Hey guys! Here's another chappie! I think this is one of my best ideas for a story, and I promise, it will pick up the pace! I guarantee those of you who are reading this story will not be disappointed! Enjoy!

Dedicated to my first reviewer, kayzer, and my wonderful beta, Suaru, for being so patient with me...; Love ya girl!


4 - The Mission That Changes Everything

The sky was black, and the sun was blood red. Demons rampaged through the camp, knocking down tents and humans alike, crimson blood spilling over the deep emerald grass. He looked around, bodies littering the ground around his feet.

Then he saw a flash of silver fall from the sky. Sesshomaru. "Little brother!" he called, Kagura landing gracefully by his side. "Help us finish the humans!"

Inuyasha just stood still, seeing people that he had just seen the day before dead on the ground. His amber eyes were wide with shock as he slowly looked at the human's faces. He cringed when he reached two faces in particular the monk and the demon slayers. They had died fighting, he could tell that much.

Then a small high pitched scream caught his silvery canine ear's attention, causing them to swivel around. He turned to see none other than their leader, Naraku, holding a young woman by the neck and dangling her in the air several feet off the ground. Her raven black hair glowed red against the strange sunlight, her face hidden from his view. He didn't need to see her face though; he knew who she was.

"Kagome..." he muttered, finding that his limbs were practically frozen in place.

"Die you miserable miko!" Naraku exclaimed, his voice full of triumph.

Inuyasha wanted to do something, but found that he couldn't. Suddenly Naraku plunged his hand through her stomach, his lanky fingers emerging from her back, dripping her shining blood as he smirked at the pained look on her face. He could see her face now. Her brown eyes were wide, tears streaming down her pallid checks. Inuyasha was in shock. Naraku withdrew his hand, flinging her to the ground.

Inuyasha walked slowly over to her, looking down at her dying body. "Inuyasha..." she called to him, her voce small and distant. He wanted to reach out and touch her, wipe the tears from her face. But something held him back. Something deep inside told him not to touch her. "Inuyasha..." Her voice was slightly louder, ringing through his sensitive ears. Suddenly he felt pressure on his shoulders. "Inuyasha!"

He blinked. Suddenly he wasn't outside; he was in a tent, the sun barely up in the distance. A sweet, familiar scent engrossed his senses, causing his heart rate to quicken slightly. As his vision came in clearer, he saw a face inches away from his own, two large brown eyes starring back at him. "Inuyasha! Wake up! We've gotta go!" Kagome said softly, noticing how his ears twitched every time she spoke.

"Feh! Back off, wench!"

She sighed and stood, smoothing out her large red pants in the process. "Whatever. Come on, you lazy hanyou!" she said in an airy tone as she exited the tent, leaving Inuyasha to get up properly.

He watched her delicate shadow through the tent as she walked a couple feet away and stopped. Her head turned to the tent, obviously waiting for him to follow. 'A dream...' he told himself. 'It had all been a dream...'


The two walked silently through the forest, the air thick with tension. Inuyasha walked a couple feet behind her, never letting her leave his sight. Even though he didn't want to admit it, his dream had spooked him.

'It had seemed so real... Everyone was dead... and Kagome...'

"We're here Inuyasha," Kagome told them as they came to a stop in a large field. He looked around, spying the monk and the demon slayer from the day before. And another woman, dressed in miko grab. 'Kikyou...'

"Well, I know you already know Kikyou," she said, her voice stiff with hurt and irritation. Inuyasha swiftly looked to Kagome, finding her warm eyes narrow slits as she looked on at the three warriors preparing for training.

'Why do I get this feeling when I am around Kikyou and Inuyasha? Like there's some secret between them that I won't ever understand? Not that I want to... But... Why do I get this way? Is it... jealousy? That even though I saved him and was kind to him, and she is cruel and says horrid things about him, that he somehow seems to care for her?' Kagome's thoughts were swirling in her head, colliding with one another harshly. Suddenly she came back to reality with a hand on her shoulder shaking her slightly.

"Kagome?" he said, attempting to jar her from her thoughts.

