Twenty-Two


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"This mansion is enormous!" Shippo exclaims as we all look up towards the building in wonder. It had been a few days since our encounter with Naraku, and Inuyasha had finally healed up enough in Kaede's opinion to travel.

"What do you guys think? Shall we stay here tonight?" I ask slyly, Inuyasha scoffing and crossing his arms as he glares at Miroku, clearly still unimpressed by the monk's methods of finding us shelter.

"I'll wager that you'll tell the owners that an ominous cloud hangs over the mansion." Inuyasha bets sarcastically, Miroku throwing him a dirty look.

"You're mistaken." Miroku contradicts. "I have a legitimate reason for coming here." I look at him in surprise. He raises his fist up to the gate doors, knocking. The small window in the right door sides open, revealing a guard's face.

"What is your business here, monk?" He asks sharply, clearly only seeing Miroku at the time. I look down at myself, momentarily thankful for Kaede once again coming through with another kimono for me. This time, however, it was the familiar white top, but with red bottoms instead of purple.

'The purple does suit me better. I'll get it back when I have time to return to my era.' I think, knowing exactly where I had left it folded in Kagome's closet.

"I'm here to see your Master. His daughter is in dire straights and he is in need of spiritual guidance." Miroku explains, and even I can't help raising my eyebrow at him. Well, this was a whole new level of cheesy if you asked me.

'At least he's upping his game.' I think to myself, the guard nodding and pulling the large wooden door open to let us in.

"Follow me." He instructs, leading us further into the massive fortress and through the large courtyard. We step up onto the deck that wraps around the entire mansion, coming to stop in front of one of the many rooms. The guard slides the door open, bowing towards us respectfully as we follow Miroku in.

Holy shit, the monk wasn't lying!

There, in the middle of the room, laid an unnaturally still young woman, her Father kneeling beside her body. 'She's dead.' I realize with a sinking stomach, her beautiful face flawless and pale as it rested in enteral peace. I kneel down slightly behind Miroku out of respect, Shippo taking a seat on my lap. Inuyasha, meanwhile, stands nearby with his arms crossed and looking incredibly uncomfortable. 'He really doesn't deal well with mortality.' I reflect as I glance towards him, before looking back towards the Father of the girl.

"My daughter fell ill a few weeks ago, and never recovered. She died recently, not but two nights past. I was in the room when it happened." The man shudders in memory, tearfully dabbing at his eyes with the sleeve of his kimono. "Recently there have been tales of these strange ghost serpents that have been gliding into the rooms of deceased girls in this area, sucking their souls from their bodies." Inuyasha stiffened up at this, looking at the man in disbelief.

"These girls are having their souls taken?" He question in bewilderment, his gaze going from the girl on the floor before back to her Father. He slowly sits down beside me then, resting Tessaiga against his shoulder.

The man cries softly. "As if losing my daughter, our Princess, wasn't upsetting enough…I cannot have her soul stolen before it reaches its final resting place."

"No such thing will occur." Miroku promises him seriously. "Rest assured that my associates and I will protect the Princess's soul from these demons." I look to him, slightly shocked.

An hour later we're all staring at an absolute feast, bigger than anything we've seen as of yet traveling with the monk.

"What did I tell ya?" Inuysha instantly complains as he points to all the food. Even I'm slightly uncomfortable with this. "Same old line, same old unwarranted feast."

"Perhaps, but one needs a full stomach if they are to be heading into combat." Miroku states easily, looking entirely innocent as he sits before the food. He raises a bowl of soup to his lips, sipping at it and looking in any direction other than us. Sighing softly, I look down at the food in front of me as well.

"Well, regardless of the means it came to us, we really shouldn't let it go to waste." I mutter, glancing down beside me to Shippo. "Go on, eat up kid." I encourage, watching as a wide smile comes across his face and he digs into a bowl of rice with gusto. 'Growing boy…' I think to myself as I look down at him with amusement, reaching forward and taking my cup of tea to sip on first. It didn't take long for Inuyasha to cave in as well, digging into some fish that was nearby. It went on like this for an hour as we each ate our fill before the servants came and took the remaining food away. Between Inuyasha and Shippo, with their monstrous appetites, there honestly wasn't much left.

