Heyyyy everybody!

Sorry, this took so long. I wanted to get this out sooner but helping out with my sister's wedding took more of my time than I expected. ***TMI Alert AHEAD! If you don't want to hear it, please move to the next paragraph to avoid bodily function stuff. Still here? Okay! I stressed out so much that I didn't poop for four days! It hurt so badly and was not fun! I'm good now though, and the wedding went off with a hitch and I'm happy it's over cause that was STRESSFUL! Maybe now I can go back to trying to get myself into a scheduled routine :) ***TMI Alert OVER***

Anyway, I hope ya'll like this! I'll post up the next update a little sooner than usual to make up for the delay! Enjoy!

Chapter 25: Inuyasha! You're back!

His clothes were soaked dark red with the blood of demons. With only a few miles left to reach the village, Inuyasha was appalled to see so many demons close by. What the hell had happened to draw them so close? Perhaps even more troubling was the constant mention of the Shikon jewel among them. Regardless of how far he could stretch his imagination, he failed to conjure even one reason as to why they would be mentioning the jewel.

"Keh," he grunted, swiping his blade with a full stop to fling off the blood, "whatever. Just a little bit more, and I'll be home."

Then I can finally look for you, Kikyo.

~ • • ~

Packing was quicker than she had expected, and that was greatly attributed to the fact that she had never fully integrated into Kaede's home. All these months, her clothes and her items, every little thing she had brought from her time or had been gifted in this time, she kept in a neat little pile next to her yellow backpack that she never used anymore. Her sleeping mat she always rolled up when she woke and placed against the wall, out of the way and pulled out only when it was time to sleep. So when it came time to fill her backpack, she found the task completed in a matter of minutes.

Kagome untwined and re-twined her fingers, with a long, drawn-out breath that puffed her cheeks. Arching her back, she took another glance around Kaede and towards Rin. Tanaka was no longer there, off to clear out more rubble where a hut was to be rebuilt. Rin, unfortunately, was still not waking. Coma, Kagome refused to say out loud, Rin is in a coma.

Not as concerning but equally disheartening was the lack of evidence on Rin's skin. Whatever markings she had had before were gone, and her skin was as smooth as a peach. Kagome sighed and turned back to her bag. Kaede was sewing fabrics together. Feeling that her efforts to wake Rin were in vain but not wanting to leave the child, she stitched a blanket for a needy villager. It was something Kagome could not help with, her own stitching skills akin to that of an overworked and undereducated surgeon with large, incoherent loops designed for only the most gruesome of patches.

She rummaged through her bag, lifting things and then placing them back exactly where they had been. Anything to keep her hands busy. But when it all became too much, she threw her backpack upside down, spilled out all its contents, and gathered her bathing supplies. With a mess on the floor and a swift goodbye, Kagome ran out of the hut as quickly as she could.

Outside, she took a deep breath. There was so much pressure inside there. From what she couldn't pinpoint, but it had been squeezing her to the point of unease. A relaxing bath was something she needed to calm her high strung nerves and emotions; a saying she felt she had told herself before.

Taking her weapon that rested on the door frame outside, she hooked her bow across her shoulder and placed her arrows and quiver on her back. Danger was imminent. She didn't know where it would come from or when, but she would not be caught off guard again. Protected, she made her way down the river, past Tanaka and his helpers, through a short distance within the thickets, and out onto a bank at the base of a waterfall.

The water here was clear, odd considering the sewage tone the water had upriver. Even stranger was how whatever pollutant there was lingered at that one spot in the river as if it were seeping from the ground beneath and anchored there. Don't think about that now, girl. You're here to relax.

Kagome's clothes fell to the floor. Upon her body, they had felt as heavy as weights, but they slipped off of her as delicately as a feather; a priestess' burden exemplified by her garb. She did not care to neatly fold them this time.

When her toes dipped into the water, her body shivered with delight. It was cold, yes, but it had been so long since she allowed herself to soak uninterrupted or rushed by the call of the village. Not this time, she told herself. An anticipation and a thirsty desire had pushed themselves to the skin of her teeth. She could not let this chance go.

