Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Miko and Hanyou

9/28/06 – 12/26/06

Kagome groaned and flipped onto her stomach, burying her face into the pillow in a valiant attempt to block out the incessant chatter around her."Leave me alone." she mumbled incoherently.

Poke

Batting away the offending appendage, Kagome turned on her side and continued to drift in and out of sleep. Just a few more minutes, Inuyasha!

Poke

Kagome frowned. "Leave me alone, Shippo. It's too early."

The poking stopped. Good, now I can…Someone shook her shoulders. With a roar of frustration, Kagome shot out of her sleeping bag. The room, which had been previously filled with chatter, immediately quieted.

Yuka blinked. Then, a devious smile slowly curved onto her lips. "Hey, Kagome, who's Shippo? Is he your violent boyfriend?"

Kagome frowned and cocked her head to the right in confusion. I think I speak for all of us when I ask, 'Huh?'

"Well, she never did tell us her boyfriend's name." agreed Ayumi, nodding her head in agreement with Yuka. "Although I think Shippo is a really weird name. It sounds like something I would name my cat. No offense, of course, I just find it a little…odd that someone would name their kid 'Tail'."

Kagome laughed humorlessly as she slowly averted her eyes. Don't look, don't think, don't answer! As long as I ignore the question, I won't end up accidentally telling them something I shouldn't.

"So, have you and Shippo kissed?" Eri asked shyly.

Kagome's head immediately snapped up.

"How far along have you gotten in your relationship?" Yuka prodded slyly.

What are you insinuating? You don't think I'd…

"Have you slept with him?" questioned Ayumi, wagging her eyebrows.

"What?" shrieked Kagome, looking completely horrified. "Shippo's only a kid! Plus, I would never sleep with Inuyasha!"

Ayumi's smiled widened as she leaned towards Kagome. "So, his name's Inuyasha. Does that make Shippo your kid?"

Kagome groaned as she dropped her face into her hands.

Inuyasha's snow-white ears twitched erratically on top of his head as he paced impatiently back and forth in front of Kaeda's hut. A growl of displeasure ripped from his throat as he dug his claws into the palm of his hand.

"Inuyasha, can you please stop pacing?" Miroku asked tiredly as he inclined his head towards their sleeping companion.

"Don't tell me what to do, stupid monk!" growled Inuyasha, grounding his teeth together. "First, Kagome goes wandering off to who knows where. Then, Sango suddenly get sick. Now, you're complaining that I'm pacing too loud!"

Miroku sighed as he gently kneaded his temple. "Inuyasha, I'm sure Kagome-sama will return to us as soon as she finished whatever she needs to complete back in her time. As for Sango, you'll have to keep in mind that she's only a human…and humans are susceptible to illnesses. Lastly, I'm not complaining – I'm just worried about Lady Sango's health."

"Keh." snorted Inuyasha, turning up his nose in disdain. "If you're really worried about her health, then stop taking advantage of her in her unconscious state, hentai!"

Miroku grinned sheepishly as he slowly returned his wandering hand to his side. "Ah, I'm truly cursed. My hand…"

"Quiet." hissed Inuyasha, lifting his nose gingerly into the air and taking a large sniff. His lips immediately curled into a feral growl when he recognized the scent in the air. "Stay here with Sango and wait for Kagome to come back." he ordered cryptically before bounding out of the village.

"If my friends come looking for me, tell them I'm visiting some distant relatives in Romania...or something like that." Kagome called over her shoulder as she hurriedly stuffed another cup of ramen into her bag. "Okay, I got to go now. Bye Mom! Bye Grandpa! Bye twerp!"

"Hey!" Souta shouted indignantly, pouting childishly.

"I'm just kidding, Souta." Kagome grinned as she hefted her yellow bag over her shoulders…only to tumble back to the ground. Itai…

"Are you okay, sis?" Souta asked worriedly as he tugged on his sister's arm in a noble attempt to pull her out from beneath the weight of the yellow bag.

"Nah, I'm just peachy." Kagome retorted sarcastically as she pushed the yellow bag off her back with her free arm.

"Is everything all right, dear?" Mrs. Higurashi asked quietly, wiping her wet hands on her apron as she stepped into the hall. Amusement immediately colored her face when she noted the hilarious predicament her daughter was in. "Maybe you should leave some things behind, ne?"

Laughing sheepishly, Kagome softly answered, "Maybe I should."

Kagome immediately sensed something was off when she set foot into the village. Actually, she had realized something was wrong as soon as she had noted the absence of certain hanyou. By all means, he should have been waiting for her at the well, griping about her tardiness.

But he wasn't there.

