A/N: Hello all kind readers! Yes I know I have been getting quite a few
"reminders" about certain things! Yes I am quite sure that I will say and give
proper credit to TTF. Have no fear!
.o0O0o. .o0O0o.
Kagome: Yes. I do believe you have quite a bit of explaining to the readers to do.
Jassy: yes I admit it! –raises hands in defeat –
InuYasha: Well say it!
Jassy: All right! Alright! Calm down.
InuYasha: Not mine. Kagome: Not mine. Sango: not mine. Shippo: not mine. Kilala: not mine. Naraku: not mine. Kouga: not mine. Miroku: not mine. Ginta: not mine. Ayame: not mine. Story plot up until just about now: not mine.
I OWN BUT MY SEWING AND MY EMBROIDERY! Unless you include that crow and the serpent dude
.o0O0o. .o0O0o. Chapter Thirteen
Have You Chosen? .o0O0o. .o0O0o.
"Hey Shippo, have you seen InuYasha around?" Kagome asked a little kitsune who was currently chasing, and imitating, a grasshopper. Not being able to find InuYasha, she was slightly annoyed. She wanted to go home and, as usual, InuYasha would simply say no and that was that. But Kagome really REALLY needed to leave for a little while.
"No. He left really early this morning with Kilala. I haven't seen him since," Shippo paused for a moment to think. With this time the grasshopper had gotten away.
"You mean he's been gone all day?" Kagome checked her ears, not believing what Shippo was saying.
"Yeah. Kind of strange really. He left without saying a word. And I don't know where he went," Shippo finally sat up and resumed chasing the grasshopper he had previously been so intrigued with. Sango then sat up and left Miroku in charge with the fire.
"If he's gone without telling anyone, then he must still be upset over Naraku's time of weakness," Sango stated. Kagome knew that this was true and that InuYasha was still very upset that Naraku –just like every other half demon – had their time of the month where they become weak.
But Naraku was a completely different type of demon. Instead of getting weak and fearing the same time of the month, Naraku was capable of choosing when his time of the month was to become weak. He used this advantage to reconstruct his body, inside and out. Replacing the weak to make space for the stronger was not something that could be done easily.
"That is true. He does tend to be irrational when upset," Miroku piped in from the fire.
"So…he's really gone?" Kagome could barely hold in her excitement. Everyone nodded and Kagome squealed. This was her big chance! Kagome looked around in disbelief. She would never have been allowed to return home without InuYasha's consent, so this was her big chance.
Not wanting to seem rude, Kagome gingerly walked up to her friends and kindly asked, "Guys, I'm going to go home for a while, k?" Shippo nodded, then latched himself onto Kagome's arm.
"You're going to bring me more stuff, right?" Shippo gave Kagome the roundest and most pupil-filled eyes that he could muster. Kagome could not resist those adorable green eyes of Shippo. She immediately picked him up the way she had Souten.
"Of course! Is there anything else that you guys want?" Uh oh Kagome soon realized that she had chosen the wrong kind of words. Kagome realized that too late as Miroku started naming just about every type of food that she had every brought over to the Sengoku Jidai. Sango was then doing her part as she named anything that Miroku missed.
"And the Ninja rice kind too!" Sango added as Miroku was rambling on and on. Kagome patiently waited for the couple to stop. 'Even though they aren't dating, they still know and show that they truly care for each other.'
Once they were done listing all of the food wanted, Kagome figured that she might as well just take all of the gang to the grocery store! But Kagome said no such thing and excused herself.
.o0O0o. .o0O0o. At the Well .o0O0o. .o0O0o.
"Finally! I never thought I'd get to leave!" Kagome half-complained. Sure she loved spending time in the Sengoku Jidai, but it was always a relief and a break to be able to go back to school. (I can't believe that would be a BREAK!) Seeing the rest of her family was always special. The last time that Kagome had been home had been a while ago and Souta had been growing like a weed. Who knew how tall he could be now?