"Hmm?" she mumble, shaking her head. A slight blush crossed her face and she turned her gaze away from him, muttering a quick apology. "Anyway, you know Kikyou. The monk's name is Miroku. He's a nice enough guy, but sometimes his hands have minds of their own, or so he claims... And the demon slayer is Sango. She's the leader of the slayers, and she's pretty tough. Though she does have a soft side. The recent loss of her family has hit her hard."

"Casualties of the fight?" he asked.

"Yes. Her father and little brother were slaughtered."

He looked to her, his eyes widening. "Little brother?"

"Yeah, Kohaku. Sweet kid, only thirteen. It's a shame he died so young."

Inuyasha looked at his claws, the painful fact that he killed Sango's little brother bringing the sharp pang of guilt to his heart.

"Come on, they're waiting!" she said as she grabbed his hand and dragged him to the middle of the field. As he approached, Kikyou gave him a look that told him everything he needed to know.

It's over. You're not worthy to be here. Don't get in the way.

He stayed clear of her the whole time. Instead of getting in the way, he immediately hopped into a tree, setting himself on a branch comfortably. He scanned the surrounding area, finding that they had walked nearly two miles away from the camp. 'So, is this what they do everyday?'

He watched them train for the entire morning. Sango and Miroku would practice with hand on hand battles, much to the delight of the monk. The demon slayer had a slight advantage of strength, but the monk was quicker. This made for an interesting fight. When she would swing her giant boomerang, he would barely manage to dodge. But Inuyasha wasn't paying much attention to them. Instead his eyes were focused on the two mikos that were stringing their bows and inspecting their arrows silently. Both apparently were satisfied with the quality of their equipment as they stood, preparing to take their places.

Kagome stood infront of the first target and Kikyou took her place in front of the second. They simultaneously raised their bows, both perfectly in line with the other. Suddenly their bows were down and neither of them were holding an arrow.

Inuyasha blinked and shook his head. 'Did I miss something?' He glanced over to the two large targets. His eyes widened as he spied two arrows, both placed stunningly in the very center of the two bull's eyes. 'They have good aim,' he thought, knowing immediately it was an understatement. Without even batting an eye, the two mikos walked over to the targets and plucked their arrows out, taking their places a slight bit further from the targets and firing again.

Much of the day continued like this, and he was bored stiff by the time Kagome called to him for lunch. Hopping out of this tree, he placed a scowl on his face as he approached the young miko. "Damn, wench. You guys are really boring me, ya know?" he told her smugly with a yawn.

She just turned with a blank expression and beckoned him to follow. Confused, he decided to keep his mouth shut and follow the small woman away from her training group and into a small clearing, where she sat down a small cloth bundle that contained some bread and a flask of water.

Inuyasha's eyes were glued on Kagome, finding her behavior strange. Her posture was unnaturally stiff and her eyes were warily looking around them, as if trying to sense if anyone was watching them. He sniffed the air as the wind stilled, finding that no one was within a good sixty yards of them. Inuyasha approached her, attempting to tell her they were alone when she did something rather unexpected.

Kagome was extremely tense. It made her nervous to even be in the same area as Kikyou anymore, much less train with her. Kikyou always gave off an aura of discomfort, no matter how much Kagome wished she could like her fellow miko. They were partners afer all, and there was no reason to feel this way. The arrival of Inuyasha only intensified this uneasiness in Kagome's heart. While they were training, the feeling was getting overwhelming and she had to get away. Her heart beat fast; it felt like her lungs were condensing, making her breaths harsh and strangled. When Inuyasha turned to her, her knees gave out, sending her tumbling into him.

'What do I do now?' he thought as he looked down at Kagome, clinging to his haori as tears rolled down her cheeks. 'I've never had to deal with this sort of thing before!' Awkwardly, he put a hand on her back and patted her head with the other, not really sure how to handle the girl's sudden breakdown. They stood there for a moment, Kagome's small sobs filling the surrounding air. 'Damn it, I hate this! Why does she have to cry? And what the hell is wrong anyway!' Suddenly he noticed her breathing patterns were off. At first he attributed this to the crying, dismissing any other thought of it. But it only got worse and he started to feel a little sympathy tugging at his heart for the obviously distressed girl. He sat down, gently dragging her with him. Inuyasha's face was covered with a bright red blush as she sat down directly in front of him, her head down so her bangs covered her eyes. The tears were being stifled, forced back to their resting place as she shook, attempting to regain control of her emotions. Inuyasha could finally understand this feeling and knew there was only one way to make it go away. "Kagome?" he said quietly, carefully cupping her chin in one hand.

