AN: Revised Chapter Three is Up! This is actually pretty long going with my standards…Hope it's actually good. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. And if I recall correctly, I forgot to add a disclaimer to chapter two, but I don't own Inuyasha on that one either. Not that it wasn't obvious or anything…

Used to Love You

Chapter Three

Kagome stood there, staring up at the form of the youkai lord who stood proud and tall, Toukijin grasped in his hand. She felt like she was in a trance, as she watched him place Toukijin back where it belonged, right beside Tenseiga. It was hard to understand. When she had left him, she had figured they had gone their separate ways, glad she had decided to take off the weight of protecting her. After all, she had her friends beside her.

Her thoughts were quickly shattered when she heard Inuyasha's loud voice bellow from behind her.

"Sesshoumaru! Get away from her!" He yelled, though he didn't have time to say any more, for the ant youkai had made a move towards him. A growl of frustration emanated from deep within his throat as he held Tetsusaiga up to shield him from the mouth of the vicious youkai.

Seeing that Inuyasha was having trouble, Miroku turned to Kagome, deciding to ignore Sesshoumaru's abrupt appearance. "Where do you see the shards, Lady Kagome?" Kagome quickly shook her head, getting over the shock of Sesshoumaru's presence.

"I…I can't see them…Wait!" Kagome looked at the youkai that was twisting its head this way and then, desperate to bite at Inuyasha who looked like a red blur jumping all around it. It let out hiss when it felt the metal of Tetsusaiga contact with one of its legs. "I see them! It's a cluster right in its abdomen!" She shouted while pointing at the location.

All of a sudden, Kagome had an idea. If she could find a way to get right under the youkai's body, then she could purify it right at the spot of the shards with her purifying arrows. The matter at hand though, was how to get there. If she decided to just make a run for it, then she would surely be knocked aside by the creature, if not killed.

"What are you plotting, girl?" Sesshoumaru inquired, tired of waiting for the girl to take some sort of action. It was getting quite boring, watching Inuyasha being tossed around like a rag doll. And he had no intention of joining the fight against the creature. By doing so, he would be helping more than he ought to. Kagome looked up at him, a somewhat hopeful look in her eyes, which he was not approving of.

"I need to get under the youkai. Directly under its abdomen. The shards are located there and if I can…" Kagome was cut off when Sesshoumaru, for the second time, hoisted her up on to his shoulders, causing a squeak of surprise to come out of Kagome's mouth.

With a burst of speed, faster than when Kagome rode on Inuyasha's back, Sesshoumaru darted towards the youkai currently engaged in battle with Inuyasha. He easily dodged the youkai's legs that were moving this way and that as it tried to make a strike on its opponent. Once he had set Kagome down, she immediately strung her bow with an arrow, pointing it upwards, a look of utmost concentration on her face. Ever so carefully, she drew back the string, aiming the tip of the purified arrow at the shards glowing above her. Here goes nothing…

The arrow quickly rocketed off from Kagome's grasp and with a stream of blue light, pierced through the youkai's body, the shards popping out in their gleaming, soft, purple light. The youkai's body crumbled to nothing save for ashes on the wind. With a sigh of relief, Kagome bent down to pick up the glowing shards. Just as she had fused them with the rest of the shards they had gathered, Inuyasha walked up to them, a mad look on his face.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing here? First you kill her, and then you go around saving her! What the hell is your problem?!" Inuyasha shouted, sheathing Tetsusaiga a little forcefully. "You better go…Because you better remember what I said last time…I will kill you!"

Sesshoumaru only snorted, looking as if he were only half listening. Which might've been true, considering what the hanyou usually said ended up being an empty threat.

"You must not realize, dear little brother, that this miko's life is in my hands." He sneered, not bothering to mention the fact that his life, in a way, depended on Kagome's. However that was only because it all came down to his responsibility. He was to guard her life. And should he fail to do so, he would die as well.

Inuyasha looked dumbfounded for a moment, not believing what Sesshoumaru was saying. That was impossible. How could Kagome be bound to him of all people? Where confusion was, anger quickly took its place. The nerve of that guy, to come around acting as if he owned her!

