Chapter 10

I don't own Inuyasha

"Are you certain that you'd like to go through with this, Inuyasha?"

"But of course." Inuyasha cracked his knuckles, prepared to face his brother. Inuyasha was excited, but Sesshoumaru didn't seem too thrilled. "Don't act like I'm not going to be a challenge brother. I plan on defeating you!"

"I'm not acting, Inuyasha. You won't last five minutes against me, as always."

"This time things will be different."

"Different than the last fifty? What's going to change? Are you planning on me to simply drop dead while you take your victory?"

Inuyasha grunted. "You'll see! I'll defeat you finally!" Inuyasha charged at his brother with full speed on the outskirts of a village that Inuyasha remembered well. They were passing through and Inuyasha felt in the mood for a sparing match. Sesshoumaru accepted, since he had nothing better to do, plus, it wouldn't take that long. Inuyasha was determined to prove his brother wrong though.

"Come at me Inuyasha, and once again accept defeat."

"I'll prove you wrong!" Inuyasha charged his brother, but Sesshoumaru quickly moved out of the way. Inuyasha didn't let that discourage him and kept on trying. "You're not going to win this time, Sesshoumaru. Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!"

Sesshoumaru easily stopped Inuyasha's attack by simply grabbing Inuyasha's hand. "How many times do I have to stop you, before you come up with a new strategy that's actually effective?"

Inuyasha's arm began to burn up, so he whinced in pain. He didn't panic though. "That time Sesshoumaru, is now!" He grabbed the arm hand that Sesshoumaru was using to burn Inuyasha, and Inuyasha began to burn Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru didn't flinch. "I see that you've tapped into more of your demonic powers, Inuyasha."

"Impressed?"

"No. Your posion barely tickles." Sesshoumaru still had a free hand, which he used to punch Inuyasha, and he knocked him flat on his back. "How foolish of you, Inuyasha. Did you really think your posion could burn through my skin before mine burned through yours?"

Inuyasha wiped the blood away from his mouth and sprang back up to his feet. "I've got some more tricks, brother."

"If that's so, then let me bear witness to what you have to offer, little brother."

A smirk slowly appeared on Inuyasha's face and his voice began to change into a low and menacing tone. "Oh I will, brother, I will."

'Interesting...it appears that he's about to transform.' Sesshoumaru wasn't too confident in his brother's abilities, though. "How could a former half demon expect to transform after such a short amount of time?"

"Stand right there and find out!" Inuyasha's demonic aura began to increase until it surrounded him. He looked like he was straining. He was trying with all of his being, but he was having so much trouble brining all of his power to surface. He wasn't about to give up though. He was going to win if it was the last thing he did.

"What's the matter, Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru was purely mocking his little brother. "Do you not have enough power?" Sesshoumaru knew Inuyasha did not. There was no possible way that Inuyasha could have had enough power to transform. Inuyasha wasn't even 200 years yet. "Inuyasha...can you muster up enough power?"

Inuyasha wanted to prove his brother wrong so badly, but he couldn't seem to bring out the beast that was within him and what really bothered him, was the question of weather or not he could tame that beast if he got released. 'Why can't I...' He finally decided to give it up after Sesshoumaru got tired of mocking him.

Sesshoumaru saw that his brother was no longer going to do anything else. His little brother had lost, plain and simple. It was impossible for Inuyasha to do anymore. He wasn't going to transform, no matter how hard he tried. "That's enough, Inuyasha. We're leaving."

Inuyasha didn't want to get up and go. He wanted to sulk for a moment in his defeat. "I'll catch up." He really could be a child! It wasn't like he could defeat Sesshoumaru, yet he was so upset. "I'd like to be on my own." It wasn't all Inuyasha's fault, though. Sesshoumaru did often treat his little brother like he was a child. He didn't treat him like a boy, but Sesshoumaru did keep making points that Inuyasha was immature. After all, he was the little brother and so it was a bit hard for him to grow up into a full man. But it wasn't like Inuyasha had fully matured anyway. Sesshoumaru himself wasn't even fully matured.

"Very well." With nothing more to say, Sesshoumaru left his younger brother without giving another thought to him.

