Kikyou and Kouga: I am changing how I spell the name. I've been using the English spelling but I spell Sesshoumaru and Kirara the Japanese spelling. So I decided that I'm using the Japanese spelling on everything…mostly that I can pick up anyway, or if I just like it better in Japanese. It'll take me a while to go back through the chapters and change everything though. Be patient!

Kikyou and Inuyasha: I put her in for a chapter and you people just go nuts already? What's your deal? Just hold on a sec! You guys over react. Have a little more faith. This isn't about Kikyou; it's about Kagome ending up with Inuyasha or Ikuto.

Am I a Christian: Yes I am, and I am proud of it! That's not why I wrote the religious beliefs of Ikuto in there like how I wrote it though. Ikuto has a lot of emotional problems and is a very depressed person. Most people with religion in their life don't feel as empty as Ikuto, so it would be best for him not to believe in anything. Now as far as his mother goes, it makes sense that she was a Christian because she was from the U.S. and the majority of religious people in America are Christians, so that made sense to me, and hopefully to all of you.

Ikuto is a demon: No, of course not. He's just possessed by one. That's why he's suddenly getting stronger, which answers someone else's question. The demon is slowly taking control…

Chapter 23

I don't own Inuyasha

Ikuto had his back to the wall while Kagome wiped his forehead with a wet towel. "Just hold on Ikuto, you'll be fine."

Ikuto was holding his side, where one of Kagura's dance of blades had really gotten him. That was his worst wound, and he was beginning to lose consciousness. "K…Kagome…" he closed his eyes and dropped his head.

"Is he okay?" Shippo asked.

"Kagome?" Miroku asked as well.

Sango put her hand on Kagome's shoulder. "Kagome…is he…"

"Of course he isn't!" she yelled. "He's fine! He'll be okay! Don't even think that he'll die! Don't even think it!" She touched his cheek and raised his head. "Ikuto…" he opened his eyes and smiled. "I knew you'd be okay. You're gonna pull through."

"Kagome…I don't have a lot of strength left. They've really done a number on me. I…I don't know if I can make it through this." He began coughing harshly. "I love you Kagome. I really do, but I don't think I can hold on any longer. Everything's fading. I can't take it anymore. I feel so broken."

"No!" She began to sob on his chest heavily. "No, Ikuto! You can't die!"

He chuckled lightly and pushed Kagome off of him with the last of his strength. "I'm not dying Kagome. I won't let myself do that. I'm gonna make it…for you Ka-Kagome. It's just that" he fought to keep his eyes open, but couldn't. "I…I just need to rest my head a little bit. I'm just a little sleepy…" He closed his eyes and dropped his head.

Kagome's heart stopped for a moment as she watched his head fall. "Oh Ikuto…" Her hands were shaking as she reached out to touch his face again. 'I love you too.' A tear fell down her cheek. "Ikuto!"

"Kagome, maybe you should step outside." Miroku grabbed her hands gently and got her to stand. "Just calm down, I know it's hard."

Her lips were quivering. She didn't know quite what to say. Everything was spinning. Everything was going too fast. She began to breathe heavily as she held her head and shook it a little bit. 'No, Ikuto! Don't die! It's not true! It's not!' Miroku reached out to touch her and she backed away. "No! He's not dead, it can't be true!"

"Kagome-"

"No! He's alive and he's gonna beat this thing."

"She's right" Sango said with her head pressed against his chest. "His heart is still beating, strongly as a matter of fact. He's alright."

Kagome sighed in relief and then smiled. "I knew he'd be okay."

"What about the demon?" asked Shippo.

"We'll get it out in time." Sango replied. "Let's just wait for Inuyasha to show up so we can make our next-" Sango was startled with Ikuto's sudden strong grip on her arm, but was rendered speechless when he was able to stand. "Ikuto?" He didn't say anything. Instead of answering her with words, he took a physical approach and spun around, still holding her arm and let go of her as soon as he made a full circle and tossed her right through not only the wall, but the wall in the next room as well. She yelled out in pain when she roughly landed on her shoulder.

Miroku and Shippo were in sheer aw from Ikuto's burst of power. They looked through the two different rooms. The one next to them was empty, but the other was filled with screaming women. Some of them immediately ran out of there, screaming their heads off. Some were curious and took a look at Sango, who was holding her shoulder. "I can't believe this." Miroku said, still shocked from the outbreak from Ikuto.

