A/N: I apologize you guys. The geniouses(know that I am being very sarcastic) blocked my acct. They claim that I uploaded a fic that was not mine. Well, that was pure bullshit. Apparently, someone thought it would be funny to report a songfic I did called Rock and Roll Dreams as being stolen and instead of investigating it, they blocked my acct. I attempted to inform them that I was the original author and had a witness who read my work before I posted it, but they have as of yet to reply to my email. So...I had to go a week without updating, so blame the FF. net staff for your wait. Anyways, on to the story.
Kikyo looked into the furious eyes of Sesshomaru and she knew that she had a serious problem on her hands. It was clear by the way he was growling at her that she had two options and one of those options was to run as fast as her clay feet could go. She got up, and glared at Kagome.
"You stupid little bitch. Because of you, I am still without my soul." She hissed, her eyes narrowing at Kagome.
Kagome stood up. "It isn't your soul anymore, stupid. It belongs to Rin. You lost all rights to it when you died. Get over it and move on." She said, wincing as she moved forward.
Kikyo watched as Kagome stood in front of Rin. "Protecting your incarnate. How sweet. Tell me, Kagome. How does it feel to know that you are about to lose everything that you hold dear? You see, I will reclaim my soul and then I will come after you." She sneered, her dark eyes dancing with hate.
Kikyo barely had time to move before she was knocked back several feet. When she looked up, she found herself looking up into a pair of deep blue eyes. From the way the wolf was growling, Kikyo could tell that she was about to get her ass handed to her.
"Since you like to talk, bitch. Why don't YOU tell Me something. Can dead women feel pain?" Kouga asked. He began to stalk towards the dead miko but was stopped by Sesshomaru.
"Leave here. Take your mate and go, wolf. This female is mine to do with as I please. She took my ward, and I will be the one to decide how she dies." Sesshomaru said, as he walked towards Kikyo.
Kikyo looked around wildly and then saw Inu Yasha. She smiled to herself and called out to him.
"Inu Yasha. Please, help me. They are trying to kill me." She said, her voice laced with desperation.
Inu Yasha looked over at her and then over at Kagome. He shook his head and walked over to her. He could feel everyone's eyes upon him and he knelt down until he was eye level with Kikyo. After searching her eyes for a moment, he stood up and walked around to stand behind her. He reached down and locked her arms behind her back. Glancing over at his companions, he asked, "So, who is going to be the one to take her life?"
Sesshomaru and Kouga stared at each other for a moment and then resumed their argument about who should be the one to kill off the former miko. While they argued, Kagome walked slowly towards Kikyo and placed her palms on the dead woman's shoulders. Closing her eyes, Kagome concentrated and sent a bold of pure energy into Kikyo's clay body.
At first, Kikyo did not feel anything, but after a few moments, she could feel heat. And soon, that heat became intense. Screaming, Kikyo began to thrash around and found that she could not break Inu Yasha's hold upon her arms. She glanced over at Kagome, who was now had a bright pink light glowing around her.
"Corpses that are reanimated and demons have something in common, Kikyo. They can both be purified. However, I will have to adjust the amount of power that I use on you, due to the fact that you are also able to purify things. However, that won't be a problem. Once I weaken your body, those souls that you have stolen will be able to break free and will be able to find the peace that you stole from them. Once those souls are gone, I will be able to collect the last part of my soul from you, and you will cease to exist. Once upon a time, the name Kikyo was respected and feared, but you have made it into a joke. Take a good look around, Kikyo. You are about to become a memory." Kagome said, stepping back up to the clay corpse. Once again, she placed her hands upon Kikyo's shoulders and directed her energy into Kikyo.
Kikyo began to scream as her clay skin began to crack. She watched as the souls she had collected flew out of the cracks in her skin and disappear into the night. She tried to call for her soul collectors, but they did not come. When all of the souls were finally set free, Kikyo slumped in Inu Yasha's grasp. She looked up at him, with tears in her eyes and whispered, "You failed me when I was alive, and you fail me now. You keep claiming that you love me, but you will stand by and let them kill me. How could you?"
Inu Yasha felt his heart lurch and he could not answer her. Instead, he looked away and closed his eyes. Kagome felt badly for her friend and watched as the final soul emerged from Kikyo's body. It was very small, and suddenly dove for Kagome. She gasped when it hit her chest and for the first time in a very long time, Kagome felt whole.
