On the outside Kikyo was the picture of serenity. She stood facing the well that had taken Inuyasha from her, her back straight and her head held high. Her plan was to wait for him to come back through then subdue him until she could seal the well permanently. She would deal with whatever Naraku had planned afterwards.

She'd sent one of her shinidamachu to the village earlier to see if Inuyasha had returned already. If he had, she could just seal the well before he knew what was happening. It would make her plan that much easier to execute. He would be cut off from her useless reincarnation and they could work on moving past this whole mess. They could defeat Naraku, together, and move on to their next life, together.

Everything would be as it was meant to be

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she failed to sense the streak of red and silver that was already barreling towards the clearing.

Inuyasha ran as fast as he could towards the well. Kikyo wasn't far, he'd been too distracted by his conversation and let her get close. As he got closer to the well though her scent only grew stronger.

"Shit, shit, shit. Of course she's near the damn well!" Inuyasha skidded to a halt just before he broke into the clearing. He spotted her near the well, directly between him and his destination. But she was facing away from him, too far away to hear his approach, so he still had a chance.

He shrunk back into the trees and leapt up onto a high branch, out of sight. He watched Kikyo, waiting for her to move so he could make his run for the well. He would only have a few seconds after she spotted him, just long enough for her to focus her power on the rosary. He just needed to be over the well before her subjugation took hold. He only hoped she was too distracted to sense his presence.

Kikyo lowered herself to the ground and closed her eyes. She needed to focus her power so she would be ready when the time came. Subduing Inuyasha and sealing the well would only take a minute if she were prepared. As time slipped by her aura began to glow brighter with her accumulating power; she was almost ready.

Her shinidamachu rejoined her and circled her a few times. It brought her good news: Inuyasha was in the village. She rose gracefully and approached the well. She admired the aged wood, giving the powerful structure the respect it deserved before placing her hands on the edge.

Inuyasha was unsure how long he sat there, watching for an opening. He watched Kikyo settle on the ground, watched her aura start to glow around her, watched one of her shinidamachu float into the clearing and circle her head. That must have been what she was waiting for because she finally stood and approached the well. She placed her hands on the side and Inuyasha watched her glow a bright pink, her aura flaring. He felt her power pulse and he suddenly knew what she was going to do. She was going to seal the well.

Inuyasha didn't have time to think, he just reacted. He pushed off his branch and propelled himself into the clearing with as much force as he could muster. He hit the ground and the thump of his landing seemed to echo in the quiet. He was in the air again though, not letting his forward momentum slow. He only needed one more hard push to reach the well.

Kikyo heard him hit the ground and her concentration broke. She whirled around to see him flying through the air in a perfect arc. He was intent on the well, not bothering to spare her a glance. She took a second to admire the way his hair flowed behind him, the way his golden eyes focused on his task, the determined set of his jaw, the way his ears swiveled towards her trying to detect her movements.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she raised her hand, closed her eyes, and concentrated.

He didn't see her readying herself to subdue him but he knew it was coming. His first landing was louder than he planned and he'd felt her power flare with her anger. His feet touched the ground and he pushed off for his third and final leap. He couldn't fly but seeing him now someone might think he could.

The bottom of the well was almost in view and he let hope bloom in his chest. He felt the power of the rosary around his neck, felt it pull him violently down, overwhelming most of his momentum. He was expecting it though, he had prepared and put a little more power behind his last push. The magic of the rosary pulled him down into the well and he watched the ground dissolve into light as it opened to let him through. Kikyo's hold was cut off in the passage through time and he regained control of his body.

He heaved a sigh of relief when his feet touched down on Kagome's side of the well. He'd made it, he'd gotten past her. Now he just had to hope she didn't seal them both on this side. He leapt out of the well and took a few deep breaths then followed Kagome's scent.

Kikyo stood, staring at the old well, absolutely glowing with her anger. By the time she had opened her eyes he was already gone, pulled through time towards her useless copy. She slammed her fist down on the top of the well with a shouted, "Curse you!" She heard rustling and approaching footsteps and turned to see Kaede, Miroku, and Sango emerge into the clearing. They approached her cautiously, glancing around the area, likely looking for Inuyasha.

