Konnichiwa, minna! I'm back with a new chapter after like…what, 2 months? Man, I feel soooo bad! I have like two more chapters ready to go and already written after this, if it makes you feel better. Hope you like!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha…wish I did… –sighs–

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Getting used to her new change, personally, wasn't too hard; it was getting others to get used to it, which was the problem. The first shock was when she first walked into the village since her attack by Kyoko. Heads turned, eyes widened, and quiet gasps and whispers filled the tense air. Finally, one man spoke up. "Are you really Lady Kagome?"

Yes."

"Don't listen to her!" another voice cried out, "She's just a demon! She trying to deceive us with her tricks!"

"Hush, Kogoro," came a woman's voice, "You don't know what you're talking about. That's Lady Kagome."

"Yeah."

"Definitely."

"Of course it is!"

Kagome, who had been about to protest, breathed a sigh of relief.

"But she's still a demon…" another man's voice said dubiously.

"True…"

Kagome fled to the outskirts of Inuyasha's Forest. What does everyone have against demons? Inuyasha's a hanyou and they don't treat him like that.

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The next day, Kagome re-entered the village, and received a different reaction from the day before, shocking her a second time. Mothers ushered their children into their huts, casting fearful glances at her, and the men all stood beside their doors, ready to fight. All was silent. "What's going on?" she asked nervously.

"Don't you even think about attacking us!"

"Why would I attack you? Who said I was going to attack you?"

"Kogoro said he heard you planning to attack us!"

Kagome looked around in confusion, "I never planned to attack you! I swear!"

"Why should we believe you, demon?"

Kagome turned and walked away.

She avoided the village for the most part, but everyday the stories about her grew worse and worse until one day she heard the villagers talking about her. "She's going to attack our village and eat our children! We have to kill her before she does!"

Kagome turned tail and ran. Literally. Finally, she reached the Goshinboku and sat down against its trunk, hugged her knees to her chest, and began to cry.

Inuyasha sniffed the air, recognizing the scent of Kagome's tears. Kagome! He raced to her sobbing form. "Kagome!"

She looked up, "Oh, hi, Inuyasha." She attempted to dry her eyes, but the tears just kept coming.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"Kagome…tell me what's wrong."

"No! I'm fine!"

"No, you're not!"

"Yes, I am!"

"No, you're not!"

"Yes, I am!"

"Why don't you want to tell me what's wrong?"

Kagome sighed and sobbed again. "The villagers all think I'm going to attack them and eat their children and now they want to kill me! I didn't do anything to them!"

Inuyasha sighed and knelt down next to her. "How long has this been going on?"

"About two days."

"How come I didn't know about it!"

"I-I didn't want to bother you…"

"Do you know where they got these ideas from?"

"They all said that a man named Kogoro told them."

Inuyasha stood up, "Come on." He grabbed her wrist, pulled her up, and together they walked down to the village. "Where can I find Kogoro?" he asked.

A young man pointed a shaking finger at Kagome, "You're going to eat him, aren't you?"

Kagome shook her head vigourously, "No!"

Inuyasha smirked, "If you show us where Kogoro is, I promise I won't let her eat him."

The man slowly nodded and pointed his shaking finger down the path to their right. "He lives in the last house down there."

"Thanks," Inuyasha nodded.

They walked down to the small hut and found no one there. "Kogoro?" Inuyasha called.

"Over here. Who is it?" he called back.

Inuyasha peeked around the hut to find him a little bit behind it. They approached him and his eyes grew wide with fear. "Get back, demon! Don't touch me with your filthy hands!"

"Was it you who told the villagers that I would attack them and eat their children?" Kagome accused.

"Yes! I couldn't stand to watch my village fall prey to the lies of a filthy demon like you! So who was the filthy traitor? Your father or your mother? I hope they burn in all seven hells!" he sneered.

Inuyasha snarled and his arm shot out, his fingers burying themselves in the fabric of the front of his gi. He lifted the struggling man into the air, "If I ever hear another lie about Kagome come out of your mouth, I'll rip your tongue out. For your information, Kagome's not filthy and neither are her parents! She's not a hanyou by birth, stupid, so don't you ever disrespect her again, you bastard!" He let go and the man fell, cowering, to the ground. "Get out of my sight," he ordered, and the man fled.

Inuyasha turned around and twitched slightly as if he had just realized she was there. They both blushed pink. "Thanks, Inuyasha," Kagome smiled at him, making his heart melt.

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Naraku threw the wooden doll across the room and it snapped in two as it hit the frame of the shoji. The hair slid off and curled up on the floor next to the splintered wood. They burst into a puff of smoke and were no more. The hanyou growled in frustration. "How did they manage to break the curse? Kanna!"

The young girl in white shuffled slowly over to him, her tiny feet carefully stepping one in front of the other. Finally, she reached Naraku and bowed slightly. Naraku spoke smoothly and with contempt, "Show me the girl, Kagome."

Kanna murmured her response and her mirror began to swirl in white clouds. "Yes, my lord." An image of Kagome appeared within its depths and Naraku peered closer, smiling maliciously.

Kagome was sleeping in her strange futon, tossing and turning. Her face was scrunched up in pain and fear and beads of sweat raced each other down from her forehead, down her cheeks, and dripped off her chin.

"Sleep well, Kagome, for soon you will no longer be sleeping very much at all." He laughed evilly while Kanna stood emotionless, unflinching and apparently uncaring.

