Author's Note: Urgh! This chapter took forever thanks to Kagome being stubborn! Apparently she doesn't like being the damsel and distress, so she isn't talking to me! And Sesshomaru...well, he's being Sesshomaru so I can't get him to cooperate with me either! From the time this fanfic started he took over, and I've just been left in the dust! So my fingers are tired, and I've got two moody main characters to deal with...yippee for me. If you guys keep reviewing it might make them feel better, so please review! Enjoy chapter 6 everyone!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to or affiliated with Inuyasha, however this particular story is M-I-N-E! :)

Suffering Confrontation

Something's wrong. Sesshomaru had the gut feeling that something terrible was waiting for him when he found Kagome. He could barely smell her mixed within all the nauseating potions he detected. His nose also picked up the faint whiff of an ashen corpse; Kagome's corpse.

Sesshomaru willed his legs to run faster as he broke through the line of trees to find Kagome's body lying in a sickly green potion with light surrounding her as her soul was sucked out. The corpse he smelled kneeled above her, lightly touching Kagome's forehead. Pain slammed into his gut at the sight of his long dead beloved. He wanted to touch her, he wanted to hold her, but most of all, he wanted to know the truth. Though he would give anything to have his beloved back, he would not endanger the life of an innocent. Instantly, his legs kicked into gear and his voice cried out, "KAGOME!"

No, no, NO!

But he was too late. The light faded from Kagome and was transferred to the shell. With a savage snarl, he lunged towards the corpse, steeling himself against his feelings, and reminding himself that it was just an ashen copy. Before he could reach it, a wall of clay rose out of the ground.

"Aww, and you were so close, too." The sorceress lightly landed on the wall, looking down on Sesshomaru with a smirk. "But I can't have you ripping the shell apart with the miko's soul in it. After all, it might have some unpleasant consequences."

"Do not talk in riddles you vile wench," he growled slowly. "Explain yourself!"

"Tsk, tsk. Someone is a bit impatient. Well, since you're so eager to know, I'll tell you. If you break the vessel while the soul is still inside, then the soul will vanish. And of course you don't want that to happen do you? Besides, you should thank me for bringing back your lover."

"That thing is not my Kagome. It is but a shadow of what she was. You could never bring back what was lost in an instant of time." Sesshomaru said coldly.

But the vanishing soul is definitely a problem. Though the first thing I have to do is get past this wall.

With one stroke of his whip, the large mound crumbled and Sesshomaru wasted no time launching at the floating sorceress. However, the witch only chuckled and snapped her fingers. Instantly, a large object smashed against Sesshomaru, and he was hurled to the ground. He twisted around and landed in a crouch, glaring at the object that landed a few feet away. It was a large clay soldier, and Sesshomaru looked around with a sickening dread to find more forming out of the ground.

Wasting time, wasting time, WASTING TIME!

He brought out is whip again and started slashing dozens of the soldiers, but they only reformed once they hit the ground. From somewhere behind him, a battle cry sounded, and Hiraikotsu was crushing clay soldiers by the handful. Arrows streaked from above, taking out a few at a time with purification, while a small furry mound streaked in between the soldiers, knocking down their legs. Sesshomaru's team had arrived.

Miroku bounded down from the trees and positioned himself behind Sesshomaru. "Go take care of the witch. If you kill her, the spell on these things will vanish. I'll cover you with the Kazaana."

"Miroku…" Sesshomaru eyed him warily.

"Get goin mutt!" Koga landed on Miroku's shoulder. "We can take care of these pests! Go save the woman!" he smirked.

With a brief nod, Sesshomaru was racing towards the sorceress, the roaring sound of the Kazaana ringing in his ears. The witch glared at Sesshomaru as more soldiers lined up in front of her. With one slick movement of his poison claws, the soldiers disintegrated, and his hand had firmly clamped down on the witches throat.

"Urgh!" she gurgled as the poison started seeping into her skin.

"Give Kagome's soul back!" he snarled.

"Hehe," she croaked, "there is no way to reverse a soul transfer. The body has to call the soul back on its own. You cannot save her!" And with one final cackle, she disintegrated under Sesshomaru's poison.

xxx

Ugh. Why does my head hurt so much! Kagome slowly opened her eyes to find herself in a grassy clearing surrounded by trees. She sat up and looked around, but the scenery almost seemed blurry and dream-like.

It's so peaceful here…Wait! What happened to the witch?! And where are my friends?! Where's Sesshomaru?!

