Chapter 21

"Kagome……wake up." Inuyasha pleaded as he cradled the unconscious girl in his lap. "Please wake up!" He begged again and was rewarded when her eyes slowly fluttered open. 'I don't think I've ever been happier then now to see those golden pools.' Inuyasha smiled at her. "What happened? Why did you faint?"

Kagome slowly focuses her eyes on Inuyasha's worried face and gave him a weak smile. "I…..I had a vision." She turned her face away from him, looking into the forest. After what she saw in the vision, she couldn't look at him. 'I'm his mate!.....But he always goes to her. He says he loves me…..but…..but….' A single tear rolled down her cheek as she moved to stand up.

Inuyasha smelled the faint ting of salt water and looked at her inquisitively. "Kagome…..are you crying?"

"No…I got something in my eye!" Kagome responded sharply.

He gave her a disbelieving look and figured he would get more answers out of her later. "Keh! Fine…..then what did your vision show?"

Still unable to look at him, Kagome glanced at the rosary around his neck then to the ground. She took a deep breath to clear her mind before starting in on the vision. "I saw nothing….no walls, no floors….but I did hear a voice. It was muffled and hard to understand but I did manage to make out….Follow him…..I'm not sure if that's for us or someone else…..I then saw the full moon and……and that's it." Kagome walked over to her bag and started to pull stuff out. "Let's settle here for the night, I'm not feeling all that well."

"Are you ok? No injuries for your fall earlier." Questioned Sango.

"No……my stomach is just a bit queasy right now. I probably need to eat something." She pulled several sups of ramen from her bag and started to serve dinner.

Inuyasha knew there was something else to her vision, he could tell by how agitated she seemed. 'She was out for several hours and that is all that happened in her vision. There has to be more.' He continued to watch his mate as she busied herself with the nightly routine. He then noticed a change in her scent. Inuyasha closed his eyes and concentrated on the smell.

"Daijobu Oka?" Shippo shouted when he noticed Kagome's suddenly panicked state.

"No….something's wrong…..my hearing……my sense of smell….."

"Your tail!"

Kagome looked over at the kitsune then felt behind her for her tail. It wasn't there. Subconsciously and instantly her hands shot to the top of her head where she sought out to find the two fuzzy lobes…..they too were gone. She sat unmoving for a good minute before finally speaking. "This must be my human night." She said it in a matter-of-fact way.

"Ano…..Kagome….your hair is brown." Stated Sango.

Kagome pulled some of her hair around and inspected it. 'It's just like oka-san's….. Well it makes sense….she is human and this is my human night.' She released the strands of brown hair and stared into the fire. A cold shiver went up her back and she wrapped her arms around herself for warmth. "Geez, is it just me or is it cold?"

"It's a little chilly tonight." Replied Miroku.

"Keh! Your skin isn't as tough on your human night that's why you're cold right now….Here." Inuyasha dropped his haori around her, hoping it would warm her up.

"Arigato! Inuyasha." After wrapping herself up in his haori, she rested her head on his shoulder. Quickly drifting to sleep.

Everyone else soon followed her in sleeping. Except Inuyasha who was trying to think of a way to find out what else happened in her vision.

~******~

Early the next morning near sunrise, Kagome awoke to find herself sleeping alone. Miroku, Sango and Kaede were on their own futons, and Shippo was passed out on a pile of hay. But Inuyasha was no where to be seen. 'Where can he be this early in the morning?' She stepped out of the hut into the chilly morning air and looked around. She pulled Inuyasha's haori around her tighter as a slight breeze flew through the village. Kagome sniffed at the wind, hoping it could aid her in locating her mate. 'Damn….I still have my human senses.' She looked at the large white moon hanging in the sky. She watched as the dark blue turned to lighter shades of blue and orange as the sun peeked around the mountains. She then looked to the forest then back to the moon. 'It can't be!' Without another moments hesitation she ran full speed toward the well. As she ran, she could start to pick up smells again as her human side slowly diminished. 'Please don't let that vision be true. Onegai!' She was sorely disappointed when she came to a sudden stop several yards away from them. Kagome stood frozen, staring Kikyo and Inuyasha as they exchanged words. She strained her ears to hear what they were saying but her youkai hearing wasn't completely back yet and at the distance she was from them, she couldn't hear a thing. All she could do was watch their expressions and actions. 'Inuyasha looks very serious for once……why?......What's with Kikyo…..how can she look sad and happy at the same time.' Kagome grinded her teeth together when she saw Kikyo reach up and caress his face. She watched as Kikyo leaned in and hugged him, giving Kagome a sinister grin. It was at this same moment that her blood balanced out and she could hear and smell normally again, well normal for a hanyou. She wanted to run away and cry somewhere and yet a part of her wanted to rip the dead miko apart. Kagome stood growling at Kikyo, totally unaware of the purplish power swirling around her. She laid her ears back out of anger but that didn't hinder what she heard from the older miko.

"Looks like we have company."

