Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. All I own is my own little universe… mostly imaginary, but hey, it's mine.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Chances Lost

August 26

"I may no longer have my powers," snarled Kikyo, "But I can still put an arrow through your black heart!"

"Try it!" Inuyasha crouched and flexed his claws. "C'mon and try it, you bi…"

"INUYASHA!" yelled Sango. "Kikyo! Stop this!"

But the arrow flew.

Nimbly, Inuyasha dodged the arrow, though he may have lost a few strands of silver hair in the process. With one powerful push of his legs, the dog demon flew into the air, pulling back one clawed hand to prepare to strike. When gravity began to tug him back to earth he pushed off of a nearby tree to give him even more momentum as he aimed straight for Kikyo.

"No!" cried Miroku as he threw up a barrier to protect the pregnant ex-miko. "Inuyasha, get a hold of yourself."

With a "Keh", Inuyasha landed gracefully a few feet away from the monk, carefully avoiding the barrier (those things could HURT). "Stand aside," he growled fiercely. "She wants to fight, I'll give her a fight."

"She is with child," joined another voice, this one feminine and pleading.

"That's her excuse for everything, Sango! I'm sick of it!"

Kikyo shot an arrow at the barrier, but it fell harmlessly to the ground. "Let him through," she fumed as she pulled out another arrow. "He is no threat to me. And I will kill him for what he has done."

Sango rubbed the bridge of her nose and took a calming breath. "Kikyo, this is not helping. Please calm down."

"Let the barrier down!" called a surly looking Shippo, who was watching the fight with interest from a tree branch. He was sitting with his arms crossed belligerently, in a pose that Inuyasha was often found in.

"Hush, Shippo. Kikyo, put down the bow."

Kikyo proceeded to swear at Sango for her interference in a way that would have made Inuyasha proud had he not hated her guts at the moment. The dog demon could tell that the slayer was sorely tempted to have her husband lower the barrier. He hoped she would. He hoped that she would want the same vengeance that he thirsted after. He drew his sword in anticipation.

However, he was disappointed.

Instead of making her husband lower the barrier, Sango merely closed her eyes and clenched her fists at her sides, drawing in a deep calming breath. Her battle aura was flaring brightly, making the men unconsciously take one step back. When she opened them again she didn't look much calmer, so Inuyasha held out hope that she'd see things his way and lower the barrier.

"I am sorely tempted to take my husband and my child and let the two of you tear each other asunder." She ignored Shippo's squawk of annoyance that he had been left out. "For three days the two of you have been arguing, fighting, and trying to kill each other. This ends today. It ends now!"

"But she…."

"I know what she did, Inuyasha."

"He…"

"I know what he did, Kikyo." She shot a glare at the two combatants. "And to be honest, I just do not care. The both of you are over reacting."

"She didn't call when the connection to Kagome's world opened," Inuyasha accused, pointing his sword at the offending person. "She took away my chance… our chance to see Kagome! We haven't seen her in a month, Sango. A MONTH! Who knows when we'll ever see her again! She took that away from me!"

"I TOLD you that Kagome was not there, you idiotic demon! The only person there was my daughter!"

"LIAR! That's not the way it works!"

She drew another arrow and shot it, cursing as it fell uselessly to the ground. "I am no liar, dog. And YOU disrupted the magic when you crashed through the water! I have not seen my daughter, my flesh and blood, for a month and YOU ruined it! What if that was my last chance to ever see my baby again? You MONSTER! You took her away from me because of your petty jealousies!" She reached for another arrow, when she found it empty she threw the quiver at him. "It was her BIRTHDAY!"

"Drop the barrier, Miroku," commanded Inuyasha.

A trickle of sweat dripped down the monk's face, but other than that he looked calm and serene. "Now, Inuyasha. Let us try to be reasonable."

Inuyasha gave him a suggestion of what he could do with 'reasonable'.

"My friend, I understand why you are angry. I understand how you feel cheated out of your rare chance to see our comrade. Our family." He looked at Kikyo from the corner of his eye, suddenly giving Inuyasha hope that maybe the monk could be 'reasonable' and let the barrier down so he could dish out a little punishment. "However," Inuyasha hated that word, it always meant that things weren't going to go his way, "Without Kikyo, you would have no chance of ever seeing Kagome again."