"Thanks Kilala," Kagome gave Kilala a pat on the head and a quick scratch behind the ears. "I forgot to give you this when I was giving everyone else their gifts. Sorry if it's kinda late." Kagome reached down into her bag and pulled out a small container of Cat treats and some catnip. Kilala mewed happily as Kagome opened the kitty treats and gave Kilala two. "I wasn't sure what flavour you'd like. You have NO idea how hard it is to get cat treats back home."
Once satisfied that Kagome was safe, Kilala returned to her friend and master with a container of cat treats with a small letter in the container and a rather large amount of Catnip in her mouth. Kilala had both of her tails wagging once she had returned home.
"Okay! Let's," Kagome stooped down to pick up her bag. "Go!" Kagome practically coughed as she lifter her bag. "Oh man! Do I have to bring so much with me back home? It's not like Souta's life's going to depend on it!" Kagome sighed.
Flashback
"Hey Kagome!" Shippo cried out as his older sister was just stepping into the Shrine.
"What do you want Souta? I'm about to go!" Kagome whined as she shut the shrine gate. Clearly she was anxious to see her friends in the Sengoku Jidai. It was clear that a certain someone had caught her fancy. Souta had no idea to who, but he certainly knew that he wanted it to be InuYasha.
"Well I was just wondering if you could give this to InuYasha!" Souta then handed Kagome a picture of both herself, Souta and InuYasha. "I don't want him to forget me!" Souta explained somewhat sadly.
'As if he could ever forget you,' Kagome thought somewhat sarcastically. She highly doubted that InuYasha could ever forget someone as annoying, yet obsessed as Souta.
"Sure Souta! I'll give it to him!" Kagome said cheerfully, messing up Souta's hair in a playful kind of way.
"Thanks Kagome. Oh, could you get something of Him for me?" Souta practically begged. Kagome gave him a look that said you-want-something-from-HIM? But none the less, she agreed to get something for her little brother.
End Flashback
"Well Souta'll be happy to know that I got him a few things from InuYasha. I just hope he appreciates them." Kagome didn't have the heart to tell Souta what InuYasha had thought of the picture of all three of them. He had mearly gave it one of his famous "Keh", folded it and then placed it in one of the pockets in the Fire Rat Haori. Where InuYasha had put it his Fire Rat Haori, Kagome didn't really want to know.
"Well, here I-" Kagome got cut off by a rustling in the bush. Kagome saw asudden flash of bright pink light.She cringed in the bright light. She knew that any sane person would have run and ask questions later; but she wasn't the smartest girl around. Plus after facing demons, being life-threatened over a million times, and being kidnapped and then asked to become a demon's mate for life, Kagome wasn't exactly the naïve type. "Go," Kagome finally finished her sentence.
Kagome dropped her backpack and ventured towards the bush. She ever so slowly crept towards whatever was making that sound in the bush. She hastily looked into the bush to see what had emitted the bright pink light.
Suddenly, a rather large fox jumped out of the bushes that Kagome was just about to investigate. The fox gave Kagome quite a start, but she was able to quickly regain her stoic expression. She returned to the bushes, to see if there was anything that could have actually triggered a small explosion.
Kagome then heard the sharp, stringy sound of an arrow being strung into the bow. Kagome whipped her head around just in time to see none other than Kikyo, aiming her arrow straight at Kagome. At first, Kagome was too shocked to do anything at all. All she did was look at Kikyo with her jaw agape with the same stunned expression as a dear caught in a truck's headlights. Kagome knew that Kikyo could have easily killed Kagome without a thought about it, so why wasn't she firing?
"Kikyo…" Kagome finally muttered. "Why have you not killed me yet?" (ooh! Say it Kagome! Yes, bring out the blonde you really are! Just say the signal! Kill her Kikyo! –clears throat- on with the story) Kagome nearly said. But instead it came out more like a "Wa-What are you doing?"
Kikyo glared at Kagome, then her expression softened and she gave a slight grin. "Isn't it obvious?" Kikyo asked, lowering her boy only slightly. "I am supposed to kill you. But what fun would that be? Why not just watch you suffer? Just like I had to!" Kikyo finally cried out as she fired the arrow straight towards Kagome's left lung.
