I'm so sorry it took a while. I've been so stressed with my current job, trying to find another job, and dealing with issues with my family. However, I'm back and ready to give you more. On a side note, I really enjoy reading your comments! However, I want everyone to read this chapter before I make any replies to them. Without any further interruptions, I hope you all enjoy!Disclaimer: I do not own the Inuyasha or any of its characters.

Previously...

She stood face to face with Kagome. "Someone stronger," she repeated as she dropped her bow from her shoulders, "like me."

"I left home to train," Kagome told her as she placed her hands in her sleeves, grabbing the hilt of the hidden daggers in them. "What I lack in reiki, I gained in strength. I stand here proud to say that I will not be so easy to strike down as I was the last time we met."

Chapter 2: Confrontations

They stared each other down in silence before Kikyo spoke.

"Inuyasha and his group believe that I will kill you to take my soul back, and then I will replace you in their group," she explained. "However, they could not be further from the truth. Even after I return to the living, I will still keep my vow to send him to the depths of hell, along with his friends. Cruel beings such as them do not deserve to live."

"Why would you waste your energy on them?" Kagome asked her. "Why not use it on someone truly evil, like Naraku?"

"That is none of your concern," Kikyo told her, dismissing the comment.

"I see," Kagome replied, "That also has something to do with you regaining your soul back, doesn't it?" Kikyo gave a nod. There was a silence between the two as blue eyes clashed with brown.

"My soul does not belong in your body," Kikyo said. "Will you return it to me, or shall I take it by force?"

Kagome held her arms up as if she was holding a bow with an arrow notched, although her hands were empty. Kikyo's eyes widened as the young miko began to glow with a blue light.

"Since you asked so nicely," she said as a pink light manifested itself through the fingers that were supposed to be holding the arrow, "take it back then." She then opened her palm as if to release an arrow, and the pink light flew towards Kikyo and struck her, knocking her now unconscious form to the ground.

Moments later, Kikyo regained consciousness and noticed that she was sitting up against a tree as a piece of cloth rested on her forehead. She felt a flood of emotions within her, and was shocked by feeling her reiki now complete. 'I'm alive again..' se thought in shock.

"Are you feeling better?" Kikyo turned startled at the soft voice and saw Kagome sitting off to the side, watching her. She nodded slowly as memories of the last few hours came back to her.

"You gave me my soul back!" she gasped. "But how...! Why...!" Kagome sent her a small smile as she stood up. Kikyo was startled as Kagome gently grabbed a piece of cloth that was laying upon the older miko's forehead and dropped it in a nearby basin filled with water. She rested her hand against Kikyo's forehead.

"Your fever has gone down," Kagome mumbled as she pulled her hand away. "I'm not surprised. I suspected that it rose only because of the blood coursing through your veins, heating up your body in the process."

Now in a more stable state, Kikyo finally managed to voice out her confusion. "Why did you help me? How did you know about this?"

"Well," Kagome said as she took her spot on the ground once more, "a little after I left and sealed the well..."

~Flashback~

Kagome sat in her room, feeling numb. She had been home for only two weeks, and she had kept herself cooped up in her room since. The first week, she cried her eyes out at her friends' betrayals. Once she ran out of tears to shed, she laid in bed motionless. Her mother had taken to bringing her meals to her room and making sure she was eating enough. She tried countless times to get her daughter to openn up, but her efforts were futile.

She didn't know when she had drifted off, but eventually she fell into the land of dreams.

~Dream~

"Kagome, welcome back!" She turned to see the Inutachi smiling at her. She ran to them, a happy smile appearing on her face.

"I missed you guys!" she told them. "I don't remember where I went, but I'm glad I came back!" Sango held her arms open, and the two women embraced each other. Suddenly, Kagome felt her bow and arrows slide off her back. Sango pulled away, and Kagome saw the tajiya had taken her weapon.

"Wha-" She was cut off as she jerked forward suddenly, pain filling her entire being. She glanced down to see Inuyasha's hand potruding out of her midsection just as he was pulling it back. She fell to the ground, unable to stand.

"We can give Kikyo her arrows," Inuyasha said as he wiped his hands on his robes, walking towards a nearby spring. Sango placed the bow and arrows next to her Hiraikotsu and turned to MIroku as he walked up to the fallen miko.

"We can put her in the Wind Tunnel," he said cruelly. Sango nodded in agreeance. "Shippo could have a familiar face amongst the demons, even if it is just her corpse."