"He's not here. He's run off to be with my copy." Her voice was calm but her power pulsed around her.

They stopped a few feet away and focused on the still-glowing priestess. Kaede took a few extra steps towards her and asked, "What do you intend to do now sister?"

Kikyo gave her sister a cold look. "Inuyasha's life belongs to me. I intend to make sure he remembers and fulfills his obligations." She placed her hand back on the well and ran it along the surface. "Even if we have to forego defeating Naraku and leave this life behind to do it."

Miroku and Sango exchanged worried glances. Something was wrong with the priestess, her power was out of control and it pulsed a deep red around her instead of its usual bright pink. Her suggestion that she would forget about Naraku and just take her and Inuyasha to the next life together was disturbing.

"Kikyo, you must think rationally," Miroku tried to reason with her. "This is exactly what Naraku wants, turning you and Inuyasha against each other, forcing you to do something reckless."

"You're wrong. I can turn his own power against him. I will purify the tainted shard, use it for my own purposes." Kikyo took a few steps in the direction of the sacred tree, turning her back to the trio trying to reason with her.

Kaede walked up beside her sister and studied the glow in the distance. "There is a barrier. You won't be able to get close enough."

"Naraku's pathetic excuse for a barrier has never been able to keep me out."

"What are your plans then? Do you intend to use the shard to manipulate Inuyasha?"

"It doesn't concern you," she scowled. "Inuyasha is mine and mine alone. He needs to understand that."

"Sister, please, I know you're better than this."

Kikyo glared down at the older priestess. "Shut up Kaede! You've clearly chosen to go against me, your opinion means nothing." She stalked off towards the sacred tree but paused to glance over her shoulder. "Do not follow me!"

They watched her disappear into the treeline, aura still flaring around her.

"This is going to be a problem. Her actions are very likely going to work out in Naraku's favor," Miroku observed. "And I don't think any of us are strong enough to stop her."

"We just have to hope that Inuyasha can find a way to fix things from the other side of the well. There was a taint to the light of my sister's power very similar to the one surrounding the tree. I fear it may be too late to save her."


Kagome wasn't sure how long she sat under the sacred tree thinking about Inuyasha. She couldn't get him out of her head and she wondered if it was possible to fall in love with someone you'd only known for a few days. Well alright, she'd technically known him for a lot longer than that but she could only remember the last few days with him so…Maybe she was already in love with him before?

He was hiding something though, something important. A hundred possibilities swirled through her mind and almost all of them centered on the name Kikyo. Who was she and why wouldn't Inuyasha talk about her? He'd gotten so defensive when she tried to ask him about her. The look on his face at the time, he almost looked guilty.

She let out a frustrated sigh and got up to stretch her legs. She'd worry about it later since there wasn't anything she could do about it now. A walk around the shrine, with a quick stop at the well, sounded like a good idea. Maybe moving around would clear her head.

She wandered slowly towards the well house, letting her mind stay blank. When she got close she saw the door slide open and Inuyasha emerge in a flash of red. He spotted her and made his way quickly towards her.

"You're back, she greeted him when he was a couple steps away.

"Almost didn't make it," he grunted. "I need you to try something. Can you try to remove these?" He pointed at the rosary.

"Umm, I guess. What are they?"

"They're subjugation beads. They can be used to smash my damn face into the ground and hold me there. They're the reason I almost didn't make it back."

Kagome paled a little then lit up with anger. "That sounds awful! Who put them on you? Why?"

"Keh, calm down. You're actually usually the one who uses them." He raised his hands up defensively when she visibly flinched at his words. "It's different when you use them! It doesn't hurt and it wears off quick and-"

She stepped towards him and grabbed the beads, cutting off his rambling. She lifted them up over his head, getting a little shock in the process. They came off though and she promptly dropped them to the ground.

"There!" she said with finality. "Nobody should have that kind of control over someone."

