Chapter XIV: Secrets Bared

"Are you sure he came this way Sango?"

The woman glared over her shoulder. "I used to track and hunt youkai… remember?"

"It just seems," the monk panted as he picked his way over roots. "That we've been walking forever."

"You're just mad cause you can't keep up," piped a high voice next to the taijiya. Shippo hugged his tail and surveyed the area. "Though these woods do look familiar."

"You see," Miroku leaned against his staff. "We're going in circles."

Sango rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous," she hitched Hiraikotsu higher. The bone boomerang had to contend for space with a nekomata hanging limply over her shoulder.

"How's Kirara?" Miroku motioned to the still form.

The feline mewed softly, and Sango cupped her friend's face. "She's exhausted. She wanted to find Inu-Yasha as much as we did."

"Too bad she wore herself out," Shippo chewed on his tail absently.

"Yeah," Miroku eyed the kitsune dryly. "And that you can't maintain a travel form for more than ten minutes."

"It's not my fault," Shippo grumbled through his fur. "Kagome was always my good luck charm."

Miroku and Sango winced at the name. Shippo's eyes grew watery, and he stuffed more tail in his mouth.

Sango lifted her head, taking in the trees around them. "Actually," she crouched and grabbed a handful from the ground. "I do recognize some of this."

Miroku stopped beside her, letting his gaze roam. Unremarkable woods, full of aged trunks, fallen leaves, and low branches filled his view, and he skirted over a broken tree absently, before tensing and doubling back. It had been severed at shoulder height, sliced clean in half, and the memory of its decapitation made him freeze. Unable to look away, he reached through the air, groping blindly before grasping Sango's ponytail.

"Monk?"

Fingers in her hair, he twisted her face to the stump. A year of growth couldn't hide Inu-Yasha's claw marks.

"We have been here…."

"Stop Inu-Yasha!" Kagome grabbed for his leg. He kicked his heel back, sending her sprawling, and she tasted blood in her mouth, touching the warm wet gushing from her nose. Propping herself up, she reached out again. "Leave him alone!"

Inu-Yasha spun, glowering down. "Why? So he can cover you with more stink?" He latched claws into her waist, and she screamed as he twisted them. "You REEK of BETRAYAL!" He threw her away with unbridled force, and she sailed into the wall, loosening bits of rock and dust as she slid unconscious to the floor.

"KAGOME!" Kouga's aura blazed. Brown fur coated his wrists, waist, and legs, and he called back more of his old form, willing his thick tail to its full length. Red bloodied his vision, and Kouga let himself disappear in abandon. Fully transformed, he roared and lunged forward.

Inu-Yasha turned, and the two tumbled to the ground, snarling loud enough to make the cave shudder.

"BASTARD!"

"THIEF!"

Inu-Yasha made for Kouga's exposed throat, and the other man sank his claws deep into his wrist. Inu-Yasha howled, swiping his free hand across the youkai's face. Four gashes erupted on his cheek, and Kouga tore apart the remnants of haori hanging from Inu-Yasha's waist.

"How COULD you?" Kouga's aura burned brighter. "You almost RAPED her!" Seething rage, he pinned the hanyou with his knees, slamming fists into his chest and striking hard enough to crack the rock beneath them.

Inu-Yasha jerked his neck away, trying to lessen the blows. "RAPE?!" He coughed up blood. "I wouldn't have taken what deep down she wanted," he grabbed Kouga's fists, squeezing until the snap of bone exploded between them.

Kouga grimaced and broke his hold, wrenching his arms free. "She wants no part of you!"

"Oh?" Inu-Yasha tried snatching his tail. "She woke in the night thinking of me! Even with you right there, she wanted ME!" His fingers missed fur as his opponent deftly maneuvered the new appendage from reach.

Kouga's fangs pierced his lower lip in a glower. "She wears MY mark!"

"Who are you saying that for? Does it comfort you knowing she accepted your mating?"

"Wolves mate for life!"

Inu-Yasha laughed loud with scorn. "Kagome is no wolf."

"Still!"

"I'm here now," Inu-Yasha aimed a punch at Kouga's jaw. "Everything you have will leave when I do," his fist connected and crunched against teeth and nose, pushing the youkai's face away.

Kouga turned back with wide eyes. "How are you doing this?" He touched at the red dripping down his chin. "I've seen you in this form before. You were never able to talk or think coherently."

