Kagome looked up to find the cold, dead eyes of Kikyo on her; She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, her heart pounding out of her chest. She began to tug anxiously to bring the hem of Inuyashas fire rat lower, suddenly very aware of how revealing her current attire was… of how she was the other woman wearing Inuyashas clothes.

She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the crisp air.

'Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay strong.'

Despite her best efforts, she couldn't stop her voice from shaking.

"Ki-kikyo… I-"

"What have you done?" She demanded, her voice icy.

"I-I-"

Kagome felt sick.

What excuse did she possibly have?

She had taken pleasure and used Inuyasha to fill the void in her heart. She had taken him in his raw, demon form, and instead of refusing him as she should have, she had embraced his lust and gave back just as much as he.

She could feel the blood racing in her veins, her heart beating in her ears. And through all of it, she felt faint.

She felt wrong.

She had just been a partner in adultery, in sins that Inuyasha himself did not know he committed, and stood brazenly in front of Kikyo, the one that the hanyou loved.

The one that Inuyasha had actually chose.

If he had been in his right mind…

If he had been in control of himself, of his senses…

She knew in her heart that the scenario that had played out would have never happened.

She would have never laid in his arms. He would have never taken her with such pleasure, such passion… Kagome felt sick.

"What have you done?" She repeated, her voice stern and cold.

"He… I…" Kagome bit her lip. She saw the miko slant her eyes, and set her jaw. "I-"

"Enough." Kyo stepped in. How had she not noticed him before? Had she been so focused on Kikyo that the world around her ceased to matter?

"This is none of your concern." The priestess said, turning her head to give the man a pointed look.

"I have to admit, Im not sure whats going on here… but I know enough."

"It hardly matters what you know. It is not your place to speak." Kikyo said.

"Kyo-" She turned to look at him, to stop him from angering the dead priestess any more than she already was… any more than she rightfully deserved to be.

He stepped forward, pulling Kagome behind him, facing the miko.

"When I was with Kagome, that beast came raging at us. If you think that Kagome could have done anything to stop him, you've lost your senses."

Kagome looked up at the man who was doing his best to protect her. Before, she had viewed him as a friend, as someone who had not been able to keep up with her group, although able in many ways.

But at that moment, she realized that he was a man.

Suddenly her state of dress made her even more self-conscious. The thought raced through her mind of what Inuyasha would do if he saw this.

No, he would not do anything. Not the half demon with the amber eyes.

It wasn't her he loved. It was only his lustful demon half.

"You are right. You are not sure of anything here." She gave a small smirk. "You are unaware of many things."

"I'm taking Kagome with me." He said with finality. Kikyo tilted her head to look at her.

"Kyou- I- I can't yet- Inuyasha-"

"And where is he now?" She asked. "Where is Inuyasha?"

Kagome looked over her shoulder.

"And how is he?" Kikyo took a deep breath. "What has he said?"

"He was in his demon form the whole time… He woke up… and said my name…"

Kagome wasn't sure, but she thought she saw a flash of fear cross the perfectly sculpted clay face.

"…And then he fell asleep. He wont wake up."

Kikyo exhaled the breath she had been holding as her lips turned up in a small, tight smile.

"Leave."

Kyo nodded, and began to guide Kagome by the arm.

"I cant go!" She turned away. "I can't go until I know hes okay."

"That is not your concern." Kikyo said simply.

"Yes it is." Kagome could feel her anxiety rising, could feel her nerves pushing her to a place she feared. She didn't want to break down in tears in front of the miko. She wanted to show her a strong front, wanted to show her that she could hold her own.

But at this point, she was no longer sure she could keep any type of composure.

"Whether you like it or not, Inuyasha is important to me. Whether he cares about me, or loves me, or even despises me… He is someone I care about. It doesn't matter if its one sided. You can both be angry with me after. I cant leave until I know hes going to be okay."

"You care so much for him, do you?" She raised her brow as she asked.

Kagome nodded her head and she swallowed the lump in her throat.

"You being near him is what has caused him to be ill" Kikyo said with a small laugh.

"W-what?" Kagome must have been hearing things? How could that even be possible? She had spent years with Inuyasha, and never once had he lost consciousness from being near her.

Sure, in the past he had made comments about her scent, but that had been so long ago…

"He has had his memories erased." Kikyo said. Kagome was sure her heart skipped a beat.

"What? How is that-? Why?"

"Because of you, girl. Because he felt such guilt from his tryst with you… guilt that he had betrayed me. He asked me to wipe away the memories of you, to bring him back to the times when we were together. To give us a fresh start, I complied."

"So he doesn't remember me?"

"No."

"O-or Miroku… Sango? Shippo?"

"He remembers nothing of that. He does not even remember the betrayal set forth by Naraku."

"That's not possible! He said my name."

"You being near him has caused him to dig deep in the recesses of his mind, calling out repressed memories. Youre physical presence is making him ill. He recalled you, something unpleasant, and now his body and mind are paying the price."

Kagome sunk to the ground, fight the urge to vomit. It was all too much. All too harsh to hear after they- after she-

"I must go and check on Inuyasha. To cleanse his mind twice is dangerous, but I'm sure he would prefer it to what you have done." Kikyo took a step towards her reincarnation.

"You've gone far enough." Kyo said, cutting her off.

"I only need her garment."

Kyou raised a brow as he looked over his shoulder.

"Inuyasha will notice that it is missing. It is essential that he has it back."

