Disclaimer: All Inuyasha characters/themes belong to their rightful owners (not me). Please do not sue.

Author's Note: As I said in TDDUP, I'm going to try to finish both these stories before the end of the year, hopeful that I can update weekly. It's preposterous how long I've been sitting on this chapter here…but anyway! Please review-they are always read and appreciated (even the nit-picky ones).

Chapter 19, Chamber Music

"Miroku-sama, over here!" I shouted, lifting my gun.

Miroku turned into the alley where I stood. He slipped in a murky puddle, caught himself on his hands, and scrambled forward. The great, ugly giant stumbled after him, half-blinded. Twin columns of smoke curled out from his eye sockets. His mouth was twisted in concentration. He stopped, turned just as my violet bullet hit him in the forehead. The now-familiar electricity flared up in my belly, and then the giant crumbled—a mere pile of bone and ash that the wind swept away. I trotted over to the pile of bones and retrieved the Shikon shard.

"Got it, