Hi everyone! You guys are the GREATEST! I'm so happy that you all like this story so far! Yay! Well, I finished the sixth chapter to A Demon Without Fangs, but for some reason… I can't up-load it. L Sad, huh? So, I decided that while I wait for it to get fixed, I'll write the next chapter to this! Sound good? Obviously, if you're here reading this, which I hope you are. Well, here's the long awaited chapter. ^-^ Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

The Past Revealed

Ch. 2

~ ~ ~ What's gone on previously ~ ~ ~

She waited for him to get under control before she answered. "It's tall, gangly, and has green scales all over it. Have you heard of it before Inuyasha?"

He nodded, not wanting to waste any unnecessary breath. Kagome opened her mouth to ask another question when the demon strode right over to Inuyasha, towering above him. Kagome froze, her heart seeming to have ceased its beating.

She warned Inuyasha with one word. "Run!"

~ ~ ~

He jumped out of the way a tenth of a second before the demon slashed its claws out and swiped right where Inuyasha had been standing. They scattered, running in different directions, yet not wanting to leave the others, so none of them had very far to go. Sango and Miroku kept glancing over their shoulders, expecting to see some sort of a give away as to where the demon was standing. Nothing helped them in the slightest.

"Inuyasha, to the right!" Kagome warned as the demon once again tried to graze him with it's claws.

He ducked, rolled out of harm's way, and bounded toward Kagome, holding his breath all the while.

"How are we supposed to beat this thing?" Sango asked through clenched teeth. She had stopped running a while ago, after realizing that for some strange reason, the demon was mainly trying to kill Inuyasha, and not them. But then why had Kagome said it was after her? How did she know to come back?

"This is pointless, we can't continue running like this. We'll get worn out in no time, and none of us have had the amount of sleep we required from the previous night," Miroku stated calmly, giving Inuyasha a sideways glance. "I suggest we do something to get rid of this monster, and do it fast!" He grasped the rosary around his wrist and glared at the air around him, trying to pinpoint where the demon was exactly.

Kagome saw his action and decided to help him out, hoping beyond hope that the hell-hole would work against the youkai. "It's behind us, to the left!" She shouted, running towards her companions with Inuyasha by her side.

In one sweep, Inuyasha firmly grasped Kagome around her waist and leapt through the air, landing almost effortlessly behind the monk. "Now!" He shouted, and inhaled an enormous gulp of air, snorting through laughter until he could control himself. Shippô twisted and turned in Sango's grasp, causing her to almost drop him in the path that would soon be used as the air rip.

Miroku never hesitated. He yanked the rosary off of his hand and held his wrist outstretched toward the demon, the hell-hole sucking in everything in it's path.

The scaly green demon smirked, and step by step, walked closer and closer to where the group was crowded together. Its little pointy white teeth gleamed from the light of the sun as saliva dripped from its tongue to splatter against the ground. Kagome's face turned white as she tried to gulp back her fear. This couldn't be happening…

Miroku looked over his shoulder at her and yelled over the sound of his air rip. "Is it working?!?"

Kagome took a step back, numbly shaking her head. "N-no!" She stuttered. "Its not affected by it! How could it not be affected by it?!?"

Miroku closed off the hell-hole with the rosary in one swift movement, clenching one eye shut tight. "What do you mean it's not working?" He asked, panting slightly.

Kagome backed away another step. "Exactly what I said… it's not working."

Everyone turned to stare at her, disbelief in their eyes at how powerful this youkai seemed to be. 'Was there even a way out of this situation?' Their eyes seemed to ask her.

The youkai cackled with amusement, each laugh pausing before the next began. It's neck glugged with the laughter, rippling in slow waves with the sound.

Wait a second, Kagome thought to herself. We can hear its laughter, so that means that if it speaks, we can hear it talking as well! Inuyasha will be able to attack by the sound her hears! He'll know where it is! She caught the hanyou's gaze, held it for a minute, and he seemed to understand. He gave a slow deliberate nod, showing his consent.

I'll be the bait, Kagome thought with resolve. If the dream was true enough, than it really does want me… for some reason or another. All I need to do is find out why. I can distract it while keeping it occupied, chatting away hopefully. And then…whoops! She darted to the side and barely missed getting impaled by one of the demon's long outstretched claws. I better get to work! He's not going to want to 'play' much longer. If he kills any of my friends… She left the threat open, anger washing over her as the demon charged directly toward them.

