The One I Love

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

A/N: Yes, as many of you guessed, I'm introducing Kagura into the story now. She is just a bit OOC, though, but stick with this story and I promise you won't be disappointed with how I've portrayed her!

Chapter 14:

Kagome: Present

Kagome felt a chill go down her spine as the figure came into view. A maniacle laugh surrounded them as it approached. It was humanoid, wearing an animal pelt over its body. One that was foreign to their home, but one she recognized from the books in Kouga's study. If she remembered correctly, it was called a baboon, but its fur was as white as snow. Its blue face stared down at them with black, empty eyes. Whoever was beneath it did not want them to know who he was. Kagome watched as the miasma beneath him slowly creeped closer to the village. It was destroying everything in its path, making everything turn to ash. It needed to be purified, or it would destroy the village.

She heard Kikyou release an arrow with a snap of her bowstring and watched as it flew toward its target with a tail of Kikyou's blue spiritual energy behind it. To her horror, it did nothing but crash against a barrier the figure had created around itself. The figure laughed again, and Kagome lowered her own bow, looking at Kikyou who looked back at her with a question in her brown eyes. If Kikyou's power couldn't reach him, what were they supposed to do?

Just then, the demons she had almost forgotten sprung into action. They leapt into the air, each striking at the barrier with claws and fists, forgoing the swords that they had strapped about their waists. Kagome's breath hitched in her throat as she watched Inuyasha get tossed back from the barrier like a rag doll and come crashing to the ground. Kouga met a similar fate, but he managed to land on his hands and feet, growling like the wolf he was before leaping into the air to try again. Sesshoumaru was using a technique that Kagome had never seen, using his demonic energy to create a whip that he was using to attack the barrier with speed that only he was capable of.

When it was obvious that these attacks wouldn't work, Kouga stopped attacking, choosing to stay on the ground. His chest heaved as he panted, open-mouthed, watching as the dog demons continued the battle above him. Kagome watched Inuyasha unleash strike after strike, using his own demonic energy to strengthen his attacks. Sesshoumaru on the other hand had finally reached for a sword at his waist. Kagome frowned in confusion once she realized he had two swords with him. Why would he need two? She recognized the one that he hadn't unsheathed as the one she'd found in his trunk that first day she'd met Rin. Her confusion multiplied at his neglect of the sword that he had reacted so protectively over when she had touched it. Why won't he use it?

The sword he had drawn however surprised her with the amount of dark energy that she saw around it the second it was unsheathed. She gripped her reigns tightly as her horse reared up at the presence of the sword. Beside her, Kikyou's did the same. Kagome could only watch as Sesshoumaru unleashed an attack that had her skin break out in goosebumps. She swore she saw lightning strike his sword from the cloudless sky, and she watched in total fascination as the lightning was redirected at the masked figure. She was so certain that this attack would work. There was so much power behind it, she doubted anything could withstand it. She held her breath as the attack landed, causing a flash of white to blind them for a second until it cleared, revealing the figure, unharmed behind his barrier.

After a few moments, the trio stopped their attacks. They all stood their ground at the center of the village, glaring at the intruder. It was then that Kagome noticed something was wrong. She watched the deadly miasma, and where it stopped, just on the outside of village miasma was spreading, encircling the town rather than entering. Realization struck Kagome. She gasped and looked to Kikyou.

"It's a trap," she said, snapping the reigns on her horse. "He's trying to trap us here."

Kikyou followed Kagome immediately, who was riding away from the village. There was only one reason this demon would want to keep them here. This foe was obviously a distraction for the fighters in the village, while the vulnerable ones were heading toward the real danger. She never should have let Mia go alone. She should have insisted one of the men go with her. The women, the children- Rin- they were all in danger. She had to get them. She wasn't sure what she'd be able to do, but she had to warn them. Maybe if they hurried, she could lead them away to another village. She was about to share this idea when Kikyou spoke.

"I will purify the miasma," Kikyou said, drawing an arrow as she rode, gripping her horse with her thighs as tightly as she could. "You go help Mai!"

Kagome nodded, and she gripped her reigns tightly searching for an escape. Kikyou released another arrow ahead of them, and Kagome snapped the reigns, her horse galloping away the moment Kikyou's arrow pierced through the miasma and purified what was before her. Kagome lowered herself, digging her heels into the horse to make it go faster. Mia and the villagers had left at full speed, and she had very little time to reach them. The wind was whipping past her ears, and her heart was pounding in absolute fear, but she still managed to hear the dark laughter that followed her as she rode.