Her eyes were bloodshot, yet still beautiful. She looked stunned at his sudden forwardness, yet kept her eyes locked with his. "Inuyasha... I'm sorry," she sighed, leaning sightly into his hand as her head angled downward. "I shouldn't be acting this way... It's not proper... Besides, this is so foolish... I'm being so..." her voice whispered out the last part, unable to finish as her breath became shorter and the tears were fighting to return.

"Look," he told her in a firm, strong voice, "I don't know what's wrong, and you don't have to tell me, but..." he wavered, trying to think of the best way to say what he was thinking. "But maybe... maybe you should just let it out."

Her eyes questioned him, looking curious, yet painfully sad. The only sounds to be heard in the meadow were the twittering of bird far into the distance and Kagome's ragged breaths, harsh with pain as her chest heaved slightly.

Inuyasha just looked into her eyes, allowing her to concentrate on him. "Inuyasha..." she whispered before she placed her hands in her face, her shoulders quaking slightly at the force of her silent sobs as the tears rolled down her cheeks, landing on her hands like raindrops.

Suddenly she felt a strange sensation on the back of her head. It was gentle yet strong, as small, sharp claws ran though her raven locks, carefully avoiding direct contact. Instead, the points brush lightly along her skin, causing goose bumps to appear all over her body. She moved closer to him slowly, giving into the warmth his touch spread through her body.

They sat there for what seemed like hours, Inuyasha gently stroking her hair with his claws. Even after her sobs died and her tears ceased from falling, she clung to him, trying to hold on to the feeling she had at that moment. Kagome didn't think too much into it, concentrating on the hand that lightly brushed the skin of her head, smoothing out her soft ebony hair in the process.

Finally she sat up and looked Inuyasha in the eyes. "I'm so sorry... this is so improper... I shouldn't impose myself on you like that..." she mumbled as she sat up straight, wiping the liquid salt from her eyes furiously.

"Um... no, it's okay, really," he told her, keeping his gaze locked with hers.

"You deserve an explanation."

"No, that's okay. You don't have to tell me just because you cried on me," Inuyasha told her quickly. 'Damn it! I wanna know... but I can't get attached! I'm only here to protect her! That's it!'

"But" Just them Kagome was cut off by a voice calling her name in the distance.

"Kagome!" Sango's voice reached their ears, their gaze breaking from one another to look in the direction the sound came from. "Midoriko needs us all right now! Come on!"

Kagome stood, dusting off her miko clothing as Inuyasha stood next to her. "Well, I guess this will have to wait," she said with a smile. "Come on, we better get walking back to camp."

Inuyasha watched her walk for a moment, then an idea came to him. "Come here!" he said.

"Wha-" Inuyasha scooped her up in his arms and hopped into the air in less than a second.

Kagome's senses were reeling, her hair thrown in her face. The feeling of flight was scarring her, so she wrapped her thin arms around Inuyasha's neck, holding on for dear life.

Inuyasha couldn't help but brush when she came closer to him, practically hugging him. 'Feh, does she think I'll let her fall?'

Suddenly they were back at the center of camp, receiving strange looks from the surrounding soldiers. As he sat her down, Kagome took a deep breath and flash Inuyasha a quick smile before grabbing the large sleeve of his haori and swiftly walking toward a large tent near the front of the camp.

Kagome pushed the flap back to find that everyone else was already there. "Hey," she said softly, still slightly breathless from her sudden flight. Then she saw Midoriko and automatically gave a small salute before approaching. Inuyasha remained by the entrance of the tent, staring at a very interesting patch of dirt. "What are you doing?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Um... standing?"

She sighed and grabbed his sleeve again, dragging him over to stand next to her at the large table. He blushed and gave a quick bow out of respect to the woman across the table that radiated power.