Soon we are directed back to the Princess's room to watch over her body, and the moment Miroku sits down his face is set in a serious frown. I tilt my head, watching the monk curiously. Maybe he wasn't lying about there being evil here? Did he actually feel something? Only minutes after we entered the room, Inuyasha had volunteered to search the area, while Miroku set off to place wards around the mansion. Shippo had asked to go with, actually interested in seeing how the monk did his work. It left me alone with the girl's body, and to say I was feeling a little creeped out was an understatement.

"Well, it's all clear outside." Inuyasha announces as he comes in from surveying the grounds, sliding the door closed behind him. Relief fills me that I'm finally not alone in the room. "How about in here?"

"Nothing yet." I state, looking up to him as he takes a seat next to me. He crosses his legs like usual, planting the tip of Tessaiga between them to lean back against his shoulder.

"Where did Miroku and Shippo get to? They should be back by now." He states lightly, and I give a small smile.

"Shippo was really interested in seeing Miroku work. I think he's taking his time teaching the little guy about wards." I reply lightly, but Inuyasha scoffs in disbelief.

"Sure. I heard that there is another Princess here. Miroku might be teaching Shippo more about the birds and the bees than about wards and sutras right about now." My face drops, horrified.

"What?!" I exclaim, standing up quickly. "He better not be! Shippo is just a kid!" I frown, turning to leave, but Inuyasha's hand grabs at the sleeve of my kimono, tugging me back down.

"Calm down, woman. The monk is a pervert, but I don't think he's that sick." Inuyasha chuckles, looking amused at my reaction. I huff, sitting back down like I was before next to him.

"If Shippo comes back asking me where babies come from, I'm going to kill Miroku." I mutter lowly still, Inuyasha smirking in amusement next to me. I sigh heavily, turning back to look at the girl, a shudder running down my spine for the hundredth time.

"Hey, you alright over there?" Inuyasha asks lightly, no doubt having sensed my unease. I groan, ducking my head in embarrassment.

"I don't do well with dead bodies." I admit, flashes from my Mother's funeral running through my mind. It had been so confusing at the time, even at the age of fourteen. Suddenly I feel his arm tuck around my waist, gently pulling me into his side. Surprised, I look up towards his face, noting a small blush on the highest point of his cheeks and across his nose. It causes my own blush to burn on my face as well, even as I allow myself to relax against his side silently. 'Well, this is certainly helping.'

'I imagine it is.' Mayumi states dryly, causing my blush to burn hotter.

'Fuck it, I'm too creeped out to be embarrassed any longer.' I think back to her, finally feeling my face cooling down as Inuyasha's arm remains around my middle protectively. 'She looks like she could come to life at any time, like some sort of zombie.'

Why, oh why, did I have to think of that?!

Just as soon as I had that thought the girl's body rose up from her bed, the sheet falling away as she continued to levitate in the air with her back slightly arched. I scramble to stand up, my hands glowing purple with energy as my heart nearly erupted straight from my chest in fright. A bright light coming from the wall just beyond the Princess suddenly blinds us both, shattering through the windows and the wall. Inuyasha moves instantly to cover me from the debris, tucking me protectively against him until the blinding light faded. We both look over, stunned as we see something akin to a serpent floating into the room.

"Time to work!" Inuyasha exclaims, letting me go to grab onto the handle of Tessaiga. Before he can draw it, the creature draws the soul from the deceased Princess, catching it within it's six legs that seem to hang just below it's head. Inuyasha rushes forward, drawing Tessaiga then and slicing through the serpent easily, the soul thankfully released from it's grasp. It returns into the girl's body as she comes to rest on the futon once more.

"What the hell was that?" I ask in disbelief, looking towards Inuyasha with wide eyes as my energy disperses from my hands. He looks just as confused as me.

"Miroku was right this time?" He questions in disbelief as well. I frown deeply, now thinking the same thing. Maybe the monk wasn't as full of shit as I originally thought. Stepping over towards the body of the Princess, I grab onto the blanket and respectfully rest it over her once more.

Suddenly the hair on my arms stand on end.

"There is something outside." I frown deeply, walking around the Princess and over the debris to stand on the veranda just beyond. I look up towards the moon, seeing a dozen more of the serpent creatures like the one Inuyasha had just slain.

And they were all holding onto souls.

Inuyasha comes to stand next to me, frowning as he takes in the scene up in the sky.