Just as he was about to lunge at Sesshoumaru, Kagome stepped in between them, a pleading look on her face. She had seen Inuyasha's look of disbelief out of the corner of her eye as she fiddled with the hem of her dark green school uniform's skirt. She figured now was a good time to tell them. Although there were some things she didn't understand as well. She knew Sesshoumaru had to make sure she was alive…Though she didn't really understand what would happen, should he not. Besides, she was surrounded by her friends. She looked up from her fidgeting when she saw that Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and Kirara had shown up as well, looks of curiosity etched on their faces.

She sighed before looking Inuyasha in the eye.

"What he says is true. He has to protect me…When I died…" She paused, seeing everyone flinch, save for Sesshoumaru. "When I died, I went to the crossroads. There, I met Hakumei, guardian of the crossroads. She gave me a second chance at life…And well…I guess Sesshoumaru must have been encountered by her…" She trailed off, looking up at Sesshoumaru hesitantly. He didn't bother to acknowledge her, so she continued. "My life is his to protect. But that is all I know. Why he showed up…I don't know. You can only ask him."

She shyly stepped away from the position between the two half-brothers, not wanting to get caught in their anger.

Inuyasha cracked his knuckles, his brows furrowed together in anger and impatience. "Well? Don't you have anything to say?" He hissed, mad at his half-brother's stand-offish ways.

"If I do not protect your wench and she dies, I will perish as well." He simply stated, picking at his claws, rather than looking at Inuyasha. This was quite troublesome, he decided. Why he was being put through this, he didn't know. How this human girl was pure, he didn't know. And quite frankly, he didn't care to know. "I currently do not wish to waste my time talking to you, little brother," he sneered, before turning his attention towards Kagome. "You. Come here."

Kagome gulped and pointed a finger at herself, a look of dread on her face. Sesshoumaru merely hardened his gaze on her before she walked over to him slowly. "Walk faster, girl!" He commanded, a little irritated by her sluggish pace. However, Kagome didn't know why she was walking towards him. It's not like he could kill her anymore. In fact, she felt rather smug about it. Having a powerful youkai like him in an alliance with the group would prove to be useful once they were to battle face to face with Naraku.

"What do you want, Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked, not walking to him any further.

A small sigh escaped his lips out of frustration. Of all human girls in the world, it had to be her. His annoying, constantly screaming, indecently-dressed, half-brother's wench. Fate always loved toying around with him, and if he could kill Fate, he would. Without bothering to address the fact that she spoken so rudely to him, he replied.

"If you think that I'll be following around this pathetic group, then you are wrong. To walk with fools such as these is unforgivable." He merely smirked when he saw the girl before him flare up. Her eyes were like the ocean caught in a storm, visibly raging. And then, all of a sudden, she closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them, releasing a sigh as well.

She turned to Inuyasha, hands balled into fists at her side, a defeated look on her face. "Inuyasha, can you take me back to the well? I need to gather some things and talk with my family for a while…If Mister Almighty here has no objections…" She turned, looking at Sesshoumaru with a small smirk on her face. He simply turned his head to the side, sticking his noise in the air.

"Yeah…" Inuyasha began hesitantly. "But why? Kagome…You can't seriously be thinking of going with him!" He all of a sudden shouted, eyes wide with shock and hurt.

Kagome tossed him an incredulous look. "Why would I be going with him?! Am I crazy? I just need to pick up more things and talk to my family about the current…Situation. There is no way I am leaving you guys behind for this block of ice," she stated, pointing a finger over her shoulder in the direction of Sesshoumaru. He merely raised a brow.

"You do realize girl, that the more you test my patience, the more tempted I am to kill your friends. After all," he said, smirking once more, "I was never told I couldn't slay them."

Kagome merely gave him a smile, a look of utmost confusion on Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and Kirara's faces. "If you kill them, then I guess I'd just have to kill myself. And that would not do well with you, would it? You'd end up dying if I'm getting this right."

"Bitch."

--

"Mom! Grandpa! I'm home!" Kagome shouted as she opened the door the shrine and kicked off her shoes. She walked down the hallway and peered into the living room where her grandpa was currently reading some ancient scrolls, a look of fascination on his face. She rolled her eyes slightly before smiling and continuing down the hallway. She almost tumbled to the floor when Souta ran into her, an excited look on his face.

