good A/n hewwo peeps!! If ne of my words are misspelled gomen I forget to use spell check every once and a while. ^-^;;; Well ya this is my lime chappie, no I do not write lemons, but sadly from time to time I come across them. I don't enjoy them though, I AM NOT HENTAI!!! On a different note this is going to be one of my longest chappies!!! So enjoy. And I DON'T own inukun and his buddies such a sad truth. T_T

Chapter Nine.

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The Last Test.

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Kagome began the ascent of the many stairs up to her room. 'This is going to be hard. I'm sooo tired and full!!' she mentally complained.

While she was on the 10th stair she heard Gombei's voice in the hall. "You may sleep in late." he said and she nodded and continued her climb.

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*~*

I leap through the trees in Inu-Yasha's forest. Oh how the excitement was tearing me inside. I would see him again! It's been so long!

I feel the wind twirl my hair and kiss my face as I leap from the limb to the next tree. 'I'm going to sneak up on him; I bet he'll yell his lungs when I actually sneak up on him! Heh"

I could see the great god tree and speed up my approach. Finally I came to rest on the large branch I see Inu-Yasha sitting stubbornly staring nowhere. 'He hasn't noticed me yet. This concealing spell is working perfectly!' Footsteps draw Inu-Yasha and my attention. Kikyou is making her way up the hill to Inu-Yasha.

He stands and hugs Kikyou, who hugs him back. "I've missed you." He says as I still watch from the tree.

"I'm sorry Inu-chan, did you wait here long?" she says in a sugary sweet voice that turns my stomach.

'Bitch always putting on that goody-two-shoes act to get what she wants.' I snarl in my head I have definitely been around Gombei to long!

"No not that long." Inu-Yasha continues as they sit by the foot of the tree in each other's arms. I decide to jump down and get a better look at Kikyou's new attempt to kill Inu-Yasha.

Silently my foot touches the grass 25 ft away from them I begin to walk up the hill. A barrier! God damn it that slut Kikyou put up a barrier between them.

My legs are soon enveloped in strong pain; the pain rushes to my chest. Falling to the lush forest floor and watching the scene enfold in front of me is all I can do.

Kikyou has Inu-Yasha's head in her lap as they enjoy the beautiful fall day.

"It's great that she left us." Inu-Yasha says as Kikyou nodes. "And that filthy girl thought I liked her to some minimum. Feh!"

My eyes sting with the pain of tears as those words pass Inu-Yasha's lips. 'This is a lie!' I scream in my head. 'He'd never say those things!'

"I am glad that she left you alone." Kikyou said as her eyes caught mine. She gave me a wicked smile as she continued. "Do you think she died?"

Inu-Yasha nodded "Most likely. Good thing I decided to not follow her. She's probably kidnapped and dead by now." I look into Inu-Yasha's eyes. He means every word. But even dead down inside he'd never give up on me!

Kikyou continues to smile that smile of hers that makes you want to go crazy. I see her draw a dagger out of the kimono sleeve. Oh so now that's the plan kill Inu-Yasha!

Her eyes lock onto mine. The hatred is swirling in those soulless orbs of dark brown. Slowly her arm extends and she lunges the dagger straight at me. The dagger stops a few inches in front of my face.

Slowly I stand the pain is still lurking in my legs but my chest feels lighter. Kikyou's eyes go wide with shock as she sees that I have broken her little barrier.

"Hello again bitch." I say calmly as my blue eyes go dark.

She returns the cold gaze to me never moving her eyes from mine. "I see the little thief lives. So have you given up and decided to leave this world or just let my dear mate Inu-Yasha kill you?"

I glance at Inu-Yasha when she mentions his name. "Yes that's right, we have mated. Not like you ever had a chance with him."

Inu-Yasha is now standing but his eyes are blank and cold. He looks in my direction but not at me more like through me. I study him and his features. Everything looks different, the same reddish-pink kimono, same amazing amber coated eyes, snowy silver thick hair, same prayer-those aren't the sealing prayer beads that used to be around Inu-Yasha's neck.

"Oh so you've noticed the change of necklace, have you." Kikyou's cold voice says. I try to read the new necklace's aura. It's dark and holds a tight grip on my mind as I scan it over.

"Controlling beads." I say quietly looking at the psycho demented zombie miko that placed it around his neck. "You put a controlling beads around his neck!" I yell my anger flaring.

"Yes." Kikyou says emptily. "He was a sham of a han-you when I came to the village three weeks ago, my sister had told me that a certain girl had grieved him and when I came to the god tree this empty shell of a dog didn't even hear the enchanting lies that spewed from my lips."

Al I can do is stare at Kikyou, "You were planning to trick him into giving you the jewel and then you were going to kill him." I say tired as I read her like a book.

"I see that training of yours did good. He didn't want to hear I thing I told him until I suggested that I had seen your final moments. How you had grieved while you died."

