper.

But before it could absorb her, Gohan showed up and slashed at the mask "You alright Kagome?"

Kagome nodded "Yeah, I'm fine."

Sota hugged Kagome fearfully.

Gohan smiled "You did good, Sota. But leave this to me."

"Gohan, aim for the mask." Kagome warned "The shards is in the forehead."

Gohan nodded "This should finish it." he launched a small Ki blast, shredding the liquid part of the body.

Just then, a blob attacked Kagome, causing her to drop the jewel shards, and they landed near Sota.

'I can't let it have the shards!' Sota thought frantically while running from the mask as it flew after him.

"Don't move Sota! Masenko!" Gohan blitzed in front of Sota, flashed into Super Saiyan, and completely annihilated the Mask, leaving nothing behind.

Sota grinned in relief "You did it!"

"You did good kid. You still got the jewel shards?" asked Gohan

Sota nodded and handed him the bottle

Kagome ran up to them "Gohan!"

"You alright Kagome?" asked Gohan, holding his sword over his shoulder.

"Yeah… Gohan, what was that? Your hair turned gold, you were so incredible! How did you do it?"

Gohan sighed 'I figured it would come to this. I'll tell you after school today, at Wacdonald's. Also, don't you have a test today?"

Kagome was about to reply, only to pause and then run off frantically.

"Oh thank god that worked."

Sota tugged on Gohan's sleeve "You know what? I've got a new hero, bet you can't guess who he is."

Gohan knelt down and ruffled Sota's hair "You did a good job. Come on, let's get you home already." he put Sota on his back Yachiru-style and took him home.

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So that day after school, after dealing with finals, Gohan poured his heart out to Kagome, from meeting Goku's friends to training with Piccolo, going to Planet Namek and fighting Frieza, meeting Trunks, fighting the androids and his defeat over Cell and all of the others "And that's about it."

Kagome took a moment to soak it all in "Wow, that's… wow."

"I told Kai after the whole thing with Bojack, he knows everything."

Kagome stared at him for a moment, then smiled "Well Inuyasha is a half-demon, and you've saved my butt more times than I can count, so who am I to complain?"

Gohan breathed a sigh of relief "That's a weight off of my shoulders. Besides, I can't have the girl of my dreams thinking I'm some kind of alien freak.'

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In the middle of the night, trouble was brewing in Kaede's village. A blue fire was flying over the village, through the sky. It passed through trees, cutting them down as it passed. The rumbling woke Kaede and other local villagers. The blue fire landed in the village and revealed itself to be a demon. Kaede shoots an arrow at her, but fails. The demon went further into the cemetery, while the villagers followed her up the stairs. The Demon had reached Kikyō's tomb. Kaede figured that she was after Kikyō's ashes. The demon pulled out her weapon and scratched it like nails on a chalkboard. Kaede shot another arrow but, the demon sliced it in half and attacked them and the grave-site. She dug her hand into the ground and pulls out a pot, stating that her name was Urasue before she disappeared.

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Inuyasha was running through the forest.

"Inuyasha!" a woman's voice called out.

Inuyasha turned to see who it was, only to be pinned to a tree by a sacred arrow 'Who… Is that Kagome? No… That's Kikyo!'

(End Dream Sequence)

Inuyasha suddenly awoke, and found himself in a tree 'A dream… Brings back some ugly memories.' he looked down to the campsite below. Kagome and Shippo were sleeping by the campfire, while Gohan was meditating. 'They're almost identical. No wonder I had them confused in my dream.'

Gohan returned from his meditation and looked at Inuyasha "Something wrong?"

Inuyasha looked at Kagome for a minute before shaking his head "It's nothing."

Gohan looked to the sky and noticed Urasue flying past them.

Inuyasha eyes widened at the scent of fresh blood. He recognized that blood.

(Next morning)

"So Inuyasha, why the sudden urge to go back to the village?" asked Kagome

Gohan shook his head "I've got a bad feeling about being this."

(Kaede's Village)

Back in the village, an injured Kaede slowly made her way from the hut, to the protest of the women caring for her.

That was when Inuyasha and the others arrived.

"Kaede, what happened?" asked Gohan 'So that's it. He smelled Kaede's blood, and got worried. So he decided to head back to check on her.'

