I think I've decided that writing while watching sports on TV brings out the best ideas for some strange reason. That always seems to be when I can spit out page after page. I don't know why. Inspiration is a strange and wonderful thing, even on a chapter like this one where I thought I knew exactly how it was going to play out beforehand. I like it this way better. Sorry for all you people who hate Kikiyo. She has to talk alot this time around, but I think it'll be okay.

It wasn't long after Kikiyo was brought inside that Miroku noticed her eyes twitching as a small flickering of spirit energy began floating through the room. For a brief moment he considered helping speed up the waking process with his own personal flair, but quickly remembered exactly how sharp Inuyasha's claws were and reconsidered his plan. With a sigh, he instead peaked his head out the door to alert the others and waited as the barrage of soul collectors continued to provide the ghostly nourishment needed to resurrect Kikiyo's clay body. Watching the priestess feed had always been something that disturbed him in an especially deep part of his soul. Despite his amorous nature and the distractions it tended to bring, he was first and foremost a priest and had dedicated his life to the protection of human souls, both while alive and in their passage to the next life. Seeing people's lives used so someone could cling on to this world long after death should have taken them was depraved, something that someone who called herself a priestess should be greatly offended by. But Kikiyo carried on as if they owed it to her, that she had some higher purpose that justified their sacrifice somehow.

Sango and Shippou had already made their way inside, and Kaete had just entered with fresh water and cloths when Kikiyo stirred again and finally opened her eyes. She instantly seemed to recognize her surroundings, but her apprehension was apparent as her gaze rapidly surveyed the room repeatedly. "Where is she? The girl from the other world," she asked weakly.

"Kagome?" Miroku asked in surprise. Sango shared his hesitancy, suspicious of Kikiyo's instant interest in the whereabouts of her rival and ready to protect her friend if necessary.

"Where is Kagome?" she asked again, her voice growing stronger as more souls continued to enter her body. "Please, tell me where she is."

Miroku watched her closely for a few moments, judging the sincerity of her tone. "She went back to her time," he said finally. "She's been gone for weeks now, studying for a school exam."

The revelation didn't seem to settle Kikiyo's uneasiness. "And Inuyahsa?"

"He went after her for some reason not long before we found you." Miroku was growing slightly skeptical of Kikiyo's intentions, wondering what possibly could have her looking so uncharacteristically anxious. After all, they had been searching for her for weeks and found nothing but frustration, yet the moment Inuyasha finally had been distracted from his mission she effortlessly appeared looking for Kagome. Factoring in Inuyasha's strange behavior over the last few weeks, Miroku's stomach took a small lurching turn of warning. Something big was going to happen, and Kikiyo knew more than she seemed willing to tell at the moment.

"It may already be too late." Kikiyo shut her eyes and looked almost to be holding back tears. "Because of my selfishness."

"What do you mean! Is Kagome in danger?" Shippou cried out desperately before Sango hushed him softly.

"We're all in danger," Kikiyo answered curtly, a dark look crossing her pale features. "I thought I could stop him, but I was wrong. His power has become too great for me now."

All of them froze, the intensity of her message sending an icy chill through each of them, since not one of them doubted her words. Naraku had bought enough time to power himself up like he planned. And now with all but three of the jewel shards within his control, he carried an even weightier advantage. It also was consistent with what Miroku had been wondering during the time they were looking for Kikiyo, that Inuyasha might subconsciously know this as well, and that was why he seemed not only so intent on finding Kikiyo, but also allowing Kagome to be away from his direct protection by putting her in the only place where Naraku couldn't touch her.

But then again, he had run after her awfully suddenly, and he had a look of fear that Miroku had not thought Inuyasha capable of.

What was going on?

"What'll we do?" Shippou's soft voice trembled. "If we can't beat him, what's going to happen to us?"

Sango found herself reaching out to hug the small demon, as much to comfort herself as to calm him. It didn't seem right, not after all they had been through, all the hardship and traveling and battle that they had to endure. They had been bruised and scarred and grown stronger, but Naraku had sat in hiding and outdone them all. She wasn't going to be able to save her brother. And Miroku, if he was allowed to survive, would still be cursed the fate of his family. If any of them were allowed to survive.

"That's why I need to find her…to be sure she knows," Kikiyo said softly, her voice breathy.