After a few minutes of silence had stretched between them, Naraku stood up and beckoned for Kanna to follow him, turning to leave the room. The shoji slid open and the two walked down the hall. Near the end, by the closed shoji of a small room, Kagura bowed and joined their silent stroll. The three of them continued until they arrived at a small chamber barely large enough to accommodate ten people. The trio fit comfortably, however, and the demon sisters stood before their master is quiet anticipation.

Naraku did not speak, however. He merely stared at them. Kanna gazed emotionlessly back, but Kagura began to grow uneasy. Her cold demeanor did not flinch, though. Cold air seemed to seep in from all sides, merging with the darkness and feebly attempting to fight off the dim light that allowed the demons to just see their master and nothing more. They stood there as such, none of them daring to move, for at least an hour. To Kagura, it seemed like an eternity. She fought the urge to shiver, both from the cold and Naraku's piercing eyes boring into her. She clutched her fan tightly and her eyes began to water from staying open for so long. She blinked. That was her mistake. Naraku found her moment of weakness and swiftly her heart appeared in his hand and he squeezed tightly. Kagura's hand instinctively clutched her breast and she screamed, louder and longer as Naraku's grip tightened. He chuckled. "This is but a taste of what shall ensue if you do not successfully complete your next task. He loosed his grip on the wind sorceress's heart and opened his fingers so the heart could disappear, only to reappear once again in its place in Naraku's room.

Naraku stepped closer to Kagura and lifted her chin with his hand. "I have much greater things in store for the young priestess, but they will not work out if you fail this."

Kagura did her best to nod and gulped slightly. As hard as she tried to hide it, Naraku and his ever-observant eyes noticed it and his eyes crinkled in amusement. "Go and kill Kyoko."

Confusion flickered across Kagura's eyes at the order, but quickly masked it. "If I may ask…?"

Naraku nodded and smirked, "Why I want Kyoko dead? Yes. I'm going to slowly destroy everyone around Kagome. I'll show her pain beyond anything she's ever felt before. I'll start with the ones not so close to her until I reach Inuyasha, and then he will die a slow, painful death right before her eyes." He let out a maniacal laugh that sent shivers running up Kagura's spine. "Now go."

Kagura nodded and left the room. She walked down the hall and stepped outside. For all she knew, it could have been the middle of the day or the middle of the night, and she wouldn't have been able to tell the difference. Naraku's clouds of miasma always kept the outside world hidden and kept them hidden from the outside world. It also hid the sunlight Naraku hated so much.

Kagura whipped out her white feather and hopped on it. As she knelt, it rose high into the air and flew off away from Naraku and toward Kyoko, Kagura's new victim.

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Kyoko sat up from her literal catnap and stretched and yawned, her fangs exposing themselves. She leaned against the tree she was lying under and just looked around, gazing at the farmers cultivating their fields, the women watching the children while casually chatting amongst themselves, and the younger children chasing each other around in some unknown spontaneous game. She closed her eyes and could still picture the scene. When she opened them again, she found her son had joined in the chase. A proud smile graced her lips as Shippou evaded every boy's attempts to catch him, winding his way easily through legs and around outstretched arms. The boys' laughter resounded throughout, music to Kyoko's ears.

She was startled to reality as Kagome made her way up the hill at Kyoko's feet and plunked down next to the kitsune youkai. "It's so nice and quiet here, isn't it?" she commented lightly. "With Inuyasha around, it's really noisy down there." She motioned with her hands toward Kaede's hut. Kyoko nodded absently. Kagome was silent for a moment before attempting to strike up conversation once again. "Where have you been recently? I've hardly seen you."

Kyoko turned her face to Kagome and shrugged, "I don't know, around, I guess. I like the quiet up here. I can watch Shippou too. He's grown so much, I hardly recognize him."

Kagome grinned proudly, "I know! I've known him less than you have, and I've still noticed how fast he's growing! It's like everyday he gets bigger. He's going to be a young man soon." Her voice saddened slightly.

"My little Shippou is growing up," Kyoko realized.

Kagome nodded, "I was thinking the same thing." By the time she realized who she was talking to, it was too late. She clamped a hand to her mouth. "I…I didn't mean…I mean, I know you're his mother…I shouldn't be saying…I'm sorry!"

Kyoko smiled and waved the apology away with her hand. "Don't worry about it. You're like a second mother to him. I'm glad he had someone like you when I wasn't there."

Kagome relaxed, "Ok." Silence lapsed comfortably between them.

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Inuyasha leaned against the Goshinboku, one leg bent on the branch he sat on and one hanging listlessly down. His eyes closed, he breathed deeply, savoring the peace that so rarely surrounded him. Leaves rustled about him, foods and fields sent their smells wafting on the wind that played with his hair and teased his nose. He was oblivious to the outside world, and yet remained as alert as ever. Faces flashed through his mind: his mother, himself as a small, innocent child, his brother, Kikyou, Sango, Miroku, Shippou, Kyoko, and finally, the one that unconsciously brought a smile to his face, Kagome. She laughed and smiled at him. He sighed at her face, wishing he could hold it and…he blinked and opened his eyes, forcing the thought from his mind. What the hell was that? He shook his head ad focused on the peaceful silence once again.

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Sango sat on a tree stump outside Kaede's hut and polished her Hiraikotsu until it gleamed. One spot, however, would not come off. It was a drop of dried demon blood, which usually came off fine, but this one was adament. She scrubbed furiously. It began to fade, but not disappear.