"Where are they all going?" I ask, tearing my eyes away from the sky to look towards him.

"I don't know, but they are all carrying spirits of the dead!" Inuyasha responds, sounding just as apprehensive as I felt. Miroku suddenly comes charging up to us, Shippo hot on his tail. He looks towards the serpents, pointing his staff at them urgently.

"Follow them, quickly!" He exclaims, before looking over his shoulder, his eyes widening in horror as he jumps over the railing. I look just beyond him, seeing the younger Princess in her pink kimono trailing closely behind.

'Well that explains it.' I think dryly, the Princess obviously not being up to Miroku's standards. 'Then again, he had asked you to bear his children, so his standards couldn't be that high?' I can't help remembering.

"No! Please! Do not leave me alone!" The Princess, obviously smitten, pleads with Miroku as he races away.

"Miroku having woman troubles?" Inuyasha asks Shippo sarcastically, the little boy looking just as frightened of the woman.

"I don't think she's a woman at all. She's got to be a demon!" He responds, and I can't help being slightly amused when the girl latches onto poor Shippo next. She pulls him in tight, her face pressing against his own.

"Oh little fox! How can you treat me so?!" She exclaims sadly, and Shippo looks absolutely horrified.

'Well, at least some good came from this. I highly doubt he'll find girls interesting now for a very, very long time.' I can't help thinking, finding the situation absolutely hilarious. Inuyasha actually looks equally as horrified for Shippo as he stares down at them in disbelief. By the time I look back up to the sky, the souls were long gone.


The next morning found us back on the road, though we were a little delayed by Miroku.

The guy knew how to hide really well when he wanted to.

Once we had gathered the monk from his spot in the woods, we continued down river, my mind still drifting towards the souls we had seen being taken away. Where were they going? Who was collecting them? By the time we all sit down for midday I'm overflowing with curiosity, as well as pity for the women who lost their souls that night.

"Don't you think we ought to look into what happened to those souls?" I ask then as I look towards Inuyasha and Miroku across from me.

"How do you expect us to follow them?" Inuyasha asks easily, tilting his head. "My senses aren't that good." I sigh heavily, having already predicted that this would be a problem.

"The demons disappeared without a trace. We wouldn't know where to start searching." Shippo adds smartly, and I frown all the more.

"And there is certainly no point in returning to that mansion, is there?" Miroku adds, and I couldn't help a dry laugh at that.

"Your Princess is surely missing you. That should be reason enough." I tease him, watching him flinch before he takes a sip of his water from his water-skin.

"I just can't stop thinking about those poor woman…" I sigh, looking down at my knees.

"There isn't anything any of us could have done last night." Inuyasha speaks up calmly from where he sat. "Nothing you could have done." I look to him in slight surprise, but he's looking straight ahead and away from me. Warmth fills me nonetheless at the thought that he was still trying to comfort me. "Besides, what's in it for us? It's not like there will be a jewel fragment."

'Well that didn't last long. I should have known that would come up as an argument.' I think dryly to myself, sighing heavily.

"Would it really be that bad to just help some humans without expecting anything in return?" I can't help asking, Inuyasha's face dropping into an annoyed expression as he turns to me.

"I'm getting tired of helping people all of the time! Look, I'm going to be a great demon someday, so why should I waste my time going around and helping some petty humans?" Inuyasha states quite seriously.

"Because you aren't a villain, no matter how hard you try to be." I state evenly. "You're a good guy who doesn't turn his back on people when they need him the most." I answer honestly, Inuyasha suddenly looking very uncomfortable as a small blush is spotted just on the bridge of his nose.

"She's right, Inuyasha. You're practically a Saint." Miroku speaks up teasingly, Inuyasha's eyes going wide as he looks to Miroku.

"Uh…what did ya say?" He blinks in shock, before a disgusted scowl takes over his features. "You know what. Fine. Say what you guys will, but I'm not going to do this." He stubbornly argues, crossing his arms over his chest.

Something in the river catches my eye.

I turn, standing up and walking to the edge, eyes widening as I see it's a person just barely clinging to their buoyant pack as he drifts down the river.

"It's a octopus!" Shippo exclaims, before Miroku comes to join us, shaking his head.