Inuyasha was a little dumbfounded; he'd honestly expected more of a fight. "Just like that?"

"Just like that."

He bent down and picked up the string of beads. It felt odd not feeling their weight around his neck. He met Kagome's eyes and slipped the rosary back over his head. "Say 'osuwari'."

"Osuwari? Why?"

Inuyasha tensed but nothing happened. "Just checking. They don't work anymore."

"Wait...osuwari?" she asked, looking confused. He could see the moment it hit her. "That's what I say?! Like you're a dog?!"

He pointed at his ears and she seemed to calm a little.

"To be fair to you, I was trying to steal the jewel the first time you used them. And you weren't the one to actually collar me; that was Kaede."

"Kaede? I really wish I could remember everyone so I knew who you were talking about," she huffed.

"Don't worry about it. Once we fix things it won't matter anyway."

"Speaking of fixing things, any luck on the other side?"

He shook his head, "Not really. Got more problems now than before I went through."

"Oh. I uh...I had another dream, by the way. I...well, I really need to find a way through the well, I think."

Inuyasha gave her an odd look. "That's not gonna happen. I know why it won't let you through and there's no way to fix it. We gotta do something from this side."

"Inuyasha, I have to get through. It's what my dreams are telling me. I have to go through and I have to face whatever is in the tree."

He ran a hand over his face. "And I'm telling you it's impossible. I can't...fuck, why can't things just go right for once? I already talked to everyone on the other side, we know you're the one who can fix shit but as long as Kikyo's around…" he trailed off, not sure where to take that particular thought. He didn't want to get into Kikyo, didn't want to have to explain anything that had to do with the dead priestess.

Kagome watched the different emotions flash across Inuyasha's face. "Who is she?"

"It's not import-"

"Of course it's important!" Kagome snapped. "Who. Is. She?"

"Kagome, please, I can't…" Inuyasha pleaded with her. Things always went to shit between them when it came to Kikyo, just thinking about all the times…

He realized his mistake as the headache hit with blinding intensity. He saw Kagome grab her head and had just enough time to grab her around the waist and pull her against his chest before they both fell to their knees.

Of all the damn things to think about, why did it have to be Kikyo? And why was Kikyo stealing the damn jewel from Kagome the first thing that popped into his head? Of course this time around she didn't need to steal it, she was already the keeper. She still gave it to Naraku though and with Inuyasha standing there, just watching. How damn pathetic was he around her?

The pain passed slowly, his head clearing enough for him to think again. He could feel kagome shaking against him and he held her a little tighter. Her forehead was pressed to his chest and her hands rested on his shoulders, gripping the fabric there. He didn't know exactly what happened between her and Kikyo that day but he could never forget how afraid Kagome had been. The woman who'd faced down his asshole brother, reduced to a shaking mess by Kikyo, and she wouldn't even tell him why.

And now she'd just had to relive it.

"Inuyasha," her pained whimper broke into his thoughts. "Inuyasha, it's not stopping, please."

"Kagome, hey, what do you mean it's not stopping?" he asked, panic creeping into his voice. She was sobbing, gasping for breath, clinging to him like she was drowning.

'My head, it's...it's pounding. It hur...it hurts. Please," she begged. "It won't...won't stop showing me…"

Showing her what? Shit, what was she seeing and what the hell was he supposed to do? He held her tighter, one arm around her waist and one hand on the back of her head tangled in her hair.

He was wracking his brain, desperate for a way to stop her pain. She was shaking and he could hear her heartbeat fluttering in her chest, fast but getting weak. He realized she could be dying and his stomach twisted at the thought. If he lost her like this he would never survive it.

Kagome was in absolute agony. Her whole body felt like it was on fire and she was being bombarded with image after image. She saw Inuyasha and Kikyo together, kissing and embracing before the image changed. Now Kikyo was trying to kill her, dropping her over a chasm, telling her she was just a copy. Then she was hiding behind a tree and Inuyasha and Kikyo were embracing again and he was promising to protect her, shouting his devotion. The images weren't stopping, her head was pounding, and her soul was crying out for relief.

