Chapter 7: Out of Control

Hey everyone! Thanks for all the reviews!
Just a refresher: After a melancholy filled celebration, the gang is up at the late Ninken's castle, about to get led through some secret passageways with the help of the same three boys Sango helped save from conviction.

After battling a lizard demon, Kagome learns of Kairo's demonic abilities, which lie mostly in the mental realm, dealing with the manipulation of thoughts, feelings and memories. We find out that Kairo uses his powers on himself to manipulate his memories to make them less painful.

Well, without further ado, let the adventure continue!

After sneaking around, Matsu put his hand up against the wall. They had managed to make it down a few hallways, avoiding any fire demons. Thankfully, the stench of fire demon blood seemed to overpower their own scents. The throne room had been completely drenched in it, and it would seem as though the rest of the kingdom had yet to clean it. Not that it had been very long. Only a day had passed since Inuyasha and Sango had slaughter all those fire demons.

None of the blood belonged to Ninken, though. His entire body had been obliterated by Kagome while her aura had surrounded her.

Inuyasha remembered the way in which she had grabbed him mercilessly by the neck, not only ending his life, but destroying any remains that may have been coveted by his kingdom. And he understood her act. He, too, would have not been able to stop himself from killing him if he was in Kagome's shoes. And yet he contemplated the ways in which the old Kagome would have acted. Before this, she would have never killed Ninken like that. She would have talked more with him, showed empathy and would have taken the jewel shard, only opting to kill him if he threatened to attack again.

But that was before she was given a reason to kill like that. Before she was introduced to pure pain and agony. An experience Inuyasha would have died to prevent. She was Kagome, and she would always be Kagome. But she was a wounded Kagome.

So wounded that Miroku had picked up the tainted shard that had fallen after Ninken was destroyed and had only given it to Kagome once her aura faded. It was out of fear that her pain may have prevented her from purifying it if she touched it right after killing him.

"Here's the first tunnel." Matsu announced proudly, applying pressure against the wall with his palms. It revealed a disguised door that pushed back, a door that led to a dark tunnel.

"Follow us." Eli said as he produced a flame in his hands. As they wandered through the tunnel, the flame lit up their path. The gang noticed how the path would split and momentarily, Kagome wondered what lied beyond these other paths. Still, she followed the boys.

Interior of the passageways were rough and rocky, the walls rigid and cold like the deep insides of a cave. Kagome suddenly wished she had on some shoes, as her bare feet were touching upon the chilly ground and sending shivers up her body. Still, she didn't complain. Out of all the things she experienced, walking through these tunnels was paradise.

Eli, Matsu and Koto led them through until a dead end was reached. Again, Matsu put his hand against the wall and pushed until another door was again revealed, allowing them to pass through and out into a new room.

Although, they immediately wished they didn't.

As the three boys and Sango ambled out into the room, the demon slayer immediately turned around, pushing Miroku back in, effectively stopping Inuyasha and Kagome from exiting.

"Dear Sango, what's the matter?" He asked cautiously. But her face was pale. And soon, the strong scent of death was infiltrating the darkened tunnel.

"Just tell Kagome to close her eyes." She responded in a low voice, looking down, "It'd be best if we got through this room as quickly as possible."

Inuyasha heard her advise and took no time to inform the priestess, who hesitated but agreed to keep her eyes closed until she was told not to. The hanyou's nose scrunched at the grotesque scent that was bombarding him, but he managed to remain calm.

"My eyes are closed." She said.

He put both hands on her shoulders to guide her they followed Miroku out of the passageway. The monk gasped quietly, and as Kagome exited, she could feel Inuyasha's grip on her shoulders tighten. She wanted to know what was in this room and why it had everyone so riled up.

She also wanted to know why she was the only one who was instructed to close her eyes. She didn't want them to think of her as too fragile that she had to be protected from every little thing. She did train for years. She was powerful.

They wandered through the room for what seemed like forever when Kagome stepped on something and a loud crack ended the silence. She opened her eyes immediately as a reflex, to see what was under her foot. But when she looked around, she understood why they had told her to close her eyes.

She couldn't move. In this large, dimly lit room that stretched out like a mini hallway, the remains of dead priestesses were scattered about, almost as if their corpses were thrown instead of neatly placed. Beneath her foot was a small bone that must have fallen off one of the older skeletons that were here.

Although, it wasn't the skeletons that had stirred up disgust and heartache within her, it was the newer corpses. The ones who weren't just a bare skeleton.

The mangled bodies of the women had they clothes almost completely ripped off, often with just the remains of a ripped skirt. The brassieres were thrown everywhere, and some of the bodies were still covering their exposed breasts.