Kagome jumped to her feet and whirled around, only to stop in her tracks. Her other self stood right in front of her with her back turned, starring at Goshinboku. The mirror image turned around slowly, and Kagome feared she would see bitterness and anger on her face, but instead the figure gave her a sad smile and held out a hand. She heard her own voice through the figure say, "Come," and Kagome immediately walked towards the miko.

"Never did I think I would meet myself in death." She smiled a greeting while gently grabbing her hand. "It is nice to meet you, Kagome."

"Um…likewise."

Well at least I don't act like Kikyou when I'm dead. That's a weight off my chest. But now what?

"Where exactly are we?" she asked sheepishly.

"The world between this one and the next. I have been waiting here for him for fifty years." She turned back to Goshinboku with that sad look in her eyes, and Kagome felt sorry for her.

"What happened between you and Sesshomaru?" she asked quietly.

The miko sighed softly, still looking at Goshinboku, then said, "The fault was mine. I did not trust him and I even let myself be fooled by the evil that masked itself within a simple human. I am a shame to all mikos and I regret much." She turned back to Kagome with a shine in her eyes. "A man tricked me into thinking Sesshomaru had killed the guards who protected the jewel and had taken it himself. There was so much blood and claw marks covered the walls, so I assumed he was telling the truth. I chased after Sesshomaru until I found him lounging against this tree." She placed a hand on the bark, and her eyes held a faraway look. "I shot him immediately. I didn't even give him a chance to explain. When the arrow struck, his eyes held such confusion and hurt that I knew instantly he had done nothing wrong, but the man had followed me and before I could reach Sesshomaru, he had plunged a knife through my heart. I was a fool overcome by emotions, but I cannot change what has past."

By now Kagome had tears in her eyes as she listened to the sad tale told by the suffering woman. She wrapped her arms around the miko and hugged her fiercely. "But you can still make things right! My soul is in your body, so you can tell Sesshomaru himself that you are sorry!"

The miko stepped back and shook her head. "I'm afraid it doesn't work like that. My soul now resides within Kikyou. All I am is the conscience that was left behind. If I was to use your soul, you would cease to exist. There cannot be more than one of us in this world, or the balance will tip and the connection between this world and your world will break. I'm not fully aware of the consequences, but I will not put our worlds in danger, so I can right a wrong that happened years ago."

Kagome looked crestfallen. "But you still want to apologize, don't you?" she asked softly.

Again that sad smile graced the miko's face. "More than anything."

Kagome sighed, then brightened. "What if I deliver a message to him!"

Her double looked at her in surprise. "You would do that for me?"

Kagome beamed, "Of course I would! Romantic tragedies in real life suck, and the least I can do is give you two a happier ending!"

The woman chuckled, "Thank you. It is nice to know that my other self is a kind girl like you."

"Aww," Kagome said scratching her head in embarrassment. "I just thought it was the right thing to do, and you have no idea how happy I am that you didn't turn into a Kikyou. I don't know what I would have done if you'd been all bitter and creepy." She flashed a goofy grin.

"I see. I am starting to believe that though our circumstances may differ, our personalities do not. We are who we are, and nothing can change that."

"Yeah! I think you're right! Maybe that's why I feel so comfortable around everybody here, because they're still them! Oh yeah! By any chance, do you know a way for me to get home?"

The miko shook her head sadly, and said, "I'm afraid I don't."

Kagome let out a longsuffering sigh. "That figures. Of course my life would never be that easy."

"Maybe you were brought to this world for a reason. If by chance you were, then it is possible you cannot leave until your role in this world is completed." She grabbed Kagome's hand, then said, "Have faith. You would not be here without cause. When your task is completed, I have no doubt you will be able to find your way home." She patted her hand reassuringly. "Sesshomaru will not let you die. You are safe with him."

Kagome stared at the miko for a moment, then said, "Thank you, Kagome-sama."

The miko smiled and nodded. "It's time for you to go now. You have been here long enough." She stepped back, then held up a hand. A circle of light appeared beneath Kagome's feet, and she could feel her soul lifting into the air. With one final glance at the miko, she yelled, "Will I ever see you again?!"

The miko smiled softly and said, "I'm sure we will." And with that, the miko, Goshinboku, and the clearing disappeared as Kagome was pulled back to her body and the world of the living.

Other Author Note: Hehe! And you guys thought I was gonna bring back miko Kagome! Nope! Too confusing and too complicated. Besides, it would disrupt the space time continuom blah-blah-blah...you get the idea, but more importantly it would disrupt whatever romance ideas I have for the protagonists! And we can't have that can we?!