"It's a human…a monk!" He states in wonder. I work quickly, using my aura to surround the barely conscious man and levitate him to the bank, setting him down gently. As soon as he is laying flat on the ground he starts to groan, as if coming to. Miroku moves quickly, kneeling down at his side, and as soon as his eyes open he starts with shock, scrambling away from Miroku in delusional fear.

"What causes you such fright?" Miroku frowns calmly, watching the monk closely.

"A demon…a terrible demon killed my Master!" He quickly proclaims, an obvious shudder running through his body. Whether from the cold or the memory of his encounter, I could not tell. The man slowly relaxes, and comes crawling back over to sit across from Miroku, the rest of us taking a seat surrounding the men.

'Maybe there is a jewel shard involved after all.' I think dryly as I glance towards Inuyasha, seeing him watching the man intently now.

"At first glance she appeared to be a human, but clearly she was a possessed demon, and a priestess." The man goes on, and my spine straightens as I look towards Inuyasha wide eyed. His own expression has dropped into shock as well, both of us obviously thinking the same thing.

Kikyo?

"She was able to ward off my Master's immense spiritual powers." The man goes on nervously. "Wait, I believe I heard her name spoken. It was Kikyo." The man all but confirms it, Inuyasha's face going from one of disbelief, to hardened. His eyes narrow as his mouth sets in a deep frown. I watch him carefully, chewing on my lower lip.

'Now that he knows Kikyo had been tricked by Naraku as well, he wants to avenge her and Mayumi's death.' I think to myself. 'He must still care about her, at least to some degree.' Suddenly Inuyasha lurches forward, grabbing the monk by the front of his robes and glaring down at him.

"If I find out that you're lying about this I'll throw you back in the river." He seethes, gritting his teeth tightly together.

"Inuyasha!" I frown at him, standing and grabbing at his hand on the monk's robes. "Let him go! Threatening the man isn't going to get us the answers we want." Inuyasha hesitates before letting the man go, snatching his hand away from my own and turning away from me. I try to suppress the hurt I feel in that moment, bringing the hand he hand ripped away from to my chest. 'What is his problem?!'

"I swear I speak the truth!" The monk states nervously, smoothing his robe back out. "The woman summons the lost souls of the dead to stay alive!" I nearly gasp at that, looking towards Miroku.

Kikyo was the one responsible for the missing souls?!

"And how are you certain of her name?!" Inuyasha snaps as he turns sharply back towards us, his gaze still filled with an unreadable emotion.

"It is what the children of the village called her." The monk responded, having to needlessly prove once again that he wasn't lying. I watch Inuyasha with confused fascination at this point, his body tense and his gaze hard.

What was all this really about?

The only warning I get is a look from Inuyasha, one tinged with apology, before he turns and leaps away down the river, leaving the rest of us behind.

'He…he left.' I can't help thinking in shock, swallowing thickly. 'He left to go and find her.' Irrational jealousy quickly takes over the shock.

'He wants to keep you out of danger.' Mayumi tries to reason. 'Kikyo will still hold the most anger towards you, and if she sees you, who knows what she'll try.'

'But I can take her.'

'No, Yua, you cannot. I could take her back when I possessed your body. Your powers are still not equal to Kikyo's.' Mayumi informs me, and I feel slighted for the second time in only a few moments.

"Do you think it was wise we let Inuyasha go on his own?" Miroku finally speaks up, sounding unsure.

"He sure took off in a hurry when he heard the monk's story." Shippo adds, only dampening my mood more.

'He sure did.' I think jealously, sighing heavily as I close my eyes for a moment to gather myself. "If he wanted our help, he would have asked for it." I finally state, trying not to sound too bitter as I do. "I need to stretch my legs." I mutter, before walking away from Miroku and Shippo.

"Wait! Yua! Maybe we should still go after him?!" Miroku calls as he and Shippo rush to catch up to me.

"No." I mutter, annoyance flaring up. "He can take care of himself."

The sky suddenly goes dark to match my mood.

I look up in wonder, Miroku and Shippo doing the same with nervous gazes. To anyone else it might appear that a storm was rolling in, but the electric charge in the air told all three of us differently.

"They sky has gone dark!" Miroku needless comments, and I feel the hair on my arms stand on end. Looking to the side I see them, the same serpents from last night.

"Look, it's those demons!" Shippo shouts from Miroku's shoulder, pointing towards the ghost-like creatures as they float on by us.