"Is Inuyasha here?!" He asked, eyes lighting up.

"No…Why would he be here, Souta? The only reason I leave the Sengoku era is to come here and relax. How would I do that with Inuyasha breathing down my neck?" She replied, somewhat curious as to why Souta would want to see Inuyasha. Then again, he probably admired the hanyou's powers and wanted to see him slice up a tree in one strike or something. Whatever it was that little boys enjoyed, she guessed.

"Oh, Kagome! You're home. How did things go with Inuyasha?" Her mom called, walking out of the kitchen as she tied on her apron.

"Fine I guess. We're not mad at each other anymore…But now there's a new problem I was hoping to speak to you guys about." She began, not really knowing how to put it. Her mom's curious brown eyes locked with Kagome's nerves blue ones, and immediately she knew something was wrong.

"If something happened…You can tell me," her mother whispered softly as she watched Kagome's muscles tense.

Kagome was about to open her mouth, though she didn't know how the words would come out, when she noticed her grandpa looking up from his scrolls discreetly. She inwardly rolled her eyes before continuing with her situation. And when she was done, her mother had a gentle smile on her face while Souta had a look of admiration greater than the one saved for Inuyasha.

"So…I don't know how long I'll be gone. I mean, with that ice block of a demon!" She shouted, anger boiling in her veins. Why hadn't Hakumei told her of this? It would've greatly helped in her decision on what she would do. Then again, she knew in her heart she couldn't leave Inuyasha and the others, plus her family in the present time that had enough to worry about with her crossing time over and over again.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when her mother's warm hands were on top of Kagome's. A smile graced her lips as she squeezed her daughter's hand gently. "I know you'll make it. Just by looking at the jewel around your neck, I know you are a fighter. You always were," she laughed softly. "If you can wield a bow and arrow, I'm sure you can set this Sesshoumaru fellow in his place."

Kagome smiled at her mother's comforting words, glad that her mother had not overreacted. Although her mother never really did. She shouldn't have expected it anyways, considering she had already been crossing time for almost a year now. The likelihood of her becoming upset over Inuyasha's brother would be a one out of a billion chance.

"Well, I'll be going upstairs to pack a few things. Thank you for all your support." She raised herself to her feet, smiling at her family who cared so much about her.

--

Inuyasha sat beside the old well, peering into it every five seconds as if his life depended on it. He couldn't let Sesshoumaru take Kagome away from him. It wasn't like Sesshoumaru even liked humans! But he kept remembering the way Kagome had acted, stepping in between the two brothers, a pleading look on her face. Almost like the one she gave Kouga…

And every time Kouga came up, a fight usually ensued. The atmosphere was already tense enough around here with Sesshoumaru lingering just beyond the edges of Inuyasha's Forest. The villagers by this point were going insane if anything. First, they were graced with a miko and a hanyou, and then, just when they thought the hanyou had been sealed away, the miko's reincarnation suddenly showed up releasing him from his fifty years of slumber. Soon after, a fox child joined them, along with a wayward monk and demon exterminator with her demonic cat following suit. They had seen it all.

A low growl stringed with obscenities flowed out of Inuyasha's mouth as he glared in the direction where Sesshoumaru's scent lingered. He bit his lip, not even caring that blood was now seeping out of the wound. This place reeked far too much of that guy. Too much for Inuyasha to take. With a snort, he stood up and looked into the well, amber eyes filled with determination.

He would keep Kagome away from him, that he promised.

Inuyasha turned away from the well, walking over to Kaede's hut where Miroku, Sango, and Shippou were gathered. Shippou quickly jumped out of Inuyasha's way when he heard his feet stomping into the hut, eyes glowing with such power. Kaede looked up at Inuyasha with her one good eye while filling a bowl up with soup.

"Watch your step, boy! My hut has taken too much abuse."

Completely ignoring the old miko, he turned to the three who were sitting against the wall, staring at him with expectant faces. They had learned by now not to get on his bad side…It was Sesshoumaru they had trouble handling. It was too risky to see what set off the proud youkai.

"We're going the minute Kagome gets back and that's final."