She was begging, pleading with Inuyasha to make the pain stop. But what could he do? She couldn't breathe properly, couldn't think. She had enough of her mind left to be sad that Inuyasha would have to watch her die like this. He obviously cared about her, even if he loved someone else.

"Kagome," she heard her name. "Kagome, listen to me. Try remembering something else, something that won't hurt you. You gotta stop whatever you're seeing."

"I can't," she gasped. "I can't think." She could barely talk. Her arms dropped to her sides and her body sagged against him.

"Please, Kagome," he sounded so broken. "Anything, think of anything. What about your mom? Your family? Think about them."

She tried, she really did. She tried forcing the images away with memories of her family but it wasn't enough. Images of Kikyo and Inuyasha together kept pushing everything away, crushing her with all the emotions associated with those terrible memories.

Inuyasha could feel her sagging against him, her body starting to give out. He was holding her so tightly, rocking her, trying to sooth the pain away. It wasn't doing any good, she was slipping away from him anyway.

He was vaguely aware that he was crying, breaking right along with her. He couldn't let her go, not like this. He had to think, there had to be something emotional enough to snap her back to him. He thought of his own distant past and focused on what brought out his strongest emotions and he knew what he had to try.

"Kagome, can you still hear me?" He felt her nod weakly. He was taking a risk, traveling a path he didn't know much about. She'd only mentioned him once, to let Inuyasha know that he'd died when she was young and that she missed him. He personally knew how emotional losing a parent could be…

"Think about your father, Kagome. Think about how much you love him and...and how much you miss him. Try remembering things about him, things he used to do or say." He held his breath, listening to her heart and her breathing. The tremors going through her body started to calm and he prayed to whatever kami would listen that she was recovering and not slipping away.

Hearing Inuyasha mention her dad was a shock but it was a shock she needed. Her mind immediately focused on her strongest memory of him: the morning of the day they lost him. She remembered his smile, his arms wrapped around her in a hug before he left for work, the smell of his cologne. She pictured her parents embracing for the last time and let the love and sadness push everything else away.

Her mind started to clear and she could breathe again. The pain lessened and she was able to bring her arms up around Inuyasha's neck. She felt him pull her tighter against him and she welcomed the comfort. She cried into his chest while he rubbed her back in small soothing circles with one hand and supported her with his other arm around her waist.

They stayed that way a while, until Kagome's tears dried up and her body stopped trembling. Inuyasha loosened his hold on her and held her so he could see her face, tear-stained and puffy. Her eyes were open and she glanced up at him but she looked dazed, which was understandable.

"Kagome," he whispered her name and she met his eyes. "You alright? Did it stop?"

She nodded and let a few more tears fall. "I think," she croaked and cleared her throat. "I think I'm alright now. But I really need to lie down." She sounded exhausted.

"I've got you, Kagome." He scooped her up and stood in one motion, cradling her against his chest. He carried her to the house and used his senses to determine where her family members were. The last thing he wanted was for them to see her like this. Once inside he took her straight up to her room and laid her on her bed, carefully adjusting her blankets to cover her. He kneeled down next to the bed and brushed his fingers across her cheek.

"I'm so sorry Kagome. This is all my fault, I knew...I fucking knew this could happen. I shoulda stayed away, I shoulda-"

"Shh, it's alright," Kagome comforted, her voice barely above a whisper. She reached out and cupped his cheek. "I'm ok, just tired. I know you would never hurt me."

"I did though, I did hurt you. I coulda...I almost killed you dammit!" He took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves. Her hand was too cool on his cheek and he covered it with his own. "I gotta go back. I have to try to fix this before it's too late."

Kagome tried to sit up but he pushed her back down gently. "I wanna help, please."

"No, you need to rest. The well isn't going to let you through anyway." He squeezed the hand he was holding, now resting on the comforter.

She went still and closed her eyes, pulling her hand out of his grip. "It's because Kikyo is there. She's why the well won't let me through."