She had found it strange, but had simply brushed it off as nothing. However, the insistent feeling that something terrible was about to take place only intensified the closer she got towards the village.

"Kagome-sama!" greeted Miroku, sounding genuinely relieved.

"Miroku, what happened?" Kagome demanded, noting the tone of desperation in his voice. "Where's Inuyasha?"

"Inuyasha is…"

"Kagome!" shouted Shippo, rushing past Miroku. "You're back!"

"Shippo," Kagome quickly greeted in an offhand manner before returning her attention back to Miroku. "What did you say happened to Inuyasha? I-Is he hurt?"

"I don't know." Miroku answered lamely, looking down in shame. "Inuyasha left the village in pursuit of something – or someone – this morning. He hasn't returned yet, and I fear…"

"Why didn't you go with him?" Kagome snapped angrily, rationale leaving her as an ominous sense of trepidation churned her stomach.

"I'm sorry, Kagome-sama," murmured Miroku, slowly lifting his eyes off the ground, "But I couldn't leave the village while Sango-sama was ill."

Kagome immediately quieted as guilt seeped into her eyes. "Sango-chan is…ill?" When Miroku nodded his head in affirmation, she quickly asked, "Is it serious?"

"I'm not sure," Miroku answered gravely as he cast a tired glance towards Kaeda's hut. "Lady Sango awoke last night, screaming and thrashing, but immediately quieted after Inuyasha rushed into the hut. We thought nothing of it, but she hasn't awoken since then."

Pressing her lips together into a thin line, Kagome silently contemplated her next course of action. She was torn between leaving to search for Inuyasha and staying to tend to Sango's health. Sango's sick, but Inuyasha could be in serious trouble. Sango needs medical treatment, but Inuyasha might have run into Naraku or one of his incarnates. That or he's with Kikyou. Kagome frowned. No, I can't be thinking about that right now. What's important is to find Inuyasha and make sure he's all right.

"Kagome?" prodded Shippo, gently tapping her arm. "What are you thinking?"

Snapping back to reality, Kagome quickly set the fox kit back on the ground and slipped her large pack off her shoulders. Rummaging through the pack's contents, she quickly pulled out several bottles and tossed them to Miroku, who clumsily caught them out of reflex. "Read the description on the bottles and give Sango whichever one matches her condition. I'm going to take Kirara and go after Inuyasha."

"Kagome-sama, I'm sure Inuyasha is more than capable of taking care of himself. It would be best if you stay here…" Miroku argued, but quickly trailed off when he noted the worried glaze in the miko's eyes. "Do you sense something? Is it Naraku?"

"I-I don't know." Kagome answered shakily as she nervously extracted her weapon – a bow and a quiver of arrows – from her bag. "But I can sense that something terrible is about to happen." Pausing for a moment, she determinedly added, "I have to go. I need to make sure Inuyasha's okay."

Miroku nodded his head in understanding and whispered, "Be safe, Kagome-sama. Do not throw yourself into unnecessary danger."

"I know." Kagome smiled as she strapped her bow and arrow over her shoulder. After securing her weapon, she quickly turned her head towards the hut and hollered, "Kirara!" A small neko, answering Kagome's call, quickly dashed out of the Kaeda's hut and transformed into a large fire-cat.

Clambering onto Kirara's back, Kagome was just about to take off when Shippo suddenly jumped onto her shoulders. "I'm coming with you, Kagome." he stated firmly, crossing his little arms in defiance.

Not wanting to waste any more time dallying around, Kagome quickly nodded her assent and urged Kirara into the air. "I'm counting on you, Kirara." she whispered, gently stroking the neko's fur. "Take me to Inuyasha."

Kirara roared and lunged forward, flying over the forest tops towards where she sensed Inuyasha was located.

"You know where Naraku is!" Inuyasha brazenly accused as he unsheathed his Tetsusaiga. "Tell me where he is now, dammit!" he cried, lunging headfirst towards his opponent, who effortlessly sidestepped the attack at the last moment.

"Even if I know where that hanyou resides, I am not obligated to tell you anything, half-breed."

Inuyasha snarled as he unleashed the Kaze no Kizu, watching with satisfaction as it ripped through his opponent.

"Too slow." a cold, velvety voice whispered near his triangular ears before he suddenly found himself sailing across the forest and into a thick tree trunk. "Your attempts to harm me are futile, hanyou."

"Shut up, Sesshoumaru!" growled Inuyasha, pulling himself off the ground as he tightened his grip around Tetsusaiga. "If you don't tell me where Naraku is now, I'll rip your head off like I did your arm!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed as he unsheathed Toukijin from his waist.