Something just snapped in Kagome's mind, and her eyes just glazed over, leaving them with no pupils, just the iris. She then moved her hand with lightening quick speed and caught the arrow in midair. Kikyo's smirk just widened. 'Yes, that's it. Release it. Release the true demon from inside of you,' Kikyo then strung another arrow. It seemed that Kagome had some unknown powers that were unknown even to her.
"How pathetic. You expected to take me down with that?" Kagome's voice had matured. It was if there was a totally different person inside of her. "You disgust me with your pathetic attempts. Do you even dare to even offer an excuse?"
"You cretinous toad! How dare you speak to me like that!" Kikyo strung another arrow and aimed it directly at Kagome's heart. Kagome caught the arrow with one hand and snapped it in half while smirking. Kagome then twisted the arrow around with her fingers like a baton, threw it up in the air, then practically threw the arrow like it was a dagger straight at Kikyo.
Kikyo merely caught the arrow since it was going so slowly through the air and placed it back in her quiver. A slight smirk gracefully found it's way onto her face. "So there still is part of my soul inside of you. Good," Kikyo turned on her heels, having all of the information needed.
An arrow whizzed by Kikyo's ear, just missing her head by mere centimetres. Kikyo continued to walk. "And just where do you think you're going?" Kagome said, stringing another arrow and started sending her purifying powers to it. Kikyo knew that one shot of that would have torn through her clay body and killed her already un-dead being.
Kagome shot the second arrow, aiming directly towards Kikyo's neck. Kikyo made neither a movement to dodge the arrow, nor to grab it. Instead she merely concentrated on the arrow, turning it's energy to turn to a blood red colour. The arrow stopped dead in its tracks, as if an invisible hand was holding it up.
"Hm. You have proved enough," Kikyo trailed off. She took a few steps forward ignoring everything around her. She stopped, turner her head around, looking Kagome straight in the eyes, then muttering the last of her sentence. "Kikyo."
.o0O0o. .o0O0o. With InuYasha .o0O0o. .o0O0o.
"Thanks Kilala. Now that I'm here, you get back to Sango," InuYasha hopped of Kilala and patted the two-tail on the head. Kilala mewed, then ran off into the forest daintily, not caring that she was a tiny little kitten in the big bad world. InuYasha gave a small smirk towards her attitude, then got stepped inside the abnormally large skull Totosai called his home.
"Hey Totosai! You round here?" InuYasha called out. His only reply was his own echo. "Huh. Guess he's not ho- ACK!" InuYasha fell onto his butt. There was the three eyed cow staring straight into InuYasha's eyes, nibbling on some straw. "Jeez! Do ya HAFTA do that old man?" InuYasha was currently on his feet, clutching at his heart, trying to calm it down. Totosai just scratched at his head, nothing particularly going through his mind at the time.
Totsai eventually found InuYasha standing in front of him. He cocked his head to the side, not sure what InuYasha was doing at his feet. "did you say something?" InuYasha fell down anime style.
"No, I'm just here to say hello," InuYasha said sarcastically. His claws had been extended, and it was obvious to anyone but Totosai and perhaps his bovine, that he was controlling his anger the very best that he could. Totosai's dim-witness wasn't helping all that much.
"Really?" Totosai gave InuYasha the same clueless look as before. InuYasha fell down anime style again. He quickly hopped to his feet, waving his arms as he spoke,
"No you old man! I came so you could teach me how to weaken Naraku's barriers!" InuYasha was about to give an example as he waved the Tetsuaiga around as if it were no more than a sheath. Totosai scratched behind his ear, as if he had something like tics. (well he probably does after all, he IS kinda far away frum da springs n all) "Hey! Are you listening old man?"
"What? Did you say something?"
.o0O0o. .o0O0o. With Kagome .o0O0o. .o0O0o.
