Konnichiwa, minna! I know it's been a little longer than what's become usual, but boarding school is sooo busy! I won't have another chapter up for a little while again. I'm sorry. I hope this is enough to keep you going until then, though. The action starts next chapter.

Disclaimer: Don't own it. Don't care. If I owned it, I wouldn't be able to write fanfiction.

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

The next day, it was time for Kouga to leave Inuyasha and Kagome. They had neared the meeting place at which the wolf demon had arranged to convene with Ginta and Hakkaku. Kagome was sorry to see her friend leave. "It was really nice to see you, Kouga. I know we'll bump into each other again."

Kouga smiled kindly down at her. "It was great to see you, too. I'm sure we will, whether Inuyasha likes it or not."

"I won't like it, you mangy wolf."

Kagome admonished him irritably. "Inuyasha! Even Kouga is managing to be civil. Why can't you?"

"Even me?" Kouga teased her lightheartedly. "Are you saying I'm not normally civil?"

Kagome blushed and stuttered. "N-No! I didn't say that! I mean…what I mean is…"

Kouga placed his finger on her lips. "Shh, I was just kidding."

She laughed sheepishly, "I knew that…" She reached up and hugged her friend around the neck. "Thanks, Kouga, for everything. I hope we meet up before Naraku dies."

Kouga shook his head sadly. "Most likely not. Naraku will be dead by the time Inuyasha gets there."

Kagome laughed, "Inuyasha's not the one you're going to have to worry about for competition."

Kouga scoffed, "Like you'd be competition for me."

Kagome winked, "You may be surprised."

Kouga nodded, "Alright. We'll see. I'll see you later. Bye!" he called, waving as he ran off.

&&&

Kagome turned back to Inuyasha, who was sulking again. "What's the matter with you? You're not jealous again, are you?" She sighed hopelessly.

"I'm not jealous!" he protested. "What would I be jealous of?"

Kagome smiled, "That I was hugging Kouga."

"No! I don't care if you hug that mangy wolf."

"His name's Kouga, and I know you don't care. I'm just teasing you."

"Keh."

Kagome smiled and the two continued walking down the dirt road. The day was just as beautiful as the day before, and Kagome breathed in the fresh air. It was such a nice change to the smog of Tokyo.

&&&

Two hours passed in comfortable silence. Kagome looked back. The mountain looked much smaller and tamer from far away. Farmland surrounded them on all sides. The smells of the crops sailed their way on the crisp March breeze. Kagome breathed it in happily. "You know what?"

"What?"

"This reminds me of when we first started looking for the Shikon jewel shards. When it was just the two of us. I was kinda starting to miss those times."

"You were?" Inuyasha asked, turned to look at her.

"Yeah… I like traveling with you." She looked into the sky. "I love traveling with everybody, but sometimes I used to wish it could be just the two of us again."

"Why me? What about Sango? Or Shippou?"

Kagome looked back down at him with a smile. "Because you were my first friend here. You're the one I've known the longest and the most familiar face I'll ever see around here. Besides, I like being with you."

Inuyasha looked at her in wonder. "But…why? I'm not even that nice to you."

"I don't mind. I know you don't mean half the stuff you say." She flashed him a wide smile that left him dazzled.

Slowly, his face relaxed into a smile. Kagome…

&&&

The next few days were peaceful, disturbed only by the ever-growing proximity of the evil hanyou, Naraku. His stench permeated the air thickly, strengthening as Kagome and Inuyasha pushed forward. They were much closer; both could feel the cold that darkened the surrounding atmosphere. Kagome soon became accustomed to the feeling of her raised hackles and eventually paid no more mind to it than to the chills that ran up and down her spine. She had never been so close to Naraku before with her heightened demonic senses, and she hoped she would never have to again.

They did not stop often, in the interest of time, and kept a steady but quick pace. Many miles were covered in the space of a full day, which ran from sunrise to well past sunset. Meals were simple affairs. Kagome only bothered to cook once or twice a day: breakfast and dinner, though she would often produce a couple riceballs halfway through the day as a snack.

Soon, they spotted a plateau in the distance. They could see the long cliff in the front. The top was flat and extended back far enough that they couldn't see the end from their current position. There was a big black mass atop the plateau, but neither could distiunguish what exactly it was. However, the smell was coming from that general direction. "You think it's behind that plateau?" Kagome wondered aloud.