Kagome watched, writhing in agony, as Miroku gripped his prayer beads. Kagome was helpless as she plunged into darkness.

Suddenly, a light filled the dark void as it formed a glowing pathway with Kagome standing on it. She was shocked to find her wounds gone, but soon it faded as she felt something puling her down the pathway. She watched as her surroundings changed. Small wisps of light formed around her, illuminating the darkness. It reminded her of little starlights. A blinding light appeared before her and took the form of a figure who looked strangely like...

"Midoriko?!" The legendary miko smiled and nodded her head in greeting.

"I wanted to talk to you after you were a little more stable. We need to discuss your friends' betrayal." Kagome flinched at the thought. Midoriko made her way closer and placed her hand on Kagome's shoulder in comfort.

"I'm sorry you had to go through such a thingf, but you mustn't give up," she said. "You're still needed in the past to complete the jewel. Only you can do it."

"But, I'm not strong enough..." Kagome mumbled, thoughts filled with self doubt. "I can't do it, I'm too weak..."

Midoriko squeezed her shoulders. "You're not weak," she said with a fierceness that made Kagome's head shoot up. "All of your potential is inside of you. You just need to train in order to unlock it."

"Training?" Kagome repeated. "Well, I guess you're right, but wouldn't that take too long? Don't I need to return immediately?"

"Studying different fighting techniques can take up to a year for a novice to master," she said. "However, if you aim to study the basics of several different techniques, it would only take a few months. Having the knowledge of different techniques can help improve your skills quicker."

Kagome nodded in determination. "Can you train me to use my spiritual power in that time as well?"

A sad smile casted on Midoriko's face. "In my current state, I cannot. Only once the jewel has been completed can I truly aid you." Kagome's face fell at the thought. "However," she continued on, "there may be someone who can help you. She will approach you as you continue to travel with your group."

"Travel with them?!" Kagome asked incredulously. "But they want to-"

"They won't try to kill you," she interrupted. "Not directly, at least. They are overconfident and believe that their plan is flawless; they believe that she will kill you to regian her soul."

"Wait," Kagome said as it dawned on her, "are you talking about Kikyo?! But she's tried to kill me so many times! Are you sure she can be trusted?!"

"I honestly cannot say," Midoriko said with a sigh. "She is the only one who can help you in furthering yourr reiki though. I just don't know where her loyalties lie."

Kagome was floored by the turn of events, but quickly recovered and gave a nod in determination. "Okay, I'll train for a few months." Midoriko nodded in agreement.

"I'll leave you for tonight, but I'll make sure to visit you often while you train. When the time is right, I'll unseal the well for you."

~End Dream~

Kagome shot up with a gasp. She looked around and noticed that she had slept through the night. She felt a presence outside her window and looked out of it to see a light floating up to the sky. 'Midoriko...' she thought before jumping up out of bed. She only had a few months to train, and she wasn't going to waste any more time before going back.

~End Flashback~

"I see," Kikyo said after a moment of silence. Truth to say, she was still speechless. Even after the things Kikyo has done to her, she has never recalled a time where Kagome didn't aid her when it was in her power to do so. The woman's kindness was truly astounding.

"Well, will you?" Kikyo was brought out of her thoughts by Kagome's question. She blinked in confusion, missing the question. Seeing her confusion, Kagome changed her question.

"Will you train me? I understand how you must feel about me considering our history, but-"

"No," Kikyo cut her off as she stood. Kagome stood along with her, thinking their conversation was finished, but Kikyo confused the woman by giving her a warm smile. "Despite our history, I've never met such a miko as you." She then got on one knee as she placed her bow in front of her.

"Kagome Higurashi, I swear my loyalty to you." Kagome's eyes widened. "It would be my honor to train Midoriko's descendant."

~Moments Later~

Inuyasha and the others looked up when they saw movement in the trees and watched as Kikyo walked out of the forest, her skin now a healthy pink instead of the pale white that had appeared with her resurrection. They also felt her reiki had increased since she had gone into the forest earlier. There was no mistaking it, Kikyo had returned to the living.

"Ah, Lady Kikyo," Miroku said with a smile. "I take it your conversation with Kagome went well then?"

"My soul has been returned to me," she said simply.

Sango stood up with a smile on her face. "That's good. It was your soul from the beginning. Now that you're alive once more, you can join us in defeating Naraku."

"Wrong," Kikyo retorted. "I refuse to join your group."