"You won't make it, Kagome," the voice said in a deep, sultry tone that she recognized immediately. Ruby eyes flashed in her mind.

Kagome's eyes widened and she brought her horse to a halt, gripping the reigns as tightly as she could when the horse reared up. She looked over her shoulder, gasping as she saw the figure was now right behind her, only yards away. She let out a startled cry as her horse bucked, sending her crashing to the ground. The air was knocked out of her lungs and she struggled to catch her breath as her mare galloped away. She quickly rounded on her enemy, getting to her feet with real struggle. Her re-opened wound was now bleeding profusely, but she dare not let him know the pain it caused her.

"I know you," she said breathlessly, looking at the masked figure as he lowered himself to the ground, his barrier disappearing.

Kagome looked behind him, only to find that he had surrounded them with a miasma so thick, she could not see through it. She moved to grab her bow but the man only laughed.

"We both know your arrows are useless to you in this state, Kagome," he patronized.

Kagome froze. How could he know her power hadn't returned yet? She stepped back as far as she could, taking off her bow and arrows and letting them fall to the ground. They were useless to her now. She tried to back further away from him as he moved closer, but the closer she got toward the wall of miasma, the harder it was for her to breathe. Without her spiritual powers, she was defenseless. She squared her shoulders and balled her hands into fists at her sides. She refused to let him know how scared she truly was. If she was to die here, then she would die fighting.

"What do you want?" she demanded. He laughed at her once more and started to circle her. Kagome made sure to never turn her back on him. They circled each other slowly, Kagome ready to fight tooth and nail if she had to. "You are the man from the market, are you not?"

"Since it is just the two of us," the man said with a smile in his voice. "I see no reason to keep this disguise on."

He pulled back the head of the pelt to reveal the red-eyed man Kagome knew him to be. The man from the market that had harassed her and Rin. He had refused to give her his name then, but Kagome recognized that awful voice. He smiled a fang-toothed grin at her, his ruby eyes flashing. Kagome's steps hesitated at that smile, and in that instant, he was before her, one warm hand wrapped gently around her throat.

Kagome tensed, her eyes widening a fraction, but she refused to scream. He wasn't hurting her, just trying to scare her. She glared at him, putting her hands on his pale, bare forearm, ready to use all the physical strength she had left to fight him. His whole body visibly tensed at her touch, and she saw goosebumps raise on his exposed skin. Kagome rose an eyebrow at him in confusion.

"I will ask only once more," she ground out angrily, staring into his frightening eyes. "What do you want?!"

Souta: Five Days Ago

Souta struggled in his binds, wincing at the skin that was now raw about his wrists. They were bound behind his back to a wall that was damp and covered with mold. He struggled for a moment longer, tugging against the shackles, before he began to cough and he bent forward, struggling for air.

He had no idea how long he'd been there. He hadn't seen the sun since the wind storm had attacked him and his men. He didn't know where his soldiers were, or if they were even alive. The moment he'd seen her, the wind witch, he was swept away, his world had turned completely black, and then he was here. Here in this dark, windowless room that held traces of miasma, and death. A room where the only sounds were his own breathing, and his rapidly beating heart. He had run out of strength long ago, his spiritual powers drained by some presence in this place. His physical strength was weakened from lack of food, water, and sleep. And still, nobody had come.

Had he not hesitated for that brief moment when he'd seen her, he would not be here. It couldn't have been longer than a second, but in that second, he could have created a barrier, purified her- anything! She was beautiful, but he could sense the evil in her. Her ruby eyes were the biggest distraction. Not her raven hair, tied up and pinned in place with feathers and beads; Not her pale porcelain skin that glowed against her blood-red velvet gown; Not the emerald paper fan that she held in her hand like a weapon, poised to strike; Not even the fact that the wind was perfectly calm around her as she touched ground with bare, delicate feet, the air still as though a cocoon of protection surrounded only her as the rest of the world was lost in the chaos of wind and dust. No, it was those magnificent ruby eyes that seized his body, paralyzing him as her rouge-painted lips parted in a fang-toothed smile.

She was the most dangerous foe he'd faced because she was so beautiful. His father had always warned him and Kagome as children that the demons that could wear the face of a human were the most dangerous. They were the ones that you had to watch, because their emotions could be falsified. It was impossible to tell if a demon was truly capable of human emotion. They had a whole other side of their soul, a darker side that was controlled by raw, animalistic instinct that humans could never understand. He had seen that side take control of lower demons. He'd even seen it try to take over Inuyasha, though his blood was half human as well. It was a dangerous thing, the soul of a demon. Something that only one with spiritual power could completely destroy. Souta and his family had dedicated their lives to the fight against those demons who could not ignore the seductive call of their darker sides. He was lucky to have been gifted with the same spiritual powers his mother and younger sister also possessed. For as long as he was able to wield a sword, Souta had been vanquishing demons with them.

