Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Although I wish I did...

Thanks to all who reviewed, again! Yeah, I think I'll add lots and lost of fluff in this one. Less tears on Kagome's part, though. She seems to be crying way too much lately...

Forever

Chapter 5: Possessed

She traveled faster with Naraku within her. It was a tainted magic, dark, dirty, evil. And yet there was innocence to the way Naraku gently locked her away, almost muttering apologies under his breath. But it was still a cage. Kagome remained trapped like a parrot in it. And she despised that feeling.

It was like to pain, that sharp stab at her heart. And yet it did not hurt her. It grew ominous; looming over Kagome's every thought. It frightened her, scared her to no end. That was her lock.

Kagome spied Kaede's village in the distance, rooftops barely visible on the horizon. She was flying; Kagome felt the cold wind on her face. Naraku was taking her to the village. Or... was he?

A mile or two from Kagome's presumed destination, Naraku turned his magic westward. And there he flew. Just into the shadow of the trees, Naraku let go of his flight and fell to the ground. Kagome felt her feet absorb the fall.

As Kagome stood, she heard distinctly Naraku's voice in her head. That cruel, selfish hiss of death.

I shall draw reality from your dreams...

Her dreams... He would mock her, show her what she could have had! Inuyasha... Kagome felt herself grow weak, frail within her own body. She no longer resisted Naraku's control.

She felt herself walking, searching...

And then Naraku stopped.

Before Kagome stood the person she wished to be with, the person she did not wish to see then.

Inuyasha approached her, eyes wide in surprise. He wrapped his arms about her, and Kagome found herself... no, Naraku... embracing Inuyasha.

"I'm sorry..." she heard him whisper to her ear. It was a sweet tone, a gentle tone. A tone Kagome would have enjoyed had she not been trapped within herself. She screamed for Inuyasha to leave, to hide before Naraku killed him. But her voice did not ring out. She was alone.

"Don't be." Kagome felt her own lips moving, whispering as sweetly in return. She screamed and writhed, fighting Naraku. But her lock held. Her lock... where was her key?

Inuyasha pulled back from her a moment, and gazed into her eyes. Kagome noted his. His golden eyes, sweet eyes, gentle eyes... the eyes she loved, the eyes she'd lose. They filled with tears, the gold shining as the hanyou wept.

"I was afraid," he said to her again, his voice barely a whisper. "I was afraid to lose you again..."

Oh, how she wanted to embrace him again, to stroke him, to love him... no. No. It was her fate, her destiny to roam without him. He had Kikyo. Kagome knew Naraku's mocking tricks. She felt him laughing, laughing at her while she fought herself.

"You'll never lose me..." Kagome said in reply, feeling Naraku move her lips and force her voice.

Inuyasha moved closer. Kagome screamed at him to stop, to run while he could. But he kept moving. She felt his lips on hers, kissing her gently, softly... lovingly. This was her dream... Naraku mocked her.

Kagome's eyes were closed, she could not see. But she felt her hand grasp something... the hilt of a dagger Naraku had created with his dark magic. Her hand brought it behind Inuyasha.

She screamed, she writhed, she tried to push away. But Kagome was trapped, locked. She lay there, within herself, helpless, weak as the dagger plunged into Inuyasha's back.

He fell. His face held confusion, helplessness, innocence... His expression was so peaceful... no anger dared to cross his eyes. His golden eyes... His golden eyes shone with tears as he fell, the fabric of time stretched. He plunged to the ground, arms outstretched as he fell. And when he hit the soil of the forest, Inuyasha went limp. His form no longer moved, no longer held life. His eyes fogged up, and Kagome knew he had passed.

He was a half demon. He couldn't die from one stab of a dagger. But Naraku's dagger... Kagome suspected it was poisoned, enchanted so whoever it stabbed would succumb to its rule.

Naraku let go. He awaited Kagome in the back of her mind, letting her regain control of herself. She dropped to her knees beside Inuyasha, staring at his lifeless form with such horror, such helplessness, that even Naraku felt a pang of guilt. A small pang. For as Kagome stroked Inuyasha's brow, Naraku laughed. He mocked her, taunted her from the shadows of her mind.

Kagome hung her head. This was her doing. It may have been Naraku that had possessed her; it may have been Naraku that killed Inuyasha. But her hand had held that dagger; her hand had plunged it into Inuyasha. Had she not gone to Naraku, had she not run away...

Kagome's face jerked up. Naraku had grown tired of her mindless grief. He'd locked her in his cage again, and taken up control. Kagome stood. In horror she saw her own foot kick Inuyasha's lifeless form. In horror she felt his flesh against her foot. And in fear she heard Naraku's maniacal laughter echo through her head, mocking her again.

She felt herself flying once more.

Now to kill Kikyo...

Naraku hissed in her mind. Why would he need to destroy Kikyo? What did he want? Kagome knew he'd not tell her. She just felt herself flying, searching... Searching.

Kikyo had written in her letter that Kagome would never find her. Kagome... what of Naraku? He would surely find Kikyo with ease! Even so, she would no longer find joy in destroying Kikyo. Kagome no longer had a reason to kill her, for Inuyasha was gone.

Gone.

Because of her.

Sango

Inuyasha had been gone quite a while. It was late now, the birds singing goodnight to each other. Miroku was just as worried, although Shippo and Kirara lay soundly asleep.

Sango motioned for Miroku to follow her, as she led through the forest. It was dark, but Sango held a strange tube that brought light at the press of a button. Kagome had brought it from her time. What was it called? Oh yes, a flashlight.

