Chapter Fourteen:

He kept running even after his legs ached and his lungs burned. He didn't know where he was going, but he didn't care either. How could he let this happen? For years he dreamt of the day Kagome would be his, and now... He shook his head to clear his vision. He couldn't think, he couldn't breathe.

His demon was howling inside of him with grief. He was surprised that he didn't take over, and for once he wished he did. Maybe if his demon took over he would get a reprieve for at least a little while. He didn't care anymore he just wanted the pain to end.

He stopped running at that thought. Should he just end it? How was he supposed to live without her?... No, not yet. He would be with Kagome soon, but he had some things to take care of first. He would not let anyone get away with this! He didn't care about the past or his feelings towards her...Kikyo was dead to him, and as soon as he found her he would make sure she stayed that way.

His mind tried to figure out how someone who used to be so pure and good could do this. The Kikyo he knew would NEVER... It didn't matter now. She sealed her fate with one arrow. The moment she raised her bow to his mate...she was dead.

He would go tomorrow and see Kagome's family. They deserved to know that he had failed her. He would take any punishment they threw at him...he deserved it. Then, he would go searching for Kikyo. He didn't care about Naraku or those fucking shards anymore! Let him have them! He would get his revenge, and then he would join Kagome.

Tonite he would mourn. His mate was dead and it was his fault. He felt empty and sick just thinking about it. How could he let this happen! Why didn't he save her! They were supposed to defeat Naraku and have pups and grow old together!

"Kagome..." Inuyasha whispered as he looked up at the stars. "I'll be with you soon koi."

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Two days earlier

Kagome slowly came back into consciousness. Her neck and head were throbbing painfully as she tried to figure out what the hell was going on. Was she moving? Who was carrying her?

She tried to recall the last thing she remembered. 'Ok...I trained with Sango all day then decided to take a bath.' She struggled to put the pieces together. 'I remember a pinch in my neck and then...nothing? What the hell is going on.' She tried to get a feel of where she was, but after training and with this god awful headache she was drained. She opened her eyes slowly and shut them closed again. 'Ok, whoever is carrying me needs to slow the fuck down!' The flashing light and trees blurring by made her stomach turn. She was going to try to just focus on who it was that held her. She knew it wasn't Inuyasha or Sesshomaru so... Her heart picked up speed when she felt the nasty aura of whoever it was. It was familiar, but not friendly. Trying to calm down and not alert the demon that she was awake, she opened her eyes again and tried not to scream at what she seen.

Black skin and red eyes. 'Shit' It was the demon Inuyasha warned her of. She was mad at herself for being kidnapped AGAIN! All those months of training and she was still weak. The first time she is alone in weeks and bam! She let her guard down and look what happened. Inuyasha was right...she always needed saving. This would have never have happened to Kikyo...

Thinking about the priestess, Kagome mentally shook her head. 'No! I can do this! I'm not going to just sit around and wait for someone to come to rescue me! I may be tired physically but my powers are strong! I can get out of this!'

Feeling confident she slowly moved her hand to hover over the demon's chest. She didn't know much about this guy, so she was going to be careful. Focusing her powers quickly she shot a blast into his chest. Kagome hit the ground hard when he dropped her. She kneeled over on the ground trying to breathe through the pain. After a minute she looked around to see what happened to the demon.

She found him laying on his back a few feet away with his chest smoking. She scrambled away from him quickly in case he got back up. She wanted to make sure he was dead before she let her guard down. She closed her eyes for a minute to fight back being sick. She was already in pain and that fall definitely didn't help. She knew she'd be sore for a few days after this.

"Inuyasha's gonna kill me." She whispered to herself. She could hear him yelling at her now, calling her a baka for getting herself hurt. She smiled softly thinking about it. He was cute when he was cranky.

Her nausea passed after a minute and she opened her eyes to check and make sure the demon was dead. But her heart stopped when she noticed he was gone. She looked around frantically trying to see where he went. "Shit! Why didn't I make sure he was dead! Good job Kagome...the first thing Sess taught you is to never turn your back on an opponent, even if they're down." Yep, she would have two angry inu's to deal with when she got back...if she got back.

