Note: I think I might just start updating this every other day for a little while since my arms are still kinda sore from those needles being stuck in me.

Also, with Kaori, there will be times were she runs really fast like Inuyasha (since they are faster than normal humans) but there will be times where she paces herself to run along side her human friends, like was done at the end of the previous chapter.

Anyways, here is something you should know. This fanfiction has songs! Three! It only took me a few moments to figure out what songs to use for this. I figured it out...a couple days ago I think; I don't really remember, fuck! DX

Theme Song/Opening Song For This Story: Haruka Kanata

Ending Song For This Story: Tsukiakari no Michishirube

Inuyasha and Kaori's song: Hyakunen no Koi

Chapter Twenty-Five: Heart-Broken and Torn

Kaori and Kagome slowly walked closer to Kikyo.

"Do you think she's sleeping?" Kagome whispered to Kaori.

Kaori looked at Kagome and shrugged, whispering: "Hell if I know." They were both standing right in front of her now. "She looks sad," she continued, still whispering. Kagome nodded in agreement.

Kikyo's eyes suddenly opened and she sat up. She stared at the girls. "I see that my barrier wasn't strong enough to prevent you from finding me."

"Barrier? What barrier?" Kagome questioned. "I don't remember seeing anything like that!"

"That explains why Shippo and Miroku aren't with us. The barrier must've stopped them," Kaori stated, looking back towards where they came.

Kagome looked at the sky to see the demons carrying souls. She looked back at Kikyo. "Are you the one who's been luring those souls away?! It is, isn't it?! You got to stop! Please set them free!"

"Is he not here with you?" Kikyo asked.

"Uh..." Kagome grunted out.

"No." Kaori looked at Kikyo. "He isn't with us. He went to look for you."

"Tell me. What is your relationship with him?" Kikyo questioned, staring at Kaori.

"Uh...well..." Kaori didn't know how to answer that question.

"That's a hard question to answer," Kagome commented.

Kikyo placed two of her fingers from both of her hands onto Kagome and Kaori's forehead. The girls suddenly found themselves unable to move. "This will keep you from interfering." Soon enough, Kagome and Kaori were pinned to the tree by the soul carrying demons. Kikyo gripped onto one of the souls and obsorbed it. "Inuyasha has come. I'm afraid he hasn't come to save you both. His purpose lies with seeing me." She gave the girls a cold stare. "You will not interfere."

"Interfere?" Kagome questioned.

"You still want to kill Inuyasha, don't you?! He didn't try to kill you!" Kaori yelled. "Don't be blinded by your hatred!"

"Yeah!" Kagome exclaimed. "Inuyasha would have never taken your life, Kikyo." Kagome sent a small smile Kikyo's way.

"Hmph," Kikyo grunted. "Someone caused my premature demise. The dead have but one wish: to walk amongst the living once again; a wish that will never be realized. However, this dead woman can wish for one thing. I wish for a heart; the heart of a man who I'll shall never allow to forget me. That is my desire."

"What...?" Kaori questioned.

"You'll never allow him to forget about you?" Kagome questioned. "You mean Inuyasha?"

"Who else would she mean?!" Kaori yelled at her.

"It is clear that Inuyasha wishes for my death," Kikyo stated. "That is a good thing because it means he feels remorse for our dispute. Let him feel remorseful. I shall never allow him to forget about me. Time will not advance thus allowing me to exist in a dimension in which time is frozen." Kikyo smirked a bit. "I can live on inside his heart."

"You are a bitch, you know that?" Kaori glared at Kikyo.

"You are always in Inuyasha's mind. Why can't you be satisfied with that?" Kagome asked Kikyo. "He hasn't forgotten you all these years. He thinks about you all the time."

"The love you speak of is but a shallow emotion," Kikyo stated.

"Your hatred is pointless!" Kagome exclaimed.

Inuyasha appeared.

"Inuyasha, tell this annoying...dead rude woman that Naraku tricked you two so we can go back to having a little peace," Kaori said, looking towards Inuyasha.

"Yeah." Kagome nodded, looking at Inuyasha as well.

Inuyasha didn't look at the girls and approached Kikyo. It was like...he couldn't see them. He approached Kikyo. "...Kikyo."

"He...didn't hear us...?" Kaori thought. She glared at Kikyo more. "That bitch made it where he can't see or hear us, didn't she?!"

"So you were the one doing it, gathering the souls of the dead women," Inuyasha said.

