By the way, I have a feeling that this chapter should be rated R, mainly because of Inuyasha's mouth, and Kagome's temper. Ummm, if you get offended by cursing, you might want to skip the last part of this chapter. Just to let you know though, I am probably going to be changing the rating on this whole story soon. Some of the upcoming chapters are…questionable. I'm not sure yet. But, I'll keep you posted.
Disclaimer - Okay, it's not mine. No matter how much I wish, dream, beg, or plead with these people, they just won't give in. Darn!!
He's in Trouble Now!!!!
Inuyasha gulped when he looked over at his ex-lover. Kagome's hair was a mess and the anger in her eyes caused sparks to fly. She dropped her bag at the entrance to the door, and walked over to the futon where Keiko was helping Kaede, never breaking eye contact with the white haired Inuyasha. She didn't speak another word until she was beside the injured miko. When she looked down at the old woman, her hardened features softened into the Kagome everyone in the hut knew. She laid a small hand on the old miko's shoulder and squeezed gently, making sure not to hurt her.
"Lady Kaede?" she asked softly. "How are you feeling?" Kaede, still somewhat disoriented from the blood loss, looked up at the girl and frowned.
"Kagome! Watch yourself, child!" she said weakly, laying a hand on Kagome's smaller one. "He is very…….angry!" Kagome nodded and glared back over at the hanyou, her beautiful face becoming hard again.
"I will be fine, Lady Kaede." she whispered, gaining eye contact with the subdued hanyou. "Inuyasha isn't going to hurt me. He's not going anywhere at the moment, in fact." She looked back down to the old woman and smiled weakly. "Rest, Lady Kaede."
"Kagome! Kagome!" the hanyou called out desperately. "Get these wards off of me!" Kagome looked over at the hanyou and snarled.
"Shut up, Inuyasha." she said stoically. "You'll need your breath for later." The miko turned to Sango, her features softening a little. "Where is Shippou, Sango?" The demon exterminator smiled and opened the door to the other room. Kagome looked inside of it quickly and smiled. The kitsune had curled up on the bed and was fast asleep, the lollipop stick lying by his side.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha called again. "Get me out of here. I have not done anything wrong!" Kouga growled and walked over to the bound hanyou, lifting him up by his neck.
"Lady Kagome told you to shut up, you worthless bastard!" he growled, tightening his grip on the dog-demon's throat. "Listen to her before you make me mad!" Inuyasha struggled as best he could against the youkai's strength.
"Put me down, wolf!" he snarled. "You've got nothing to do with any of this."
"On the contrary." the prince growled. "If it has to do with my Lady Kagome, it has to do with ME!" Kouga was about to break his neck in half when Kagome's hand pulled Kouga back to reality.
"That's enough, Kouga." she said quietly. "I don't want you to kill him, yet." Inuyasha looked at the girl with shocked eyes. 'She doesn't mean it. There's no way she could have found out already……'
"Kagome? What…." he began quickly.
"Shut up, Inuyasha!" she said, her steel gaze pining the hanyou to the floor. She turned to Kouga and nodded. "Kouga, will you do something for me?" The wolf prince nodded and bowed down to Kagome.
"What is it, my Lady?" he asked.
"Don't call her that!" Inuyasha yelled. "She's not yours!"
"I want you to go find Kikyou. And bring her here, to me, unharmed." Kagome said in a deathly quiet tone, ignoring the protesting hanyou in the corner. "Can you do that for me?" Kouga bowed and exited the room silently.
"It will be done, Lady." he said as he exited the hut. Inuyasha looked at the girl like she was crazy. 'Oh, shit, I'm in for it now. Kagome's pissed, and there won't be a village left when she and Kikyou start!!'
"Leave Kikyou out of this!" Inuyasha fumed suddenly. "She's got nothing to do with this!"
"What's wrong, Inuyasha?" Sango asked sarcastically. "Afraid the little girl can't handle what she's gotten herself into?" Inuyasha cut his eyes to the exterminator and was about to retort when Kagome stepped into his line of sight.
