Previously: Just as he tried to make the kiss deeper, Kagome pulled away. . .entirely. She stood up and began to walk out of the office- but not before turning to Ol' Batty and saying, "By the way, I'm bi. If you ever want to hook up, my number's in the trash can." Then Kagome winked and exited the office.

She could hear the sounds of a sputtering old woman and a man diving for the trash can as she got into the elevator.

Disclaimer: Does anyone know if Rumiko Takahashi would give up her rights to the Inuyasha series and all of its characters if I gave her twenty bucks and some chocolate? No? Oh well.

(This is dedicated to all of my readers who have been so faithful and patient.)

The Rules of Love and War

Chapter Three

Naraku entered his Tokyo office with a cool grace that suited his powerful status. His presence commanded respect and awe that far too many, in his opinion, gave without due cause or cautionary restraint.

"How have the applicants been so far? Anyone suitable for the position?" Naraku asked his aging secretary, openly checking the state of his office.

"There were twelve applicants. I saw the last one this morning, sir, and I must say that she was a disgrace! To think that anyone would be so. . .so. . . flamboyant! She was an outright hellion!"

Naraku growled inwardly, more fed up with the old battle axe than he'd like to admit. He just couldn't understand how anyone could be so old-fashioned and stubborn. "And what did she do, Mrs Ryoki?"

The older . . . um . . . old . . . woman's cheeks flushed red, taking away from some of the wrinkles. "She . . .um . . .sheshoweduplateandyelledatmerightbeforetryingtohitonme," Mrs Ryoki said in a flustered jumble.

Naraku's eyebrows furrowed impatiently. "Excuse me?"

"She showed up late and yelled at me right before trying to hit on me." Her face turned an even deeper red in her embarrassment, her wrinkles almost non-existent now.

In an attempt to compose herself, Mrs Ryoki fixed a stern expression on her face, her back ramrod straight, and a glint in her eye. "I knew she would be trouble the minute I saw her resume. I threw her application in the trash as soon as I realized that she was going to be late."

Naraku walked over to the trash can, curious about the applicant that had flustered his dear Mrs Ryoki.

His thoughts were disrupted, however, by the secretary's input. "You won't find it, sir. A Mr Houshi took it with him in response to some of Ms Higurashi's more inappropriate actions.

"Did you say Higurashi?" Naraku asked incredulously.

"Uh . . .yes. I believe that was her name, sir. Did I do something wrong, sir?"

"Mrs Ryoki, how long have you been working for me?" Naraku asked calmly, masking his face.

"Why, I've been with you for eighteen months," she replied, confused.

"And how long have you been with the company?"

"I was with this company when it was first founded, even before you took it over," the battle-axe responded proudly.

"And that would be . . .how many years ago?"

"Twenty-seven years, sir."

Naraku looked assessingly at the secretary. "That's a very long time. I suppose you feel that entitles you to a little something extra."

Mrs Ryoki opened her withered mouth to comment, but Naraku continued on, interrupting her. "I quite agree. In fact, as of today, you are retired. You will keep your excellent insurance policies and receive pension. Congratulations, Mrs Ryoki." Naraku's eyes gleamed, a smirk on his face. "Let me have someone escort you to your car."

………………………………...

Kagome exited the Mirror Building feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. She hadn't had that much fun since she and Miroku had "accidentally" been found in a compromising position by Inuyasha. Of course, they hadn't actually been doing anything, but Inuyasha hadn't known that. Kagome smiled at the memory.

Deciding that she felt too good to be cooped up with a hoard of people in a confined subway car, Kagome began to walk home. (It was cheaper, too.) She quickly regretted her decision, however, when people started jostling her about and stepping on her already-sore, high-heel covered feet. They were pushing her along to who knows where when Kagome saw a familiar sight.

Right across the street was her salvation- a small shrine of no significance to anyone unless they hadn't studied, had boyfriend problems, or had lived there. The latter was true of Kagome. She looked at her former home and felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her. . .before quickly realizing that she was being shoved right down the street and past her home.

Kagome looked for a way out of the mob, and, seeing none, decided to rely on pure physical strength to get her out. Well. . . Not so much physical strength as. . .

Puffing out her chest, a scowl on her face, she started cursing. Yes, cursing. You know . . . bad words that. . .um . . .might offend someone. . .sometime. . .maybe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Okay, well . . . Um. . . they definitely couldn't offend anyone. . . Ever. (She made it a habit to never truly curse unless absolutely necessary.) Nevertheless, Kagome somehow managed to wriggle out of the herd.