Kikyo looked at him. "I must gather those souls in order for my body to sustain and remain here. Inuyasha, you must despise me. It is my hatred for you that has drawn me to such actions."

"That's just ludicrous! You may hate me but the feeling is not neutral! Kikyo, I never stopped thinking about you; not even for an instant."

Kaori felt her heart break. "...I thought as such... He still loves her... He'd never truly love me... I am just...a replacement..." Tears began to form in her eyes and her demon neko ears drooped down in sadness.

"Kaori..." Kagome looked at her, frowning. She looked back at Kikyo and Inuyasha.

"I could never hate you. It's your spirit that I care for, not your appearance," Inuyasha said.

"Truly Inuyasha, you wouldn't?" Kikyo touched Inuyasha's cheek. "You wouldn't despise me I used these hands to drain the life from you?" Inuyasha's eyes widened as Kikyo closed hers and kissed him. He didn't shut his eyes.

"She's kissing him!" Kagome thought, blushing slightly.

"...Damn you, Kikyo..." Kaori thought.

Kikyo hugged Inuyasha. "I longed to embrace you like this when I was alive." Inuyasha slowly hugged her back and held her. "Please, allow me to embrace you for a little longer."

"I was such an idiot... Thinking you'd love me more..." Kaori mumbled, staring at Kikyo and Inuyasha.

"It'll be okay," Kagome reassured her. "Think happy thoughts. Inuyasha still cares about you, even if he doesn't love you like he loves her."

Kaori half-smiled. "Yeah... That'll be good enough for me... As long as he still cares about me, him loving Kikyo more...will be just fine..."

"If only time could stand still," Inuyasha said.

"Would you agree to that? If I did stop time?" Kikyo asked.

"Yes. I don't care as long as... I'm with you," Inuyasha said. He fell unconscious in Kikyo's arms.

Suddenly a hole opened up underneath them, dragging in the souls that were flying around.

"Inuyasha, I will never let you go. Come with me to the depths of Hell," Kikyo said.

"He's gonna get dragged in!" Kagome exclaimed.

"Inuyasha! Snap out of it! She'll lead you right to your doom!" Kaori yelled. "Kikyo, you can't kill him! Let Inuyasha kill Naraku! He wishes to avenge your death! He wants to be with you!" Kaori hated herself for admitting the following statement. "I despise you greatly because you still have his complete love. I wanted him to love me but that doesn't matter anymore because he loves you and he always will! I know he will! Please, let him get rid of Naraku and avenge you!"

Kikyo pulled away from Inuyasha and attacked the girls, barely missing them. Kaori and Kagome stared at her with wide eyes. "Would avenging me revive me? I think not," Kikyo said. She gripped onto Inuyasha as they both started to move down into the hole.

"You are down right evil!" Kagome exclaimed.

"Damn straight! I can't believe he'd love a bitch like you over me!" Kaori yelled.

"That sounded a bit selfish," Kagome commented.

"I noticed but I don't care," Kaori stated. "Kikyo! Let him go! Don't you fucking ignore me! I said hands off of him!"

"Let him go now!" Kagome yelled.

Suddenly, Kikyo's soul began to drag out of her again because of Kagome. "I need to hurry. Come Inuyasha." Kikyo dragged Inuyasha into the hole more.

"Inuyasha, wake up damn it! We need you! I need you!" Kaori started to cry. "INUYASHAAAA!"

Inuyasha's eyes opened a little. "...Kaori...?" He looked towards the tree and spotted Kagome & Kaori. "Kaori!" He moved away from Kikyo and jumped over to the girls. He slashed the demons, releasing the girls. "What are you two doing here?" Inuyasha gripped Kaori's face. "What are you crying? What happened?"

"I'm the one who should be asking that question!" Kagome yelled. "And you are the one who made her cry!"

"I did?" Inuyasha looked at Kagome then back at Kaori. "I..."

The three of them looked at Kikyo. She stood up in the hole that she created, which was now closed up from dragging her to Hell. "Does she mean more to you than me?"

Inuyasha looked at Kaori, blushed slightly, then looked back at Kikyo.

"Inuyasha, never forget. Don't forget how it felt with my lips against yours," Kikyo said. She moved to the sky and vanished.

Kagome dragged Kaori away from the area.

"Hey, where are you going?" Inuyasha asked, following them.

"Stay away from us, Inuyasha," Kagome said. "I don't want you to be around Kaori for a while."

Kaori was quiet, avoiding eye contact with Inuyasha and staring at her feet.

"What is this all about?" Inuyasha questioned.