She slowly stood up and got into a fighting pose. If the demon got up that quickly, she knew this wasn't over. She stretched out her senses, but couldn't pinpoint where he was hiding. A flash in the shadows made her jump. Kagome instinctively reached behind her to grab her bow only to realise she was stock naked. "Oh, this is just perfect." Not only was she weaponless, she had no protection either.

Kagome threw up a barrier when she saw the demon move. Being so tired she didn't know how long she could keep it up, but right now this was her only option. Hopefully, Inuyasha and the others noticed she was gone and she would only have to wait a little while. Looking down at herself she prayed it wasn't Miroku who found her first.

The demon Kage was relentless in his attack on her barrier. Kagome flinched as she watched his skin burn down to bone. How did he not feel that? His next attack made her barrier flicker and Kagome's heart dropped. He was weakening it. Each time he slammed into it, Kagome could feel it weaken. She had to come up with a plan fast or she was screwed.

With the next hit, her barrier fell, Kagome braced herself for pain. Screwing her eyes shut and holding her breath, she waited for it. But, nothing happened. Opening her eyes, Kagome was shocked to see an arrow sticking out of the demon's chest. He was trying to remove it but his hands were pretty much gone by now. His eyes widened and he screamed as he was slowly purified. After the screaming stopped, there was nothing left but ashes.

Kagome breathed in a deep breath of relief. She didn't know what happened but she was thankful. Turning around to thank her rescuer, she froze as she watched Kikyo lower her bow. Never in her life had Kagome been so happy to see the woman. After trying, and failing, to cover up her body, Kagome stood and bowed.

"Thank you, Kikyo. I would have been a goner if you haven't shown up. Thank you." Kagome raised from her bow and smiled at the older woman.

"Hmmmm we wouldn't want that now, would we...Inuyasha would be terribly upset had I let something happen to you."

Kagome felt a little nervous about how she said that. She knew Kikyo would probably be upset about Inuyasha breaking his promise, but she knew he still thought of her as a friend so she would give her a chance too.

"He would be upset if something happened to you too Kikyo...No matter what happened between you two, he still cares about you." She tried to reassure her, but it looked like it just pissed her off.

"You are what happened to us girl! Inuyasha would still be with me if you had not seduced him to your side!" Kagome gasped at her words. "Who could blame him really, he is just a man. Who would be able to resist a willing harlot such as yourself? Do not for one moment think that his heart belongs to you child. His body might crave warm flesh, but his heart will always be mine."

Kagome was fuming! Who did this chick think she was! "Kikyo" she gritted out, "look, I don't know what kind of person you think I am, but I would never use my body to get what I want. I know that you and Inuyasha have a history and I respect that...But I am his future. He chose me as his mate and I will not allow you to speak to me that way."

Kikyo laughed at her. "Mate? So you would lay with him like an animal...I am not surprised. That is the difference between you and I, I would not lower myself to be rutted by a beast."

Kagome was shaking! "How can you say that! I am not lowering myself by being with him! He is not an animal! You must know this Kikyo, you loved him once. You may have wanted him to turn into a human, but you fell in love with the hanyou." Kagome gave her a sad look. "But your right, we are different...I love every part of Inuyasha, not just half of him." Kikyo scowled at her and Kagome shook her head. "What happened to you Kikyo? The woman I have heard stories of was kind and pure...what made you become like this..."

Kikyo actually looked taken back by what she said. For a moment Kagome thought she got through to her. That moment was gone when she saw her face turn dark as she lifted her bow.

"You happened to me! You took the only thing that could bring me peace." She aimed at Kagome. "And after you're gone, I will take back what is mine." Kikyo released her arrow.

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Not two far away, two demons were panting as they tried to catch up to their leader. Every time they got close to him, he was gone. They were tired, but they wouldn't give up!

"KOUGA! WAIT FOR US!" Ginta called out. They had been taking a break for dinner when out of nowhere Kouga shot up and took off. That only meant one thing, Kagome was near.

"Hurry up slow pokes! I ain't waiting all day!" They heard him reply in the distance. Both sweatdropped as they kept going.