Miroku looked up from his own task as Sango's frustrated muttering reached his ears. He smiled. She was always cutest when she was angry. And when she blushed. Both of which she did when he groped her. He didn't do it for those reasons, though. His hand just had a mind of its own. He was a pure-hearted gentleman! An evil thought plagued his mind and his hand twitched, but he fought it off gallantly. It just wasn't the right time. He returned to his work. A pile of long rectangular pieces of paper lay on his left, and a smaller stack sat at his right. The left stack was blank, but the right stack had kanji symbols on them. A brush and bottle of ink lay at his feet. He balanced a blank sheet on his lap and picked up the brush. After dipping its tip in the black ink, he placed it to the paper and began to draw. The figure appeared, one line at a time, until the complete character was visible. He then placed the paper on the slowly growing written-on pile to his right. He then repeated the process over again. By the time he had finished the newest paper, the one he had written barely a minute before had dried. The pile grew steadily until he set the last one down with an air of finality. Miroku stood up and stretched, cracking his back. Then, he bent down and picked up the bottle, its lid, and the brush. He placed the lid on the inkbottle and handed both items to Kaede, who gladly accepted the writing tools with a nod of thanks. Miroku smiled at her and turned back to the now dry stack of paper slips. He picked them up and bent down again to retrieve the box of little sticks Kagome called 'ma-chez' and set off for the Inuyasha forest. When he had reached a quiet, secluded area, he picked up a handful of medium-sized rocks and arranged them in a small circle. He picked up some dry sticks and leaves on the ground, being too lazy to go look for a larger amount, and dumped them unceremoniously in the center of the ring. Miroku opened the box of 'ma-chez' and pulled out a tiny stick. He scraped it swiftly against the rough strip on the side of the box, just as Kagome had demonstrated many times before. A flame flickered into creation, dancing atop the red tip. He threw it on the mass of twigs and it immediately burst into flame. The small fire roared and crackled merrily. Miroku reached into his robes and pulled out a small green drawstring pouch. He opened it and pulled out a pinch of the grey powder inside. He sprinkled the powder over the fire and smoke began to rise in thin silver fumes, almost a dry, smoky, translucent mist. Miroku closed his eyes, raised his arms into the air, and began to chant. The deep, mysterious chant had a steady rhythm that forced the words to resound intensely throughout the small clearing. His eye snapped open and he picked one paper up and passed it through the smoke slowly so that it came out with a fine layer of grey soot and felt warm to the touch. He did this with every slip until they were all smoke-kissed with a thin layer of soot and warm to the touch. It was done. He now had a pile of twenty or so sutras to use on demons. Miroku smiled to himself.

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Kagura landed near Kyoko and Kagome silently. She swiftly replaced her feather and whipped out her closed fan. Careful not to make a sound, she stepped cautiously through the undergrowth until she was right behind the two kitsune youkai.

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Kagome's ears twitched. She sniffed the air. What the…? "I smell Naraku…" she muttered to Kyoko.

She also sniffed the air, "Yea, me too."

Suddenly, they both whipped their heads around to find Kagura grinning evilly at them. "How are you?"

Kagome and Kyoko leapt up and growled, "Why are you here?"

Kagura smiled, "To kill you." She snapped open her fan.

Kyoko stood protectively in front of Kagome. "Run!" Kyoko muttered, assuming that Kagura was after Kagome. Kagome nodded and took off. She had just made it past Kagura when she realized two things: Kagura wasn't chasing her and Kyoko wasn't following her.

She turned around to find Kagura bringing her fan out to her right. She swept it across her body to her left, sending a wave of energy-charged wind blades hurtling toward Kyoko. "Dance of Blades!"

Kyoko dodged them, concentrating on the wind sorceress. She, in turn, sent another round of wind blades in the kitsune youkai's direction. Kagome opened her mouth and screamed, "Kyoko!" Kagura didn't even blink. Kyoko stopped for breath and glared at Kagome. She mouthed the words, 'I told you to RUN!' Kagome shook her head defiantly, mouthing in response, 'No!' Kagome ran over to Kyoko. "She's not after me, she's after you! I'll hold her off and you run. I'll keep her occupied until you're out of sight and then I'll run too." Kyoko began to protest, but Kagome held up a hand. "I'll be fine. I'll even call Inuyasha. He'll probably come anyway. Who could miss that stench?"

Kyoko nodded reluctantly, "Fine, but if you die, I'll never forgive you." And with that, she sped off before Kagome could reply.

The young miko-turned demon reached behind her for her arrows and realized that she hadn't brought them. Not that they would have made a difference now that I'm a demon. "Hey Kagura! What's the matter? Have you forgotten about me?"

Kagura scowled, "No, I haven't. But if you're so eager to die, that's fine by me. Dance of Blades!" Blades whipped out at high speeds. Kagome dodged them all and then hopped up to Kagura to swipe her face with her claws. She missed the wind sorceress's face, but managed to scratch her fan arm pretty badly. She leapt back and Kagura knelt, clutching her upper arm in pain. The sorceress looked up, eyes flashing red, and, wincing in pain, sent one more blade crashing toward Kagome. Hey eyes widened and she froze as the blade sliced through her stomach.

"Ugh," she groaned in pain as she collapsed to her knees, arms tightly wound around her stomach. Gritting her teeth, she stood up, swayed a bit, and dashed to Kagura and slashed across her body, ripping away a bit of her kimono so that the middle of her chest was exposed. The rest of her upper kimono hung in tatters, barely covering her. Blood dripped, staining streaks of red down her kimono. Kagome smirked and sliced her claws across Kagura's stomach. Then, she turned tail and ran, unknowingly, in the direction of Kyoko's escape.

