Disclaimer: All standard disclaimers apply. I do not own "Inuyasha."

Notes! What to say? Nothing, I guess. I just really wish you guys would review. It's killing me... I'm not getting as many reviews anymore! Arg! It's extremely depressing. As in "put a dampener on my writing motivation." Might be short, or it might not be short. You'll just have to see, this is because of your own non-reviewing actions. Grr on you. I'm just kidding, everyone! I'm happy with what I get. Anyways, no responses, but thank you for reviewing:

Jamie

Zora

Priestess kurumi inu's sister

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BLOODY LIES

Part XI

If You Tell

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. . . And Now You're Learning Most My Truths . . .

. . . There's Some I'd Rather Not You Know . . .

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"Why the hell would Inuyasha help you do that!" Kagome halfway shrieked at Kikyo, standing before their battered group, "You tried to kill him, too many times to count! Why help you?"

The opposing miko pulled on a thoughtful face, and closed her eyes for a brief second, "I don't know if I should tell you that or not. Inuyasha's been a very good source for hanyou blood. Should I give away his like little secret you don't yet know?"

"Friends shouldn't keep secrets from each other in the first place." Sango said, glaring strongly at the priestess.

"You consider Inuyasha your friend? Well, that's interesting. I suppose he thinks you people his friends too. I mean, why else would be he literally kill himself because of you? Almost like you're killing him . . ."

"We're not killing Inuyasha!" Miroku said, "Why would we want to even hurt him?"

"But you would have been forced to kill him anyways . . . unless you felt like this whole village deserved to be dead."

"We'd never hurt Inuyasha!" Kagome said defiantly. "All you're saying is a bunch of lies!"

"Oh, they are, are they? We'll see about that."

"Why would we even want to kill Inuyasha in the first place?" Miroku demanded.

"Considering after what happened to Kaede . . . I can't see why you wouldn't want to kill him!"

"What . . . ? Your sister died of natural causes!"

"That is true, she was dying from natural causes . . . but she isn't dead now because of that."

"What are trying to say?"

Kikyo flashed him a grim smile, and her face contorted into a look of mock sorrow and pain, "You mean he didn't tell you?"

"Who tell us what?" asked Kagome.

"Inuyasha, of course! He didn't tell you his . . . other secret?"

"What? Does it look like we pry into his private life?" Sango retorted.

"Well, I didn't know what to expect." Kikyo started off, "I thought he might have told you something as important as this! Your 'friend,' that low-life, pathetic, sniveling, weak, bastard was the one who really killed my sis-"

The un-dead miko never got the chance to complete her sentence as Kagome had strung her bow and launched an arrow at the woman who held the remainder of her soul.

"Shut up! I don't know what you were going to say, but I don't want to hear it either! It's a lie!"

The arrow had missed Kikyo by at least a foot, striking and lodging itself deep into the huts wooden walls.

"No, it is not a lie." Kikyo looked at Kagome with a grim gaze, "I might not have shown it that much, but I did love Kaede. I wouldn't lie about someone killing her."

"You're capable of love?" Kagome spat out, "Then why are you killing the love of your life?"

At this Kikyo shook her head sadly and cracked a smile, "True. I did love him, at one point in time . . . but as time has passed he's become responsible for many things gone wrong in my history on this earth."

"That was not Inuyasha's fault!" Sango said, setting her large weapon into it's 'ready' position. "It was all Naraku's!"

"There are so many things you don't understand." Kikyo said, "And I don't feel like explaining. You think you know all the answers to life? Well, you don't! I'm here because I need the last bit of Inuyasha's demonic blood! I need it tonight. Do you honestly think you're going to stop me from getting what I want the most right now in my 'life?'"

"You're not touching him!" Kagome declared, guarding Inuyasha's unconscious body. Shippo, who by now was wide awake, was cowering in a shadowed corner of the hut.

"Kirara!" Sango called, "Take Shippo somewhere safe, and stay with him."

The neko youkai complied with the request, but not before giving a disappointed roar (she wanted to stick around and help,) and launched out of the window with Shippo's tail in her jaws.

"Kagome! I don't wanna go! OW!" The kit wailed as Kirara's strong mouth gripped his tail, pulling on it as he hung upside down. His little face was slowly growing pink from the blood rushing down, "I wanna help Inuyasha too!"

"No, Shippo, you have to go. It's too dangerous." Kagome looked at Shippo with a slightly apologetic look.

"But Kagomeeeeeee!" The kitsune called as he was flown off into the night, Kirara leaving a flaming trail of red and orange flames behind her on her path.

"That was a good idea," Kikyo admitted, "Battle isn't really the best place for a child to be. But sending away your fire cat? That might not have been the best choice to make."

"We can make it without Kirara, though she is a big help to us." Sango said, eyeing the miko with evident distaste, "Though we could do without you."

"I'd like to see you try." Kikyo laughed lightly at the bedraggled group. As if out of nowhere her 'soul suckers' appeared behind her outside the hut. They glowed a luminescent shade of white and light grey, floating around like some kind of spirits or floating snakes. The un-dead miko gestured to her beasts, "Lets follow them outside, yes? Let's make a deal, of sorts."

"Fine." Miroku agreed for the group, all of them exiting the hut, except Inuyasha, who was still unconscious.

Small clouds of dust wafted up from their feet as they stepped onto the dry ground. The rain had neglected their part of Japan for weeks, leaving the ground hard and dry. Night was beginning to settle over the area, the suns warmth fading oh-so slowly. Brilliant shades of reds and oranges loomed over towards where the sun was setting, spreading into darkness that hung over their heads.

Miroku observed the brightly colored sky with a grim glance. He stated in a dull but soft tone, "Someone's going to die tonight."

Kagome and Sango gave each other a sideways glance, then looked over towards where Kikyo was observing their movements with a pondering stare. Tilting her head slightly, she looked over each member of the group. Kagome shifted as the miko's unnerving eyes moved toward her direction and looked her over carefully.

"You really are a pathetic group." She finally said with a lame note. "I don't expect anything better though."

"We don't care what you think of us," Sango said, "we just want to get started on that deal."

"Oh yes, the deal." Kikyo paused, "Well, I think it's really quite simple. Like the monk said, someone is going to die tonight . . . preferably one of you . . . and that's about it. We'll fight, obviously over Inuyasha. If I win, I get to keep him, and take the rest of his demonic blood."

"And if we win," said Kagome, "when you die, we get Inuyasha and it's all over. You don't come back to life."

Kikyo snorted, "I don't really think you can help what happens to me after I 'die,' can you?"

"We can try." Sango said bending her body into a fighting stance, "So get ready!"

"Fine." Kikyo quickly strung her bow and notched an arrow in it, pulling it back and aiming it straight at Sango. A silvery blue light covered both Kikyo and her weapons as she unexpectedly launched the arrow towards the taijiya.

Kagome watched as the arrow made it's way towards her best friend, who wasn't moving, and pushed her out of the way.

"Kagome!"

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. . . But the inevitable can't be stopped . . .

. . . And I'm down . . .

. . . Watching you fight over me . . .

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Authors Notes: Whoa, I'm really sorry about this being to late. Not to mention so short. It wasn't supposed to be so short, or late, but it just happened. Besides, my birthday was a few days ago, so that got me sort of side-tracked. Forgive me? Ah, well anyways just move and please review, as always!

Eveligne