"On the contrary, Inuyasha." Kagome said smoothly. "She has EVERYTHING to do with this." The miko turned her back on the speechless, and now very scared hanyou, to speak with Sango and Miroku about something. Sango told her something, and Inuyasha could sense Kagome's temper flare up once again. Kagome quickly ran back to the room where Shippou was lying. She opened the door and looked carefully at the kitsune. Sure enough, the scar marks were visible from where Inuyasha had slashed at him earlier that day. Kagome had not noticed them earlier, but now that she looked closer, it was obvious to her. The gashes were long healed, but the red scars were still visible on his cheek and upper arm. The angry miko closed the door and walked over to the hanyou, Hell's brimstone burning in her eyes. She stopped right in front of Inuyasha and glared.
"You hurt Shippou." It was more of a comment than a question. Inuyasha met her steely gaze with one of his own. No matter what he'd done, he was not going to back down from her. "How could you attack an innocent child?"
"He deserved it. The little brat had it coming." he said blandly. Kagome took a deep breath and refrained herself from slapping the ignorant hanyou.
"What about Kaede? Did she have it coming also?" Kagome queried. "What did she do to you to deserve an unprovoked attack?" Inuyasha looked away from the girl, not having an answer for her. Kagome used her finger and thumb to grasp his chin and force him to look at her. "What's wrong, Inuyasha? Run out of lies to tell me?"
"Kagome….I…"
"Save it." she said, getting up from her place on the floor. "Kouga should be back any minute now with that bitch Kikyou. I'm going to clear this mess up once and for all, tonight." Kagome turned and went over to where Keiko was sitting on a chair. The old demoness looked up the child with caring eyes as she sat down.
"Calm yourself, Lady." she said gently. "Nothing good will come out of anger."
"Keiko," the miko said. "Just let me say what I've got to tonight. I…I just have to do this." The old demoness nodded and stood from the seat.
"I will move Lady Kaede into another room so that she will not be disturbed."
"It's alright, Keiko." Kagome said, getting up from the seat. "I'm taking this altercation outside." She stood up and looked over to where Sango and Miroku were sitting. "Sango. Miroku. Come here for a moment, please." The monk and exterminator got up from their positions and walked over to Kagome.
"What is it, Kagome?" Sango asked.
"I need you two to bring Inuyasha outside for me." she said, jerking her head towards where the hanyou sat. Miroku looked doubtful, but nodded.
"As you wish, Kagome." he said. He pulled out another ward and threw it at the hanyou's mouth, sufficiently shutting him up. Miroku walked over to the demon youth and shook his head. Sango, on the other hand, put a reassuring hand on Kagome's shoulder and hugged her.
"Kagome….I don't know what to tell you." she said quietly. Kagome let her icy wall drop for a moment as she looked at her friends sad eyes.
"It's alright, Sango." she said, the tears forming in her eyes. "I should have known this was coming."
"I want to help you, Kagome." the older girl whispered. "I just don't know what to do."
"Stand beside me when I make my decision." Kagome said with tears in her eyes. "I'm afraid I won't have many friends left after this night is over with."
"You will always have me and Miroku." Sango said, wiping the tears from her own eyes. "Count on that." Kagome gave a weak smile as the girl hugged her. "Now, let's see if I can help Miroku drag this piece of filth out into the streets." Sango walked over to where the monk was standing and helped to pick up the struggling hanyou and take him outside. Before following them out, Kagome turned to Keiko once again.
"I'm taking this into the woods, Keiko." she said faintly. "I don't want Shippou to hear this. And Kaede doesn't need to be disturbed." The demoness only bowed in acceptance as Kagome left the hut. Kagome turned and left the hut, walking into the cooler air of the evening. She sighted the still struggling form of Inuyasha lying on the ground at Miroku and Sango's feet. She glanced around, taking in the numerous huts that were clustered around Kaede's.
She felt the latent power of the Shikon no Tama course through her veins as she drew closer to the prostate dog-demon. An aura of soft pink light enveloped her, causing the others to stare in amazement. She walked up to the hanyou and grabbed him by the collar, effectively lifting him off of the ground.