"It's coming!" She warned, stringing her bow. "Be ready!"

"Ready? What does she expect us to do?" Sango asked, clutching Shippo closer to her body.

Miroku shook his head. "I have no idea."

Kagome let the air fly, hitting the youkai in the shoulder and tearing its arm off. She blinked. At least these results were better than the last time.

He stood there dumbly for a few minutes, a scowl on its face as it turned to glare at her with contempt. Kagome smirked at it. "You're just like all other demons!" She shouted, hoping to get under its skin. "You're nothing special."

After a few moments, the fingers of the arm twitched, then relocated itself with the rest of the body. Yep, it definitely possessed the power of a shikon shard, but how could it do such a thing without carrying them?!?

At Kagome's dumbfounded expression, the demon smirked. "My master told me you would be powerful, but why are you hanging around with these worthless beings?"

"And who, exactly, is your master?" Miroku wanted to know.

The youkai sniffed. "Someone you should fear, human," came the watery reply.

It turned its yellow gaze to Kagome, curiosity in its depth. "But you… you he wants alive. He wants you back little one, and he will stop at nothing to get you."

Kagome gulped, dread washing over her in a thick blanket. Back? What does the demon mean when it said he wants me… back?

"I've had enough!" Inuyasha yelled as he swung down his blade, the Tetsusaiga, from behind, slicing the demon's back right down the middle.

The youkai screeched as it turned on the hanyou, eyes dangerously turning red. "I

 have come for what I needed to say, half-breed. You will see me again, and when you do, you will wish you had never come! You have no idea what you will face it the future, and I promise you, you will not win. You can't win!"

"What does he mean by that?" Sango whispered, a shiver running down her spine.

No one answered her question.

He rose into the air, glaring contemptuously down at everyone, although only one could see. "I know why he wants you after all these years," it stated, his eyes hiding some sort of malicious secret. "You will be worth it, when all of this is over."

"What do you mean by that?" Kagome spat, glaring at the 'thing.'

He chuckled, shaking his head. "You will see in due time. You do not have much time left, human. You do not have much time left."

It opened some sort of a rip in the sky, a brilliant blast of lavender and white light shining through. It stepped one foot into it, and then the other, slowly disappearing into nowhere.

"That Inuyasha is one to worry about, I will have to tell my master. He will not like the fact that you have so many potential friends, enemies in his case. I would have liked to kill the hanyou. It would have helped me in the future. But, you just had to butt in didn't you?"

The funny thing was, it didn't look mad that Kagome had ruined his chance at killing the dog-demon. It looked excited to say the least. It wanted a challenge. It was looking forward to their next meeting.

"See you…" the youkai started to say, only its head visible now, "In a few days…"

Then it was gone. Everyone relaxed visibly. Everyone except for Kagome that is. "A few days?" She asked in a whisper, Inuyasha coming over toward them and gasping for breath since he had had to hold it for so long.

"What's happening in a few days?" Sango asked her, confusion written all over her features.

Kagome thought about it over and over, her brow creased into a frown. "I…" What was in a couple of days? Suddenly the light flicked on, and realization struck. "A few days…" she breathed, eyes wide in wonder. "That's my birthday!"

Inyasha stared at her with an incredulous look crossing his face. "You've got to be kidding."

She blinked. "What?" She asked slightly in defense, half in curiosity.

"You couldn't remember when your own birthday is?" He asked, smirking at her.

Kagome clenched her teeth together, closing her eyes and counting to ten, hoping her anger would cease.

Nope.

It never did.

"Inuyasha!" She growled threateningly.

He edged away a little, realizing he had somehow mad her mad again and didn't want to get face-planted into the ground. Quickly he thought of something to do. Anything to do that would help her cool off. In one bound he was in front of her, holding her shoulders so that she would open her eyes and look at him. She gasped, her eyes snapping open, shock and a tiny bit of fear replacing it.

He growled when he placed the fear she felt toward him, but his expression softened slightly after. She wasn't angry at least.