Inu-Yasha smirked, baring curved fangs. "I've got nothing to lose. Nothing dear to hurt or damage," the long canines made every sentence come out thick and slurred. "You clumsily took what I fought so long to protect."

Kouga launched his claws into the hanyou's shoulder, twisting down into muscle.

Inu-Yasha's smirk dropped. "It was the lack of conscience I used to fear, afraid I would do something to her," he gripped Kouga's arm. "No more," he ripped the fingers from deep inside his shoulder, yelling as exposed tendons touched the air.

Blood flew everywhere. Lines of it whipped the cave floor, growing dark as it seeped into dirt, and insults rained as heavy as blows.

Inu-Yasha kicked Kouga off and slammed him into rock.

The youkai cursed at the impact. Grabbing a handful of white hair, he spun Inu-Yasha face-first into the wall and raked claws across his back. "I'm going to KILL YOU!"

Bracing his hands on either side, Inu-Yasha pushed himself out. "How? You were never stronger than me!" He spat dirt, twisting around. "You think having Kagome gives you power?"

"I have nothing to prove. That's why I can beat you."

"Nothing to prove? You STOLE her!"

Kouga kicked him back into the wall, knocking the air from his lungs. "She wasn't yours anymore!"

Inu-Yasha coughed more blood, sending flecks all over the crater he'd made. "She was!"

"No!"

"You think you've replaced me?" Inu-Yasha's speech sank to bark as he wiped his mouth. "She wouldn't be with you if she remembered who she was!"

Kouga shook with a rage he couldn't contain. "We BOTH know she chose me BEFORE the waterfall!"

Inu-Yasha froze, watching his foe breathe in ragged bursts.

"LIAR!"

Kouga shook his head. "Now who's hiding from the truth?"

"She didn't!"

"She did! That's why you ran to Kikyo!"

"NO!"

"You drove her away!"

Inu-Yasha growled and raised his claws. "I'll get her back."

"You'll have to go through me!"

"That's the idea."

Kagome folded her legs and sat in front of the fire, knowing the question was coming.

Amber eyes burned into her back through the darkness, followed by the inevitable, "Where were you last night?"

She sighed, poking a stick into the low flames. "Come down."

A branch creaked overhead, and she heard a low 'keh' from the high perch.

"Please?" She bit back another sigh.

"Why?" Inu-Yasha snapped, his voice disembodied in the shadows. "So we can argue more?"

"You asked."

Claws dug deep into bark, sending pried bits tumbling down. "Never mind," he muttered.

Kagome chewed her lower lip, gathering her nerve. "I'll tell you."

"Just go to bed."

"But—," she forced herself to pull away from the fire and face the tree.

"Goodnight," Inu-Yasha growled.

"Look," she started. "I'm sorry. I never meant to—."

"I said goodnight. Drop it," arms she couldn't see folded into the sleeves of a red haori.

Her shoulders sank as the heat of a glower followed, and she felt the sting of building tears. "I'm not the only one," the words rose from the pit of her stomach. "Where do you go?"

Inu-Yasha kept quiet.

"We see her soul-catchers frequently these days."

His breath hitched in pain. "I didn't start first," he whispered hoarsely.

"As if that absolves you?" Kagome wiped moisture from her cheeks. "We're both to blame."

The branch creaked again, and Inu-Yasha leapt down. In the firelight, she saw anger in every line of his face. "Both?" He grabbed her shoulders. "You betrayed me."

Kagome drew back. "How? What was there to betray?" She winced at the pressure of his fingers through her uniform.

"You knew how I felt. We had an understanding."

"An understanding?" Kagome's own anger rose. "I've traveled with you for two years Inu-Yasha. How long was understanding supposed to last?"

"I thought you… loved me…."

"I did. Do."

"Then why—?"

"Because I needed more. Needed your love."

Inu-Yasha looked away, dropping his gaze. "I've given what I can."

She heard what he didn't say; what he couldn't. Another had taken it long ago, and there was no more to give.

"I know," Kagome took his hands from her shoulders. "And that's why I wasn't here last night."

Inu-Yasha's ears drooped.

"All I needed from you was a sign. Something to fill the ache you leave in me every day," she said softly. "Something to show that the last two years of devotion haven't been a waste."