Inuyasha didn't want to stay in that spot all day and he most certainly didn't want to end up going in the same direction as his brother. 'I guess I could go back to that village…' He didn't really care too much about seeing it, but was rather curious to what had become of it ever since Kikyou died. 'That's odd…' Inuyasha didn't feel so sad when thinking about her. He tried not to give her much thought at all and now he felt a bit alright mentioning her. 'I thought becoming a full demon would help me forget about her, but is it really working or am I fooling myself?' He couldn't tell at that moment. He couldn't tell with the way he was feeling right at that time. "I'll go see."

So off he began to go the village while thinking of her, but it didn't really make his heart feel sad or even happy for that matter. He felt nothing and was glad for that, but something also felt wrong about it. He wanted to forget, but did he have the right? Should he have forgotten Kikyou?

Then a small whiff of something entered his nose and he was half certain what it was, but he couldn't be right. He just couldn't be right. 'There's no possible way that could be around. I made sure it would be gone…' With stronger whiffs in his nostrils, he started to become even more convinced of what he smelled. 'It's mixed with blood!'

He would go back the village. His uncertain steps began to dramatically change into quick steps of panic. If what he truly smelt was at the village, then he could not allow anyone else to have it. It was a danger to all. 'Besides, if it falls into someone else's hands, then it could easily give our enemies power. My brother is winning his war, but the jewel…' The Shikon Jewel was too powerful to be dealt into the game. 'I've got to get to it!'

Past the village and deep within the forest Inuyasha could smell the jewel and smell human blood. He could also hear screams of a young woman. She was yelling for help and meant it with all her heart. 'I need to get that jewel!' A little farther off than a well was where he saw the girl screaming for a savior, who was indeed holding the Jewel of Four Souls. She was so young, pretty, but helpless. Though Inuyasha didn't remember his love to be that way, she most certainly looked like her. "Kikyou?"

He wasn't sure what he was feeling. He didn't even remember thinking anymore. He moved without thinking and within a moment's time, he attacked the creature that was attacking what appeared to be Kikyou and destroyed it. "Kikyou!"

"Kikyou?" Her voice was different as well. She sounded young and fragile when she asked of the name he was speaking of. She didn't seem to know what he was talking about, and she looked nervous when he jumped right in front of her and grabbed her, like she didn't know who he was. "Who is Kikyou?"

'What?' So it couldn't have been Kikyou, and yet she had to be! She was holding the Shikon Jewel in her shaking hands. "A reincarnation?"

"And who are…" She lost the ability to stand and collapsed within his arms. She was cut and scratched all over, probably a result from battling that centipede demon. She was probably mostly hurt from the wound on her side, where blood was coming out. From the wound though, it looked like something had come out, rather than pierced her body.

"Kikyou…"

When the girl opened her eyes, she could smell the scent of water and could feel it as it gently sprinkled her face. Her curiosity woke her up and she saw that she was near a waterfall with a strange boy that had rescued her. Now that things weren't so hectic, she could clearly see that she wasn't dealing with a boy. He didn't even look human. "What are you?"

"I'm a demon," he replied rather coldly.

"A demon?" She didn't sound too scared. She was much more collected than before from when she was running from the female centipede demon. "But I thought demons were…" She leaned in a little closer to Inuyasha, who was sitting right next to her, "you know, evil looking?"

"Evil looking how?" he asked half offended. "Do you mean ugly?"

She nodded. "Actually, yes, I thought demons were giant monsters that terrorize people and…you don't seem that bad." 'At least he doesn't seem anyway…' "You did save me, didn't you?"

"Yeah I did, but…" 'She's acting strange. She's never seen a demon before?' Inuyasha had taken a good look at her clothes and they did look odd. He hadn't seen anyone dressed like that before. She didn't even smell like anyone he had ever seen before either. She did smell, kind of nice though. "Uh…where are you from?"

"I'm…" She looked up in the sky and saw the stars fully and so beautifully. "Wow…you never get to see them like this where I'm from…" Then it dawned on her that she really didn't know where she was. She remembered how she got there, but it didn't make any sense whatsoever. "Uh…" She saw that he was waiting for an answer and she did owe him one. "I came from a well…and I don't know how I got here…besides that."

