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Chapter 8

Kagome held the odd necklace in the palm of her hand. It was made of small, pea sized white stones that were polished smooth, and one large one that was pure black.

"Is it really the Hateshiganai Seimei..." Miroku murmured to himself, "Why would she give you such a valuable gift?"

"Feh, It doesn't look special. What does the thing do?" Inuyasha asked.

"There were rumors of this necklaces existance, but I had never believed it..." Miroku told them seriously, "In short, it posseses a demons lifespan. When it is put on, the wearer ganes the life span of the demon. After it is used that first time, it is nothing but a simple necklace. You'll find no other like this."

"I don't understand," Kohaku admitted without taking his eyes off the necklace.

Miroku gave him a smile, "It means that with this necklace Kagome could, if she wanted to, live as long as Inuyasha, Shippo, or Kirara."

Kagome was still in something you would call shock. If Inuyasha wanted her to stay, and Kagome was brave enough to leave Mama, Sota, and Gramps, she could use the necklace, and her and Inuyasha would be together...

"I think its ugly," Inuyasha stated as she leaned over to sniff it.

Sending him a sideways glare as she rubbed the smooth stones, she retorted, "It is not!"

"Actualy, I have to agree with Inuyasha...its rather plain," Miorku said with a sorry look to Kagome.

Sango shook her head, "It might be plain, but its still beautiful."

Inuyasha looked triumphantly to Inuyasha, "See, you two don't have a clue what your talking about," and then put the necklace safely back in the box and into her backback.

"Well, you're woman and you're funny that way," Inuyasha replied.

Miroku stepped away from him and next to Sango, saying clearly he wasn't with the half-demon on that one.

"Figures, you coward..." Inuyasha growled, and Miroku smiled sheepishly.

'I can't believe it...Kagome can stay with me until I die. She can live as long as I will, and I won't have to live most of my life without her...unless she chooses to go back to her own time...but I hope she'll stay here.'

Even though Inuyasha was thrilled about the necklace, and was distracted by Kagome, he knew he had to focus on his enemies, and at the moment, they had two of them. If he let himself get distracted by Kagome constantly, they could get killed.

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It rained for another day before it quit, and Inuyasha was so agrivated, Kagome had sat him five times for being even more rude than normal.

"Thank god its quit, another day in that hut and Kagome probably would have killed Inuyasha," Sango said to Miroku who rode behind her on Kirara.

"I think she certainly would have tried. Did you notice how she had been trying not to sit him? He's an idiot..." The monk replied, fighting every urge in his body to keep from moving his hands from her waist.

Meanwhile, Kagome was riding on Inuyasha's back and told him, "Miroku's really concentrating on not groping Sango, isn't he?"

"Ha, like he can actualy help himself. The monks an uncontrolable lecher."

Sure enough, despite looking like he was trying not to, Miroku's hand slipped down to her butt. Finally satisfied, he let out a sigh, and Sango sent a glare at him, but for once, didn't slap him.

"Told you..." Inuyasha muttered and rolled his eyes.

Kagome shook her head and laughed, thinking to herself, 'Poor Sango, she's going to have a lot of work to do...luckily, Inuyasha doesn't run after every girl he sees, only Kikyo, but I think thats different now, or it better be...'

"Hey, Inuyasha, do you think I should use the necklace?" Kagome asked, hoping he would say yes, which would mean he really did want her to stay with him.

"Uh..."

'I can't influence her dicission. She has to make it on her own. I won't ask her to leave her family and friends in her time...' Inuyasha told himself sternly, even though he wanted to tell her she had to stay with him forever.

"Do whatever you want, Kagome. Its your choice," Was what he ended up saying, which by the sudden tension in her body, he asumed had upset her.

'You can't make the dicission for her...she HAS to make it on her own...' He reasured himself.

With a hurt voice, Kagome murmered in his ear, "You don't care if I go back to my time and don't come back?"

"I didn't say that!" He yelled. It was too complicated, and he didn't want to talk about it.

Kagome noticed the look on his face and didn't say anymore about it.

She didn't understand what he was thinking. He hadn't said he loved her, but when she had asked for him to love her, he had said he did. Had Inuyasha changed his mind? Was Kikyo still on his mind all the time?

'God damnit! Why do I always have to say things that upset her...did she think he didn't care about her?'

He growled with a frown. Maybe he could tell her he wanted her to stay, but it was her choice...if he didn't tell her, and she didn't realize he did, she would run home.

How could she think he didn't love her is what he didn't understand. They had spent what seemed like days kissing, 'Why the hell does she think I'd do that and not love her. Its not like I'm Miroku.'

"Hey, look over there! Is all that smoke coming from that village?" Kagome yelled to everyone, right in Inuyasha's ear, hurting it and disrupting his thoughts, and he turned his head around to glare at her.

"We better go check it out!" Yelled Sango.

Inuyasha, looking for some form of a battle, happily agreed, and off they went.

