AN: Be pre-warned of CHARACTER DEATH and major angst. Might want a tissue. You've been warned.

CH: 6 Blood and Tears

Naraku gently brushed Kagome's raven hair out of her face. She cuddled closer into his embrace. Her eyelashes brushed against his skin and she woke. Kagome blinked a few times till everything came into focus. She blushed when she saw Naraku staring at her. Even after what they had done the night before she was still self conscious.

"Ohayou itoshii." Naraku said and claimed her lips in a soft kiss before she could respond.

They dragged themselves out of the comfort of the futon and got ready for the task that lay before them. Kagome dressed in a dark blue sleeveless kimono. The kimono reached her ankles, but had two slits on each side that went up to mid thigh so that she could move freely. She tied her hair back in a high ponytail and strapped the sword that Naraku had given her to her hip.

Kagome stared at herself in the mirror for a few minutes longer. 'Can I really do this? Kami, I hope so.' She took a few deep breaths and then she met Naraku who was already waiting for her outside.

The two of them took off without any others. Naraku wanted kill the mutt and the undead miko without the help of any of his minions. It would be much more satisfying that way and he was sure that Kagome was strong enough for this. However, he did not know whether or not she would be able to actually bring herself to kill someone she had once cared for. If she couldn't he knew he would do it for her.

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"Kuso, where the hell is that bastard Naraku? We've been searching for him for weeks." Inu Yasha complained. He was getting annoyed with constantly trying to find someone that he couldn't track. It also wasn't helping that he was killing himself inside over his decision to travel with Kikyou. He had loved her so greatly, but it seemed that after spending so much time with her that more he would notice how she wasn't the same girl he had fallen in love with.

'I can't regret what I did. I gave up everything to be with Kikyou. If I decide to abandon her then I have nothing. Sango, Miroku, and Kagome all left. The village is no longer. I'd have nothing.' Inu Yasha and Kikyou had tried to return to village before. Kikyou had wanted to see Kaede, but Inu Yasha actually wanted to see if he could persuade the others to rejoin them. He hadn't been prepared for what had greeted them.

The entire village was pretty much gone. The stench of blood stung his sensitive nose even though it was obvious that it had been days since the massacre had occurred. He was actually somewhat relieved to find all the grave, because he knew that it meant Kagome, Miroku, and Sango were alright. He had however, felt a pang in his chest when he saw the grave for Shippou. The little kitsune had always tried to annoy him and get him angry, but he had been a part of their group. 'Our group..our group is no more.'

It was that moment that Inu Yasha had realized that the Kikyou he had once known was no longer. She showed no emotion looking down at the many graves of the villagers she had once sworn to protect. Not a single tear or kind word as she stood over her little sister's grave. Inu Yasha had been holding back tears, afraid to of what she would think if he let them loose. He had never before been afraid that she would judge him by what emotions he showed, until then.

Later when they had camped that night he wished that he had someone to mourn with, someone to comfort and have comfort him. But he was alone, being with Kikyou was as good as being alone when it came to emotional problems. He thought of how everyone in the group had always comforted each other and never judged one of them when they cried. Inu Yasha wished he had that feeling again, those people again. 'What did I do? I gave up the best thing I ever had.'

"Inu Yasha." Kikyou got the hanyou's attention with her dead pan voice. "I sense shards coming this way."

Inu Yasha nodded and pulled out the Tetsusaiga. He couldn't really sense anything around him, but he trusted that Kikyou wouldn't lie to him. (AN: lol, Kikyou not lie.) He tried to sniff the area and then was sure something was coming. Not because he could smell something approaching, in fact it was just the opposite. He couldn't smell a single thing, not even the tress that surrounded him. 'Must be some sort of magic.'

Inu Yasha tensed when he then felt a miasma surrounding the area. 'Naraku.' He got into a battle sense and opened all his senses making sure he would be ready for anything. Kikyou strung her bow, but was not very worry. She was still under the delusion that Naraku couldn't lay a hand on her.

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'Wow that was fast.' Kagome thought as she felt the distinct feeling of Inu Yasha and Kikyou. 'They must have gotten all the other shards and were searching for Naraku. Well won't the little pup be in for a surprise.' Kagome felt all the anger she had felt for the hanyou over the years she had spent with him build in her again.