"A well, huh?"

She nodded. "I'm not in Hell or anything, am I?"

"No, you're not. You're still on earth."

"Okay…" 'Then where on this planet am I? Since I got here, I've only seen that centipede and now this guy. They both seem to be demons. I can't really be on another part of earth, because that same well was there. Where am I?'

"What else can you tell me, besides that?"

"What else?" She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know where I am or even how it's possible how I got here. What else do you expect me to say?"

"How about your name?"

That was a simple request. "Oh…well, I'm Kagome."

"Kagome?" 'So she's not Kikyou after all.' "And the jewel that came out your body," he held it out, since it was in his hand, "do you know what this is?"

"I'm not…sure."

"It's called the Shikon Jewel, or in other words, the Jewel of Four Souls. There was once a woman named Kikyou who protected the jewel, but she was murdered by a group of bandits."

"That's terrible!" Kagome saw that the demon boy in front of her flinch once he referred to the girl. 'He must…' "Did you know this Kikyou?"

He nodded. He felt a bit uneasy talking about her, but it wasn't like how it first was when she died. He felt different from when he was a half demon. He was much more sad and much more in love with her. 'Have I really forgotten Kikyou? It's what I first wanted, but now…' "I knew her. She was a human priestess. She died about fifty years ago."

"I see…" The time span didn't dawn on her until a later time. "Oh my gosh! You must be over fifty years then, but you don't look it at all. You only look about my age."

"Demons age differently than you humans."

Kagome almost flinched at what he said. He sounded a bit cold and like he was trying to remain detached from her. His tone was so distant, but his eyes told a different story. His eyes seemed to be lonely. 'Poor guy, I bet he loved that Kikyou woman. He seems sad talking about her.' "Hey, you called me Kikyou earlier."

"So?" he asked with a bit of an attitude. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, why did you call me that name if she died fifty years ago?" He just turned his head from her. He didn't want to answer her. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" He still didn't want to answer her. "Hey buddy, if you don't answer me than you'll regret it!"

He finally got irritated enough to answer. "You look like her! Are you happy now?" She was different now. She was a lot bolder than he originally thought. "You look a lot like her…" His anger did begin to die down. "Actually…" He faced her again, and there was something about seeing her right then and there that made him feel…empty. He thought he had everything he wanted, yet his perfect life was beginning to crumble. He had no foundation. He only had a false happiness that he was trying to deceive by gaining power. 'Power is enough isn't it? Isn't it…?'

"Inuyasha, are you alright?" 'He must have loved her a lot. That's why he can't look me in the eye.' She felt sad for him, but she felt something else around him. She was very much attracted to this demon boy. He was very cute. "Hey…"

"Kagome…" He didn't know quite what to say. "I think you are…Kikyou."

'His grief is making him crazy? The poor guy!' "Uh…well you told me that Kikyou died fifty years ago. If that's true, then how is it possible that I'm her?"

He spoke without hesitation. "I believe that you are Kikyou's reincarnation."

"Reincarnation?" 'Now this guy has really flipped his lid!' "Um, well why would you think such a thing?"

"Because the jewel that came out your body was burned with Kikyou's body many years ago. I thought it was rid from this world, but you've brought it back, and only Kikyou's reincarnation could have brought such a thing."

"Oh yeah…" She touched her side where the jewel had come out and she noticed that the wound was covered and cleaned up. It still hurt, but not as much as it should. "Did you do this?"

He nodded. "You passed out in my arms. What should I have done? Should I have let you bleed to death?"

"Thank you…oh, what was your name?"

"Oh…" he didn't realize that he hadn't said his name. "My name is Inuyasha."

"Inuyasha?" She smiled. "Well, I'm very thankful to meet you, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha didn't respond. He was buried deep within his own thoughts. "I've made a terrible mistake."

"A mistake?"