"…Both to blame," he echoed her volume.

"Yes," Kagome cupped his face, drawing his eyes back to hers. "So don't ask me as if you don't know. We both know where the other goes."

Kagome moaned, coming awake slowly, unwilling to swallow down the memory. It was as if a curtain had been drawn back, and all the dark places in her mind lay exposed. She remembered everything leading up to the waterfall. All of it except the last moments before.

She had been with Kouga before Osaki, before Kikyo. He was the one she would sneak off to see. Walking through winding streams, letting the water wash away her scent; hurrying towards the east, spurred by the call of wolves. Memories filled her mind, spilling over to her eyes, and Kagome didn't push them away; she couldn't.

They would go for walks by a river near his clan's cave, talking until the sun had broached the horizon, or sit side-by-side, legs dangling in water, watching fireflies. Kagome remembered the first time Kouga's hand had reached over and closed down on hers; how his palm had been sweaty, and he hadn't been able to meet her eye. The corners of her mouth ached recalling how wide she had smiled.

It may have started from spite and revenge, but she had underestimated the prince of the Eastern Tribe. The charm, the smiles – all of it. He had won her over in a hundred little ways, and soon it wasn't about leaving her friends, but rushing back to his side. He became everything she knew, everything she wanted, and that's why his name had been the one she had woken with in Enomoto.

Kagome's eyes fluttered open and flew wide as the cave came into view. Inu-Yasha and Kouga stood almost over her, hands at each other's throats.

She acted on instinct. "OSWARI!"

Inu-Yasha yelped, and the prayer beads pulled him to the floor. He took Kouga with him, and both ended in a pile on top of her. Kagome cried out as their combined weight crushed her, Inu-Yasha's face mashing into her hipbone, peppering her skin with angry curses.

Kouga landed hard on the hanyou, and the impact pushed the red from his eyes. "Kagome?" He spat out a mouthful of white hair, another clump still gripped in his claws. "Are you alright?"

Kagome nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

Inu-Yasha tried to rise, but the spell only pushed him deeper. "Ger'off me wolf!"

Kouga elbowed his back and used it as leverage to stand.

Inu-Yasha's curses grew more profane, and his teeth clipped Kagome's hip.

She jumped. "Watch it!"

"What'd he do?" Kouga's hand was already reaching back.

"You made him bite me!" Kagome swatted him away.

"Keh," Inu-Yasha smirked into her skin.

"And you," she pushed at the shoulder digging into her chest. "Can get up."

Inu-Yasha braced his arms on either side of her and hoisted himself from her waist. The amber had returned in his gaze, and his ears perked as he met her eye. "You're back? You remember?"

"For the most part," Kagome surveyed the pair. Both were covered in blood and thick scratches, and just enough skin peeked through to show that the dark marks had faded from their faces.

Inu-Yasha, on hands and knees, examined her. "You have a bloody nose."

Kagome's expression soured. "You have a bloody everything."

"No need to get snippy."

"I'll get snippy if I want to. Move!"

"I'm going!"

"Before my birthday…," Kagome shoved his shoulder.

"Mouthy wench."

"Heavy jerk."

Kouga crossed his arms. "Oh yeah," he gave his wife a look that tried for dry, but succeeded only in worry. "You definitely remember."

Kagome lifted her head, her gaze turning soft.

Kouga swallowed.

"I do. I miss your clan's river."

His swallow caught in a lump, refusing to move.

Inu-Yasha got to his feet and began pulling his tattered haori up over his shoulders, watching them from beneath shadowed bangs.

Kagome stared up at the man still swathed in brown fur. "How long have you known?" She whispered.

Kouga extended an arm to help her stand. "It came to me in bits and pieces," he admitted, searching her face. "I remembered most of it by the end of spring, but couldn't bring myself to tell you."

"Why?"

Kouga clutched her palm. "Because I didn't want to find out those river nights were all you ever wanted to give."

Kagome stepped into him, circling her arms around his waist. "You've lived with that? Thinking I wouldn't have chosen you if I knew?" She shook her head against him. "And you haven't seen any of your men… because you were waiting for me?"

Kouga couldn't nod, standing woodenly, dropping his hands limply to his sides.

Inu-Yasha 'hmphed' beside them.