It wasn't long for Kagome to figure out what had happened in this room. Priestesses were brought up here to be disposed of. It must have been the ones who were too old or weak to continue slaving about the castle who were here. However, given that all of the corpses who still had their faces in tact were clearly young, she assumed that most of them didn't make it to an old age before getting brought here to die.

Then there was their torn clothes. The scars that lines the bodies. The way they cradled their chests, almost as if they were hugging themselves. It was clear that they were not just dropped off in this room. They were abused, assaulted, and violated up until their last moments.

When everyone realized that she had opened her eyes, they all watched her cautiously. Each one wanting to reach out and comfort her but not knowing how.

But when Sango looked down at her in her outfit, and back to the dead priestesses, she looked away. Her heart was beating all too fast and she could feel her knees threatening to betray her and collapse at any moment. But she didn't want her friend to see it. She needed to be strong.

"Let us keep walking. I will say a prayer for them." Miroku declared, his voice stained with sorrow, "They are at peace now."

Everyone seemed to agree, but as Kagome continue to walk, she couldn't help but want to curl up and waste away.

Why... Why did this happen to them... For what purpose? But as she scoped her mind for answers, she realized she wouldn't get any. There were no answers. No reasons for their fate. No logic. And she would have to live with it. The dissatisfaction of not having any rationale for the suffering of these women.

And while she looked down at the brassier ad skirt that adorned her body, she knew that she would have never had their fate. No matter which path she ended up on, it would have led to Naraku. Even if Inuyasha hadn't come to her rescue, she would have lived to see Naraku. It would have never led to this bitter end. And for some reason, knowing that she always had a better chance than them made her sadder. She was no more deserving.

And if I have this opportunity, I will do my best with it. I must defeat Naraku. I must save Kagura. And I must purify the Shikon Jewel. And yet, her pep talk couldn't stop her unending sadness from transforming into rage as she thought of Naraku. It was the same rage she felt before killing Ninken. And she struggled to keep her aura down. She would end Naraku. If it was the last thing she did.

They continued onward, exiting the forsaken room and found themselves out in a hallway. Once again, Matsu revealed a hidden door in the wall and they traveled through, this time up some stairs. And not once did Inuyasha let go of the priestess. He kept his hands on her shoulders even if it were just to feel her with him. To know that she was by his side and that he could easily protect her.

They ascended up countless stairs before reaching another end, which Matsu opened, bringing them to hallway. It was peculiar though. The hallway was long, stretching out over 50 feet, but contained no door except for one at the very end. Which meant that there was no other way to this tower except through these secret tunnels.

"That's it." Eli declared, pointing over to the black, sinister door, "With the king and his main men dead, we must be the last people who even know how to get here."

It would explain the lack of presence up here. While there were guards and soldiers left, the higher ups had probably been in the throne room with Ninken and consequently were dead.

They approached the door, the boys now trailing behind them. Miroku reached it first, but turned to look back at the group before opening it.

"Listen boys," Sango began, turning to Eli, Matsu and Koto, "We are very grateful to you all. But it is time for you to leave. A powerful and evil demon might be behind this door, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"Are you sure, Miss Sango?" Koto asked, staring at her with childlike wide eyes, "We could wait out here."

"No." She shook her head, "You've done us a great service, but this isn't your battle. Go and start your new lives."

"Okay Miss Sango." He replied, looking at his brothers and then back at her, "We hope to cross paths with you again."

She nodded. And with that, they turned back and disappeared behind the hidden door. Sango said a silent prayer for them, truly hoping she would see them again. And praying that if she did, they would have made good lives for themselves.

She turned back to the group and nodded towards Miroku, "It's time to go in."


When morning came, a well rested Kairo awoke from his slumber. He sat up, and stretched away any left over tiredness, taking a look around and remembering the events of yesterday. This prompted him to look over at the girl who was still in a deep sleep.

Kagome. The girl from the future. The priestess from the future. She was truly a mystery to him.

"How did I end up with a time-traveler?" He chuckled quietly, a wide smile appearing on his youthful face. He contemplated her story a bit more, even wondering why he bothered to believe it. There was nothing otherworldly about her. She was a strong priestess. She fit into this era perfectly. Why should he truly believe that there was some dried up well that is actually a portal to the future? She could just be a crazy girl.

And yet, despite all his doubts, he knew he believed her. He did with every part of his soul. And that interested him. He bet she had countless stories to tell about it. People in this time had theories about the end of the world, but he was happy to know the world made it that far.