"Knows what?" Sango snapped instantly, looking for any hope that could possibly be left.

"That the Shikon has chosen her now. Fixing all of this is no longer my responsibility."

"What do you mean?" Sango's temper was rising fast, and Kikiyo's subtle snide undertone did not go unnoticed.

"Even if the Shikon had never been broken, Naraku still would have taken it. The jewel had sensed the power shift long before Naraku made himself known to the world. Back when it was my responsibility to protect it, I knew that something was coming, but I was unprepared. I let myself be distracted, instead of paying attention to just how unbalanced the world had become."

"So you knew about Naraku's coming before any of this started," Miroku restated calmly. "But unfortunately he took you by surprise using your relationship with Inuyasha before you could do anything about it."

"Even before I realized my mistake, Inuyasha had tried to stop him, although I don't know if he even knew it was what he was doing at the time. He ended up buying time by stealing the jewel from the temple and running with it before Naraku had a chance to steal it himself. But by then the damage had already been done, and I knew I wasn't going to survive. I also knew what I had to do."

From the other side of the room Kaete sighed, remembering the day when both her sister and her eye had been lost, another cost suffered as a result of Naraku's evil. "I thought that Inuyasha was trying to steal the jewel for himself, like he was always threatening to do," she said softly. "But how could the Shikon use an outsider like Inuyasha to prevent itself from falling into Naraku's hands? He has no spiritual training to be in tune with things of that nature."

Kikiyo's already pale features seemed to turn ashen, obviously disturbed by the other priestess's words. She stared blankly ahead, lost in the memories of that day and its events. "He was supposed to protect me," Miroku barely heard her say from his spot right next to her. "If I had only let him…we might have stopped Naraku for good right then."

The priest frowned. "I don't understand. Even if Inuyasha was somehow subconsciously protecting the jewel from Naraku by trying to steal it that day, why would he have gotten himself involved beyond that? I mean, he's not exactly the type to willingly get himself involved in other people's business."

Kikiyo turned her head towards him, her emotions flashing strongly in her brown eyes. "It was his business," she said sharply. "The Shikon had chosen him to be the guardian. It was me who refused to accept it."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Early evenings at the temple were always a peaceful time for the Higureshi household, and this one was no exception. After Kagome and Kanota had left for the evening, the rest of the family had settled into their usual after dinner routine, with Grandpa reading the daily newspaper and Mrs. Higureshi finishing some mending in the living room. Only Sota seemed unable to focus, his homework sitting in a perpetual state of half-finishedness while he absently sat tapping his pencil. Not one of them, however, even flinched at the loud crashing sound coming from upstairs and thudding footsteps echoing down the stairwell.

"Good evening Inuyasha," Kagome's mom smiled from her work. "It's nice to see you again. It's certainly been a long time."

Inuyasha had no time for small talk. "Where's Kagome. I need to find her."

"She's out for the evening. Left with a friend from school a while ago," Grandpa replied with a smile. "You're welcome to wait here if you want, but I expect she'll be out fairly late."

The hanyou made no move to sit, his body continuing to tense with each moment that Kagome remained unaccounted for. "Where exactly did she go? It's important."

Sota's pencil froze mid tap, recognizing the panicked undertone in his voice as the same uneasiness that had gripped his stomach since he watched his sister walk out the door. "You sensed it too, didn't you."

Inuyasha's head snapped hard towards Sota, who was staring at the paper in front of him without seeing it at all.

"That guy, who keeps coming to see her," he continued in a small voice that only the dog demon could hear. "There's something not right about him, isn't there. Something dangerous." And as if that wasn't enough, the boy then turned to look at him, the terror in his eyes begging Inuyasha to do something to save his sister.

"You know where they went," he stated curtly.

Sota nodded.

"Let's go."

And without further explanation the boys rushed out the door, leaving the adults staring blankly at the door that slammed behind them in their haste to get to Kagome.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Guardian?" Sango let the word out slowly, cutting through the frozen stillness that had overtaken the room.

"Whaddaya mean guardian?" Shippou demanded a little too loudly only to be hushed again by the demon slayer before he said something inappropriate, but everyone was watching the priestess intently, hoping she would choose to elaborate instead of falling back into her aloof nature.