"The demon." Kaede stated grimly "She desecrated the gravesite of my sister Kikyo. I was powerless to stop her. My sister had unusually strong powers, even for a priestess. Her remains have fallen into the hands of evil. Who knows to what end her powers will be misused."

Inuyasha silently walked away.

"Inuyasha?" asked Gohan

"You're on your own." Inuyasha spat "You all seem to have forgotten that Kikyo betrayed me. I can still remember the pain of her shooting an arrow into my chest." And with that, he leapt away

Kaede said nothing.

Gohan looked on with pity before following after him.

(Sacred Tree)

Inuyasha was sitting in the Sacred tree, lost in his thoughts 'The demon Urasue. She stole more than Kikyo's ashes. I smelled fresh soil from the gravesite. What could she be scheming?'

That was when Gohan showed up and sat on the branch next to him "You want to talk?"

Inuyasha scoffed "As if. Get lost."

Gohan glared at him "This is about how Kagome looks like Kikyo, isn't it?"

Inuyasha hesitated for a moment, but nodded mutely "Gohan, let me ask you something."

"Go ahead."

"You have feelings for Kagome, don't you?"

Gohan looked down and nodded "It's not just that. I don't just have feelings for Kagome. I'm in love with her. I love everything about her. She's kind, caring, generous, smart, strong-willed, dependable, drop-dead gorgeous, and probably has the purest heart I've ever seen. To be truthful, ever since I first met her, I just knew that she was the woman I was destined to fall in love with someday. As long as she's happy and safe, then I'll be okay, even if she doesn't love me like I love her." He then gave Inuyasha a sad smile "Even if she doesn't return my feelings, as long as she's happy and safe, then that's all I care about, even at the cost of my own happiness."

Inuyasha looked at him seriously "Look Gohan, I just don't want you to make the same mistake with Kagome that I made with Kikyo."

Gohan shook his head "I have no intention of ever letting that happen."

But little did Gohan know, Kagome was listening to their conversation from the bottom of the tree, tears building up in her eyes Gohan… I had no idea you felt this way… And you do so much for me, and yet you ask for absolutely nothing in return… I'm sorry Gohan, I'm so sorry…' She quickly ran away, without being noticed by Gohan.

Inuyasha, however, was another story.

He had caught her scent a few minutes after Gohan had showed up.

"Something wrong?" asked Gohan.

Inuyasha shook his head "Nothing important."

After a few minutes, Kagome returned, along with Kaede "You guys ready?"

Gohan nodded "Inuyasha, can you smell what direction Urasue was headed in?"

Inuyasha pointed, and they set off.

(Nightfall- Cave)

Several hours went by. Darkness hit and the group had taken shelter in a cave.

"Kaede's asleep." said Kagome

Inuyasha simply humphed "Let's get some sleep ourselves. We've got a big battle tomorrow. I can smell the remains. They're not far off."

"Feel free to use my sleeping bag Kagome." said Gohan "I was gonna meditate anyway."

Kagome looked at him for a moment, then hugged him "Thanks Gohan ."

"For what?"

"For always being there for me." She fell asleep against his chest.

Gohan smiled "I'll always be there for you Kagome."

(Morning)

Gohan watched as Inuyasha was hounding for answers from Kagome, who had been looking at him with sympathetic looks all morning, thinking about how he loved Kikyo, yet she betrayed him.

'This is gonna be a looooong day.'

(Urasue's Lair)

Beyond the mountains Urasue entered her kilt cave where, inside, a tomb was surrounded by burning ashes. She threw a plant on top of the tomb and the fires went out. She then stabbed a hole into it telling it to "arise" and the stabbing caused the tomb to crack open. The tomb opened and came out a newly resurrected Kikyō. Urasue revealed how she wanted her to retrieve the remaining shards of the jewel for herself and demanded that since she brought her back to life she must serve her every wish. The body arose, but was unable to move. Urasue was at first confused, but soon realized that the body had been revived, but the soul had not returned. Urasue then realized that Kikyō's soul had been reincarnated into another body, and then angrily threw Kikyō's body to the side, wondering angrily how to retrieve the jewels.

(With Gohan and the others)

Inuyasha, Gohan and the others made their way through the forest, finding clay tombs all around them, much to the dismay of Shippo

They soon found the hideout of Urasue. But to reach it, they had to cross a narrow bridge, above a deep valley.

