Chapter 6 is here now. Hope you all enjoy it. I would once again like to thank those who have reviewed. Sniff I love you guy's

Disclaimer: see chapter 1

The man that the group had spoken to earlier was helping to clean up the wreckage in the village when he saw them come back out of the forest. He ran up to them to ask how it had gone but stopped dead with his mouth hanging open when he saw Inu-Yasha was carrying Kagome. "What happened?" he asked looking genuinely shocked.

He took a step back when Inu-Yasha snarled at him though.

Miroku put a hand on the hanyou's shoulder to try and calm him. "Settle down Inu-Yasha" he said, "Snarling at people wont help". To the man he said, "is there a place we can stay until our friend is feeling better?"

The man hesitated before saying "Obviously there isn't much left but you can stay at my house".

"We thank you good sir," said Miroku bowing politely. The man led them to his house. It was one of the larger ones though in such a small village that wasn't saying very much. It would do though.

As soon as they entered Inu-Yasha settled down in a nearby corner and started staring out the window. He didn't try to put Kagome down because, quite simply, the girl was clinging to him as if her life depended on it. Inu-Yasha was dimly aware of the others speaking with the man and his family but he didn't care. He was lost in thought for the moment. Kagome's smell had changed for a minute back there, he was sure of it. That in and of it-self shouldn't have been as disturbing as it was. What she had smelled like though. Inu-Yasha shook his head to try and clear it and looked down at Kagome. She had finally fallen asleep but small sobs still wracked her body.

888

Kagome's dream

Kagome was wandering down a long stretch of road. Fields and hills stretched endlessly to the horizon creating a twisted sense of calm serenity. Twisted because the sky was jet black and starless with a blood red moon. Also the grass, if you could call it that, was jagged, sharp, and metallic in color. The red light of the moon glinted off the sharp grass making it look like a sea of bloody knives stabbing up at the sky.

Kagome paused and looked down the road. Someone was approaching from the other direction. She squinted trying to make out the figure. Who would be in such a place? She thought ignoring the irony in her statement. She, after all, was here as well.

The figure stopped a few yards away and beckoned for her to come closer. Not having anything else to do Kagome walked closer to it. When she was close enough Kagome noticed that it was a man shrouded in a cloak that looked to be made from living smoke. His face was totally obscured behind the shifting tendrils. The only thing that could be seen where a pair of green eyes that had a mischievous twinkle to them and one gnarled hand clutching a dull silver staff tipped with a bust of a lions head with emeralds for eyes.

"Who are you?" asked Kagome nervously. The guy was seriously creeping her out.

The man chuckled. It was a sound that, despite his outward appearance, was quite friendly and Kagome relaxed a bit upon hearing it. "Come" he said in a high melodic voice as he beckoned to her and started walking in the direction he had come from. "Tell me" he said after they had walked for a while in silence, "What do you know about what happened?"

It took Kagome a second to realize he was speaking about the day they had found that shard. "A friend of mine said I absorbed to much energy" replied Kagome.

The man laughed again. "Is that all?" he asked his eyes sparkling.

Kagome shook her head and said, "no. She said my case was different. That though that was what it seemed like she could not sense anything wrong with the spiritual bonds in my body".

"And why do you think that is?" asked the man.

"I honestly don't know," she admitted.

"Think," said the man, "do not all people from the day they are born have something missing from them? Something that, well most people live their lives not discovering it, if unlocked it reveals your true self?"

"What are you saying?" asked Kagome.

"What I am saying is what if what happened was not a result of your body absorbing to much energy but rather the energy unlocking a piece of your true self?"

"But that energy was so evil" said Kagome, "How could it unlock something like that?"

The man chuckled again. In fact Kagome bet that if she could see his face a permanent grin would be plastered on it. "True the energy was corrupted. It is also true that even though it now resides in your body it probably still is. But the fact is energy is energy. Not all dark energy is evil and not all light energy is good. It is how it is used that determined whether it is good or evil". Kagome thought she saw a glint of sadness in the man's eyes as he said this. "Unfortunately the darkness and light are all to often drawn to Evil or good respectively. It is the way things are but that does not mean it is necessarily the right thing".

Kagome considered his words. They made sense when she thought about it. "But what does all this have to do with me?" she asked at length.

The mischievous twinkle returned to the man's eyes. "Look at yourself" he said.

Kagome did just that and she jumped in surprise. She hadn't been paying attention to herself but now that she did she noticed she was wearing the black clothing her doppelganger had been wearing. "What is this?" she practically shrieked. This wasn't her, it couldn't be, this clothing belonged to her evil double. Man that's cliché she thought as she tugged at the clothing.

"Calm yourself," said the man putting his other, equally gnarled, hand on her shoulder in an attempt to settle the girl down.

"But what is this?" asked Kagome when she finally stopped tugging at the clothing.

"Exactly what you see," said the man removing his hand from Kagome's shoulder. "As I said before energy, no matter what kind, is not inherently evil. It is only made to be that way by circumstance. The same goes for objects like those cloths".