Kikyou continued as I stared at Inu-Yasha who was a lost cause to the world. "He was even more heart broken and blamed himself. Then I snapped your prayer beads and replaced them with mine. After that you wouldn't believe how he just killed off the village on person after another, then he killed that houshi, the young kitsune, and the female demon exterminator. They didn't even fight."

I bit my lip to fight back the tears, how could he do all that. Why! I shouldn't have left him.

"Now you will join your friends in hell!" Kikyou yells as she motions for Inu-Yasha to move.

He moves forward towards me and strikes with his talons as I nimbly dodge his blows, "SNAP OUT OF IT!" I yell and continue to block and dodge. I continue to scream at him his face doesn't change at all. It just remains blank and sad.

I stumble on a tree root and land hard on the ground. 'It can't end like this!' the thoughts race in my mind as everything slows down.

His face. It's as perfect and breath taking as ever. I always enjoyed his expressions when he fought. Beautiful in it's own way. Just like him.

Is this the end of me? To die by Inu-Yasha's hands. This is what I spent all my time with that baka Gombei, to be put into all this hell of graining strength just to die by the hands of Inu-yasha.

I feel the first blow miss me. He strikes me in my stomach with his other hand. I begin to bleed, as the blood gets thicker. He continues to hit me ripping apart my flesh and after a while I don't feel the pain anymore.

My mid gives way on the pain and I black out.

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*~*

Kagome lies still in her bed with a figure leaning on the wall. It's Gombei he looks at her sleep. As if on cue Kagome jumps up pulling the blankets to her chest.

"It was a dream!" She says as if to reassure her self. She checks over her self and soon feels the presence of another in the room. She slowly glances over to Gombei who is leaning on the wall to her right.

"So how did it feel to die by the hands of the one you love?" he asked calmly as she still stares at him.

"H-How do you know!?" Kagome asks startled.

"Why Kagome I know everything about you." He replies and stands up straight and looks deeply into her eyes." I mean everything." He whispers seductively into Kagome's ear as his bare chest leans against her.

"W-What are y-you doing." she said her heart beginning to beat fast as her face turned redder and redder by the moment.

"What I've wanted to do every since I first saw you that day in the mountain." He said his voice low and mysterious as he pressed his lips against Kagome's.

Her eyes grew wide as she knocked him off of her. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!!" she yelled loudly.

Gombei's eyes got dark and menacing as he moved closer to Kagome. "You know you want it." he coaxed her as he groped her chest.

Once again her eyes grew wide as she began to shake. Gombei smiled as she shook intensely. Her body was enveloped in silver light as she closed her eyes, "DON'T EVER TOUCH ME AGAIN!!!!" she screamed.

Gombei closed his eyes and disappeared from where he was standing just in time for the room to explode. Once the dust cleared Kagome's figure could be seen standing in the middle of the room staring at what she had done.

A light tap was heard behind her as she spun around to see Gombei smiling at her. She narrowed her eyes and readied her self for him to attack. To her surprise he began to laugh.

"What the hell's wrong with you know!?" She shouted as Gombei looked up at her.

"You actually thought I was going to rape you!" Gombei said as he began to laugh once more. "You've passed!"

Kagome looked at him with her head cocked to the side.

"You're in for a long story." Gombei said as he sat on the floor. Kagome sat away from him. "Don't worry I won't bite you." Kagome looked at him.

His green eyes were sincere. It was creepy for her to see that expression on his face. She nodded and sat closer to him, but not that close.

"You see I'm not a stubborn jack-ass that seems like he has a stick up his ass, that's all been an act." Gombei said as Kagome snorted a 'yeah right'. Gombei looked at her and continued, "It's a very long story and well I've never been good at explaining things so, do you remember when I had touched your chest calling it a test." Kagome nodded and Gombei took her hand. "This is the last level for you to complete your training and be on the same level as the master. You will learn all the techniques I know and actually read my heart."

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked as Gombei placed her hand over his heart.

"Close your eyes and search for a warm spot, that is the heart. Once you find it you will know all, and why."

Kagome obeyed and closed her eyes and searched with her mind. She could feel a small bit of warmth as she searched deeper to get closer to it. Suddenly she was surging with warmth.

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*~*

All around me is warm, dark and some how familiar to me. Slowly shapes became apparent and it seemed as if I had gone to a different place. All around me has grown cold. White speaks are falling from the sky. Is it snowing? Yes it is!! My vision clears better and I can see were I am. I'm sitting in the large tree out side the courtyard. But it seems smaller. Snow blankets all of the ground as I look around.

Gombei's house is still there but it looks as if it has a new coat of paint on it and it still has the second floor. Suddenly figures begin to walk out of the house. It's Gombei.but he's smiling!! I gasp as the other figure comes into view.