"Fine!" he huffed, "I won't kill her."

"Maiming isn't killing," muttered Shippo, which earned him one smirk and two frowns.

"No maiming. No killing. No anything. You will sit quietly and talk like civilized beings. You will talk about this without yelling, screaming, calling names, throwing punches, shooting arrows, kicking, pulling hair, scratching, biting, or in any way do any sort of harm to the other," instructed the demon slayer angrily. "Or I will cut your legs off and throw you down the cliff myself!"

Everyone gulped.

"Inuyasha," she snapped, "Take Shippo and go get firewood." She pointed at Kikyo. "You start hunting for berries that we passed along the way." She pointed at Miroku next. "You, take your son and set up camp."

"W..w..what about you?" asked a very nervous fox kit.

Inuyasha grabbed Shippo by the tail and tossed him up on his shoulder, asking him if he had some sort of death wish. The kit trembled when Sango turned her fiery gaze on him.

"I am going to go hunt dinner. I seem to be in the mood to kill something."

The group nodded silently and backed slowly away to go do their assigned chores. They stayed silent as dinner was prepared, each warily eyeing the giant wild boar who had seemingly died a very painful death roasting on the spit. Her mood hadn't seemed to improve much, but at least it wasn't one of them who ended up on the receiving end of her sword.

"Is she always this intense?" whispered Kikyo to Miroku.

"You should have seen her when she was pregnant…" he replied.

Apparently being a mother meant that she had superhuman hearing, since Sango caught the conversation easily. She moved to stand and Miroku felt that it was the perfect time for everyone to get ready for bed. Cheerily he bade everyone a good night. Inuyasha rolled his eyes as the monk confessed his love to his wife, his own particular way of begging for forgiveness. Shippo decided to sleep across the fire from the slayer. Kirara decided to join him, even she was a bit scared of Sango at the moment.

Inuyasha picked up a skewer of meat and watched as one by one they fell asleep. He cared for them. For each of them. But Kagome left a gaping hole in his life. In everyone's life.

"Inuyasha, why are you such an idiot?"

The dog demon sputtered, nearly chocking on the boar meat he had been absently chewing. Of course, dinner was hours ago and the meat was charred nearly beyond recognition, but it was still edible.

"WHAT?"

Kikyo looked at him straight in the eye. "Do you really wish to wake the others?"

He simply growled at her. He was used to being called an idiot from Shippo. And Miroku. Okay, and sometimes Sango. He suspected Kirara did too, though she tries to look all cute and innocent. But he wasn't about to take this from Kikyo!

"I ain't no idiot!" he hissed.

"You are still too loud." She stood up. It was a bit awkward now that she was starting to round out and could no longer exactly spring to her feet. "Walk with me."

He glared at her suspiciously. "Leave the bow."

She glared back. "Leave the sword."

By silent agreement they decided to take their weapons after all. They walked into the woods quietly, unwilling to wake the demon slayer. Inuyasha let Kikyo lead. Maybe they were going towards water. Maybe they were going to go see Kagome! The dog demon perked up immediately and began to pick up speed.

Kikyo stopped suddenly after several minutes. Inuyasha looked around but saw no sign of water. Then he sniffed the air. Nothing. His ears drooped.

"What?" he asked impatiently, irritated that they weren't on a trip to wait for the reflections to show the other world.

"I love my family and the life I have on the other side of the mirror," she said. "I adore my husband and cherish my child. The moment the wish Kagome and I made failed, I realized that my place was beside Hojo. I love him dearly. We married as soon as it was possible and Kaede soon followed. My own family."

"Yeah, so?"

Irritatingly she didn't show any… well… irritation. "The wish failed because I did not truly wish to be back here, and Kagome did not truly wish to be there."

"And?" Inuyasha crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Kikyo leaned against a tree and narrowed her eyes at him. "The wish failed four years ago, Inuyasha, because she wished to stay by your side. Why have you not taken Kagome as your mate?"