Inuyasha shrugged, "Guess we'll have to wait and see, right?"

Kagome nodded. "I hope not. That looks like it'll take forever to get over."

Inuyasha smirked, "Maybe for you. I could get over that thing in a couple hours."

"Yeah right," Kagome retorted.

"I could!"

Kagome shrugged her shoulders, "Alright, whatever you say. Anyway, I hope we don't have to go over it at all."

Inuyasha nodded, "Yeah. I wanna get this done. We're so close; I can smell it."

Kagome laughed out loud.

"What?" Inuyasha asked, confused.

"We've been able to smell it for almost ten days now."

Inuyasha crossed his arms, "Feh. Whatever."

&&&

That night, they camped under a solitary tree that towered high above the field stretching out adjacent to their campfire. Dinner was quieter that night than it had been the past few evenings. Finally, Kagome spoke up as they neared the end of the simple meal of riceballs and fish. "The smell around here is disgusting. We could camp in the middle of a rice paddy and not have to worry about demons. It's a wonder I didn't smell it when I was human…"

Inuyasha nodded. "I know. You never get used to it either. I've smelled from even before our beginning… And I hate it."

Kagome's face lit up and she felt warm. Our beginning… I just hope we don't have an end… Her face fell slightly.

"What?" he asked. "You've been doing that lately. You did it on the mountain, too."

Kagome looked just as confused as Inuyasha. "Doing what?"

"Smiling. Randomly, when I say things."

Kagome turned pink. "Oh. Uh, nothing. Just thinking."

"About what?" Inuyasha inquired.

Kagome shrugged. "Well, you said 'our beginning'."

Inuyasha frowned, "So? It was our beginning."

"Never mind. It's just…forget it."

"No, tell me." Inuyasha looked deep into her eyes and Kagome could see something in them that made her want to tell him. She opened her mouth against her will.

"Just that 'our beginning'… It sounds so…" she struggled to find appropriate words for her emotions. "Like all this time is important to you."

"It is." He still looked confused. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Kagome shook her head slightly. "I don't know. But I'm really glad it's important to you."

Inuyasha's mind whirred. Normally, he'd never have a conversation like this. But for some reason, his lips had loosened. They always did around her, but never in a good way. What does all this mean? His lips parted once more, this time with a question. "Has it been important to you?"

She smiled coyly at him with bright doe-like eyes. "I've never been happier in my entire life." Or more miserable… How ironic.

Inuyasha's mind raced again. I hope it's because of me…but why? I love Kikyou… I think… He delved unwilling into a self-absorbed moment of utter confusion and doubt. What do I do now? I don't know what to think anymore!

"Inuyasha?" Kagome called out his name softly to get his attention without scaring him.

He was startled all the same and flashed his eyes up at her. "Huh?"

"Just wondering if you were ok. You looked a little lost in though for a second there."

"Like you a minute ago?" he joked. He had no idea why he felt so relaxed with her. When everybody else was around, he just couldn't say the right thing, but now, when they were alone, he was just fine. It doesn't make any sense. I never had this problem with Kikyou. That's my proof. But only his pride was convinced. Unfortunately, it seemed to be the irrantional ruler of his mouth when nerves hit.

Kagome just smiled.

&&&

The next day was raining. It fell gently upon the frozen ground so that well past midday, the top layer of earth had finally thawed to mud. Kagome groaned as her shoes squelched in the mud. "Eww… Mud is the only thing I dislike about rain."

"You like rain?" Inuyasha repeated.

Kagome nodded with a dreamy smile. "It's so beautiful. It's like the sky's crying, and you have to look into your own heart to figure out whether it's in joy or sorrow."

Inuyasha looked impressed.

Kagome giggled quietly. "My mom used to tell me that."

"What is it then?"

Kagome stared at him strangely for a moment. "Both," she answered enigmatically.

Inuyasha closed his eyes for a moment. "Why both?"

Kagome looked away before answering. "I'll tell you some other time. Not now."

Inuyasha's face screwed up in puzzlement. "What's wrong with now?"