A rustle in the bushes made Sango jump and point the flashlight at the sound.

It was a demon.

A small demon, barely Shippo's size. But it had an evil air about him. Violet horns stuck out from his blue skin, at odd angles some, and others straight. Sango knew demons well enough to know this was a vulture. They hunted the dead, like the birds. Only the dead attracted them. Only recent dead.

Which meant some one had died in the forest. A demon.

Miroku saw the vulture as well, and mouthed for Sango to follow him. He hid in the trees, glancing from behind the tree trunks at the running demon. Sango followed Miroku, and together, the little vulture led them.

As they reached a clearing the vulture was no longer needed. The two humans knew what it preyed on. Sango absentmindedly killed the demon with her boomerang, and grasped Miroku's hand as they approached their friend.

Inuyasha lay motionless on the ground. Dead.

But who would kill him? No demon could possibly have done this to him. Miroku turned Inuyasha over, and found a dagger in his back. He tired to pull it out. It burned his hand.

Yelping in pain, Miroku jumped back and held his wounded hand.

"Naraku..." hissed Sango. Only Naraku's daggers did that. Only Naraku could have killed Inuyasha with one stab. But how had he gotten close to him?

Shaking her head in confusion, Sango turned to Miroku.

"Let us take him to Kaede." She muttered.

Miroku complied and slung Inuyasha over a shoulder gently.

It was the longest walk to the village they'd ever had.

Kagome

Plains rushed beneath her feet, as Kagome flew through the clouds. She would have enjoyed the wind on her face, and the sheer joy of flight, had Naraku not possessed her.

Her loss was still too much to bear. Her loss? What had she lost that Kagome did not deserve to have lost? Inuyasha? She never had deserved him anyway... her heart? Her sanity? Sanity drove her mad, and her heart... It had been broken already. Naraku had merely disposed of the shards that remained.

She began to descend. A village appeared at the edges of sight, and soon a figure appeared below her. A figure in red, her hair tied back neatly in a tail... Kikyo. She was bent down, picking herbs it seemed.

Kagome landed. Kikyo stood straight and turned to face her. Malice replaced shock as the priestess glared at Kagome. But she couldn't help but inquire how...

"How did you find me here?" Kikyo asked, her tone angry. "I always know where you are." Kagome felt Naraku reply for her.

"Where is Inuyasha? You hardly go anywhere without him."

"Dead." Kagome replied unwillingly. Naraku was mocking her again. Taunting her.

Kikyo stepped back, shocked and angry at once. "Dead? But... but how?"

"I killed him." Kagome held up her hands. They were stained with blood. Inuyasha's blood. Inuyasha's sweet blood... Inuyasha's dried blood. Inuyasha's fading memory...

"You... you killed... Inu... Inuyasha?" Kikyo dropped her basket, her collected herbs falling to the ground.

Kikyo grasped her bow, and drew an arrow. "You will die!" she shouted, aiming for Kagome's heart.

Kagome almost pitied her right then and there. Kikyo seemed so helpless, so fragile... But Naraku was cruel, harsh and vicious. He drew Kagome's magic, and created a barrier about her. Kikyo's arrow bounded off the shield.

Kikyo screamed and threw her quiver of arrows on the ground, along with her bow. She clung to her own miko powers, sending blasts of flame at Kagome. Naraku pulled off the shield, letting the flame burn Kagome, sear her skin. He was killing her, letting her die before he killed Kikyo.

One white blast of ice shot from Kagome, impaling Kikyo on its sharp end. The priestess screamed, her blood painting Kagome's ice red. As Kagome's magic faded, Kikyo grew limp and fell to the ground.

Another death. Another stain upon her hands.

Naraku let go once again, but this time Kagome did nothing. She merely hung her head in defeat, mourning the losses of Kikyo and Inuyasha. And Inuyasha... Inuyasha...

She'd killed him, destroyed him, destroyed herself. And now Naraku would use her, use her powers to destroy more, kill armies. Kill cities. He would use the shards... The shards! They were still about her neck!

Kagome heard Naraku chuckle at her ignorance, and felt him leave her altogether.

Naraku stood beside her now, and lifted her chin up to face him.

"You've done well," he said, and grasped the shards around her neck. "I shall return for you in one month's time. You have proved yourself to be useful..."

He lifted the shards from Kagome's neck, and held them awhile, just gazing at their beauty. Three quarters of the jewel was his now, and Kagome knew he had a quarter yet to collect. And something in her told Kagome that his month would be spent searching for the other shards, and killing all that stood in his way.

With a flash of burning flame, Naraku was gone.

She was alone with her fears again.

Kagome had one month.

One month to find Inuyasha's soul, one month to bring it back to him. One month to gather her powers, to fight Naraku.

For in one month, he would have the entire jewel. Kagome stood, her knees shaking. Gazing to the heavens, she smiled.

Sesshomaru would be able to bring back Inuyasha.

She had one month.

Ok... so much for fluff, but I'm trying to make some sort of an interesting plot here... ok? Alright then... I like this chapter... hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it... anyway... review, as always! And please read my poem... It's called Golden Eyes... please R&R that, too... Review!

heh and please don't kill me for killing Inuyasha... it's part of the storyline. I know I'm evil.

And for those who want Kagome and Sesshomaru to be together... no. In my story, the only couples I support are KagomeInuyasha, SangoMiroku, and maybe... MAYBE SesshomaruRin.

Occasionally I may include NarakuKikyo.

Review! And please don't kill me...

Until the red sun rises...