"Even if he loves another. I'll always want to be by his side forever."

-Kagome.

The Darkness Within Our Hearts: Chapter 18 - Love Me Not.

"BANKOTSU OO-ANIKI!" Jakotsu cried and watched as Bankotsu get washed away in the depths of the rapids of the river down below. Turning to his commrads and yelling: "If we hurry, we can do down river and catch up to him! Come on! Let's go!"

The rest of the Shichinintai looked at Jakotsu as if he was mentally retarded.

"Guys?" Jakotsu called again.

Renkotsu scratched his bald head and stepped forward and came to Jakotsu's side and guided him away from the edge of the cliff. "I'm sure oo-aniki is fine."

"But--"

"But nothing," Renkotsu cut in. "He's our leader and can take care of himself, plus...we can't leave his Banryuu here." Renkotsu stated, pointing at Bankotsu's halberd lying on top of the soil.

"We can come back for it later! It's not gonna go anywhere, Renkotsu-aniki!" Jakotsu argued back.

"True. But the solider's reinforcements might come, they'll be scouting the area and if they find Bankotsu oo-aniki's halberd, they'll most likely take it away, and the wereabouts of that area they come from would be known to us and it would be a pain in the ass to go and look for it." Renkotsu reasoned.

"I guess..." Jakotsu agreed in pouty tone. "Oh, and one question Renkotsu oo-aniki."

"What's that?"

"How...to be pick up Bankotsu oo-aniki's halberd? Bankotsu is the only one who can pick it up on his own." Jakotsu stated

"..." Renkotsu was silent.

"Didn't figure that out yet, huh?"

oo.

"Ow!" Kagome winced in pain as Anika tied her to the tree. "Can't you be a little more gentle?"

"Sorry. But you'll just have to play along in my little game." Anika said.

"Your game?" Kagome blinked. What on earth was Anika talking about?

"Well, haven't you figured out my plan yet?" Anika questioned, as she finished tying Kagome's ropes. "There. All done."

"Your...gonna eat me?"

"No! I don't eat HUMANS I eat other demons. Besides, I plan to help you of your problem." Anika chirped aloud.

"You mean...your gonna eat Inuyasha and Kouga?"

"NO!" Anika barked. "I eat demons that AREN'T human looking! And when I mean problem, I mean your love relationship!"

"Oh. B-but why?"

"Because it's annoying." Anika answered truthfully. "That Kouga guy ranting on and on about you two getting married and all. When CLEARLY your in love with the hanyou punk."

Kagome couldn't help but blush. She turned away slightly. "B-but...Inuyasha is in love with someone else."

Hearing this Anika came straight up to Kagome's face with wide eyes, obviously she was shocked. "What? There's MORE to this? I thought it was just you, the hanyou, and wolf guy! But...there's another girl...and Inuyasha loves her too?" Anika seemed very interested now. "Hmm...interesting, VERY intersting..."

Kagome nodded. "Well, yes, it is pretty much true. And you've already met her."

"I DID?"

"Kikyou. The miko from awhile back."

.: Flash Back:.

Standing over the hilltop stood a girl with long black hair and wore red priestess clothes. Bow and arrow in her hands.

"K-Kikyou..."Inuyasha whispered.

Kagome blinked. "It's Kikyou!"

Kikyou glared. "If you intend to hurt Inuyasha...then I will fire my arrows through your wreched heart!"

Anika just stood there and gave a weird look. "Geez...talk about the 'rip your heart out and step on it' speech..."

"Hmmm...Kikyou...I think I've heard of her..." Rei thought.

"Rei? What now?" Anika asked.

Rei turned to the girl named Kikyou. "I wonder what would happen if I..." She swung her sword making white cresents fly at the dead priestess."...did this..." Rei finished.

Inuyasha jump and lifted Kikyou off the ground and jumped out of Yozansen's attack.

Kikyo opened her eyes. "I-Inuyasha..."

"Kikyou..." Inuyasha said back.

Anika sweatdropped. "What's up with all that mushy stuff?"

Rei smirked. "So that IS the miko that died 50 years ago...and the hanyou is still in love with her...this just might give us the edge! Well...I mean...a better advantage!"

.: End Flash Back:.

"Oh. Her." Anika's memory properly functioning, finally. During that time only Rei figured out who she was and Inuyasha's other weakness.

Kagome wanting to change the subject. "Umm...Anika?"

"Yeah?" Anika asked in a bored expression or as if she was half asleep.

"Out of all the times to kidnap me...WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE WHEN I'M TAKING A BATH?" Kagome cried. Kagome was still in a white towel and wet.

"Well, I was on a hot lead...I couldn't of said, 'Before I take Kagome away, I'll let her get dressed', that would make me sound stupid, you know?"

"No..."

"FINE. I'll go get your clothes, before Inuyasha and Kouga get here." Anika clapped her hands together and touched the ground...then moved to another area and did the samething as before, repeating her steps, she kept on clapping her hands and touching the ground in a new area.

Kagome sweatdropped. It looked ridiculious. "What are you doing?"

"Setting up the playing field." Anika answered simply as she moved farther and farther from Kagome. Kagome, thought Anika was doing some kind of 'Good Luck Ritual Dance' or something.

"'k all done!" Anika announced and then disappeared; flames engulfing her, just as it did to Kagome before.

oo.

Inuyasha lay low on the ground; sniffing the ground in attempt to catch Kagome's or Anika's scent. "Shit. Where could she of gone?"

"Stupid inu shit...this wouldn't be happening to Kagome if it weren't for you..." Kouga mumbled under his breath. Unfortunaly Inuyasha heard.