Kagome looked back, "You'll understand when I tell you." She turned her face to the sky. "I love the rain." She laughed and spun in a circle, still watching the clouds.

Inuyasha stopped and raised his eyebrow.

Kagome finally stood still and dizzily laughed again. "I haven't done that in a while. Though, now the world's all tilty…" She giggled girlishly at Inuyasha's face.

Inuyasha smiled slightly at her. "Ready to go?"

Kagome blinked and nodded. "Now I am."

The grey sky hung over them for the rest of the night, though the rain had long stopped.

Kagome sighed. "Guess I won't be watching the stars tonight."

"You like to watch the sky, don't you?"

Kagome turned to look at him. "I suppose. Don't you?"

"Just the stars," he admitted.

"Me too."

&&&

The next day was no longer cloudy, though slightly cooler than normal on account of the rain the day before. Neither hanyou minded, though. The plateau was very close. They would probably reach the foot of the front cliff by that evening if they walked at a relaxed pace. "Let's take our time today," Kagome suggested. "We won't be able to start climbing that cliff until tomorrow anyway, so there's really no point in rushing."

Inuyasha nodded, "Yeah. This'll be our break."

Kagome smiled, "We'll need one for the cliff."

"You will. I won't," Inuyasha smirked arrogantly.

Kagome sighed. "If I entered an ego contest, I would so have you on my team."

"What?"

"Never mind," Kagome smiled. She sighed, annoyed at the weather. She hated it like this: caught in between the beautifully falling rain and the blissfully warming sunshine. It held none of the beauty found in the sad rain, and none of the smile the sun seemed to carry when looking down. To be frank, it was gross. "It's all grey and muddy. No rain and no sun," Kagome scowled.

Inuyasha's voice was noncommitted. "Yeah… I don't really care. I guess it is a little boring."

Kagome nodded, "Yeah, boring's a good word for it."

The familiar silence overtook them again, leaving both to their tumultous thoughts.

Why is he suddenly so nice? This had been bothering her for weeks. He's never this nice to me when everyone else is around, so why now?

Maybe because he loves you…?

Kagome mentally shook her head at the voice. No way. He loves Kikyou, remember? He said so himself. He kissed her; he embraced her; he said he'd go to hell with her; he promised to protect her forever. Tears threatened to form at the corners of her eyes at the painful memories. The list goes on. It's so obvious. Who am I to tear them apart? They've loved each other since before I was born.

So? He doesn't love her now. He hasn't loved her for real ever since before she pinned him to Goshinboku. He just thinks he loves her, but deep down, he can't. Would you love him if he was a clay pot?

Kagome nodded defiantly. I will always love him, no matter what happens to him!

The voice sighed irritably. You're hopeless; you know that? They didn't even love each other that much before anyway. If they loved each other that much, then why did they throw away their trust in each other so quickly?

I did when Kyoko first turned be into a demon.

But you didn't put any power into your arrows. Kikyou put power into her arrows. There's your proof. The voice settled into a victorious silence.

Kagome could find no good argument for that. How does that mean that Inuyasha loves me?

That part didn't. I was just proving you wrong. Now you realize you are not like Kikyou. Inuyasha will realize that, too. He's already starting to. He's being nicer to you and willingly telling you his thoughts. Doesn't that mean anything?

It does. It means that he's feeling more comfortable with me and that he trusts me. Trust can be between friends, too, you know.

Does he do all that with Miroku, or Sango, or Shippou? They're his friends. He's admitted it himself.

I guess I'm just a closer friend to him. That's all.

Then, the voice played its trump card. He doesn't even do all that for Kikyou.

Kagome fell silent. She was beaten. And it felt so good. She didn't say so, though.

&&&

Inuyasha was having the same argument. I don't love her! I love Kikyou!

Keep thinking that. Prove to me that you love Kikyou and not Kagome.

Why should I have to prove anything to you? Inuyasha asked angrily.

Because you know I'm right, and I'm giving you a chance to find out without embarrassing yourself…in front of yourself.

I don't love her. I know what my heart says.

Do you?

Of course, I do! It's my heart!

Then why don't you leave? Kagome can't sense the jewel shards anymore, so now you're free to find Kikyou on your own.