Midoriko smiled and gave him a slight nod, causing him to slightly relax. He looked around to find the group gathered were all familiar faces. Miroku and Sango were to his right, Kagome to his left. Across the table was Midoriko, standing tall with her long black hair contained in a ribbon. Next to her was Kikyou, looking directly at him, an unreadable emotion in her eyes. Inuyasha turned his eyes away. He couldn't bear to look at her anymore.

"We just got a tip about the Shikon no Tama," Midoriko said with a bit of eagerness in her voice.

Kagome, Miroku and Sango looked delighted, but Inuyasha looked confused. "Shikon no Tama? You're all after that?" he asked.

"Yes. We're hoping that by possessing the Shikon that the demons will stop their attack." Kikyou gave Midoriko a hard look. "What? Are you still stuck on the whole 'there's-a-demon-in-the-camp' thing?"

Kikyou glowered back. "Why do you tell him these things? I mean no disrespect, Lady Midoriko, but how do we know he won't just discover our plans and take them back to the demon camp?" Kikyou's eyes were narrow, hatred clearly emanating from the deep brown orbs.

Before Midoriko could respond, Kagome interjected. "We don't." Her response caused everyone in the room to look at her, including Inuyasha. His expression was clearly full of fear, not sure where Kagome was going with this. "It's call having faith in other's, Kikyou. I believe Inuaysha wouldn't do that."

Inuyasha's heart skipped a beat. 'She trusts me?'

"I also think that Inuyasha is trustworthy and deserves to know what goes on around here," Miroku said in a confident voice. "Wouldn't you say so Sango?"

Sango gave Inuyasha a hard look, her eyes piercing. He was afraid for a moment before she suddenly smiled. "Yes, I agree with you... for once."

"Hehe..." Miroku laughed nervously.

"Well, if our resident demon expert approves Inuyasha, then so do I," Midoriko said, looking at Kikyou. "I expect you to lighten up."

Kikyou glared at Midoriko with an unmistakable hatred, knowing that the decision was now final. "Fine," she huffed. "But I shall have no part of this. Excuse me." With that she practically ran out of the tent, throwing the flap back in her wake.

Midoriko let out a long sigh, showing her obvious frustration. "Anyway," she continued, "We now know the location of the Shikon Jewel."

"I hate to interrupt," Inuyasha said, "but how do you think the Shikon Jewel will help you win the war?"

"Good question," Midoriko said. "We don't like to fight and kill, so instead of defeating the entire army, we'll go after the leader. Our hope is that once the leader falls, the army will disperse."

"My professional opinion is that once the demons have no leader, they will feel no need to continue their assault," Sango told him. "Am I right with this assumption, Inuyasha?"

"Yeah," he replied, looking at the rough wooden table infront of him. "The only reason that most are fighting in the first place is that they fear for their lives. Or they truly to hate humans. But the first greatly out numbers the second."

They all nodded, then returned their attention to their leader. "I want all of you to go retrieve the jewel for us."

"But don't you need me here to guard the camp?" Kagome asked.

"Well, it seems Kikyou wants that position..." Midoriko said with a smile. Kagome returned it, and she continued. "You will all venture to the Central Lands, where the Shikon is being contained in a cave. I believe that all your skills will be needed to get it. You'll leave first thing in the morning."

"Yes, ma'am," everyone but Inuyasha said, saluting the tall woman.

"Ummm..." he mumbled, unsure of what he was to do.

"Of coarse, you'll accompany them, won't you, Inuyasha?"

"Yes," he said with a small bow.

"Good. You're dismissed," Midoriko told them as she turned away, facing the back of the tent.

When they got out, Kagome and Sango squealed excitedly, hopping up and down with their hands clasped together. "What are you all so excited about?" Inuyasha asked from his spot near Miroku, eyeing the jumping women with a strange expression.

Kagome came over to him and looked up into his eyes, taking his hand and jumping up and down. "We can leave the camp, Inuyasha!"

"So? Can't you do that anyway?"

"Because the three of us hold such high positions," Miroku said, "we hardly get to go anywhere. But now..."

"Now we can go on a journey!" Sango exclaimed with a voice unusual for the proud demon slayer.