Kouga was giving his comrades a break when the sweet smell of lavender and vanilla reached his nose. He hadn't seen his mate in a while so he didn't even hesitate to run after her.

The last time he ran into the mutt, it looked like things were looking up for him. It looked like dog-shit finally realized Kagome was too good for him and replaced her with the dead bitch. He didn't know why Inuyasha preferred the walking corpse to his lovely Kagome, but he didn't care either. With him out of the way, he could finally take Kagome back to his den where she belonged.

He was running at top speed when the smell of dirt and bones hit his nose. He stopped to check it out and was surprised to see Inuyasha's woman walking by herself. Where was the dog? Did she dump his ass too? He smiled at the thought.

"Yo! Inutrasha's dead woman! Where's the mutt?" He called out to her.

Kikyo shot him a glare. "Do not address me as such again demon. If you do I will not hesitate to purify you and take those shards from your legs." She turned away from the wolf and kept walking.

Kouga stood there and scratched his chin, "well, that was weird." He shook his head and started running towards where he smelled his woman. But, he started to get nervous as a new smell was mixed with her lovely scent...blood.

Smelling blood he started to run faster. Was she hurt? What happened to her? He ran ignoring the shouting behind him as the two wolf demons started to catch up. If Kagome was hurt, there would be hell to pay.

The closer he got the stronger the scent of blood became. It was thick in the air and he found himself hesitating. He was afraid of what he would see when he found her. Slowly walking closer, his heart stopped at what he saw.

On the forest floor was Kagome. His first thoughts were why was she naked? But that thought was quickly gone when he noticed the arrow sticking out of her chest. His hands were shaking as he stepped closer. A growl formed in his chest as he smelled the scent of a demon and grew deeper when he smelled the scent of the dead woman coming off of the arrow. "Son of a bitch!" That woman shot his mate, and he just let her walk away! He tried to calm down, Kagome needed him, he would deal with the bitch later.

He crouched down and let out a whimper at the state of his mate. Her face was pale and she was covered in bruises. He noticed the arrow was dangerously close to her heart and swallowed thickly before checking to see if she was still alive. The scent of death lingered in the air and he had to hold off the tears that wanted to fall. He put his hand to her throat and exhaled loudly when he found a pulse. It was weak, but she was still alive. He carefully broke off the end of the arrow sticking out of her chest so he could move her safely. As gently as possible he picked her up bridal style and took off towards his den. They weren't far, but he couldn't run as fast as he normally would out of fear of hurting her. Not even stopping to inform his pack mates about what was happening, he ran.

"Hold on Kagome...I got you." He whispered to her. He prayed to any God listening that she would make it.

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"I can't believe I left her alone! Inuyasha, I am sooo sorry! I swear she told me that she was going straight over to you guys, If I'd known she would go to the springs, I wouldn't have left her by herself." Sango was beside herself. When Inuyasha and Sesshomaru came running at them, she was surprised Kagome wasn't with them. She knew by the look in their eyes that something was wrong, and it was her fault.

"Sango, don't beat yourself up. It was my fault too, if only I had let you walk her there..." Miroku was equally a wreck. He just wanted to spend time with Sango, and now Kagome could be hurt.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! Both of you!" Inuyasha growled at the two on top of Kirara."I don't care who's fault it is! Just fucking find her!" He was starting to get pissed at them. He was the one to blame. Kagome was his mate and he failed to protect her. He felt a hand grasp his shoulder and looked over at an equally worried Sesshomaru.

"We will find her brother. This one will not have it any other way."

Inuyasha was surprised that hearing him say that, actually made him feel better. Sesshomaru was more stubborn than him! If he said they would find her, he would find her.

They decided to spread out a little, seeing how the demon seemed to bounce all over the place. It was hard to track the scent, so they could cover more ground if they separated. They made sure to stay in hearing range if they found anything. He prayed they found something! If Naraku already got to her...there's no telling what they would find.

It was aggravating to keep losing the trail, but Inuyasha was not giving up. She was close, he knew it. Taking to the trees to see more ground his eyes never closed as they scanned the forest floor.