And then there were her friends. Her adventures. He wanted to ask, but feared for rejection. She was separated from them and had spent time in captivity. He didn't know if she would be willing to talk about it.

He watched her closely, wondering how hard it would be to read her thoughts.

"Ha, I wouldn't. Even I could without her finding out." He kept his voice low enough so she wouldn't hear him.

He spent the rest of the morning stretching out his wings before Kagome woke up.

"Good morning, Kairo." She smiled, "How did you sleep?"

He glanced over and returned the smile, "I slept well. I assume you did, too, given your mood."

She nodded, getting up.

"Well, we better get going. I don't want to waste any time." She exclaimed, though her tone was still peppy and lighthearted. Kairo nodded, though still wishing he knew exactly what Kagome's goal was. But he didn't bother asking again.

They walked on, stopping to get some fruit along the way. Kairo had flew up and picked them from the highest branches, only getting the best and the ripest. He liked the way she smiled when he passed her one, expressing her gratitude and pretending she hadn't eaten in years.

"You really like to eat, don't you." He joked.

She gave him a weird look, "Doesn't everyone?"

He laughed, "Not like you! You've eaten so much and it's still early."

She chuckled, turning a light pink. She hadn't realized she had overeaten in front of him."Well, I'm a big girl and I've got a big mission which means I need a full stomach to get it done." She glanced over at him after her petty excuse just to find him giving her the same weird look she'd given him just moments ago.

They just both ended up laughing.

After that, they kept it moving. Kairo had asked to stop and Kagome had refused, saying that she just wanted to go a little further. Despite his desire to just sit for a bit, he kept it moving along with her. He really didn't want to get left behind.

So, for a few hours more, they kept up a quick pace, heading towards an unknown destination. And of course, when they didn't get there, they rested, walked some more, and then went to sleep. It was a pattern for the next few days. And they talked through most of the time. Well, they small talked. Kagome talked about her family briefly, while Kairo eagerly listened. And of course, she asked Kairo more about his powers.

"I could help you train!" He giddily suggested.

She looked at him briefly before shaking her head, "I'm not a demon Kairo. Our powers are entirely different."

"Not really." He shrugged, "We both require mental and emotional strength, which I get through meditation. If you meditated with me, you'd probably get stronger."

She contemplated his offer. It made sense. She did need to have control over her mind and emotions to control her powers since they were spiritual.

"Well, alright."

They sat down in a field with their legs crossed. He told her to close her eyes and think of absolutely nothing for a bit, to give her mind a break. After, he told her to concentrate on her insides, feeling the power coarse from one place to another. He told her to will it to go certain place. So, she did. She concentrated on her hands, then her arms. And her feet and legs. Soon enough, her whole body was lit up with her aura.

It soon faded though. But that didn't make Kagome any less excited.

"That's it!" She announced, jumping to her feet. Kairo opened his eyes, wondering what was wrong.

"We are doing this everyday!"

And they did. For a few more days. Kagome loved it.

And he liked being with her. During meditation, he would sneak peeks at her, watching as different parts of her glowed. He would smile to himself, unable to clear his mind of her face.

One warm afternoon, they were walking, and Kagome was visibly annoyed that they hadn't found anything of interest. She didn't even know if this was the right way, though she'd be able to say that with any direction she took.

It wasn't until they were passing by a forest that Kagome heard a small voice calling out for help. She whipped her head to the side, looking for the source of that voice.

"Oh dear." She said as an older woman came into view. She had scratches all over her visible skin and seemed to be limping.

"Is anyone there?" She called out, sounding as if she could barely breathe. Exhaustion was apparent in her expression.

Without hesitation, Kagome approached the woman, who looked at her with begging eyes. "What happened to you?" She asked, her voice warm and welcoming. The woman explained that she had fallen into some bushes in the forest, causing her to hurt her ankle and gave her cuts all over.

"In my youth, I may have been able to muddle through this." She sighed, "But hey, we all gotta get old sometime."

The priestess just smiled, telling the older woman to sit down against a tree so she could inspect her ankle. The woman was compliant, and soon enough, Kagome had her leg in her hand, feeling the bones in the problem area.

"How badly does it hurt?" She asked, applying pressure. The woman shook her head, "It's not very good."

The priestess decided it was time to use her powers. Kikyo had taught her a good deal about spiritual healing, so she knew she could at least heal her ankle. She would definitely be fine after that, even with those little scratches.

She concentrated until a faint, lavender glow appeared around her hand. She lowered that hand over the woman's ankle and left it there until she could feel the woman heal. After that, she slowly placed her ankle down on the ground and stood up.