Kagome took a collective sigh before walking (running) carefully (almost got hit by two cars and a bus) to the other side of the road and up the steps to her home and family.

She had no more than made it to the top when she heard a squeal and had the breath knocked out of her body by a ferocious bear hug. "Hi, Shippo!"

"Kagome! You're back! I missed you so much! How could you go so long without visiting!"

Shippo was being his usual, adorable, sugar-induced self. Never one to say no to him, though, Kagome just hugged him right back in pure and total bliss.

"You promised you'd visit more often! You're so mean Kagome! Waahhh!" Shippo looked up at Kagome with big watery eyes and a sniffy nose that just made her want to . . . It was happening already. She could feel. . . Could feel. . . The TICKLE FACTOR coming on!

Shippo squealed in delight as Kagome's fingers went to work, diligently covering every part of his tiny body in laughter-inducing touches. In an attempt to save face, the little kitsune quickly reversed the attack onto the attacker. Kagome, however, was much bigger and easily fended off the assault.

Attracted by the commotion, Kagome's mother came over to investigate. At the sight of her daughter, Mrs Higuashi's face broke into a giant smile.

"Mom!" Kagome shouted happily before pouncing on her mother.

"Kagome, what a surprise! It's been so long since you visited that I was starting to worry. You really should visit more often, you know."

"I was here last week."

". . . . . . Oh . . . Well, you know how it is. An hour feels like a day, a day like a year, etc."

Kagome rolled her eyes but continued to smile. "Speaking of living arrangements-"

"But we weren't talking about living arrangements. . . Were we? I'm not so old that I can't remember a conversation I just had, am I?" Kagome's mother babbled.

"No, Mom. We weren't talking about living arrangements before . . . but now we are." Kagome looked at her mom pointedly before continuing. "Um . . . Mommy . . . I need a favor."

Mrs Higurashi's eyebrow quirked in response to her daughter's childlike antics. "And what would that be?"

"Well . . . I thought you would like to hear a story. You see, there was this girl, and she had to move to a castle far away from her family. She missed them very much, and they missed her. One day, she got an eviction notice. Instead of taking care of the notice right away, she left it in her mailbox for a week and a half. The owner of her castle became very angry and threatened to throw the girl and all of her stuff onto the street if she didn't pay her rent in forty-eight hours. The girl's parents missed her so much that they let her come back and live with them forever and ever and ever. The end."

Kagome's mother just stared open-mouthed at Kagome before finally speaking. "You're very . . . Uh . . . Long-winded."

Kagome waited expectantly for her mother to continue, smile plastered on her face. "And?"

"And . . . I . . ." Kagome's mom burst into a smile once again. "Of course you can stay! That would be wonderful!"

"Kagome's really gonna come back and live with us again?" This came from Shippo. "And you can play with me all the time! Right, Kagome?"

"I'm going to have to get a job eventually."

Shippo looked slightly deflated, but quickly bounced back. "Then you can play with me when you're not working."

"I also have to eat." Kagome smiled.

"When you're not working or playing?" Shippo asked, not quite so sure.

"Or when I'm eating." Shippo's ears flattened in defeat. "But any other time is fine." Slightly happier. "There will be plenty of time for playing. Trust me." Happy again.

………………………………...

"I know another way." Inuyasha's ears perked at the statement.

"Why didn't you mention that there was another way before!"

"It's nothing to be trifled with. It's a last resort. At least, it was when I was alive." Kikyo's face held a cold smile. "All we need is the body of a pure soul."

"Why only the body, and not the soul?"

"The body of a pure soul is untainted. No negative influence has been able to stain it. Also, the body will decompose after a certain period of time."

"Yeah. So?" Inuyasha huffed impatiently.

"You use the body to create another Shikon jewel, in a way." Realization dawned on Inuyasha's face. "The second jewel is just as powerful because of the body's purity. The only real difference is that this 'Shikon jewel' will eventually deteriorate."

"Will it really be that powerful?"

"Yes. Now we just need the body."

………………………………...

Kagome was truly happy. True, she didn't have a job. But she had been back home for nearly a week, no one was breathing down her neck over unpaid bills, and now she had a wider food selection than just Ramen and eggs. Yes, life was good.