With precious seconds fleeting, she plunged herself into the water. The cold temperature wrapped itself around her in a comforting embrace, and for the first time that day she felt she could breathe. She dove so deep that the light from above began to fade and a blue darkness took its place until she reached the ground and placed her feet into the dirt. Pushing with her legs, she propelled herself upward and broke through the water's surface. She took a deep breath, eyes shut and body bobbing with the water's rocking. The waterfall was a loud, white noise lulling her to rest as she floated towards the bank, with smooth rocks rubbing against her back as she neared the water's end. She looked to her right, where her clothes and bathing items laid a few feet away.

Might as well be a mile, she thought as she contemplated whether to retrieve her items or to continue to enjoy the gentle current that massaged her. If only she had landed closer, she wouldn't have to rise. Responding to her desire but acting without her direction, her power surged to her right hand and caused a spark at her fingertips that shocked her.

"Ah! Dammit, that hurt," she sucked on her index finger in an attempt to alleviate the light burn. Kagome continued to grumble as she stood, the water droplets dripping off her goose-bumped skin as she retrieved her items.

At waist-deep water, she took the shampoo in her hands and massaged it into her hair. She thought of her depleting resources, and the nearly empty bottles of shampoo and conditioner waiting to be filled with less effective, self-made concoctions that would eventually brittle her hair. I'll have to keep it in a braid I guess, she concluded as she undid her tangles.

The roar of the waterfall was too loud. The cry of her thoughts, deafening. She did not hear the rustles in the tree, nor the snarl of the approaching demons. She was only aware of the tranquil sounds.

The trees snapped apart in an explosion, the first to arrive splitting wood and carving the ground with its large claws; a bear demon the size of an oak with crazed eyes and mangy fur. Its ferocious stride was unhindered as it ran into the water, creating waves with each pounding step.

A scream stayed lodged in Kagome's throat; Her legs hesitated to run; her body quaked. Unable to direct her own limbs, Kagome fell backward. Water fell into her eyes and the drumming vibrations of the approaching monster rattled her limbs. It wasn't until a sharp pain erupted from her leg that her body finally jolted into action.

She didn't look at the demon, though she could feel its hot breath behind her, brushing the nape of her neck. She grabbed her weapon, notched the bow, and turned to release the arrow as the demon snarled, "the Shikon jewel! Give it to me! Give me the jewel!" The arrow landed into the demon's shoulder, but no purity expanded from it, and the demon did not slow.

"Dammit!" Kagome cursed as she dodged the demons attack, leaping out of the way and landing in a deeper part of the river. The current was strong and pulled her under. Beneath the water, she saw red mixing with blue before breaking through the surface and catching her ground.

Now there were three; a bear demon, a serpent demon, and an ogre demon. And they were all gunning for her.

Kagome notched another arrow, gave a quick prayer, hoped it would work, and released it. This time the arrow landed at the center of the ogre's face, and after a second of nothing happening, the arrow erupted with the full force of its purity. It was enough to kill the ogre and throw the other two off mid-run, but to Kagome's fright, more demons began to pour out of the trees.

With her fingers trembling, the next arrow fell out of her hands. In front of her was a wave of demons. Her power was on the frits; how would she defend herself? There were too many to shoot in such a small amount of time; too many chances for her arrows to fail. She pushed her power to her palms, but it stayed lodged beneath her skin. She couldn't summon a barrier.

Her options were expunged, her powers unreliable. Fear gripped her like an icy wave she could not think through. She was frozen, and death was nearing.

"Bakusaiga!"

A blinding green light pulsed out, more erratic than the other times she had witnessed it, but the comfort of reprieve was quick to swell in her. He did not glance towards her, taking the moment instead to look at his blade as the bloody shower fell. The limbs and organs of demons strewn around him, but he remained perfect upon the boulder. No speck of blood or piece of flesh marked him; Only his blade was colored. It wasn't until he cleaned his sword that he finally gave her his attention, prompting her to react to his presence with glee.

"Sesshomaru!" She shouted, running towards him.

"You forget your state, priestess." He remarked with blase'.

Confused, Kagome halted in her strides."What do you mean?"

"A set of clothes would do you justice."