"What?!" Inuyasha bellowed. "Why in the hell not?! After we helped you kill Kagome to regain your soul, this is how you repay us?!"

"Inuyasha," Kikyo sneered as she glared at him, "you know as well as I do of my desire to see you rotting in hell for what you did ffifty years ago. "You tried to use me, murdered the only one I love, and turned him into the evil hanyou that plagues the land now."

"Naraku?!" Sango shouted in confusion. "Wait a minute! You're in love with a cruel monster like Naraku?!"

"Tajiya, your hypocritical words are worthless to me," Kikyo said, shutting her up.

As Kikyo scanned the group, she met blazing green eyes filled with hatred.

"Kitsune," she called out, "will you come here?" Shippo stiffly walked over to her with a hissing Kilala on his shoulders. She was not able to protect Kagome, but she would fight for her new mistress's son.

"What do you want?" he snarled at her.

"You are angry," she stated. Shippo's glare intensified. "Is it because of the miko, Kagome? Did you despise her as well?"

"Despise her?!" Shippo repeated in outrage. "Kilala and I were the only two who cared about her! She was full of kindness and love, no matter who they were! She took me in and raised me after my parents were gone, and she cared for each person in this group when they didn't deserve it." He ignored the angry shouts of the others as he continued on through the tears that were falling down his cheeks. "She was never prejudice against ningen or youkai! She was a bright light in such dark times, and now she's gone..."

Kikyo rested a hand upon his head, and her looked up at her in shock as she gently rubbed his head in comfort. "I'm sorry to have upset you, kit," she said, startling the group. "That wasn't my intention." Shippo bent her head back down as he wiped his tears away, not sure what to make of the woman's statement.

"Kitsune." Shippo looked back up at her. "Fifty years ago, Inuyasha came after the jewel, and I sealed him to the Goshinboku, the Sacred Tree of Ages."

"I know about it," Shippo said with a sigh. "It's the story of how Naraku pitted you two against each other."

"Incorrect," Kikyo said. "Inuyasha did not betray me because of Naraku; Inuyasha betrayed me because I refused to give him the jewel. When he tried to steal it and run, I knew that no mere sacred arrow would stop him while he possessed the jewel. That is why I decided to infuse my soul into the arrow and used it to seal him to the tree, placing him in a timeless sleep."

Shippo listened intently along with everyone else, suprised about the new information. "Your soul?" Miroku mumbled. "Then, that means..."

"Unfortunately, fifty years later," Kikyo continued, cutting the houshi off. "Kagome stumbled into this time. Although untrained, her reiki was immensely powerful, as she was the only one who managed to break such a powerful seal on a sacred arrow."

"Wait," Shippo interrupted. "Does that mean that Kagome never had your soul?"

"Originally, no. However, once the spell was broken, my soul was released. It searched for my body in vain as my body had been burned. Since my soul was not ready to depart, it latched itself onto the closest spiritual being in the area. That was Kagome. As a result, Kagome has walked around with two souls until a few moments ago."

"So, that means-" Sango started, but a new voice cut her off.

"That I'm still alive? Correct." Everyone watched as Kagome emerged out of the forest.

Okay, I worked hard to give you all something worth reading as an apology! Now I can comment on some of the reviews I've been getting. While I enjoy all my reviews, there were two specific ones that caught my attention:

-One was an anon who told me that it didn't make sense for Kagome to travel with them after learning that they were going to kill her. In my original writing of this, Kagome was supposed to come back and run into Kikyo immediately upon her return because the group was plotting it while she was gone. So I didn't think about it when I changed the time frames until you mentioned it. I already had planned for a Midoriko dream scene, so I just added another scenario to it.

-Sunny Sunday gave a review that honestly surprised me. I have written a bit far ahead in my story, and already had some of my plot together. Honestly, I planned for this story to be full of plot twists, so I was shocked at how much you guessed that was accurate. However, at least I can say I still have some tricks up my sleeve to shock you with, so be prepared.

Also, a very special shoutout to one of my loyal reviewers, MirrorFlower and DarkWind. I know it's a bit premature, but I'm happy to see your thoughts in both of my chapters, and I hope to see more of them! I also love all of the emails notifications I've received on people who chose to follow or favorite my story, and I hope to see more! Also, the next time I update will be right before I go to an anime convention, so I might go ahead and type it up and post it so I can focus on my cosplay.

Now, I'm off to eat and retire for bed. See ya next time!

~JewelPrincessArmelia~