Hello again!
...This chapter contains a little bit of conflict...I realize how dark this story is turning out to be...

Anyways.

Disclaimer:Death Note belongs to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

Chapter 10 Going on my own

Kagome's POV

As soon as she had regained some breath, Kagome attempted to return to the village. She didn't feel very vulnerable – just tired, and her legs felt heavy, but she tried taking it slowly. During the walk, she held a hand to her chest and felt her heartbeats, as if she was afraid they would speed up or, in worst case, stop altogether.

She thought it was best to return and tell the others what she was planning before leaving. Even though she dreaded telling them, fearing the sight of their worried faces, she knew she had to tell them about the heart attack as well.

She didn't need to go all the way to Kaede's hut until she saw InuYasha running from that direction. He looked angry, probably because of the way she had left earlier.

"And what the hell do you think you're-"

He stopped himself when he came close enough to see her pale face. And then he noticed the details; her hand clutched at her chest, her slow pace, and then...

Kagome saw how he sniffed in the air and realized he could feel the smell of death about her. But she hadn't even been dead for that long! She didn't even know if it could be called 'dying', since she hadn't moved on...

"Kagome, why do you smell like –" She sighed, but that just made him more demanding. "Kagome, tell me what's going on!"

She looked over his shoulder and saw Sango and Miroku approach, with Shippou sitting on Miroku's shoulder. They seemed surprised that Kagome was still there.

"Is everything all right, Kagome-sama?" Miroku asked.

"I – "

Where should she begin? It wasn't as simple as saying 'I had a a heart attack'.

She looked back at InuYasha who became more tense for each passing second, probably because of her smell.

"I think it was a shinigami, probably Justin", she said and looked at him. "I don't know what happened, but I came back and-"
"You talk about it so easily!", InuYasha snarled. "You died, Kagome!"

She couldn't help but notice how his voice was shaking. Was it anger, or was it because he hadn't been there when it happened?

The others looked at her with shock.
"Kagome-chan, what happened...?" Sango asked worriedly.

"A shinigami killed her!" The half demon yelled.

Kagome was relieved that there were no villagers nearby who could overhear them and get the wrong idea.

Sango, Miroku and InuYasha started talking in each other's mouths. Kagome sighed and waited for them to finish. She gave the small fox demon sitting at the monk's shoulder an apologetic look. He looked scared but didn't say anything.

"I know you're worried, and I'm not exactly calm about it either, but we need to move on. What's happened has happened, and we need to put an end to this", she finally said and ended their discussion.

They looked at her for a long while. Sango and Miroku worriedly (Miroku with a slightly more serious face, probably thinking more about the side effects of her heart attack), and InuYasha... Well, he looked both angry and concerned, and frustrated, of course.

"From now on, you're staying here with me", he said strictly.

"What? No, you can't make me!" she exclaimed. She understood his concern, but he just couldn't ask that of her.

"Are you insane? What if something like this happens again?"

"Well, I don't think that there would be anything you could do about it! He wasn't even nearby when he killed me!"

Silence.

Maybe she had said that in the wrong way. InuYasha looked a little hurt, probably because he realized she was right. There was nothing he could have done to save her.

"I'm not staying here", she said firmly.

"Kagome-chan, I understand what you're saying, but I think maybe it would be best if we stay together right now", Sango said.

"Yes, I have to agree", said the monk next to her.

She tried to explain what she had found out about the death gods and their connection to the killer in her world. But they didn't seem to understand. InuYasha didn't even try.

What did it matter to him, that in five hundred years there would be a killer with the same powers as a death god? And on top of that, one who judged the criminals in their society?

"I'm sorry, Kagome-sama, but especially now when your life is in danger..."

Kagome just shook her head, showing her frustration with them.

"You're not going!" InuYasha growled. "Are you really that stupid, risking your life for something like that?"

"You don't understand what this means! If it's a shinigami that controls Kira, then maybe there's something I can do to help-"
"You don't even know how to kill a shinigami!"

She looked between them, desperate to see if any of them were with her. If they could understand her thinking at all, but they clearly couldn't.

She felt a knot in her stomache, but she knew what she wanted to – maybe even had to do. She turned around and walked down the path out of the village again. But she soon felt a tight grip of her arm. She glanced behind her shoulder and was not surprised to see InuYasha, who was very determined not to let her go.

They looked at each other with anger, and this time Kagome felt it build up inside of her like never before. This was not only because of his persistence, but reminded her of all the things he had done lately that got her mad like this. She pulled her arm free from his grip, gave him one last glare and stormed off. He didn't try to stop her this time.

Light's POV

The snow outside had finally begun to cover the ground. This time it was here to stay. Light watched the people on the street outside his window pass with their umbrellas, some of them carrying bags filled with Christmas presents. For last couple of weeks, he hadn't cared very much for the oncoming holiday.

He glanced down at the cellphone in his hand. He still hadn't received an answer from Misa. He'd been trying to reach her for several hours now, but for some reason, she was ignoring his texts. If she hadn't contacted him in another hour, he would call her – and she'd better answer him then.