"Just great!" Kagome muttered "We have to cross this rickety old bridge?"

"I'll go first, Kagome." said Gohan "It might not be safe, and I should go and test it. Besides, you're lighter than me, so it would be more accurate if I did it." heslowly made his way across, with the others following.

Then it happened.

Several clay tombs appeared both in front of and behind them. They opened to reveal clay warriors inside of them.

Gohan and Inuyasha made quick work of several of them. Unfortunately, they had strength in numbers, making it rather difficult.

Urasue flew above them, and, realizing that Kagome was the reincarnation of Kikyo, sliced the bridge in half, took Kagome and flew off to return to her hideout, to finish her plan to resurrect Kikyo.

Gohan and Inuyasha landed at the bottom of the ravine, both uninjured. Somewhat.

Inuyasha was able to endure it due to his half-demon nature.

Gohan only had minor injuries, thanks to the protection of Zalama's kimono making up for the lack of his Saiyan durability.

Kaede and Shippo landed safely thanks to one of Shippo's fox magic tricks. And landed on top of Inuyasha.

Several clay warriors also survived the fall.

Using Ryuuga and Tessaiga, Gohan and Inuyasha made quick work of the clay warriors.

But it was then that they realized the dangerous situation they were in.

If Urasue succeeded in resurrecting Kikyo, not only would Kagome perish, but they most likely would as well.

(Urasue's Lair)

Speaking of which, Urasue was preparing for the final phase of her plan: To transfer Kagome's soul into Kikyo's body, and make Kikyo into her servant.

Gohan , Inuyasha and the others made their way to the top of the cliff, and found that Urasue was about to enact her plan.

Inuyasha's blood ran cold when he saw her: Kikyo, revived in body, but not in soul.

'Don't call me. Don't call my name…' Kikyo's soul thought in Kagome's mind.

'As long as no one calls her name, the process won't finish.' Gohan thought

But unfortunately, that's exactly what Inuyasha did "Kikyo…"

"GOD F*CKING DAMN IT INUYASHA!" Gohan exploded at him furiously

Then it happened.

In a blinding white explosion, Kagome's soul emerged from her body, and violently flew into Kikyo's body, fully restoring her.

"Kagome! Wake up!" Shippo begged

Urasue cackled evilly "You waste your time. The girl is but an empty shell."

Gohan nearly went Super Saiyan in his rage, but stopped and gripped the mark on his neck from the pain.

Urasue started going on about how she was Kikyo's new birth mother.

Kikyo shut her up by walking up to her and purifying her, burning her to a crisp.

Putting that aside, everyone turned their attention to Kikyo.

"Inuyasha, why are you still alive?" Kikyo questioned without emotion "I bound to the tree with a sacred arrow."

Inuyasha, stunned for a moment, snapped out of it and smirked "You sure did, and I stayed there for 50 years. But as you can see, I'm alive and well."

Kikyo looked at Inuyasha, nothing but hatred and anger in her eyes "You vile beast. You traitorous half-demon!"

Then something happened that nobody expected.

Kikyo was surrounded in a red light, and blood started pouring out of a wound in her shoulder.

"Why did you betray me Inuyasha?!"

"Betray her?" Gohan asked him "What the hell is she going on about?"

Inuyasha shook his head "I have no idea what she's talking about."

"Look closely Inuyasha." said Kaede "Is that not the wound you inflicted on my sister?"

"I never did anything like that."

"Lies!" Kikyo spat "You are more vile than I imagined. Inuyasha, tell me. Do you not remember when you told me that you wished to become human?"

"Bullshit." Gohan stated flatly

"You said you wished to become human." explained Kikyo, having a flashback (A/N: Guys, we all know how much fan fiction flashbacks suck. I'm not putting anybody through that unless absolutely necessary)

She carried the jewel to where he was supposed to meet her.

But then, he came up to her, struck her down, and stole the jewel, claiming that he would use it to slaughter the villagers.

"But Lady Kikyo, not even Inuyasha would sink that low." said Gohan

"It's true and he knows it." Kikyo slowly walked up to Inuyasha "We were fated never to meet again." she gripped his shirt and shocked him, sending purifying energy through his body, causing him to scream in pain as he was sent flying backwards.