"Inu-Inuyasha…" She whispered, only audible to his sensitive dog ears. "Wha…"

He shrugged almost carelessly, averting his gaze away from hers. "Nothing. I just needed to… wanted to… let you know that I…ap-appreciate," it took him a while to finally spit the word out, "What you did. You know, coming back and helping me—us." A slight blush covered his cheeks when he realized his hands were still placed firmly on Kagome's shoulders, and he carefully removed them. "That's all I wanted to say."

He turned and stalked away, looking as if he knew where he was going, but wouldn't end up at any true destination. Kagome gave a small smile towards his back, ignoring the glances she was getting from Miroku and Sango. She didn't need to tell them the dream she had. It would only worry her friends even more. Then she heard a slap and had to keep herself from laughing out loud. Would Miroku ever learn?

But the sound brought her back to reality and she quickly darted after Inuyasha's retreating form. "Hey Inuyasha! I have to go back home! I forgot to pack my back before I came here! I was in a hurry and—"

He turned, an annoyed look on his face, but she could tell he looked relieved she hadn't brought up anything he had just said. "Well, go back and pack then, wench! Oi! You never think do you?" He rolled his eyes and Kagome's eyebrow started to twitch. "Feh. Just hurry up and come back, will ya?"

This time she flashed him a bright smile and waved to her friends as she headed back toward the well. "I'll be back in no time! Don't worry!" She darted toward the well and disappeared from view.

A young kitsune being cradled in Sango's arms blinked, looking up at her as she yelled at Miroku. "Uhh… what just happened?" he asked, thoroughly confused.

*          *          *          *          *

"Mom! I'm back!" Kagome yelled as she ran inside her house. "Sorry about that," she panted, "but it was an emergency."

Her mother looked over at her and sighed with relief. "Oh, Kagome. Good, I'm glad your home. I thought you had already left."

Kagome zoomed past her mother and upstairs, grabbing her bag and tossing random things inside. She had told Inuyasha that she would be back soon, and she meant it, by golly! If she wasn't back soon enough… then they would most likely have one of their yelling disputes again.

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry mom, what did you say?" She yelled downstairs, passing her mother once again as she entered the kitchen and emptied out their entire stock of ramen. She checked the pantry for some chocolates for Shippô also, shoving whatever she found inside the 'black hole' as she started to dub it.

"Do you think that's possible?" She mother asked, obviously haven spoken during her rambling and thinking.

Kagome blinked. "What?" She lugged the bag over onto her back, the muscles in her legs tightening at once. Oh, this was heavy. You'd think she would be used to it by now. Then again, Inuyasha spoiled her by always carrying it for her, so maybe not.

"You will be able to come home—"

"Shoes, shoes," she mumbled to herself under her breath. Oh yeah! By the front door!

"Because we'll all want to spend time with you on—"

Kagome ran to the front door, slipping her shoes on as fast as she could, and darted out the door, walking backwards to wave at her mother.

"Kagome!" Her mother yelled, exasperated.

"Yeah? Mom… I gotta go—"

"Will you be home for your seventeenth birthday? I thought we could spend it as a family and—"

"Yeah, sure mom, I'll be home as soon as I can! There's no telling with Inuyasha though! This is spring break! He'll want to spend as much time looking for—"

"You better be home young lady!" Her mother tried the 'stern mother' talk. She wasn't even heeded.

"I love you mom! Bye! I'll try to be home as soon as possible! Tell Souta and grandpa I love them! See you later!"

And with that, a very cheerful Kagome entered the well house and disappeared, leaving behind a very exasperated and forlorn mother.

She sighed, wetness coming to her eyes. "My baby…" she breathed, throat tightening. She tried to reassure herself that everything would be alright. Everything always was with Inuyasha and her other friends protecting her. She shook her head as if she was about to give up. "Maybe…maybe he doesn't know she's there…in his time. Maybe she will be safe." Her eyes clenched shut, pain gripping at her heart. "And maybe not." She walked back into the safety of her house; the safety of her time.