Miroku looked up at him, the slight movement causing his staff to jingle a little. "And what of Sesshoumaru?"

"Feh! You think I'm handing over Kagome to some asshole like him?"

Sango piped in, glaring at Inuyasha for such brash behavior. "You yourself know the power he has. Taking Kagome away from him could very well cause this village to be destroyed! And no thanks to your stupidity," she snapped before turning her attention back to Kirara who sat in her lap. Sometimes Inuyasha was just too stupid for his own good! And there times she felt he treated Kagome too much like property and not enough like a friend…Or perhaps more. Then again, it was Inuyasha she was talking about. While he may have been a good fighter—some would argue amazing—he just wasn't all that good in the social skills department. He was bad enough that his first love ended in tragedy. Sango's eyes softened as she remembered her own pains, witnessing her younger brother kill those he had loved…She clenched her fist in hurt and confusion. Miroku swiped his gaze over to her, gently touching her hand in a calming way before smiling at her.

Thank the gods I have him…

--

Sesshoumaru had taken great care to study the miko's actions and behavior. There were times he had to admit that he was somewhat fascinated. But of course, there were times he was appalled. Her choice of dress was no exception. Setting aside all flaws, the girl could at least string a bow and purify some of the darkest creatures.

He was sure she could very purify him, given the chance.

He had been following the group in the shadows, never coming near them lest he felt they were in severe danger. Luckily, the hanyou had some sort of fighting sense in that thick skull of his to at least wield the Tetsusaiga.

As he leaned his back against the trunk of a tree, he closed his molten eyes, deeply breathing in the scent of a meadow filled with various wildflowers. The scent of the miko lingered in the air, a hazy lavender mixing itself with the flowers around him. His nose wrinkled a bit as the wind tossed the scent more towards his direction. Opening his eyes, he looked up at the bright blue of the sky, watching as birds flew by noiselessly.

The smell of the group was very faint, barely even there. He figured that they had been there about a day ago when passing through this sea of color. Sesshoumaru sniffed in disdain at the thought of even showing his face on the side of those pests.

Flashback

"Look, I am not letting you come with us, Sesshoumaru! So don't even get any ideas!" Inuyasha bellowed, pointing an accusing finger at the demon lord before him.

Sesshoumaru merely raised a brow before responding. "I do not wish to follow you. My how big that head of yours has grown. I wasn't aware that walking corpses and their reincarnations gave you that sense of pride…" He smirked, knowing he had hit a sour target.

Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head in rage and sadness while Kagome clenched her fists in shock and hurt. She already knew…But having it come from Sesshoumaru! So condescendingly…It hurt a lot.

"Let's go, Inuyasha." Kagome whispered, her words laced with a deadly note.

End

He knew he had hurt her greatly, but why should he have cared? It was only the truth. It was disgusting, knowing the hanyou had so adamantly followed that dead priestess's shell while wavering behind with the reincarnation of said priestess. The hanyou was denser than he gave him credit for.

Setting aside those thoughts, that's what brought Sesshoumaru to where he was now. He had been silently following the group, giving them the impression that he had simply left. However, he had been trailing behind them, always close enough to smell them, but far enough to not be known. He couldn't trust Inuyasha taking care of the girl. He had even seen with his own eyes the time he had taken possession of Tetsusaiga with the human arm how the girl had been left unguarded. And there was the time he had almost gotten away with melting her had it none been for the protective aura of the blade around her.

His eyebrows knitted together, realizing how many times the miko had actually escaped death.

He'd have to think about that one.

--

Kagome kept looking over her shoulder, keeping her hands tightly wrapped around the handlebars of her bike. How she loved that bike…It was so durable against the rocky terrain of the feudal era! She quickly shook her head, looking back in the direction that they had come from.

Every time she sensed this one aura getting closer, it'd die down, as if never having been there in the first place.

Shippou who had noticed her tense motions looked up at her with his emerald eyes seeping with curiosity and worry.

"Is there something wrong, Kagome?"

She looked down at him, smiling. "No, not a thing."

Shippou gave a wary look at her before turning back to face the front again while conveniently sitting in the basket attached to the bike.

Kagome once more allowed her eyes to flicker back behind her, sensing the faint yet powerful aura.

They were being followed.