"How do you feel?" She asked.

The woman stood and a big smile spread on your face, "I feel wonderful. Thank you priestess!"

Kagome nodded her head, feeling somewhat tired now, "Where are you headed?"

"My village is only a short walk away from here." She answered, pointing forward, "Do you see that mountain? It is that way."

Kagome looked and saw the large mountain in the distance, nodding at the woman.

"Priestess, if you need a place to stay, our village will gladly welcome you." She continued, "We do not have a priestess around, and the people in our village seem to always find a way to get sick."

The girl contemplated the offer, feeling guilty after hearing of the people's misfortune. While she didn't want to stay for too long, perhaps she could help them for a few days. Plus, she could scope out the area.

"I think I will take you up on that offer." She answered.

The woman chuckled and told her to follow her, but Kagome looked around, noting that Kairo couldn't be seen. She had swore he was right behind her when she approached the woman.

"Um, actually I think I will meet you there." Kagome sighed, "I seemed to have lost my traveling companion."

The woman gave her a weird look, but bowed, "Okay, priestess. Remember, the village is just straight ahead. I look forward to your arrival." And with that, she went on her way.

Kagome turned and tried to see if she could spot the bird demon, but he seemed to be nowhere in sight.

"Kairo!" She called out, "I wonder where he could have gone..."

Although, she didn't have to wonder for very long. Soon enough, the bird demon flew down from one of the forest trees. He didn't seem to pleased, although she couldn't say that he looked angry either. More like sad or even disappointed.

"Why did you go up there?" She asked, confused.

He sighed, "Humans aren't really a fan of me. So I tend to stay away."

She began to feel kind of bad for him, but wished she would give it another try. While Inuyasha would get weird looks sometimes, many villagers didn't bother him. And she hoped that people would normalize demon/human interaction instead of being so prejudice.

"If you're going to that village, I'll just wait for you somewhere else." He looked at her, somewhat seriously and somewhat playfully, "I'll be fine!"

"But Kairo..." She sighed, "I might be there for a few days to do some healing."

He looked down, scratching his head for a bit, before looking back up, "Ha! I've spent days alone before. I'll wait until you're ready to leave."

"You could come with me ya know.." She hoped that he would change his mind, and she even put her brightest smile out on display, hoping he would comply. She didn't want to break her word to the woman, but also didn't want Kairo just waiting along for so long.

"No."

And that was it. He shut her up with a serious look she wasn't even aware he could muster up. His experiences with other humans must have been that bad that he decided to just stay away from them entirely.

Well, except for her.

"Listen Kagome, go and do your job." He said, "I'll be fine. I promise."

She slowly nodded her head, though not sure if she felt comfortable with this. She really felt like a bad friend for leaving. But she was a priestess and had an obligation not only to keep her word, but to help others.

So they went, and as they reached the outskirts of town, Kagome noted how close they were to the mountain.

"Listen, you get comfortable. I'm gonna go find a little cave at the base of the mountain." Kairo said, "Meet me here at dawn?"

"Y-Yeah." And before she could speak again, he flew off.


Miroku opened the black door, shocked at how heavy it was. Though in reality, he knew it wasn't that surprising that Ninken wouldn't use an easily breakable door to protect his treasures. He was surprised it was even open.

When they stepped in, the place was huge with a tall ceiling. There were trinkets and mountains of gold everywhere. Finding the mirror was going to be hard.

If it was even there.

They split up, Inuyasha still sticking close to the priestess her searched through a massive pile of jewels. He watched her closely, while simultaneously trying to pick up Naraku's scent. Even the slightest scent. But unsurprisingly, he found that if Naraku was in the mirror, there would be no scent lingering.

Miroku approached Sango, who was on the side opposite of the priestess.

"Dear Sango, you seemed sick after seeing the deceased priestesses." Miroku stepped closer to her, watching open the drawers of a massive, glittery dresser, "You have seen many gruesome sights. Would you like to talk about why you were so affected?"

Sango looked at him briefly before continuing to scavenge, "We don't have time for this Miroku."

He sighed, "I don't want you to go against Naraku with something bottled up inside. Please, we can look and talk."

This time, she stopped. And stared blankly at the cabinet as if she were looking through it. Her body felt numb as her mind traveled back to the room.

"I-I know that Ninken had a deal to give Naraku Kagome when he was done with her..." She started, her voice shaky and unsure, "B-But just seeing her standing there among those corpses in that damned outfit... I couldn't help but see her with them. See her mangled body torn up, still positioned as if she was scared of being hurt again..."

She nearly collapsed as she confessed her sadness to the monk, who reached out to comfort her, sharing in her pain.

