I love Kikyo and I love Brian, but no they will not be together... She is my favorite character later on but boy early on she was kind of a bitch.

"I can't do this!" Inuyasha screamed, his raspy voice filing the air as the group hunting the Jewel Shards walked down one of the many dirt roads crisscrossing the land. "I'm a demon, not a priest or monk!"

Brian rolled his eyes. "Technically your a half demon, which means half human which means you have spiritual power. Only in half demons do these powers meld and create synergy. Your just too used to tapping into your demonic nature, your not used to touching the magic of your very human soul. I imagine it might even be uncomfortable to use, since your flesh is more demon then human but your soul is more human then demon."

The dog demon scowled at him. "How am I supposed to do this? I can't even touch a charmed sutra without it burning me."

Pulling out an empty piece of paper, he handed to Inuyasha. "Make your own sutra then, and use your power that way. It's only a guess but maybe your flesh is less sensitive to spiritual forces if they from within. Or so is my hope. Just try it out."

Frowning, the half breed did as he said, yanking the paper out and nicking his hand with his claw before slowly writing a prayer onto the slip of paper. His writing was actually rather nice, everything clear and oddly orderly. A surge, a spark, of power sent a ripple through the air. It wasn't demonic power, nor was it entirely spiritual. It was closer to Chi and that made Brian smile.

Inuyasha, knowing from being told, focused his attention on the slip of paper. Slowly, very, very slowly, the bloody ink started to give off a faint blue light. The color of spiritual energy.

"Wow, your doing it Inuyasha!" Shippo, standing on Brian's shoulders, said with nothing but awe in his voice.

The dog boy opened his eyes, and saw the faint glow of power that faded away immediately since he wasn't pulling on his power. " Huh, your right, I guess I do have spiritual powers."

"Told ya."

They heard a loud "Huh." From Sango, who looked curiously as Inuyasha from her place at the back of the group. "I doubted that you would be able to accomplish that, but it seems like I was very, very wrong." A smile graced her face. " I guess I never thought of Half demons as actually being human, I always saw you all as just lesser demons."

"I guess that shows you not to judge then, doesn't it." Brian enjoyed the women's repentant nod. It was a good sign for them.

"OVER THERE!" Miroku, who had been very quiet, barked out with a fierce declaration. Everyone turned to where he was pointing, to where they all saw a swarm of insects that radiated weak power.

"I can sense a sacred jewel Shard among them!" Kagome said suddenly, her hands no longer glowing from her own barrier practice. "Their moving so fast, I only noticed it now." Brian knew it was because she was too focused on the barrier but chose to say nothing. "Why are they out in the open, and in such numbers."

A loud swooshing sound signaled Inuyasha pulling out his sword. " Who cares, Naraku is there with them, I can smell his stench." And with that he ran off, with everyone following behind. Kagome, Shippo and Sango on Kirara, everyone else running for their lives following Inuyasha towards the cloud of bugs.

The air quickly filled with a potent demonic presence, one that made Brian shudder. It wasn't the bugs, though they gave off a small amount of Jaki, this was Nararku and it was frightenly potent. Almost as powerful as Inuyasha... but no where near what his sword could and did manage. He shook inside, knowing that this would be his first real battle. To say he was terrified was beyond understating this truth...

His hands ached for his staff, but he kept it on his back so he could focus on running and keeping up with the others. He was trailing behind, not as fast as they were or as experienced as they were in combat. He needed to be behind if he wanted to live.

"Wait, why aren't they attacking, why are they just leading us?" Sango said, her voice hard to hear over the wind in his ears. " Wait, this has to be a trap!"

He tried to stop, to answer her, but it was too late and he fell through a wall of demonic energy. Mist erupted around him and he stumbled to the ground, rolling down a hill until he landed on his back. The world swirled around him, his senses screaming at him, his instincts even louder.

Get up they said...

And so he did, only to regret it immediately afterwards as he saw a Massive Monster, a Giant Red Oni standing behind him...