"Eh?" Kagome peeked down, her breasts exposed to the air. Like the heat from a boiling pot, Kagome's body became hot, rising from her toes to her head, her whole body flushed, and she dunked herself into the water with a mousy squeak. An internal scream rang out in her head as she hugged herself. The water was ice to her now, soothing her burning embarrassment.

When she looked back at Sesshomaru, he was on the bank with a bloody white cloth in his hand. She flinched as he threw the rag towards her, though it landed in front of her and onto the river. With the current pushing it towards her, she grabbed the familiar cloth and lifted it.

"I suggest you put that back on, priestess."

It took her a moment to recognize it, it's usually pristine white fabric stained dark and covered with demon pieces, but when she did recognize it as the top of her priestess garb, disgust and shock smacked her so violently that she flung it out of her hands with a yelp.

"Are you insane?! There's no way I'm going to put that on!"

"You prefer to be exposed?"

"No! But I'm also not gonna put on a gut covered shirt!"

Sesshomaru groaned. It was an understatement to say that he was still annoyed with her. Yet he had smelled the blood in the air, and he had rushed here without delay. Where was Jaken? Surely the little imp had followed him.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" the familiar squeaky voice called out from on top the waterfall. Right on time. "Where did you go, my Lo- Oh! There you are, Lord Sesshomaru! You ran off so quickly, I was sure to have lost you-

"Jaken."

"Er- yes, Lord Sesshomaru?"

"Return to the village and retrieve the priestess's clothes."

"Return to that human village for that girl? But why?"

A quick shift of Sesshomaru's eyes filled with the threat of pain was given in his wordless response. It was enough to make his minion squirm with terror.

"Ah- I mean- Right away, my Lord!" As quickly as he had arrived, the little imp left, though his leaving was skittish, to say the least. Upon Ah-Un's back, he wouldn't take long.

"Satisfied?"

"A little… I guess." Kagome shrugged while still hiding most of her body in the water.

Sesshomaru gave a quick "Hn," before turning his back on her and walking towards the path.

"Hey! You're not gonna leave me here, are you?!"

"Jaken will return shortly."

"Yeah, but what if more demons show up? You can't just take off when I can't defend myself right now!"

Her powers were lacking. For her to not sense the cowering demons that still lingered nearby proved it. Or perhaps he was giving her too much credit, and she simply hadn't tried to notice them yet. It was difficult to tell with her. Either way, he did have to protect her, and that did not speak volumes to her current capabilities.

"Very well," He relented and walked back to Kagome who sighed in relief. Again, his silver tongue wagged with a sly remark for her given situation, and since she was much calmer this time, he viewed it as an opportunity; And he was never the kind to pass up a favorable opportunity. "You are aware that the water is clear, aren't you priestess?"

"Yes-eh- wait!... What do you mean by that?"

"You are not hiding much from my eyes." He gave a small, unnoticeable smirk as he allowed his eyes to drop for a short second before refocusing on her face. Yes, with his demon eyes he could see clearly what the current would otherwise distort; a fact he was certain she was unaware of until now.

"Ah! You pervert!" Kagome grabbed a rock by her foot and threw it towards his head, which he dodged swiftly with a slight tilt. Undeterred, she reached for another rock and a grabbed an object that was hard yet smooth. A moss-covered stone, she assumed. But as she lifted her hand out of the water, she exposed the object to be a tentacle from one of the demons that had been slaughtered. Whatever life remained inside was reanimated as the tentacle wrapped itself around Kagome's wrist before she jerked it away with a loud yelp. Acutely aware of the amusement Sesshomaru was gaining watching her as she flailed around, she pointed at him as sternly as she could.

"Don't you laugh at me."

"I am not one for laughter, priestess."

"Bullshit! You were laughing in your head, I know it!"

"Do you now?"

"Yes. Now get me out of here!"

"Without Jaken I'm afraid you will fair no better outside of the water."

"Well I can't stay in here with all these demon parts and you being able to see me! Figure something out!"

"Hn." He turned his back towards her and began to remove his armor. It was deja vu. She knew exactly what he was doing, for he had done it for her before; he was going to give her his hankimono to cover herself until a new set of clothing could be provided. Suddenly, she could feel the pounding rain on her skin; the harsh wind against her face; the awe for his protection as he shielded her from it; the unexpected warmth from his care.