"She's my friend, Miroku." She sighed, "My first real friend after my family was killed. I can't stand her pain." This time, she was choking back tears. Miroku was quick to pull her into his arms, stroking her head with his hand.

"I know. And I know you will help her in anyway you can." He hugged her tighter, "Because you are a good friend."

Across the room, Kagome was relentlessly throwing things aside in a desperate attempt to find the mirror. Inuyasha noticed her hurry and began to search with just as much haste. He stopped watching her, realizing the best thing he could do was just focus on Naraku. She wants that just as much as him.

And only a few minutes after he had dropped his watchman position to dive into the giant mountain of gold, she found the mirror. And as she looked at it, she knew it was no doubt Kanna's.

And for a moment, she didn't say anything. Just held it in her hand, whispering Kagura's name, missing the way it sounded when she said hers back. The air around her seemed to slow. She wasn't sure if she was ready to hear the truth about Kagura. About what happened after all this time.

She hadn't seen her in years.

It wasn't until she had mentally prepared herself that she announced the discovery of the mirror, raising it up as she did. Her friends quickly gathered around her.

"What do we do?" Sango asked, focusing on the demonic object. She didn't know how to force Naraku out, or even go about doing anything with that damned mirror. She and Miroku had talked about using Kagome's spiritual powers on the mirror, but she wasn't that sure if it would work.

"Get out here you damned bastard!" Inuyasha growled, staring at it like he wanted to smash it straight to bits, "I'm gonna tear you to shreds!" Anger was rising as he anticipated this battle. They had done it. After years of looking, they had found the man who caused all this pain.

And he wanted him out so bad.

When nothing happened, Kagome held the mirror up to her face and, for the first time, she looked at her reflection, trying desperately to figure out who was inside.

As her reflection lingered on the glass, the mirror began to glow and shake. She immediately placed it on the ground. They all eyed it, getting ready for battle. The hanyou unsheathed Tessaiga, gripping it tight.

In a flash of light, a man appeared out of the mirror. His face was hidden by long black locks, although Kagome could see the flash of red behind them.

"Naraku!" Inuyasha yelped as he lunched with his sword. The evil demon quickly moved out of the way.

"Half-breed, I've got no time for you." He whipped his hair out of his face, revealing a sinister smirk on his pale face. He looked to Kagome, "I only want her."

Everyone looked over at the priestess who was glowing lavender. They all eyed her curiously.

"Look at me, Kagome. Then look down at your scars." He laughed, "That was all me."

"Well, Naraku, you bastard..." Inuyasha barked, "You failed! We rescued her. She ain't gonna be corrupted-"

He stopped. In fact, everyone did. The room when silent as attention was brought to the glowing priestess, whose lavender color was quickly fading to violet.

"You... You monster!" She shouted, her voice raspy and dark, "I promise to kill you. I promise that by my hand, you will feel what I felt."

"K-Kagome..." The hanyou whispered, unable to believe his eyes. She was letting darkness in her heart. The sight of her enemy had pushed her off of the edge. And she was becoming dangerous. Flickers of her aura were exploding off of her body like fireworks.

"Hehe. Damned fool of a woman." The evil demon kept his same grin on his face, "I won from the moment Ninken put you in his cell. No one could remain pure in there. Even after regaining freedom, you have wrapped yourself in bitter rage, unable to keep out the hate you have for me."

With that, he pulled out a tainted shard, watching it's dark glow, almost like he was looking at a diamond shining in the light. He chuckled again.

"Come, Kagome. Try to attack me." He dared, his arms open wide.

Before she could lunge, Sango threw her boomerang at him. He moved out of the way, but his cheek was grazed with it. He touched the mark but didn't seem to care much about the demon-slayer.

"Wind scar!" Inuyasha swung his sword swiftly, letting bursts of energy come forth from Tessaiga, launching it at his enemy. Naraku managed to put up a shield in time, much to the hanyou's dismay.

But instead of ignoring, Naraku this time lowered his barrier, allowing a black mass of demonic energy to form on his hand before throwing it at the hanyou, who leaped into the air to dodge it.

"Idiot half-breed. This priestess has already gone dark." He hissed at the half-demon, who was still in the air.

Suddenly, a pulse of energy was thrusted forward at Naraku, obliterating his left arm. While Inuyasha quickly looked at the source, the demon stared down at where his missing limb would be. The emptiness before him may have annoyed him at another time, but today, his expression remained calm as he soaked in the impure power that struck him.