It looked familiar ... and he quickly figured out why. It had his hair, curly and dark, it had his eyes... a mix of blue and grey... it had the shape of his face, rounded despite weight loss ... it had his sneer, so like his father's.

It was him ...

"Afraid! Behold the awesome power of the Ogre, the Golden God!" It screeched, and it was his voice layered over with something darker, fiercer then he could manage...

'Is this my future?'

Panic set in and he couldn't move, even as the beast stepped closer to him, thudding loudly with shock waves coursing through the ground. He fell to his knees, shaking, the infection on his chest searing like Hell fire.

"Sooo close, you will be mine, we will be whole. I will return!"

Gravely and loud, it screamed in his heart and head and his very spirit. He knew it, the sound of it was as familiar as he own voice. It was the voice of his nightmares, repressed and weary... it was the sound of his fears, constant and ever lasting. It was the voice of his future if nothing was done...

It was the voice of the Ogre, who's evil infected his very soul.

"No... this won't be, I won't let it... no... please... don't... I want to live!" He screamed, shaking as everything went dark and he was lost in his own agony...

Then he heard it, the soft familiar voice of Shippo screaming. " POWER OF THE IRIS!" And light shattered the dark!

"""

"Where is everyone?" A crackle alerted Kagome, she looked to the ground and saw creeping vines moving towards her. " Are these vines?" Panic set in and she charged her bow with power, her training kicking in before she even thought. Swiping around, she watched as each vine curled up and fizzled away, touched by the purple light of her bow. "I have to make a barrier, that will keep me safe." Closing her eyes, she tightened her grip on her bow and allowed her cool power, like a mountain spring, to burst forth. She felt it expand from her, and when she opened her eyes there it was, a blue barrier of spiritual power protecting her. She walked with it, and the barrier moved as it was bound to her bow.

"A barrier, that is new." Naraku's laughter filled the air around her, and Kagome felt terrified, her hands reaching into her shirt, pulling out the sutras she had made. She wasn't the weak girl that everyone kidnapped. She had learned to use her power and had nearly killed him before before she knew. She would not be weak! "I imagine it was the Monk who taught you, or perhaps that new boy? Tell me, for what reason does he have to join your fight. I have done him no wrong."

Kagome shuddered, but readied herself. "Naraku, come out you coward!" She focused her energy and easily found him through the jewel on his body. "Take this, Sacred Sutras!" She threw her sutras, guided by her powerful magic, they flew towards him and struck a barrier of purple energy. Blue flames erupted as did sparks of energy as her power fought his. Her power was by far greater and the barrier shattered, revealing Naraku, baboon cloak and all, looking at her with malice.

"So you have learned some new tricks, clever girl." She could see his smirk. " Clever but it wasn't you I wanted to see...oh well, might as well take your Sacred Jewel Shards and be done with it."

Roots erupted from underneath him, curling around and making him far taller.

"A puppet!" She grabbed and arrow, focusing on the jewel, she let a single arrow fly. Covered in pinkish light, it blasted through him, destroying his lower half but missing the shard. She cursed, hating how her aim still had so much to improve on. "I'll hit you with the next one and your puppet will be through!" She drew back another arrow, only to feel pain explode in her chest as the bowstring snapped, her barrier shattering. She fell to her knees, her world swirling around her. 'No, I channeled too much power, my bow couldn't take the strain. It shattered... no...' She had never felt so weak, how much power had she used, been using for hours as she practiced her barriers?

"Not enough it seems... now, for my Jewel shards and your death!" A vine shot at her, knocking her back and wrapping around the shard around her neck. It ripped away for a moment, taking the shard, before another vine took it's place, coming down at her. She watched at it focused to a razor point, shooting towards her at an incredible speed.

"Kagome!" Shippo's voice bellowed out, and everything became clear to her as she focused on someone she loved more then herself.