"Oh bother! I've been looking for Kouga all night. Even Kilala left," Kagome complained as she continued her nearly day-long walk through the forest of InuYasha and she still hadn't found Kouga. 'Figures though. Why would he want to be in the forest of InuYasha, since that's his rival's name?!' Kagome gave herself a slightly mental slap. "Then again, after that little rendez-vous with Kikyo, I can't even remember much of what happened. It's as if someone just took control of me! Only, last time something like that happened, I was able to remember everything! It was when I was taken care of by-" Kagome shuddered as she remembered.
Hyoga had taken complete control of Kagome's body and soul. But her spiritual powers had enabled her to watch her dismay as she was forced to attack both Kaede and InuYasha. "I just hope that never happens again. I'd never forgive myself if I hurt any of my family! Be it Souta, Sango, Hakkaku, Kaede or InuYasha. But what about Kikyo and Kouga? After all, Kagome WAS the reincarnation of the miko, and Kouga had stolen her first kiss. So that made a rather large family to take care of.
"There's no room for me in his heart. Kikyo proced that she wanted to be with InuYasha by giving up her life. I could never do that." Kagome subconsciously kneeled onto the ground, then fell onto her stomach. She was yet again crying. Something she had made into a habit recently. Just when she thought she was so happy with both sides of her family, her heart had to completely throw her off guard.
"Oh Kouga. I-I'm sorry." Kagome had decided that Kouga would probably never speak to her again. "It's probably for the better anyway. A human was just slowing him down.
Flashback
"I'm Sorry Kagome. I've chosen Kikyo'. No! No I can't think that way! It's not true! I wish…I wish Kikyo would just die!" Kagome gasped. Even though she hadn't even said it verbally, she wished she had taken it back. "Have I really turned into Kikyo like that?"
End Flasback
That's just how she felt right now. When InuYasha had abandoned her, she felt like her whole world had just turned upside down. She didn't know if she could carry on her life, knowing that InuYasha had thrown her away for Kikyo.
Fatigue overwhelming her, Kagome slowly drifted into sleep, gladly welcoming the blackness. But before she finally slipped away into dream-land, Kagome muttered, "So this is what Kouga felt like."
.o0O0o. .o0O0o. Elsewhere .o0O0o. .o0O0o.
"So Kagome really did love the wolf. What a pity. But now there's another toy for me to play with. Well, Kagome. Now that you've released the Spirit of Kikyo from deep inside of you, what shall you do with such power? And how will you control the Kikyo of inside of you?" And with that, the half-demon in the baboon pelt disappeared from site.
.o0O0o. .o0O0o. Elsewhere (not the other "elsewhere") .o0O0o. .o0O0o.
Naraku slunk quietly towards Kagome. Since he was in this human form, he decided that Kagome might not be so afraid. But she was sleeping, after all, making it perfect for Naraku to use this against the young couple. (Wait a minute. If Kagome's 15, and Kouga LOOKs like eh's bout 19, he would be about 190! Because Shippo's over 50 proven by an episode seen, so that would make him about 5. So wouldn't that be like a MASSIVE pedophile? I'll SU now)
.o0O0o. .o0O0o. With Kouga .o0O0o. .o0O0o.
"Kouga! The pack of the North are going shard hunting! You wanna go with them?" One of Kouga's trusty sidekicks, Hakkaku, called as he just finished talking with one of the wolves from the north that he had known many years ago.
Kogua just sat still, hunched against the cave wall. Those words got his attention, but not for the same reason as the other wolves were so alert. Just earlier on that year, the North Tribe had come looking for another tribe to go hunting for the shards with. They were easily destroyed as it had been a trap by Kagura. The others had obvisouly not remembered this, for most of them had gone with the North Tribe and had not returned.
Kouga snorted at the remark, not in the mood to talk about shards. The first thing that came to mind whenever someone mentioned Shards or Hunting, Kouga's mind fell directly to Kagome. Thinking about Kagome made him think of the site he had just seen not too long ago with Kagome and InuYasha. He clenched his hands together to make a fist. His blood was boiling, and he was doing his best to keep control.
Just then he smelt something o-so familiar to his oh-so sensitive nose. His brain snapped, realizing both of the smells. Naraku. That made his blood boil even more. But then the other smell made him regain control of his actions.
