Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone, except for the new character I introduced in this chapter, she's mine.

A/N: Sorry for not updating earlier. I have two very good reasons

1) My computer got messed up and so I was forced to save all my files on a disk just in case.

2) I was lazy.

So sorry again. This chapter is more like a plot beginning thingy where thingies start making sense (I think). So, needless to say Please Review. I love all the reviews, even the one that taught me about the hair grammar thingy. Let's see if I got it right this time. Let me know if there are any plot hole or something that I fail to address now or in the future. If I make a mistake like that then I will try to clear it up. Also, if u don't like a certain chapter, just tell me what you didn't like and I'll change it. Even if it is the plot, then I might change the story around to suit the demand. Thank you!!!!!! Love ya lots!!!!

Now onto the story...

Chapter 6: Preparations

The night progressed slowly, its quiet broken by a lone figure on a hill overlooking the village. A gust of wind originating from nowhere forced the long black hair of the intruder to flow freely in the wind giving life to the seemingly lifeless vessel. With footsteps almost as quiet as the night itself, she approached the tree under which Inuyasha's material body slept. Her dark eyes surveyed the sleeping village at the foot of the hill before regarding the tree with contempt.

"Hmm..." She spoke in a calm and unearthly voice, "A barrier. How convenient." The silver snake-like demons circled the body of their mistress, sensing her mild anger. The dead miko's mouth curved into what looked like a smile, however the curve of her lips clashed dangerously with the sorrow in her eyes and made her look all the more forbidding. With one gesture of her hand, the barrier ceased to exist and her soul collectors continued their serene dance never once affected by the intrusion of the final resting place of a dead one.

She pushed one hand into the earth on the grave mercilessly and pulled out a fistful of dirt. She watched the extra grains of dirt fall from her hand with a taunting smile as her eyes saw the essence of the man buried there rather than dirt.

"You didn't think you could get away that easy, did you Inuyasha?" She spoke to the fistful of dirt. The sorrow in her eyes gone, replaced by the twinkle of determination. How dare they take away what's hers? How dare he take away what's hers? Fools. All of them.

She removed a pouch from her robe and placed the dirt into it and sealed it. She brushed her pale white hands against her red robe to remove the stray grains of dirt. A careless swing of her hand and the barrier reappeared, stronger than before.

"No one shall know I was here," She added with a small chuckle, "It's almost too easy." And they believed they could protect his grave from me? Insolent fools.

Her soul collectors danced around merrily, noticing the shift in their mistress's demeanour from dark and lonely to determined and ... almost happy.

She regarded the village one last time, thinking of the comrades of her former lover who slept peacefully in their seemingly safe homes. She laughed inwardly at their foolishness. Without the half-demon they had no hope. Even with the services of the wolf-demon they were doomed. Naraku had won. Or at least he thinks so. She let a small laugh escape her.

"Now go my faithful ones," She spoke quietly but with authority, "bring me his soul."

Her demons snaked around her one more time signifying their complying of her order before disappearing into several directions at once.

She patted the pouch of dirt contentedly; her soul demons would bring back his soul by morning. How much more reliable were these demons than humans. Humans lured you into a false sense of belonging before shattering all your beliefs with one swift stroke. Humans fell in love with you and then betrayed you for another. Her hands clenched tightly at the onslaught of bitter memories. No more. Never again.

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"Here you go Sesshomarou." Kagome spoke quietly. It still distressed her to give Sesshomarou Inuyasha's sword. She held it out to him but her hands refused to let it go. Sesshomarou yanked it out of her hand and since he couldn't exactly hold the sword, which was a huge relief since the spell still worked on him, he could hold the sheath. This allowed Sesshomarou to carry the sword but not use it. Unless of course he pulled another stunt like earlier when he possessed a human arm.

"I thank you for keeping your end of the bargain." Sesshomarou said before turning around and telling Rin to follow him. He was pretty sure he will have to hunt them down to get them to keep their end of the bargain, needless to say he hadn't expected them to hand it to him willingly ...well not willingly. Rin gave a bright smile and took off after the Demon Lord. It still amazed Kagome that Sesshomarou took care of Rin like she was his own daughter even though she was a weak human. She watched the Demon Lord's dominating figure diminish followed by Rin's over hyper one. They were leaving with Inuyasha's sword. The sword that Inuyasha had risked his life to obtain and risked even more to keep it.

Kouga gave her a half hug trying to make her feel better about the loss. Kagome's eyes had lost their usual fire. Kouga wished for the old Kagome to return, the one who gave orders and took none. The old Kagome who would fight even when failure was inevitable. Why did that dog-breath mean so much to her.

Kagome pulled herself away from Kouga, either not noticing Kouga's hurt look or not acknowledging it.

