To Protect the One I Love

Author's Notes:  I want to thank all the readers who have stuck with my story this long and hope I haven't disappointed anyone with my ideas.  I'm pretty sure I've kept everyone in character and thought up almost original ideas (I say almost because even if I haven't read the stories, I'm sure someone's written it before).  As for my story, Kagome is taking a turn for the worse and as some of you thought, it does have a negative effect on the jewel.  How bad?  That's for you to read and find out. smiles evilly

Giving In To the Darkness

            Inuyasha jumped through the well with Kagome and gently put her down on the grass.  Then he waited to give Sango and Miroku a hands up.

            With a grunt, Miroku made it to the top of the well with an exasperated expression.  "This is a lot harder than it looks."

            Inuyasha reached down and up came Sango.  "We really have to give you more credit, Kagome-chan."  The taijiya said.  Looking over, she saw Kagome already entering the edge of the forest.  "Hey, wait for us!"

            Shippo popped up and landed on the wall's edge.  "Oi, Kagome, what about Kaede's?"

            Miroku swung his legs over the side.  "We should talk to her about what's happened.  Maybe she has some idea about how to defeat Subaru-sama."

            "Don't call him that."  She spat when she came to a halt.

            The comment made everyone gasp.  This was very un-Kagome-like.

            Inuyasha stepped forward.  "So what are you going to do then?"

            Without turning around, she replied.  "I don't know.  But I'm not going to stand around talking while that bastard's still alive."

            With a half smirk, Inuyasha said, "You're starting to sound like me when I was chasing Naraku."

            Kagome scoffed, "When I'm through with him, he's going to be begging for death.  Then him and Naraku will have something in common."  Half turning she said, "They'll both have paid for their dark deeds with their lives."  Then she continued walking into the forest.

            Behind her, everyone exchanged looks but slowly followed.  If their long-time friend delved any deeper into the darkness she had unleashed, she would soon be consumed by it.

            And the miko they had grown to love would be no more.

            As the group traveled, Kagome took lead and walked at a fast pace.  Everyone followed as best they could and even though they were tired, they said nothing.

            But watching them from afar, Subaru-no-Oni opened his feral mouth in a dirty grin.  Naraku was right.  The Shikon no Tama is so much more lovely defiled by you, dear miko.  I may not have been able to see the shards ages ago, but now I can see the darkness enveloping you from within.  In a little bit, even you will notice it, but by then it will be too late.

            As her friends started setting up camp, Subaru-no-Oni narrowed his eyes.  Sleep while you can, for when the battle within you begins and destroys you, I shall come for my revenge.

            Inuyasha watched Kagome get out of her sleeping bad and walk quietly to the nearby stream.  After a few minutes, he jumped down from his post and followed her.  He found her staring into her own reflection in the slow-moving current.  "So what, you don't sleep now either?"

            She turned to glare at him.  "Not that it's any of your business, but I can't sleep."

            Sitting next to her, he too looked into the water.  "Care to tell me why?"

            Kagome's eyes, already dark from lack of sleep, narrowed fractionally. "Everyone who cares for me in my world are all fighting for their lives and for what?  Why?  Because some psychopath wanted to get to me.  I close my eyes and I see them, smashed in the rubble of those buildings, barely breathing because of him, because of what he did."  She paused before continuing.  "I should've…should've stopped him when I had the chance.  I should've waited to see his goddamn corpse.  So many people could've lived if…"

            "If this, if that, seems to me you're doing a lot of thinking about the past instead of looking forward to the future."  Inuyasha interrupted.  Looking down, the hanyou's ears dropped in memory.  "Back when my mother died I did a lot of "I should've" and "I could've."  But an old man once told me, 'If you dwell on the past, you'll all be but lost to the present and possible future.'"

            Kagome didn't say anything at first, but soon turned her head away in disgust.  "Whatever.  At this point, I don't care what happens, as long as I get to see him pay for what he did to me and to my family."  Before Inuyasha could protest, she got up and returned to camp.

            Inuyasha sighed and looked up at the full moon.  It's light as mystifying as ever.  There was another night when we had a similar conversation, except back then, I still wanted to be a full demon…

            Kagome walked up to me in my human form and offered me a fizzy drink in a can.  I accepted it and she sat down next to me.  "You really should stick around the rest of us tonight."  She said.

            I scoffed.  "What?  Even I need time to think sometimes too!"  Did they really think I was that weak and vulnerable?