It was not an arrow, sword, or claws that killed Kikyo. When Kagome reclaimed her soul, the body that had been animated slumped and the dark eyes suddenly went lifeless. Without that small part of soul that she had held, Kikyo's body became nothing more than an empty husk. Without the ability to hold itself up, the lifeless doll slipped to the ground and stared up at the sky, never blinking and never moving. Kikyo's threat was finally over.
Sesshomaru was aware of a few things. The first thing was that his ward was safe, but crying. It was clear that this had been a traumatic experience for her and he would probably have to sit beside her at night for a while. After all, he was the one she felt safe with. Second, he now knew that the wolf's mate was his ward's reincarnation and they could never be together. The older girl would confuse Rin and even though he had sensed that Rin had some sort of holy power, he had not yet decided what to do with it. Well, apparently, the decision was made for him. He would have to let her be trained. Third, he was aware that his younger brother had made a large sacrifice for his friends, and for Rin. For now, he would not seek the tetsusaiga as repayment for helping destroy the threat to Rin.
Inu Yasha bent down and gathered the doll into his arms. When Sango and Miroku asked if he wanted help, he simply shook his head and told them that he wanted to bury the doll under the God's tree. And, he needed to do it alone. She had been right in her words to him, but he could not allow her to harm an innocent child. He would not allow her memory to become any more tarnished than it already was.
Sango and Miroku glanced at each other and smiled. It was a good day, and now that Kikyo was out of the way, they could look forward to killing Naraku. Miroku forgot for a moment that he was a hentai and yanked Sango into his arms. For once, his hands did not stray, and Sango returned his affectionate gesture.
Kouga watched as Sesshomaru left with the little girl. He then watched as Inu Yasha took the doll and left to bury her remains. He was thrilled that there would not be any more threats to his woman's life. Speaking of his woman, he had a bone to pick with her. He walked up behind Kagome and tapped her on her shoulder. His face was stern and told her that he was displeased with her.
"Kagome, explain to me why you left the den after I told you not to." Kouga demanded, his eyes narrowed.
Kagome gulped and looked at her friends, but they quickly averted their eyes. Traitors. She looked back at her mate and gave him a sheepish smile.
"I just wanted to help, Kouga. I am not useless." Kagome said. She hoped that he would understand, but the way his face grew harsher told her that she was in for some kind of punishment. Miku had told her about the last time she had been punished and could not leave their den for a week. Kagome gulped again and hoped that Kouga would not confine her to their den. She would go crazy.
Kouga was beyond pissed. Kagome had disobeyed him and had nearly gotten herself killed. This would never happen again. However, there was another to blame.
"Tell me, Kagome. Where is Ginta, and why did he not stop you from leaving?" Kouga asked, his mind already thinking of several different ways to pummel his underling.
Kagome sighed. She looked up at her mate and allowed her shoulders to slump. "Please. He didn't do anything wrong. I waited until he left our den and I snuck out. He did his job and doesn't deserve your anger." She said.
Kouga studied his mate and then nodded. He grabbed her arm and told the other two humans that he would see them at the den. He lifted Kagome up and took off. First he would see to her wounds, and then he would blister her bottom.
When they reached the den, he stormed past all of the men in the main den and walked to his den. He saw Ginta and glared at the wolf, who shrank back in horror. He walked into his den and threw Kagome onto the bed. He ordered her to stay there and got some water to clean her wounds.
When he was sure that she was alright, he glared at her and said, "You disobeyed me and my authority. By you running from the den after I told you to stay here, you challenged my power. Do you realize what you have done, Kagome? You have made me look weak in front of my pack members and now I will have to fight to regain the image that I held before you pulled that little stunt. You are confined to this den until I say otherwise. You will not speak to anyone else until after your punishment and you will also make a formal apology to me in front of the tribe. Right now, I am so angry with you Kagome, and I think that it would be best if I slept in one of the other dens tonight. I need to cool off and you need to think about what you have done today."
Kagome watched in horror as Kouga gathered up some of his stuff. He did not even spare her a glance and walked out of their den. She hung her head and sobbed. She had not meant any harm, and all she wanted to do was help protect her incarnation. Now, her mate was angry with her and she had been grounded to the den, something she had not wanted to happen.
