Heyy everyone, thanks again for your reviews! they're highly appreciated.

I, LostArtist, sadly do not own Inuyasha or any of its amazing characters...

Here's Chapter 8

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'I'm losing it,' he said mentally shaking himself, 'either that or I really am beginning to fall in love with her...' Inuyasha tried to shrug the thought away, but couldn't help but smile at the thought of Kagome falling peacefully asleep in his arms.

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When Inuyasha walked back the next day Kagome wasn't in her room, but her scent lingered. Inuyasha followed the sweet fragrance through the hallway, back down the stairs, and outside. It seemed to lead to the shrine. Curiously the hanyou pushed open the door.

A small figure was kneeling on the ground with her arms wrapped around her waist. A purple light seemed to surround her. Running up to the girl, Inuyasha put a hand on Kagome's shoulder. The purple light seemed to disappear and Inuyasha blinked. A trick of the light? Kagome looked at him with glassy eyes that slowly regained focus.

"Inuyasha…?" she asked slowly.

"Kagome! What happened? What are you doing in here??"

"Oh nothing! It's time to go to school?" she asked, completely normal again.

Inuyasha stared at her in surprise before saying "Yea, you ready?" he hadn't imagined all that, had he? He shook his head, helping the girl to her feet. The two got into Kagome's car, Inuyasha still hadn't bought a new one, and drove to school.

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"So you weren't in school Friday because you got in a fight with some powerful demon guy who wanted the Shikon?" Sango asked at lunch. Sango and Kagome had become friends over the past month. She had long since begun to sit at the lunch table with them, though never too close to Miroku. Inuyasha and Kagome had just finished explaining to their two friends about their eventful weekend.

"Mmmmhmm," Kagome nodded, her mouth full of food.

"It is a good thing you two have been training or you would have had an even worse time of it," Miroku said thoughtfully.

"Feh, I could have taken him any day," Inuyasha replied with a smirk.

"Uh huh," Kagome said, "Keep telling yourself that."

"Feh."

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"Your aura is no longer blue," Kaede said to Kagome as she shot another purity arrow at the target.

"I hadn't noticed," the girl shrugged.

"Kagome," Kaede said knowingly, "I know well what ye did. It was a good idea, though you've put yourself in more danger."

"I can handle it Kaede. Thanks for helping me train. I should get going now. Big test tomorrow…" she trailed off and began collecting her stuff to leave.

"Forgetting something?" a voice said when she started walking away.

Two strong hands rested on her shoulders as she turned around to see two questioning golden eyes.

"Inuyasha! Sorry! I, erm, forgot…"

"Yea, we only carpool here together every day." He replied jokingly sarcastic, "What's wrong? You've been acting funny ever since I saw you this morning in the shrine."

"You saw…? Oh right… Nothing's wrong, I've just been tired. Could you let go of my shoulders?"

Inuyasha released her with a doubtful look and picked up his stuff to go. "Fine, but I'm driving us home." 'Maybe it's that time of month or something' he thought smirking at his own inside joke.

"So what's really up?" he asked again once they were in the car.

"Oh…it's nothing…it'll wear off in a few days…"

'Heh, maybe is really is that tim.-' his thoughts were cut off when Kagome spoke again.

"Though I guess you have a right to know since your now a part of all this."

'Now what's she talking about!?' he thought, still thinking she was just having "girl problems".

Kagome sighed "It's about the Shikon."

"Oh!" the hanyou said recovering, but still not fully understanding, "what about it?"

"You know how when you walked into the shrine this morning there was a purple glow?"

"Yea, so?"

"Well, erm… that was coming from me, you see" Kagome said struggling for words, "well, after that attack by Naraku I realized just how awful it would be if the Shikon fell into the wrong hands." She paused, "Kaede had mentioned something to me a few days before the attack about a way to permanently protect the jewel."

"Ok…" Inuyasha said slowly.

"Inuyasha, I bound myself to the jewel."

"Heh, funny Kagome, you know how dangerous that would be," he said willing it to be some sick joke. "That would put you in more danger than before!"

"I know that! It's the only way to keep the jewel safe though. Now it can't be used. The only way anyone will be able to steal it is if I give the Shikon to them freely."

"But Kagome, now you're in worse shit! True, if they kill you the jewel dies with you, but that doesn't stop them from torture! What if…"

"I KNOW, Inuyasha," Kagome cut him off, "I know. You have to understand though that I had to do it. Binding myself to the jewel was the only way I could be certain the Shikon No Tama would never fall into the wrong hands."

Inuyasha sighed, realizing the pointlessness of continuing the argument. Kagome wouldn't agree to go back on her decision, no matter how much danger she fell into. 'I'll protect you Kagome.'

"Hey," the hanyou said realizing something. "Is that why your aura was pink today?

"Yea," the miko replied, "It'll stay pink, but the other side affects will wear off in another day I think."

"Side affects?"

"Yea, basically it just makes me tired. My blood will try to fight the foreign 'intruder' until the jewel disperses through me, and my body gets used to it."

"Ohh, so that's why you've been so anal lately."

"Anal! Who are you calling anal you jerk!" She would have "sat" him had he not been driving. He chuckled pulling up to the Higurashi shrine, and then sobered. "Just be careful Kagome. I'll see ya at school tomorrow. I don't need a ride though; I'm picking up my new car tonight," and with a quick kiss, Inuyasha disappeared into the night. Though he only traveled to the next block, Kagome got an odd chill when he left, and wished he had stayed longer.

The girl walked into her house as an unnoticed pair of blue eyes stared from the shadows.

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Shout out to my reviewers:

Chap 7 reviewers--

--Shadowcat-Forever - thanks for the advice. It probably seems that way because i like getting to the good stuff rather then telling the story in a day-by-day sequence. Though I do stick to the day by day's if necessary. Parella - thanks! i'm glad you like it! Kag(plus)Inu=love - hehehe ;-) (sry bout the lack of a plus sign. it won't let my write one.)--

Thanks also to everyone else who reviewed previously--

--greencoding-tryforceful-Chibi-Inu-Hikaru-and Kagome Higurashi--

You rock!!

Yup it's that time again. Time to click that little button that says review! ;-) haha thanks for reading!

LostArtist