Kagome pulled her face from Kouga's chest, looking to the hanyou. "What happened with you and Kikyo?"

Inu-Yasha's ears drooped low. "I need to retrieve Tessaiga from the village. Are you coming?" He started for the cave's mouth, not waiting for an answer.

Akina rushed about, yanking bowls and cups from the shelves. "Be right with you," she called.

"Take your time, my lady," answered a male voice, oozing charm.

Assessing the pantry, Akina grabbed the remains of last night's roast and a round platter of nuts. Balancing them carefully in her arms, the headwoman made her way back to the room where her guests waited.

Mika was staring at the little one with the tail when she entered. The man who had spoken, wearing the robes of a monk but lacking the virtuous tone of such a calling, rose and moved to help. Pushing his staff into the hands of an armored woman already carrying a two-tailed cat, he tried taking the roast.

"I've got it," Akina maneuvered around him and placed her load on the table. "Thank you though."

Mika peered at the fox-cub-thing. "What's your name?"

The creature darted a nervous glance to the monk. "Shippo."

"I'm six," she said. "How old are you?"

He stuffed a giant clump of tail in his mouth. "Almost twenty."

"Nah-ah. You're tiny!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

Shippo spat his tail out. "Well, I'm a youkai!"

Mika's face lit up with interest. "Like Kouga?"

A collective gasp broke across the room.

"Who?" Sango dropped the staff and swiveled in her chair toward Mika.

She looked startled. "Kouga?"

"You know of him?"

"Know of him? You make him sound famous," Mika giggled. "I know him."

"How?"

"He and Kagome came to Enomoto last summer."

"WHO?!"

"Kagome… his wife."

"WIFE?!"

Akina cleared her throat. "Are you from Kaede-sama's village?" She remembered the couple who'd grown dear to her heart saying they had left to escape reprisal; these could be the people they had run from.

"In a manner," Miroku looked about the room with new interest. "Are… Kouga and Kagome… here now?"

Akina stiffened. "Why?"

Sango noted her reaction and held up placating hands. "They're old friends of ours."

"Really?" Akina motioned for Mika. "What were your names again? I'm sure you've been mentioned before."

Mika hopped from her chair and obediently went to her mother's side.

Sango turned to Miroku. "She must be talking about a different Kagome."

He raised an eyebrow. "We've never encountered another, in all of our travels. She's named after a game that doesn't exist yet," he shook his head. "And a different Kouga as well? Convenient how both went missing last summer."

"But married?"

Miroku faced Akina. "Were they hurt when they arrived?"

"None of—."

"They fell," Mika piped up. "From Osaki."

"Osaki?"

"The waterfall."

Another gasp.

Akina clamped a hand over Mika's mouth. "What do you want with them?"

Shippo dropped his tail and set big eyes on the headwoman. "Is Kagome here? Is she alright?"

"Please tell us," Sango added, suddenly earnest. "I'm Sango, and this is Miroku," she motioned to the man beside her. "We thought the waterfall had claimed them. I… I had given up hope," her voice hitched with sudden emotion. "I stopped believing in her."

"Inu-Yasha was right all along," Miroku frowned, bending low to retrieve his staff. "No wonder he left us to find her."

Akina withdrew her fingers from Mika's mouth. "You traveled with another?"

Sango nodded. "A hanyou."

"Have you seen him?" Miroku rose, righting the staff. "White hair. Dog ears."

"Foul temper," Shippo contributed.

Mika's mouth fell open. "Big sword?"

"Yes!"

Mother and daughter shared a look.

"He came to the village this morning," Akina grew quiet. "He attacked Kouga and kidnapped Kagome."

Sango sighed. "Sounds like Inu-Yasha."

"Kouga left to rescue her," Mika stepped from her mother and spoke to Shippo, shifting in place. "He's been gone all day."

The kistune heard her fear and crossed the table, stopping at its wooden lip and smiling down. "Don't worry. Those three have been friends a long time. They won't really hurt each other."

"Friends?" Akina frowned. "No. Kagome didn't know the hanyou. She said so herself."

Miroku's brow creased. "That's impossible. She's known him since she first came to our world. Kagome could never forget Inu-Yasha. She loves him."

Mika crossed her arms. "No. She loves Kouga."

Shippo jumped from the table, landing beside her. "Does not."

"Does to!"

"Not!"

"To!"