His blood ran cold as he caught a whiff of blood...Kagome's blood. It was weak, but as he kept going it got stronger. He took off, yelling that he smelled her but not waiting for a response. If she was hurt he wasn't wasting any time waiting for the others. The closer he got the more his fear grew. He could smell the burning flesh of the demon, but what scared him more was he could smell Kikyo too. He felt his brother run up next to him as he ran. "I smell Kikyo...and wolf too."

"Hn. She will be fine brother. She is strong." Sesshomaru tried to reassure him, but the scent of blood had him nervous as well.

They finally made it to the clearing and Inuyasha's heart stopped beating. The smell of Kagome's blood was heavy in the air, and there was a large pool of it seeping into the ground, but she wasn't there.

"Where the fuck is she?" He looked around hoping to find her near, but she was gone. He heard his brother call for him and growled at what he saw.

Sesshomaru was holding half of an arrow. It was covered with the scent of Kagome's blood. He knew that arrow. There was no mistaking it.

"No...she wouldn't...would she?" He could not believe Kikyo would actually shoot Kagome, but the proof was right in front of him.

"It would seem she would. There is another in the remaining ashes of the demon there." He pointed to what was left of Kage. "It would seem she killed the demon before going after Kagome." Sesshomaru was angry. No one hurt a member of his pack! He did not care what his brother said, the dead one was his!

"I smell Kouga here too. It's fresh, he was here not too long ago." Inuyasha was in a daze. How could she do this! Did Kikyo hate him that much?

"He must have taken Kagome to get her help. We will follow him." Sesshomaru was getting ready to take off when he noticed his brother still staring at the blood, slowly he approached him.

"If he took her body she must still be alive brother. Do not lose hope, she will need you."

Inuyasha looked over at Sesshomaru and nodded. He was grateful to him. He needed to focus on Kagome, the rest could be dealt with later.

They took off after Kouga's scent, filling in Sango and Miroku as they caught up with them. Sango looked close to tears but he ignored her apologies. She would be fine, he just knew it.

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Kouga paced outside of the cavern that held Kagome. His best healer was called upon and now he just had to wait. The look on the she wolf's face was grim, but he wouldn't let it get to him. She didn't know Kagome like he did. Kagome would not be stopped by a puny arrow. She was strong! He would just have to be patient and wait.

Ginta and Hakkaku watched their leader as he moved. They were shocked when they finally caught up with him to see their sister in such a state. They didn't want to tell Kouga, but she didn't look too good. They didn't think she would make it.

Hakkaku started to tear up thinking of his sister dying. Ginta tried to console him, but Kouga was the one to make him stop.

"Stop your blubbering moran! She ain't gonna die, so stop acting like she's already dead!" Kouga growled at them. He refused to believe what his head was telling him. He knew that it looked bad, but he wouldn't give up hope.

It was only about ten minutes later when the healer came out of the cavern. Kouga's hopefully look quickly left him at the sight of her downcast eyes.

"WELL! Is she gonna be ok! Can I go see her!" He was getting angry that she just stood there. The scent of fear poured off of her as she shook.

Kouga didn't wait for a reply as he stormed into the room. When he reached her his heart broke. Her skin was white as snow and her normally lush pink lips were blue. The smell of death was all around her and he could no longer hear her heartbeat...She was dead. He slowly kneeled next to her and touched her face. It was cold and clammy and the feel of it made his eyes fill with tears. He leaned over and whispered an apology to her before lightly kissing her blue lips...He failed her. He knew he should have looked for her long ago, if he had, she would still be alive. He felt a loss so deep that it felt like his chest would cave in. Inhaling deeply, he let out a long mournful howl. His tears fell down his face and he made no move to stop them. He could faintly hear the other wolves join in his mourning and the sound of their howls broke him. His mate was gone.

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Kikyo wandered aimlessly through the trees. Her mind kept replaying what happened over in her head. What had happened to her? Was she no longer a pure priestess. How did she not see herself become dark? She looked down at the bow in her hand and shuddered. She had killed the girl. Her jealousy had taken over and she killed her.

There was a pang in her chest where her heart should be. She felt her face only to find tears streaming down her cheeks. She wasn't even aware she could cry.

"What have I done?"