Yes, he was still very angry at her for what she had done to Kagome. It was very reckless to kill someone, especially an innocent person, especially her, without telling him first. But he did still need Misa's eyes and he needed to know where he had her in a situation like this.

He grittered his teeth when he was reminded of it. It would be more risky to kill L now, wouldn't? If the investigation found out that Kagome had died, and then L died of the same cause shortly after that. It would look like Kira was panicking. It would seem very suspiscious since Kagome didn't have any criminal record and she knew Light.

He sent Misa another text, reminding her to contact him as soon as she could, and that it was important that she did so.

He turned away from the window and fell down on his bed, letting out a long breath.

Still, he thought, he had been waiting long enough. Maybe this waiting was a waste of time, and maybe he was worrying for nothing? If he wanted to reach his goal, he had to get rid of L soon. But there was something holding him back, which was very frustrating.

He'd become paranoid, hadn't he?

He covered his eyes with his arm and tried to relax, but couldn't.

He needed to talk to Justin again, to see what the death god's plans were now that the girl he was after was dead. Would he leave the human world? That would make the most sense, but one never knew with those shinigamis.

Light heard a faint 'whooshing' sound and glanced under his arm. Ryuk had appeared and now stood in front of his desk, as if he had walked through the wall – which he most likely had. The death god watched him with interest.

"What now, Light? Have you run out of things to do?" he asked.

"Good timing, Ryuk." He sat up and they looked at each other. "I need you to find Justin again."

Ryuk didn't have any eyebrows, but a wrinkle between his yellow eyes appeared that showed that he furrowed them in confusion.

"Again? Why would that be neccessary?"
"Well, if he's still here, then I need to know what he's up to."

Ryuk nodded after a while but Light also knew that he did not like being sent out on missions. Well, he doubted he had anything better to do.

The death god turned to the wall again, and Light thought that meant he was about to leave. He looked down at his hands and his mind went blank, like it had done many times during the day.

"Could it be that you are genuinly upset over that girl's death?"

Light flinched when he heard Ryuk's voice, seeing that he was still there. He sighed and gave him a cold glare.

"Don't be an idiot, Ryuk."

The shinigami chuckled. "I may not be very good at understanding humans with their emotions, but after spending time with Misa, I've learned a thing or two, and –"
"It would be impossible for me to have any sort of feelings for her. And if you are interested in learning about human's emotions, Misa is not a good teacher."
Ryuk shrugged but was obviously amused, as usual. Seeing Light in this state was probably very entertaining to him.

His black figure disappeared through the wall, and Light watched him leave the balcony outside.

Of course it was completely impossible for him to have any sort of feelings for Kagome. She'd been a huge pain in the neck, and now she was gone. It was a good thing.

InuYasha's POV

Tired of the looks and sighs from Miroku and Sango, InuYasha sat in his usual tree at the edge of the village. The tree was naked now, freed from all its leaves, which were now lying scattered on the ground like a colorful blanket. The scent of smoke filled the air, coming from the pyres that the villagers had lit to keep themselves warm. There were more fires than usual, because of the cold that had taken over the last couple of days. It had been snowing once or twice, but nothing that had stayed for long, which the people were thankful for.

InuYasha thought about the look Kagome had given him before she left them. Of course, he had been very angry himself at the time, but the memory of the fury that he could see in her was not a good one.

He felt a familliar itch on his cheek and his eyes narrowed. Slowly, he raised his hand, hesitated for only a second and then smashed his palm against the cheek. A satisfying "whack" was heard. He looked at his palm and saw, confirming his suspicions, a flattened Myouga.

The flea demon gave out sounds of pain, but it didn't take long until he was restored into his usual shape. He sat up in InuYasha's palm and gave him a nervous smile.
"Oh, master InuYasha, it's been so long!" he squealed.

"Cut the crap", InuYasha said sourly. He snapped the flea away with his index finger and his thumb, but Myouga quickly returned to sit on his master's shoulder.

"It only takes one look at you to see that you are troubled", Myouga said as he skipped over the red fabric and found a perfect spot.

"Piss off."

"See? That only confirms it."
Myouga sure did know how to be annoying. InuYasha's eyebrows twitched. But somehow, he couldn't remain angry for long. His thoughts drifted away to Kagome again, and to Justin. He was concerned. What if she was in danger right now? The mere thought instinctively made him ready to jump down and run to find her – but he controlled himself.

He sighed. The flea exclaimed in surprise when the half-demon didn't do anything as rash or cruel as flattening him again.

"Myouga-jiji", he said and caught his attention. "You know about the shinigami, right?"

Myouga had not been present much lately, and he hadn't been there during either of their hunts for Justin. But the flea had his ways, and he could get around information rather fast.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do", he answered, a small gloominess in his tiny voice.

"Then you know about Kagome, too?"

Myouga hesitated and then sighed. "Yes. She's in a very dangerous position."
InuYasha opened his mouth to say something but closed it again. That had been what he wanted to ask about. The flea might be annoying, but he did have a lot of knowledge concerning demons and... mystical creatures.

Myouga gave out a sad noise, almost as if he was on the verge of crying. "Being marked by a shinigami... There's no way to escape that."