"We're taking this somewhere else." she said through gritted teeth. Inuyasha let a growl escape from his throat, the red in his eyes was starting to come back. Kagome smirked.
"Trying to scare me now, are you?" she asked. "I got news for you. It's not working." She let the half demon fall to the ground with a satisfying thud. Kagome waved her hands and the soft pink light that surrounded her body, enveloped Inuyasha's also, and he began floating a few inches off of the ground. Kagome walked towards the forest, saying nothing to the others. Inuyasha followed behind her, still struggling to get the wards off. Sango looked at Miroku and frowned.
"Should we go with them?" she asked. Miroku frowned.
"I know not, love." he said. "She did not say not to. So I guess we can. If she wants us to leave, she will tell us." Sango nodded and the two followed the still silent form of Inuyasha as Kagome led them to the outskirts of the village and into the dense tree-break.
When Kagome got to where she wanted, she nodded towards Inuyasha and the pink light disappeared, causing him to fall to the ground. As soon as Kagome turned around, a strong gust of wind lifted her hair back from her face and a swirl of dust settled over everything. She covered her eyes and waited for the dust to die down before glancing up. Kouga was back, and in his grasp was a furious Kikyou. The wolf demon had the miko's hands pinned behind her back. Kikyou set her sights on Kagome and sneered, but when she looked at Inuyasha's still form she only shook her head.
"What have you done to him?" Kikyou asked, venom lacing her voice.
"Nothing permanent, I assure you." Kagome said through clenched teeth. She looked up at Kikyou's capturer and nodded. "Let her go, Kouga."
"But, Lady Kagome…" he started.
"Let her go, Kouga." Kagome said firmly. The wolf prince stared at her like she was crazy, but let the other miko go. He immediately went to Kagome's side in case Inuyasha tried something stupid. Kikyou stumbled, but regained her footing before falling. She looked around and quickly ran to Inuyasha's side, pulling the wards from his body and mouth. Kagome, with Kouga now standing beside her, waited until Inuyasha was on his feet before continuing.
"Now that we're all here," she said icily. "I would like to know what has been going on behind my back for the past few weeks." She glared at the two lovers and waited for an explanation.
"I don't see as how you need an explanation." Kikyou said. "You've obviously have already drawn your own conclusions about this." Kagome snickered and looked down at the older miko.
"I am merely giving Inuyasha a chance to defend himself." she said.
"What for?" the hanyou asked. "Like Kikyou said, you've already made your decision. So it doesn't matter what I say to the contrary, you're not going to believe me." Kagome gave an evil smile and walked right up to the face of the hanyou.
"You know, you're right." she said matter of factly. "I already know the truth." She looked over at Kikyou and shook her head in disgust. "I already know that you've been running to her since you made the wish on the Shikon no Tama."
"You have no proof of that, bitch." Kikyou said. "Just unfounded accusations."
"So seeing you two together in the clearing isn't proof enough?" Kagome asked suddenly. "Hearing how Inuyasha was going to come to my era tonight and make sure that I was too scared to come back. Or maybe it was when you both came into the clearing soaking wet. Or maybe, it was when you asked him what he was going to do about me, and he said 'Who?'. Think that might been a clue?" Kikyou turned pale and hid behind Inuyasha. The white haired hanyou let loose a growl and stood up to her.
"You were spying on us?" he accused her.
"No, I was merely being shown something that I believed wasn't possible." she answered stonily. "You see, I knew the second you suggested that wish that Kikyou would be brought back. However, being me, I gave you the benefit of the doubt when you said you loved me. So I went along with the cover story of you wanting to bring Sango's and Shippou's families back."
"I did want to bring them back." Inuyasha said violently. He was telling the truth. He had seriously wanted to bring the others back. Having Kikyou back was just a side effect of the wish. At least, that's how his mind had rationalized it.
"No, you didn't." Kagome stated, pointing at the girl hiding behind him. "You wanted to bring her back."