"Please stop this Kikyo" Kaede begged

"Who are you?" asked Kikyo

"I am Kaede, your younger sister." explained Kaede "My looks have changed because 50 years have passed since your death."

"Then why would you speak on Inuyasha's behalf?" Kikyo took Kaede's bow and fired a sacred arrow at Inuyasha, who jumped out of the way.

Kikyo then forcefully took Kaede's arrows and prepared to fire at Inuyasha "You told me that you wished to become human. You told me you wished to be with me."

"Kikyo, please." Inuyasha begged "I meant everything I said back then."

"Liar!" Kikyo screamed "I was a fool for believing you lies!"

"That's enough!" Gohan charged at Kikyo and stuck out his fist "Dragon Shockwave!" using the power of Ryu's scale, he stuck his fist out, sending out a shockwave, sending Kikyo flying into a wall. "My apologies Lady Kikyo." he drew the Ryuuga "I do not wish to harm you, but in order to save the woman I love, I must. Dragon art: Soul transference!" And using the power of the Ryuuga, he transferred Kikyo's soul back into Kagome's body.

"No! This cannot be!" Kikyo shouted in horror "My revenge!"

"Revenge is no way to live." Gohan sheathed the Ryuuga

Kagome's soul quickly returned to her body, but Kikyo still remained herself.

"Some part of the soul must still be left." Inuyasha mused

"That which keeps Kikyo moving is nothing but her hatred for you." Urasue stated "Her hatred still remains-"

She was cut off by Gohan scattering her ashes into the wind "Go to her."

Inuyasha nodded and took off after Kikyo.

(With Kikyo)

Kikyo attempted to distance herself from Kagome, when she started to fall off the cliff, but Inuyasha caught her by the wrist.

But her hatred for Inuyasha remained, and she attempted to get him to let go, stating that she could not rest until she saw him dead. In that moment, Inuyasha lost his grip, and Kikyo fell.

Inuyasha could do no more than call out her name as she fell into the ravine, and out of his line of sight.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

2 days passed.

Kaede returned to the village, while Gohan and the others resumed their search for the Shikon Jewel Shards.

"Are you sure you're alright Kagome?" asked Shippo

Kagome nodded "I'm telling you, I feel perfectly fine! I can't believe I got my soul sucked out of me. But I'm back to my old self now, thanks to you Gohan." She smiled at him.

Gohan returned the smile "Of course. I'm always here for you, Kagome." he then looked in the direction of Inuyasha 'Poor guy. I just don't understand it, though, Kikyo claims that Inuyasha betrayed her, and Inuyasha says it's the other way around. How can two versions of the same story be so different?'

Little did they know, they would soon meet someone who would give them the answers they needed.

(With Miroku)

A young monk by the name of Miroku, having swindled yet another lord, was bathing in a hot spring, musing about how all of the valuables he had stolen from a lord while conducting an exorcism had been pawned for such a small price.

'At least this Shikon jewel shard was worth it.' The monk mused

"Oh yeah, this feels great." said a voice.

Miroku looked to see Kagome, completely naked, bathing on the other side of the hot spring 'A girl.' he noticed the jewel shard around her neck 'She has a shard of the Shikon jewel. And they're- I mean it's- huge!'

Miroku ducked when he heard Kagome call to her companions "Don't even think about peaking at me."

"Do I look suicidal?" Gohan put on a blindfold, out of respect for her privacy.

Kagome giggled lightly at this, and swam off.

Gohan began meditating while Inuyasha was being asked several very uncomfortable questions by Shippo about why they didn't bathe together.

He was ripped out of his meditation by a scream from Kagome.

By using his heightened senses to make up for being blindfolded, Gohan quickly ran to the scene… Only to find that the cause of Kagome's scream was due to her being startled by a bunch of monkeys.

"She's with another man. Too bad." Miroku mused "I hate having to resort to violence." He then formed a plan with his servant: A demon badger by the name of Hachiemon.

(Next day)

The next day, Gohan, Inuyasha and the rest were making their way along a mountainside path, when Miroku put his plan into action.

By having a transformed Hachi attack Gohan and Inuyasha, Miroku was able to make off with Kagome.