"After them!" Miroku commands, and wordlessly I agree as the three of us chase after the gliding soul-stealers. We run, the only thing heard was our heavy breathing as the forest blurs by. I continue to look forward, before suddenly slipping on the grass on a downhill slop, just barely catching myself on a small tree. I turn to warn the others, freezing as I see I'm absolutely alone.

Where are they gotten to?

Tuning to look around more, my foot suddenly slips from under me, and I go tumbling the rest of the way down the steep hill with a shout. Everything comes to a grinding halt as I reach the bottom, having toppled over a small ridge. Wincing and rubbing at my ass, I blink in surprise as I see an illuminating glow now in front of me. Looking up, my mouth drops in surprise as I see the figure resting in a nearby tree, surrounded by the souls we had just seen being carried off.

It was Kikyo, and Inuyasha was nowhere to be seen.

"I see my barrier was not enough to prevent you from finding me." Kikyo suddenly spoke, breaking me away from my dazed thoughts. I blink as I come back to the present, finally noticing that Kikyo's brown eyes bore down on me with a coldness that sent shivers down my spine.

'Barrier? That must be where I lost Miroku and Shippo!' I realize, glancing over my shoulder to see they still hadn't appeared. I slowly turn to look back towards the reincarnated priestess, frowning.

"You're the one stealing the souls of those poor girls." I accuse, the orbs floating about her almost majestically. Frowning, she tilts her head curiously.

"I must be speaking to Yua." She comments, her voice elegant. "I'm surprised that Inuyasha has allowed you so far from his sight." I'm taken aback as my mouth drops slightly in shock.

Because I had been wondering the exact same thing as I had been running through the woods.

Why would he leave me, to come searching for her?

"Tell me, what is your relationship?" Kikyo asks, surprising me even further. I let out a nervous sound, not sure I honestly knew how to answer. Saying it's complicated would be an understatement. The memory of that kiss flashes through my mind, the feeling of his hands gripping at me so desperately. Blushing, I force myself to maintain eye contact even as I wanted to look away in embarrassment.

"It's not any of your business." I reply evenly, finally fighting back the heat that had seeped into my cheeks. Kikyo looks disconcertingly amused as she lowers herself from the tree and steps towards me.

"What a naive little girl you are." She coos in condescension. I feel irritation flare up, narrowing my eyes at the priestess. Mayumi was there as well, bubbling just below the surface. Kikyo reaches for me suddenly with her index and middle finger, but I reach up and smack her hand away with a glare, stepping back.

"I'm not as naive as you might think." I allow my energy to flow through to my fingertips, feeling it spark there. "Why are you doing this to those girls, Kikyo? Why can you not pass on and leave Inuyasha be? You must know that you were tricked! He never was going to leave Mayumi for you." Her eyes harden at that.

"Inuyasha is not yours to defend." She replies, her voice hard. I frown deeper, hands clenching into fists.

The hell he wasn't!

"You are clinging to false hope if you believe that he would make the same mistake he did all those years ago. That he would choose you, the shell of his enchantress, over me." Kikyo goes on. She allows a soul to drift down into her open palms, eyes closing briefly as a small smile comes over her lips. "Inuyasha is here." My eyes widen as my body stiffens. "And I fear he has not come to save you." She adds cruelly.

"Who says I need saving?" I snap, my energy focusing into two small orbs in each hand. I allow one to launch at her, frowning when with a wave of her hand it shoots off in another direction entirely.

"His purpose for coming lies solely in seeing me." Kikyo adds smoothly, and I feel jealousy flare from deep inside of me.

Along with some hurtful self-doubt.

Suddenly Kikyo is in front of me, her fingers reaching out before I can stop them this time. I feel the tips press against my forehead, before my whole body freezes.

'W-what's happening to me?!' I think desperately.

'Kikyo is much stronger than she was when first resurrected.' Mayumi states, clearly wary. 'I dare say she might even be more powerful than before her death.'

'That doesn't help me right now!' I exclaim as her soul catching demons suddenly wrap around my body, pulling me back to the tree she had just been laying in. 'How do I get out of this mess?' I ask, desperately trying to reach for my own energy. It seemed to be bound as well, but a flicker was there that I grabbed onto with all my might.

