A/N: Okay, first the Youkai Lawyer seal.*slaps it on* No, I don't own, rent, lease, sublet, or timeshare Inuyasha or any of the other characters from the series, nor do I have anything to do with the wonderfully inspireing song by Brandy and Monica.

To everyone who reviewed, thank you!! I should have told you there was more to come!!

"Hello Kikyo," she said coldly and let her pack fall to the ground. She turned on her heel gracefully, facing the dead miko. Kikyo looked at her expressionless, silver streams of light moving around her. 'Soul snatchers' Kagome thought to herself, and crossed her arms. If the fact that Kikyo was her previous incarnation, and walking around dead wasn't enough to bother her, the fact she was also her chief rival wasn't much to give her a warm and fuzzy either.

"I wish to speak with you," she said softly, monotonely, and Kagome shifted her weight to her other foot, letting her body language display her annoyance.

"What could you have to say to me?" she replied and Kikyou took a step forward. Kagome felt something uncurl inside her, and rise through her skin. It was hungry, and searching, and Kikyo felt it as well, taking the step back. It always happened around her, Kagome could feel her soul rise up, trying to reach for its other half and reclaim it.

"I wish to speak to you of Inuyasha," Kikyo began,

~~You need to give it up.

Had about enough.

It's not hard to see,

the boy is mine.~~

Kagome unconsciously stood a little straighter at the mention of the hanyou's name. "You need to leave this time, return to your own, and leave him to me. He is not of your concern."

Kagome blinked in surprise, and felt the hairs on her arms stand up, as anger came over her. This surprised her, it wasn't the first time that Kikyo tried to separate them, but it was the first time she felt such pure possessive anger rise up inside her. True, she knew Inuyasha loved Kikyo, and promised to be with her always, but something inside Kagome always hoped that would change. After all, Kagome was actually the living, breathing one. It had to count for something.

"You are no long welcome here, the Shikon no Tama is reunited and purified, Naraku is dead, your business in this time is completed." Kikyo continued.

~~I think it's time we got this straight,

let's sit and talk face to face.

There is no way you could mistake him for your man,

Are you insane?~~

"Oh you think so?" said Kagome, her lips curling up. "See, we need to have a serious talk about this whole 'seperating Inuyasha and I' thing that you like to do." She allowed a bit of scarcasm enter her voice. "First of all, I have every right to do whatever and go wherever I wish, and no walking corpse is going to tell me otherwise. And secondly, what makes you so sure that he's yours anyway? Because the last time I checked, he was the one traveling with me, not you." She felt pride radiate through her at her boldness. It was damned time that she stood up to Kikyo, and say what had been on her mind for so many years.

~~See I know that you may be

just a bit jealous of me.

Cause' you're blind if you can't see

that his love is all in me.~~

Kikyo smiled coldly, "I know your feelings for him, and your envy of me. But you cannot deny the truth, he is mine, for all eternity. I would be less painful for you to accept this and leave."

~~See I tried to hesitate,

I didn't want to say what he told me.

He said without me

he couldn't make it through the day,

ain't that a shame.~~

Kagome felt like growling, and with a hint of humor she did. 'Hanging around dog youkai will do that to you,' she thought as she glared at her counterpart. "Since when have you even cared about what would be painful for me, Kikyo. For that matter, when have you cared about anyone but yourself? Is it so hard for you to believe that someone could take your place in his heart?" Kagome smiled smugly, "You're not the most important person in his life anymore. Maybe once, when he was alone, and rejected by others. But now he has people in his life who love him, just as he is, not for the human he could have become. Beside," she ended with a smile, "You're not the only one he promised to protect."

~~ And maybe you misunderstood,

Plus I can't see how he could

wanna take his time and that's all good.

All of my love was all it took

Must you do the things you do

Keep on acting like a fool

You need to know it's me not you

And if you didn't know it girl it's true.~~

Kikyo stared at her blankly, "Foolish girl, he promised protection, but not love, not eternal companionship. Those are the things he has sworn to me, he is mine, not yours. You are acting like a child, accept the truth in these matters. After all, I am the true keeper of the soul, not you. You are a copy of myself."

~~ I think that you should realize,

And try to understand why

He is a part of my life

I know it's killing you inside.~~

Kagome bit her lip, 'Damn her, she would bring that up.' Frankly Kagome often felt Inuyasha's feelings were nothing more than a misplaced attempt at what he truly wanted with Kikyo but she narrowed her eyes. Then she smiled softly, "I may just be your reincarnation, and another version of yourself, but at least I'm the original. I am flesh and blood, you are earth and dirt. You perhaps look and sound like Kikyo, but the true Kikyo died 53 years ago. You are not her!"

~~ You can say what you wanna say.

What we have you can't take.

From the truth you can't escape.

I can tell the real from the fake.~~

Kikyo shrugged ever so slightly, "Small detail, and hardly relevant. You still don't seem to understand the reality. Inuyasha's heart is mine, it always has been, and always will be."

Inuyasha had just returned from a hunting trip with Shippo and as they neared Kaede's hut, he caught something on the wind. Two somethings actually and very very farmiliar.

"Shit!" he cursed under his breath and dropped Shippo and dinner off. Before the kitsune could ask, he raced towards the forest. Kaede came out, watching the red blur curiously, "What is going on?"

"I dunno." Shippo said, and tilted his nose to the wind. His eyes widened, "Kagome's back.and..Kikyo.." his voice dropped off and Kaede nodded solemnly with understanding.