Kagome stared maliciously at him, ready to launch another attack. Her previously brown eyes had become black, and her skin had become as pale as the moon. Power was once again beginning to pile up in her hands as she readied herself to throw it at him. In that moment, it was all she wanted.

Naraku slowly shifted his gaze to the glowing woman, feeding off of her bitterness, as if he had been starving for it. The rest of the room seemed to disappear to him. The mountains of golds and jewels melted away into nothing, becoming blurs as he watched what he considered to be his creation.

"Dammit..." Inuyasha muttered to himself, wishing that he had in fact left Kagome in the village. He couldn't let that jewel come in contact with her. Once it did, Hakudoshi could latch onto the darkness and manipulate her, creating the one weapon the gang would not be able to defeat.

"Naraku, you will die." The priestess's voice was practically slithering out from her mouth, sounding insatiable.

The evil demon approached her, fast, until their faces were a mere inches away from each other. The cold whispers of death traveled between them like a small breeze coming from absolutely nowhere.

"Priestess." He lifted the jewel shard to her face, "Dear priestess, take this." He was bringing it up to her forehead, where he planned on pressing it deep inside of her.

Kirara quickly transformed into her beastly form and lunged at him, sinking her fangs into his back, causing him to drop the jewel shard onto the floor.

Inuyasha knew this was his one chance, and he braced himself for the pain.

"Kagome!" He yelled as he leaped over to her, grabbing onto her despite her flaring aura. It was practically cutting through his skin, but she wasn't phased by it, even as he yelped from the pain.

Her aura was almost deadly to him, but he wanted to restrain her and bring her back down from her rage. To calm her. But after almost a minute, he realized that she didn't seem to notice him.

It was then that the mirror flashed again, a bright white light that swallowed the room whole momentarily, before dying down and revealing a woman.

"Kagura..." Miroku said, not knowing what to expect from her.

But she just stood there and looked at Kagome, who was still growling in her current state.

However, as their eyes met, the priestess almost instantaneously stopped, her aura turning back into a light lavender. It hurt the hanyou even more than the violet one, but he backed away seeing as she was back to normal. He hadn't the slightest clue what was going on though.

No one knew except for them. Kagura struggled not to call out to her. And so did her dear friend. Years had passed, and both were in shock. The demoness looked down at the ground, biting her lip as she did, looking to be somewhat in pain.

Kagome was still lit up with the spiritual energy surrounding her. Her gaze shifted to the demon, who was shaking Kirara off of his back. He was so close to her, so all she did was reach with her hand and touch him, and part of his body turned to dust. He was much stronger than Ninken, so her powers weren't quite able to destroy his whole body.

"Argh! Damn you, priestess." He shrieked, realizing that all but his head was turning to dust. Not like it mattered though. His heart had been taken out of his body, so he was immortal until that was destroyed. Still, he knew this battle was done for him. He assumed that the touch from the hanyou had helped her gain control of her powers again.

A barrier surrounded his head. With time, his body would regenerate, so he was not concerned about that.

"Kagura, grab the mirror." He ordered, and demon woman hesitantly obliged. Her pause had been noted by Kagome, who knew that she had no choice right now. As always, she had say in anything regarding Naraku because her heart was still in captivity.

So, Kagura did as she was told, joining Naraku in his barrier with Kanna's mirror in her delicate hands. She didn't take her eyes off of Kagome, though, just stayed watching her will sorrow filled eyes that only Kagome understood.

I know you must leave... But I am happy... I am happy that you are alive. The priestess felt her heart stop beating momentarily as she watched the barrier break a hole through the roof as they escaped through the top.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit!" Inuyasha barked, "Damn him, damn both of them-"

"Inuyasha stop it." Kagome hissed as her aura died down. She felt the same fatigue as before, since most of her energy had been used, but still was well enough to scold the hanyou.

"Keh, what do ya mean stop? Kagome, those bastards are to blame for everything!" He tried explaining, but she only looked at him.

"Not Kagura."

Everyone watched her closely, trying to decipher what she meant. To them, Kagura was still evil. Another villain that needed to be disposed of as soon as possible. To them, it didn't make sense for her to defend the demon woman.

"Yes Kagura. She's his incarnation. And I'll rip her to shreds-" Just as the hanyou was going to continue his ranting, he was met with a word he hadn't heard in a while.

"Sit."

He fell face down onto the ground thanks to the beads around his neck. Only Kagome was able to utilize its power to stop the half-demon in his tracks when she thought fit.

"Did you hear me? Not Kagura." She repeated herself, her voice a contradictory combination of emotional and monotone, "She is... my friend."