"Priestess?"

Kagome looked up. He was there in the water, his hand outstretched towards her, holding his gift. Her mind was still walking out of her memory, and so she accepted his gift slowly and only whispered a thank you. With his back towards her as he walked towards the bank, she put on his hankimono just as she had done before. He rested against a boulder, as though he were waiting for her, and she made her way to join him. The water left her body as she left it, but her leg kept its wetness, and she felt an odd sensation, like that of multiple insect bites itching from her leg.

"You're bleeding."

"Huh? Oh…" a long stream of blood ran down her leg from gashes on her calf, each three inches long yet, luckily, not very deep. "So that's what it was."

"You do not seem to care."

"Guess I'm just getting used to it," she mumbled. In truth, her mind was too preoccupied to care. Her fists clenched and unclenched, and her teeth scraped against each other, all due to his presence. In his rescue and his kindness he had stirred in her the affection and desire that she had readily surrendered to when he had kissed her, and what followed was the secret she swore to know and the cruelty he had shown her. Anger. Hate. Adoration. They fought inside her, each vowing victory but failing to the other.

She sat with disdain, glanced over with fondness, turned away in pain, and looked back with guilty appreciation. Being mad when he had just helped her seemed idiotic, and with his han-juban parted open, exposing his sculpted chest and the top of his abs, Kagome's animosity quickly puddled under the weight of her awe. Geez. He practically looks like a God! I wonder if he works out or if that's just how he looks naturally.

"Enjoying yourself, priestess?"

"Ah-eh- no, I mean, I have no idea what you're talking about… hehe." Kagome blushed, her eyes darting to and fro in any direction that wasn't towards him. Sesshomaru gave a short nod with a sound similar to Inuyasha's frequent 'keh'. A chuckle? No, Sesshomaru didn't chuckle. Curious, she chanced another glance at the possibility of catching the smirk that would have followed the laugh. She saw nothing, of course, but her disappointment was pacified when she glimpsed a scar on his arm.

Immediately, she was entranced, her interest piqued as she marveled at the only flaw on his body; a perfect line that wrapped around the top of his bicep; the place where his arm had been severed and where he regenerated it on his own. Amazing.

She touched the scar with her fingertips, not viewing it as a part of Sesshomaru but as something foreign and separate. Despite its protrusion, it was smooth to the touch like velvet, and her surprise lead her to cover the scar with her hand, wrapping her fingers around Sesshomaru's bicep. A gasp escaped her as his clawed hand encased hers, removing her hand from him.

"You grow too familiar, priestess."

"Sorry. I was just thinking… maybe I could heal it."

"With the current state of your powers? You're likely to remove what I have only recently re-attained."

"I will not, you jerk!"

"However," he interrupted, reaching over to grab her knee above her wounds, "perhaps I can heal you."

Her breath faltered, not due to his words but the tenderness of his touch and the way he leaned over her, her body a shadow to his own. Too familiar, her mind mimicked in resistance to the swoon that snaked up her spine, ever aware of the hate and sense of betrayal she carried for him that she struggled to maintain.

"No." She pushed him away.

"No?"

"I-uh… I can do it myself. I mean, I don't want to owe you any more than I already do."

"My healing of you does not have a price, priestess."

"-Kagome- and I appreciate that, really, but, umm, what I… what I really mean, I guess, is, uh…"

"Yes?"

"...well…" she paused, mouth agape as she retrieved a lie, "I just think it would do me some good for me to do it myself. Practice and all that."

"You are certain?"

"Yeah… of course."

He looked into her eyes, studying for a lie. If he found one, he did not show it and he removed his hold of her.

Kagome took a breath, expelling the air she had kept locked in her lungs, and a warmth flowed through her, which she deemed as a result from embarrassment but was, in reality, was a fluster from the attraction she had fought against. She cradled herself, wrapping her hands across her arms and holding her knees at the bend of her elbows, holding as much of herself as she could. Silence. Silence was the rasping grind of her tension grating against her esteem and comfort, shredding them so finely that they slipped through Kagome's grasp, and she gnawed on her lip like a manic crazed by her apparent lack of control.