"I see," she said and reached for the prize of the hunt, a few fat wild hares, "Come little one, they will be very hungry when they return."

Shippo cast a look at Inuyasha's path of departure and made an annoyed sound, "He'd better not hurt Kagome again," he mumbled and followed the miko inside.

Inuyasha leapt through the trees, bearly making a sound as he bounded from branch to branch. At the last moment, he dropped to the soft forest floor, careful to avoid anything to announce his presense to either female. Crouched behind some bushes, his ears twitched as he listened attently. Something inside him prevented him from bounding in there, besides, the last place he would really prefer to be would be caught between those two. He was already torn enough between them emotionally.

~~ When will you get the picture.

You're the past, I'm the future

Get away it's my time to shine

if you didn't know the boy is mine.~~

Kagome laughed, "His heart may have been yours once..once a long time ago. But take a real good look Kikyo, this is now that was then. Get this through your thick head. I'm with Inuyasha now, your time is over, my time is now!" She stood straight, projecting security and confidence in her words. "He is mine!" Inuyasha's jaw fell open, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was he really hearing it? 'Did Kagome..did that mean..does she.HUH?!' were the rapid thoughts that flittered through his head. He shook his head as the words filtered through him, "He is mine". But what does it mean.

~~ You can't destroy this love I've found

Your silly games I won't allow

The boy is mine without a doubt

You might as well throw in the towel~~

Kikyo laughed then, the cold chilling laugh that pierced the toughest skin, and even Inuyasha had to cringe from the sound of it. It wasn't Kikyo's laugh, but something different, something harsher. "Yours, and yet I can sense the lies in your voice. He has made no such claims to you, when he has to me. You are clinging to empty hopes, and I grow tired of it."

~~ What makes you think that he wants you,

when I'm the one that brought him to

The special place that's in my heart,

he was my love right from the start~~

Kagome took a step forward, and watched with a sense of satisfaction as the dead miko retreated the step. "You're wrong, he has said so, without words. Where is the Shikon no Tama Kikyo?" She smiled softly, and placed a hand to her chest, just above her heart. "I know you were there, the day we destroyed Naruko, and completed it. I could sense you watching, waiting to see the end. When he placed the last shard in place, into whose hands did he return the jewel?"

She smiled, and gently ran a finger along the thin scar on her chest, the impression of a cresent moon, left by the jewel's power. "He could have used the jewel to return you to life, he could have used the jewel to become the human you always wanted him to become, or the youkai he used to wish he was. Instead, he placed that jewel in my hands, the jewel that he stood by me for, day after day, facing death so many times and in ways so numerous that I cannot name all of them. And he trusted me, not you, but me with the duties of placing it where it could never be corrupted again."

Inside, she could feel the jewel's warmth radiating through her, giving her all the strength she could ask for.

"I'm sorry for your trials Kikyo, I truly am. Perhaps, had things been different, you and he would have been truly happy, but understand this now, the jewel rests in a place of love and hope. A place you could never provide, because all your heart holds now is regret and hate. I do not hate you Kikyo, though once I wished I could. I perhaps understand you better than anyone, even you may realize." She took a step back from the miko.

~~I'm sorry that you

seem to be confused.

He belongs to me

the boy is mine.~~

"Leave us Kikyo, go and seek out the rest that your body should be at, and know this. I love him, more than anything and anyone in this world, and I will always remain at his side, because I trust him, and I want to be there to see all the wonderful things he will accomplish." She reached down and grabbed her back, pulling it over her shoulders and headed towards the village again.

"Never!" came a cry behind her. Inuyasha leapt up from his hiding place and dashed forward, crying "Kagome!" as an arrow of light flew towards Kagome's back. She saw him, and turned on her heel, as Kikyo's arrow aimed for her heart. Calmly, perhaps a little too calmly, she lifted her free hand and stretched it out before her. Violet blue energies streaked across her skin as the arrow reached her palm and exploded in a beautiful shower of light.

"Kagome," Inuyasha whispered in awe and she glanced at Kikyo. Her face was pure peace, her dark brown eyes unreadable. With a sad smile she snapped her raised hand and Kikyo fell to her knees as two glowing orbs of light floated from her body.

"What have you.." she gasped as Kagome turned back around. "I have simply released that which isn't yours, as payment for your attempt on my life." Her voice sounded old and foreign, as if it were not Kagome, but something else speaking through her. Then she simply began walking again.

Inuyasha stared at her in amazement and followed her trek, completely ignoring the weakened miko behind them, who glared with fury at the humiliation.

As they left the forest and entered the clearing beside the village, Kagome's pace quickened a little, and color returned to her cheeks.

'He was there, how long was he there? What did he hear?' she thought worriedly, not wanting to even look over her shoulder to see how close he was to her. She couldn't bear to look at him at the moment.

"Kagome, what was that?" he said softly and she stopped, realizing that he was right beside her, his pace even as compared to her normally quick one.

She didn't answer him and tried to quicken her pace, to make it back to Kaede's hut before he could ask anymore questions but he tightened his grip on her arm.

"Answer me damnit," he growled and she stared into his eyes. He was angry, his eyes were blazing golden brown as he waited for her answer. 'He's worried about Kikyo, he's mad that I attacked her.' She thought sadly as she pulled her arm free.

"Don't worry, she won't die.oh wait, she's already dead," she said harshly, "Don't worry Inuyasha, as long as your woman doesn't try attacking me anymore, I won't free any of those poor souls she feeds on to stay alive." She pursed her lips and ran down the rest of the way to the village before he could answer.