He had always had difficulty trusting them; The pure-blooded demons. He was a holy man under the rule of one of those very beings, but Kouga had done nothing to his people to give Souta cause to worry. This woman that had captured him, whoever she was, was an example of the very creatures he despised. There was an evil in this place. One that he had never encountered before. He could sense it in the very stone of the dark room that he was kept in. He could taste it in the thickness of the poisonous air. Whoever ruled this place had a soul blacker than even the most vile monsters he'd vanquished. He had to escape. Whoever had set this trap for his soldiers was no doubt going to attack Deepwell. With his father gone, it was his duty to protect his home. If anything happened to his mother, or the village while he was locked away here, he'd never be able to forgive himself.

He tugged frantically at the shackles that held him, making the chains clang together noisily until his ears picked up the sound of a creaking door. He squinted as the door opened before him across the room, letting light shine through. He'd been in the dark for so long, the light stung his eyes. He turned his head away, ears straining to pick up the sound of footsteps. He held his breath, and still he heard none. He slowly turned his head to face forward, and he gasped, jumping back at the sight of the woman before him.

"What do you want?" he demanded angrily, refusing to meet her eyes, lest he lose his focus again. He watched her lips instead, his blood running cold when all she did was smile.

Kagome: Present

"Want?" the man repeated, cocking his head to the side as he smiled, stepping closer toward her. Kagome held her ground, her nostrils flaring as she breathed in, fighting to keep herself calm. The man chuckled softly, lowering his head to brush his nose across her forehead. Kagome jerked her head as much as she could in his hold, and he chuckled. "I'm afraid it is not what I want from you that you should worry about now, little priestess, but what I need."

Kagome felt bile rising in her throat as the man's other hand went to her side, fingertips ghosting along the bottom of her chest plate across her hips. Fury filled her at the way he was touching her. It was with that fury that she felt a bud of her power returning in her gut. Her eyes widened and she tensed in the man's hold. If she could just keep him distracted for a while longer, if she could just keep him talking, she'd be able to purify him. Without his barrier to protect him, there was nothing keeping her from destroying him.

"What are you-?" she began, but her words were cut off as his fingers reached for the leather clasp of her armor, slicing through it like a hot knife through butter. Kagome gasped, feeling cool air reach the damp cloth of her gown, soaked through where her wound had bled. The man's grip on her throat tightened a fraction as his eyes locked on the bloody mess. Ruby orbs flashed to meet her own, rage burning in their depths.

"What. Have. You. Done?" he hissed, pulling Kagome closer to him with each word. Kagome swallowed, her hands tightening on his forearm. She blinked rapidly, each breath becoming more difficult to take in.

"Let me go," she whispered, panic taking over as he lifted her off the ground, her toes barely brushing the dirt. She choked, digging her nails into his skin. He didn't even flinch. His eyes were fixed on hers, his body trembling with barely contained rage.

"Where is it?" he snarled, shaking Kagome violently. "What have you done with it?!"

"Wh-what-?" Kagome struggled to ask. The man growled deep in his chest and he released her, letting her crash to the ground in a crumpled heap.

Kagome gasped, taking in as much air as she could. She put a hand to her throat and winced, positive that the skin was bruising. She looked up at her attacker and frowned. He was pacing wildly, muttering to himself. His eyes were wide, but unseeing. Whatever she had done, it driven him mad. She hadn't the slightest idea what was going on. She put a hand to her side, looking down at her gray gown, now stained maroon. Something about this wound had set him off. Her mind raced as she struggled to remember the night she'd received it.

The centipede demon had attacked them out of nowhere. She knew that their carriage would be passing down that road. But how? How could she have known they would be there? And why did she attack Kagome specifically?

"He'll reward me greatly for this."

Who was she talking about? Was it him? Was it this man here that had sent the centipede after them? After her? Kagome remembered lying on the ground, watching the demon take something from a pool of her blood. Had there been something there? Something she'd taken... taken out from inside her body? Kagome felt sick. She pressed her hand tighter against her side where Kikyou had stitched her back together. Her mind flashed to her duel with Sesshoumaru earlier that had caused her wound to reopen. Her power had been noticeably weaker. She ran out of energy before she could inflict any damage on him. She lost that fight with Sesshoumaru in a matter of minutes, when she knew herself previously capable of fighting for hours in battle. Had whatever that demoness taken been the source of her true power? Kagome started to doubt herself.

