A/N: Here's the next chapter! Hope you guys like it! Please review and let me know! Thanks!

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Dream of Me
Chapter Twenty

Kouga sat on the edge of the bone-eater's well. The two shards from his legs were already clasped tightly in Kagome's hands. The group was preparing to go back down the well in an attempt to save Kagome's family and Shippo. Inuyasha paced worriedly around the well as Sango sharpened the points of Kagome's arrows, and sharpened the blade on her sword. The monk, unusually calm throughout the entire thing, was sitting under a tree, eyes closed, his staff in hand.

Inuyasha stopped his pacing momentarily. "The old woman is on her way with Kirara." He said after a moment, and Kagome also sniffed the air to identify the scents.

She nodded. "I smell sage…" she whispered.

Seconds later, the old woman Kaede did indeed come out of the forest riding on Kirara. She studied the group in front of her with intensity before carefully dismounting herself from Kirara's back. From there, she walked straight over to Kagome.

She dropped a small vial in one of Kagome's hands and a small pouch full of odd-smelling powder in the other one. "The liquid is an antidote for poison. A small amount should do the trick…"

"And the powder?" Kagome asked.

"The powder will help with bleeding wounds. It will help the wound to clot easier. Use it when it is needed. I am sure it will prove very useful." She nodded to the rest of the group and smiled. "I wish ye a safe journey and a safe return home. Good luck…" And with that, she started off back into the forest…only this time she had left Kirara behind.

Inuyasha sighed deeply, but Miroku spoke before he could manage to get any words out.

"So, are we ready to go?" Miroku asked, glancing from person to person in their small group.

Inuyasha shook his head. "Almost…but there is something that I must talk to Kagome about first…" he whispered, gently taking Kagome's hand and leading her far enough away from the group to be out of Kouga's range of hearing.

"What is it, Inuyasha?" Kagome looked worried. "Is something else the matter?"

He shook his head. "No. Nothing is wrong. I just…wanted to talk to you. When…" he paused a moment, "when this is over, I want to be with you forever. I want you to come live here with me, and I want you to be my mate." He said quickly.

Kagome smiled. "I already know that, Inuyasha." She placed a hand on his cheek. "Everything will be all right. You said it yourself. When this is over, we will be together, and we'll come stay here…we can live near Miroku and Sango…and we can even have a family if that's what you want…when this is over." She finished. "Not if, Inuyasha, when."

He nodded and gulped. "I know, Kagome. But if something was to happen to you…" he began, pulling her closer to himself. "I don't know what I would do."

"Nothing is going to happen to me, Inuyasha. I can do a pretty damn good job of protecting myself, and I don't plan on dieing anytime soon."

Inuyasha seemed to sigh with relief. "Kagome, I love you. I don't plan on you dieing anytime soon, either." He whispered.

Kagome smiled. "I love you, too, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha leaned down and kissed her. It was gentle, but it had a lot of meaning behind it, and Kagome could still feel the butterflies in her stomach going crazy. Again, she smiled at him.

"Kagome, I want everyone to know who you are, and what we intend to do once this whole thing with Naraku is over." Inuyasha said into her ear. She nodded, and a few short seconds later she felt a small prick of pain as Inuyasha bit her. She gasped in surprise, and he pulled back quickly. "I didn't hurt you did I?" he worried.

Kagome shook her head. "No, I'm all right. What did you do?" she asked him. She felt the mark in her neck that had been left by Inuyasha's fangs. When she touched it, it sent a slight tingling sensation throughout her entire body.

"It's my mark…" Inuyasha explained. "It lets everyone know that I intend to be with you…and it will protect you…as long as I am near you." He added.

Kagome laughed slightly. "You're always near me," she whispered. "And I wouldn't want that to be any different." It was her turn to kiss him. It was another short, sweet moment, but a moment nonetheless. Kagome smiled at him as she broke the small kiss, and took his hand in her own.

"Come on," she smiled, "everyone is going to start to worry about us. We have to go save Shippo and my family."

Inuyasha only nodded as they once again reached the clearing where the bone eater's well sat. All of their friends were still set to the exact same activities that they had been working on when the two of them had left.

Kagome took a deep breath. "Okay everyone! Let's go! I don't have the heart to keep them waiting on us any longer!" she announced.

Kouga was the first to nod. He had noticed the change, however slight it was, in Kagome's scent. He looked from Inuyasha to Kagome and back again, finally nodding his approval. "I'm ready to go!" he smiled. "Just show me how this thing works and Naraku will be out of our hair in no time…"

Kagome took her cue from him and stepped up to the mouth of the well. "This is going to be difficult," she told them all. "I've never brought this many of us into the well at one time…and it's small…but we don't have the option to split up. If we split up, Naraku will have the advantage. If we all arrive together, we may end up with a slight upper hand."