"The Shikon has been born and reborn many times since its creation, each time choosing a priestess and a guardian to help protect the balance of the world it emerges in," Kikiyo's breathy voice carried to everyone's attentive ears. "I realized that Inuyasha had been chosen as my counterpart soon after he started attempting to steal the Shikon from the temple. Like everything Inuyasha does, it was his own dramatic way of announcing himself as such."

Sango was still skeptical. "But if Inuyasha was supposed to be helping you guard the jewel, why would you let him go on stealing it for so long?"

Miroku, from his close vantage point, watched Kikiyo struggling to maintain her stonefaced composure. "Because," she said with almost guilty hesitation, "I didn't agree with the Shikon's selection. I didn't think he was capable of the responsibility. To me, his behavior just seemed to reinforce it."

Something still wasn't making sense to Miroku, and for a long time he continued to mull over the details of Kikiyo and Inuyasha's complicated history. If Inuyasha really was the guardian to the Shikon's priestess, it explained his driving interest in both finding the jewel shards and protecting Kikiyo, even when the situation didn't warrant the need. But if Kikiyo knew of his status from the start, what was it that kept her from at least taking advantage of his strength, not to mention the obvious psychological grasp she still seemed to maintain, to at least accomplish what she believed to be her mission? And then there was still one other piece that just didn't seem to fit this picture.

"Tell me though, when Naraku attacked, he used your feelings for each other against you, so at some point you had to have changed your mind about him, right?"

Kikiyo seemed to choke for a second, her cheeks flushing for the first time that Miroku could remember. "We might have deluded ourselves for a while that something could have happened between us, but underneath it all he's still a half demon, and therefore partially the same thing I swore to protect the jewel against."

"How can you say that!" Sango couldn't help herself. "Inuyasha's done nothing but show you complete devotion. He was even willing to make himself human so you could be together!"

Kikiyo shot a glare towards her that set Sango quiet even from across the room. "Don't speak like you know what you're talking about," she said in a low tone. "It's the job of the priestess of the Shikon first and foremost to protect the jewel above all else. There was no other way that I could be sure that he wasn't...that he wouldn't…" It was obvious that while her words were passionate, there was still a part of her that doubted her own convictions as the tears began to pool in the corners of her eyes. "Why did the Shikon have to choose a half demon? I wanted to believe him so much!"

The others shared a glance in confusion, never having witnessed a break in Kikiyo's usual rigid composure before. "I'm sorry, lady Kikiyo, but I think we're all confused," Miroku said politely, praying she wouldn't leave them clueless on this topic. "What was it that lead you to believe that what Inuyasha was telling you wasn't genuine? I don't mean to give the wrong impression, but since all of us have known him, he's always seemed a little, well…pig-headed when it came to matters involving you. So much so sometimes that it almost seemed supernatural." He glanced around the room for a moment, assuring himself that the hanyou in question wasn't suddenly standing in the doorway ready to murder him.

Kikiyo didn't seem amused. "Haven't you noticed? He's the same way when it comes to Kagome."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The spring night remained unusually warm, thankfully allowing Kagome the ability to hide her anxious hands around her sweater as she walked beside Kanota up the garden pathway towards where she could already hear the faint sounds of music and chattering laughter drifting towards them. The night had been overwhelming enough already. Kanota had started the evening by taking her to the fanciest restaurant Kagome had ever set foot inside, saying with a knowing smile that it would be rude of him to treat her to anything less as beautiful as she looked this evening. Instantly that had set Kagome's nerves on edge, fogging up her mind and preventing her from formulating a clear thought. Kanota hadn't seemed to mind, happy to carry the conversation through dinner even if she couldn't come up with a subject on her own. By the end of the meal she was so full and sleepy from the meal itself that when Kanota had suggested they walk from dinner to the school, she had eagerly agreed, happy at the thought of some fresh air.

"It seems like forever since I've walked outside at night. I forgot how nice it was sometimes to sleep out under the stars with everyone."

"Kagome, can I ask you something?" Kanota's voice brought her back from the Feudal Era.

"Uh, sure," she replied, trying to keep the shake out of her voice. Why was she suddenly feeling so uncomfortable?

Kanota had stopped walking and was looking at her with a small smile. "Are you enjoying yourself?" he asked, a hint of edge in his voice. "You don't seem to be quite your normal self tonight."

