POCKY! *Runs around in happy little circles waving massive amounts of Pocky in the air*

**

When Kagome awoke, her eyes met two glowing golden spheres. She gasped slightly, and scooted backwards awkwardly. It was dark… very dark. In fact, the only light in the cave was barely filtering in, and reflected off InuYasha's eyes.

            Slowly, the memories of events last night oozed back into her head. She swallowed nervously. What if InuYasha was succumbing to his Youkai side again? She nervously edged away, preparing to "sit" for all she was worth.

            "Kagome" His voice rang out.

            The miko stopped, and held still, the incantation on the tip of her tongue.

            "We… need to talk…" He said slowly, carefully, sensing Kagome's nervousness.

            Kagome nodded slightly, having no doubt that the hanyou could see her, despite the insufficient lighting.

            "I know that nothing can change what I did last night…" He said slowly. He was very definitely thinking his words through carefully… not that she could blame him. "But for what it's worth, I'm sorry…"

            Kagome inhaled sharply. She recognized that tone of voice. This was more serious than she thought. He was taking the events very hard.

            "I'll see you to Vadise…" He said, his amber eyes closing, leaving her totally in the dark. "And after that… I'll leave. You won't have to see me again."

            Kagome frowned slightly. Her now constant headache growing slightly, right below her right eye, and she could feel her insides churning.

            "InuYasha…" She said, softly, realizing that she had to be very careful here. A single wrong word could mean disaster. After all, it wasn't InuYasha's fault! He was only human… or something like it! Did he think he was a saint? IT was his youkai blood that forced him.

            In the back of her mind, a small amused voice noted that never even once did she consider holding it against him… Never once did she consider being angry. Well, tough!

            "InuYasha…" She said, sensing that something else was bothering him than the apparent problem at hand. "Are you a saint?" She said carefully.

            InuYasha's eyes opened, and he laughed bitterly. "Apparently not." He said.

            "Are you some sort of martyr?" She asked, planning her words very carefully; no easy task with that damn headache.

            InuYasha's eyes shook back and forth.

            "And you have youkai blood in you." She said simply. "InuYasha, how on earth could you think I'd be mad at you?" She said forgivingly into those glowing orbs. "Honestly, you were overcome for a moment! That's not you're fault."

             The eyes widened for a moment, then closed, then opened again. "You mean…" He said softly. 

            Kagome shrugged. "I mean that if you even think of leaving me, or the rest of the group, I'll "Sit" you until you make your own well!" She said happily, blissfully unaware that InuYasha was suddenly sent crashing to the ground.

            Slowly, the hanyou got back up to his sitting position and starred at her. "Kagome…" He asked. "Do you mean that?"

            She cocked her head, and smiled at him. "Of course, InuYasha…" She said. "I would never want you to leave."

            "Kagome…" The tone of his voice changed, becoming more uncertain. "Thank you… for everything."

            "InuYasha?" Kagome asked, confused. She had never heard him use this tone of voice before.

            "Ever since I met you, you treated me well. You were kind, sharing, and accepting. The most you ever noticed that I was a hanyou was when you scratched my ears." He said. "And even now, you don't even consider getting mad, even though I almost raped you."

            Kagome blinked slightly, and blushed under the heavy praise, and slightly from the upfront bluntness.

            "But, Kagome…" He continued. "Last night, it wasn't my youkai blood… like you think." His voice trembled slightly. "It was everything, the human, the youkai, everything.

            Kagome inwardly gasped. She knew how much instinct ruled InuYasha's life. To fight both sides… "And you resisted…" She said softly.

            The eyes bobbed up and down in a nod. "It wasn't me…" He said softly. "Kagome, there's something about you… It helped me…" The eyes blinked at her. "Kagome, please, don't leave me…" He said. "I need you're help…"

            InuYasha? Admitting he needed help? He must be really shaken up about this!

            She chuckled slightly, trying to lighten the mood. "Well, I suppose I could try…" She said thoughtfully, in a heavily exaggerated voice.  "I guess going from "Shard detector" to "instinct restrainer" is a bit of a promotion." She plastered a big grin over her face, despite the pain she felt in her head.

            InuYasha chuckled despite himself. "Well, since we're both all rested up, we should probably get going." His voice turned serious. "I don't remember how long you have left, but it's not much." He admitted.

            Kagome sighed slightly, the pain increasing slightly, only evidence of what she already knew. "I've got until tonight, assuming everything goes according to schedule." She said softly.

            InuYasha didn't speak, but his eyes nodded assent. He understood. "Well, then, we should go."

~~

            Sango, Miroku, Kitty, and Kohaku all stood on the border between the desert and the "Badlands." It was literally, a border. It was as if someone had painted a big glowing, shiny line, and put the desert on one side, and badlands on the other. Essentially, someone had.

            Atma walked casually up behind them. "Well, this is it." She said happily. "Once were in there, it wont take long to find Shippo, and when we find Shippo, Morkleb will be there.

            Sango sighed. "I don't like that…" She said.

            Kohaku nodded slightly. "We'll need to get Shippo out of there fast, if we're to be able to fight effectively."

            Miroku nodded assent, happy that the tension between Sango and Kohaku had gone.

            Atma nodded, and flared her wings out. "Well, then, it's time." She said happily, walking to step over the border. About a foot away, she paused.

            There was the faint tingling of power that Miroku always felt as she used magic. Her wings flared out, her cape fluttering around her. Her tail stopped twitching, and straitened elegantly, and her armor seemed to become more lustrous. Her back straitened, and her chin came up, her head facing strait ahead. Her odd eyes opened wider, casting their mysterious black aura all about. Her mouth set in a strait determined line. She nodded. "I have waited for this, for a long time…" She said, her voice no longer the immature little girl's they had come to know. "Let us go!" She said, and with that, Atma, every inch the leader of the dragon race, stepped forward into the badlands.

~~

            High in the mountains, a mighty glacier stood, forming a ring around a small valley. A blizzard had rocked the mountains, but had not touched the valley. Deep in the center, something waited.

~~

            The heavy snow moved slightly, shifting and cracking. Then, it exploded outward as a red-clothed figure burst out of it.

            InuYasha nodded slightly as he landed, his sensitive nose already telling him that no-one was around. He turned and nodded to Kagome as she slowly climbed out of the tunnel of ice. "No sign of the dragon." He called. "Let's get going."            

            Kagome nodded gratefully, and before she knew it, she was on his back, and bolting through the snow life a rabbit.

            Suddenly, they ran out of snow to run on. One minute, it was there, and another it wasn't… but then again, there was a good ten feet of snow on the ground, so there wasn't really any earth to stand on, either. InuYasha dropped suddenly, and landed nimbly on his feet, turning to swear at the offending wall of snow.

            "Oh!" Kagome gasped from behind him, sliding off his back.

            InuYasha glared threateningly at the snow, and turned around. And stopped dead.

            There, in the middle of the mountains was a beautiful valley. It was lush with plants of all shapes and sizes, and exotic birdcalls echoed from inside. A flock of tiny, multicolored birds took flight from the top branches of one of the toweringly giant trees.

            Great tropical reds and blues came from all sides, and huge-leafed bushes covered the ground. Incredible creepers hung from every branch, creating a private little world, away from everything else.

            They had found the forest of Vadise.

**

            They's finally there! But don't worry, it's not over yet! Next chapter is the big clash with Morkleb! What'll Happen? (Twilight Zone music) Doo Dee Doo Dee.