Chapter Two – Battle

The female demon was carrying Kagome high in the air at an alarming speed.  The rain, wind and the rest of the terrible weather left as soon as the demon had taken off with her.  Kagome was fearful of what this woman would do with her, but most importantly, she was thinking of Inuyasha.

"Who are you?" Kagome asked with strain in her voice.  She was being gripped rather tightly.  The beautiful demon woman kept staring ahead as she flew.

"I am Rein, demon with immense powers.  All forces of weather must answer to me, wind, rain, lightning.  Anything that comes from the sky is mine."

"What do you want with me!?"  Kagome yelled.

Rein laughed.  "I want your jewl shards – Kikyou."

"Hey, Im not -"

"Of couse you're not Kikyou in the flesh.  But you're her reencarnation, which makes you like her.  You have the same skill of archery, same powers.  And yes – the same soul.  You and her are no different."

Kagome flushed in anger.  How dare someone compare her to a woman so evil and vile.  But that wasn't important right now.

"Where are you taking me?"

"To the Bone Eaters Well, of course.  You have more fragments on the other side."

Kagome did a double take.  That's right!  She did have a fragment still at home, in case Inuyasha took her necklace again with the larger fragment.  So Rein was after the fragment in her world.  It was beginning to make sense.

"Why then do you need me?" Kagome asked with an attitude.

The demon Rein laughed slightly and spoke sweetly.  "You seem quite drawn to that half demon you're traveling around with."

Kagome didn't reply.  He – he meant the world to her.

"When I get your fragment," Rein continued.  "He will surely come looking for you.  That half-breed seems quite powerful.  There is word throughout the land of his strength – I cannot have opposition.  So when he comes to save you, I will kill all of you."

Kagome gasped.  "How dare you - "

"This is all just a game to me," Rein continued.  "Its quite simple.  Im immortal and have a lot of time on my hands.  I take much pleasure in watching other peoples pain and suffering."

Kagome clenched her teeth.  This was bad.  The thoughts alone about what might happen were already getting her heart beating fast.  Just in case, Inuyasha always carried a jewl fragment with him, and Kagome had one at her home.  So they could both get through the well when they wanted.  In a matter of seconds they would reach the well and be on the other side – In Kagome's era.  Who knows what destruction Rein could do in a city like Tokyo!  Inuyasha would not hesitate to kill Rein and launch a huge battle.  This could be bad!

Rein swooped down.  The sacred Bone Eaters Well was now in view and getting closer.  Rein, with Kagome, dove straight into the well.  There was a moment of darkness, and the feeling of floating in space, then solid ground.  Rein burst out the other end, going straight up and through the roof of the small building.  The wooden celing beams crashed and broke as they emerged out the other end.   It was late evening now and the sun was setting.  And she was home!  But there was a hole in the celing of the room with the well.  But that was the least of her worries.

Rein landed on the cement grounds of the shrine and set Kagome down.  The demon looked around in amaizment.

"Oooh, this is so wonderful," she mused.  "What a strange world.  I must expore it!"

"Hey, what about the jewl shards!?  Not that I want you to take them."

"Kikyou -"

Kagome hated being called by such a name.  She glared at the beautiful demon.  She looked back at Kagome with evil eyes.

"I am going to explore now.  But don't get your petty hopes up. I will be back," she said viciously.  "I know where your fragment is.  I know Inuyasha will be coming after you." She touched the jewl around Kagome's neck and felt it with her fingers.  Kagome looked down.  Suddenly Rein yanked the chain, splitting it in half.  The necklace broke from around Kagomes neck as Rein quickly snatched it up.  Kagome jumped forward.  "Hey, that's - "

"I'll be back, young girl!" The demon screeched, and took off in a flash.  Kagome stood there, too stunned to say anything.  Her hand was still around her bare neck.  "She – she took the Jewl Shards," she said aloud.  "No.  Inu Yasha…"  She thought of Inuyasha, the man that she had fallen in love with.  He seemed to feel the same toward her, but it was never mentioned.  But now, what would he think?

There was a crash.  Kagome turned quickly around.  Toward the room with the well, it sounded like more beams had fallen.  In a rush out jumped Inuyasha, still wet from the rain, out of breath, and slightly messed hair.  His eyes met hers immeadiatly.