"Hey, whatever you saw, it's not...it's not really like that. I-" he cut off at the cold look she shot him. His now empty hand clenched and unclenched and he stared at it instead of meeting her eyes.

"I understand. Go ahead Inuyasha, I'll be fine here." Her voice was strained with barely contained emotion. She saw the look of hurt on his face and all the fight went out of her. She turned her head away from him. "Please, just...just go, alright?"

She heard the rustle of his clothes when he stood followed shortly by her door clicking shut. When she turned her head back he was gone. She laid in bed and cried herself into a restless sleep.


The barrier was simple to get through. Kikyo never had any problems getting past Naraku's defenses and this was no exception; it fell to a single arrow. The corrupt shard would be another matter though as she wanted to control, not destroy.

As Kikyo approached she could feel it's power reaching for her, trying to work it's way into her mind. She had her own barrier up of course, and for now it was holding. She stopped a few paces away from the tree and pulled out four paper ofuda. She held them up to charge them with her power then threw them to surround the shard, creating a diamond shape.

Then she knelt, facing the tree, and began to meditate and focus her power. She could feel Naraku's evil intent, still reaching for her, trying to penetrate her barrier. He was connected to the shard, she could almost feel him through it. There was no doubt he would be drawn by her interference.

She heard someone enter the clearing behind her and was shocked when she felt Inuyasha's yoki flaring. He shouldn't be back yet, he would try to stop her. She stood up and turned to face him but she wasn't prepared for the sight that met her.

Inuyasha's yoki was glowing red around him, ruffling his long hair. He held tessaiga in both hands in front of him, poised to attack, his stance ready for battle. She could hear a deep growl rumbling in his chest that sent a shiver of fear through her.

But it was his face that had her heart racing. His eyes were bloodshot and puffy from crying, his face tear-stained, and his mouth was twisted in a scowl. He wasn't even looking at her, he was focused on the tree. Whatever had happened on the other side of the well had left him angrier and more upset than she'd ever seen him. And it scared her.

She finally shook herself from her stupor and shouted at him, "You should not be here!"

His eyes focused on her and she almost regretted her outburst. "Funny, you couldn't wait to trap me here before. Why the change of heart?"

He was being harsh, he knew it. He couldn't stop it though, his anger was in control. Kagome had almost died in his arms less than an hour before and he couldn't even be by her side to help her recover. He would fix things now or die trying.

Kikyo quickly calmed her racing heart and tried to reason with him, "I just want to fix things Inuyasha. Obviously Naraku has corrupted your mind to turn you against me so I won't blame you for your lack of judgement and rash actions. I can control the shard, I just need to concentrate. I can fix this."

"Fix this how? I won't let you erase her from my life! Why not just purify it and undo this shit completely? Let things go back to the way they were before?"

"Do you want to betray me that much Inuyasha? Do you really want to abandon me for that girl, that useless copy? You are no better than Naraku then!" She was trying to hurt him with her words. If he wouldn't listen to reason then she would use his anger against him.

He flinched at her words and his growl grew louder. "I don't want to abandon anybody so don't insult me. This isn't just about you and me, other people have died because of this. Shippo and Kohaku are just the ones I know about so why don't you move so I can get to the shard and try to fix this my way." He pointed Tessaiga past her.

Kikyo raised a hand in front of her, closed her eyes, and waited to feel the pull of the rosary. This would be much easier with him pinned to the ground. She snapped her eyes open when she didn't hear the impact and was shocked to see him still standing there, eyebrow raised.

"Having some trouble? Wouldn't have come back if you could stop me that easily."

"How?! Only I-" she fumed.

He cut her off, "Kagome. She took them off, no questions asked. Kikyo, you need to listen to me. You're doing exactly what Naraku wants. He's trying to turn us against each other, again. We can't let that happen."

"Don't you understand? I'm doing this for us. This is so we can be together, always." She took a few steps towards him and held a hand out in his direction.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He needed to get his anger under control for this. This was a conversation he never wanted to have, especially under these kinds of circumstances. Things needed to be out in the open though if he had even a small chance of making her understand.