"She has nothing to wear. Cant you get it later?"

"No." The priestess answered coldly.

"Whatever has taken place between all of you, I doubt any man would want her to walk around unclothed." Kyou responded.

"Luckily, I am not a man."

Kagome watched as Kyou shrugged out of his robe and handed it to her, his back turned the entire time. She felt a sense of shame she had never known in her entire life.

She had thought the times that Inuyasha would take off in the middle of the night to chase after Kikyo, the times that she had spent considering and reconsidering her position… the time that he had left her for Kikyo when they had been-

Even those times had not made her feel as low as when he left. She had thought that had been the worst pain, the gut wrenching sense of shame. As she disrobed Inuyashas fire rat and replaced it with Kyous simple cloth, she rubbed her fingers over the brutal mark the hanyou had given her.

As Kyou handed the red jacket to Kikyo, he paused to speak.

"I didn't know you were capable of being so vile." He said. "Where is your humanity?"

The man could not see the slight crack in her composure. He could not know how deeply the words shook her.

"Do not come near him again." The priestess said. "Should you cross paths, you must choose to turn the other way. You will only bring him to a place he does not wish to be, and a pain that I cannot guarantee I can mend."

Kagome turned her blue eyes towards the miko.

"Do I have your word?" She asked coldly.

Kagome pressed her lips together as she fought back the tears.

"Yes."

~.~

Kikyou watched as the pair walked away, the cloth of the fire rat still draped in her arms.

She felt her composure breaking as the figures became farther and farther away.

The question still burned in her mind, grasping at her heart.

Where has her humanity gone?

Where indeed.

She was no more a human than she was alive.

She was a displaced soul, brought back by evil means and left to rot with her anger and sense of injustice. She felt such a multitude of emotions and yet… nothing at all. She was a mixture of hot and cold, angry and lethargic. She had a feeling that she would never know a sense of peace as long as she roamed the Earth.

He had called her vile.

Vile.

That was not the impression she had wanted to leave that man with.

Although she had not engaged in as much chatter as he had, she had enjoyed spending time with someone who did not look at her as an object of revolution, a being to be feared.

And now he did.

Kikyo did not enjoy showing people this side to her… this side she had not had before Naraku had schemed his way into her world.

She was so far from the miko she had once been. Years ago, when she had been righteous and pure, she would have shot an arrow through her clay chest without a second thought.

She could spot a dark being without even trying.

And she knew enough to know what was brewing inside of her.

As she knelt down beside the hanyou, she let out a deep breath.

The first time she had performed her ritual, she had done so out of fear. Inuyasha was on the verge of leaving her. She was not a fool; it was torment being in her company, because he missed hers so terribly.

Now she did so for completely different reasons.

She needed someone to think she was pure.

She needed someone to see her for who she was, not for what she currently is.

Inuyasha knew her back then. Loved her.

He had been her hope before, in so many ways.

He would have to be so again.

She was unsure what the result of this spell would be; he had already shown signs of reawakening since his episode with Kagome. She did not know if it would last, how long the spell would hold… or even if it would do damage.

But it was a chance she needed to take.

~.~

"Kagome…" he called for her. "Kagome- come back-"

"Shh. Im right here Inuyasha." He heard her voice. Soothing. Loving.

He opened his black eyes to see her blue ones staring down at him, black hair cascading around her shoulders.

He took a quick glance of his surroundings.

He was in her room, it was night. Late. He could feel the soft material from her blankets against his bare skin.

He was in her bed, naked. With her. Flesh against flesh. She gave him a soft smile as she moved his black bangs from his eyes.

"Are you okay?" She asked with a gentle smile.

He was human tonight. He had followed her though the well, unable to find peace without her nearby. She had not left in anger, as she had done so many times in the past; she left to attend to her duties in her time, a planned visit that happened more regularly than he cared for.

He simply couldn't wait for her to make her way to his side. Despite the new moon approaching, he leapt through the well without so much as a word to his companions. The fox could sniff out his steps and fill the rest in later.

He had come through the other side to find her family gone; something about procuring an artifact in a nearby town, but needing to spend the week.

He jumped through her window into her room, trying to find her as his senses began to dull. The sound of running water caught his attention.

Feh, it was just like his wench to run to the bath any opportunity she got.

He opened the door, already hungry for her. He was insatiable for Kagome. Never sated in his need.

Apparently in his human form, it took a toll on him.

He brought her body close to his, placing kisses on her shoulder, up towards her neck, paying attention to the spot that called for him. He longed to sink his teeth into her, but settled for a nip.

It felt like it was so long since he had last seen her.

It felt like she was about to slip away.

He closed his eyes as he yawned, stretching his arms over head.

And just like that, she was gone.

He looked around as the things slowly started to disappear.

"Kagome!" He screamed over and over again until he was breathless. He felt lightheaded, dizzy.

Who was he looking for?

Where was he?

"Inuyasha?" The voice called out to him.

He knew it.

Gods, he longed to hear her call his name. Yet something seemed off. What was going on? Why was she calling to him, worry lacing her tone? Why was he in a state that she should find him like this?

He opened his eyes, the brightness burning.

"K-Kikyo?" He asked. "Whats- What happened?" He breathed. "Wh-where are we?"

"What is the last thing you remember, Inuyasha?"

The hanyou closed his eyes as he sifted through his hazy memories.

"I- I think… I think it was the docks." He answered as he furrowed his brow.

The miko smiled.

"There was an explosion…"