"Kagome!" he cried, sounding thourghly concerned.  He ran up to her. "Kagome, are you alright?"  Kaogome was a little scared.  She didn't want to break the news to him.  "Y-Yes Inuyasha, Im alirght.  But – the demon – her name is Rein.  She controlls weather.  She…..she took my jewl shard." Kagome wouldn't look up at him, and her muscles tensed.  "Im sorry, Inuyasha."

There was a long pause.  Kagome didn't know what to think.  "Kagome," Inuyahsa whispered.  She slowly looked up, and into his georgous eyes.  "I was more worried about you."  Her eyes widened.  Had her really just said that?

"Inuyasha…."

"Where did Rein go?" He spoke in his normal tone now.

Kagome blinked, a bit surprised at the sudden chage, then explained the whole story, even the part about her coming back to kill them and that it was just a game to her, but left out the part of Rein calling her Kikyou.  Inuyasha flushed in anger, clenching both fists.  "I'll kill her!"

"Listen, Inuyasha.  Ive got school tomorrow.  You're going to have to stay in this era until Rein comes back."

"You just now figure that out?" he spat.

"No!"

"Well, Im going to have to go to this school of yours."

Kagomes jaw dropped.  "You cant!"

"You cant tell me what I can and cannot do!  You're just a human, and if that demon comes after you at that school of yours, then its gonna be trouble!"

Kagome gave up.  He was right. She sighed.  "Ok, but we're going to have to work on your appearance."

The next morning, Kagome headed out the front door for school, Inuyasha at her side.  "Itte Kimasu!"  Kagome called out as the door slammed.  Inuyasha was in a really bad mood this morning.  He wore baggy black jeans, an Aerecrombie & Fitch shirt, a Nike cap to cover his ears and shoved his hands in his pockets to cover the claws.

"Dammed girl, why do you have to make me wear this?" he grumbled.

"Just deal with it and get over it!"

They walked down the street and met up with some of Kagome's school friends.  The girls all rushed up.  "Ooooh, is this your new boyfriend?" they asked.

Kagome laughed.  "No, no, not at all!  Hes just visiting.  He's my cousin, and is following me around for the day."

"Hey, why does your cousin have white hair?" One of Kagome's friends asked, pointing at Inuyasha's long, sliver-white hair.

Kagome searched for an answer.  "Uhhh, he's a huge anime fan!" she spat.  "A lot of anime charactors have you know, those different colors of hair.  So, uh, he colors his to those odd colors."

Inuyasha nearly fell over in embarassment.  How stupid!!

At lunch that day, Kagome came outside to meet Inuyasha in the school yard with her friends.  Before she could say a word though, the sky suddenly turned dark.  Kagome gasped.  "Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha, now at her side, looked at Kagome, alert.  They both knew what it meant.  But they couldn't just have a battle here!  This was Tokyo!  And she couldn't let her friends know that she was traveling around with a half demon in another world!

"Inuyasha, no," Kagome whispered desperatly.

"What, and you want to just sit back and watch!?"

Kagome didn't reply.  There was no way out of this.  Rein knew where they were – and was prepared to kill them both.  They had to fight.  Right here in front of all her school friends, and everyone else.

Inuyasha ripped off his cap and outfit somehow suddenly with his usual red kimono. (yeah, that didn't make sense, but just work with me here).

The sky now had become dark.  Wind was beginning to blow, and a few drizzles of rain dropped down.  Kagome's school friends gathered around.   They gasped.  "Kagome!  Who is this person?  Look at his outfit!"

Kagome ignored them and quickly grabbed her bag, taking out her bow and arrows.  She slung the arrow sack across her back and took aim.

"No, Kagome!" Inuyasha called.  "Go get Sango and Miroku!"

"But-"

"We need them, just go!"  Kagome nodded, ran home to the well, went through to find Miroku and Sango waiting at the other end.  She quickly retold the story, grabbed their arms, and lept through.  In a matter of seconds, Kagome, Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku all stood before the evil demon, Rein, who now hovered above in the air.  In the short time, the rain had begun to pour, the wind became stronger, and thunder and lightning crashed in the sky.  Rein hovered there with an evil grin on her face.