Inuyasha nodded in agreement. "It sounds like a plan to me," he said, putting on his most serious battle face and picking up Kagome. "Sango, you too. Get on." He commanded.

Sango looked uncertain for a moment before she did as her hanyou friend had asked of her. Miroku nodded, stepping up to the mouth of the well with Kirara in his arms. Kouga followed suit, looking slightly confused. Miroku took hold of Inuyasha's haori, and Kouga mimicked his actions. Seconds later, the group disappeared into the bone eater's well, and arrived in modern day Tokyo at the Higurashi shrine.

The group jumped out of the cramped well as quickly as possible. Almost as soon as they were all out, Kagome loaded one of her arrows into her bow. Her face was set in anger and determination.

"Let's go save my family, guys." She whispered. She didn't even bother to open the door to the well house. She already knew what lay beyond it. On the other side waited Naraku and her now-demon grandfather. She could see the glow of all of Naraku's tainted jewel shards. Her arrow whizzed through the air, straight through the door of the well house, and towards Naraku. Only then did the group finally step out into the sunlight.

Naraku was standing there waiting for them, a small smirk playing across his face.

"It certainly took you long enough." He teased them, never breaking eye contact. "I thought certainly you would be home sooner than that…but you went and left your family here to deal with me alone."

"I did not!" Kagome argued. "It's yourself who isn't playing by the rules!"

"There are no rules for me!" Naraku snapped.

Kagome sniffed the air. Her family was still close by. She could detect their scents somewhere in the area. She glared at Naraku. "What have you done to them?" she demanded of him. "Where is my family, and where is Shippo?" she screamed. The small fox demon's scent was stronger to her than that of her own family. She was perplexed. She could see none of them. "Where are they?" she repeated.

Naraku laughed.

Inuyasha sniffed the air in search of the scents that Kagome had detected. Shippo's scent was indeed the strongest…but it was mixed with the scent of blood. The combination threatened to make Inuyasha sick. He looked around. He knew the kit had to have been injured badly, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha whispered. "Hand me a jewel shard."

Kagome looked at him strangely, but did as she was asked.

Inuyasha tossed the jewel directly to Kouga. "You will need this for the well to work properly. Go get my brother Sesshoumaru as quickly as possible. Tell him what is going on. Tell him we will need his help…and tell him…tell him he will need to bring his Tenseiga."

Kagome paled in realization. "Where are they, Inuyasha?" she stammered.

Naraku only laughed harder. "The kit did put up quite a good fight, Inuyasha. You were teaching him well." He smirked, and turned to Kagome. "Your family, on the other hand, was not very good at defending themselves. The kit tried, but…"

Kagome felt her legs instantly turn to jelly, and she fought the urge to just crumble to the floor and sob right there. She choked back a sob. "Where…are they?" she repeated, her voice so low that even Inuyasha had trouble hearing it.

Naraku continued to cackle, and Sango rushed over to Kagome.

"They are a part of me now. Shippo is…well, dreaming." Naraku finally answered.

Even Inuyasha was taken aback by this statement. Naraku had pushed them back down the well, and…and he had absorbed Kagome's family while she was gone. But…what exactly did he mean when he said that Shippo was dreaming?

"Dreaming?" Kagome seemed to repeat what Naraku had said to her, only now her voice lacked confidence, and was on the verge of breaking all together.

"Yes, dreaming…" Naraku repeated.

Suddenly it hit Inuyasha like a ton of bricks. Dreaming. Before Kagome was a hanyou…she had been asleep in Kaede's hut when…

Inuyasha paled considerably. "Where are you hiding him you sick bastard?" he screamed at his enemy. "How did you get him to go to sleep, huh?" he growled.

Kagome gasped. Suddenly, she too had realized what Naraku must have meant. She frowned, and shakily loaded another arrow into her bow. "I'm done with you." She said sternly. "You've killed my family and hurt my friends…and now I'm going to kill you." She could feel the anger boiling up inside her. It was anger at everything that had happened. Anger at what Naraku had done to Kikyou and Inuyasha. Anger for her friends Miroku and Sango. Anger about what Naraku had done to her family, and anger that she could not find Shippo, who was merely a pup…her pup…

Inuyasha drew his sword, and stepped up alongside Kagome. Despite her level of rage, she had a very good handle on her demon side at the moment. She couldn't lose her composure at a time like this…

"Sango, Miroku, take Kirara and get into the air!" Inuyasha demanded. "Get out of range!"

"Out of range of what?" asked Miroku skeptically, but did as he was told.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome, and nodded. "Are you ready to try that attack of yours again?" he whispered. "We'll take this bastard down together…"

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A/N: Sorry guys! Honestly wouldn't have left a cliffie, but I have to leave for my bus, so I guess there will be a chapter 21 out tonight! Hope you enjoyed! Please review and let me know!