She saw Kagome's grandfather sitting down inside watching a fishing program on TV. and sighed. "Father… what did I do to you and mother? What did I put you through?" She noticed Kagome's school picture next to Souta's, and sadness washed over her. "I think I'm finally beginning to understand." She walked into the sanctuary of her kitchen, one finally word leaving her lips almost involuntarily. "Kioji…"

*          *          *          *          *

When Kagome went back she was greeted with an irritated hanyou, a desolate monk, an angry Sango, and a kitsune full of questions. Buy was this going to be a looooong day. Not only that, but she wasn't even given a chance to break down and sob her heart out—for relief of horror she wasn't sure yet—because of Inuyasha's 'almost' death. The weight of the day started hanging more heavily on everyone, and Kagome could just picture herself sobbing her guts out tonight while everyone but the one person who she didn't want to hear her, would. She knew Inuyasha was a light sleeper, and she also knew that he didn't go to sleep until everyone else was. They would both be extremely crabby the next day if neither of them got any sleep.

Inuyasha decided that they should all leave right when Kagome got back, and of course, they did what they were told, not wanting to argue or further prolong anything. It was almost dusk when they headed out so they had to stop for camp not too far away from the village in a secluded little clearing in the forest.

Kagome made ramen for everyone, hoping to lighten the mood and fill their stomachs, while Miroku and Sango went to go gather firewood. Kagome gave Shippô a piece of chocolate to keep him occupied, and Inuyasha sat sprawled out on a tree branch resting.

"HENTAI!" Sango screeched at the top of her lungs, a resounding smack echoing through the trees as they entered their little clearing.

Miroku rubbed his sore check, a small smile on his face. "My dearest lady Sango, I—"

"Shove it," Sango grit between her teeth. She dropped the wood she had gathered at Kagome's feet, next to the small already lit fire she was currently using to boil water… to no avail.

Kagome smiled to herself at the daily routine she was used to about now. She gratefully accepted the branches and added them one by one to the fire, willing the flame to not go out. When the fire was going easily she placed her pot over it once again.

"But my hand!" Miroku said, "It has a mind of its own, I swear!"

Sango clenched a fist. "Miroku…." She drew out, eyebrow twitching.

He gulped, but wisely kept silent.

After a few minutes the ramen was done and everybody was eating. Kagome couldn't handle the silence. Why was everybody acting this way? At least the monk and the exterminator were acting normal…

"Do you want to go to the hot spring near here?" Sango asked, looking pointedly at Kagome. "It's not too far."

"I—"

"Why, Sango! I knew you cared!" Miroku clasped one of her hands in his own, looking into her baffled eyes with an innocently sincere expression. "I would love to accompany you—"

He never had the opportunity to finish his sentence. Sango clobbered him over the head, knocking him unconscious. "Pervert…" she muttered, her whole body rigid.

Kagome gave a faltering smile. "Well, I think it does sound good, and we won't have to worry about Miroku coming to spy on us for a while at least." She stood, grabbing her towel and other essentials she might need, and then followed the taller girl toward the hot spring.

"Shippô," she said over her shoulder, "Watch him for us, okay?"

The little kitsune puffed out his chest, feeling important all of a sudden. "Okay!"

*          *          *          *          *

The hot spring was deliciously wonderful against Kagome's skin. It soothed her to the bone, seemingly washing away all of her doubts and worries. "Ahh…" she breathed. "The water feels great!"

Sango looked at her friend from over her shoulder, a small smile gracing her lips. Worry etched over her brow, but Kagome ignored it. She knew that Sango had some questions she wanted to have answered, but maybe if she put on her largest, most brightest… even if it were fake…smile, then maybe Sango wouldn't mention them.

"Kagome…"

Fat chance.

The said girl dipped her head quickly under water as if to ease the head ache she knew she would soon be receiving, and turned to her companion, facial features innocently cheerful. "Yes?"

Sango gnawed her lip for a bit, trying to figure out the best way to phrase the question without scaring the other girl into silence. "Why did you return so soon? From the well?" She asked, confusion clearly noticeable. "You seemed like…like you…knew. Did you? And how…" She stopped, not wanting to overwhelm Kagome by bombarding her with questions.

Kagome sighed. She knew it would come to this, but in a way… it would feel great to get it off of her chest. "I had a dream while I was in my own time. It was…" she gulped, closing her eyes as if to get rid of the images of Inuyasha, dead and bloody, from her memory. It didn't work, they only got worse. "It was so horrible. I watched everything! And I couldn't do anything! Only I could see it, just like the hair, along time ago, when a demon named Yura came after Inuyasha and myself. I couldn't stand that dream! I can't get the visions out of my head! Inuyasha! He was…dead! I saw him die, and could do nothing! It all happened in slow motion it seemed… but the final blow…it was so sudden, it shocked me! I woke up with tears in my eyes! He couldn't die that way! He couldn't!" She hadn't realized when she had risen her voice. She tried to calm herself, Sango slowly making her way over to the other girl with a look of pity, horror, and sadness in her eyes.