"Oh, no of course. It's been great." She smiled. "It's just been a bit of an overwhelming week, that's all."

"That's good," he replied softly. "I'd just been thinking how surprisingly enjoyable this week has been as well. You really are nothing like I thought you'd be."

His words struck her as strange, but something about his eyes distracted her, the sudden flicker of uncertainty that was normally so characteristically absent. It was a fleeting thought as Kagome found herself being kissed again by him, the same excited tingling running through her body, practically causing her to drop her sweater. When she opened her eyes again, he was watching her with that same gaze.

"I'm sorry. It's just, I really wanted to be able to do that one more time."

Kanota didn't force a response, instead taking her hand and continuing to lead her towards where the rest of her classmates were congregating. But Kagome couldn't help the slightly mystified expression that she was sure she wore plainly on her face. Because somehow in the middle of the excitement of Kanota's kiss, two very real awarenesses came forefront into her mind.

First, that Inuyasha was suddenly somewhere here, in her time.

And second, that somehow, things were going to change.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"It wasn't my feelings for Inuyasha that Naraku used to trick me, but rather my mistrust of his true intentions regarding the jewel. Even though Inuyasha had agreed to become human, I couldn't be sure of it until I saw it with my own eyes. I could sense his heartache, knowing that the only way I would let him protect me like he knew he should was to give up the power that he depended on to do it with."

"Sense?" Miroku perked, recognizing that behavior in Inuyasha as well that until then he had attributed to his demon nature.

"The priestess and guardian of the Shikon jewel share a deep connection that attracts one to the other, sometimes so intensely that they can actually know the other's thoughts."

And then all of a sudden things started falling into place. "So Naraku had to figure out how to break through that connection so that both of you didn't reveal his treachery to each other through your link."

"He attacked me using Inuyasha's image knowing that I would retaliate, and probably thought he would have ample time to go for the jewel after Inuyasha was dead. I'm sure, however, that he didn't expect for me to die too. But when I felt Inuyasha's subconsciousness go blank, something within me suddenly had no desire to go on anymore either. And neither of us knew that the God Tree had protected him, sealing him instead of killing him as I had intended when I shot that arrow." She paused, closing her eyes against the weight of her memories. "The next thing I knew I had been brought back in this form using Kagome's soul. I sensed it as soon as I saw him that day, that the Shikon's power still sat within him, just as it was suddenly flowing through me again, but there was something foreign about it, like it didn't fit inside me quite right anymore. And then I saw her, and I knew what had happened."

"Kagome…" Sango breathed. "I had no idea…I mean she said that she broke it, but…"

There was still a hint of spite in her voice as Kikiyo went on. "She was weak and an outsider, and had already allowed the jewel to be broken." She allowed a breathy pause, knowing that what she said was probably causing some turmoil amongst the people that Kagome called friends. "I held on to the Shikon's power, thinking that at least I was better suited to battle what I already knew was coming. However, I forgot that the Shikon's power doesn't work that way, that it grows and develops to match the imbalance of the world around it. So while I've been holding on to the power that Kagome had been developing since birth, just as I had done when I was born, she's made up for it by growing stronger to make up for the loss. She's even given me more of her power to save my life, and still has managed to step up and battle when the situation called."

"So Kagome can beat Naraku?" Shippou's excited statement echoed over everything as he jumped out of Sango's lap.

"No," Kikiyo shot back instantly. "Not yet."

"Then what do we have to do?" Miroku asked calmly.

"There is nothing you can do. The only hope we have in defeating Naraku is if Kagome takes back the power that she gave to me in the first place, and even that might not be enough."

"He's grown that strong, huh."

She looked at the monk, fear creeping into her eyes. "Beyond what I ever thought possible. I don't know what's going to happen, but something is about to change"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Inuyasha was running as fast as his legs could possibly go, but it still didn't seem to be enough. Even with Sota on his back giving him precise directions on which way to go, the fear gripping his stomach only seemed to be tightening its clench. "Are you sure this is the fastest way to where Kagome is?"

"Positive," Sota called back.