"I know." Shippo was shaking, not meaning to. "This is terrible!"

"I know, there were all these beautiful women so close and I wasn't even aware of it."

Shippo rolled his eyes. "Don't you think Ikuto throwing Sango through a wall is more serious?" Kirara did and she started hissing at Ikuto then transformed into her much larger state. "Don't hurt him, Kirara!"

"Ikuto?" Kagome's eyes widened and she stepped closer to talk to him, not processing what had really just happened. He turned to face her and Kagome was frightened by the look of lifelessness in his eyes. It was like he wasn't even there at all. "Ikuto?" She reached out to touch him, but Miroku pulled her back and pulled a sutra out of his robe. "Stand back Kagome, this is a serious matter!" He placed it on Ikuto's head quickly, but the sutra burned up before Ikuto's body was damaged like before. "My sutra isn't working!"

"We…" Ikuto spoke, like in a daze "we desire the jewel shards."

Kagome instinctively put her hand on the bottle that she wore around her neck and stepped back. "Stop this Ikuto!"

Miroku pulled out another sutra and tried to exorcize him again but it wouldn't work. It just burnt up again.

"We thrive in this body" Ikuto said, still in his possessed daze. "You are not strong enough to defeat us!"

Miroku got his staff and lunged it forward in an attempt to strike Ikuto, but Ikuto easily caught it. "We are too strong monk!" Ikuto snatched it out of his hand and smacked Miroku across the face with it causing its sharp edges to cut Miroku's face. Ikuto continued his assault on Miroku, but Miroku dodged a lot of it easily, until Ikuto decided it would be best to let the staff go. Ikuto was then able to get a good roundhouse kick in and Miroku was sent flying through the sliding door.

Kirara growled once again, but was commanded by Kagome not to fight. "Kirara, please go find Inuyasha." Kirara didn't want to leave Kagome behind with Ikuto, but there wasn't much help Kirara could do, not with everyone telling her not to attack Ikuto. She still didn't obey at first, but Kagome's pledging got through and Kirara soon left the mansion, causing much worrying from the lord once he found out that there was a fight going on and a demon running around wild.

"Ikuto, remember who you are. Remember-"

Ikuto took his hand and pushed Kagome into the wall on the opposite side to the room and he wouldn't take his arm off, meaning she was stuck. "We desire the jewel shards!"

"Let go!" Shippo screamed. Shippo didn't know exactly what to do. He couldn't let Ikuto just get away with stealing Kagome's jewel shards. Something had to be done. " I warned you!" Shippo opened his mouth and jumped up in the air to the arm that had Kagome pinned to the wall. As soon as he was high enough, he closed his mouth and bit down as hard as he could on Ikuto's arm. Kagome gasped as she saw the blood flow from Ikuto's arm, but Ikuto showed no sign of worry at all. He only kept intimidating Kagome.

"Stop it Shippo!"

Shippo quickly let go of Ikuto at Kagome's request, but before he even landed, Ikuto kicked Shippo in the head and he went rolling on the floor forward. "You are nothing to us fox child." Ikuto sounded so cold and so distant, as if he was never coming back. Suddenly, the wound Shippo just made disappeared, as well as the side wound from Kagura, and everything else. Even his gash above his eye and busted lip were fine. Even his scar on his shoulder from his childhood fire is gone. "We are one, and we are strong. No one can defeat us!"

"How about me!" Sango yelled as her foot met his head. He fell to the ground, but jumped back up to his feet quickly.

"You are an idiot, aren't you?" He gave her a right hook and she did the same to him. The cycle continued on for a few seconds, since he was stronger than her. She tried to kick him in his head, but he blocked it and used the other hand to give her a jab, which knocked her down. Miroku got back up to his feet and attacked Ikuto with his staff, but Ikuto got out the way before it hit him. Kagome didn't know what to do. All she could do was watch as her friend was taken over by this evil demon.

"Stop this" Miroku commanded, with Sango standing by his side, ready to do anything to help him. "Ikuto, you can stop this from happening! Just take control of your body. It doesn't have to be this way."

"Kagome, where is Kirara?" Sango asked worriedly.