Shippo whimpered as he watched the scene with growing terror. He wanted to help, but his legs were shaking so badly he could barely move from his position behind the bushes. "K-Kagome," he whimpered again as he tired to urge his feet forward. They refused to budge.

"Kirara!" shouted Kagome as she released another arrow at the three-headed falcon. Kirara roared and quickly hauled the miko out of harm's way seconds before the falcon's wing slashed through the exact area the miko had been previously standing. "Thanks, Kirara." Kagome murmured, whispering her gratitude to the fire-cat, who quickly deposited her a safe distance away before leaping back into the fray.

She had barely enough time to notch another arrow when the falcon youkai suddenly rematerialized in front of her. With a slightly crazed look in its eyes, it quickly swung its massive wing forward and knocked her backwards into a tree. She immediately lost consciousness upon impact.

"Kagome!" wailed Shippo, tripping over his own feet in an attempt to reach the miko's side. "Leave her alone!" he shouted at the youkai, who seemed to have developed an unhealthy fixation on the Shikon Shards around Kagome's neck.

Kirara growled and rammed her head against the falcon ribcage, causing it to stumble sideways away from Kagome's prone form. Growling in warning, Kirara quickly settled into a protective stance in front of Kagome.

"Fox fire!" Shippo screamed. It did nothing but incur the falcon's ire. Shippo immediately began to shake again when the youkai suddenly turned to fix him with a hungry glare – a look that one would usually bestow on a prey after being starved for days. "K-Kirara!"

Shippo slapped his small paws over his eyes as the falcon angrily reared back and prepared to strike. However, when seconds ticked by and nothing seemed to happen, the little kit bravely took a daring peek from behind his hands. The sight that greeted him immediately caused him to drop his jaw in shock. "K-Kagome." he stuttered, not quite believing what his eyes were seeing.

"Leave now, youkai." she commanded as she strung her bow. "Or else I can't guarantee your survival."

"Ningen!" the falcon spat, his six eyes narrowing in fury. "You dare to threaten me? I will kill you for your insolence!"

Zwip

With cold detachment that seemed uncharacteristic of the pure miko, Kagome silently watched through narrowed eyes as the arrow immediately disintegrated the hapless youkai upon contact. Then, seeing that her work was done, she quietly turned and walked into the forest.

Snapping out of his daze, Shippo quickly hollered, "That was so cool, Kagome! How'd you do that? I've never seen you kill a youkai that easily before!" Running up to the miko, he curiously added, "Where are you going?" When he realized Kagome was ignoring him, he hurriedly shouted, "Wait for me and Kirara!"

However, the miko didn't stop to wait for her companions; she just kept walking as if she hadn't heard a single word the kit said.

"K-Kagome!" cried Shippo, distressed that she was leaving him behind. "Wait up!" Scampering forward with Kirara in tow, he was about to jump onto the miko's shoulders when he was suddenly halted by a barrier. Looking up in confusion, his lower lips trembled as Kagome finally stopped. His visage brightened, but quickly darkened again when she finally spoke, her voice calm and soft.

"Go home, demon-child. I do not know how you learned my name, but you do not belong here with me." Then, retightening her grip on her bow, she continued onwards – her step light and graceful. She never look back, but if she had, she would have seen the effect her words had on the kit, who silently watched her walk away with tears streaming down his young face.

Wiping the blood from the side of his mouth, Inuyasha quickly leapt back to avoid another fatal blow. Things were heating up and heading in a direction that he would rather not travel. He loathed admitting it, but he knew that he wouldn't last too long against Sesshoumaru if things carried on as it did.

He mentally cursed as blow after blow rained down on his battered body. The only reason he hadn't died yet was because Tetsusaiga – up until that moment – had been able to block the majority of the attacks from hitting his vital organs. Releasing another string of curses, he quickly tightened his grip on his sword when Sesshoumaru suddenly disappeared from view. Gritting his teeth, he hurriedly swung Tetsusaiga forward when Sesshoumaru suddenly rematerialized in front of him.

It missed.

He cursed again when he suddenly felt his presence from behind.

"It's the end, hanyou." Sesshoumaru whispered, his cold voice sending paralyzing shivers racing down his half-brother's spine. In that singular moment, Inuyasha felt fear – a sensation that he hadn't had experience since he had learned how to protect himself from harm.