"Kagome…."
"I don't want to hear it, Inuyasha." she said. "You made the wish to bring her back. I was never anything more to you than a shard detector. You manipulated me, my emotions, and my friends. You toyed with my senses, making me believe that you had actually given up on her. The whole time we were searching for those shards, you were lying to me."
"You were never anything to him, bitch." Kikyou said suddenly, coldly. "All he ever saw in you was me."
"I wasn't talking to you." Kagome snapped, glaring at the girl.
"Too bad." Kikyou smirked.
"Yeah, too bad." Kagome said with a frown. She lifted her hand and the light of the Shikon jewel enveloped her once again. She waved her hand towards the other girl and Kikyou flew back, landing against a tree. The soft pink light pinning her to the bark much like her own arrow had pinned Inuyasha all those years ago. The older miko fought against the power of the jewel she had once wielded, but it was no good. Her own understanding of the jewel's power had deserted her. She was helpless to the wrath of Kagome. She was being held to the tree with the energy of the jewel. "Next time, wait until I speak to filth like you before talking to me." Kagome said fiercely.
Inuyasha watched, horrified as Kikyou was thrown against the tree. His temper started to rise and slivers of blood red began to creep into his eyes. He growled and looked over at Kagome, who was watching Kikyou with as much loathing as he had ever seen. His demon instincts took over, and he let the demon blood flow through him unaltered. 'That bitch hurt my mate.' his broken thoughts said. 'She'll pay.'
Kouga watched as Kagome locked her enemy to the tree with the power of the jewel. His ears picked up the sound of a feral growl and he looked over at Inuyasha. His eyes got wide as he realized that Inuyasha was turning into his demon form. Before he could process what was going on, the hanyou had already raised a clawed hand and swiped at Kagome. The girl caught the blow on her shoulder and fell to the ground with a cry of pain. Blood began to seep through the rips in her clothes and she closed her eyes, wincing in the immense pain. Kouga looked down at the girl and then to the hanyou. 'He's lost his mind!!!'
"KAGOME!!" Sango yelled.
"LADY!!" Miroku screamed. "LOOK OUT!!!"
Inuyasha didn't realize what he was doing until it was too late. He had already knocked the intruder down, and now he was going in for the kill. He lunged at the downed girl, but stopped mid-air when someone grabbed the collar of his haoiri. The demon dog looked behind him and a set of piercing blue eyes met his gaze.
"How DARE you?" he asked. "Hitting a woman. You are disgusting!" Kouga threw the dog to the ground and stooped down to help Kagome up. Kagome had tears in her eyes from the pain. Kouga held her up and looked back to where Inuyasha was standing.
"Get away from her, wolf!" the possessed demon hissed. "She's not yours."
"She's not yours, either, dog face!" the wolf demon barked. Kagome looked up and shook her head.
"I'm not ANYBODY'S!" she said loudly. She gingerly pulled out of the prince's grasp. "No one owns me." She stated simply.
"You carry my marking." Inuyasha growled, his demon form speaking out to them. "You're mine."
"Your marking is gone." Kouga said icily.
Kagome pulled her shirt collar down and exposed her neck. The marking was gone. Inuyasha, or what was left of his mentality, growled again. "You have no ties to me now. Go back to Kikyou, as she's the one that bears your marking now." she said. "That's who you wanted this whole time, anyways." Kagome turned her back on the hanyou again and began to walk away.
The demon in Inuyasha burned like molten lava. His mate was walking away from him. And that stupid wolf had his arms around her. He was about to jump again when a moan from behind him caught his attention.
"Inu…yasha.." Kikyou gasped. "Help…me…" The confused demon looked back and saw, not Kikyou anymore, but Kagome pinned to the tree. He rushed to her side and began slashing at the ring of energy that held her. When he figured out that it was pointless, he turned back to the real Kagome.
"Let her go, witch." he said threateningly. "Let my mate go. You're fight is with me." Kagome turned around and glared at the hanyou. "That's right, wench. Let Kagome go, now!" Kagome's eyes went wide when he said this, and she glared at the woman held against the tree.