"You don't have to tell me," Sango said, pain evident in her voice. She didn't know if she wanted to hear this. It brought back too clearly the images of her father, and her brother, lying motionlessly in pools of their own blood. "If it hurts you so much…"

Kagome shook her head, she couldn't stop now. "It wasn't right. It wasn't fair," She barely whispered this time, unconsciously clenching her fists into tight round balls underneath the water. "Inuyasha is so strong. He is always so strong willed, but this demon! It not only gave Inuyasha and Shippô huge weaknesses while clutching their bellies and laughing the entire time, it also could do that where ever, whenever, and kill its victim without them knowing because they couldn't see it! It's the most horrible way to die, unsuspecting! And Inuyasha… I can't let him—or anyone for that matter—die that way!!!"

Sango placed a hand on Kagome's shaking shoulder and soft sobs raked her body. "I'm sorry. But you came just in time. Everything is better now, right? You don't have to worry."

"That's the thing! I do have to worry! It can happen again! And if I'm not here…and if anyone dies while I'm gone I'll never forgive myself! Not if I might have been able to prevent it! And he said he'd come back! Or we'd see him again or something. I don't know if we'll be able to take him on. He left this time, what if he doesn't the next time? And why does he want me?"

"That's a question even I cannot answer. But we can handle this. We need to figure out why and how this youkai wasn't sucked into Miroku's hellhole, we need to find an antidote or something that will protect Inuyasha and Shippô from the scent that demon gives off, and we will all be ready to attack on a moment's notice. I'll throw my Boomerang Bone wherever you tell me, and hopefully we can kick some demon butt that way. How does that sound?" She asked wryly.

Kagome snorted through her tears, a few giggles escaping her lips. "I just hope it will be enough." She didn't need to mention how weak and vulnerable she felt when her arrow barely pierced the stupid youkai. But how was that possible? It should have blown it to bits! Was this suddenly dragging her into the whole picture with Naraku as well? All the others had reasons to hate his guts, but she didn't really have some big bad experience with him in the past. She wasn't even here in the past. Not unless you counted Kikyou, who people believed she was the reincarnation of. Why did someone suddenly want her? Did it have to do with her miko powers?

"I have another question that's been bugging me all day today though, if you don't mind."

Kagome looked questioningly at Sango, her tears now mingled with the spring water and no longer flowing freely down the length of her face. "What?"

"What did the youkai mean… when he said his master wanted you back?"

The girl from the future shook her head ruefully. "That is one question I cannot answer. Maybe whoever he or she is… they happen to be one of Kikyou's long lost enemies or something." Suddenely a thought struck her and she shivered. "Or worse, one of Kikyou's old friends, and demon maybe if it's possible, and he wants me to be allies with him or her so they can use my miko powers to their benefit." She shrugged. "Maybe they want me to locate shards for them. They could have heard from somewhere that I can see them."

Sango gave her an odd look, but didn't say anything further. "I'm going to head back now before the houshi wakes up and decides to further ruin the moment. Are you coming?"

Kagome wryly grinned but shook her head. "No. I think I'm going to stay here for a little longer. Try to straighten my thoughts out if you know what I mean."

Sango nodded in understanding and quietly rose out of the water, grabbing the towel Kagome had brought for her and wrapping it around her form. Wringing her hair out, she glanced once again at her troubled friend. "Don't fret for too long. I'll try to keep the hentai from peeking at you, but it won't be easy," she warned. Her sarcastic smirk turned into a serious look. "We're all here together, Kagome. We'll get through it together, and protect each other like we've always done. Don't doubt that Kagome. We're almost like a family. Nothing will separate us, not even death."

Kagome was truly touched by those words, and rewarded her best friends with a large true smile, holding nothing back from her thankfulness. Sango nodded to the girl, dressed quickly after drying herself off, and quickly left to find the monk that she knew better than to trust while bathing. Kagome sighed, leaning against a large rock in the water, eyes downcast.