I can't leave her now. She hasn't got anywhere to go and she can't really go back home, I mean she's a hanyou now. She's my friend, and I'm not gonna do that to a friend.

Just a friend, ok, sure. Do you know if she loves you?

Of course not. She can't love me; I'm a hanyou.

So is she, you dork.

Because of that curse. She wasn't born one… It was a feeble argument, but Inuyasha's pride kept at it. Besides, she loves that mangy wolf.

Jealousy! That's something that comes only with love.

I'm not jealous!

The voice smirked at him. Alright, she doesn't love you. So why not go and find Kikyou with her? Sango and Miroku got engaged, even though they stayed with everybody else. So why can't you and Kikyou just be together? And Kagome can go with Kouga or stay with you; it'll be her choice.

The idea was tempting and made perfect sense, but something held him back. Through all his ego and arrogance and confusion, Inuyasha knew exactly what it was. The thought of going back to Kikyou was recently becoming more an obligation than a desire.

The voice, being a part of him, answered his thoughts. Because she's a clay pot and you're finally beginning to see that. Wish her back to life with the jewel.

Inuyasha frowned. That had been his dream for so long. But now he didn't really want to. But why!

Because you don't love Kikyou anymore.

The thought held some validity. It could be true. Maybe. He just wasn't sure of anything anymore.

&&&

The sun set and the star came out under a bright moon. Kagome pointed to a rocky outcrop at the foot of the mountain. "How about over there?"

"That's good. We don't have to worry about demons here."

"'Cause of this awful stench." Kagome pinched her nose for effect.

"Uh huh," Inuyasha agreed.

Kagome started a fire and took out her pot. "Inuyasha, will you go get some water? If you can't, just grab some snow."

Inuyasha nodded, "Be right back." He sniffed the air and found no trace of water. Looking up, he found a pile of snow a little way up. Inuyasha jumped up three ledges and reached the pile. Shoveling in a few handfuls, he jumped back down. "Here."

Kagome smiled as she took the pot from him. "Thanks, Inuyasha." She put it on the grill and let it melt and then boil. An hour later, it finally began to bubble and Kagome poured the rice. The bubbling stopped, but steam continued to rise in thin white swirls. She surrounded the pot with four small fish and let it all cook. After what seemed like hours and hours, the rice and the fish were both completely cooked. Kagome spooned half of the rice and two of the fish on one plate for Inuyasha and took the rest for herself. "Inuyasha…"

He looked up, "Yeah?"

"I just wanna say 'thank you' for at least trying to be civil with Kouga. Neither of you fought the whole time."

Inuyasha responded with a careless "Feh," but he wondered why she cared.

As if sensing his question, Kagome spoke again. "Both of you are my good friends, and I hate it when my friends fight with each other. I know Kouga doesn't particularly like you, but he has his own reasons, and I appreciate that both of you behaved well."

"What reasons?"

"Those are his own."

"Then how come you know them?"

"Because he trusted me with them."

Inuyasha grunted. For some reason, it hurt to talk about Kouga's trust in Kagome; maybe because it was so much more than his in her.

"Inuyasha?"

He blinked. "Yeah?"

"Nothing."

&&&

The next morning, Kagome blinked her eyes open to meet the glaring sun. "At least it's sunny today," she grumbled jokingly as she shielded her eyes.

Inuyasha raised and lowered his eyebrows quickly. "Good morning."

Kagome yawned, covering her mouth while nodding and set about preparing breakfast. She took the rice from the night before a made a few riceballs, saving some for later. "Here," she offered absentmindedly.

Inuyasha took the three riceballs and bit into them hungrily.

Kagome put the others into a plastic bag and then began on her own breakfast. It didn't take long for either to finish their food and the day began.

Kagome lifted her bag and looked up. She took a deep breath and hopped up to the first rock. Inuyasha, by then, was ledges above her. "Come on! It's not hard!"

"I know," Kagome answered. "Just scary," she muttered to herself.

Inuyasha paused long enough for Kagome to catch up and bounced up again. Kagome had the hang of jumping again and followed close behind. It became steeper and steeper. The ledges shortened and became scarcer. The noonday sun beat down upon them. Inuyasha and Kagome had stopped for a breather on a rare ledge wide enough to stand on. Kagome looked up. "We're only halfway there."