He didn't realize what his words did to InuYasha. He clenched his fists, his claws buried into the skin of his palms and drawing blood. His heart was pounding faster when the impossibility of it all came to him – there was no real way to defeat a god of death.

But no. There had to be a way.

"The shinigami probably won't make his move until later, though", Myouga said and crossed all four of his tiny arms.

InuYasha looked at him. "Why?"

The flea looked back at him, as if he had been stating the obvious. "Well... They're after the lifespan of humans. That's how they feed themselves. And the strength of a human's soul can strengthen the shinigami as well, which means that the stronger the soul the better."

InuYasha raised his eyebrow. "Yeah, so?"
"I thought you already knew about this. Kagome is a curious case. It appears that, like a priestess, her soul is stronger than an average human, but the difference is that it keeps growing." He cleared his throat. "That's at least what Kaede-sama told me. Anyhow, the shinigami will probably wait as long as he possibly can to... ahem."
The thing about Kagome's soul was not completely new to InuYasha. That there was some weird stuff going on with it... But he never understood it and he never cared about it. It was weird, thinking about Kagome's soul. Especially because it had originally been Kikyou's.

But if Myouga was right, if this meant that Justin would wait and let it grow more, then that meant that they had more time to find a way to defeat him.

The thought calmed him, but he was still restless. He couldn't just sit around and do nothing, they needed to move fast. Kagome's life was in danger, and there was no way he was just going to let her die.

Light's POV

Time was passing very slowly, and Light started to feel as if his house was his prison. Always waiting, always on the alert. Never relaxing. When, or rather said if, he left his room, his mother and sister gave him concerned and almost scared looks. They didn't speak much. If they tried to ask him something, he made his answer short and soon left the room again. He knew they both were worried, but kept it to themselves. It was easier that way.

In the Yagami family, it had always been important to share and be close to each other. Especially since Soichiro's work was very time-consuming, a very serious task at that. So they were there for each other, supporting each other and always part of what the others were up to.

So the fact that Sayu and Sachiko were anxious now was nothing strange.

He had went through his plans, his back-up plans, earlier events and possible outcomes over a million times in his head. He felt like he would go insane if Ryuk didn't return soon with news of where Justin was, or if he could return to the headquarters.

Every now and then, his thoughts drifted back to Kagome. She was out of the way, and it was relaxing not having to think about what would happen if she got in the way.

At one time, he connected her with that woman, Naomi Misora, who he had killed long ago. Their purposes were different, of course, but their influence of him was similar. Though Naomi had been a pain and a real threat because she had found out so many details about Kira, details that would lead L a long way ahead in his investigation. Kagome had been a threat because... Well, he had gone through that, too.

He was lying on his bed, his eyes nailed to the ceiling, when he noticed a black shape in the corner of his eye.

"Ryuk!"

The shinigami smiled, exposing his pointy teeth and gestured with his head towards the street. He had found Justin again, and they had arranged a meeting.

When Light rushed down the stairs, he passed Sayu. She stopped halfway and gave him a questioning look, which he did not answer. He left the house without a word to anyone.

It was getting late and the sky now had a color of dark grey, appearing a little smudged with clouds. It was snowing heavily in headwind, but Light trudged on, wrapping his jacket tightly around him.

He passed the giant stone stairs leading to the Higurashi temple without noticing.

Kagome's POV

When Kagome pushed aside the cold, humid wooden door of the well-house, the temple grounds were so white it was hard to make anything out at first. She let her eyes get used to the whiteness, adjusting from the darkness inside the hut, and took a step outside. She wasn't wearing any heavy jacket, so the harsh wind struck her violently and she wrapped her arms around herself.

Shuddering, she walked slowly ahead to the house across the grounds – but then a familliar wave of nausea hit her. She felt, if possible, even colder when she recognized it. Her eyes turned to the torii-gate. After a moment of hesitation, she moved towards it, faster and faster, and looked down the stairs to see if anyone was passing. She could only make out footprints below, and she decided to investigate closer. She went down the stairs as fast as she could without slipping on the ice.

The footprints led to her right, and she looked that way. And indeed, there was a man walking down that street. His head was bent down as to protect himself from the wind. If wasn't the man that caught her attention though, it was the gigantic black monster following him. He looked different, sure, but it didn't take long for her to understand that this was another shinigami. And the person he was following was...

She half-runned to keep up with the man, hoping he wouldn't turn around or notice her. She only needed to come a little closer to see if it really was him...

A strong wind blew towards them. Kagome stopped to protect herself from the attacking snow flakes, but managed to peer under her arm. She sighted the caramel-colored hair, he slowly turned his head to the side to shake it out of his eyes...

There was no denying it.

It was Light. But why was a shinigami following him?

She stood paralyzed on the street, her heart pounding. What happened next was exactly what she had been hoping wouldn't occur – she heard the death god speak to him.

"What interests me is how you humans never give up."

(A/N) I don't think that last quote was meant to mean anything,but that's actually up to you to decide ;) I hope you liked this this chapter,the "real things" are then...

Please review?*puppy eyes*