Kagome.
But what he smelled even MORE that he didn't like, was the smell of blood. Kagome's blood. Only god knew what Naraku could have been doing with Kagome. Being a demon, even a half-demon, would sometimes make one's actions completely uncontrolled. When needed to mate, their instincts made a demon lose complete control over his body, and just let his demon side kick in full throttle.
"Hang on, Kagome." Kouga sped off to where he smelled his lover. "I won't let that bastard touch you!"
.o0O0o. .o0O0o. With Kagome and Naraku .o0O0o. .o0O0o.
"That's it Kagome. You keep on sleeping, and this will all be over soon," Naraku gave a slight smile. He was currently digging his nails into Kagome's arms, giving her quite painful cuts. Or at least, it would have been painful had she been conscious.
"Get off of her!" Kouga exclaimed as he rushed towards Naraku with the help of the Shikon shards in his legs. Naraku's smirk widened, and vanished instantly, making Kouga strike nothing but air. Not a very formidable opponent.
"Tsk tsk tsk. Was it me that you were trying to hit?" Naraku mocked. Playing with his opponents before he disappeared was one of his more enjoyable hobbies.
"Well then we're just going to have to do something about that," Naraku said with a smirk. He cocked his head to the side where an elegant young lady suddenly materialized.
"Kaguya Hime!" Kagome gasped. She couldn't believe that the fake Tennyo was still alive, even after Miroku had sucked her up with his Wind Tunnel.
Kaguya smirked. This girls' ignorance was quite evident. A Tennyo could not die, even if she was sucked up into oblivion. The girl, Kagome, was even more of a twit then she had though. "To be destroyed by a mere hanyou and humans, I'd rather give up my celestial powers!"
Kouga growled and stepped up in front of Kagome. "What do you want, witch?" Kouga demanded. Kagome stood behind him meekly, remembering her last encounter with the fake Tennyo. Though she wasn't so sure that Kouga still cared for her, at least she was being protected by him, which was a start back to their relationship.
"Aah, the infamous Kouga. Kagome has told me much about you! It's a shame that the two of you will have to part," Naraku chose his words slyly. Even with his baboon pelt covering the majority of his body, a smirk was still evident. Heaven only knew what he could be so happy about.
Kouga gave Naraku such a glare that you could hear shovels digging at your graves. Naraku went unfrazzled by this. He had seen his share of demons that were much more powerful that this wimpy wolf to last him a lifetime.
"You bastard! You have to gall to talk to me like that? For all of my fallen comrades, I WILL have your head!" Kouga charged. Naraku laughed as he dodged Kouga's attacks and then blocked the rest. Kouga was going by blind fury; the need of blood was too great.
Of course Kouga always had the opportunity of unsheathing his sword, as Kagome had suggested to him many times. "Ha! Weapons for the week! Only fit for cowards!" Kouga dared not to say anything about InuYasha, as he had nothing to say about him. Besides, he had plenty of other things to worry about at the moment.
Kaguya didn't miss a bit of this. She raised her mirror, sending one of her more famous pink whips of light towards Kouga. Of course the whips did not hurt him. Kouga brought up his arms to shield his face. Just in time too, for he received a wild whipping and lashing on his whole body. Nothing that a demon couldn't handle, but it still stung like crazy.
"Kouga!" Kagome cried, starting to race towards her lover/boyfriend/bestfriend.
"Stay back!" Kagome stopped dead in her tracks, trying to help anyway possible and if that meant to stay back, then hell or high water couldn't make her go forward. Unless there was a life concerned. Kouga was on his hands and his knees, looking only slightly better than he had come out of Kagura's Danceof Dragons. "This isn't going to be good."
"Kouga…" Kagome whispered, neither liking what her eyes were seeing of what her mind was telling her.
Run.
"Ha ha ha!" Kaguya laughed, mockingly. She sounded much like Kagura. This disgusted Kouga even more. "How pathetic. And I thought you were a full demon. You are a wolf, are you not?" Kouga grunted as he stood up. He clutched at his left shoulder, trying to slow the bleeding.
