Chapter 3

After a nice shower Kagome took out her diary and did her nightly writing. She was only two sentences into her writing when her eyes became heavy and sleep took her. It was peaceful she dreamed of time on the beach relaxing. The sun was perfect as she rested halfway under her umbrella. She smiled when she felt a hand rest on her leg. Obviously she had a boyfriend in this dream. So she giggled when she felt the hand slide up her leg. Soon it reached her flat stomach and she pushed the hand away playfully. "Silly, that tickles." She said to the person teasing her. There was no answer, but the hand did the same thing again. It started at her knee and slid up her leg to her thigh and soon her stomach once more. However this time she opened her eyes to look to see who it was.

"Gasp!" Kagome swallowed hard. It was….him. His glowing red eyes were staring into hers. She froze and found it hard to breath. Kagome wanted to scream or at least get away. But she was trapped, his body was now over top of hers. He was now moving closer to her face as he licked his lips. Kagome was sweating both in her dreams and in real life. Even her heart was beating like a drum.

Suddenly she felt his hand take one of her breasts and he growled out. "You are mine woman, you have been mine since the day I saved you. I told you on that day I would protect you with my life. Now it's time you become one with me." Kagome felt his tongue slide up her cheek and that's when the dream ended. She woke, sitting straight up in bed and covered in sweat trying to catch her breath. It all felt so real and this time it wasn't about the past. Never had she dreamt this kind of dream. It had always been about the fire not anything like this.

Tears soon came to her, she thought she could be happy here and now the dreams were even worse. "What...should I….do?" Kagome questioned herself. After her nerves had settled, Kagome went to the shower and allowed the water to run over her body. She was starting to think that maybe she was crazy now. Her body shook as she cried, she felt so lost and so tired from no sleep. "Why...do these dreams...keep happening?"

After about an hour of massaging water over her body, Kagome stood and removed her wet clothes. She picked up her towel from last night and dried off. It was a slow process as she tried to figure out why these dreams kept happening.

She felt so alone now with her mom and brother so far away. Stepping into the main room of her new apartment and looking at how empty it was without any furniture. Now Kagome felt just as empty. "Well there's no other way, I just need to get a few things and make the room look less empty."

She dressed and headed out the door, but when she exited the door she bumped into someone. "Hey watch it lady!" He shouted. Kagome looked and saw a man with somewhat long dark hair that was tied half up and brown eyes. He was carrying two bags of groceries and could barely see where he was going.

Kagome quickly apologized to the man. "I'm so sorry, please forgive me I didn't see you." She wasn't sure if she should offer him any help or not by how he seemed to yell earlier. Still she was a good natured person. "Can I help you with anything?" But he only grumbled and said to get out of his way. So Kagome left it at that and continued on her way.

Luckily his apartment was close and as soon as he entered his room the beast emerged. The two bags of groceries fell to the floor and the contents scattered across the floor. "Damn! It's her, but how?" His once black hair now turned a silvery white and his eyes turned red with greenish irises. He now had long fangs and his hands grew long claws. Still his human heart tried to calm the beast inside his head. You can't have her, I won't let you hurt her." He told his beastly half.

There was a chuckle in his head from his beast. "She has it. I can smell the jewel, I want it." Still his human side fought the beast and kept him from running to her. "You can't stop me forever, human, I will have her and the jewel very soon."

He was breathing hard and his heart was racing. It took all he had to keep the beast from emerging full force. Sweat rolled down his face as he remembered the first time he fought the demon inside him. There were flames all around him and he had no clue where he was. He remembered briefly seeing the little girl's face. She was around twelve years old and terrified, just as he was too. He never fought his demon so hard as he did on that night.

He only remembered parts of what happened, mostly fighting his demon not to kill the child in his claws. He remembered hearing the demon growl out just before he sensed the smell of smoke. "The jewel is close I can feel it." After that, all his human mind remembered was seeing the girl's face.

That's when he told her these words. "I will save you and protect you with my life always." His human heart and mind would fight to keep her safe from his demon side, always." He buried his face in his hands, he felt so afraid now. "Damn, why here and why now? I left that area and moved as far north as I could go to escape her. I didn't want to have to face her again or my monstrous side ever again."

His mind quickly changed when someone walked into the room. "Damn, you're getting clumsy in your old age InuYasha." It was his guardian monk who had lived just as long as him. "Care to explain the mess?"

InuYasha looked up at his friend and guardian. His face held so many emotions the monk didn't know what to fetch firsts. "Don't worry I'll clean it up, Miroku." But still he found it hard to move, he couldn't explain why, but there was something else bothering him. "The girl...she's here…" where his only words before her tried moving again.

Miroku knew exactly what his friend meant. He quickly kneeled down and looked at InuYasha. "The demon seems to be claim for now, can you stand?" He asked, offering him a hand to help. InuYasha took Miroku's offered hand and carefully stood on shaking legs. His head felt light and the world around him was spinning. "Let's get you to the sofa before you fall."

Both flopped onto the sofa once they reached it and tried to catch their breaths. "Miroku, I can't stay here. Not with her and the jewel so close." Miroku knew InuYasha's words were true, but he also knew they couldn't keep running from the problem.

"I know you don't want to hear this, but maybe it's time we end this. We've been running since the feudal era. It's one of the reasons I'm still alive, but I'm tired." InuYasha stared out at the room in front of him. "Your demon will never die and neither will the jewel. It's said only the death of the jewel will free you and the one who carries the jewel."

Finding his strength to stand, InuYasha snapped. "Dammit Miroku, I know that...but I can't kill her. I can't kill a woman so innocent and pure, especially not her. If only you would've stopped my demon that night. And if that damn Naraku wouldn't have been there."