Kagura knelt, panting, for a moment before straightening up and pulling out her white feather. She sat on it, sighing, and it lifted into the air. She searched around from above for Kagome or Kyoko, but could not find either. Finally, she spied a rustling in the brush below. As she descended, she saw it was Kyoko. A smirk slid across her face in celebration. She landed in the clearing that Kyoko was hiding in and faced the kitsune youkai. Kagura brought out her fan and waved it across her body. Kyoko jumped out of the way easily. "Dance of Blades!" Kagura cried. Huge blades sliced through the area to Kyoko, who was hit by one in the leg. That was her greatest mistake. Her speed decreased twofold and suddenly the blades seemed much faster and more dangerous. "Dance of Blades!" Another round of wind blades made their way to Kyoko. One sliced through the tree next to her, barely missing her. One clipped the tip of one of her ears, sending a drop of blood spiraling down into her hair, splattering across multiple strands. Kyoko winced in pain, but did not waver.

Kagura smiled in triumph, though it was laced generously with pain. She knelt once more, clutching her stomach with her arms. As she pulled her hands away, she was horrified to find they were covered in her blood. It dripped down from her wound and dripped in crimson puddles at her feet. The smell empowered her nose and she wrinkled it in disgust.

Kyoko looked at her in slight surprise and then snickered. "Did Kagome do that? Haha! She's the gentlest girl I know; I wonder what you did to get her to hurt you like that. Or maybe your stench just drove her crazy."

Kagura looked up and scowled. With a snarl, she swiped her blade across the air. With rapid speed, a single blade charged at Kyoko. Before the kitsune knew what had hit her, the blade smashed into her head-on. Kyoko fell backward, her eyes wide in disbelief. She lay in pain on the ground, her blood pooling around her from her wound. A long laceration cut from her forehead down to her legs. She drew in ragged breaths, struggling to live just another moment longer, another moment, until each second felt like an eternity. The pain consumed her and she fought to remain conscious, knowing that if she gave herself up to sleep, she'd never wake up again.

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Kagome dashed through the forest, blindly cutting her way through the brush. A scent caught her attention, causing her to curse her choice of direction. It was Kyoko's scent. Shoot! If we're going in the same direction, then it'll be simple for Kagura to find either one of us… Unfortunately, it wasn't just Kyoko's scent. Kagura's scent wound its way into the scene. She's found Kyoko! Then, when it seemed the situation couldn't get much worse, the last scent reached Kagome's nose: the scent of Kyoko's blood, and a lot of it. Kagome forced any thoughts of what may have happened from her mind continued running, doubling her speed. Her nose desperately searched for Kyoko's scent, and the more she ran, the closer she got to her goal. Finally, a clearing appeared in Kagome's line of sight and as she neared it, she found a scene that filled her with horror.

"Kyoko!" Kagome cried. Kyoko lay on her back on the far right of the clearing in a puddle of her own blood. Kagura knelt on the left side, clutching her arm wound in pain and smirking in triumph as she watched Kyoko's dying body.

Kagome's true self took over. She had fought Kagura before, and her demon instincts propelled her to seriously wound the wind sorceress. However, she was, by nature, gentle and nonviolent, and she found herself unable to make a move. Tears welled up in her eyes and she fell to her knees, crying into her hands. Her wails cut the air, their desperation reaching Inuyasha's alarmed ears.

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Inuyasha sniffed the air and Kagura's scent jolted him. What is she doing here? He leapt off his branch and sped across to Inuyasha Forest and used his demon speed to sprint through. He followed his nose, realizing two new smells along the way: Kyoko's blood and, the one that caused his blood to boil and chill at the same time, Kagome's blood. Kagome! If that bitch even touched her, I'll kill her! He jumped up a tree and tree-hopped as fast as he could, reaching the clearing shortly. The scene horrified him more than it did Kagome, as there were two bleeding bodies before him. Kyoko lay dying, a long cut slicing down her body, bringing his blood to a boil, and Kagome knelt, blood spilling from a laceration to her stomach, freezing the blood in his veins. He turned and found Kagura also kneeling with a wound to her arm. He glared, "Kagura! Did you do this?"

Kagura smirked, "Who else? I'll do the same to you."

Inuyasha let loose a feral growl, "You bitch!" He drew Tetsusaiga quickly and slashed at Kagura. The sorceress escaped with her life, but a new wound dripped blood from her exposed chest. Inuyasha charged mindlessly, slicing at her stomach, her arms, and her face. She leapt back from each jab, only being hit once across her other arm. Now blood dripped all across her upper body. She collapsed in the dust, her wounds turning black from the dirt. With her last ounce of strength, she grasped her feather, turning it a frightening shade of crimson, and it transformed into its larger form. She rolled onto it and gasped for air as it rose into the air and out of Inuyasha's reach. He turned and ran first to Kagome. "Kagome! Are you alright?"

Kagome looked up at him and smiled weakly, "I'll be fine. We should worry about Kyoko." She looked away in guilt.

Inuyasha used one hand to turn her head to him once more, "What's the matter?"

"It's my fault," she choked out through her tears, "I told her to run. I couldn't fend off Kagura. I couldn't fend her off. If I was a little stronger I could have stopped her, but I'm just too weak. It's all my fault…"

Inuyasha shook his head, "No! Don't say that! It isn't your fault. Kyoko will be fine, I'm sure of it." But Kagome didn't believe him.