'Keep concentrating on your aura. This won't last forever and you should be able to break through.' Mayumi responds. 'Unfortunately you'll just have to be patient and wait it out.' She adds lowly.

"I will not allow you to interfere." Kikyo states, her eyes narrowing at me. I frown, worry spiking. Interfere? Interfere with what? "This is no longer about revenge, but about what is right." Kikyo goes on, closing her eyes for a moment, before opening them with a cold stare. "Both Inuyasha and I should have perished that day, together. We were meant to be reunited in the afterlife, where Mayumi could not steal him away from me again." I blink in surprise, astounded by her declaration.

'What makes her think that Mayumi and Inuyasha wouldn't have found their ways to one and other after death?' I think with a frown, Mayumi sighing heavily.

'She's deranged.' Mayumi answered simply, dryly, and clearly fed-up. 'I think age has gotten to her head.' I have to hold back a snort of amusement.

"The dead have but one wish, an impossible wish, to walk among the living once more." Kikyo continues. "This dead woman has but one wish, and that is to have the heart of the man she never wishes to forget her." Her words sounded so passionately, but her face was so cold and free of emotions. It was such a contradiction. "It is clear that Inuyasha wishes for my death, that is a good thing." Sick joy comes over her features. "It means that he feels remorse for our dispute." I feel another stab of jealousy and hurt at her words.

'No…he can't regret killing Kikyo for Mayumi…' I think to myself, frowning.

'Yua…just because he fell in love with me doesn't mean he completely fell out of love for Kikyo.' Mayumi replies softly, her own voice filled insecurity. 'When you love someone, feelings don't just go away completely.'

'Mayumi, stop it. That's not true. Inuyasha loves you!' I argue with a troubled frown, my chest aching even more.

'Loved.' Mayumi corrects sourly. 'Apparently he didn't love me enough.' I blink in surprise at the hateful tone in her voice.

"You looked shocked, Yua." Kikyo chimes in gleefully. "I imagine Mayumi is rather unimpressed with this revelation." I glare at her, wishing there was some way I could speak, do something, to tell this bitch to back the fuck off. "How does it feel, Mayumi?" Kikyo asks my predecessor through me, smirk on her face. "To have to watch Inuyasha falling in love with your reincarnation? And now, you will have to watch him choose me over her." Mayumi's anger flares inside of me to the point my body vibrates against Kikyo's hold on me, nearly taking my breath away.

"I will never allow him to forget about me. Time shall not advance, thus leaving me in a dimension in which time is frozen. I can live on inside of his heart, here in my frozen recreation. When Inuyasha and I departed, we despised one and other. Nothing can motivate one for exacting revenge in the way that bitterness can. I shall continue to love his heart while it falls into deep despair." Kikyo brings her hands to her heart, smiling almost tenderly.

What the hell was she going on about?

Suddenly we both hear the rustling of the grass, and looking to the side there stood a stunned Inuyasha. His eyes were wide and trained on Kikyo as he steps forward, almost as if he was in a trance.

"Kikyo…" He breathes out, the priestess in question narrowing her eyes suspiciously at him, but standing her ground.

"Inuyasha! You need to get away from her! She's going to hurt you!" I cry out desperately, before feeling my stomach drop when he didn't even flinch. I wasn't so insecure to think he'd completely ignore me for Kikyo. 'He must not be able to see or hear me!' I realize in horror, reaching for my energy with even more determination. I had to get out of this spell she put me under, before she did something to hurt him!

"So you were the one doing it…gathering the souls of the dead women." He accuses her, his gaze intense.

"My body is molded from the earth and bones of my grave site. It must be sustained by human souls if I am to remain here." Kikyo explains as she turns to him, her face once again cold. "Inuyasha, you must despise me. I have drawn in the souls of the dead to maintain my presence, and it is my hatred of you that fuels my actions." She smirking, almost as if in challenge.

"This is just ludicrous! You may very well despise me, but the feelings are no longer mutual! Not since I discovered that Naraku had tricked you!" Inuyasha exclaims, and I feel Mayumi's feelings of hurt and betrayal at his words. I could sympathize with her. Regardless of the fact that Kikyo had been tricked into killing Mayumi, she had still killed her, the woman Inuyasha was supposed to have loved! "Before I couldn't stop thinking of you because of my need to avenge Mayumi's death, and I still can't stop thinking about you, but for completely different reasons now!" Kikyo looks taken aback, her eyes swimming with relief in that moment.