Kagome sighed happily into the bag of groceries she was carrying, careful not to smoosh anything.

As she walked past the well house she felt a familiar tingle. She paused for only a moment, though, brushing it off as nostalgia.

A second later, as she was walking into the house, Kagome saw something that made her drop the grocery bag, spilling bananas and pocky all over the floor.

Inuyasha sat in her kitchen eating Ramen. . . With Kikyo. But she . . . uh . . . Kikyo wasn't eating Ramen . . . she wasn't eating . . . anything. . . Um.

"Wh-what are you doing here, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked shakily.

"I ca' 'ere ta asta sum'min." Inuyasha said with a mouthful of Ramen.

"What he means is, we need something from you." Kikyo interpreted for Inuyasha.

"I thought you said that you didn't need me. You have each other and, according to you, I'm nothing but a nuisance. What could you possibly want that you think I would give?" Kagome replied, a little more bravely.

"What we need is simple. We need your body."

At this, Kagome's eyes bugged out before a sly grin covered her face. "Oh, I get it. It has been a while since you guys got together. Well, don't even think about it. I'm not into that kind of thing." Kikyo raised a delicate brow. "I don't do threesomes."

In the backround, Kagome could hear Inuyasha spraying his Ramen all over the carpet. She grimaced lightly at the thought of cleaning it up, and then a lot at the realization that she had been so horribly wrong.

An embarrassed blush stained her cheeks, and once again, her self-confidence was shot to hell.

"That is not what I meant by needing your body. I want you to give me your body . . . Without a soul in it."

Kagome gasped in shock at what Kikyo had confessed. "Why me? And why ask me?"

"We need the body of a pure soul. You're the only pure soul I know of. Besides, you're also the only person I know who wouldn't be missed if you were dead."

Tears came to Kagome's eyes as she fought to remain in control. "I would so be missed. Mama would miss me, and so would Grandpa, and Souta, and Shippo-"

"That little runt? He didn't exactly die over your absence when you moved out."

Kagome furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "How did you know I moved out?"

"I've had Inuyasha keep track of you these last two years. And if I recall, your mother has never really shown much regard for your safety. She lets you do whatever you want without batting an eye; your grandfather is so absorbed in his own tales and legends that he doesn't even come out of his study for meals anymore; your brother, Souta," Kikyo said his name with distaste, "is so involved with his friends that he's never home, not even when you prearrange trips home."

The tears that had threatened to fall earlier now fell freely from her wide-open eyes as Kagome's body wrenched in sobs.

"Am I right?" Kikyo asked smugly.

'Could it be true? Have I just not seen it? Does everyone I love really think of me as a nuisance? Everything Kikyo has said is true. Am I really not cared about?

Kikyo continued, interrupting Kagome's thoughts. "In this world you are worthless. You don't even have a whole soul. You share it with me. All you do is inconvenience everyone." Kikyo's voice became softer, gentler, more soothing. "If you give us your body, your soul can become whole again and your body will be put to good use. Please . . . give us your body."

Kagome, slowly falling into a depression of Kikyo's making, looked into Kikyo's eyes and gathered the strength to speak. "You still haven't told me what you'd use it for. I won't do anything you say unless you tell me what you're doing," Kagome said sternly.

Kikyo paused to think about it but finally relented. "Inuyasha and I will use it to make another Shikon jewel."

Kagome stared at her incarnation in horror. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that. You'll have to kill me first." With that, Kagome turned and walked out of the house- at least until she made it past the well-house, then she ran like there was no tomorrow.

Kagome continued to run for the next ten minutes, turning this way and that, never quite sure of where she was going, just sure that she was in the woods by her house.

When Kagome finally stopped, she realized that she had ended up in front of the God tree. She collapsed against it, letting it support her weight. Kagome heard someone behind her and spun around.

For the second time that day, she laid her eyes upon the form of Inuyasha. There was something different about him, though. She couldn't put her finger on it, and, honestly, she didn't care. All Kagome could think about was telling Inuyasha exactly how she felt.

"You son-of-a-bitch! How dare you and Kikyo come into my family's house, and tell me that I should kill myself! You don't know what I've been through the last two years. And spying on me? How dare you! How dare you! I can't believe you-"

A very astonished Inuyasha watched in shock as a very stressed Kagome fainted, hitting her head on the God tree. The last thing she remembered was the remorseful look on Inuyasha's face before she saw black. . .