"I know Sango, I know. You guys will always protect me, perhaps even give your life for me, and that's what I'm afraid of. Out of the entire group, I am possibly the weakest here. I demand the most protection. I may have miko powers, but I don't have them fully under control yet. I have to be really angry for my powers to be at their fullest, and by then…by then…it may be too late."

She had been having trouble admitting it, and now it was finally out in the open. She couldn't deny it any longer.

"I'm so sorry I'm such a disappointment to everyone. Especially you, Inuyasha."

A sound of light tinkling bells, or was it laughter, reached her human ears. Kagome gasped and whirled around, eyes widening. She came eye to eye with the most green eyes she had ever seen. The figure was tiny, less than a foot tall, and was glowing with a pure white aura. It had the aura of a shikon shard, but the thing was definitely youkai. Her hair was a dark russet, falling in waves and finally curving just below the shoulder. In her eyes held mischief, and large secret, gaiety, and laughter. Kagome gasped, wondering if she was safe or not.

One thing registered in the back of her mind, At least it's a female.

"Do you really believe all that?" The girl asked, eyes sparkling and glittering with… excitement?

Kagome narrowed her eyes accusingly. "Maybe… why do you want to know though? You were eavesdropping and this is none of your business! This doesn't even involve you!"

The little… thing… shrugged her shoulders. It wasn't until then that Kagome noticed the dark black ears perked on top of her head. "Maybe I am… maybe I'm not. What does it matter?"

Kagome glared. "Everything matters." She inhaled a deep breath, about ready to shout for Inuyasha, when the thing jumped up into her face.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" She said sternly, suddenly sounding a lot older.

Kagome's lungs deflated in a huff. "Who are you? What are you?"

She grinned triumphantly. "I am called Shiori. I came to check up on you, but you seemed a little down at the moment. And the fact that you were talking to yourself made me wait to listen and question your sanity."

Kagome blinked a few times until it finally register, a light blush crossing her pale cheeks. "What?!?" She growled, grabbing the thing around it's body.

Her hand went… through it.

Kagome paled and started to back away, eyes wide in fright. "A-a-are you a-a-a g-g-g-ghost?!?" She finally managed to ask.

Shiori scoffed. "No! I just sent an image of me here so you would know you were actually talking to someone and weren't going crazy!" Whatever this vreature was, she seemed awfully bubbly.

"Why did you come in the first place then?" Kagome questioned, still keeping her distance.

Suddenly Shiori stilled, her expression falling into a serious one. She hung her head and closed her eyes, breathing evenly. Slowly, she opened them. They were still her startling green. When she looked at Kagome, she appeared a few years older, but looks were often deceiving. "If it is power that you want… I can easily give it to you."

"What?!?" Kagome yelped, obviously not expecting something like that.

Shiori regarded her evenly. "It's true. I came make you a half-youkai—a hanyou—and you could be stronger like that friend of yours, Inuyasha. You could protect those you cared for…those you love. You would have as much…if not more strength as the rest of your little friends. You wouldn't have to worry as often, either, because you would be able to protect them for a change."

"How much do you know about me?" Kagome breathed, her voice less than a whisper.

Shiori still heard her with her keen sense of hearing. She smirked wryly. "More than you think I know, let's just put it that way."

Kagome didn't know if she liked the sound of that!

"So what do you say? Do you want to become a hanyou?" Shiori asked, not able to keep the hope and eagerness out of her voice.

"I—I'm not sure," Kagome stated truthfully. "I mean… how do I know this isn't some sort of a trap? I do I know you won't do something entirely different? What if I don't like being a hanyou? I don't know if I want to even see their reactions. I know they'll accept me… but it will be… different. I don't know if I want to deal with that right now."

"But it will be fun! You'd be able to see things at greater distances, hear when demons approach, and smell danger even before a youkai pounces. Don't you want that? You won't have to be questioning everything like you always do. You can count on your own instincts!"

"But I have Inuyasha to protect me…" She blushed when the words were out, quickly getting to her feet and heading toward her towel. She didn't know if she could take much more of this. She wanted to, she knew she did, but… something was wrong with the whole predicament. Unearthly wrong. It didn't…feel right. She had no doubt that this creature could turn her into a hanyou… but she didn't know if she really wanted that!