It's a girl; she has beautiful white skin as lovely as the snow and long fiery red hair and looks around 23. "I've seen her before!" I say to my self. "But were." My head begins to spin as I shut my eyes. Blank aqua blue eyes stare back at me. Only the eyes and the long red hair show up. "T-That day, she's the one that attacked us."

I try to leap down but find it useless. I shrug my shoulders and decide to see what Gombei and the beautiful mystery lady are doing out in the snow. They sit at the base of the tree, the lady in Gombei's lap with his arms wrapped around her keeping her warm.

"Ichigaki," Gombei begins his face is contented and happy, extremely scary to me "I love you."

Ichigaki smiles happily, "I love you to Gombei." she says as they both close their eyes in bliss.

"I promise we'll be together forever." Gombei says.

'Awww it's just like a shojo!' I think as the world begins to spin and I black out.

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My vision clears quickly; I can hear birds chirping and feel the sun beat down on my face. I open my eyes to find myself.. still stuck in this tree but in spring.

Ichigaki comes out of the entranceway; she's holding bags and is in traveling clothes. Gombei soon comes out his face looks sad and his eyes are hidden.

"Are you sure that you have to go?" He asks her as she sighs.

"My family's village is over run with youkai, I have to help them before they all die." She says sadness in every word.

"Can't I come and help you!" Gombei asks reaching for her hand.

"No, you know that you can't enter into the village, only my type can." Ichigaki says as she looks into Gombei's eyes.

"Promise that you'll return!" Gombei pleads with Ichigaki.

"I will, don't worry." She whispers as she kissed his lips and leaves through the gate.

I watch Gombei as he just stand there until he can't see Ichigaki anymore and then like before the scene faded.

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The scene soon appeared, still on the godamn tree! I sigh but wait the tree looks as if it grew more. Gombei is sitting at the base of the tree. He's sad, very sad.

"It's been a year now!" He sighs. "Where is Ichi-" He stops suddenly and looks in front of him.

I try to get a better look at what he's staring at. But all I can make out is flames. Wait what are flames doing in the middle of the mountains?

The flames stop and two figures walk through the gates. One is tall and has long red hair and the other is slightly shorter and has blonde hair.

"I-Ichigaki!?" Gombei says half startled.

It is Ichigaki, her and the other figure another lady come up to Gombei at the tree. Something's not right. I look at Ichigaki. Her face, it's blank, lifeless and sad. Just like Inu-Yasha in my dream!

Gombei notices this and opens his mouth but is stopped by the lady with the blonde hair.

"Hello Gombei." She says her voice cold and dry like ice.

Gombei stiffens when he hears the ladies cold and lifeless voice. "Who are you!" he shouts not taking his eyes off Ichigaki.

No it's just like the dream!

"I've come to kill you." The lady says with little expression in her voice.

"What have you done to Ichigaki!" he shouts looking at the lady.

"You mean my servant? You shall be like that in little time, do not worry." she continues.

Gombei clamps his hands onto Ichigaki's shoulders. "Wake up! Ichigaki Wake up!"

The lady looks at him bored. "Nothing you can do will awaken her. You can sense it can't you."

Gombei looks at the lady his eyes are hard and harsh as he narrows them. "WAKE HER UP!"

"Just like her, you won't go down with out a fight!" The lady says "But she eventually gave up, you see and so will you."

Gombei goes into a fighting stance and continues to look at the lady.

"I tortured her little brother until she gave into my demands. Let me think of what I can do for you." The lady says as she looks up to find Gombei lunging at her. "Heh do you think you can kill me!?" Her eyes widen as Gombei freezes.

The lady puts her hands out and moves them into a pattern. I hear crackling and look at Ichigaki she has black cables snaked around her body as she begins to yell in pain.

"You see your wife is very strong and as a half breed she is unique as well. But I want to have control of both of your powers." the lady continues. "They say love can overcome everything, too bad because it's meet it's match."

Gombei starred down to the floor. "How about if I make a bargain with you."

The lady's eyes perked up to the mention of trade. "Go on"

"If I can not find a perfect soul in three decades, then you can take me. Hell you can even take half of my power now! But I'll give you half of my power and the impossible task of finding a perfect soul in exchange of Ichigaki. You have to free her now, and if I fail you can have me." Gombei says those words sadly one by one.

"Deal but lets change it. If you do not find and train the purest soul to my standards, I get to keep you and Ichigaki!" The lady said as she laughed evilly at the end of the statement.

I grit my teeth in the tree, That bitch! Gombei is silent for a while.

"Deal but you have to promise to release Ichigaki right now!" Gombei pleaded.

"Ohh please with you that's more then enough to satisfy me, find a pure soul, as if you will find one purer then Kami!" The lady laughed and moved her hand once more.