"I think we should go separate ways. At least, for a little while," Kagome said. "Kaori needs to see Sota and the others again. We can look for jewels on our own and you can look for jewels on your own...with Shippo and Miroku."

"What are you talking about? I won't be able to find them without you two," Inuyasha said.

"Is that all you care about?" Kagome asked. "Are we just your jewel detectors?"

"Uh..." Inuyasha hesitated a bit. He wasn't sure what he thought anymore.

"Forgot what she said," Kaori said softly. "She wasn't thinking... Me and her wouldn't last very long without you and the others. We'd lose our minds if it was just me and her talking to one another..."

"Kaori... Are you alright?" Inuyasha asked. "Did she see...?"

"We saw everything..." Kaori mumbled. She turned to look at Inuyasha. "From start to finish..."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Kaori, I-"

"Don't start... It's okay, really... I'll be fine... Our kiss that we had searched that one time, it meant nothing to me..." Kaori said, lying as tears threaten to fall again.

"Come on." Kagome started to pull Kaori away. "You need some time away from him."

"Wait, I-" Inuyasha was interrupted.

"Sit!" Kagome exclaimed. Inuyasha faceplanted. The girls walked away.

It was no longer dark by the time the girls reached the well. Kagome dragged Kaori closer to the well. Inuyasha, Shippo, and Miroku were nearby, watching. Kaori noticed this when her ears twitched a little at the slightest movement one of the guys caused.

"Kagome," Kaori tried to tell her.

"We are going to see the family. You need some time away from here," Kagome stated.

"...Okay..." Kaori whispered. "Maybe she is right... I do need some time away from him... I am heartbroken by the fact that he loves Kikyo still and I am sure he is torn between choosing her or me... We must be away from one another for a little while... Besides, I'll be safe from Naraku and Kikyo's wrath in Kagome's time. Plus, I get to see Sota again...and Mrs. Higurashi and Grandpa... Will they still love me?"

The girls jumped into the well.

"And there they go. Exactly what did they see when you were with Kikyo?" Miroku asked Inuyasha.

"The same thing you do with a woman," Inuyasha stated.

"Wha?!" Miroku blushed. "You did that in front of Kagome and Kaori?!"

Inuyasha blushed too and looked at Miroku. "Maybe you should explain what you do with women!"

"Will they come back?" Shippo asked.

"I don't know," Inuyasha said.

"Kikyo must not have gotten far. Will you go after her?" Miroku asked.

Inuyasha didn't answer. Kagome returned and was at the bottom of the well.

"I can't believe I forgot my things," Kagome said. She heard the guys.

"You got to chose Inuyasha!" Miroku said. "Which one is it?"

"Kikyo or Kaori?" Shippo asked.

"Can't I have both of them?" Inuyasha questioned, blushing.

"You two timing...!" Shippo yelled.

"It's possible but...if one of them were to find out," Miroku started.

"SIT!" Kagome shouted. Inuyasha face planted into the ground hard, leaving a hole.

"You have really bad karma, Inuyasha," Shippo stated.

Kaori walked up to the main shrine in Kagome's time. "I hope they will still love me..." She slowly entered the house. "Grandpa? Mr-erm, Mom? Sota?"

"Kaori's back!" she heard Sota cheer.

Kaori walked towards the kitchen and found them eating. They all looked at her and kinda...reacted a bit shocked.

"You have cat ears!" Sota exclaimed, staring at Kaori with wide-eyes.

"Yeah... Turns out I was actually... born in Inuyasha's world," Kaori stated. Sota knew that Kaori wasn't really family but he still thought of her as his biggest and bestest sister.

"That would explain so much!" Sota stood up and ran over to Kaori. He hugged her. "I love you even more now! You are look so awesome!" Kaori smiled and hugged him back.

"Your kimono is beautiful," Mrs. Higurashi commented, smiling. "It suits you."

"I knew she was special from the moment I laid my eyes on her," Grandpa stated. "I knew she was different for a reason."

"Riiight," Kaori said, laughing.

"Sit down and eat with us," Mrs. Higuarashi stated.

Kaori nodded and she & Sota moved to sit down beside each other.

"There was nothing for me to worry about... They still love me... I'm glad..." Kaori smiled to herself.

There's the new chapter! Took all day! I hope you liked it! I didn't know how to end it so I thought "Let's have Kaori show herself to the family that raised her". It was short but kinda nice in a way, no? xD See ya later! Leave a review and ignore any bad grammar! xD