The group stood on the ground in the large, open area in front of the school, with the cement pavement.  While many students and teachers rushed indoors, many had ran off at a distance, forming a semicirle of spectators.   Kagome looked at Rein determindly through her wet bangs.  This was their battle now.

"Oh look, all the players are here," Rein said in a loud voice.   "The young priestess, half-demon, demon slayer, and a buddhist monk with a curse.  My my my."

A lightning bolt lit up the sky with a loud crash.  Inuyasha was gritting his teeth in anger.  "Prepare to die!!" he yelled, taking out Tetsuiga.  He ran forward to lunge at the demon, leaping into the air.  Rein lifted her arm again to bring another lightning bolt down, but Kagome knew what was coming next.  She whipped her arm around, took up an arrow and fired.  As Rein released the ball, Kagome's arrow struck it, making a loud burst.  Rein was caught off guard.  Inuyasha went to slice through the demon, but at the last second disappeard again.  Inuyasha landed on the ground and swore to himself.  Suddenly Rein appeared behind Kagome.

"Kagome watch out!" Sango called, running toward her.  As Kagome spun around, Rein grabbed  Kagome, lifting her up into the air again.  She lifted her above her head, holding her up in the sky.

"Now, Monk!" she screeched.  "Use that wind tunnel of yours!"

Miroku never seemed more angry.  He ran forward.  "Why you Bitc-"

Rein brought her arms back, then suddenly whipped them forward, sending Kagome flying some two hundred feet above the cement ground.  In midair, Kagome reached for another arrow on her back, aimed it, and fired.  A sudden gust of wind blew it off couse, and the next second she was on Inuyasha's back, going safely to the ground.

"Wind tunnel!" Miroku whipped off the cloth on his arm and jolted his palm forward.

"Now, Inuyasha!" Sango called. "We all have to fight this demon at the same time!  It's the only way we're going to beat her!"

Without responding, Inuyasha landed, and ran towards Rein again with Tetsuiga and  Sango thust her Boomerang Bone, all at once.  Miroku, realizing that his Wind tunnel was now in the way, brought the cloth back over his hand.

"Wait Inuyasha!" Kagome called.  Inuyasha stopped and turned to face her.  "Let me get on your back.  If I fire at her at closer range, the winds may not be able to blow it away."

Inuyasha nodded, and Kagome ran up and leapt back on his back.  Rein had another ball of energy forming in her right hand.  "Is that the only trick you got!?" Inuyasha yelled.  "Try this!  Inuyasha was faster than Rein seemed to have precieved, and was caught in the middle of preparing her energy ball.  Inuyasha lunged the Tetsuiga straight though the demon's torso, blade coming out the other end, blood dripping down.  Inuyasha's eyes and expression were full of anger and determination.  The demon let out a loud, shrilling screech, then disappeared.

Inuyasha landed on the ground, out of breath and Kagome got off his back.  At once the winds and rain abated, and the sky became clear.  From above dropped a tiny pink jewl fragment.  Kagome walked forward, and bent down to pick it up. She sighed, and spoke in a quiet voice.  "Its all over."

Sango and Miroku walked up.  "That was impressive, Inuyasha," Miroku complimented.

Inuyasha regained his breath and stood up straight.  "Yeah, whatever," he said, crossing his arms. "Come on Kagome, we need to get back."

But Kagome was more concerned with what her friends just witnessed.  What would they think of her?  Kagome excused herself, and walked across the open space to her friends, where everyone was looking at her.

"Um, I can explain…" she started.

"Kagome!" a friend exhasperated.  "What just happened and who are those people?!  You could have been killed!"

Kagome bit her lip, not knowing how to get out of this one.  Could she tell?  There was no way out of it now.

"Battles like the one you just witnessed are everyday activites for me," she admitted.

"What?"

"You see, I havent been missing school because I was sick.  I – Theres a sacred well at our shrine.  Well, one day I was pulled into it, and came out the other end in the Feudal Era.  Im there for several days at a time – Im not sick.  See, Im needed there, and I need them."  Her friends gasped and didn't say anything for a long moment.

"I don't believe you, Kagome," a friend said defiantly.

"Would a friend lie?!!" she defended herself.

"Obviously not, but you sure have been.  If you're even telling us the truth."