"Kagome?" she asked, shaking her head. "You are one messed up puppy, Inuyasha. That's Kikyou over there, not me." She shook her head and sighed in defeat. Before anyone could stop her, she waved her hand towards the hanyou and a wave of purifying energy hit Inuyasha square in the chest, knocking him to the ground. The wave pinned the hanyou to the ground, not allowing him to grasp the sword on his side, or use his claws to slash at the binding. Kagome walked over to the hanyou and bent down, slapping him hard across the face.
"WENCH!" the demon yelled. "I'LL KILL YOU!!"
"You're not going to do anything right now, Inuyasha. Except listen to me!" She jerked her hand up and the band of pink light pulled the hanyou up like a puppet. "But first, you need to understand what I'm telling you. And you can't as long as your like this." She put her hands on his forehead and concentrated what was left of her miko energy to force the hanyou back to his normal state. When the redness in his eyes dissipated, and he quit snarling, Kagome backed up from him.
"Kagome…" he began, blinking rapidly as he looked at the slashes on her shoulders. "What…."
"All you need to know is you did it, Inuyasha." she said coldly. The hanyou shook his head in denial, not believing what she said.
"I wouldn't do that to you! Kagome, what happened?" he asked.
"Don't worry, I'm sure Kikyou will fill you in." she said coldly. Inuyasha finally realized his mistakes. He struggled against the binding again, trying to break free. Kagome watched him with cold disinterest and looked back to Kikyou. She waved her hand again, and the girl floated to her, the ring of pink energy still holding her at bay.
"Let us go, witch!" the older miko snapped. "Leave us be."
"I intend on doing just that." Kagome said. "Right now, I've something I want to say to the both of you." She turned to Kikyou first and snarled. "You. You're the one that's the root of this problem. Had it not been for you, none of this would have happened. You're a disgusting excuse for a woman, let alone a human….."
"DON'T SPEAK TO HER LIKE THAT!!!" Inuyasha yelled. "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SPEAK TO HER IN THAT MATTER!! SHE'S A MIKO!!!" Kagome turned her attention to Inuyasha for a split second and snapped.
"What am I, chopped liver?" she asked sarcastically. "Who's side are you taking on this anyway?" The hanyou said nothing, and looked dejectedly down at the ground. She turned back to the older miko and gave a half-hearted grin. "I hope you're happy with him though." she finished. "As long as no one comes along that looks like me, you should be able to keep him on a leash. But somehow, I highly doubt it!" Kikyou glared at the girl and tried to strike at her, but the binding kept her still.
"STUPID MIKO!!" she yelled in Kagome's face. "I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF!!!" Kagome snorted and stood back.
"You can't kill me, Kikyou." she said simply. "You don't have any of the spiritual energy the Shikon jewel once gave you. When I was born your reincarnate, the powers passed to me. Your helpless against me, so don't even try it." Inuyasha looked at her like she was crazy.
"The jewel was destroyed when I made that wish." he said fiercely. "How can you still wield its power? It's impossible.!"
"The jewel re-embedded itself in me when you made that wish, Inuyasha." she explained hastily. "If you'd have paid attention, you'd have noticed that! I will keep the jewel until the next protector is born." She gave Kikyou one last sneer and turned to the subdued hanyou. "Now, as for you…"
"Kagome, please…I'm sorry."
"You're WHAT??" Kikyou screamed.
"Now, you're sorry?" she asked sarcastically. "You weren't to sorry when you were fucking her in the woods the other night were you?" Inuyasha hung his head, knowing there was no way out of her logic. She got right up in his face and shook her head. "As good as I was to you. And this is the thanks I get? Was all the time we spent together on the hunts for the shards, and in my time, that easy for you to forget?"
"Kagome…" he said quietly, trying to stop her tirade for a few moments at least.
"I….I'm sorry."