Now that she knew the demoness was alive, she didn't have a reason to keep this a secret from her friends. She was with them now, but that wasn't going to stop her from continuing her mission of freeing her friend. And she wouldn't run away from them, either. Not again. Truth was, she needed them.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" The hanyou barked, "You must be really damn tired to think that. She ain't your friend, Kagome. We are."

Sango took a step forward, "Kagome, she's always tried to attack us, and has even targeted you. What do you mean she's your friend?" No one really understood it, so the priestess knew she had to explain.

"When I was kidnapped, she was the one who brought me my food... We would talk. I didn't have anyone else and I just needed someone..." She tried to explain, "She became my friend...and when I conjured enough power to break the barrier that held me... She was the one who set me free."

Silence rang through the room. This reveal practically knocked the wind right out of everyone, and they needed time to catch their breath. It was almost inconceivable to them that the demon woman was capable of anything else besides being just an evil henchman to Naraku. And they even toyed with the idea that Kagome was just delusional.

"She...saved you...?" Inuyasha questioned, "Keh, idiot girl. You can't possibly believe that she's capable of being anyone's friend."

"Sit. Sit. Sit." Kagome hissed, watching as his body kissed the ground three more time, "She saved my life! And I promised her that I would find her heart and free her!"

The hanyou quickly got up and rushed over to her, "Stop that, wench! She ain't nothing!"

Not in a million years would she have thought that her friends would just not believe her. He had even called her an idiot. Part of her wished that she had just kept quiet. Maybe she could even sneak away from them in the middle of the night if she refused to help her.

"You're an idiot, Inuyasha. And I will leave you if I have to in order to help her." Tears were beginning to form in her eyes, "I never thought you just would discard what I had to say."

He was dumbfounded. Kagome leaving again? It wasn't going to happen on his watch. But still, he couldn't seem to wrap his mind around the idea that Kagura could in fact be anything but evil. He had seen her after Kagome's capture all those years ago. And she never said anything to them. She hadn't helped them to save Kagome. She just continued to play the role of evil villain while Kagome was held captive in Naraku's castle.

"Please don't leave, Kagome." Sango whispered, turning her head to the side to avoid eye contact, "We need you."

Miroku agreed, and Kirara, now in her small form, brushed up against the priestess's leg, looking up at her with large, sad eyes.

"Maybe we should leave here and talk about this some more." Miroku declared, and the group agreed.


The villagers welcomed Kagome with open arms, everyone excited to finally have a priestess around to help them out. After hearing the older woman's story about how Kagome healed her ankle, the townsfolk practically bombarded the priestess with requests.

"My daughter's fever hasn't gone done in days!"

"I broke my arm!"

"My baby won't stop coughing!"

They all hit her like a train coming at full speed, but Kagome was a priestess after all, and the purest one at that. So, she aided those who needed her, fixing broken bones, brewing herbal teas for sicknesses, and giving villagers advice on how to take better care of themselves. They were all extremely grateful as well.

"Oh wow! This priestess is the real deal!"

"Lady Kagome, you are so smart!"

"We've been blessed to have you enter our village!"

She appreciated the compliments, but the plain truth was that she was mostly glad to help. It was like something inside of her always needed to be there for those who needed her most. Which included these townsfolk.

Even if it meant not being done until nightfall.

Kagome was given a modest hut to sleep in. It had a cot and some blankets so she knew she would be just fine staying in there for the time being, but when all the villagers seemed to retreat to their own homes, she took a walk out of village and towards the mountain.

She had grabbed her bow and arrow and made her way, and when she was close enough to the mountain, she began calling out.

"Kairo! Kairo, are you there?" It took a few minutes, but soon enough, he heard her and flew out to see.

"Hey Kagome!" He grinned, happy that she had made it out to see him tonight. He had been getting worried that she wouldn't even come back for him, "How was everything?"

She shook her head, "I helped a lot of people there today. But there's not even a healer in the town! These people know nothing about taking care of themselves."

He chuckled knowing that, despite her complaints, she wouldn't hesitate to help them. He secretly admired the way she had helped the older woman. Since they began traveling, Kagome had made it a point that she didn't want to waste any time if she didn't have to. But she ran to the woman's rescue and spent the entire day in some village helping the sick and needy. It was admirable.

"Well, it's a good thing you're there!" He declared, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her up into the night sky.

"Hey! What's the big idea!?" She growled as she was carried against her will.

"I'm just showing you my cave." Kairo shook his head. She could be the purest of the pure, but man did she yell at him a lot.