"An adventure!" Kagome added. "We'll have fun! Come on, Inuyasha. You can't tell me you don't miss the deep forests? The wide open spaces?"

"Yeah... I guess..." he said as he thought about the possibilities.

"And if you even think about running off I will s-i-t you until; all you'll every be able to taste again is dirt," Kagome told him, her voice strong and final.

Inuyasha just starred at her for a moment, before muttering under his breath, "Whatever, wench."

"I'll choose to ignore that," she said with a smile, causing his cheeks to become a light shade of pink. "Well, we all should get some sleep," Kagome told them as a yawn racked through her body.

"Kagome's right," Sango said as she swatted away Miroku's hand before it could touch her rear end. Miroku looked astonished at her awareness of his actions, his eyes wide as he rubbed his hand. "Miroku, we've been partners since we were young. I have a sixth sense about where that hand is going to make it's appearance..." she said with a sigh.

"Hehe..." Miroku just laughed. 'Well, that really sucks...' he couldn't help but think. 'I'll have to get sneakier about my groping... Hehe...'


Inuaysha was settled in the corner of Kagome's tent again, watching her as she closed the tent's flap. Setting herself on her futon, Kagome felt an excited chill run down her spine. 'I can't believe it...' she thought groggily. 'I can go on an adventure with my friends... away from Kikyou...' Her chocolate brown eyes closed as a happy smile spread across her face, barely evident in the faint moonlight that filtered through the canvas material of the tent. But she could hide nothing from the amber eyes of the ever-inquisitive hanyou in the corner.

'Wonder what the big deal is about leaving the camp? I mean, they could just quit the army and go live in a village, couldn't they? Or maybe there's more than I understand... Whatever.' He looked to Kagome, who's eyes were now visible and openly starring at him.

"What are you thinking about, Inuyasha?" she whispered.

"Feh! Nothing of you're concern, wench!"

At first she was sightly angry at his rudeness toward her, but then she dismissed it when she thought of how he comforted her earlier that day. With a sigh, she rolled over and closed her eyes. "Good night, Inuyasha. Sweet dreams," she mumbled as she fell into the safety of her dreamland, where she could get away from her worries and fears and just rest.

Inuyasha just watched her as her breath slowly regulated, then her back arched slightly at an even pace. 'After last night, like hell I'm sleeping!' But soon he found himself lost in Kagome's scent, calming him and making his eye lids heavy. 'Dammit! Why? Why in the hell can she do this to me?' Before he could ponder about it any further, his bright amber eyes closed, shutting out everything around him except for Kagome's soothing scent. 'Might as well rest, I guess... I'll deal with the nightmares... Just like I have every other day of my life...'


To my Friends and Reviewers -

kayzer - Hehe! Thanks! Yeah, kinda, but at least he didn't keep looking like Miroku would! And I couldn't go completely insane... most people say I already am! But, that's okay, right? Again, thanks!

Suaru - Of coarse she's never nice in my stories! There always needs to be that person that no one likes... and Kikyou is so convenient... Hehe! He'll deny it, but his emotions will catch up with him... eventually! Thanks, my wonderful beta, and I'll TTYL! Love and Hugs!

sweet-Inukag - Thanks! I will!

Chrono4747 - Thanks so much!

JadeElemental - ... You always take up over half the page on my reviews page! Geesh, but I love them! And yes, I think us Kikyou-haters will get along just fine without the Kikyou lovers! Hehe! Thanks! Well, I'm hoping I wont have to resort to throwing her into hell, but I'll just make it so she's just completely horrible and everyone hates her (which I'm really good at!) Why does Miroku always slap your butt when you're bad? I think you ask him to, you lil pervert! But hey, we all knew that... ; Anyway, Inu must argue with himself because its uber funny, and I guarantee he shall in the future! I'll TTYL and Tons of Love and Hugs!

inuyahsa fangirl - Thanks! I will!


Well, there's ch 4... This chappie was a kind of filler, yet necessary. Anyway, future chapters shall be much more entertaining, and more characters will be introduced! (no OC's, just characters that have yet to make an appearance) So, I hope you liked it, please REVIEW! Adios, my bien amigos and amigas!

Ash