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"All of you get back!" Miroku called, ready to use his windtunnel, but Inuyasha pushed him aside.

"You get back, I need to teach this woman that no one messes with MY friends..."

At the menacing look on his good friends face, the monk moved off to help the women fend off some weaker demons that were attaching them. Just in time, he reached Sango and used his staff to cut the demon, which had been sneeking up on her from behind, in half.

"Thanks!" Sango shot him a smile and turned around where she saw another demon pull itself back together, "Kagome, watch out!"

Reacting quickly, Kagome shot a sacred arrow and the demon disinagrated.

"Where's Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, looking and not seeing him.

"That female demon must have put up some kind of shield...he was just there," Miroku decided would be most likely, "I guess Inuyasha's on his own now."

"I don't think so...where was he when you saw him last?" Kagome retorted and strung her bow, ready to shoot where Miroku pointed.

"If it does go though and break it, you could hit Inuyasha," Sango warned.

Kagome smiled, "Don't worry, I won't. Now where was it?"

Miroku pointed and Kagome shot, then the barrier lifted and it turned out Miroku was right. There was Inuyasha, in battle with the sister called Amaya who had scratched Kagome's cheek.

"So you broke my barrier did you?" She laughed, her sword held to Inuyasha's neck.

He was on his back, on the ground, and suddenly over come with worry and anger, Kagome strung her bow a second time, "You let him go!"

Having been given a distraction, Inuyasha kicked the demons feet out from under her which sent her to the ground, "Thanks Kagome!"

Tetsusaiga was now pressed to Amaya's neck, and she swallowed hard.

"Who the hell do you think you are? You asulted Kagome, you assulted Sango, and Kirara, and Shippo. How do you and your messed up family know so much about us?"

"A half-breed like you has now right to call my family messed up," She told him icily.

Inuyasha pushed his sword a little harder against her skin that was paler than Kagome's, and hissed, "I might be a half-breed, but my friends are my family, and you tried to hurt them. Do you think I'm going to let you get away with that?"

The group looked at their half-demon companion in bewilderment, surprised by his sentimental words that he would no doubt deny saying later.

"Oh, Inuyasha, you have no idea whats ahead of you...You'll die, and you friends will become my fathers slaves. Don't you love the idea?"

'She's doing what she did to Sango and I...she's using words to hurt him, rather than force...' Kagome realized and her and Sango exchanged looks.

"Well, I believe I've had enough fun for today...I will see all of you later."

She disapeared without warning, and Inuyasha cursed, "Damn! I should have just killed her!"

Miroku sat down next to Sango who had just sat on a large rock, "Don't worry about it Inuyasha, we have to take care of Naraku first."

Kagome shook her head and started walking away, "No, we'll have to burry all the villagers she killed, then we can keep going."

Sango, with a sad smile, told the two men, "I'll go and get Shippo, Kirara, and Kohaku. You better get started."

"So, Inuyasha, I havn't had time to talk with you about you and Kagome. Is she going to stay in this time?"

Inuyasha shrugged, not liking this conversation already.

"What was going on that first night in the hut when Sango and I were gone?"

The monk got a glare with angry words, "Thats none of YOUR business."

Looking defeated, Miroku ran after Sango, obviously chosing to go with her.

Inuyasha watched Kagome walking a few feet ahead of him, most likely looking for something to dig with. He knew she was still upset at him, and he still didn't know why. Speeding up a little bit so he could walk beside her, he wondered what would have happened if Kagome hadn't broken the barrier.

"Inuyasha...you didn't get hurt did you?"

Just another thing he loved about her. She always cared if he was hurt. Sure, he'd act annoyed, but really, he was happy to have her to worry about him. She in a way, kept him from being so wreckless and getting himself killed.

'Kagome...when did I fall in love with you? What would it be like if I hadnt? Or worse, what if you hadn't even been pulled into my time?' He thought privatly as he looked over at her, just to meet her own eyes.

"I'm fine, how about you?" He replied.

"I'm ready for a nice hot bath...Inuyasha?"

"Yeah?"

Kagome stopped, standing still and looking up at Inuyasha, asked him, "Do YOU want me to stay here with you? You said it was my choice...but I want to know if you want me to stay."

"Stop being so stupid. Of course I want you to say," Inuyasha insulted, trying to sound indifferent, "Besides- Why does it matter what I want?"

"Because I don't want to stay if you don't want me to, and because I love you."

'There,' Kagome thought happily, 'I said it to his face.'

He had about the same reaction as the last time she had said it, him feeling warm and happy, but completely unable to say anything understandable, "I- well-"

Kagome wasn't mad he couldn't say it, or sad. She knew what he meant. He had never been good with words, or being sentimental, "Come on, we have lot of digging to do."

She smiled an uncontrolable smile as she started walking again.

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Ok, the last few times, I've been a bit evil...-evil smile-, but this time, I leave you with a sweeter ending!

Like it? Could you review?

And so, until next time, have fun!