"What'd you say, you prick? You wanna die today?" He barked out of frustration, anger, and worry all in one. Suddenly Inuyasha picked up Anika's scent...it's coming from, the hotspring!

oo.

Anika picked up whatever that wasn't familiar to her, picking up a large yellow bag, and stuffing in whatever was around it, clothes, a comb, a mirror, weird cups (ramen), bug spray, books, medical supplies, etc. All which are strange to Anika's eyes.

"I hope I've got everything..." Anika looked up, reacting to familiar scents heading her way. A combination to hanyou, wolf, fox, cat, and mortals. "So Inuyasha and friends are on to me. This should be a fun chase of Cat and Mouse." Anika slipped her arms through the straps to Kagome's yellow bag and lifted it onto her back, and began to run.

oo.

Anika's scent was becoming faint, she was running away! "Oh, no you don't, you bitch!" Inuyasha pulled out his Fang of Destruction and slashed his Kaze no Kizu, destroying the forest and it's trees.

"There she is!" Kouga pointed out, seeing her red clothes and Kagome's yellow bag on her back. "See you, inu shit!" Kouga out ran Inuyasha, leaving him behind in a heap of smoke and dust. Kouga's tornado moving farther and farther away.

Anika was awfully getting close to Kagome's location and so was Kouga of the wolf demon tribe. "Show time."

As Kouga slowly drew closer and closer to Anika's red figure, she suddenly disappear from his sight. "What the? Where'd that little runt go?" Then Kagome's scent laid on Kouga' nose. "Kagome is close by! And once I save her, I'll prove to inu shit and everyone else, that I'm the on meant to be with Kagome."

Kouga stopped in his tracks and saw Kagome on the other side of the field from which Kouga stood, Inuyasha soon caught up, along with everyone else.

"KAGOME!" Inuyasha called.

"I'M OK, GUYS!" Kagome called back from the other side of the field.

"Geez, no need to yell so much. Your hurting my poor ears." Anika said from behind Kagome, making her yelp in surprise. "I got your clothes like you asked."

"Uhh...thanks?"

"Kagome! I'm coming!" Inuyasha declared and ran forward and--suddenlt blew up. His crispy figure flying back to where he began. "Wh-what was that?"

"An explosion." Anika stated. "Before I left, I planted explosion fire spells around the area. Only I know where they are placed."

"THAT'S why Anika kept clapping her hands together and touching the ground in different areas! She was setting traps!" Kagome thought.

Anika cut Kagome's ropes. "What are you--"

"Don't get the wrong idea. I just want you to get dressed, and if you intend on running away on the spot, you'll end up stepping in on my traps and go...BOOM!" Anika said and handed Kagome her bag and clothes. "Be a good hostage and do as I say." Kagome nodded in confusion and went behind some trees and bushes to dress. Anika turned back to Inuyasha and gang. "Well, Inuyasha? What are gonna do now?" She asked in a mock tone.

"First off, I'm gonna...get past your lame traps and slice your head off!" Inuyasha roared and jumped and landed on ground...it didn't self-destruct. "Heh. Looks like lucks on my side." Inuyasha said in a cocky attitude and jumped onto other areas and he lucked out, and didn't step on any traps yet. The red hanyou came closer and closer to Anika, once he was in striking range, he thought he had won. "I got you!"

Anika smirked in amusement then raised her hand and snapped her fingers; causing an explosion around Inuyasha and making him land on a trap and exploding and...and he landed in another and flew back to where he started once again. "Shit!"

"Seems easy, but, I'm not gonna left you strike me down so fast." Anika laughed. "Ho! Ho! Ho! Your as stupid as you look!"

"Inuyasha..." Kouga growled at him.

"What do YOU want?" Inuyasha growled back.

"If we go at the same time, we might be able to take her out." Kouga suggesting they...work together? "You in?"

"Heh. Whatever wimpy wolf. I've got a plan too." Inuyasha lifted his sword high into the air and smashed it back down into the ground. "KAZE NO KIZU!" Inuyasha's Kaze no Kizu collided and deactivated Anika's explosions. Her traps were now all gone.

"Interesting...but the show is still on...and it's just getting better." Anika smirked devilishly.

Kouga and Inuyasha dashed forward, and charged head on at Anika. "Die!"

"Fool...!" Anika pulled out two blue angelic like feathers and threw them at Inuyasha and Kouga, hitting them both. It do any damage and they both pulled the feathers out.

"What the hell?" Inuyasha hissed and tossed the feather to the side, Kouga doing the same. "If you think feathers will stop me...your obviously stupid today."

"You said that the feather was meant to kill you?" Anika asked.

"Huh?"

"Inuyasha! Kouga! Are you ok?" Kagome coming out from behind the tree, finally finished changing. "Hm? What wrong with you guys?"

Inuyasha and Kouga felt...very strange. Their vision blurring and the atmosphere felt thicker...

"Inuyasha? Kouga?" Kagome called again.

"Kagome..." Inuyasha called back, looking up at her. Suddenly Inuyasha was cupping Kagome's hands. "I...I love you."

"Now the REAL game begins..." Anika smiled.

End of Chapter 18.

Anika: Ho! Ho! Ho! How did you like THAT?

Inuyasha: What did you do to us?

Anika: Heh heh...that's for me to know. And to find out in the next chapter!

Bankotsu: What happened to me? And the samurai?

Sango: You died!

Bankotsu:...

oo.

The Darkness Within Our Hearts: Chapter18 - Love Me Not. Complete!

Date posted: June 29, 2005

Disclaimer: Does not own InuYasha.

Copy Right of author, Rei Aiyanami.