After quickly scaring Hachi off, Gohan, Shippo and Inuyasha were pulled into the mountainside by a powerful force coming from Miroku's right hand.

"Gohan!" Kagome ran towards him.

But unfortunately, that gave Miroku the opportunity to swipe the jewel shard from her, not to mention stealing her bike in the process.

"Are you alright Gohan?" asked Kagome

Gohan spat out a few pebbles and nodded "I'll be fine, who was that guy anyway?"

"He did mention something about being a monk, but what was the deal with his right hand?"

Inuyasha nodded "I've never seen such a strong storm come from out of nowhere."

Suddenly, Kagome's eyes widened "Oh no! He stole my bike! That creep!"

Inuyasha snorted "And you think your bike is more important than the fact that YOU WERE BEING KIDNAPPED?!"

"You were worried about me?"

"I was worried about the jewel shard."

Kagome tensed at this "Speaking of which… He took more than the bike. He got the jewel too."

Inuyasha's screams could be heard from miles around.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They eventually tracked him down to a tavern in a nearby town. The women in the tavern were less than impressive. At least by Miroku's standards.

"So much for their claims of having beautiful women." Miroku muttered to himself "I would've had a better time if I'd gone drinking with the badger."

Then Gohan and the others showed up "Alright monk, I'll give you one warning: Give the lady back her possessions and you walk away from this in one piece."

Ignoring Gohan, Miroku took Kagome's hands in his "I'm so glad you're here. It's too good to be true. You're a real sight for sore eyes."

That was the final straw for Gohan , which lead to him following Miroku on a chase through the town "Get the hell back here and fight like a man, you coward!"

"I will not fight a senseless battle." Miroku continued running

"Believe me, I get that." Gohan drew the Ryuuga "But your definition of senseless obviously differs from mine!" he leapt at Miroku, who used his staff to defend himself 'He's blocking the Ryuuga. This guy's good. I don't know who you are, but you're no ordinary monk." he broke off to gain some distance.

"I go by the name Miroku." He retorted evenly "And yes, I am a monk who works to aid the common man."

"I can understand that, but you stole something that belongs to us. So fork over the jewel shard and I'll let you live."

Miroku smirked "Touching speech. I understand, but trust me. It's far better off in my hands, Gohan."

"So you know me?"

"Nope. Was it that beautiful companion of yours who called you by name, or was it the young fox or the half-demon?"

Hearing this, Kagome blushed "He can't be all bad if he has such good taste."

"Snap out of it Kagome!" Shippo tugged on her cheeks "He stole your jewel from under your nose!"

Gohan had a sadistic look on his face "Oh, I'm so gonna enjoy this." he charged in.

Gohan's attacks were relentless, but Miroku blocked all of the slashes from his sword using his staff.

Seeing this, Gohan resheathed his sword and stuck out his fist "Dragon Shockwave!" the force of the attack knocked Miroku's staff out of his hands, allowing Gohan to hold the Ryuuga to his throat "Last chance, monk. Give us back the jewel."

Without a word, Miroku leapt to his feet and set off running once again, with Gohan hot on his heels "Villagers, take heed! If you value your lives, get as far away from here as possible!" he soon found himself cornered by Gohan on the outskirts of the village.

"You were a strong adversary." Gohan stated "But it ends here."

Miroku merely smirked as he held out his right hand "This may come as a bit of a surprise, but I'm a bit of a sore loser."

"It actually doesn't surprise me in the slightest."

Ignoring him, Miroku removed the prayer beads from his wrist and held out his hand "Wind Tunnel!" a powerful black hole was revealed, sucking in everything within its range that wasn't bolted down to the ground. Gohan was barely able to hold himself to the ground, even while using the Ryuuga thrusted into the ground and the strength of the Ryu scales in his legs.

Kagome observed this, and remembered how he told the villagers to run for their safety, then jumped into the path of the Wind tunnel. Seeing this, Miroku sealed it off with the prayer beads just in time, before Kagome crashed into him, unconscious.

"Kagome!" Gohan was instantly by her side "Are you alright? What the hell were you thinking?!"

"I wouldn't have done it if I had any doubts." replied Kagome "Besides, he stopped it on his own, so he can't be all that bad. Let's at least give him a chance, Gohan . He might be able to lend us a hand."