His golden eyes widened marginally as his entire life literally flashed before his eyes. He remembered Kikyou – her touch, her voice, and her promises of love. He could still feel the burn of betrayal as his mind's eye envisioned the arrow piercing through his flesh and pinning him to the Goshinboku. Then, he remembered Kagome – her smiles, her laughter, and her promises of friendship. He recalled their adventure and the people they met on the way. Shippo, Miroku, Sango, Kirara…

Zwip

Inuyasha's eyes widened again as Sesshoumaru's ominous presence suddenly disappeared from behind him. The haze gradually cleared from his eyes as he quickly reassessed the situation. Sesshoumaru was, once again, standing calmly before him. But this time, his molten eyes were trained on a slim figure hidden in the shadows of the forest.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed as the figure carefully stepped into the light, revealing the petit form of Inuyasha's faithful companion – the miko. His golden eyes darkened as the woman quickly took another arrow from her quiver and strung it to her bow, pulling it back taunt and aiming it at his heart.

"Kagome!" shouted Inuyasha, torn between relief and worry.

Sesshoumaru watched the woman carefully, waiting for her to release the arrow. She didn't disappoint him. However, she surprised him by redirecting the arrow at the hanyou at the last minute.

Barely jumping out of the way, Inuyasha quickly bellowed, "Are you crazy, wench? What do you think you're doing? At least try to aim at him!"

The miko quickly pinned the hanyou with a look that seemed unbefitting for someone of her nature. Sesshoumaru could immediately tell that something was off about the woman, but he remained obstinately calm and aloof. After all, whatever happened to the miko wasn't his concern.

"Quiet, hanyou." she commanded as she reached for another arrow from her quiver. "I do not wish to harm you unnecessarily." Notching the arrow to her bow, she calmly continued, "Leave this place and take your dispute elsewhere. There are children playing nearby, I do not wish for any of them to befall harm." Turning her attention to Sesshoumaru, she coldly added, "Leave now, or I'll dispose of you both."

The Taiyoukai felt his ire rise as he coldly regarded the petite woman that dared to order him around as if he was some lesser youkai. Did she not know whom she was speaking to? His eyes narrowed as he took a step towards the miko.

However, he was immediately intercepted by Inuyasha, who screamed, "Snap out of it, Kagome. Whatever's controlling you, fight it!" Moving towards the woman, he angrily asked, "Is it Naraku?"

The miko tilted her head in confusion, as if she was trying to recall something that was eluding her memory. Shaking her head slightly to clear away the thoughts, she calmly replied, "I do not know of this Naraku you speak of. However, I will not repeat myself again. Leave, hanyou."

Anguished, Inuyasha lunged for the girl and tried to rip the bow from her hands. They struggled against one another for a moment before Inuyasha suddenly jumped back, stumbling away from the miko. He shook his head vigorously from side to side, as if he was trying to ward off some unsavory thoughts, before suddenly dropping to the ground, clutching his heart in agony.

Sesshoumaru watched indifferently from the sidelines as the hanyou finally managed to stop thrashing long enough to take in a shuddering breath. After a moment, he finally calmed. Then, just when he was beginning to think that the hanyou had fallen unconscious, Inuyasha moved.

Pulling himself off the ground and onto stable, but shaky legs, Inuyasha slowly lifted his head and glared scathingly at the miko standing across from him. Breathing deeply, he quietly growled, "Do you know who you're dealing with, miko?" Taking a dangerous step towards the woman, he whispered coldly, "You're going to pay for getting in my way."

Sesshoumaru's eyebrow lifted slightly, but he didn't show any other outward signs of confusion. Deciding to let the situation naturally unfold, he quietly stepped back and assessed the situation from the sidelines. Something strange was definitely taking place. For one, the miko seemed to have forgotten who the half-breed was, considering the hanyou to be as much of a threat as he did.

He nearly scoffed at the notion.

Then, there was the fact that the hanyou – who obviously recognized the miko –seemed to have somehow gained amnesia as well within the span of three seconds. The hanyou was undeniably dense and idiotic, but Sesshoumaru liked to think the half-breed had a better memory than that. Finally, the two seemed to have forgotten who he was. They simply dismissed him as if he were some lesser youkai when he was possibly their greatest threat.

Sesshoumaru's glare deepened at the insult.

TBC

Author's Note: I'm sorry for the long wait. I had writer's block. :( Hopefully, that won't happen again.

Anyway, for those of you who haven't caught on yet, both Kagome and Inuyasha are possessed. They're themselves – but not. They remember their own names and control their own actions, per se, but their actions are heavily influenced by the spirits' decision and persona. In a way, you can say the possessed are in charge of their own actions, but they take on the spirits' personality and memories – thus ensuring that history will repeat itself (with varying differences, but the same result). Don't be afraid to contact me if you're still confused…although I promise it will make more sense as the story progresses.