A/N: This scene is…well, almost stolen from my first Inu fic. But once again, Kikyou randomly shows up, gives a cryptic warning, and then leaves. It's just…canon…even if it is weird. (Where does she go after giving these warnings anyway? She can't be in one village for too long…they'd discover her secret…)

Chapter 5: Kikyou's Warning

"Inuyasha, look out!" Kagome screamed, jumping out of the way as the brown, rather small youkai lunged for both her and Inuyasha.

"Don't worry about it!" he yelled, slicing at it with his claws. "No rat youkai's gonna get me!"

But the red-eyed rat youkai seemed determined not to be sliced. It darted out of his way, just as Inuyasha hit the ground, making a large dent in the field.

Kagome struggled to pick up their foodwith Sango. Their picnic in the field had been ruined since the youkai had jumped from nowhere. They all left Inuyasha to pursue it.

"C'mre you!" Inuyasha yelled, lunging, but always a second too late, as the rat youkai dodged from his punch once again. The youkai took off in a flash, and Inuyasha, now angry that such a thing could evade his blows, took off after it. "No ya don't!" he yelled.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled after him, tired of his pointless fighting. "Let it go!"

But, being the stubborn hanyou that he was, he kept on after it, following it as it ran to the forest. "No way I'm letting this puny youkai go!" he shouted back, as he chased after it until he disappeared into the trees.

Kagome sighed as Miroku and Sango helped her pick up the rest of the food. "Why does he always have to be like this?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

"Uh-huh." Everyone in the group nodded.

Inuyasha followed the rat youkai into the woods, slashing at it whenever he could. But still, the youkai was always a second out of his reach. "Damnit!" he yelled, after missing it by inches. "What's with this thing?"

He jumped, taking a mighty leap, and landing in front of it, unsheathing Tessaiga in one swift movement. The youkai stopped running, and stood there, surprised. "This is where it ends!" Inuyasha yelled, raising the sword above his head, ready to blow the youkai apart—

When it disappeared into nothingness.

Inuyasha had started yelling "Kaze no Kizu!" when he stopped, staring. His mouth was left hanging open by its sudden disappearance. He lowered Tessaiga. "What the hell? Where'd it go?" His eyes darted around frantically, and he sniffed for its scent…only to catch one that he didn't expect.

Wait…why would I smell…He slowly turned around, another gasp forming on his lips, when he saw who it was.

Her name flowed off his lips, without even thinking about it. "Kikyou…"

The deceased miko was reclining in a tall tree behind him, smirking at the dumbfounded hanyou beneath her. Like always, she had shown up without warning, never giving anyone an advantage. Seeing her, dressed in a miko outfit, sent chills up Inuyasha's spine. He still had not forgotten that frightening dream.

Sheathing Tessaiga, Inuyasha walked towards her. "Surprised to see me, Inuyasha?" Kikyou asked, still smiling with mirth. Although, Inuyasha couldn't help but notice, no matter how many times she was angry, or how many times she smirked at seeing him like this, her eyes never changed. They were always the same…showing her suffering, her pain, her sorrow. The sorrow that had been brought about, partially by himself.

And whenever he saw her, he felt guilty. He felt guilt because he could always see what she went through because of her eyes.

So much unlike Kagome's…he couldn't help but think. Her eyes were mostly happy, and joyful; and when she laughed and smiled, it was because he was there.

"Kikyou," he repeated. "What are you doing here?"

The smirk slid off her face as she remembered her purpose. "I needed to give you a warning."

Everything started making sense in Inuyasha's mind. "Needed to give me a warning? Wait…" he looked back to where the rat youkai disappeared. "Then you—"

"Miko powers can be used for more than arrows, Inuyasha." She reminded him.

The hanyou didn't have time for this. She said she needed to warn him. He needed that warning now, so he could protect Kagome. "Kikyou, what's this warning about?"

Kikyou seemed amused by his abruptness. "Going straight for the point. How like you, Inuyasha."

She was avoiding the subject, which made Inuyasha more annoyed. "Kikyou," he demanded, though not using much of an angry tone, "What's this warning about?"

Sighing, Kikyou looked away from him and into the expanse of forest behind him. "You fought Naraku a few days ago, didn't you?"