Akina raised a hand, and both children fell silent, dropping their heads. "What do you mean 'our world'?" She asked, gauging Miroku.

He opened his mouth just as Sango pushed back her chair, turning to the door with narrowed eyes. "Someone's coming."

Running footsteps sounded in the quiet, and fingers appeared in the corner of the door hide, pulling it open. A woman glanced in, spotted Akina, and gave a relieved cry. "My lady! Kouga has returned with Kagome!"

"When?"

"Just now," the woman brushed sweaty bangs from her face. "The hanyou's with them, and all are covered in blood."

"Show me Itsumi," Akina led a procession from her hut as the taijiya and monk fell into step, crossing Enomoto's square with lengthening strides that vied for first place. Shippo and Mika had to run to keep up.

Itsumi adjusted a wide, leather strap over her chest as she quickened her pace. A small head with closed eyes peeked out from her back, fast asleep.

Mika pointed to the face. "That's Hisa."

Shippo nodded absently, not listening.

"She's youngest in the village," Mika ignored his disinterest, crooking a finger back and forth, as if to amuse the infant.

Hisa breathed softly and didn't stir, despite her mother's speed and conversation. Itsumi spoke in hushed tones to Akina, and the two put distance between the newcomers.

"Kouga's jaw and knuckles are broken," she whispered. "Hiro is tending his wounds now."

"And the hanyou? He's with them?"

"Yes," Itsumi glanced over her shoulder. Miroku and Sango had slowed, engrossed in their own exchange. "Kagome is treating him."

"Kagome?"

Itsumi nodded. "They're in the healing hut."

The spaced troop reached the edge of Enomoto in minutes, and Akina drew back Hiro's door without announcement, squinting into the dim.

Two bare-chested men, both scowling, sat side by side. Kagome knelt next to Inu-Yasha, winding a bandage around his shoulder and side in jerking, halted motions, yanking and pulling harder than was needed for pressure. The hanyou jumped as she tied gauze tightly over his wound, and muttered, "That's for my nose."

Inu-Yasha glared. "I said I was sorry."

Kagome reached for a jar of healing salve. "Not as sorry as I'll make you."

Akina cleared her throat, and the pair looked up. "Is everyone alright?"

Hiro rose from his crouch, wiping his hands together. "More or less."

Itsumi entered, followed by the entourage of visitors, sidling up next to the headwoman to make room.

"Who are these people?" Hiro looked warily at Miroku, taking in his staff and sealed right hand.

"They say they're friends of Kagome," Akina watched the young woman, waiting for her reaction.

Kagome peered at the shadowed group, letting her sight readjust after the flash of bright outside. Colors and faces came into view, and shock widened her eyes. She stood slowly, letting the healing ointment tumble forgotten from her palm, crashing to the floor and sending clay fragments everywhere into the silence.

"KAGOME!" Shippo launched himself through the air and clamped hold of her neck. "YOU'RE ALIVE!"

She felt hot, wet tears on her collar and wrapped shaking arms around the little form. "Shippo?"

A furry face nodded into her skin. "I've missed you so much!"

Miroku and Sango surged forward, crying out and crashing into her together, pulling her into a fierce hug.

"Where have you been?"

"How did you survive the waterfall?"

"Are you alright?"

"Where's your school uniform?"

"Have you been looking for the shards by yourself?"

"We thought we'd never see you again!"

Kagome blinked back tears and gently pushed against the chests crushing her. "I'm alright. Really."

Sango kept hold of her friend's shoulders, withdrawing only enough to see her face. "Why didn't you try to find us?"

Someone coughed into their fist, and they turned at the sound, seeing Kouga get to his feet. "It's a long story," he spoke through a cracked jaw, wincing at the effort.

Miroku and Sango took in his dried blood and the deep gashes across his face and front. He stood gingerly, waiting for their anger, knowing the day he had long fought against had finally arrived.

Sango found Inu-Yasha in the poor light, sitting sullenly, and frowned. "What did you do?"

Inu-Yasha scoffed. "Nothing that wasn't deserved."

"Deserved?" Miroku joined the taijiya's frown. "You fool. Kouga SAVED Kagome."

"We were worried sick, and arrive to find you attacked the man who's protected her all this time?"

"Protected?" He growled. "He concealed her for a YEAR."