"Looks like it's time to start climbing."

Kagome groaned.

"What's the matter?" Inuyasha asked.

"Well…I'm a little scared of heights," she admitted with a blush.

Inuyasha smiled, "Just don't look down. Keep your eyes on me."

Kagome shook her head frantically. "No! You go behind me."

"To catch you," Inuyasha grinned. "I remember."

Kagome protested weakly, "That's not it! It's just that, um, well…"

"Start climbing," Inuyasha interrupted.

Kagome swallowed and nodded. She reached up for the tiny ledge six feet over her head. It served as a sturdy handhold. Her foot came up to rest on a small indent in the rock. She stood up on the one foot and her other hand reached for the next possible handhold. The climb had begun. Kagome trained her eyes on looking up for the next handhold. All her energy went into it. Inuyasha occasionally brushed her foot with his hand by mistake, but each time, his touch gave her a surge of strength, knowing that she had a protective net below, so to speak.

Thus the rest of the day passed, Kagome tense with fear and anxiety and Inuyasha alert and ready to catch her should she fall. The sun began to set and Kagome nearly panicked at the thought of climbing the vertical wall in the dark. She could probably do it with her demon reflexes, but her human side was terrified. Thankfully, though, she could make out the top. It hung tantalizingly above her. The last leg was longer than it looked. Kagome held the edge and pulled herself over the edge. "Thank god for horizontal ground," she murmured, her face in the earth.

Inuyasha clambered over a minute later and sat down, just as exhausted as Kagome. He looked over the edge. They weren't that far up, but climbing vertically took time. He looked back at Kagome's flat body. "Come on. We'll start out tomorrow morning."

Kagome lifted her head and nodded. "Coming." She wearily stood up and walked next to him to the edge of the forest, which turned out to be part of the black lump they saw from below. Kagome set her bag down under a slightly larger tree and sighed. "I'm so tired."

Inuyasha smirked, "That's 'cause your body ain't used to this kind of work."

"And yours is?"

"Obviously." To prove his point, he leapt up onto one of the thicker branches.

Kagome shook her head and pulled out her sleeping bag. She laid it out on the ground and slipped inside its warmth. "Ah," she sighed happily. Sleep overtook her quickly.

Inuyasha found himself smiling down at her. Guess I'll go to sleep, too. We have the biggest battle of our lives tomorrow. His pulse quickened at the thought and he leaned back against the trunk of the tree, closing his eyes. His ears continued to twitch alertly, though less often.

Kagome clutched the top of her sleeping bag tightly and curled her body into a fetal position, sweating rolling down her forehead.

&&&

"Kagome…" a voice called. It was the voice from the bloody room. "Kagome…turn around…"

Kagome could not stop herself from turning. She held her breath, not knowing what she was expected to see. She sighed; it was just a boy. It took her a full minute to realize which boy. "Oh god no…" she murmured.

The boys moved backward slowly, that same terrified look on his face. Luckily, this time, she didn't move forward and slash him. He covered his face with his hands. Suddenly, the scene went black. Kagome found her hands over her face and pulled them away, curious as to what had happened. What she saw shocked her. The demon from the bloody room stood there. It was the reflection she had seen in the puddle of blood. The same red eyes and slitted pupils, the same long claws and fangs, and those same lime green stripes all brought the memory crashing back to Kagome in lifelike vividness. She looked down at her hands and gasped to find them to be man's hands. "I'm that boy!" she realized aloud. "Then who are you?" she asked the demon.

The demon smirked and in a much lower gutteral voice that resembled her own, replied slowly. "I am you. You are me. I am the demon within you."

Kagome's brow furrowed. "I don't understand…how can you be me?"

"I am the demon within you," she repeated.

"What's going on?"

The demon walked forward and slashed Kagome's man's body in two. For a split second, Kagome could feel the boy's immense pain. Her soul continued to float bodilessly, though. "Remember this?"

Kagome's frown deepened. "What do you mean? It was in my dream, that was all."

The demon erupted into laughter. "It was more than a dream, Kagome. You killed that boy. You murdered him in cold blood! Murderer!"

Kagome's hands flew to her ears. "I'm not a murderer!" she screamed.

"Murderer! You're a murderer, Kagome!"