He was looking at her. She could feel his gaze studying her, retrieving evidence from her demeanor to come to conclusions about her thought process. What did he think? What did he think of her? Did he see her as weak? Useless, as he had said before? She wanted to crawl away. To hide away from his piercing gaze to be swallowed by the shadows that could hush her insecurities; a different silence than the loud one she was in now.

"Priestess,"

"I told you it's Kagome," she snapped more viciously than she had intended.

Ignoring her statement, he steadily continued on as though she had not spoken at all. "Whatever is ailing you, I am willing to listen."

This took Kagome by surprise, and though it frustrated her that his attitude towards her had shifted so drastically in under an hour, she pondered on his offer. As daunting as she found the possible routes in which their conversation could follow, with the very real possibility of reaching the dreading secret that she was certain would end with him casting her aside, she thought, perhaps, she was ready. How long could one go holding onto an affection that had nowhere to go? And this would provide her a chance to explain the hurt he had inflicted on her. He would be kind enough to care about that, wouldn't he? Maybe...

"Kagome!"

Inuyasha leapt out of the trees, a blurry figure of red and white. What had essentially been ages of him gone and out of her life left Kagome confused and perplexed for a moment as to who he was until the spark of her recognition of him ignited in her brain and a crescendo of memories overflowed her mind like a flood.

"Inuyash-," she began as he leapt over the river, but his sword was drawn and there was hate in his eyes. Before she could finish speaking his name, he interrupted her with a snarled shout.

"You get away from her you bastard!"

"Inuyasha wait-

"Kagome? You're bleeding! What the hell did you do to her, you icicle prick! I swear if you hurt her-

"Funny, coming from the one who broke her arm."

"Sesshomaru-"

"I'm gonna tear you to pieces, you smart ass-

"Inuyasha, SIT!"

"Agh!"

There was a fade; the whole situation blurred into itself and Kagome could not care. The scuffle; the fighting; the one word from her that would be heard; it was all so mundane. A trifle. As she looked down at Inuyasha, she felt her mask fall into place diligently, and with her emotions hidden behind it, there came an emptiness. Inuyasha, she mentally sighed. She hadn't noticed that the emptiness inside her had been gone since he left her, but it ate her now. It was him that made her feel this way.

"Sit." She whispered again as he began to rise, the anger behind her mask compelling her to and roaring for more, but she did not abide.

"Oof! Eh! What… was that for?" Kagome huffed and walked over Inuyasha, careful to not step on him. "Hey! Where the hell are you going?!"

"Priestess?"

"I'm going to find Jaken," she responded to Sesshomaru monotonously, "he's taking too long to bring me my clothes."

Sesshomaru caught her by the arm, holding her close to him but not the point of discomfort.

"Let go of me," she said not looking at him. Behind her mask, she wanted to yank herself away from him and find solitude. The weight of the mask was so heavy from what she remembered, and whatever emotion was rising in her would soon cause it to crack.

"Jaken is nearly here."

Don't speak so sweetly to me, she ground her teeth to hold the words back, I can't take it. Not now, and not when I know what you really think of me. I was a fool to think I could actually talk to you.

"Lord Sesshomaru! I have returned, my Lord," Jaken yipped as he and Ah-Un landed on top of Inuyasha, causing another grunt of pain, but neither reacted, "I am sorry I took so long, but that slayer can talk for ages!"

"Sango?" Kagome looked back, "Why was she talking to you?"

"The two tails has returned! Along with your clothes, the slayer instructed me to give you this," pulling it off of Ah-Un's back, and continuing to ignore the grumblings of an annoyed Inuyasha, Jaken presented Kagome with her yellow backpack filled to the brim with her items, "why you mortals insistence on taking so many items is beyond me! Eh-eh. What do you fill that thing with? Rocks!?"

"Thank you, Jaken." Kagome took her bag, relieving him of its heavy weight. With hooded eyes, she glanced towards Sesshomaru and muttered, "I guess this means we'll be going now?"

"Yes. Once you have changed, we will leave to the slayer's home village."