"Gah!" Startled, Inuyasha dropped his arms and backed up quickly, tripping over a gnarled root and fell on his backside. "WHAT?"

"I have wondered if perhaps we are unable to reach back to where we belong because you did not bind yourself to her as I did to my husband."

"WHAT?"

"Why?"

"That's none of your business!" he sputtered as he sat up on his haunches and turned his head to the side, prepared to ignore her. A small rock hit him on the side of his head. He turned in time to dodge the next one coming at him. "What is the matter with you?"

"None of my business? NONE OF MY BUSINESS? My husband and child are on the other side of that reflection, demon. Anything that may be the cause of our separation is most assuredly MY business!" She stooped to pick another small rock. "Is it that you do not love her enough to bind her?"

"Don't be stupid," he growled.

"Or do you fear she does not love you enough." She studied him for a moment. "Or at all. Is that why?"

His jaw clenched. "You don't know what you're talking about! So just SHUT UP!"

Another rock beaned him in the head. This time he picked up the offending projectile and flung it back at her. Missing her head by a hair's breadth. He was disappointed that she didn't even flinch. She knew he wouldn't really hit her, just try to come close enough to scare her. How annoying. All bets were off once she birthed the kid though.

"Why have you wasted so much time, Inuyasha?" Her voice was soft now, pitying. "I have spent these past years thankful for every moment I get to spend with my husband and my child. Why have you not… surely Kagome did not turn you down?"

"Leave me alone."

"Are you ashamed to have a human for a mate?"

"WHAT?"

She smirked. "You are ashamed of Kagome?" She made a tsk-ing sound. "And I thought you cared for the girl more than that."

"Of course I care for her! I couldn't let her be stuck with… oh just shut up and leave me alone!" He crouched down lower and looked away again. "I couldn't ask her to be with me… not in that way."

"Why? Is something wrong with her?"

"Stop saying that! There is nothing wrong with Kagome!"

Kikyo carefully lowered herself to sit beside him. "Then perhaps you are keeping your options open in case someone better comes along."

"Don't be an idiot! There's no one better than… Quit talking to me. Go back to camp."

Kikyo was silent for a few moments. Inuyasha wondered just how much trouble he would get into for abandoning her out here if he took off for camp on his own. Or maybe go for a run. Or go kill something for breakfast.

"Kagome loves you exactly the way you are. She had intended to spend the rest of her life being at your side in whatever way you let her. She cares not for what others say to her or about her. Your friends accept the relationship the two of you have, and would celebrate joyously when you decide to cement it. I do not understand why you would not take that one last step."

"I'd mess it up."

"Hmm?"

He turned his head and snarled at her. "You heard me. I like my life with Kagome. I like things the way they are. Why should we change it? If I try to change things… I don't want to mess up things just because…" he trailed off, realizing he was giving away too much information to the enemy.

"Because?"

"Never mind."

"Because you want things to be more… intimate?"

Inuyasha shot to his feet and landed several feet away. "I ain't talkin' about THAT! I'm no pervert!"

Kikyo smiled. "What a man and woman do in the bonds of marriage is not perve…"

"I ain't listening!"

With a chuckle Kikyo began to stand. "Inuyasha. It's perfectly normal to want tho…"

"Shut UP!"

She brushed the leaves off her legs. "Fine. But just know that if things never change, they can never grow." Slowly she began walking towards camp. "Kagome may not be content with simply friendship forever. One day she will want a husband and a child of her own." Inuyasha heard her mumble to herself, "She just better not pick mine!"

The dog demon sighed and looked up at the stars through the canopy of leaves. Could it really be his fault? Would she not have been torn from his side if he had mated her? He ran a tired hand over his eyes.

"YOU BETTER BIND HER WHEN YOU GET HER BACK!" screamed Kikyo as she walked on.

Inuyasha smiled faintly. It was the one command he planned on following.

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Author's Note:

Thank you for the reviews! They really help keep an author motivated.

Sorry it took so long to update, I was out of town for awhile and was without my beloved computer. I was going through major withdrawals! It's good to have the Internet again.