"Look, do you think I'd make all that up?  And those people out there are close to me.  If you think all that isnt possible, then you explain to me what really went on out there.  Im telling you the truth."

"You mean – about being sick – you were lying to us?"

"No!  I mean –yes. But, I didn't want to."

Kagome's friends all had blank expressions. They seemed shocked and afraid of her. Another pause.

"That – that demon said something about a half demon, and a priestess" a friend said.  Kagome sighed and spoke casualy.

"Yes.  I am the reencanation that powerful priestess, Inuyasha is a half-demon, Sango, a demon slayer, and Miroku is cursed with the deadly wind tunnel.  But I cant explain it all now," she said, taking in how bad her situation was right now.

There was a long pause, and none of her friends said anything, though she sensed they believed her.

 At that moment Kagome felt there was a big gap between her and everyone she knew in her era – she was different.  And nobody would understand.  Up till now, everything that happened in Inuyashas era had been secret.  Now it was all revealed.  Now she would never fit in.

Her friends not replying, Kagome slumped her shoulders and turned around.  There was nothing else to do now.  Nothing eles to say.  She walked across the pavement up to the group.  "Come on," she said quietly.  "We need to get back."

Kagome sat in the damp grass at the edge of the forest with her knees to her chest.  Before her was the small glowing lights of a villiage.  She could see the shadows dance slightly from the fire's glow.  The full moon shone brightly, along with millions of twinkling stars.  It was so beautiful.

She had left the others by the campfire after eating and had hardly spoken a word.  Her friends now knew about her life, finding out in the worst way possible, with a quick description that didn't even tell the whole story.  The trust everyone had for her must now be gone.  It would never be the same again.

But she didn't belong here either.  She sighed.

At that moment came footsteps from behind.  Kagome quickly turned around.  There stood Inuyasha looking down upon her.

"Inu-yasha…"  She stood up.

"You owe me an explination, Kagome."  Kagome looked down and to the side as he walked up to about two feet directly in front of her.  An overwhelming saddness came over her, and a tear escaped, trailing down her face.

"Kagome-"

"I don't belong here," she blurted, whipping her head up to face him.  Inuyasha could see the hurt in her eyes.  He looked surprised and took another step forward.  He was so close to her…

"What do you mean you don't belong here?" he said with an edge.

The tears began to flow, and her shoulders slumped.  "Nothing is going right," she said.  "Inuyasha – I don't belong here."

He took a step back.  "Hey, what are you saying-"

"I will never fit in here. But I will never fit in back on the other side of the well.  Like Kikyou, I have become an outsider."

Inuyasha gasped.   "Kikyou?  Why in the world would you mention her?"

"Rein called me Kikyou – She said we were no different."

Inuyasha stepped forward and placed his hands on her waist.  "Kagome, calm down.  It's alright."

"No, Inuyasha, its not alright.  We really are the same, arent we?"

"What?"

"Kikyou has part of my soul.  At first I was offended at being called Kikyou.  Now Im realizing that maybe she's right.  We are so much alike, except for the fact that she hates you and I lo-"

Kagome gasped and brought her hand up to her mouth, surprised at what she had almost said.

"I – I mean," she stuttered, feeling ashamed and looking to the grass. How could she have almost said that!?  Sure, she loved Inuyasha, but there was no proof that he loved her back.  There was a pause. Seconds ticked.  Curious, Kagome slowly lifted her head to see Inuyasha's expression.  She looked up to see the most georgous and loving eyes she'd ever seen. He was just staring down at her, gazing intensy into her eyes.  He slowly brought his arms around the lower part of her back, not breaking eye contact.  Kagome could nearly hear her heart beating out of her chest.  He was the most handsome and georgous man she'd ever seen, and had rescued her countless times – he had always been there.

Slowly, Inuyasha bent slightly forward.  Kagome closed her eyes, and felt the ever gentle touch of his lips on hers.  After a few seconds, he straightened out, and looked down at her.  Kagome, her eyes filling with tears, leaned forward, pressing her head to his chest, and lightly cried, bringing her arms around his back.  Inuyasha just held her, and tightened his grip, wishing she could always stay here, knowing she couldn't.  It was a love that seemed impossible.

"My home," Kagome said finally, without lifting her head, "is where you are."