"Inuyasha may be the one protecting you, but who is going to protect him?" Shiori asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"We-we all protect each other," Kagome faltered, hurriedly drying herself off. If she could ignore it a little longer.

The she-demon smirked, seeming to catch what Kagome was thinking. "You don't want him to get hurt. You don't want him to die a fruitless death. Think about the power you could hold in your claw! You could rip any demon that threatens his life apart! For once you wouldn't seem weak and worthless to his eyes. He wouldn't be able to see Kikyou in you when he glanced at you. You would hold your own inner beauty. Like calls to like. Wouldn't you like that? If you were a hanyou, just like him? Your demon side would call to his, and his human side would be attracted to your human side. Don't you want him to care for you Kagome? Don't you want to show him that you aren't weak? You can prove it by simply accepting. All you have to do is answer with the right word."

Kagome froze after pulling her shirt over her head, now fully dressed with the exception of her socks and shoes. It all sounded too good to be true. Shiori was right. She could prove once and for all that she wasn't just some worthless human girl, a replacement for a lost love and a shikon shard detector. Like does call to like, so wouldn't that mean Inuyasha would finally notice her more if she accepted? Not only that, but she could save and protect her friends, the hanyou she had long ago begun to fall in love with. The opportunity was priceless! It was a dream come true!

But… could she live with herself afterward? She would have changed. Could she handle all the changes that came with it? Would there be side affects? Would her friends shun her? Would Shippo become scared of her? Would she become cold hearted and not care about the others around her? Would she loose herself one day and become full demon, and perhaps kill someone? Who would be able to get her to change back? She didn't have sit beads around her neck like Inuyasha. He couldn't sit her like she had done for him.

"I can't, it's too great a risk," she breathed at last, truly feeling sorry about giving up on the opportunity. What about the shikon shard? The shikon no tama? Would she still be able to use her miko powers if she were half demon? No. Probably not. Maybe once a month… if she were like Inuyasha.

"Would you even need your miko powers if you had the strength of a half-demon?" Shiori questioned smartly.

Kagome had a feeling this girl might be able to read thoughts, and didn't like that even more than she hated the fact that Shiori seemed to know so much about her. About everything.

"You won't want to pass this up. What if you regret not accepting my offer?"

"What if I regret becoming hanyou?" Kagome shot back.

"It's my last offer. Take it or leave it. You know you want it. To protect the ones you love. To revenge those who lost. To become strong."

Yes. Yes she wanted it. She wanted it like nothing else in her entire life. She needed this! But then again…she didn't at the same time. She was tipping, wavering back and forth in accepting the offer, and pushing it away without a backward glance. She was tottering over the edge of acceptance when one last thought pushed it's was to the surface. He home. Sure everybody but grandpa adored Inuyasha, but what about her? What about Kagome Higurashi coming back with cute little ears on top of her head. What's more, she didn't even know what type of hanyou she'd become.

"No!" She shouted, squeeing her eyes shut tight. She couldnpt look at the girl any longer. There had to be some sort of hypnotic spell she was weaving around her.

"It's not a spell at all," she answered. "Just your want, your need."

"NO!!!" She shouted again, louder this time. Birds skirted from their perches in near by trees. "I can't! I won't! It's not me! It's not who I am! I'm human! I'm a miko! I am not part demon!" She stooped, grabbed her discarded towel along with her shoes and socks, and darted away, tears streaming behind her, mingling with the slight breeze of the wind. "I'm me!" She whispered to herself, but Shiori still heard her. "And I am definitely not Kikyou!"

It was most likely best that she ran away. After she shouting, she had probably gathered Inuyasha's attention. Shiori had decided not to come in person so that no one could catch her scent. She didn't want to chance his anger. But she was greatly saddened with Kagome's choice, and greatly angered also. Her eyes turned red, then flicked back to their normal state.

"You have no idea," she muttered under her breath, eyes glittering dangerously. "You will not shun us. You can't. Father will not permit it." She shook she had, fading slightly. Her last voiced opinion was barely a whisper. "You can't prevent what is in your blood."

Soooo, did you like it? It took me for EVER to finish this chapter! I must admit, the middle was boring, but I was in a hurry when I wrote it and wanted to get to the end of this chapter. Well, please review! Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! ^___^