"NOOOOO!"

&&&

The scene vanished and Kagome woke up with a start, breathing deeply. Inuyasha was beside her with a concerned look in his eyes. "What happened?"

She took a deep breath and looked at him. "I had another nightmare."

"What was it about?"

"I was in a room and that voice was calling my name. I turned around and saw that boy. He looked terrified and put his hands over his face. Then the room went black and I realized it was because my hands were over my face, which was weird because I didn't remember putting them there. I took them down and saw that demon and she looked like me. I had somehow been transported into the boy's body. Then, the demon slashed me in two and killed me. It hurt a lot but then it stopped. I was just a floating soul. The demon started talking to me. She called me a murderer and she said that everything that happened was true. Why do I keep having these dreams? I didn't do anything!"

Inuyasha tried his utmost not to let Kagome see the crack in his careful lie, but she knew him too well. He moved to bite his lip and stopped himself.

"Did I? Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha blinked and shook his head quickly, "No! Not at all!"

"Inuyasha? Tell me the truth."

"That is the truth."

"No, it's not. Inuyasha, please."

Inuyasha looked away. I can't tell her the truth. I just can't. He looked back into her eyes and was captured. Her gaze held him close and he couldn't stop himself from blurting out the honest truth. "Yes…yes, you did."

"What?"

"You turned demon and went after the young guy you keep seeing in your dreams. And you killed him. You slashed him right in two. Kouga took a pitchfork and whacked you over the head and then carried you so you could turn back hanyou."

"So he hit me…" she mumbled absentmindedly. "I can't believe I murdered somebody. The voice was right."

Inuyasha grasped her shoulders tightly. "No, Kagome, it's wrong. You didn't kill him, your demon side did. You couldn't control it. It isn't your fault."

"Yes, it is!"

"No, it's not! Can't you understand that? It isn't your fault and you can't go around thinking that."

"How did it feel when you did it?"

Inuyasha froze. "Horrified and guilty. I realized, though, that it was my demon side's fault. It's still a part of me, but I don't let it stop me from saving more people."

Kagome nodded. "Ok. I'll try and do the same thing then."

Inuyasha smiled in relief and then did something that surprised Kagome. He took his hands off of her shoulder and pulled her into a tight embrace. Kagome opened her mouth to ask him why, but she changed her mind and just leaned into his chest.

"I'm so sorry, Kagome," he murmured into her hair.

"For what?" she asked confused, not moving.

"For not protecting you and for not stopping you."

"You were unconscious, Inuyasha. Don't blame yourself. Please."

Inuyasha looked over her head and said nothing.

Kagome finally pulled away. "We need to make a plan. Rushing in with Tetsusaiga isn't going to work."

Inuyasha frowned and nodded. "I know."

Kagome sat down cross-legged and motioned for Inuyasha sit down, too. He did so and Kagome opened her mouth. "We're going to have to fight Kagura and Naraku…"

Inuyasha nodded. "Probably at the same time."

"Kagura will probably come out to meet us. Let's try this: I'll go and distract Kagura while you run in and get Naraku."

"No way! You can't take Kagura on your own!"

"Why not?"

"Because she's stronger than you!"

"I can take her!" Kagome looked annoyed. "How will we win if someone isn't taking care of Kagura? I'll come and help you as soon as I'm done! I'm a lot stronger now!"

"But not strong enough! I won't let you get hurt!"

Kagome quieted and smiled at him suddenly. "I'll be careful. I promise. I can do this."

"I don't think you can," Inuyasha confessed sincerely. "I really don't think you can. Please, we'll just stick together and we'll win, I know we will."

This was the closest thing to an emotional heartfelt moment Kagome had ever seen from Inuyasha. She sighed. "Please, I really think I can do this. How will I know unless I try? You won't be far away. You'll be able to tell if I'm losing."

"How?"

"When you smell a lot of my blood, then I'll try and run, ok? Hopefully, by then, though, she'll be badly hurt."

"So I just have to wait until you're actually dying?" he yelled.

"No," Kagome soothed, "I mean, I'm just saying that I'm not going to die or anything because you'll be able to come and save me if it looks bad. That's all."

Inuyasha shook his head. "No. I won't let you do it."