            She leaned in closer to me so much that I backed off a little.  "Inuyasha?"

            "What!?"  Kami, she could be so annoying at times.

            Then she gave me this frightened child looked.  "Do you still want to become a real demon?"

            Why was everyone asking me that?  Have I given them any reason why I wouldn't?

            "I was scared."  She spoke again.

            This made me mad.  "What's with you and that kind of talk?  If I hadn't changed my form, everyone would've been killed by that Goshinki!"

            "That's not it."  She locked eyes with me.  "You're face might've looked scary, but that's not what I meant."

            Was my face that scary?  It's not like I remembered anything when I was transformed.  The first memory I have was after Goshinki was already dead.

            "I felt like your heart was someplace far away and I was scared because I thought you would forget about me too."  She admitted.

            That got me quiet and thinking.  When I changed my form, my heart was…I really didn't know the answer to that.  But I blew it off as nothing.  "A-are you stupid or something?  No matter what happens, I'm still me!  I won't forget about Miroku or you."

            She nods.  "Okay."   But it's a reluctant agreement, like she didn't truly believe.

            Kagome, you're heart seems to be slipping away from me too and it can only lead to one thing.  That kind of darkness isn't something you want to live through.  If I can't bring you back, you'll be swallowed up by your own hatred and the Kagome I love will be lost to me.  Inuyasha was worried, but there was little he could do now.  All he could do was keep a close eye on her and if she did go over the line, it would be his job to bring her back.

            The next day repeated the day before, with Kagome in the lead walking at a fast pace and almost leaving everyone behind.  The day was hot and she had drank little to no water.  Everyone else was hot and wanted to rest.

            Shippo was the first to speak up.  "Oi, Kagome!  Let's take a break!  I'm starving!"  In Sango's arms, Kirara mewed an agreement, because out of everyone, she had the most fur.

            "No, we don't stop until sundown."  She replied darkly.

            "But even you shouldn't push yourself in this heat."  Miroku commented.

            She stopped her walking for the moment.  "The rest of you want to stop and rest, that's fine, but I'm going to keep going until I find him!"

            "And just how do you know where he is!?"  Inuyasha barked with his arms crossed.

            "Does it matter to you how I know?"  She turned to face off with the hanyou.  I don't know where he is, but stopping now won't get me any closer.  I have to keep going.

            Sango leaned into Miroku and whispered.  "Do you see it?"

            Nodding, the monk replied.  "Kagome-sama's aura has darkened dramatically."  He said as he watched the usual light pink aura turn magenta red.  "If this keeps going on, her aura, along with the jewel, will be corrupted."

            "You're damn right it matters to me!  You're pushing yourself too hard and if you ever do find him you're not going to be able to stand up on your own goddamn feet enough to even throw a punch!"  Inuyasha shouted.  This had gone on long enough.  The group couldn't go on without a break and Kagome herself was going to fall apart any minute.

            "Don't you dare think you can judge me and my fighting abilities!"  She shouted, her fist clenching around her ancestral bow on her shoulder.  "I've learned plenty and I will hunt him down and I won't stop until he's dead!"

            Inuyasha walked forward and clasped onto her wrist.  "We're stopping and you're going to rest too!"

            She pulled her arm free and pushed him away.  "Don't order me around!" 

            Inuyasha gasped and froze.  For when she shouted, he was sure he saw her eyes flash blood red.  Almost like his own demonic form.

            Miroku and the rest saw it too and tensed up.

            "He threatened my family twice and now them and my friends are all in the hospital!  He went too far!"  She shouted.

            "I know you were hurt, but you're letting your hatred consume you!  Look at yourself!  You haven't eaten in days and you haven't slept!"  Inuyasha tried to convince her.  "What good are you to anybody!?"

            Darkly, Kagome lowered her head.  "Back off, Inuyasha.  Or you'll be sorry."  Kagome glared at the hanyou.  None of them understand.  It wasn't their families or their friends that were hurt.  It was mine.  This is my fight and if they won't stand by me then they're only in my way.  As she thought this, the Shikon no Tama inside her darkened more until it was completely black.

            BA-DUM!

            Kagome's eyes widened and she clutched her heart.

            "Kagome!"  Inuyasha shouted.

            BA-DUM!

            Wh-what's happening to me?

            "Kagome-chan!"  Sango shouted in worry as well.