The two hanyous made their way to the kitsune youkai. She gave a shuddering gasp as she stared up with glazed eyes. Kyoko coughed up blood and it dribbled down the side of her chin, splashing onto the ground. "I…I'm sorry," she rasped, "Tell Shippou I'm sorry."

"For what?" Inuyasha asked.

"You'll understand soon enough…I promise…But for now, I'm sorry." Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Kagome gasped and swooped down to find Kyoko's pulse, but it was silent. She gazed back up at Inuyasha with tears in her eyes.

Inuyasha sighed and fought his own tears. He bent down and picked Kyoko up in his arms. "Come on. We need to bring her back to Kaede's hut." They walked back in silence, the air settling around them gloomily.

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The hanyous arrived at Kaede's hut. Their mere presence silenced the group sitting there, which deepened as they spotted the tears threatening to spill from Kagome's eyes and Inuyasha's solemn face. The silence was shattered as their eyes finally came to rest on Kyoko's battered and defeated body. "Kagome! What happened?" Sango gasped.

Kagome lowered her eyes. "I…I…"

Inuyasha laid a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "It wasn't your fault," he whispered. His words were meant for her ears alone, but Miroku and Sango heard and they turned to each other with worried and confused looks crossing their eyes.

Inuyasha gently pushed Kagome inside. "Go on. You need to rest. Trust me, you'll feel better." Kagome nodded without speaking and shuffled inside. The hanyou turned to the two staring at him and shook his head. 'Follow me,' he mouthed. They slipped away from the hut and to a quiet section on the edge of the forest. Inuyasha set Kyoko down on the ground and knelt. Miroku and Sango stood on either side of him. Inuyasha took a deep breath and, fighting back more tears, began to rapidly dig. Like a dog, he scraped the dirt and brought it up flying behind him. Soon enough, a fairly deep hole lay before him. Panting, the hanyou turned around and picked up Kyoko and lay her gently down in the hole. Sango and Miroku stepped forward. Sango knelt before the lip of the hole and bowed her head in a silent prayer that she had learned in her village. When she finished, she quietly stood up and stepped back, her eyes never leaving the deceased kitsune. Miroku stepped up next and pressed his palms together and bowed his head. He quietly chanted a prayer that only barely reached Inuyasha and Sango's ears. After a minute, he finished with a final "Sayonara, Kyoko." He stepped back and allowed Inuyasha forward. The hanyou also bowed his head for a moment in respect and then gently pushed the pile of dirt in front of him into the hole so that it covered Kyoko's body and filled the pit to its brim. He bent down and smoothed the surface over with his hands and stood up again. Sayonara, Kyoko.

Kagome curled up in the farthest corner of Kaede's hut, trying to immerse herself completely in the shadow that lingered there. Kaede stirred her soup pot silently before speaking. "Would ye like to tell me what happened, child?"

Kagome moaned lightly. "I…Kyoko…gone…all my fault."

Kaede's brow furrowed. Kagome had never acted so strangely before. "Slowly, child."

Kagome lifted her head and her blank eyes stared emotionlessly at the old miko. "I…Kyoko…Kyoko is…Kyoko is…she's dead!" Kagome wailed the last part hopelessly.

Kaede jolted. "Dead?" This was a surpise.

"Yes…"

Kaede lowered her eyes. "How did this come to be?" she asked finally.

Kagome looked away, "I killed her."

Kaede's eyebrow rose, "I do not believe ye killed her, Kagome. Ye are too gentle a maiden to kill anybody, let alone a friend. Tell me what happened and I shall judge for myself who has killed Kyoko."

Kagome sniffed and nodded. She took a deep breath and began shakily. "We were…were sitting on the hill overlooking the village. We were just talking, and then I smelled Naraku."

Kaede's eyebrow rose higher at this but she said nothing.

"We turned around and Kagura was standing right behind us. She and Kyoko started to fight because we thought she was after me. Kyoko told me to run, and I thought she would follow me, so I ran. Kyoko didn't follow me, and neither did Kagura, and I realized that Kagura was after Kyoko, not me."

"Kagura was after Kyoko?" Kaede verified, confused.

Kagome nodded, "Yea. Maybe Naraku wanted Kyoko back because she wasn't under his control anymore."

Kaede nodded, "That is a possibility. This is strange…I wonder why Naraku would want Kyoko over ye."

Kagome shrugged, "I don't know." There was a pause until Kaede spoke.

"Continue."

Kagome nodded, "I ran back and told Kyoko to run and that I would hold Kagura off until she was out of sight. Kyoko ran and I fought Kagura."

"On your own?" Kaede interjected in surprise.

Kagome nodded, "Yea. She got me pretty bad but I think I've damaged her fan arm for a while now."

Kaede laughed, "Good job, Kagome! But let me see where ye were hurt."

Kagome waved away her concern with a hand, "I'm fine. I deserve it anyway."

Kaede shook her head, "Nay, child. Ye do not deserve any such thing. Now, please, let me see."

Kagome hugged herself, "I'm fine, really. Anyway, I ran while Kagura was on the ground. I thought I was running in the opposite direction that Kyoko ran, so it would be harder for Kagura to find us, but I accidentally ran in the same direction that Kyoko did. Kagura found Kyoko and they fought. And she…she killed Kyoko!" Kagome began to cry. "I got there in time to see Kyoko on the ground…dying. I just…I just…I froze and I couldn't move. She was dying and we could have saved her, but I was too scared to move. If I wasn't so weak, I could have brought Kyoko back so she could heal, or I could have defeated Kyoko when I fought her so she wouldn't have had enough energy to kill Kyoko!" Kagome began to wail and tears spilled over her cheeks in waterfalls that splashed across the floor.