"How about this. I'll fight her and lure her into the castle. By then they'll both be wounded and you can kill them in one big blow."

Inuyasha's frown loosened slightly.

"I won't be too far from the gates."

"Maybe…"

"And it won't take me long to bring her in and then you can kill them and we'll be done. Please? Just give me a chance!"

Inuyasha sighed irritably. "Fine!" he cried, throwing his hands in the air, "That's our plan! Are you happy now? You can go off and throw away your life and then I'll have to go and save you in the process and Naraku and Kagura will get away. But obviously, that's what you want to do!"

Kagome shrank back. "No…that's not what I want." She looked away. "I just want to show you that I can actually do something on my own because it's like everytime I try to help, I mess up and you have to drop everything to save me."

Inuyasha's body sagged. "Kagome…" Tentatively, he reached out a hand and put it on her arm. "I…I didn't mean…"

Kagome nodded, "I know, it's ok. I just really want to do this…for you and for me."

Inuyasha dropped his hand, but Kagome grabbed it again in her own. "We won't go until tomorrow morning and then I'll see you latest tomorrow afternoon. Don't worry."

Inuyasha nodded, "I won't," he said gruffly.

Kagome giggled. "I know you won't. Let's rest for now; we're gonna need our energy for tomorrow."

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah."

&&&&&&&&&&

Naraku smiled. "They're all here."

Kagura nodded, "Yes. It will be a big battle. But I'll kill them all before they even get into the castle."

Naraku raised an eyebrow, "I don't know about that. You won't be able to fight them all at the same time."

"Yes, I will."

Naraku shrugged, "If you think so. I'll prepare myself all the same."

Kagura frowned, "Now that everyone is here, what is the point of staying?"

"Because this is where the plan finishes."

"What do you gain from this battle?" Kagura asked.

"Absolute power," Naraku smirked.

"How?"

Naraku's smirk widened. "From Kagome. She has a great pool of power hidden deep inside of her. This battle will bring it out. All the other deaths have weakened the barrier containing it more and more and this battle will break the seal altogether. I will then gain all that power and become the most powerful demon of all time!"

Kagura looked confused. "I don't understand. What power? Kagome is not powerful."

"You'll see," Naraku answered mysteriously.

&&&&&&&&&&

Kouga splashed a handful of water over his face. "Aah, that feels much better. The stench here is killing me."

Ginta and Hakkaku nodded. "I know," Ginta agreed verbally.

Hakkaku wrinkled his nose, "It's so much worse than when it's just Naraku."

Kouga nodded, "That's because it's all over this place and has been for a while." He jumped over the small stream and kept walking, not bothering to check and see if his two companions were behind him or not. The three wolf demons trekked through the small expanse of forest. After a while, they finally stepped into open land. Kouga, without speaking, followed the line of trees that created the edge of the forest. They walked along it quietly for the rest of the day. My dusk, they were far from where they had come out of the forest. Kouga looked up. "There it is. You can see the top over the trees."

Hakkaku's voice was low in wonder. "I can't believe we're so close. Do you remember the last time we were this close?"

Ginta hushed him quickly. "Shhh. Don't talk about that," he hissed. Hakkaku nodded.

Kouga's jaw hardened. "Come on. We need to rest tonight." Suddenly, his body stiffened and his eyes shined. "Kagome!" All Ginta and Hakkaku could see for the next few seconds was a cloud of dust. Kouga followed his nose and two minutes later, he reached the source.

"Kouga!" Kagome called out as she saw him.

Kouga grinned and stopped abruptly. "Hi, Kagome!"

Kagome's face was smiling just as widely as his own. "How are you? What are you doing here?"

Kouga shrugged, "Same as you I would guess. Naraku?"

Kagome nodded. "Yeah. So how are you?"

Kouga smiled, "Good. How are you? How's dog-face treating you?"

"Don't call him that. And I'm good. You know he's treating me just fine."

Kouga chuckled, "You know I was kidding."

"I know," she smiled.

Inuyasha growled, "What do you want, wolf-head?"

Kagome sighed, "Inuyasha, please."

"Fine, Kouga," he mumbled.

Kouga smirked, "I smelled Kagome's scent and thought I'd come over to say hello."