It took Kagome a moment to process that Sango was talking to her. "I…uh…she went to find Inuyasha."

"He better get here soon!"

"Kagome, you have to shoot Ikuto with your sacred arrow!" Miroku said.

"I can't do it. I can't hurt him." She shook her head. "I can't hurt him. He's been wounded so much."

"He's not wounded now!" Sango pointed out.

"But what if his wounds return once he gets back to normal? He's already lost so much blood Miroku. I could kill him!"

"Enough talk!" Ikuto yelled. "We are called by our master. We must have the jewel shards!" He kneed Miroku in the gut and then kicked him in the head, knocking him down. Sango kicked him, but he dodged whatever attack she brought after that. She tried to punch him, but he used her own weight and force against her and flipped her over on her back. He kicked her in her face over and over again, getting her face all bloodied.

"Stop it Ikuto!" Kagome ran to Ikuto and tried to pull him off, but he was too strong to stop. He grabbed her arm and pushed her down up against a wall. Miroku got back up to his feet and rammed himself into Ikuto, getting him off of Sango and knocking them both down, but Ikuto was able to force himself on top so he could stand. He grabbed Miroku and held him up by his neck.

"Ikuto, you don't have to do this." He said.

"We are too strong for you monk. My master desires the jewel shards!" He threw Miroku through a wall that wasn't damaged; making him land outside, head first. Ikuto looked down at Sango and saw that she wasn't moving. "The demon slayer cannot help you, or the monk. Give us the jewel shards!" He went over to Kagome and made her stand. "The jewel shards."

"Ikuto, don't do this!" Shippo yelled. "I don't want to fight you!" Shippo was shaking. What choice did he have? Or better yet, how could he stand a chance. "Don't hurt Kagome! If you do, you'll regret it!"

"Ikuto, don't do this! I know you're still in there!" Kagome didn't know what exactly to do. He easily hurt Miroku and brutally beat Sango without any sign of humanity, but it seemed that he wasn't going to hurt Kagome at all. She closed her eyes as he reached forward, but he simply just ripped the string that held the bottle against her neck and took the bottle filled with the jewel shards.

"Don't follow us!" He backed away from her went through the hole that Miroku's body made and went out into the pouring rain.

"Kagome!" Shippo said looking at Sango. "What are we supposed to do?"

Kagome ran out of the room and went to her own room to get her bow and arrows and quickly made her way back to Shippo. "I want you to stay with Sango and Miroku. When Inuyasha gets back here, tell him what happened. I'm going to follow Ikuto and stop whatever demon is controlling him!" She ran through the hole and ran up to Ikuto, and reached out to touch him. "Ikuto!"

"Don't touch us!" Ikuto said. He sounded so angry, but so sad that he had been doing all of this. "We'll hurt you if you do!" He continued walking and didn't turn around to see her.

She pulled her hand back and didn't take another step forward. 'Maybe I should just wait for Inuyasha! This is scaring me and I don't know what to do. He just hurt Miroku and Sango, two of the best fighters ever. He took them out no problem. This demon has made him so strong. I can't take him on unless I shoot him with my arrow, but I might just kill him.' She continued going forward, following him on. 'I'm not leaving you, Ikuto. There's no way I'm leaving you now! We're in this together.'

"Where are you, Ikuto?" Inuyasha was running in the forest, following his scent. It seemed to be leading him back to Kagome. 'You better still be alive.'

"Inuyasha" called Kagura from the air on her feather. "Still looking for the pest?" She jumped down and caught her feather that gently fell down into her hand. "I have orders from Naraku not to let you pass." She looked up to see Naraku's poisonous insects. "And I don't plan on failing." 'I don't want to kill Inuyasha, but I certainly would like to see what his reincarnation is capable of. I'll play around for real this time.' "Dance of blades!"

Inuyasha blocked her attacks with his Tetsusaiga but the more she used it, the less he was able to block the attack. "I don't have time for you!"

"Your friend is in horrible shape, Inuyasha. He'll be dead within hours, him or Kagome."

Inuyasha began to growl like an animal. "If Kagome is hurt I swear I'll kill you!"

"I didn't do anything to Kagome. It's your reincarnation who may hurt her. The demon probably has him under his complete influence. The demon is taking orders from another demon, one that is in the company of Naraku right now."