            Inuyasha rushed forward to help the miko, but the wind picked up and he was forced back.  All around Kagome a purplish black jaki began to form and it twirled around her as she fell to her knees in pain.

            My heart…it feels like my heart is being squeezed and I can hardly breath.

            Kagome cried out, but her voice was overpowered by the swirling winds, and Inuyasha tried to get to her, but it was no use.

            "Kagome-sama!"  Miroku threw one of his wards at the building tornado, thinking it might be the work of a youkai, but it was shredded to pieces on the razor sharp winds.

            When Kagome gritted her teeth, she vaguely felt her incisors grow into fangs.  Her hands, which were still wrapped around her body in pain, grew long claw-like fingernails and they dug into her skin drawing blood.  Her eyes, though clenched in pain, darkened and turned a deep red color.  Her irises themselves were black.  By now, Kagome's consciousness was all black and she was aware of none of it.

            Inuyasha felt the change and his mouth immediately went dry.  "Kagome…"

            When the winds died down, Kagome was left, her clothes shredding in some places and her arms wrapped around her, the blood now soaking her forearms and lap.

            Shippo hid behind Miroku's head a little.  "This smell…"

            "It doesn't seem human."  Sango whispered.

            Inuyasha took a cautious step forward.  "Kagome?"

            Laughing, Kagome's shoulders shook as she stood up.  "You know, I don't know why I even brought you along.  This is my fight and you guys don't need to be here."  Her head was bowed, but even her voice seemed to change.  It was darker, lower, and full of evil.

            Inuyasha raised a hand.  "You don't mean that, Kagome.  We're your friends."

            Finally raising her head, she glared at the hanyou and her eyes flashed red once again.  "Not anymore."  Without warning she dashed forward and slashed at Inuyasha.

            Surprisingly, it opened up four large gashes in his forearm and black blood splattered on the floor.  "What the hell!?"

            Not bothering to answer, Kagome slashed again, but this time Inuyasha jumped out of the way.  Slashing in a wide arc across horizontally, Kagome released what Inuyasha could only call was a Sankon Tessou!  Four streaks of blackened energy raced towards Inuyasha and caught part of his face, opening up more gashes.

            Before he could recover, Kagome ran forward and slugged him in the stomach.  He was blown back and smacked into a tree.  Stunned, he slumped to the floor.

            Raising her claws, Kagome licked the black blood and smiled.  "You see?  I am strong enough to take him on.  I'll give you one last warning, hanyou.  Stay out of this, or you'll be added on to my list."  With that, she jumped into the nearest tree, reaching half its height in one bound and jumped through the branches and disappeared.

            Sango and Miroku ran to help Inuyasha, while Shippo sadly watched Kagome leave.

            With a grunt, Inuyasha opened his eyes.

            "Are you okay?"  Sango asked.

            Inuyasha half smirked, while blood dribbled out the side of his mouth.  "I've been hit harder."  But after saying that he winced. 

            "What do we do now?"  Miroku asked.

            "You guys head back to Kaede's and see what the old hag has to say about this."  Inuyasha staggered to his feet and leaned up against the wall, coughing up any blood still trapped in his throat.

            "What about you?"  The monk asked.

            Inuyasha looked at his friend with one eye closed and his red symbol pulsating brightly.  "I'm going after her, of course."

            Sango gasped.  "The next time she sees you, she might not even recognize you!  Are you sure that's a good idea?"

            Inuyasha looked at the youkai exterminator and clutched Tetsusaiga's hilt in one hand.  "Wouldn't you rather I bring her down than another demon or worse, Subaru?"

            That silenced all of them.

            Inuyasha wiped away the blood on his face with his sleeve and smirked.  "Alright then.  When you're done, come find me.  I just hope you have good news by then."  Then he jumped and took off after Kagome's mutated scent.

            "Do you think she'll be okay?"  Shippo asked sadly.

            "I don't know."  Sango admitted.  "But if anyone knows what she's going through its Inuyasha."

            "Yeah," Miroku agreed.  "Let's just hope he's not too late to save the person she was."

Author's Notes:  Okay, this one was short only because the battle scene between Kagome and Inuyasha is going to be long and I didn't want too long of a chapter.  So watch out for the next chapter, which should be out pretty soon!  Thank you all!

            And to Dust'in, I'm sorry, I couldn't fit in Hanyou Inuyasha versus Demon Inuyasha, but when I'm through with this saga, I'll think up another one (no doubt) and try working it in there, okay?  Sorry!