Gritting his teeth, he called up every ounce of energy he could find within himself and pushed on.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The hall had been full of people and loud banging music, and it wasn't long before Kagome insisted that she needed some air and wandered outside. Kanota found her not long after she left, sitting towards the back of the garden looking slightly dizzy and with a satisfied look went to sit down next to her. A few other couples wandered around the garden space, but they paid no attention to the two, wrapped up in their own giddy excitement of the night. As he sat down next to her, Kanota handed her a glass of water that he had grabbed on the way out to meet her.

"You looked like you needed this," he smiled.

"Thanks." She took the glass, but simply held it in her lap while staring at the moon.

"Kagome, if you don't start giving me more attention than that, I'm going to start thinking that I've done something." There was humor in his tone, mixed with something else, something darker.

She broke her daze and turned towards him. "I'm sorry. I guess I've been distracted tonight. It's just…I've been getting these strange vibes all night, and I'm not really sure if I should be worried about them or not." For once, Kanota didn't seem to have a response, instead just watching her closely with his same small smile. "But I'm sure it's nothing," she said hurriedly, eagerly trying to change the subject. "I've been wondering, where did you get this flower? It smells so sweet, I've been catching its scent all night."

"It's not from around here. My sister grows exotic flowers as a hobby. She arranged it for me to give to you."

"It's strange, but it seems so familiar to me."

He tilted his head to the side, the smile on his lips seeming to fade just slightly. "Does it now."

The sensation hit them both at just that moment, taking Kagome by surprise at its strength and forcing Kanota to his feet. Collected as ever, he stood, touching the lily on Kagome's wrist causing it to glow faintly and emit a fragrant mist that made her head start to spin even worse than it had been before. "What's going on?" she murmured faintly, trying hard to focus on staying upright.

"It seems like our evening has been cut short. The other player in this little scenario apparently has found us faster I expected."

"Unwanted…guest…" His voice had sounded so irritated, as if he expected this, and at that moment Kagome knew. But how could he know that he was coming like she did? "Inu…yasha?"

"That's right, he's coming for you, sweet priestess, but he can't have you yet."

It was the last thing she heard before she felt herself collapse against his chest and her world went black.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Inuyasha was acutely aware enough to know that Kagome was not in the building with the others, and silently was thankful that he wasn't going to have to fight through crowds of irritating students in order to find her. He leapt from tree to tree, trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible without sacrificing speed, ready for whatever might come at him and itching to destroy whatever was causing this rising panic within him.

It never occurred to him that he would be too late.

He saw Kagome sink into the arms of the white haired boy who he had seen her with before that day that they had fought just as his piercing blue eyes locked straight on to him. With a smug smirk that sent a ripple down Inuyasha's spine, he touched the flower attached to her wrist, causing it to glow even brighter than it had been before. The light expanded around them, seeming to engulf them in its warmth while at the same time releasing four large insects that he recognized instantly.

But it wasn't possible…

"Inuyasha! Help me!" Kagome's voice screamed through his head with sickening familiarity.

The poisonous insects darted directly towards him, but the Tetsusaiga was in his hand instantly, eliminating the threat more as an afterthought as he started after them. But it was just enough. By the time his feet hit the ground the pair were gone, the darkness settling back into his vision and revealing their blatant absence. His shock was paralyzing. Naraku had found a way through the time barrier. His premonitions had been right all along. Kagome had never been safe. It had just been a matter of time before he had come for her, with the final crushing blow being that he had waited for Inuyasha's presence to reveal that he had been in control all along. It was almost more than he could physically bear.

"Inuyasha…the shard…get the shard…"

He could hear Kagome's voice weakly calling to him from somewhere far away, and his eyes snapped open. Immediately he ran back to the place where he had left Sota behind in case of danger. "Sota," he clenched the boy's shoulders a little tighter than he meant to, "did Kagome have a jewel shard hidden somewhere in her room?"

The boy nodded. It was all he needed. Without another word he scooped the boy up and headed full speed back to the Higureshi temple, and to the well that would carry him back to where Kagome now was.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

I admit it. I'm a fan of the cliffhanger ending, since it just excites me for what's going to happen next! Poor Inuyasha, he just never seems to getthere on time. Maybe next chapter he'll get some help finally. Or maybe he'll start listening to his instincts earlier for once. Oh Inuyasha, when will you ever learn? At least he seems to be figuring things out now. As always, your comments and opinions are greatly appreciated!