"I'm not gonna let any of my friends get hurt, and you're not gonna get in my way! Wind scar!"

Kagura jumped up on her feather before Inuyasha could strike her down with the Tetsusaiga. "Come on Inuyasha, you'll have to do better than that."

'Kagome, you've got to stay alive through this. Ikuto, you better not touch Kagome or I swear you'll regret it.' "Okay Kagura, lets do this!"

Outside of the forest there was a river that Ikuto and Kagome began to follow. It went right in the middle of a spilt mountain. After a while, he looked up to see a female demon on top of a cliff. Ikuto stopped following the river and began to climb up on the rocks. "Wait a sec!" Kagome waited until he had climbed up quite a bit, which didn't take too long. Not only was the demon helping him become stronger than what she could comprehend, but Ikuto was in great physical shape also. Kagome was having a very hard time getting up there. "Hold on Ikuto! Wait a moment!" He kept on climbing up without even listening to her voice. She pressed on though. It was hard, but she couldn't abandon Ikuto.

He reached the top far before she was even half way, a very impressive accomplishment for Ikuto, considering how high it was. "Man, is he a man or a monkey? This is ridiculous! How can I keep up with someone like this?" When Kagome got up at the top, she was greeted by two men that roughly pulled her up. "Let me go you big apes!"

There was a demon, a female demon holding one of her hands out and holding on to a box with the other while Ikuto gave her the four jewel shards that Ikuto stole from Kagome. "Very good Ikuto, I'd expect that you'd do great things." She smiled. "It took longer than what I would have expected, but it was done easily enough. She went over to Kagome and smirked in her face. "Hello Kagome, you're the girl right? You're Kagome? You're Kikyou's reincarnation right?"

"And what if I am? If you don't let me and Ikuto go then you're going to be really sorry!"

She only began laughing. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Animji. I control these parasite demons, and yes, that includes the one inside of your friend. He's impressed me very much. He at my command was able to defeat the monk, Miroku and the demon slayer, Sango. It surprised me how strong he became. Will you explain his power to me?"

"I don't know anything and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you!"

"I suppose it doesn't matter. Your friend is about to get a whole lot stronger." She sat her box down right in front of Kagome and went back over to Ikuto. "Are you ready to be unstoppable?"

Ikuto didn't answer. "Of course he is" said Naraku as he emerged from the shadows. "And will he be strong enough to defeat Inuyasha?"

"Of course he will. If he was able to take on the demon slayer and the monk, four jewel shards will be plenty enough to help him destroy Inuyasha and any other demon I want him to kill." She took his arm and forced one of the jewel shards into his skin and even deeper. He didn't really feel it that much and the wound easily closed back up. She did the same to the other arm and to his legs until the four jewel shards were all inside his body. "It's done."

"Leave him alone!" Kagome screamed. "You'll pay for this Naraku!"

Ikuto didn't do anything for a while. The jewel shards didn't have any affect at first, but then he stepped back away and collapsed on the ground, yelling out in pain. "It's too much!" He began beating the ground with his arms, causing the ground to break up with each blow.

"You monsters! He can't survive with the demon so strong inside of him! You've got to take the jewel out or he'll die!"

Animji just smiled. "We'll see. It's a risk I'm willing to take. After he kills Inuyasha, I'll have him kill you."

"Or better yet" Naraku smirked "have her kill the reincarnation."

"That's a fine idea." She walked over to her box and picked it up. "Are you ready girl?"

"Dance of the dragon!" Inuyasha was about to use his backlash wave, but then Kirara came just before the attack actually hit him.

"Kirara!" He jumped on her back and they flew up in the air. "Why aren't you with the others? Is Kagome in trouble?"

Kirara just growled in agreement, and flew away from Kagura.

'So they escaped. Naraku himself can handle it from here.'

'I'm coming Kagome!'

Ikuto was coughing up blood and his skin tone was becoming much paler. His insides were stretching and burning as the demon got stronger and stronger from the jewel shards. He had never felt such pain.

"Don't worry Kagome" she opened the box and pulled out a parasite demon. "You'll get your chance to kill your friend."

To be continued…

A/N: Now there's a lot of trouble! Just wait until the next chapter!