After a while, she got up and went to the small kitchen and started dinner. She waited for Kouga to appear with the meat, and was shocked when another wolf came in. He handed the meat to her and left, leaving Kagome to wonder if Kouga would join her for dinner.
She had just finished chopping the vegetables and was getting ready to set the table when Kouga appeared. He glared at her and told her that it was time to make her apology. She followed him out and in front of the tribe, she apologized to Kouga and to Ginta for sneaking off. She held her head high, and did not allow her voice to waver. When she was finished, Kouga pointed to the den and she walked back inside. Now she could feel her skin grow hot. That was the worst experience of her life and she never wanted to go through that again.
When dinner was ready, she filled both plates and sat down. She waited for Kouga, but as it grew darker outside, she realized that he was not coming and she looked down at her plate. No longer hungry, she got up and went to take a bath.
As she washed her body, Kagome suddenly felt the urge to throw up and was soon reduced to dry heaving. When she managed to finally get to the bed, her head felt as though it was about to burst and she prayed that sleep would come quickly.
Kouga awoke and greeted Ginta and Hakkaku. After a good night's rest, he was ready to take on the day. He had calmed down quite a bit and had relaxed over a bowl of stew that Miku had fixed him. He had thought about going to Kagome and eating with her, but he was still so angry and knew that when he did not show up, she would eat without him.
He grabbed his stuff and walked back to his den, but stopped when he saw that the table was set and the plates were filled. He took in a deep breath and let it out. He noticed that Kagome's plate had not been touched either. Shaking his head, he walked into their bedchamber and found her asleep.
Reaching over, he touched her cheek and noticed that she was pale. He touched her shoulder and gently shook her. When she opened her eyes, he was about to tell her that she would only be confined for a week, but the moment her eyes opened, she jumped up, nearly knocking him over, and ran into the small bathing area. He listened as she threw up and then followed her. He found his mate on her knees, her body shaking. He got wet a cloth and wiped her face down.
He picked her up and walked her over to their bed. He settled her and watched as she turned on her side, her back to him. He sighed.
"Kagome, I am going to have the healer come in to see you. She will give you something for your stomach. After she looks you over, I want you to get something to eat. Miku made stew last night and I ate with her family. You should have known that I was not going to be coming to dinner." Kouga said, his voice soft.
"Go away." Kagome muttered. She was so sick and tired of everyone thinking that she was incapable of doing anything and yesterday just proved her own mate's faith in her abilities. One good thing about being sick was that you had a lot of time to think, and boy, did Kagome think. She was so upset with his attitude and the fact that he did not understand her position, or even try to understand, andit told Kagome that all she was good for was a quick screw and to fill his belly. Now, she was hearing that he didn't even have the decency to come and inform her that he was going to be eating elsewhere and she ended up sitting at that damn table like a fool. That was the straw that broke Kagome's back.
Kouga cocked his head. He had heard her, understood her, but did not understand why she wanted him to leave. He placed his hand on her shoulder and was shocked when she flinched from his touch. Finally, Kagome sat up, and glared at him.
"I am going home for a week, and I am going to be doing some cooling down of my own. As for me staying in the den, forget it. I am sick and tired of being treated like I am weak, and the way you treated me yesterday tells me that you have absolutely no respect for me or how I feel. Don't bother with the healer. It's just nerves. Now, I will be back in one week and then I will speak with you, but until then, stay away from me." Kagome said, her teeth clenched together.
Kouga's mouth dropped. Apparently, he should have come home for dinner. He watched as she got up and grabbed her pack. She quickly changed kimonos and glared at him as she walked by. He stood up and reached for her arm, but she hissed at him and walked outside. She called for Kilala and told Sango that she was going home for a week. She glared over at Kouga when he appeared at the entrance of their den. When Sango nodded, Kilala transformed and allowed Kagome to climb on her back. She walked to the main den and through the waterfall before taking off into the sky, leaving Kouga behind.
Kouga turned when he felt a hand upon his shoulder. He saw the monk looking at him and nearly chuckled when the monk said, "Be thankful that she can't 'sit' you. I have seen her sit Inu Yasha too many times to know that when she is angry, she can do some serious damage.
Kouga nodded, and turned to go back to his den. He picked up the dinner plates and got rid of the food upon it. When Kagome returned, he would sit her down and explain the way things were going to work. Feeling confident in his resolve, Kouga quickly cleaned up the kitchen and then yelled for the hunters to go hunting. It was time that life got back to normal.