"You know we can't be together in this life. Our time passed Kikyo, Naraku made sure of that. I don't wanna see you die at the hands of that bastard again but I want your soul to find peace and be able to rest. That body-"

Her hand dropped back to her side and she cut him off, "I'm well aware of the limitations of this body. My intention was never to be together in this life and you know it. You told me your life was mine Inuyasha, and that my life was yours, in this life and the next."

"That was before I had a reason to keep living. I have people I care about now, people who give a shit about me, people who would risk their life for me, people who would be really pissed if I just threw my life away."

"And you don't care about me?" she asked, genuine sadness in her voice.

"Of course I do dammit," he insisted. "I do my best to try to protect you. I vowed to kill Naraku so you wouldn't have to fight. I fucking run to you any time you're around to make sure you're alright, even though I know…" he stopped and focused his attention behind Kikyo.

"Finish your thought. What do you know?"

"He knows no matter what he does, no matter how often he runs to you, it will never be enough. I will be the one to claim your life, Kikyo," Naraku finished.

"Naraku!" Inuyasha shouted and leapt forward past Kikyo, Tessaiga ready to strike.

Kikyo turned, following Inuyasha's movements. She was too close to her goal to let anyone interfere. She decided to take advantage of the interruption to strike while his guard was down. "Inuyasha, wait!"

He turned and saw Kikyo ready an arrow...and aim it at him. "What the fuck?! Are you actually working with him?!"

"I told you, I'm doing this for us." She released her arrow straight at Inuyasha.

He tried to dodge but she was too close and he honestly didn't think she'd actually shoot him, again. The arrow caught him squarely in the left shoulder and immediately sent a wave of pain through his entire body. He hit the ground with a shout and laid there until the jolts of her power stopped tearing through him.

He was finally able to reach up and yank out the arrow then roll himself to his knees. His now black hair fell over his shoulder and pooled on the ground below him. He was in serious trouble.

Naraku's cruel laughter echoed around him. "Inuyasha, I don't think I've ever had the privilege of witnessing your weak human form. It's disgusting."

Kikyo stepped between them and fired another arrow, this time at Naraku. The arrow hit his barrier and took it down in a flash of power. "You're next Naraku. I will end this today!" She let another arrow fly and it took Naraku directly in the chest. His body tore apart, the pieces floating around his head.

"Have you not learned Kikyo? You can't defeat me with your measly power." His body started to reassemble itself and he sent a barrage of tentacles at the two attacking him.

Inuyasha and Kikyo both started dodging back and forth, using bow and sword to fend off what they couldn't avoid. Kikyo fired off a few arrows, purifying everything in their path. Inuyasha had his un-transformed sword in one hand and it's sheath in the other. He used the sword to bat away tentacles and the sheath's barrier as a shield.

It was too much for the two human's to handle. Inuyasha was having too many close calls, it was only a matter of time before something snuck past his defenses. He brought the sheath up with his left arm to block another attack and a stab of agony shot through his shoulder from his injury. He brought his right arm around, swinging tessaiga in an arc to knock more tentacles away. He could hear Kikyo moving, still firing arrow after arrow. How many did she have left?

Kikyo reached behind her and grasped at air; she was out of arrows. She swung her bow, batting at Naraku, but it was no use. She tried to dodge but there were too many and she was the first to fall. A tentacle ripped at her right side, knocking her off her feet and breaking her bow. The last thing she saw was Inuyasha trying frantically to get to her, shouting her name.

Inuyasha tried to reach her but he was never going to make it. He couldn't lift his left arm anymore and the blood loss was starting to make him dizzy. He felt Naraku pierce straight through his shoulder, right where Kikyo's arrow had connected. Another appendage ripped through his left side, spinning him in the air when it pulled back out. He hit the ground hard and waited for the finishing blow.

Through the pounding in his head he heard running footsteps followed by Sango's shouted, "Hiraikotsu!" before the darkness finally took him.