"SHIPPO RUN!" She screamed, using her what remained of her bow to slash at the vine, knocking it to the side. She managed to stand, power flooding her as she focused on the love she had for Shippo. Her barrier flickered into existence... no, not hers... it was silver! "Brian, don't let him get closer!"

Her new friend shot out of the dark, Shippo at his shoulder, landing before her with a silver glowing hand. His staff was covered in silver energy, Chi, and his face was filled with hate but not towards her. There were tear marks on his face, an anger she had never seen on him. "Naraku, you bastard, you have no idea who you just messed with." His voice echoed with his power as his rage augmented his strength. "Kagome, grab onto my staff and start praying."

She didn't miss a beat, doing as he said, his barrier changed, turning a bluish silvery color. "Gather as one, Might Goddess of the sun! Cast aside this blight, we demand as one. Evil wrought cannot with stand, falling before our sacred hand!"

Energy swirled around them, focusing onto a point between their hands, then shot like a flame thrower at Naraku.

"NO!" He screamed, leaping back but it was too late as the spell smashed into him sending him flying through the air as the fire tore through everything until only an on fire demon puppet and a few shards of the jewel remained. The tree next to him burst into flame as well, and Kagome felt the spell around her shatter, the mist fading and warmth returning to the land.

Then she and Brian fell to their knees, the powerful spell having sapped too much of their strength. She, being the stronger of them, managed to look up in time to see a single Saimyosho swoop down and take the shards, rushing off into the sky. She was too weak to stop it, and so was her new friend.

;;;

"Damn it... " Brian shuddered as a cold, haunting feeling overtook him. He felt weak, barely having enough power to hold off the curse of the demonic infection. He wanted to scream, hating how everything felt... how he felt. "Are you okay?" He asked Kagome, sensing her spiritual powers at an all time low. She must have been over using them over the last few days. He felt a fool, overstating her powers and allowing her to risk herself so deeply.

The girl nodded, a smile on her face. "I'm fine, how are you?"

"Kagome!" Shippo screamed, stalling Brian's words as he tackled the girl. " I was so scared, everyone went missing and I was all alone... then that Stone Brian gave me started glowing, it broke the spell of the vines. I found Brian and I stabbed the vines on him with the Iris he gave me. It broke the spell and he felt Naraku near you, I was so scared. I thought he was going to kill you." The fox curled into the girl's chest, as if trying to bury himself into her body for comfort.

Kagome soothed the boy, petting his head as lovingly as she could. "It's okay, I was able to stand up to Naraku thanks to Brian's training... my bowstring broke though so if it wasn't for you guys I would have been killed. Thank you for saving me."

"Any time." Brian smiled at the girl. "I saw some of that, it was impressive...we need to get you a bow that has been blessed, something that can handle your spiritual power better. No normal bow will do for that kind of strain, your too powerful and the backlash of it shattering could seriously drained you... as it is you were drained of some serious power. You need to take it easy for at least a day or so, so your power can regenerate."

She nodded towards him, sighing a little. "I have never been so scared, but I stood up to him! I even broke his barrier on my own and together we shattered that spell using that way cooler spell. What was that spell, it was amazing?"

"I made it up, I found that my making poems or rhyming I can cast spells... it acts as a focus. Kind of like a prayer or a sutra... and you channeled your power into the staff, which gave me the strength to cast the spell. On my own I would have never been able to do that. Your powers are amazing."

Kagome flushed, a look of well deserved pride in her eyes.

"KAGOME, WHERE ARE YOU!"

"""

"So he's a practitioner of magic... and he has some talent, being able to channel Kagome's powers without them overloading him body." Naraku frowned, looking through the eyes of his puppet had been rather revealing... and not for the better. "Her powers are too great, she is a threat to me. I need to eliminate her soon before she gains too much skill. Thankfully with these shards, I can accomplish far more then I could before."

He turned, facing several pots of glowing flesh, each one pulsating with dark power.

"So, so much more."

Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.

I was very proud of this chapter even if you probably cannot read it...

Love, your Ninja Overlord,

Mika.