"...Okay." Kagome walked deeper into the woods where they could not see her. As she changed she allowed her mask to fall, and with it fell the last bit of tears she would be able to shed from now until the end of their journey. She wondered if they would survive it this time too.

~ • • ~

The cell was dark with a dim blue crystal acting as a light on the ceiling. There was no window, or bed, nor a place for her to relieve herself, but as she was a spirit without form, she supposed that was not something that she needed. Truth be told, she was happy to be on the cold damp floor. Suffering riddled her spirit form, the echoes of her afflictions still vibrating on and inside her, each one a different rumble of pain that never ended.

Some were deep and intrusive, with the splitting sensation of tearing flesh where demons had bitten her. Some were hot and blistering, with flakes of charred skin where the fire had touched her. Others were so deep inside her, they left her stomach in knots with a degradation that felt sickly.

The sight of their existence had disappeared, but she continued to feel them, over and over and over, like memories of physical form that repeated in a never ending cycle. She did not know how much more she could take before she broke. Inuyasha, please, she whimpered as she curled up on the floor, hurry, and save me.

"They won't come for you," a craggily voice breathed somewhere within the shadows of the cell.

"Who's there? Show yourself." Kikyo demanded as she sat upright.

"If only I could. Alas, I cannot move."

"You can speak but cannot move? Are you injured?"

"Not in the way a priestess can heal. Trust me, I would know."

"You are a priestess then?"

"Come see for yourself. I won't bite, even if I could."

Kikyo attempted to rise, but the echoes of pain at her legs shouted with anguish, and she collapsed.

"Legs are always the first to go. Best you crawl instead. It'll be easier."

Using her forearms, Kikyo pulled herself forward as her legs dragged behind. It was difficult, for her whole body trembled with pain, but she made her way towards the edge of the room where another spirit form laid. But the spirit form was different from her own.

The transparent woman laid there, her limbs broken from her body like cracked stone with long, jagged fissures extending from her fingertips to her shoulders. What glow Kikyo held was absent from the woman save her bright, honey eyes and honey freckles on her face. Even in the shadow of the cell, the dark, slithering cirri that streaked the woman's body stood out in their darkness.

"Quite a sight, aren't I?"

"What could have happened to you to cause you to be in such a state? Are you not a form of a spirit as I am?"

"I've been broken," the woman spoke with little movement of her mouth, "I was unable to withstand it all. Eventually, the same will happen to you if you keep fighting against her."

"Fight against her? That demon has tortured me for reasons that have been unexplained. How can you say I should not fight against her?"

"Should has got nothing to do with it. If you want to live, the only way is to surrender to her."

"No," Kikyo said as she rested herself against the wall beside the woman, "I will not give in so easily. I must withstand it until my chance for escape presents itself."

"Hehehe," the woman laughed dryly, "you are deaf. It's like I said before. They wont come for you. No one will rescue you."

"You don't know that."

"No? Then I guess I haven't been stuck for three years waiting for my friends and family to rescue me? Even after that long haired child told me they would?"

"You mean Amellis?"

"Ah. She told you the same thing too, didn't she? Bet she even sapped some of your power too. Funny how we both placed our trust into a girl who is the whole reason why we are here in the first place. How could we ever think that she would actually be on our side? Hm?"

The woman attempted a chuckle, but coughed instead. Kikyo remained in silence. That hope that she had clung onto so tightly was now threatening to fall out of her grasp. What if Inuyasha couldn't find her? What if he wasn't looking at all? Could his feelings towards her have changed so much?

Three years had passed without her in his life; Three years that he enjoyed with her reincarnation, his new love. Kikyo was not the kind to cry, so despite the anguish inside her, she would not shed a tear. Yet in that cold dark cell, the first place where she had been free from torture since she was brought back, Kikyo's soul darkened, and a single cirrus expanded from the pit of her stomach to her heart.

That's it! I hope ya'll liked it.

I will say that after I finish this, I plan on editing all of it (condensing certain scenes, eliminating others, and rewriting certain sections completely), but I want to get it done first, or else I'd never finish this haha.

Please favorite, follow and review (I love hearing what ya'll think)! I'll see ya'll soon!