Naraku could feel the swell in Kagome's aura as they continued toward Inu Yasha and Kikyou and he smirked. 'Now what to do? Surprise him or just fight him straight forward? If we surprise him then I'm afraid he won't last very long. Then again just facing him should be surprise enough when he sees that I have his precious Kagome. He will wish he never gave her up.'

As if she could sense what he was thinking Kagome asked Naraku how he wanted to go about this. They agreed on a method and Kagome cast an easy spell to confuse Inu Yasha for a moment. She covered the scents of the forest and everything in it.

Naraku in turn let his miasma surround the area so that he could make sure their prey didn't run away. "You ready?"

"Hai. I get Kikyou." Kagome stated. No matter how much she hated Inu Yasha at the moment, her hatred for Kikyou would always out weigh it."

Naraku nodded and they both soon reached the clearing Kikyou and Inu Yasha were standing in. They noticed both were already on their guard. 'This should be fun.' Naraku thought.

Naraku and Kagome walked into the small clearing Inu Yasha and Kikyou were standing in. "Naraku." Inu Yasha growled, but then he noticed who was standing next to him. "Kagome? Did that bastard kidnap you?"

Kagome looked at Inu Yasha with hurt and anger clear in her misty blue eyes. "No he didn't kidnap, Inu Yasha. I went with him after you were a jerk and chose that dead bitch over me!"

"Don't talk about Kikyou that way."

"I'll talk about her however, I like. I gave you everything I had you baka and you threw me aside for that whore. Naraku treats me better than you ever did." Kagome's words laced with bitterness hurt Inu Yasha worse than he ever thought was possible.

Kikyou faced her arrow towards Kagome and was ready to shoot when she was distracted when Naraku suddenly lunged at the distracted inu hanyou. Kikyou spared a glance at Inu Yasha fighting Naraku and then turned her attention back to her reincarnate. So saw Kagome staring back at her. Kagome gave her a small smirk and then ran into the surrounding foliage.

Kikyou stood on her guard. Her eyes scanned the trees around her and her bow was ready to shoot at a moments notice. She saw a blur run to her left and shot, but the arrow only hit a tree. 'She's fast.' Kikyou thought and narrowed her eyes a bit more to focus.

Kagome still had a smirk on her face as she confused the creature of dirt and clay. She knew her speed had increased, but she really hadn't thought she'd be fast enough to dodge Kikyou's arrows. She saw Kikyou pull back another arrow and get ready.

Kikyou concentrated on anything that moved and waited. She finally saw a flash to her right. She turned and fired. Kagome dodged and came at Kikyou with her sword in hand. She slashed at undead miko, but Kikyou leaned back and Kagome only cut threw her bow.

Kikyou threw the useless bow to the ground and stood facing Kagome. 'This is going to be too easy if she's unarmed.' Kagome re-sheathed her sword. Just then Kikyou lunged at her, but Kagome was never off her guard. She used her miko powers to send Kikyou flying back with a burst of blue light.

She was about to come at her fallen enemy when Kikyou's soul catchers came to her aid. They wrapped around Kagome and tightened their grip. Had Kagome still been her weak self she would have passed out already from being squeezed so hard. Kikyou got back up and looked into Kagome's eyes. "This where I get my soul back." Kikyou stated.

"No this is where you die a second time Kikyou." Kagome concentrated on her power from within. She felt it swell and swirl around her. Blue swirls of what looked almost like neon smoke wrapped around her and she flexed her arms and her power shot out. The snake-like demons fell to the ground at her feet in pieces.

"How...?"

"How did I get so much stronger? Well, let's see Kikyou. It could just be that I'm twice the miko you ever were." With that Kagome redrew her sword and slashed right through her incarnate.

Kikyou fell to the ground in a pile of dust and broken pottery. A bunch of glowing blue orbs came out form the fallen Kikyou. They flew out in different directions. One went into Kagome and she knew that she had finally gotten all of her soul back. She felt...whole.

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Naraku and Inu Yasha fought hard, but it seemed that neither would be winning any time soon. Inu Yasha had Naraku beat when it came to strength being that he wielded the Tetsusaiga. But Naraku easily beat Inu Yasha in speed and dodged the multiple kaze no kizu attacks that came at him.

"How dare you steal my Kagome!"

