A/N: All right, the reviews thing is not working. I need feedback people! You're reviews are what fuels me to finish these things! I love hearing your comments! Please let me know what you think....I hope you like it!

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Manipulation

Chapter Nine

"Good job, Kagome. The jewel is complete, and purified. Your quest is finally complete..." Kaede smiled.

Kagome nodded. "Thank you, Kaede. What should I do with the jewel now?"

Kaede sighed. "That is up to you..." she glanced worriedly at Inuyasha. "Just remember, you are the jewel's new protector. Your decision is the final word...."

Again, Kagome nodded. "I know," she smiled. "But I was really hoping you would help me out with the decision...."

"I can not make your decision for you," she shook her head.

Kagome sighed deeply and walked from the hut. Inuyasha blinked and watched her walk into the forest. When she disappeared behind the trees, he decided to follow her. After all, Naraku was gone, but there was sure to be many other demons who knew about the jewel, and Kagome was in more danger of attack now that the jewel was complete.

"Kagome!" he called. "Where are you? You shouldn't go off on your own like that! It's still dangerous!" He sniffed the air. He caught her scent. She had been where he was now, but she wasn't there anymore. Following his nose, Inuyasha soon found himself standing at the sacred tree. I should have known that she was going to come here....but why? What is she doing? "Kagome?" he whispered. "What's wrong?" He could smell salt. Kagome had been crying.

"Nothing's wrong, Inuyasha..." Kagome frowned.

"Then why have you been crying?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome turned. "Inuyasha...."

"What?" He hadn't meant to sound annoyed, but he had. He frowned as she cringed at his tone of voice. "Sorry..." he smiled. "I didn't mean it to sound like that...."

"I know..." She paused. "Inuyasha...do you really still want to use the jewel to become a full demon?" Her voice was just loud enough so that he could hear it.

He took a step backwards in surprise. He hadn't thought about it in a long time. Was that what was making Kagome cry? He hated it when she cried....especially when it was his fault. He sighed. "I...I'm really not sure anymore, Kagome...." he admitted honestly.

She looked up at him, wiping her eyes and smiling. She took a deep breath. "Inuyasha...I like you the way you are...as a hanyou."

"Really?"

She noddded. "You want to hear the truth, Inuyasha? The truth is, as a full demon...you scare me. I mean, you really scare me..." she frowned, and her lip began to quiver.

"Kagome, you know I'd never hurt you, right?" he whispered.

Kagome sighed. "No, Inuyasha...I don't know...because you aren't yourself. You change when you're like that. And it scares me...."

Inuyasha nodded. "I'm sorry, Kagome..." he smiled, wrapping her in a hug. "Well, what do you want to do? We'll do whatever you want to do with the jewel, okay? Let's forget about the demon thing. I didn't realize...." he sighed.

Kagome gasped. "Inuyasha...are you serious? But I thought you wanted..."

"I don't want it if it means that you're going to be scared of me..." he whispered.

"Miroku...what are they doing?" Shippo asked.

Miroku studied the scene. Hm...Kagome has the jewel...Kagome is crying...and, Inuyasha is there....

"Miroku?" Shippo repeated.

"Shippo, we should probably run away...."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because once Inuyasha is a full demon, he'll probably want to eat us for breakfast...." Miroku yelped. Inuyasha and Kagome had turned, and were heading back in their direction. "Hmm...what are they doing?"

"What are you doing, leecher?" demanded Inuyasha.

Miroku jumped. "Inuyasha....err...I was just...getting Shippo. He followed you into the forest...." Miroku lied, and Inuyasha smacked him upside his head.

"I did no such thing!" whined Shippo. "Why are you crying, Kagome?" he asked.

Kagome smiled. "Don't worry about it, Shippo. I'm just really happy."

Miroku frowned, cocking his head to the side. He stared at Kagome and Inuyasha a moment before he spoke. "Err....Inuyasha, are you going to use the jewel to...you know...."

Inuyasha shook his head. "No. We're going to do whatever Kagome says she wants to do with the jewel." he answered.