Inuyasha looked up from his slightly surprised state to see Kagome standing several yards away, surrounded in a purple mist. 'Why is she…..?' He then realized Kikyo was still hugging him. "Kagome! It's not what you think." Pleaded Inuyasha as he tried to free himself from Kikyo's grasp. "It's not what it looks like."

Kagome clenched her fist and fluffed out her tail at seeing the undead woman embracing her husband. "KIKYO….YOU BITCH!.....BACK OFF!....HE'S MY MATE!!" Kagome then lunged at Kikyo, reaching her in a matter of seconds. She grabbed the dead miko by the hair and spun her around, placing herself between Inuyasha and the still spinning miko.

After gaining her balance from the sudden spinning assault, Kikyo gazed up at the furious female hanyou. She watched as the mist around Kagome thickened and sparked. 'My gods! Where did this girl get so much power……Even I don't posses this much miko power…How can this untrained girl be so powerful and a hanyou too.' In fear for her "life", she shot an arrow quickly at the girl, hoping to hit her in the arm to distract her.

As the arrow neared Kagome, the Kiseiga pulsed and created the blue barrier just in time to repel the arrow. It ricochet off the barrier and whizzed past Inuyasha, into the tree behind him, missing him by only inches.

"Ka…..Kagome, you need to calm down….you'll hurt the…..you'll hurt yourself." Inuyasha pleaded to his mate. He became very worried when he saw her pupils flashed red. He took a step toward her but was halted when she started to growl. His eyes went wide when hers went blue and her youkai scent increased. 'Oh Kami! She's gone full youkai! How am I supposed to stop her now?'

"Well, well. Looks like the little girl learned a new trick." Kikyo taunted Kagome as she strung another arrow. "Since you claim to be Inuyasha's mate…..I guess I'll have to kill you also." Before she could release the next arrow, Kikyo found herself pinned to a nearby tree. She was held a good foot off the ground by a clawed hand around her neck.

Kagome sneered at the horrified look on Kikyo's face. While still holding Kikyo against the tree, Kagome examined the fingernails on her right hand casually. "You know what Kikyo? I discovered I'm not really your reincarnation after all. In fact you're not much older than me and we were born in the same time." Kagome nonchalantly tightened her hold around the dead miko's neck. "Do you know what that means?... The souls you took from me years ago…rightfully belong to me……And since I'm tired of you threatening my family and my mate…..I think it's time you left this world and return what doesn't belong to you." Kagome pulled her arm back and took aim. She faintly heard a vice from behind her 'yelling to stop' but she just growled and let her fist fly. Kagome buried her fist into Kikyo's chest. She mumbled a few incoherent words and souls started to eave Kikyo's body almost violently. Kagome retracted her fist from Kikyo, bringing with it a glowing sphere of a soul. She released Kikyo from around the neck, letting the life less body fall to the ground. Kagome stood, cradling her recovered soul, she then brought it towards her and the sphere absorbed into her. She glowed with a white light for a brief second then it dissipated. Kagome then directed her attention to the once again dead miko and scoffed.

Before Kagome could think of what next to do, two arms wrapped around her chest and stomach from behind, pinning her against a hard, muscled surface. At the same time a pair of fangs sank into her neck and she was pulled into sitting position onto the ground. Her eyes were wide with surprise but the once azure with crimson pupils soon returned to gold with black. The hold on her waist and neck never let up. She felt herself being drained and she soon became tired. Before falling asleep, her eyes focused on a mass of white and re. "Is…..that…..Kikyo?.....What's……wrong……with…..her?" Kagome said drowsily. The scent of blood and earth soon reached her nose. "Why….do…..I ….smell…..blood….Kikyo's…." Kagome then fell unconscious, fully drained.

Once Kagome's heartbeat settled into a slow rhythm, Inuyasha slowly released his hold on her. He cradled his sleeping mate in his arms as he stood up. He glanced over to Kikyo's body that was quickly turning to clay again. "Gomen ne Kikyo! I warned you!" Inuyasha turned and slowly headed back toward the village.

~******~

By the time Inuyasha returned, everyone was already awake and waiting outside the hut. After receiving a few questioning glances, he nodded and headed for the well.

When he reached the well he turned to his friends to explain. "Kagome got into a fight with Kikyo…..she's gone, for good….Kagome used a lot of miko energy so I'm gonna take her home to rest….You guys…….she went full youkai before she killed Kikyo…please don't say anything to her about it when we et back." Inuyasha looked at the sleeping kuro inu in his arms then smiled. He looked up to Miroku before continuing. "Do you remember what we talked about the other day?"

"Hai!" Miroku replied confidently.

"We'll be gone for about a week……Think that should be long enough?"

"Should be."

"Good….I'll return everyday to check or help out ok, but remember it's a surprise…..well were off." Inuyasha quickly leapt into the well and waited for that strange blue light to teleport them across time.

"Who's the surprise for?" asked Sango and Shippo in unison.

"It's for Kagome! Now…..I'm gonna need guys help, ok." Miroku started to tell them what Inuyasha had requested of him a few nights ago.

~******~