Kaede reached over and stroked Kagome's back comfortingly, "Shh, it was not your fault, child. It was Kagura's fault and ye know it. Do not beat yeself up over what Kagura has done and what ye could not help."

Kagome shook her head, pushing away Kaede's concern, "It was all my fault! If I wasn't so weak…I thought maybe I'd be stronger now that I'm a hanyou, but it obviously hasn't made a difference."

Kaede leaned back in surprise. She had never known this was going on within Kagome's heart and mind.

&&&&&

Inuyasha stepped back from the wall that he had been listening through. He, too, had never even considered that Kagome could ever have such a conflict going on inside her. Does she really think she's weak? And does she seriously believe it's her fault that Kyoko's…dead? The word caused him to choke slightly. He didn't know her that well, but she was still considered a friend…and what scared him more was the thought that Kagome even considered herself capable of…murder… The word itself even scared him. Kagura is the murderer, he convinced himself firmly. Inuyasha turned around and lightly ran off on silent feet to Goshinboku. When he reached it, he jumped up to its lowest branch and sat against the trunk. Poor Kagome… How can I convince her that it isn't her fault? He closed his eyes and immediately, her face swam into view. Oh, Kagome. Someone like you could never commit something as terrible as murder. That's what people like me do… His shoulders sagged. For some reason, the thought of his bloodied hands saddened him, as did the thought of Kagome's untouched innocence. Someone like her could never love someone like me, he thought hopelessly. His body shot up in a mental awakening, Why do I care if she would never love me? I don't love her. I don't. I would never love her…Never… Futilely, he convinced himself that his heart did not belong to the schoolgirl from the future. I don't love her…I don't.

On the other side of the wall, Shippou stumbled backward on his butt and began to cry. Dead? She's dead? Kagome rushed out at the noise to find Shippou sobbing.

"Oh, Shippou!" She picked him up and held him close, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." Her tears mixed with his and they clung to each other.

Shippou sniffed, "Why are you sorry?"

"I…" she cried, "I let her die. It's all my fault." She knelt, Shippou still in her arms, and cradled him.

"No," he assured her, hugging her neck tightly, "I know it's not your fault. You're too nice. It was Kagura's fault. I love you, Kagome."

She just cried hard and held him tighter. But even as her tears finally subsided, Shippou's continued on.

Kaede held both close when she found them. "It's ok. Shhh. Come inside, you're both shivering." She helped them in and they held each other in a corner as Kaede watched them by the fire.

"Shippou," Kagome spoke quietly, "Kyoko told me to tell you she's sorry."

"For what?" he asked miserably.

"I don't know. She said we'd understand soon enough." She closed her eyes and held Shippou close. Kagome finally fell asleep, but Shippou cried through the night and didn't sleep. Sango and Miroku watched him with sad eyes, sending silent comfort just with their presence. Inuyasha stood by the door, one eye trained outside and one on the two closest to his heart.

---A Couple Months Later---

Kagome sighed. It was time. "Inuyasha?" she ventured cautiously.

He looked up at the sound of his name. "Yeah?"

"Uh…I need to…to go back to my era for a bit. My mom still doesn't know about…my change."

Inuyasha frowned, "I guess you would need to go eventually. Better sooner than later."

Kagome was surprised. Since when has Inuyasha been so mature and understanding? Now for the hard part… "Inuyasha?"

"Yeah?" This time, he didn't look up.

"Uh…I was wondering…well…I don't know how my mom will take this…what I mean to say is…" She took a deep breath, "Will you come with me?"

Inuyasha looked up in surprise, "Wha…?" he answered stupidly.

Kagome turned red, "If you don't want to…that's ok, really…" She trailed off miserably and began to turn away in the direction of the well.

"No, wait!" Inuyasha said quickly, grabbing her wrist, "I'll come with you. I'll always be there for you when you need support." He smiled reassuringly up at her.

Kagome grinned and pulled him up excitedly, "Thank you, Inuyasha!" She grasped his hand and led him to the well.

&&&&&

After passing across 500 years, they reached Kagome's time and clambered nervously out of the well. Inuyasha had an idea suddenly. "Kagome," he stopped her, tugging on her sleeve, "I'll go in first and explain what happened so she doesn't totally freak out when she sees you, ok?"

Kagome stared at him disbelievingly. What's happened to him? Where's the immature selfish hanyou I'm so used to seeing? "S-Sure." She smiled, relieved, "Thank you, Inuyasha," she whispered.

Inuyasha smiled, "It's nothing. Come on. We're here. I'll o in first, you wait here." She nodded and he left, releasing her hand with one last reassuring squeeze.

Inuyasha slid open the shoji and stepped inside, his nose searching for Mrs. Higuarshi's scent. It hit him in the face as he reached the kitchen. "Mrs. Higurashi?" he asked, peering into the room.

Said woman looked at the doorway and smiled at the hanyou, "Inuyasha! What a nice surprise! I hope you're not looking for Kagome…she's been in the Sengoku Jidai for a while now."

Inuyasha shook his head, "No, Mrs. Higurashi. She hasn't been back for a while for a reason. Something's…uh…happened."

A look of worry and panic crossed the woman's face, "Something bad?"

The hanyou hesitated, "Uh, it depends how you look at it. I don't think Kagome minds too much."

Mrs. Higurashi sighed, "So she's not dead or injured, right?"

