(A/N) HI!! Finals. Are. OVER!!!! Woot!! And I know I got an "A" at least two of them!! I am incredibly happy right now!! And ya know how I said the 17th? Well, obviously I couldn't wait!! *reveling in sound of keyboard* and, yeah, if any of you did spot me, I did cheat a little on the whole "not going to touch the computer" thing. But I did very little, and I studied really hard! So, enough about that.

Ok, so this is the final warning: if you are a Kikyo fan, I would strongly suggest that you quit this story. I hate to stop people from reading, but I'm betting that if I don't say this, I might have quite a few really pissed reviews this time. And I do want to remind everyone that I have nothing against Kikyo, but I don't believe that Kikyo is alive. The current Kikyo is a demon in Kikyo's form.

Anywhos, enough about that. I do hope that everyone enjoys this!

Oh, and thanks to my reviewers from last time: Lily-chan818, NinjaSheik, and cookiedoughicecream2!! You are awesome!!

When I landed, I felt my bones jar and muscles jump, but I felt no pain, thanks to the blasted, smart-ass shard. I got to my feet instantly; the lack of pain felt very strange.

My power, glorious it is! Gloated the shard.

Unnerving it is, I corrected. Unnatural it is.

The shard replied only with a chuckle.

It was pitch black under the tree, but the shard also boosted my vision considerably. All around me was dank earth and water. But there was something else… I knelt, pushing my nose to the ground. Kagome!! Kikyo!! I had found the scent. I dashed off, eager to rescue them. As I went, the scent of Kagome's blood grew stronger. I had to hurry.

Call on my power, boy, the shard urged me. I can give your feet the speed of the wind!

I growled softly. I have a bad feeling about this…

Sheer joy and energy flowed through me, and my feet flew over the ground of their own accord. I quickly lost track of how many turns I made. I pushed even faster when I came to a huge splotch of fresh blood. Oh, Kagome… I moaned silently. I flashed by a huge cavern. It took me a moment to realize that the scent stopped there. I quickly back-tracked and darted into the cave. It was pitch black inside; even my shard-heightened eyes couldn't cut through the darkness. But my nose could. An overpowering scent of Kagome and what smelled like a gallon of her blood nearly knocked me off my feet. Every second knowing I was increasing my dependence on the shard, I pleaded with it.

Strengthen my vision so that I can see where she is.

The shard let out a little trill of triumph, and instantly the cave brightened. It was enormous. I saw Kagome, lying in a huge- and widening –pool of blood. With a cry of dismay, I launched myself across the cavern.

"Kagome!!" she was so still and pale; I reached out tentatively and touched her shoulder.

"Uhg…" she moaned and stirred, ever so slightly.

Looks like yer in time, boy. The shard said by way of congratulations.

We're not done yet, I told it in an almost borderline friendly way. She's hurt really bad, and we still have to find Kik… My thought was cut off as I uttered a strangled cry. As I spoke to the shard, I had been rolling Kagome onto her back to discover the wound. What I had found was a beautiful shafted arrow embedded deep in her side. Clinging to the arrow was Kikyo's scent.

"No," I moaned, gripping my head as my heart shuttered and split in two. "No, no, no…"

I curled into a ball and rocked back. This couldn't be happening!! It took me a moment to realize that the odd sounds I kept hearing were my own strangled sobs.

Boy! Boy! The shard tried unsuccessfully to get my attention.

"It was all for nothing." I said dully. "Look what I've done. I've signed away my life… but Kikyo… how could she do this to me…?"

It appears you, me boy, are suffering from a terribly broken heart.

"It's pointless!" I raved, not comprehending the shard's words. "Like this, I can't even save Kago…" suddenly, a light of hope shone through. "Shard." I said, getting myself under control for a moment. "I don't care what happens to me, I really don't care, but what I do care about is Kagome." I took a deep breath.

"Strengthen my heart. Make me forget about love. Take away this pain. Make me forget how dearly I have loved. You can do that, right?"

Are ye sure about that? Asked the shard. Do ye know what-?

"Yes. Do it." I steeled myself. "After just one thing…" I leaned over Kagome.

"Kagome, I've loved you more than I ever thought possible, more than you'll ever know. I do this to save you." I bend and pressed my lips to hers, savoring the taste and the love in my broken heart.

Do it. I growled, sitting back. Now.

Alright…

And both the love, and the pain, vanished.

(A/N) Once again, I hope you liked it!! This chap is kind of the climax, the "turning point" in the story, or at least one of them, even though there's still a long way to go. The next chapter is called "The Blank Heart"! See ya'll then, and please review!! =^^=