"Well, not a mistake, but I've done something, to the jewel." Kagome didn't say anymore. She just waited for him to go on. "I was once a half demon, and I wanted to become a full fledged demon, so I went after Kikyou in order to steal the jewel. Kikyou was powerful enough to stop me though, and sometime while we were battling we…"

Kagome was taken in by his story, but he stopped. He obviously didn't usually open up to people. 'Well, he started talking!' "Well, go on Inuyasha!" He still didn't want to say. 'Come on!' She decided to gently suggest it. "You fell in love with her, didn't you?"

He gave a nod. "But then one day bandits came in search of the jewel and she was killed. I wasn't able to save her."

"That's horrible! How could someone be so cruel?"

"I've seen the evils of men's hearts and I no longer wished to go through it. I no longer wished to be a half human. I wanted to embrace power of my demon brethren rather than the hypocrisy of man."

"Hypocrisy?" Kagome saw his nod and she knew that whatever Inuyasha had been through, it had been hard. She felt horrible for him and wished that there was something she could do.

"I used the jewel to turn myself into a full demon. With that blood, I became more powerful, but unfortunately so did the jewel." As he rubbed it with his fingers, he knew the truth. 'If I would have used the jewel to become human, the jewel would become purified and cease to exist. Because I used it to become a demon though, it became stronger, and now I don't know how to get rid of it.' "Kagome..."

"What is it, Inuyasha?"

"You are taking this rather well, considering that you don't know where you are or how you got here."

"Well, I know that centipede demon pulled me down."

"She must have sensed the jewel inside you…" There was an awkward moment of silence between the two of them.

Kagome didn't know what to say and Inuyasha had too much to say that he didn't want to even mention. Kagome wanted to ask personal questions, but she didn't know whether she should or not. She should really concentrate on how to get home, not some stranger's problems. "Inuyasha—"

"Kagome…"

She paused as soon as he said something to her.

"Kagome, I need to know something." He seemed so serious at the time, but there was such confusion in his heart. "I've been thinking about this a long time and I didn't know how to test it, but now since you're here, I think I can finally know."

"Finally know what?"

'You're being such a fool, Inuyasha.' He stood to his feet and grabbed her hands. "Please stand up, Kagome."

"O—okay…" She did as he asked. 'What is he doing?'

"You really are a lot like her, Kagome. You're not exactly like her. I can see the difference with you two, but I can still tell that you're her." Touching Kagome did nothing for his heart and for that, he felt like he had done something wrong. "You're warm like she was. It's exactly the same warmth in your hands." He knew he was probably making a fool out of himself, but had to know. "You don't have the same scent, but it's so sweet, like her scent was."

'What is this feeling I'm beginning to have?'

"Kagome…" He touched her face, "You're soft like she was. You're even a bit softer, I think." He was even able to crack a smile. "You're not as beautiful as she was—"

"What?" she yelled. "Are you kidding me? What happened to all those compliments?"

"But you're very pretty, Kagome, very pretty."

'Well pal, that's not going to cut it! Who do you think you are, comparing me to your girlfriend? That's not even fair!' "And what else?" she asked rather rudely.

"You don't act like her. Your behavior is more like mine, than hers. But what she and I had was different. She and I were…different." He saying all of those things did nothing for him. His heart didn't ache. He talked about what happened and what he shared with her, and he didn't feel sorrow, or even happy remembering her. 'Did I truly forget? Isn't that what I wanted?' It's what he thought he wanted. 'Is it right for me to forget her?'

"Where are you going with all this?" She had managed to calm down from his comment before. She was once again curious.

"Kagome, I need to do this. I need to know if I still feel, or if I've forgotten. I think I have, but I don't know if it was right for me to. I need to know if demons can still feel, the way I felt when I did this." He didn't let her question what he was about to do. He just took her and embraced her with all he had. She was surprised and didn't know what to do. She had never kissed a boy before. Her first reaction was to get him off, but she couldn't do that. She felt like…she was home. She felt right, and though she had never kissed before, she began to hold him and embrace him as well. Inuyasha didn't want to embrace a total stranger, but he needed to know if he could still feel. He needed to know if he could remember what it was like. Did he forget? Did he forget what it was like to feel?

"No…" he muttered.

