Chapter 10 "A Mystic Reverie"

The sun shone down from between the trees, stirring Inuyasha from his sleep. He groaned and rubbed his sore back. The hanyou had slept like a log all night long, and his back was killing him. He had been tormented in his sleep, dream after dream... all he saw, smelled, heard, and felt had been Kagome-- and she told him time and time again that she did not love him.

Even though he knew they had only been a bunch of bad dreams, Inuyasha felt so sad and lonely inside. For one, he hated himself. Why had he gone and kissed Kagome like that?! He had just made everything worse, and now there was no way to turn back the hands of time so he could do everything over the right way.

Inuyasha yawned and leapt down from the high branch he had been on, landing on the ground quietly. He then started towards where he knew his friends were.

When the hanyou reached their campsite, Inuyasha was saddened to find that everyone was still asleep. He took one last look at all of his friends- they were the only ones that had ever looked past his hanyou- nature and seen his heart. They were so dear to Inuyasha, and his heart broke when he thought about leaving them... especially when his eyes came to rest on Kagome.

She looked so frail and helpless curled up in her sleeping bag. The hanyou walked over to her and knelt down beside her. He brought his hand up to her cheek and caressed it gently, careful not to wake her up.

"Kagome..." he murmured. "I wish I had told you sooner how much I cared for you... and now it's too late- Just as Michiko warned it would be."

He leaned in and kissed her lightly on the cheek. Then, he stood up and walked away from his friends- his family... and into an unpredictable world where he would be with Kikyo forevermore...

Kagome felt a tear slip down her cheek as she opened her eyes and watched Inuyasha disappear into the forest. She moved her hand up to where he had kissed her and stared after him.

"Looks like he has left us." Miroku reported sadly, sitting up from where he had been resting.

"Yes, he's gone, Shippou. You can stop pretending now." Sango added to the kitsune, who had looked to be fast asleep. He raised his little head and whimpered, knowing that Inuyasha was really gone.

Kagome thought about everything that Inuyasha had said up until the last moment they were together. Did he really mean what he said about wishing he could have told Kagome he cared for her sooner? She and her friends could only wonder... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Meanwhile...

Inuyasha hurried through the forest at his fast hanyou speed. The world zipped by, as did his happiness. He knew that he should be in a better mood when he was with Kikyo. She didn't deserve to have him acting so depressed from his problems that had been happening with the hanyou and his former companions.

As he neared the clearing to where Kikyo would meet him, Inuyasha began to think back to the first days he had been with Kagome. He had thought she was a selfish, stuck-up bitch at first... but when she risked her life to safe his when he had been battling Yura of the demon hair, the hanyou had looked at Kagome in a new light.

She no longer seemed to be the betrayer that Kikyo had been, and there was something about her that the hanyou knew he could trust. There had always been a feeling of need whenever he was around Kagome... when he was fighting, she would always be there, giving him strength and courage. When he was sad and lonely, Kagome always had that sweet smile that lifted the hanyou out of his misery... and when Kagome's life was in danger, Inuyasha always felt this strong feeling of fear inside of his very soul, and it scared him to think that he might lose Kagome one day. And that was when he pushed her into the Bone Eaters Well after that painful battle with Sesshomaru. He tried to make sure she could not return to them, hoping that would banish the risk of loosing her like that. Of course, that had nearly killed his soul, and his heart broke when he looked down at her scared and confused expression when she was falling through the well; never to return.

Of course, she did come back after that, and even though he liked not to admit it, Inuyasha had been so relieved when she had returned. He never wanted her to be in danger, but he soon discovered that he couldn't live without her by his side.

After that, the hanyou began to feel changes take place within himself. He no longer had a restless, lonely heart... and he had friends. Friends who liked him for who he was- not what he was... and he started to enjoy life again, for now he had a purpose; a place in the world where he was welcomed; where he fit in. And that was all thanks to Kagome.

Inuyasha wished that he could just forget about Kikyo, for their feud had happened so long ago... but there was something binding him to her. He wasn't sure if it was the guilt he had inside his heart, knowing that he was alive when he should be dead, as she was, or the fact that she was trying so hard to stay on earth and walk among the living- just to be with him. Whatever it was, there was a reason for it being there, so he figured it would be best to just let fate have its way with him. He would have to get over Kagome... forget the feelings he had for her and move on, for Kikyo needed him now.

As he turned the corner, Kikyo could be seen standing in front of the tree, looking as if she had been there the whole time; never moving.

Inuyasha walked over to her and stopped when he was standing before the miko. He looked down into her cold eyes, and was surprised to see that they were so different from Kagome's... so distant and void of feelings. In fact, this was the first time he actually took a good look at Kikyo...

Her skin was pale and cold from death, and her hair laid limp around her; refusing to blow in the wind, as if it was not real. She still had the same smell, but Inuyasha could pick up the scent of death... when she spoke, her voice had an icy glaze over it, that could chill your very bones. And there was always the sad feelings the hanyou could pick up whenever he was near her. She was a lonely spirit roaming the earth with unfinished business...

Inuyasha was surprised to find himself wishing she was more like Kagome. She had a warm smile that could cheer you up whenever you're sad, and she was so kind towards everyone... it was hard to imagine Kagome being evil as Kikyo was.

There is such a difference between them! Inuyasha thought to himself. Why haven't I noticed that before?!

Kikyo picked up on Inuyasha's emotions, and concluded that he was thinking of Kagome. So, she kissed him lightly on the cheek and smiled up at him.

"What are you thinking?" she asked.