I, meanwhile, felt like I was going to be sick to my stomach.

"We can't, Yua, not right now." He states regretfully, looking anywhere but at me in that moment. I swallow thickly, still feeling so confused. "With trying to defeat Naraku…with my revenge…I can't be…' My eyes widen in realization.

"You can't be distracted." I finish, my voice cracking weakly.

'He had lied to me! Us not being together, it wasn't because he couldn't be distracted…it was because his feelings for Kikyo had returned!' I think, tears easily brimming in my eyes and flowing over. I breathe heavily to hold back the sobs now, feeling like my body wanted to cave in on itself in hurt. 'Why had I ever let myself believe he would actually have feelings for me?!'

Mayumi was silent, but her hurt doubled my own, burning in my chest.

Kikyo turns away from Inuyasha. "Truly, Inuyasha?" She asks, simpering away, before turning her gaze to look at him coyly from over her shoulder. "Could you truly still have feelings for me after all these years?" Inuyasha blinks, before slowly nodding. It was like the final nail had been driven into my chest, my body feeling like it wanted to shatter under the pressure of both Mayumi's and mine's hurt. But that hurt quickly turns to anger on my part. Anger at being made a fool of, at being lied to by someone I had thought genuinely cared about me.

Kikyo turns back to Inuyasha, slowly approaching him and leaning in for a kiss. Inuyasha accepts it, looking stunned, before she breaks the kiss to throw her arms around him in a hug. "Inuyasha!" Kikyo exclaims, resting her head against his chest. "After meeting you I had renounced my position as a shrine priestess. I became an ordinary woman." Inuyasha was still looking ahead, stunned, his body shaking as his arms slowly raised up to either side of her. "I longed to embrace you like this when I was alive." Slowly, painstakingly slow, he finally wraps his arms around her and pulls her in close, holding her like she was the most precious thing in the world.

'The same way he has held me before.' I think to myself bitterly, the tears long gone now as my hands shake with rage. I can feel my energy growing, shifting my feet to see that it was finally starting to wear through Kikyo's spell.

"We are unable to turn back the hands of time, so please, allow me to embrace you a little longer." Kikyo pathetically begs, but it appears to work as Inuyasha holds her all the tighter.

"I can't save you, I can't do anything for you, except for hold you like this." Inuyasha speaks up, sounding tortured. "I wish I could make time stand still."

"Would you agree to that?" Kikyo asks, latching on to that idea right away. "If I did stop time?" I watch intently, her face suddenly growing dark. Inuyasha closes his eyes, his head slowly leaning down further.

"Yes, I don't care, so long as I'm with you." He murmurs, before seemingly falling asleep!

'What is she doing to him?!' I gasp, the anger melting away into worry as I watch wide eyed. Suddenly the ground beneath them breaks apart, a vortex surrounding them that sucks in all the souls Kikyo had collected.

'What is happening?!' I gasp.

'It's Kikyo! She's opening a portal to Hell and she's taking Inuyasha with her!' Mayumi answers, my heart now racing with panic.

"Inuyasha, I will never let you go. Come with me to the depths of hell!" Kikyo proclaims, Inuyasha remaining immobile against her. He wasn't fighting because he was unconscious, under some sort of spell.

He didn't want this! I knew he didn't.

"Let him GO!" I cry out as my energy bursts forth like a tidal wave from my very core, shaking the entire tree I was currently wrapped up against. Kikyo's gaze snaps towards me, narrowing as the demons pinning me to the tree get blown away by the blast. As quick as I can manage I throw my energy outwards towards the priestess, knocking her to the ground with a cry. The vortex of air stops along with their decent into Hell, and almost instantly Inuyasha's eyes snap open. Looking around in confusion at first, his gaze turns concerned as he finally sees me standing at the edge of the crater, no doubt looking panicked.

"Yua?" He frowns, jumping up then and coming over to me. He reaches out with both of his hands, gripping onto my shoulders as I take in a shaky breath. He was here, he was safe. "Yua, what are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" I can't help snapping back, glaring at him as I push his hands from my shaking shoulders and take a few steps back. A flash of regret crosses his face as he stutters, clearly unsure of what to say.