Inuyasha nodded. "Yes. What of it?"

"Naraku has been gathering strength." Kikyou replied. "He intends to take all of the shikon shards by force. But Naraku is no fool. He will devise a cunning trap to get you to bring your last shard to him."

It wasn't much of a warning, it didn't suit the hanyou. "Is that it?" he asked.

Kikyou's eyes went back to him, and it seemed as if she was looking into his very soul. "You protected that girl, I imagine?"

That question caught Inuyasha off guard. He hadn't expected her to ask about Kagome... "Yes." He finally replied, after having to shape his words carefully. "She is the one who had the shikon fragment, of course I had to—"

Kikyou understood more than what was being said. "Did you just protect her because she held the last shikon shard, Inuyasha?"

He paused, unable to answer. Kikyou…

Kagome crossed her arms, pacing back and forth. "All right, where is he?" she demanded.

Miroku sighed. "Kagome-sama, I'm sure Inuyasha is fine…"

"And what if he isn't!" she snapped. "It doesn't usually take him this long to kill off one small youkai! What if something happened?"

Sango wanted her to calm down. "Kagome-chan, Inuyasha may be careless, but nothing would have happened. It's just a small rat youkai. They don't possess any extraordinary powers."

But that only made it worse. "That means there must be something bigger out there that got him!" she ran for her bow.

"Kagome!" Shippou yelled after her. "Don't go! What if it gets you?

"I'm just going to find him, that's all!" she said, picking up her bows and arrows, and heading off into the forest.

Inuyasha had been silent for sometime. That was quite unlike the Inuyasha Kikyou used to know. "Well, Inuyasha?" she asked.

His eyes wandered away from her in defeat. He said, in a small voice "Okay…maybe I protected her because I wanted to…" His eyes found the miko again. "But what does that have to do with anything!" he demanded.

Kikyou's eyes narrowed. "Inuyasha…you have come to realize that we can never be as we once were, haven't you?"

That question also caught him by surprise. Whyis Kikyou saying this? "W-what do you mean?" he asked, after a slight pause.

"You have given up on your dream of us being together, haven't you?" she accused.

This was all too much for Inuyasha. Maybe, in fact, he had given up on her…a long time ago. Maybe he had realized eventually that them being together was an impossibility, and their dream that they had fifty years ago could now never come true. But hearing her accuse him of it, even if it was the truth…he couldn't take it.

"Kikyou, what are you trying to say!" he yelled, unable to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

She replied in a calm, cool voice. "You have forgotten the love you used to have for me. Forgotten it because you now love that girl, don't you?"

Whatever anger he had faded away as the hanyou tried to comprehend what she had just said. He could have sword she said...but it didn't seem right...Wha…what did she just say? That I…l-lo…love Kagome?

Kikyou huffed. "I take it from your expression that its true. Though you try to hide it as best you can, your feelings are always so clear."

Inuyasha couldn't take any more of this mockery. He was still trying to figure out if her statement was true. "Kikyou, why are you saying all of this?" His voice was no longer angry, just wishing he knew what her true purpose was. He didn't look back at her, he kept his eyes on the leaf-filled ground.

Kikyou stood up on the branch of the tree, looking down at him with a superior face. Her eyes darted to the forest, and narrowed, noticing something. She looked back at him, nad said in a commanding tone, "This is my warning, Inuyasha. Be careful of your feelings for Kagome. Danger lies within them." And with that, she disappeared, leaving a stunned Inuyasha behind.

Be careful of my feelings for Kagome? But…what does she mean? How is it dangerous? What's going on?

Suddenly, his sharp ears twitched as they picked up a rustle behind him. He turned sharply, feeling more jumpy since his encounter.

A lone figure came out from behind a tree, looking as confused as he was. His heart sank in his chest as he realized who it was.

A pained moan, almost like a whisper, escaped him. "Kagome…"

A/N: So…how's that for a chapter! This ended up shorter than I thought it would be…oh well. And Poor Inuyasha! Getting hounded on by two girls in the same day!

I also like Kikyou, despite her having people who hate her at every corner. I think she's the perfect example of a tragic character, and she's been through a lot, and still has a shread of her sanity and still does care about Inuyasha. ("cares" not "loves". I think she's gotten over him already.) So, I have to respect her for that.