No one noticed Miroku's eyebrow twitch, or his hand move to the location of Kagome's rear… Until it made contact.

This was made noticeable by a shriek from Kagome, leading to her clutching onto Gohan for dear life "I was wrong. Kill him!"

"3 strikes. You die." Gohan growled

Inuyasha snorted at this "You rehearsed that line, didn't you?"

"So what if I did?"

"Settle down for a moment, and allow me to explain myself." Miroku stated calmly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After Gohan slaughtered several demons around the area to let off some steam, he returned.

Miroku explained himself "I too am in search of the shards of the Shikon jewel. My purpose is to find and eliminate a demon. A terrible, evil demon that goes by the name of Naraku."

"Naraku?" Gohan questioned

Miroku nodded "It was the same demon who left me who left me with this cursed hole in my right hand."

"What sort of demon is this Naraku?" asked Kagome

"I know very little of him, except that he is very wicked, and known to devour people. According to my father, my grandfather battled Naraku long ago, in his youth. It was over 50 years ago. Their battle insured for several years, and each time Naraku appeared before my grandfather, he took on the form of a different human."

'A shapeshifter.' Gohan mused

"They say that the last time Naraku appeared before my grandfather, he took on the form of a beautiful woman. My grandfather had great spiritual power. But unfortunately, as fate would have it…" He trailed off

"Let me guess. He was a lecher?"

"Impressive intuition. Naraku pierced my grandfather's right hand with his sacred religious seals, and managed to escape. Each year, the hole in my hand becomes bigger, and the winded more powerful. Unless it can defeat Naraku, I myself will be devoured by the hole."

"You mean it would kill you?" asked a shocked Kagome

"I am prepared to accept that fate, if such is truly my destiny. But until then, I must continue my attempts to thwart Naraku. The Shikon jewel vanished 50 years ago, and is now scattered into several small shards. Knowing Naraku, he will surely try to gather the shards in order to further his plans. I know because Naraku once came close to obtaining the jewel 50 years ago, and in doing so, he slew the priestess protecting it."

Inuyasha's eyes widened at this as he turned to Miroku "You say he killed a priestess?"

"He did."

'He must be the demon who disguised himself as me, and struck down Kikyo! It must be him!'

'So that was his plan.' Gohan mused

'Naraku laid a trap for Kikyo and me! He made us believe we'd deceived each other! The demon who killed Kikyo is still alive, and is after the Shikon jewel shards! I will hunt down Kikyo's killer, and avenge her death!' Inuyasha mentally vowed.

Kagome took her shard of the jewel out from under her shirt "If we keep looking for these jewel fragments, we'll definitely run into Naraku ourselves sooner or later."

"How did you get that back?" asked Miroku

"I took it when you tried to grope her." Gohan stated with a very noticeable hint of venom in his voice, before calming himself down "But in any case, it would be best if we worked together to track down the jewel shards."

Miroku hesitated for a moment "I've always been more of a solitary man, preferring to work alone over the company of others."

"Yeah, but soon, you might not even have your own company to enjoy." Kagome replied evenly

"Dear Kagome, are you troubled by this wretched fate of mine?" Miroku took her hands in his.

"Sort of…" Kagome replied unsurely

"Then do me this good term will you?" Miroku said "I wish for you to bear me a son."

Kagome grimaced in confusion.

Inuyasha had a visible twitch.

Gohan choked on his own spit.

"And why would I do that?" Kagome asked, a deadpanned expression on her face.

"If for some reason I should fail to destroy Naraku." Miroku explained "I would like my son to carry on the family's mission."

Inuyasha quickly gripped the Tessaiga "Hands off, buddy! your only mission is lechery! "

Miroku looked at him "Oh, my apologies. I thought you were nothing more than a companion, but apparently you're in love with Kagome."

Inuyasha tensed, before replying with something incredibly stupid "Y-You've got it all wrong! She's just a jewel detector!"

Kagome was about to say it, before Gohan beat her to the punch "Sit."

All the while, Shippo watched the scene from above them in a tree "Well, so much for a peaceful solution. I never want to grow up."

Gohan and Inuyasha could then be seen trying to fight each other off in an attempt for themselves to strangle Miroku for trying to grope Kagome.

AGAIN.