"Your Kagome? She came to me. You threw her aside." Naraku was angered that Inu Yasha dared to call Kagome his. He had done nothing to deserve the girl.

Kagome came upon the scene when both hanyous were breathing hard and staring each other down once again. There would often be little breaks in the fighting for each of them to catch their breath and continue. Upon noticing Kagome, Naraku smirked at Inu Yasha. "It would seem my lover is stronger than yours."

Inu Yasha was shocked at the implications that statement gave. Then he was just angered and attacked Naraku with everything he had. He used the ultimate attack of the Tetsusaiga and Naraku was thrown back before he had a chance to defend himself. He fell unconscious to the ground.

Before Inu Yasha could deal the final blow, Kagome blocked the Tetsusaiga with her sword. She purified her sword and caused the Tetsusaiga to revert to its original form of a rusty sword.

"I can't believe you're defending that bastard." Inu Yasha said.

"He's not the bastard Inu Yasha. You are for all the things you did to me." Kagome and Inu Yasha jumped back from each other.

Kagome ran forward and slashed at Inu Yasha. He rolled to the side and she ended up cutting done a tree.

"Look Kagome, I'm sorry about what I did. Really I am. Look Kikyou's gone now, we can travel together again." Inu Yasha said as he dodged another one of her attacks. Kagome was too angry to remark. "We can find Sango and Miroku and be a group again."

"No we can't. First off I gave them a new life because unlike you I don't get pleasure watching my friends suffer. And secondly I would...NEVER...TRAVEL...WITH...YOU..AGAIN!" Every word was accented with a slash of her sword.

"Kagome I don't want to have to kill you." The two of them locked their swords again.

"Trust me you won't." Kagome twirled around and her sword cut across Inu Yasha's arm.

"Kagome, you don't want to do this." Inu Yasha said as he tried to ignore the pain in his arm.

"So know you know how I feel Inu Yasha. Suddenly you know what's best for me." Kagome didn't even bother to hide the disgust in her voice.

The clanging of swords echoed throughout the forest. The two people who had once been friends not fought fiercer than any enemies.

Kagome dodged an attack from Inu Yasha. They both spun at the same time and held out their swords. It was then they noticed they were in a complete stalemate. Both had their sword to the other's throat and were staring into each other's eyes.

"Can you really do it Kagome?" Inu Yasha all but mocked her. He was beyond being nice. They were both littered with scratches and cuts. To a demon's nose the smell of sweat and blood would have made them believe they had walked into a full blown war zone.

"Do it Inu Yasha." Kagome stated her voice tight with emotion. "Just do it already! Don't you want to make the physical pain match the emotional you sadistic bastard!" Tears began to roll down Kagome's cheeks. Her hand began to waver as she began to shake, but she refused to drop her sword. If she died, Inu Yasha was going down with her. He had to pay.

"Just do it!"

Inu Yasha stared into Kagome's overflowing eyes and felt himself faulter. How could he have ever caused her so much pain? She had never let on to how miserable she felt, but he should have known.

They both pulled back their swords and were about to thrust back at each other. They both looked into each other's eyes again. 'Not again. Not the same as Kikyou. Damn Naraku, damn me.' Were Inu Yasha's last thoughts.

They both thrust their sword back at each other, but at the last moment, Inu Yasha dropped his blade. He fell forward onto Kagome as her blade went through his chest. "Gomen Kagome." He got out with his last breath. Kagome fell back and Inu Yasha slid into her lap.

New tears ran down her face. She hugged Inu Yasha's body close. "Inu Yasha, you baka."

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*sniff* *sniff* so sad. Hope you all enjoyed. I think I'll make the next chapter a lot of fluff to offset all the sadness. Please review. *sniff*

Review Responses:

Me..: Thanks for reminding me about the MM.org rating, completely forgot.

Kaiirei: Kuroi Shi, the black death, well I hope the pup is black or else it would be a little weird. Puppies are so cute! ^_^

Triple creasant: Thanks for keeping an open mind

Leiilani: I agree no one is as good looking as Sesshoumaru

The Good the Bad and the Freak: I like your name, but I agree it is kind of long

Kadiya Windrose: Naw, I'm not that great, and I'm sure you're a wonderful writer

Thanks to all the others that reviewed and please keep them coming.

~*Shichan