"Let's go." Kagome said before leaving for the hut to gather her things. They were going to leave the village today to hunt for the shards. They had put off the shard hunt for far too long. They didn't know how they would do it without Inuyasha's strength but it seemed Kouga was willing to lend them his services, a little too willing in Kagome's opinion. She suspected he had his eyes on the jewel shards that she possessed but she couldn't be sure.

She put her bag onto her pink bike; she took a little longer than usual remembering how Inuyasha would help hold her bag when it got too heavy. She chuckled to herself; he was the reason why her bag was always so heavy. Miroku kept to himself all morning; Sango immediately noticed it when he didn't even notice the woman who came by to sell them some fruits. Sango didn't like to admit it but she was worried about his silent attitude. She didn't ask him about it though; he was probably still contemplating last night's events.

They spent the whole day travelling. Kagome looked straight ahead at the path she was travelling. When she was with Inuyasha, she never paid attention to where she was going because she knew he had her back. Now? Well, now was different.

Kagome rode her bike in the front with Kouga jogging next to her to make sure Kagome could keep up with him. Miroku and Sango rode Kirara in the back. They were heading east, they had heard of a hoard of demons attacking a nearby village and the leader was almost unbeatable. They had speculated immediately that he might possess a shard. The village wasn't far though; a few days travel would lead them right to it.

They stopped after dark at the village they had just reached. It was a quiet village, peaceful and serene. There was an odd calming fragrance in the air that reminded Kagome of fresh water. There must be a stream nearby.

Miroku offered to exorcise a black cloud that was hovering over the best inn in the village and they were offered food and rooms for the night.

The meal was eaten in silence. Miroku had grown quieter over the afternoon and he left the inn abruptly after the meal was done. Sango directed a confused and worried look at Kagome who tilted her head slightly in the direction of the door. Sango nodded and took off after the monk who she had started loving even though she didn't acknowledge it yet.

Kagome and Kouga were left alone in the room. She wandered over to the window to gaze at the silent beauty of the night wondering where they would end up and whether or not they would be able to complete the jewel now that he was not around anymore.

He still protects you. Even after death. So he hadn't broken his promise.

I wonder where he is. She thought to herself Is he always watching? Or only at certain times?

She was still lost in her thoughts when She felt the presence of another warm body next to her. She had barely turned her head to look at this new person when warm arms wrapped themselves around her shoulders and pulled her into a soft but firm chest.

Kagome started to protest; she squirmed in his grasp in an attempt to get away from him but afraid of hurting his feelings at the same time. As a response, he tightened his arms around her and pushed his face into the hollow of her neck to inhale her intoxicating scent. Kouga was in heaven; all he could experience was pure bliss at having her so close to him. So near him and there was no half-demon bastard to stop him from taking her.

"Kouga," Kagome started, she didn't want him to do this, not so early after the incident, "Please don't..."

"Why?" Kouga asked pulling his face away from her to look at her dark eyes. She pulled her eyes away from him when the first contact was made. "Why not? You are my woman."

Kagome couldn't speak. What should she tell him? That she loved Inuyasha? But Inuyasha was dead and didn't seem to be coming back anytime soon. No, he's not coming back at all. She also didn't have the heart to tell him she loved another man when she knew he loved her.

She decided that it would be best if her actions did the talking. With one strong push she broke the awkward embrace and backed away until she was a good few feet away from him.

Kouga looked hurt again. He looked at her questioning look, his eyes soft with tension and worry, probing her, nudging her to explain herself. Silence greeted those wondering eyes. Suddenly, his eyes turned hard again and his gaze turned from questioning to accusing.

"Its that dog-breath, isn't it?" Kouga snapped. Kagome winced at the pain and venom in his voice.

Once again, Kagome decided to keep silent than confirm his suspicions.

Kouga closed the distance separating them with few short strides and held her shoulders firmly, not painfully but strongly. His face only inches from hers, he whispered, "Why? Why can't you forget him?" He brought one hand to pull her chin up slightly so that he could look at the dark eyes he had fallen in love with, "He is dead, he died and is not coming back. I'm here though; aren't I?"

Kagome's gaze faltered, she removed her eyes from Kouga's strong but handsome face to study the stone floor. She tried her hardest to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat but she failed miserably. She fought another losing battle as a defiant tear fell out of her right eye leaving a silver trail in its wake.

Kouga let his hands cup her face, one thumb wiping away the tear that had escaped the confines of her beautiful eyes.

"I love you Kagome," He whispered, bringing his face closer than ever. Kagome heart sped up, all tears forgotten, she looked for a way to get out of his embrace without hurting his feelings too much.

"I will always protect you," Kouga' words went unheard as Kagome went into full-mode panic. He's going to kiss me! Oh shit. His face moved closer still. What should I do? His lips were so close that she could feel his warmth radiating off of them. Damn his feelings. With one strong push, she managed to loosen his grip enough to back away several steps. Don't run. She told herself. Don't run. It'll only worsen the blow.