Miroku lowered his head. He hated how that night ended too. "I am sorry InuYasha, I tried to get to you. If I could've stopped Naraku sooner." Both InuYasha and Miroku have tried different ways to destroy the jewel and not kill the host that the jewel inhabits. Still the day they plan to do it the women are always found dead. They were only able to try a few times to destroy the jewel. The first time was a spell, but the jewel shattered inside the woman, killing her instantly. Next they tried having the woman wish to be free from the jewel. But the wish only tainted the jewel more and the woman turned evil and was soon consumed by it. It seemed nothing worked, and InuYasha was becoming more frustrated with every encounter.

The jewel was pure evil and his inner soul was mixed with it. He cursed the priestess he fell in love with so many years ago. It was her hand that did this to him. She felt he betrayed her because of another demon who took on his appearance. And severely injuring her, she used the last of her energy to find InuYasha after she found the strength to stand. She cursed him and made it that he would die when the jewel was destroyed.

Of course the jewel was always reborn inside a woman's body every fifty years. She then shot him with an arrow, sealing him to a sacred tree. Fifty years after he was sealed and the jewel was burned with the priestess's body. A strong lightning storm struck the tree and he was freed. It was also at that same time the jewel was reborn. Since then the jewel returns every fifty years if it is semi destroyed. This would be the normal until the jewel was truly destroyed.

"I think it's time we try something different." InuYasha looked at Miroku and growled. "I know you don't want to, but it's the only method we haven't tried." InuYasha turned his nose up at the idea his friend was implying. "You know in every encounter we have with the one that holds the jewel, you have promised to protect them. And yet they die every time. Well maybe it's time you stop."

InuYasha got in Miroku's face, teeth bared. He was more than angry at what his so-called friend was implying. "Well sorry, but did you forget I already promised that woman I'd protect her. And do you think I'd just let the beast kill her! Sorry I monk, but I can't do that. If the beast gets the jewel more than one woman will die. No, I'll move away again. I can find work in another part of the country."

Miroku sighed heavily. "You know I don't like this anymore then you do InuYasha, but every fifty years we go through this. Maybe after your demon side has the jewel I can destroy you both. You know the jewel will continue to be reborn, we've tried everything, what more can we do? It's been like this for 500 years now." Miroku stood and placed a hand on InuYasha's shoulder. "If you want this curse to end we need to do something we haven't done yet."

InuYasha closed his eyes and turned to face his friend. "And what if that isn't the answer? And I die and the jewel remains. Who's going to stop the other demons that want the jewel? I can't allow them to have it either. This is why father had you cursed with life till my death and the jewels. My life is nothing, but curses it seems."

500 years ago

After the lightning strike freed InuYasha from the sated tree. InuYasha was confronted by his father. InuYasha, I warned you about that priestess and her powers. Why did you not heed my warnings?" Toga had warned InuYasha not to get involved with the priestess Kikyo, but still his son followed only his desire. "I told you the price would be great for wanting the jewel she possessed and now you've been cursed by her hand."

InuYasha wasn't too happy with his father either at the moment. "I told you father At first I desired the jewel, but later on I did not want the jewel..I...I loved her. I wanted the jewel to be free from this hanyou body and the life I hated. In the end I started to fall in love with her and she was falling in love with me. We both wanted freedom from the lives we were given."

Toga raised his hand asking for silence from his son. "You can not change what the fates have given you. You were born a hanyou, be proud of that. In time you'll learn it is not a weakness, but a strength. Plus you are only a pup, you are not old enough to understand love. If there was love she would not have been so easily fooled. Now because of the demon Naraku, she believed you betrayed her. And in turn you are cursed to live until the jewel is destroyed. Was this so-called love you had for each other worth it my son? The priestess wants your soul to be tarnished and captured by the jewel. I do not wish to see my son's fate be to live an endless battle inside an evil jewel."

InuYasha said nothing in response to his father's words. Whether or not Kikyo loved him, he felt at least something for her. Maybe he was too young to understand it all. Still he never wanted this. With his head lowered InuYasha proceeded to leave the room. There was nothing more he could do or say.

"I will arrange a holy monk to take guard over you. He will be cursed to live by your side till the jewel is gone. I can't have your demon side possessing such power and I can not allow Naraku to have it either. In his hands all would die." InuYasha said nothing and soon was gone from Toga's view. 'I am sorry my son, in time this curse will end. Sadly as long as the jewel returns so will the demons who know of its power and want it for themselves.'

Present time

InuYasha and Miroku had spent most of the day trying to think of some way to overcome the past 500 years. And find a new place to live and work far from the area. The frustration and hopelessness of the situation was taking its toll on InuYasha. He stood from his place at the kitchen table and pulled the beads from his neck. He gave them a hard throw not paying attention to just where they would hit. "OUCH!" Miroku yelled, as he rubbed his left arm. "You know InuYasha I really wish you'd be more careful with these concealment beads. You know Kaede has been dead for years now. And I can't make another pair without her, I swear we should've made it so they did not come off by your hands."

"Yeah well, me and that damn jewel is the problem now. Hiding my true form is useless if I stay around here." With the beaded necklace now gone from his neck, InuYasha no longer held his human look. With the beads removed his hair was silverish white with dog ears on top of his head. His brown eyes now golden, instead of brown. He now had claws and fangs that showed his beastly nature. And as most beasts do he wanted to run and get his anger out.

"You know InuYasha, maybe it's best we don't leave." A book came flying at Miroku's head, which he quickly dodged. "I'm just saying, what if Naraku knows she's here? You know he'll kill her."

InuYasha sighed, as he covered his face in his hands. "If only you would've killed that bastard. I know you tired, but damn this fucking mess. It's like a never ending story for me."