"Damn you woman!" Kouga breathed heavily. Where he was currently standing, there was a small puddle of blood under Kouga's feet. The smell disgusted Kouga, but he knew that he could deal with it. He was leaning on his right leg, since his left leg had been hit by one of Kaguya's light whips.
'Those wounds'll be gone by tomorrow, I'm sure of it! But he won't be doing much for the rest of the day,' Kagome told herself half-heartedly. Of course Kouga's demonic powers would have healed Kouga in no time of all. But his powers only work when he wasn't up and about.
"Kouga…" Kagome trailed off. Tears were starting to form in her eyes. "OH Kouga I'm So Sorry!" Kagome bawled. (Good job Kagome. Cry when your man's protecting you from DEATH, so u cry bout wut u n Inu did! Way to get urself killed!) "I'm So sorry!" Kagome repeated. She was currently up against a tree, using it for support as she bawled her eyes out.
"The girl. Was she not the one that was the help of my downfall? What is she just doing there, not bothering to save the wolf. She protected that hanyou, but not the wolf." A smile found it's way to the fake tennyo's face. "How very interesting." And with that Kaguya raised her hand, making tree branches start to appear and constrict Kouga.
"Nngh," Kouga grunted, trying to break free. The tree branches were crushing what seemed like every bone in his body, and the fact that a woman was doing it was no help whatsoever. "Let me go!" With that Kaguya just laughed.
"And why would I do that?" Kaguya just laughed even harder. Just then an arrow coated in blue aura whipped past Kaguya.
"He said, let him go!" Kagome stepped next to Kouga. She was currently aiming her next arrow towards Kaguya's mirror. 'That's where her attacks are coming from. If I can get one hit, then I should be able to leave her defenseless!' Kagome reassured herself. "Just gotta hit it!" Kagome let her arrow fly.
Kagome's arrow flew straight towards Kaguya. But Kaguya had seen this coming, and merely moved her arrow infront of herself as if to block Kagome's arrow. Kaguya easily manouevered her mirror in order to absorb the arrow into oblivion, just like Miroku. She then sent it with it's new coordinates. Directly into Kouga's heart.
"Kooooooouuuuuuuuuggggaaaaaaaaaaa!!!" Kagome cried as she jumped directly in front of Kouga. Kouga was about to let the arrow land directly into his heart, getting his just deserves for what he was living through. Giving his heart to a human, and this is what he got. She backstabbed him with a half-demon.
"No Kouga!" Kagome cried as she leapt directly into the arrow's path. Reality hit her as she heard the arrow hit her spine, as she knew that she would soon be dead.
"Idiot! What did you do that for?" Kouga demanded yelling in Kagome's face.
"You always do brash things to save me. I just wanted to save you…" Kagome trailed off as she was slowly fading away.
But before she slipped completely away from the darkness, Kagome muttered four words that would change Kouga's life around. "I'm…Glad…you're safe."
.o0O0o. .o0O0o.
Jassy: Whoo! There we go! Numbero 13! Just like my age! Hurray! Yes, I know this
chapter is short. But I kind of had no ideas of my own, so yeah!
Kagome: What are you talking about? I haven't seen anyone use Kaguya in their
story before!
Jassy: Neither have I, but then again I haven't even looked.
Sango: -blank look in disbelief- You're 13???!!!!?!?!?!?!
Jassy: Yeah. Young, eh?
Kagome: ooh..
Sango: O yeah, I think Jassy has a reminder for all of you.
Jassy: -sweatdrops- do I have to say it again?
Kouga: Yes. I believe that would only be fair.
Jassy: fine fine! I'll say the disclaimer again.
InuYasha: Not mine. Kagome: Not mine. Sango: not mine. Shippo: not mine. Kilala:
not mine. Naraku: not mine. Kouga: not mine. Miroku: not mine. Ginta: not mine.
Ayame: not mine. Story plot up until just about now: not mine.
I OWN BUT MY SEWING AND MY EMBROIDERY! And the crow and the serpent dude.