Kouga cringed. "I didn't—," he began.

"You don't need to defend yourself," Sango interrupted. "He's being an idiot," she stepped over Inu-Yasha and, without warning, began kicking and stomping his shoulders and chest.

"Ow! Hey!" Inu-Yasha lifted his arms as dirty boots rained down. "Stop!"

Miroku joined her, boxing sensitive dog ears with wooden sandals. "We thought you were going to kill yourself, not Kouga!"

"Would you rather I have done so?" Inu-Yasha snarled.

"At least you would have died an unselfish, non-jealous, self-pitying lump!"

"You are SO ungrateful!" Sango stamped harder. "Kagome is alive because of him!"

Akina, Itsumi, and Hiro backed up, drawing together.

"They're… friends?" Itsumi asked hesitantly.

"The kind that put Teru and Umi to shame," Hiro shook his head.

Akina joined him, shaking her own. "I don't think any know what shame is."

Kagome, still holding Shippo, palmed the air. "That's enough! You're going to reopen his wounds."

Sango and Miroku paused mid-trample, and Inu-Yasha peeked out from behind spread fingers.

"There's a lot to fill you in on," she looked over at Kouga. "A lot to explain."

"Indeed," Akina nodded. "What did the monk mean saying 'our world'?"

Kagome and Inu-Yasha paled.

"There's more than I thought," Kagome bowed her head until bangs hid her face. "I need time to put words to it all. I'll finish up here and meet everyone in the common. I want the whole village to know the truth," her jaw tightened. "All of it."

"But—."

Hiro took Akina's elbow. "I think that would be best Sister. These two have lost more blood than any human could survive. They need attention first."

The headwoman acquiesced, her reluctance obvious. "Fine. I'll call Enomoto together."

"Kagome?" Itsumi shifted the strap across her chest, questions darkening her eyes.

"Don't worry," the young woman smiled. "It's alright. A prophecy told to me last year is drawing near. That's why they've come. After, Enomoto will return to normal."

"Prophecy?" Itsumi looked warily to Miroku and Sango. "They bring danger?"

"No," warm hands extracted Shippo. "I do," Kagome patted the kitsune, and he jumped down.

Shippo watched everyone move toward the door, hesitating. "After this danger," he fidgeted with his tail. "You'll come back with us, won't you?"

Kagome's smile faltered. "Now's not the time Shippo. We'll talk later."

His features went wide. "But—."

"Go," she crouched and palmed his back, giving it a gentle push. "I don't want to say goodbye here."

"G-Goodbye?" Tears built in his face.

Miroku wordlessly stooped and scooped the kitsune to his shoulder, not meeting Kagome's eye. "She said she'd explain," he gripped the door hide with white knuckles. "For now, let her treat Inu-Yasha."

She tried catching his gaze, but he vanished into the sunlight. The rest filed out silently, and the door closed, returning the hut to shadow. Kagome's smile dropped completely, and she clenched fists to her side. "Why did you have to come Inu-Yasha?" She asked again, this time in accusation. "It would've been better for us all if you'd just stayed away."

Inu-Yasha scowled. "Better for who? Osaki has tortured us every day."

"I won't go back."

"Then we'll continue to suffer."

"You speak of their pain, yet come on your own agenda."

"I came because—."

"Because you needed to fix a mistake."

Inu-Yasha shifted uneasily as she sat down next to him. Kouga and Hiro studied her sunken shoulders and turned-down mouth, knowing the signs of building wrath and suddenly working to blend in with the wall.

Kagome started picking up the broken pieces of the salve jar with steady fingers, and when she spoke next, the words came so softly, the trio almost missed them. "There's one thing I still can't remember," she continued, gathering fragments in her palm, slow and deliberately calm, setting the healer and wolf's teeth on edge. "What did I see at the top of Osaki? What made me run? What hurt Miroku, Sango, and Shippo even before I fell?"

"Before?" Inu-Yasha was oblivious to his compatriots' trepidation. "What makes you think—?"

"I know," her eyes lifted from the floor. "No more lies."

Inu-Yasha swallowed hard. "Why ask now?"

"Because I deserve to hear it," an edge crept into her voice. "You break in making claims, acting hurt, and touting guilt, but won't say what happened," a flash of fury – only a hint of the swirling torrent gathering strength inside her – sparked her gaze. "You're hiding what my mind most wanted me protected from."