She had always been stronger than her mother and brother. She had even been proven to be stronger than Kikyou. She had never questioned her gifts before, but today had brought things to light that she hadn't even known were there. She wasn't some ordinary priestess. Her powers were not her own. Without whatever it was that had been taken from her, she was hardly a threat to anyone. Kagome shook her head. No. This can't be right.

She would have known if there was something inside her. Something that wasn't natural. Something that a demon would want so badly that they would tear her apart to get it. No. There was no way. She would have known. There was nothing. She looked up at the man who had stoppped pacing and was now looking down at her, his face eerily calm. A seed of doubt in herself had been planted in her mind, and was taking root.

She didn't move as he slowly crouched to the ground in front of her so that they looked at each other face to face. Kagome said nothing. She could only stare as watched her, her breathing ragged. Her palms were sweating. She could feel her power returning faster now. She could attack him and get all of this over with, but something was stopping her. She looked deep into his scarlett eyes, searching for the answer she was looking for. One that she knew he held.

"What was it?" she whispered, feeling absolutely lost.

She needed to know what had been taken. Why it had been inside her. What was its purpose? What was her purpose for having it? How had this happened? Her mind was whirling with unanswered questions so quickly that her pain was almost forgotten. Her fear almost evaporated, save for the fact that she was staring into the most terrifying eyes she'd ever seen, and she couldn't look away because the owner of those eyes was the only one who could answer her questions. He was the only one who could answer because he was the one searching for it. Whatever it was. Those eyes now held a smile. Not a kind one, but one that was meant to make her uncomfortable, and it was working.

"You really don't know, do you, little priestess?" he asked, his voice mocking now. Kagome flinched as he raised a clawed hand to brush his knuckles against her cheek.

"Just tell me," she said, her voice gaining strength. "What was it? What am I?"

The man inched closer, his breath fanning across her face. Kagome gasped, her hands clenching into fists in the dirt. She turned her face away from him, only to have him take hold of her chin and force her to look at him. His eyes fell to her lips and Kagome was overcome with nausea. She called her power to cover skin, relieved when the man released her, hissing in pain. He stayed close however, anger fading to amusement as he looked at her. Kagome pushed herself back, looking him in the eye.

"That's a conversation for another day, little priestess," the man said, his voice echoing around her.

A wind picked up, seemingly out of nowhere. Kagome covered her eyes with her forearm as dust encircled her, and the miasma that had surrounded her dissolved. She could hear nothing over the roar of the wind, but she could sense that the man was leaving. As the wind quieted down, she looked up into the sky, watching as he faded into the clouds surrounded by a purple light before he completely disappeared.

With the danger gone, Kagome released the power that she had been holding over herself. Exhaustion overwhelmed her, and her arms went weak, sending her to the ground. She turned her head to the side so that she could breathe, lying as still as she could. Her eyelids were so heavy. She wanted nothing more than to sleep, but there was something she needed to do. Something that was very important, but her tired, foggy mind was struggling to remember what it was. Her fingertips twitched where they lay on either side of her head, stirring up the dirt that was beneath them. No matter how hard she tried, she could do nothing but lie there and breathe.

"Kagome!"

Kagome's eyes widened just a fraction and she watched several pairs of shoes running toward her. A pair of brown, leather boots landed before her, and she shut her eyes to keep the dust from blinding her. She could pick up several auras, but she couldn't separate them. She couldn't tell who was who and she didn't want to at the moment. She was so tired. She just wanted to rest. She just wanted to turn all of her senses off until she had slept. She needed to sleep.

There were warm hands on her shoulders, turning her over to face upward. She squinted into the light of day, her body feeling extremely heavy. She squinted up at the face of the person who held her. Silver hair fell around her like a curtain. She blinked, her eyes focusing on the golden irises that looked down at her. Her mind was muddled from exhaustion, and her lips parted to speak the first name that came to her mind at the sight of those eyes. Eyes that she had seen earlier that day before this attack had been made on Deepwell. Eyes that had challenged her, had made her use all her strength, then saved her from a miasma that could have destroyed her. The eyes that mocked her as the last of her power had been drained, and she'd been defeated in combat before the real battle had ever begun. She could think of only one name in that moment before she allowed her body to relax in the arms that held her.

"Sesshoumaru?"

A/N: The next chapter will be up as soon as I can get wifi. Since y'all were so good about reviewing on my last chapter how about y'all give me 15 this time?