Kouga stood quiet. He had dropped his head, letting his fringe of dark hair hide his eyes making his expression unreadable.

"So that's it then..." He started, "I'll never be able to take his place, will I?"

Forget about his feelings. RUN!!

Somehow Kagome managed to stand her ground.

Kouga made eye contact with her again, his eyes challenging her to deny him, begging even. "Kouga...I..." Kagome felt the need to say something. Anything. "Its too soon."

"I understand." He walked over to her and wrapped her in a strong embrace. His arms were strong and warm and they made her feel loved. She wanted to pull away again but her body refused to oblige.

Suddenly, he pulled back and looked into her eyes, a mischievous grin on his face. "So that means there is a chance?"

Kagome laughed at his antics. No matter what she says to him, or doesn't say in this case, he always looks at the side that he favours. Don't know about a husband, but he makes a great friend.

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"Did you get it?" A dark figure sitting on the floor questioned, his smooth voice devoid of any emotion, the question the only indicator that he had noticed the new presence in the room.

"A barrier kept us out." Piercing red eyes answered his query. The tall delicate figure of the woman lingered at the door afraid to come any closer to the silent shadow.

"Hn..." The figure grunted, then shifted in its place, the rustling of soft cloth against silky skin breaking the heavy silence followed by a quiet yet demanding call, "Kanna."

A young child appeared in the doorway, a small round mirror clutched tightly in front of her chest. Her face, an unhealthy pale colour, was stony and expressionless. Her hair was as white as snow and her eyes were dark and empty. She seemed oblivious to her master's obvious disappointment.

"Did you do what I asked of you?" Long black hair slipped off of his bare shoulder as he pulled the Shikon Jewel from the folds of his robes. Kanna nodded silently, the air becoming pregnant with silence again.

"So it seems..." The figure turned around suddenly and made eye contact with the older sibling, red meeting black, "you are the only one who has failed in your task, Kagura, does it not?"

He had stood up, his bare chest reflecting the small amount of moonlight seeping in through the window. He was the embodiment of grace and beauty itself. It seemed that the saying 'the path to hell is the most lavish' is true. His dark eyes continued to interrogate her, demand an explanation from her yet at the same time refusing to believe any excuses.

Kagura shifted, uneasy in the constant gaze of her master; the master she hated so much. It wasn't her mistake they had such a strong barrier around that miserable half-demon's grave. Stronger than she had expected. True, they had a miko and monk but the barrier spoke of true experience and power; something none of them had granted their age. Overall, it was too powerful for her to break. "The barrier..." Kagura had to try to defend herself, even though she knew it was futile.

"Silence." He wrapped his fingers around the incomplete jewel. A bright light shone through his hand before turning dark and coming out of his hand in waves. The waves surrounded his body completely, hiding him from the view of the two siblings. Kanna stood silently in the corner, looking as though nothing out of the ordinary was occurring. Kagura on the other hand got uncomfortable. She knew what was happening and she never liked it one bit.

Kagura fought the urge to summon her winds and escape this place before another of her master's incarnations arrives. Past experiences told her that they were never very pleasant and will most likely attempt to kill the first person they see out of pure confusion. She had felt like that the day she had opened her eyes to see her master towering over her naked body, telling her that she was his incarnation and thus belonged to him. Oh, how she had longed to kill him then.

Countless moments later, the darkness dissipated revealing one large figure of the man slightly bent from exhaustion and another smaller, more delicate frame of a girl lying naked on the floor apparently unconscious. The girl had her legs pulled up to her chest in a fetal position, her upper body twisted so that she was facing the ground. Her long icy clue hair was sprawled on her back and covered most of her legs.

"Do not fail me again, Kagura" He spoke, sounding just a little tired, "or I will be forced to dispose of you."

Kagura took an involuntary step back. Her master noticed it and let a ghost of a smile grace his perfect lips.

"For now, my newest incarnation will complete your task."

A/N: eh heh... just so you know '------x--------' indicates scene change.

And i am not exactly japanese and I absolutely hate it when American names are introduced in Japanese manga bc the author couldn't think of a japanese name. I DO NOT have any idea what to name this new character. Please suggest some names, I'll pick the one I like. And it would be really cool if the names mean something so I could put that in the story. BTW the new incarnation is a temptress (SPOILER!!!!!!!!!) and controls the ice element ... hence the blue hair. so anything that incorporates thesetwo would be GREAT!!!! no pressure though, I'll take anything. Thanx!!!!! I feel like I ask too much of you ppl, I ask you questions and plot suggestions and then names!!!! I suck.

And uh... do you ppl want lemons???? let me know.