After his explanation, she remained quiet and let him take her without protest. When they landed, it was in front of a rather small cave with a fire still blazing inside of it. When they entered, Kagome realized that, aside from the fire, there was nothing else in here, which made her wonder why he was so eager to show her.

"See? Not bad, huh." He smirked, "And it's only a little while away from where your village is!"

She managed to smile, happy that he wasn't completely miserable while she was staying in the town.

They both sat next to the fire, though across from each other. It wasn't necessarily cold, but Kagome still enjoyed feeling the warm from the flames. She looked up to see Kairo just staring at her, and then immediately averted her gaze somewhere else.

"Tell me about your friends." He said.

She still wasn't looking at him, "My friends?... Well, uh, there's Shippo. He's a sweet fox demon. Both his parents were killed so we took him in. He's such a great kid, honestly."

He nodded his head, intrigued by the mention of another demon.

"Then, there's Miroku. He's a monk but he's also a womanizer. It gets him into a lot of trouble, but besides that, he's really wise." She continued, "Then, there's Sango the demon-slayer. She's definitely the fiercest warrior I know. But she also has a big heart."

"Demon-slayer?" Kairo made a face, confused at the odd bunch of friends she had.

"Yeah, but she doesn't just kill any demons. Just the bad ones." She corrected, and as she realized there was just one member of the group left to talk about, she gulped nervously.

"Last but not least, there's Inuyasha. He's half-human half-dog demon. And he's the first person I saw when I traveled back in time. At first, he wanted to kill me, but we quickly became friends and traveled together. He's very stubborn, but secretly kind of sweet. He's hurt himself a lot in battle protecting the people he cares about..." She paused, realizing she was being much more detailed about him than the others, "...And that's it!"

"A half-demon? That's interesting. Although he seems pretty dumb if he tried to kill you once." Kairo remarked, catching onto the fact that Kagome seemed to have a different relationship with him than the others.

"That was a long time ago. He'd never hurt me now." She clarified, the image of his face invading her mind, "He'd do anything to protect me..."

Kairo stiffened, "Well, then maybe he's not an idiot." He watched her daydream while looking at the fire, and wondered what she was thinking about. He hadn't known her for too long, but still, he couldn't help but tense when she talked about Inuyasha.

"I can see why you're trying to find them..." He gulped, wishing Kagome would snap out of it and look back at him.

And to his surprise, she did, "I-I'm not...trying to find them right now." She admitted, biting her lip as she did. She felt guilty for it, too.

"What? What do you mean?" He questioned, feeling perplexed, "Why wouldn't be trying to find your friends? You clearly miss them."

She shook her head, "It's complicated. I have an important mission I have to complete first."

"What mission?" He asked, "You can tell me, y'know."

She bit her bottom lip so hard, it almost bled. In truth, revealing her goal seemed somewhat forbidden to her. Without Inuyasha and the gang there to help her, having someone with her seemed weird. Could she really have someone else to confide in?

"C'mon, Kagome."

And she did. After a moment of hesitation, she told Kairo everything. She told him about being captured, her blossoming friendship with Kagura, the heart that she sought to rescue, and her decision to stay away from her friends.

He nervously gulped, trying to process all the information. On one hand, he could see why everyone wanted Naraku dead. All he could think about was that what he did to Kagome was terrible and disturbing. On the other hand, he understood her decision to not look for her friends. He knew it must be hard for her, since it was clear she missed them, but she was strong.

"Then I'm glad I'm here to help." He smiled, "I'll do whatever I can to help you find this Kagura's heart."

Kagome returned the smile, feeling happy that she was finally able to tell someone about her lonely mission. And, in fact, it wasn't so lonely anymore. She had someone that was willing to help her, someone she felt comfortable with. And suddenly, she felt confidence and strength coursing through her.

With a friend like Kairo, she had no doubt that she could find Kagura's heart.

There are three things I want to address:

1. I know the infant is the canon character who has the power to control people by latching onto the darkness in their hearts. But I honestly didn't feel like writing him in. I just felt like Hakudoshi would be better because he didn't need to be carried around like the infant.

2. Sorry for the super lame Naraku scene. I wanted it to be more intense. But I'm bad at writing fight scenes.

3. Kagura's return sucked, I know. But LET ME EXPLAIN: So, Kagome can't afford for Naraku to know about her mission and friendship with Kagura, so she couldn't have a whole emotional scene like with Inuyasha. She had to play it cool. So sorry if it just seemed lackluster.

Alright, so now that Naraku is back and Kagome clearly has darkness in her heart, what do you think will happen? Will Naraku be able to get a hold on her, or will she succeed, free Kagura and destroy him?

Btw, reviews make me update faster so do it do it do it!