I look at Ichigaki, the pupil in her eyes have returned to normal. "No Gombei don't!" she yells as she begins to cry. The lady makes a barrier in front of her.

"Now for my circumstances, you must sleep first for thirty years, they have to seek you first, a barrier of mist will be put up around in mountains, you can not leave this mountain, and they must pass my test. When you have all that completed, I will judge if your apprentice is strong enough to defeat me, if not then I shall have them, you and Ichigaki forever."

Gombei nodded his head wearily as Ichigaki burst into more tears.

"Now sleep!" The lady touched Gombei's forehead.

"Wait, what.is.you name." He said trying to fight the sleeping spell.

"Mora" The lady said as Gombei's eyes shut completely. My vision blurred again and I found myself back in the room sitting across from Gombei still touching his chest.

His eyes were sad and I could tell that he was in deep pain. "Will you accept Mora's challenge?" he said softly his voice cracking.

I stood and gave him a smile "Of course!" I said confidently "She's no match against me!"

Gombei smiled a crooked smile and also stood. "It will be dawn soon, get ready and we will go back to your village!" he said as he looked at me.

'That lady, Mora and Ichigaki, I know I saw them that day. I'm positive that they were the one's that attacked Inu-yasha and me. But wait wasn't Ichigaki freed? I must have been imagining that I saw her that morning. But I promise, I'll kill Mora!'

"I'm coming Inu-Yasha!" I say out load.

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"He hasn't moved from that spot only to eat and pee." Shippo said softly to Miroku.

"I know he's been sitting on that limb for months." Sango whispered.

Sango, Miroku and Shippo were all in bushes 30 feet away from Inu-Yasha who was at the moment brooding in his tree. He had been like that for months.

"Miroku go talk with him, it's not right to see him so.so pathetic!" Sango said as she pushed Miroku out of the bush with out hearing his reply.

Miroku stared at the tree carefully. With a deep breath he walked up the hill and stared up into the foliage. There on the fourth limb was the outline of Inu-Yasha.

"Inu-Yasha I need to talk to you." Miroku said.

"What about!" Inu-Yasha snapped back at him.

"We're all worried about you, when are you going to get out of that tree?" The houshi said periling up in the tree.

"Until Kagome gets her ass back here and begs for my forgiveness." He said in a harsh voice that would make cold shivers up and down your spine.

'Translation time!' Miroku thought. "Not until my beloved Kagome comes back and gives me a long passionate kiss." Miroku translated Inu-Yasha's last statement in his mind.

"So you won't leave until Kagome returns?" Miroku asked.

"We can't continue the search until she comes back, stupid human, 'I'm going to train and get myself killed, then I think I'll make a barrier around the village to piss off that jackass Inu-Yasha.'" Inu-Yasha said doing his impression of Kagome.

'I can't continue until she comes back and mends the pieces of my broken heart, that foolish girl, 'I'll train, with out a guide and worry Inu-Yasha sick. Even though I love him deeply.'' Miroku translated once again.

"You love her don't you." Miroku said to the quite atmosphere.

Inu-Yasha remanded quite in his tree, all Miroku could hear after he asked that question was deep breathing from Inu-Yasha.

"I'll try to persuade you to leave tomorrow." Miroku said leaving the tree.

After Inu-Yasha made sure that Miroku had left he jumped from branch to branch and ran all his heart out. 'I have to get my mind clear. I..I do love her. But it's not like she's coming back soon. Face it Inu-Yasha she left you just like your mother and just like Kikyou, but the only problem is that she's still in this world.' Inu-Yasha thought as he shook his head. 'She doesn't love me back, so what's the use of loving someone that would never give me the time of day. I hope that bitch never comes back!'

Inu-Yasha's legs gave way after two hours and he lay on the green grass in his forest. It was now late night. Suddenly he felt the warm chills that usually appear when he's around Kagome. He stood and sniffed the air. Nothing, just air and the smells of the forest.

He shrugged and closed his eyes and tried to sleep. "Inu-Yasha, I'm coming back!" Kagome's voice rang clear through the forest.

"K-Kagome?!" He looked around and couldn't see anyone or anything. "I've been running for to long." Inu-Yasha said as he began to walk back to the tree in a sad sluggish pace. "She's not coming back and now I'm hallucinating!"

A vision of Kagome was in his head. She had short black hair and was smiling a large, bright smile at him, "I'm coming back Inu-Yasha, for really. Wait for me." Kagome left and Inu-Yasha heaved a sigh of belief and slipped into the dream world.

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A/n wow that chappie took a while. 8 pages on word kay ppl is that long enough for you?! Well I'll begin to write the next chapter on Mon. I'M OFF TO PANAMA CITY!!!!! Hahahaha but I'm going to write two yes TWO new Inu- Yasha story for you guys okay hope you like them!

Well bye for now, Have a great summer of readin' fan-fics Chao

Izay Alohalani