Inuyasha shook his head vehemently, "No! I would never let something like that happen to Kagome!"

Mrs. Higurashi smiled at him in apology, "No, no you wouldn't. I'm sorry; I was just worried. So…what's the problem, then?"

Inuyasha nodded, "Well, like I said, it depends whether you consider it a problem or not. She's gone through some big changes. I'm telling you this now so you won't be alarmed when she comes in."

"She's here?"

"Yeah. Right outside." Inuyasha took a deep breath, "Mrs. Higurashi, Kagome has become a hanyou."

Mrs. Higurashi nearly fainted, and her face turned a ghostly pale. "Wh-What?" she sputtered.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha called over his shoulder. The shoji slid open and Kagome stepped through, closing it with a quiet 'snap' behind her.

She walked forward to stand beside Inuyasha, "Hello, mom." Mrs. Higurashi fainted. "Mom!" Kagome cried anxiously. She ran to the sink and grabbed a napkin. After turning on the faucet and waiting until the water was icy cold, she dunked the napkin under the water and rushed back to Mrs. Higurashi. Kagome placed the dripping wet cold paper napkin on her mother's forehead and waited nervously until she came to. "Mom? Are you alright?"

Mrs. Higurashi sat up with a hand to her forehead, holding the napkin to her face. "Am I alright? I'm fine! I'm worried about you!"

Kagome smiled, "I'm fine, Mom. I don't mind being a hanyou. I was so worried about how you'd take it, that I was afraid to come home."

This seemed to upset Mrs. Higurashi more than her daughter's change. "Oh, Kagome, you should never be afraid to come home, no matter what. I'll love you, no matter what you are. As long as you're alright with it, right?"

"I'm fine with it, Mom. It took a little while to get used to it, but now I kind of like having super strong senses and stuff like that."

Mrs. Higurashis' fingers twitched, "May I?"

Kagome grinned, "Sure. Have fun."

Her mother brought her hand to Kagome's ears and rubbed them. As she brought them away, she laughed, "Sorry. I just couldn't resist. And besides, you're much more willing to let me rub your ears than Inuyasha."

Inuyasha grumbled and turned away, "Feh."

Kagome sighed in relief, but her delight was short-lived as a gravely voice cut through the silence, "Two hanyous! What have you done with my granddaughter, demons? Where are my wards?" His hand searched through his robe until he found his sutras. "Ha!" he cried in triumph and two wards stuck to Kagome's face ridiculously.

"Grandpa!" she yelled indignantly, "It's me!"

Grandpa's brow furrowed, "It's a trick…you kitsune youkai are all sly tricksters! I will not fall for your tricks!"

A vein popped in Kagome's forehead, "Grandpa!" Her fists clenched angrily, "Some kitsune youkai are tricksters, not all of them! And I'm not one of them! I'm Kagome! I'll prove it to you! Ask me anything!"

Grandpa's face scrunched in disbelief, but he did as she requested. "What did I get you for your fifteenth birthday?"

Kagome sighed, "Some fake demon's claw that I fed to Buyo. Now do you believe me?"

However, Grandpa's face had turned red, "It was not fake! It was real! That demon claw had ancient powers!"

"Suuure, Grandpa."

Mrs. Higurashi stood up and placed a hand on her father's shoulder, "Now do you believe that it is Kagome?"

"You really believe this demon?"

"Of course!" Mrs. Higurashi scoffed, "I'd know my daughter, no matter what form she took."

Grandpa 'hmph'ed and stared at Kagome for a moment, "Fine, I believe you. But how did my lovely Kagome get turned into a filthy hanyou? Was it you?" He pointed an accusing finger at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha sputtered furiously but Kagome interrupted him before he could stuff his foot into his mouth, as he tended to do in his anger. "Grandpa! Hanyous aren't filthy! Do you consider me filthy now? Do you consider Inuyasha filthy?"

He looked at his feet for a moment, "I'm sorry, Kagome. I don't think you're filthy at all."

Kagome nodded and sighed before sitting down in a chair. She indicated the seat next to her and Inuyasha followed her lead and sat down too. Grandpa sat down across from her and Kagome opened her mouth to begin when a shriek filled the kitchen. Kagome and Inuyasha simultaneously covered their sensitive ears.

Souta bounded into the room, "Two hanyous? Cool! Inuyasha, is that your girlfriend? Where's Kagome?"

Inuyasha blushed profusely, as did Kagome, but the latter was the only one able to speak in their embarrassment. "No, Souta, I'm not Inuyasha's girlfriend. I'm Kagome, you know, your sister?"

He looked disappointed and then brightened with a new question, "Then why are you a hanyou?"

"I was just about to explain before you jumped in. Sit down and I can start."

Souta nodded and sat down, "Wait, so you're not Inuyasha's girlfriend?"

Kagome slapped a hand to her forehead in exasperation, "No, Souta, I'm not his girlfriend. Didn't I just say that? Anyway, as I was about to say, no, Grandpa, it is not Inuyasha's fault. Naraku, you know that evil demon I've mentioned before?"

Mrs. Higurashi nodded, "Yes, the one with the monkey coat."

Inuyasha looked strangely at Kagome, "Monkey coat?"

The two burst into laughter, "Yeah, that one. Except it's a baboon cloak, not a monkey coat. Anyway, he sent a kitsune youkai to kill me. She wounded me pretty badly, but I recovered."

At this, Mrs. Higurashi's hand flew to her mouth, "Oh dear."