Inuyasha nodded, "Alright, you've said hello. Now you can go."

Kagome put a hand on his arm. "Inuyasha."

He quieted, but did not cease his glaring. Kagoem smiled apologetically at her friend. "Sorry, Kouga. I don't think it would work if you stayed too long this time."

Kouga nodded, "Ok, I'll leave in a few minutes."

"Thanks. Sorry about this."

Kouga shrugged, "It's ok. It's just a shame I can't come see my friend." He stared pointedly at her.

"Thank you, Kouga." Her voice was soft.

Inuyasha frowned but decided to speak once the wolf demon was gone.

Kagome suddenly looked to Inuyasha. "Hey! Kouga can help me fight Kagura! Then, you don't have to worry about me!"

Inuyasha frowned, "What?"

"Kouga can help me. He's a lot stronger than I am."

Inuyasha wrinkled his nose. "No way."

Kagome sighed, "Fine, then I'll go alone."

"No!"

Kagome let a smile spread across her face. "You have to choose one."

Inuyasha scowled, "I don't have to."

"Yes, you do. Otherwise I'll go with Kouga now and we'll make up own plan to defeat Kagura and Naraku."

Inuyasha sighed angrily. "Fine, he can fight with you. That way he can save you when you get hurt."

Kagome made a face at him and turned back to Kouga. "At dusk tomorrow, I'm going out to that field over there to distract Kagura so Inuyasha can get in. You can help me because you want to kill Kagura, right?"

Kouga nodded, "Yeah. Dusk, right?"

Kagome nodded, "In that field way over there. Do you see it? We have to try to lure her into the castle again and then one of us can bar the gate so she can't get out easily."

Kouga nodded again, "Ok. I'll meet you there tomorrow at dusk."

Kagome smiled, "See you then. Goodnight, Kouga."

"Goodnight, Kagome."

&&&

As soon as he was out of earshot, Inuyasha spoke up. "What was the whole look thing?"

"What look thing?"

"When Kouga looked at you and said it was a shame he couldn't come see you and then you looked at him back and said thank you."

Kagome looked confused for a moment and then her eyes widened in understanding. "Oh, I see. Kouga doesn't consider me his woman anymore. That's why he said friend. He knows you don't like it when he comes, so he was just saying that it was a shame that he couldn't come visit me. That's all."

"Why doesn't he consider you his woman anymore?" Inuyasha asked curiously.

"Because we've decided to just be friends. I love somebody else and I told him that. He understood and we said we'd still be good friends."

"You love somebody else? Who?"

"Somebody…"

"Who?"

"I'll tell you some other time."

"What's wrong with now?"

"You'll see when I tell you."

"You say that a lot."

"That's because it's all connected."

"Fine. Tell me after the battle."

"Ok."

Silence fell over them.

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

Sooo…wadja think? Was it worth the wait? I hope it was. I can't have an incredibly long author's note this time because I have to go to dinner. If I wait, then I'll have to post this next week…

LadySword04 – Thank you! Maybe they will, maybe they won't. Who knows? You'll find out soon! Thank you; I love high school!

TaintedDarkInuSheeeko – Wow, it's hard to keep up with all your names! Haha. I bet you are interested, and you'll find out what it is pretty soon. Thanks for reviewing!

Lord of the Blades – Thanks for reviewing! Hehe surprises! Yay! I know haha, but it's only because of Kagome. And to answer your question, no, Kagome is not developing feelings for Kouga. It just looks a little bit like that right now. She is a little flirty. –winks- Action is awesome, and the next few chapters will be full of it. I know this chapter was boring… But it was kinda like the calm before big exciting song haha. I just hope the storm is good enough…

paju13 – I know it's sad… But it has a happy ending…I promise! And you'll find out what very soon haha…well chapter-wise…lol Thanks for reviewing!

Raithya – Yea, I don't either… Yes, Inuyasha loves her, but remember, the curse revolves around the soul, and Kagome's heart, and hence her soul, don't know that Inuyasha loves her. You see? Thanks for reviewing!

Taeniaea – I'm glad you loved it, but what about the rest of the story? Hehe. I know this isn't really soon… Thanks for reviewing!

xiDOREyoux – Thanks for reviewing! I hope this chapter was good, too!