Kagome pulled away, once her senses came back. "Oh my gosh…" She had never turned such a bright red color. "I've never been kissed before…" It felt good though. It just felt right. 'My heart won't stop pounding.' "No what, Inuyasha?"

"No, I didn't forget." His heart was pounding too. "I don't think I forgot and I still feel…"

The two of them both found themselves smiling at each other. Kagome's heart had been stolen away with a kiss and his had been reunited with his soul mate. "I'm glad you found what you were looking for, Inuyasha."

He thought that perhaps Kagome coming would be a blessing, but then he remembered reality. "Kagome, I may feel something for you, but I'm still a demon."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Kagome almost laughed. "Some of you obvious are pretty nice and you've got feelings. I mean, look at yourself. You saved me, and…you just kissed me. You're still smiling like an idiot." Inuyasha's smile faded. "Come on, Inuyasha. I know that you feel something. Didn't your parents feel something? Your demon…"

"Father…"

"Your demon father must have loved your human mother."

He knitted his eyebrows together.

"Look, that kiss was…special, but I'm not saying we should get together, because I still don't know where I am. I just know that I felt something from you, and I know that you can love. You loved Kikyou and I think that transferred onto me. You can feel and you can love."

"I know Kagome, and that's what I just found out, but…" He sighed heavily. "I'm a demon, and my brother is a very dangerous demon. He doesn't like humans, and to be honest, I don't either. Kikyou was an exception, but I really don't like them." Kagome's hopeful smile died down into a frown. "You're also not from this world. Wherever you're from—beyond the well—you should go back, and I mean now. This place is too dangerous. It's filled with war. There are demon wars and many human wars. If you stay, you'll only be in danger so you must go."

"I must go?"

"You must."

When she first arrived, she wanted to go home so badly. She was almost eaten alive. Now she didn't feel so alone with Inuyasha around. "Do you think…do you think I can come and visit you sometime?"

He shook his head. "Kagome, I would love for you to be here, but you can't. It's too dangerous and I'm a dangerous man to be around, especially considering the war I'm in."

"But…" she could feel tears well up in her eyes. "What will happen to the jewel?"

"I'll do my best to protect it. I don't know how well I can, but I'll protect it with my life."

"But I…" 'I don't want to leave you, Inuyasha…' She didn't want to go, but she knew she had to. She had to leave, forever.

Inuyasha let Kagome stay throughout the night, at her request. He built her a fire so that she could be warm and he got her food, so she wouldn't be hungry. He had to do so much for her, since demons close by could smell the jewel. Kagome was attacked three times that night and Inuyasha had to save her. He had to protect her, because he couldn't protect Kikyou. The attacks only proved Inuyasha's point and Kagome knew that she had to go, but it was still so hard when the two of them were at the well.

"Well, I guess I'm off." She looked down the well and doubted that she could get back home, but she had to try. "I've never met anyone like you, Inuyasha."

"Kagome, I really do care about you and that's why you have to leave."

She knew what had to be done. "I know, Inuyasha, it's just that I'd like to be with you."

It made him so happy to hear such a thing. "I'm sorry Kagome, but I can't be with you."

She tried not to look at him. It was too hard.

"Kagome, I believe that Kikyou and I had a destiny together and I'm sure if you're her reincarnation, you'll find your destiny too."

"Are you sure it's not with you?"

He kissed her forehead gently and stroked her cheeks as softly as he could. "You'll find your truth, just as you showed me mine." Kagome wasn't moving, so Inuyasha made her. He pushed her back down the well she came from, to never dawn his world again. As she was falling, she seemed to fall in slow motion. Her face was so hurt, just as his was, but he needed to do what he did, and she understood that.

Still, it was so hard.

"Goodbye, Kagome." He destroyed the well with a boulder after she disappeared through. He hoped that she was back in her world, wherever that was. And wherever she was, he hoped that she was safe. For whatever reason Kikyou had to die, he hoped that Kagome would find peace and that someone she was supposed to spend her life with. Not everything should end in such tragedy. Someone should get a happy ending.

Someone…

Perhaps that someone was Kagome.

As for Inuyasha, at least he knew the truth. He could still feel and that meant something to him. He remembered Kikyou.

That meant everything to him.

To be continued…