Inuyasha didn't want to tell Kikyo he was thinking of Kagome, so instead he said, "Uh nothing, really... just thinking about the future... our future."

Kikyo nodded and looked him over for a minute. Suddenly, she held out her hand.

"You have it?"

Inuyasha was confused. "Have what?"

"The Shikon no Tama."

"Y-yes..."

"Let me see it."

Inuyasha carefully took it out from around his neck, and held it out to her. However, there was a strange feeling that came over him, and as the miko reached out to touch it, he shrank back a little.

Kikyo frowned. "Do you not trust me with the very jewel I was assigned to protect throughout eternity?"

Inuyasha sighed and shook his head. "Sorry." He said. "It's just that... well, we;ve worked so hard to recover the jewel, and it's hard to let go of it..."

The miko nodded. "I see." She said. "So what do you plan to do with it, Inuyasha? Surely you want to make a wish apon it..."

The hanyou was silent for a moment. "I... I don't know." He finally answered, looking down at the jewel in his hand.

Kikyo smiled up at him. "Don't you remember what you promised me 50 years ago?" she asked. "You told me you'd use the jewel so you could always be with me."

Inuyasha nodded. "I remember." He said. "I would have too..."

The miko took his hands and closed them around the jewel securely.

"You still can." She said.

Inuyasha didn't say anything. He knew one day he would have to choose the one wish he could make on the jewel... and now that day had come.

"Kikyo... I... things have changed." He began.

The miko raised an eyebrow. "I see." She said. "You do not wish to be with me any more?"

Inuyasha gulped. "N-no!" he exclaimed. "That's not what I meant at all! Kikyo, I do want to be with you. It's just that... Kagome... she wanted me to become a human for her... and it's just hard to think about, that's all. All my life I wanted to be a full demon; a youkai like my father... but I'm not sure what I want to do now."

Kikyo sighed quietly. "Inuyasha." She said. "Answer me this- do you love Kagome as you loved me?"

The hanyou gasped. What was he supposed to say?!

Kikyo frowned at his silence. She reached up and stroked his face gently. "Inuyasha... I have come here for you. To be with you. And you want to leave me to be with my reincarnation?" She stared straight into his eyes. "Won't you come with me?" she asked. "So we can be together always? I'll make you forget Kagome... I do not want to see you heartbroken and opressed..."

Inuyasha felt himself grow weak and he couldn't look away from her intense stare. "K-Kikyo..." he murmured, finding his mouth hard to move as well.

The miko hushed him. "Ssssshhh..." she said. "Just relax, Inuyasha... relax."

The hanyou felt himself opening his hands and relaxign his body to the point of some sort of meditiation...

Kikyo smirked when she saw the Shikon no Tama laying in Inuyasha's open hand. She took it from him and chuckled to herself, stepping back from Inuyasha. "Now that I possess the jewel once more," she said gently, "I can wish for you to join me in going to the dephs of hell where you will never have to worry about Kagome again."

"B-but Kikyo..." Inuyasha protested weakly. "I- I..."

Kikyo once more hushed him, and this time, Inuyasha was relaxed completely, locked on to her gaze.

Kikyo waved her hand in front of his face, and the light from his eyes completely vanished. He was now under her control.

"You will not remember Kagome at all." She said. "You love me and kill anyone else who goes near me."

Kikyo then held up the jewel. "How I have waited for this moment." She decared. "Now I can finally do what I have planned for us with that bothersome mortal out of the picture."

Suddenly, an arrow shot through the air. It caught the Shikon no Tama's necklace chain and carried it a tree behind the miko. The arrow stuck into the bark of the tree, pinning the Shikon no Tama safely out of Kikyo's reach for the time being.

The miko looked to see Kagome standing in the bushes, her bow and arrow raised. There were three more arrows in the quiver she slung over her shoulder. The miko frowned. "Why are you here?"

Kagome returned the nasty frown. "Release Inuyasha." She demanded.

Kikyo smirked. "No." She said. "And he will not come to you either. For you see... he has chosen to be with me. Now go."

Kagome took a step forward. "Inuyasha!" she called. "Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha, however, ignored Kagome, it seemed.

Kikyo shrugged. "Oh well..." she sighed sarcastically. "Looks like he's just not interested.

Kagome looked to Inuyasha. To her, it seemed like Inuyasha was perfectly fine...

The mortal took a step towards the miko. "If you do not stop whatever it is you are trying to do, I'll kill you."

Kikyo laughed. "Go ahead and try." She said tauntingly. "But I have my own protector now... and I'm sure you know how he loves me."

Kagome clenched her fists and drew back her arrow. "Fine then!" she cried. "If that is what I have to do to stop you, I will kill you." With that, she let the arrow fly.

It was heading straight for the miko's face, but Kikyo didn't budge.

Suddenly, just as the arrow came within 2 feet of killing Kikyo, there was a blur of red thhat darted in front of her raising a cloud of dirt. The arrow bounced off of something hard from the red blur, and blocked it from hurting Kikyo.

When the dirt settled, Kagome gasped. There, in front of Kikyo with his sword raised was none other that Inuyasha himself! She nearly dropped her bow. "Inuyasha?" she called. "What are you doing?"

The hanyou didn't answer her. Instead, he bared his teeth and snarled.

Kikyo laughed at the confused look on Kagome's face. "I told you, mortal! Inuyasha has chosen me now... he will do anything to protect me. All I have to do is give him the command, and he'll kill you."

Kagome shrank back a little. "No." She said. "No! That's not true!"

She raised her bow and arrow once more, preparing to shoot the miko.

Kikyo crossed her arms. "Have it your way." She said. "Inuyasha- kill her."