"She never meant to kill me, it turned out. There was a poison in her claws that turned me into a kitsune youkai, like her. However, Naraku put a spell on some priestess in a nearby village so she would obey him. He made her put a curse on me."

Mrs. Higurashi's eyes brightened in understanding, "She turned you into a hanyou!"

"No."

Her eyes dimmed, "Oh. Continue."

"I had to choose between Hojo, Inuyasha, and Kouga, who is a wolf youkai friend of mine." Inuyasha growled at his rival's name.

Mrs. Higurashi's eyes widened in remembrance, "Yes! I remember, and you told me about the curse! But I thought you chose Hojo…"

Grandpa looked from one to the other, "Why did I not know about this?"

Kagome shrugged, "I guess I didn't want to worry you. Ok, so if I chose Hojo, I would become human again and fall in love with Hojo, if I chose Inuyasha, I would become a kitsune hanyou and fall in love with him, and if I chose Kouga, I would continue turning into a full-fledged kitsune youkai, and fall in love with him."

"So you chose Inuyasha," Grandpa concluded.

"No. I chose Hojo. I came home for a few days, but when I went back, I started feeling a lot of terrible pain. My soul has the strength of a priestess, so the curse could only manage to take over half my soul and tie it to Hojo. The other half continued to fight the curse and as a result, they began to tear apart. That was the pain. My soul and heart were tied to someone else, see? Finally, my soul was hanging together by a thread and I was about to die. If I died, I wouldn't be able to be resurrected. I would be gone forever."

Mrs. Higurashi gulped nervously. "So…you were saved?"

Kagome smiled, "Sango, my tajiya friend had the idea of finding the priestess who originally cursed me and asking her to re-curse me. She went to the priestess and asked her. The priestess kept refusing, but finally Sango convinced her. She cursed me again and I changed my choice and chose Inuyasha so I could become a hanyou. My soul was saved just as it was about to break. I owe my life to Sango." Kagome smiled happily.

Grandpa nodded, "I see…"

Mrs. Higurashi smiled knowingly at Kagome.

Souta grinned, "So you chose Inuyasha because you love him, right?"

The two hanyous turned bright red. "Wh-What?" Inuyasha sputtered.

"I never said that!" Kagome defended herself quickly.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Of course you didn't, Kagome…but we all know you meant it! hahaha I'm pleased with this chapter, and I hope you guys were too! I tried my best to make this a longer chapter! Just a heads up: The next chapter, maybe even 2 (I still haven't decided how im gonna divide it up) is gonna be my EXTREMELY late xmas chapter hahahaha with at least one interestingly cute surprise hahahaha (it's a good surprise, I promise!) I'll post it soon…I promise…

Sarcasm Girl8 – Yea, me too! Guess it would be called Kouga lol. Or Kagome. Thanks for reviewing!

Devour Thy Flame – And I'm still patiently waiting for your update! It's your turn now! Haha No, no, for me that's DEF a compliment! Wow, I feel so honored that u thought I was fourteen or fifteen! Well, now im fourteen cuz my bdays past, but thas not the point hehehe Thanks! I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Hope you liked this one too! Thanks for reviewing!

dragon – Hehe glad to see u like! Well, I've updated again! And it's not a cliffhanger! –cheers– Hope you liked this one too! Thanks for reviewing!

Tainted InuShemeeko – Thank you! Hehe me too, he's so funny clueless, but it gets annoying sometimes lol Thanks for reviewing! Hope you liked this one too!

BeccaPatty – Hey! Thanks for reviewing! Thanks! Hehe I know, seriously, he's soooo dense! and you'll have to wait and see if they get together in the end…(haha come on, it's not a good story if they don't…lol) yes, how could he even consider naraku! Well, I didn't update soon…but at least I updated, rite? And ill be updating again soon cuz the nxt chapter(s) are written lol

angelicbrats – Hey! Thanks! Hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for reviewing!

anonmynous – Thanks! Thanks for reviewing! Hope you liked this chapter too!

orli–enthusiast – Thanks for the awesome review! Yep lol inuyasha would do something dumb like that…haha –cringes too– ill let u hav the honor of whacking him! Haha thanks! Yea me too! Kouga/kagome is awesome, as long as inuyasha doesn't exist (which isn't gonna happen) or if it ends up inukag in the end lol –hugs kouga– hope he feels better now! Lol me too, –whines– I wanna be a hanyou! Hehe rhymings cool!

purpleangel – Awww thanks! Thanks for reviewing!

PisxiePam – Kewl! I'm on your favs list! Wow I feel so honored and special! –feels honored and special– lol hope you liked this chapter too!

Kay-san1(ShinomoriMiyu – Thanks! Haha well, you don't know if I'm kidding or not… –attempts to look all mysterious– haha yep! Kouga's proposal was fun to write! Hehe especially inuyasha getting jealous lol Thanks for reviewing!

InuKagluver91 – Hey! Thanks! I'm glad you like! Thanks for reviewing! Ja ne! hehe

Mikkasura – You hav an awesome name! Lol does it mean anything? –waves hands in front of face frantically– I updated! See! Lol

LadySword04 – Hey! Woah long review! Lol! I luv those bestest! Hehe I was jkjk, dnt worry, I kno u ddnt leave hehehe kewl! I surprised u! lol thanks! I tried my best to keep them from being OOC lol yea, seriously, naraku, wat an idiot! Lol we luv him anyways tho…haha nope, she would've still had the soul-tearing experience because she doesn't luv kouga either. Thanks for the idea! ill play around with it!