Miroku let out a deep sigh of relief. "Good." he smiled. "Then I will support you in whatever you decide to do," he nodded to Kagome. "What do you say we head back to the village? Kaede will be worried, and besides..." Miroku glanced suspiciously at the woods surrounding them. He shook his head. "Something is not right in the forest...."

"Don't start that trash, Miroku. I don't want you scaring Kago...me...." Inuyasha began to sniff the air, and soon had on his face a look identical to the one on Miroku's face. He frowned deeply. "There's no way....it can't be..."

"What is it, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked worriedly.

Inuyasha grabbed her around her waist with one hand, and grabbed Shippo by his tail with the other. He began to run towards the village. Miroku followed suit. They reached the village in record time, only to find that Kaede and Sango were already waiting for them. Inuyasha blinked. Since they had left the forest, the smell that had invaded his senses had actually grown stronger.

"Inuyasha, put me down! What is it? Tell me what's going on already!" Kagome demanded.

Sango's eyes looked glassy, as if she was about to cry. Kagome knew this was rare. There had been very few times she could remember when Sango had been upset enough to cry. Kagome frowned and studied her friend's face. Sango took a deep breath in a futile effort to hide her anguish, and nodded to Inuyasha. "You can smell it, can't you?" she whispered to him.

He nodded. "Yes, but what I don't understand is...how? We killed him. You were there, were you not?" he smirked.

"We didn't kill him, Inuyasha...." Sango let a single tear roll down her cheek. "Kohaku is dead. The Kohaku we brought into Kaede's village was not my brother. Naraku used his body...he was disguised....." Sango gasped.

"But...my wind tunnel....it's still gone...I don't understand...."

Kagome gasped. She didn't need to ask 'who' they hadn't killed. She clutched the jewel around her neck tightly in her hand. "He gave us the last piece of the jewel..." she whispered. "Why would he do that?"

Sango nodded. "That should have told me everything. Naraku warned me...to take that shard from Kohaku's shoulder would surely mean his death. I should have known something was not right when he was able to pull it free..." She took a deep breath. "Kaede and I were sitting in her hut when I realized he had gone...and when I found him...he was out near the stream...and I saw the spider...."

"Did he hurt you?" Inuyasha demanded.

"He laughed at me." she frowned. "But I couldn't do it...for some reason, I couldn't kill him...."

"He wanted us to complete the jewel..." Kagome realized. "This is all some big game to him. What is he planning?" She paused, glanced at Inuyasha, and then to Kaede. "I have to get rid of this thing. Is there any way to destroy it?"

Kaede shook her head. "The shikon jewel is both a gift and a curse. Unfortunately, the only way to be rid of it is to make use of it..."

Kagome nodded. "Or...we could not use it at all..."

"Huh?" Inuyasha turned.

"I know someplace we could keep the jewel where Naraku would never be able to lay his hands on it..." she whispered.

"Where?" he demanded.

"In my time. I need a jewel shard to get there, remember?" she frowned at him. "So, if no part of the jewel was in this time...no one would ever be able to get to it."

"Your time?" he repeated. "But I get through the well fine...and besides...wouldn't that mean that you would be stuck in your time?" Inuyasha's small ears drooped slightly.

Kagome shook her head. "No...because I'll be staying here...to help you guys beat Naraku. There has to be a way to do it. We just haven't found the right one yet."

"We can't ask you to do that," sighed Kaede. "Your family is in your time. We can not expect you to just leave them behind..."

Again, Kagome shook her head. "I won't be leaving them behind." she smiled, staring at the jewel. "If I'm right...." she poked at the jewel, and a small shard came loose from the whole. She picked it up. "Good..."

"What are you doing?" Inuyasha yelped, but Miroku placed a calming hand on his shoulder.

Kagome smiled. "Making sure the well will never be closed...for me, at least...." she explained, still staring at the small fragment in her hand.

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A/N: Fortunately for me, I have the last chapter of this particular story finished. There will be a sequel, which I will provide details about in the last chapter of this story. Unfortunately, I haven't been getting feedback, so I have decided to be evil and prolong the release of the last chapter a couple days....mostly in hopes of getting more feedback from some of my readers. Thanks to those of you who have been reviewing, and I will hopefully have the last chapter up either right before or after Christmas....