"That won't work this time, Inuyasha." she said sadly. "You've hurt me too many times." She stepped back from the two of them and frowned before turning back to Inuyasha. He suddenly let off a strange light and his hair started to lighten and his doggy ears disappeared from the top of his head.. Kagome looked to the West, knowing what it was.
The sun had set, and it was the night of the new moon. Kagome frowned and shook her head dejectedly.
"I hope she's your dream come true, Inuyasha." she said suddenly. She walked back up to the hanyou and took the prayer beads from around his neck, dropping them to the ground at his feet. She shook her head and walked back to where she had been. "Because she'll never be as good to you as I was. She'll never truly accept you as being a hanyou, no matter what she says or does. I loved you, and accepted you, as yourself. Not your human form, not your demon form. But the combination of both of them that made you who you are, or should I say, were." By this time, Kagome was wiping the tears away from her eyes. She walked back towards Kaede's village, but turned around to face the two guilty lovers one last time, her gaze settling the longest on the now human form of Inuyasha. "Good-bye, Inuyasha." She waved her hands and the two lovers fell to the ground as the bindings of energy faded, leaving the two of them in two piles of robes. "I hope you're happy now."
Inuyasha stood up and dusted his robes off. He looked at Kagome and frowned. He knew now that he's lost her for good. His own stupid actions had caused him to leave him. Down at his feet, Kikyou was still lying on the ground. Acting on instinct, he bent down to pick her up. She had passed out. He held her bridal style and turned back to face Kagome. He met her eyes and did not look away.
"I am sorry, Kagome." he said faintly.
"I'm sure you will be." she said sadly. She turned to walk back to the village when the pink light of the Shikon Jewel once again enveloped her. She rose from the ground and floated towards the village. She had to get Kaede well, then go back to her own home.
Back down on the ground, Miroku and Sango were doing their best to restrain the wolf prince from killing Inuyasha on the spot.
"I HOPE YOU BURN IN HELL FOR DOING THIS TO HER!!!" the wolf demon screamed. He tried to get to the transformed hanyou, but Miroku and Sango stood in his way, bodily blocking his path.
"Kouga!" Miroku said firmly. "Killing Inuyasha isn't going to stop what happened!"
"It'll make me feel better to make him suffer!" Kouga snarled.
"He's going to suffer enough without Kagome by his side." Sango whispered to him urgently. "You don't need to beat him to a bloody pulp! Kagome is angry with him now. But if you kill him, she'll never speak to YOU again!" This seemed to calm the full youkai down and he glared at the hanyou and miko in front of him before taking to the air to follow Kagome.
"This time, dog-turd," he said evenly. "You don't know what you've screwed up." And with that, he went as fast as he could after Kagome. Inuyasha looked down at the form of Kikyou, now passed out in his arms.
"For once, I'll agree with him." he said softly, sadly. "I fucked this up royally." He looked around the clearing to where Sango and Miroku were standing.
He looked at the two of them and frowned. Sango's face was set into a frown of disgust, and the hanyou flinched when she shook her head at him. If it had not been for the darkness, he was sure he could see the angry sparks in her eyes. He looked to the monk, who had no type of expression on his face. He shook his head, and without a word to Miroku and Sango and walked deeper into the forest, carrying Kikyou's body with him. When he was finally out of sight, Miroku turned to Sango and shook his head.
"It's over." he said. "I'm afraid we've lost him to Kikyou for good this time." Sango frowned.
"He knew what he was doing." she stated firmly. "I don't pity him in the least." She turned around and began walking back towards the village, her own anger beginning to slowly dissipate. Miroku watched her and sighed. 'He has no idea what he's just done to our group.' he thought sadly. The monk closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had work to do before he and Sango left to go back to her village. He opened his eyes and stared at the place were Inuyasha had carried the miko.
"I am truly sorry for you, my friend." he whispered. He picked his staff up and proceeded back to the village. "I am truly sorry……."
A/N - Okay peeps, there's the confrontation scene. How'd I do? Did I get Kagome's anger across good enough? If I didn't, I'm sorry. Anyway, leave me a review and tell me what you think. I'd appreciate it greatly. Later.