"I still don't like them much" muttered Kagome.

"Ah yes your dreams" he said, "Quite disturbing if I may say so myself".

"Wait" began Kagome, "wait, how do you…"

The man cut her off with a wave of his staff. "This is a dream is it not?" he asked. "Your dream in fact. And now that you know that it is a dream you could end it whenever you wish. The question however is whether or not you would want to before getting more answers".

"So you're a dream?" asked Kagome.

The man's eyes twinkled with glee as he laughed. "Now when did I say that I was a dream?" he asked.

Kagome looked confused. "Just now" she said.

He laughed again before saying, "not so. And though this is your dream it is not a place made by you". They had finally stopped at the end of the road. From there it looked down on a vale of crystal. Light from the moon reflected through it causing twisting shapes to dance on the wall's and in the air.

Kagome gasped. "It's beautiful," she said. Staring at it in wonder.

The man gave a barely perceptible nod. "Everything you have seen here" he said, "Is a reflection of me. Most of it is twisted and dark but there is also light and beauty here as well. It is as such in all living beings capable of intelligent thought. It is different for every person though. Many facets, Good, evil, light, darkness, and other factors as well. They exist in all living things, in different beings. In shapes and colors that most befits that person. It is an ever changing representation of their very essence".

Kagome tore her eyes away from the crystal to look back at the twisted and evil land that they had walked through. "I see," she said.

The man chuckled. "Oh don't worry" he said, "This was me in life. It is the only example I am capable of showing. This was what my true self was in life. You to are on a journey to discover your true self".

"And what is my true self?" asked Kagome.

"Couldn't tell you," said the man. "Not even you have decided what your true self is yet, and that is precisely the point Kagome".

Kagome jumped again upon hearing her name from this man. "How do you know my name?" she asked.

"As I said before this is a dream. But that is not the point. The point is that in time you will have to discover your true self. Or rather discover the pieces and make your true self".

"But, what I did earlier" Said Kagome looking sad, "it was terrible".

"Indeed it was. And it was a piece you have now added to yourself. But killing that thing, or even how you killed it, wasn't what scared you was it?"

Kagome was about to disagree but then she realized he was right. That wasn't it at all. She was afraid because she had enjoyed it. Enjoyed its screams of agony. The feel of it's flesh yielding to her. The feel of its blood as it flowed over her hands.

"I see you understand" said the man, "but know this. That was but a small piece of yourself you added. In the end it will not determine who you really are. Take comfort in that if such a thing truly disturbs you".

Kagome nodded. "Is there anything else?" she asked.

The man shook his head. "No that is all for now. Besides it is about time you woke up".

With that the world and the man began to swirl and disappeared.

888

The real world

Kagome woke up to find the rising sun shining through the window of the house the group has went to the previous night. She looked over to see that Inu-Yasha was still holding onto her protectively. She blushed a bit before shaking him awake.

"Huh" he muttered blinking the sleep from his eyes, "whuzzat?"

Kagome chuckled at Inu-Yasha's perplexed expression. "Good morning Inu-Yasha" she said.

Inu-Yasha looked down to see Kagome looking up at him. "Oh hi Kagome" he said.

"You can uh… let go of me now Inu-Yasha" she said her blush returning in full force.

"Oh" said Inu-Yasha immediately releasing her and blushing himself.

Kagome stood and straightened her cloths happy to see that it was her school uniform. "Thank you Inu-Yasha" she said.

Inu-Yasha raised an eyebrow. "What for Kagome?" he asked.

"Just for being there," she said.

"Oh" muttered Inu-Yasha, "your welcome". Then he looked up again. "Kagome?" he asked.

"Yes Inu-Yasha?" she said tilting her head a bit.

He had been about to tell Kagome how she had smelled different the night before but he found he couldn't. For some reason she was feeling better and he didn't want to spoil her mood again. "Never mind" he said.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

He nodded vigorously and said, "yes. It can wait a little while. Can't have been important anyway".

Kagome looked confused now. "Why is that?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha grinned sheepishly. "Because I can't remember what I was going to say," he said lamely.

Kagome laughed at him and Inu-Yasha felt a pang of guilt for lying to her.

888

"Are you sure you're alright Kagome?" asked Sango as the friends waved goodbye to the man who had allowed them to stay with him and headed off down the road.

Kagome smiled. "I'm fine Sango," she said, "Just need some time to think is all".

"You're sure you don't want to return to Kaede's village?" asked Sango still looking a bit concerned.

Kagome nodded. "I'm sure," she said.

"Hey you two hurry up," shouted Inu-Yasha from up ahead.

Same old Inu-Yasha thought Kagome chuckling to herself. "Coming" she shouted as her and Sango ran to catch up.

Author's notes

Well if that was chapter 6 you just read it. Unless you're like me and sometimes read the Author's notes first J . Anywho chapter seven should be up soon…you know if it gets up tomorrow I will have updated this fanfic every day for a week. Pretty cool eh? Ciao!