"I'm not—."

"Shut up," Kagome said flatly. "Tell me."

Inu-Yasha's ears parted, disappearing into his hair. "Why should—?"

"I won't ask again," the chill and detachment in her voice made him shudder, bringing Kikyo to mind.

He swallowed, feeling his own anger spark. "You really want to know?"

"Obviously not," Kagome snorted. "You hurt me in a way I never wanted to know again. I made you disappear."

"But not really," he referenced her dreams, trying to keep his anger alight against the dousing resolve of her tone.

"You were just a phantom; a ghost of someone I used to know," Kagome curled her lip in uncharacteristic disgust. "And now you've come, hoping to seed doubt and regret," blue-gray eyes flicked to his, full of accusation that seared with truth. "I won't let you. You can't leave and ruin Enomoto for me. Tell me why I fell."

Inu-Yasha gathered a shaking breath, trying to find strength in the shame of his memory, realizing there was nowhere to hide. He had to speak. "We were fighting Naraku. And losing. You remember Naraku?"

Kagome didn't have to nod; her arm wavered over the final clay piece.

"He gave me a choice," Inu-Yasha closed his eyes, unable to bear her reaction, knowing Kouga and Hiro were watching intently. "He said I could only save one of you – that the soul couldn't remain in two bodies."

A sharp gasp filled the healing hut.

"Part of my soul belongs to a priestess," she mouthed his words from the cave as the world dropped out beneath her

Inu-Yasha flicked his eyes open. "He made me choose Kagome. I didn't want to," he leaned over, grabbing her jar-filled hands. "You have to believe me. He said he would strip you both of the soul if I didn't choose."

Kagome froze as the agonizing realization hit. "You picked…," she closed her eyes. "Her."

His voice broke. "I was wrong. I chose wrong. I'm sorry."

Her mind whirled, flashing fleeting excuses before dimming to muddy, resigned soup, unable to protect her any longer. "You were going to let me die."

"I would've done anything to save you."

"Except pick me to stay."

"I made a mistake."

"Mistake!?" She choked on his answer. "You bartered away my soul."

"But now I can make it right. Choose right."

Kagome's stared at the wall, seeing far-away. "I remember. The wind was so strong up there," goosebumps rose unconsciously. "Naraku held Kikyo and was reaching for me. He was smiling."

"Stop," Inu-Yasha face looked gaunt in the shadows, eaten by agony. "Let me make this right."

"No," she shook her head. "It was too late the moment you hesitated at Naraku's ultimatum. I saw it. Your indecision," her hands tightened around the sharp pieces of the jar. "Kikyo was already dead – had already lived – but you said her name anyway."

"She died thinking I had betrayed her."

"So you'd let that fate fall to me?" Her words were hard. "Let me burn in eternity with it?"

His hands still cupped hers, and Kagome felt remorse through the contact. Aching regret pressed heavy into her skin. "Why am I still here then?" She looked to her mentor in the ways of miko-lore. "I still have my soul."

Hiro cleared his throat, uncomfortable interjecting. "I think because of Enomoto's protective shield against youkai. Your enemy probably couldn't find you after we brought you back to the village."

"You told me it warded off only lesser demons."

"It must have been stronger than I realized. Maybe you strengthened it with the power you naturally possess by sheer proximity."

Kagome shook off Inu-Yasha's hold, her hands becoming fists. "That's why Naraku's coming for me," the fragments broke into shards that drew blood. "Not for the shikon-no-tama, but for something you gave away."

"I'm sorry Kagome," lines of wet appeared, streaking the hanyou's face. "You've been lost this entire time because of me."

"No, not lost," she stared detachedly at the red dripping from her palms, and opened them, releasing bits of baked clay into her lap. "Home."

"I can—."

"Stop," the red reached her elbows. "I needed you to betray me," she heaved a sigh, weighted with painful resignation. "I loved you so blindly back then." Kagome raised her head and looked at the familiar face that had once caused her such anguish. "Even after Kouga, I still couldn't leave you. Not until you had done the unforgivable."

"B-But I'm here to change," Inu-Yasha stammered. "To be better."

"You can't."

"Let me try."

"No Inu-Yasha," his name left her lips with finality. "I love another. And I love him more than you could ever feel or know."