"Is that girl more dear to you than me?" Kikyo asks from where she stood in the hole she had created, her face filled with hurt. Inuyasha turns to look at her wide-eyed, again hesitating and stuttering, unsure of what to say. He doesn't get a chance to answer, Kikyo's soul collectors coming to wrap around her and pick her up from the crater, lifting her up towards the sky.

This time Inuyasha doesn't hesitate.

"No! Wait Kikyo!" He exclaims, running from me towards her. "Listen to me!" I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek, the nails of my fingers biting into the palms of my hands so hard I was sure they would be bleeding if I checked.

"Inuyasha…never forget. Remember the feeling of my lips against yours." Kikyo pleas with him as she continues to drift away. "For it was real." She closes her eyes then, leaning back into her soul collectors in clear exhaustion, before disappearing with her souls in a shining light. Inuyasha was staring up at the spot in the sky with longing, and I honestly couldn't take it anymore. Turning away I walk with determination, doing my best to swallow back everything I wanted to yell at him for, all the things I wanted to say.

I was embarrassed enough as it was, falling for his shit.

'Maybe it isn't Kikyo he is so attached to. Maybe it is her connection to his life before…to his past.' Mayumi surprisingly tries to defend now, and I can't help frowning more.

'Why are you trying to defend him to me? He's breaking your heart too.' I state knowingly, Mayumi unable to argue the fact.

'Not as much as he is breaking yours.' She replies gently.

"Yua! Yua, wait!" Inuyasha can be heard pleading behind me. I shake my head, not bothering to stop until I'm forced to by his hand on my arm.

"Let me go, Inuyasha." I try to wiggle my arm free from his grasp, but he only tightens it until it becomes borderline bruising.

"Not until we talk about what just happened." He insists, his voice angry. "You can't just walk away from me."

"No, but apparently you can walk away from me whenever you damn well feel like it." I snap back at him, grabbing onto his hand and trying to pry it off of me. I nearly scream in frustration when it doesn't budge. "Seriously, get off of me!"

"Look at me, Yua." He demands instead, dragging me in closer. I plant the heels of my shoes into the ground, but it hardly does any good. He gives me a shake when I refuse to meet his eyes. "Look at me!"

"No!" I shout back at him, deciding to just drop to the ground like dead-weight, hoping he'd let me go then. He doesn't, and now I just look like a pathetic heap on the ground until he grabs me by both arms and pulls me to stand once more, completely facing him. I look determinedly downwards and towards the side.

"Stop being so goddamn stubborn." Inuyasha grunts, taking one hand off of me to cup my chin and force me to face him finally. When my eyes meet his amber ones, I'm momentarily caught off guard by how guilty he looked. Guilty and…remorseful. "I'm sorry." Weeks ago him apologizing would have had a lot more affect, but after what just happened, not so much.

"Sorry you got caught in a lie." I reply evenly, and his face drops in bewilderment.

"A lie?" He asks, sounding confused. "What are you talking about?" I blink back angry tears, my throat nearly closing with the effort of holding them back.

"Did I just imagine our conversation by the tree that night? The one where you explained to me that you feel something for me, but you can't be distracted by it because of Naraku?" I scoff in disgust, seeing the look of remembrance on his face. "What? Was I just that pitiful that you had to lie to me about why you kissed me?"

"No!" Inuyasha states sharply, shaking his head. "I meant every word."

"Clearly you didn't!" I exclaim, gesturing to the clearing just behind us. "Or else you wouldn't have been so close to dying so you could leave me for her!" He once again seems to be in shock, unsure of what to do or say. Honestly, it's both a curse and a blessing, as it allows me to carry on. "I can't believe I let you play with me like that! Lie to me like that! To think I was falling in love with you-!" Suddenly Inuyasha jerks me into his chest, and the next thing I know I feel his lips on my own. They're pressed to mine firmly, a hand behind my head to keep me in place while the other rests on my lower back and presses my front to his. I don't let the lip lock go on for very long, letting out a frustrated scream against his lips as I press both of my hands against his chest and shove him away. "DOWN BOY!" With a pitiful shout he goes face first into the ground, and I finally take that as my cue to leave.

I don't look back.


SOOOOOOOOOOO...what d'ya think? Hehe. Yeah, I had a hard time writing this chapter, but I hope it turned out okay! I look forward to hearing your responses!

Until next time!

T.O.T.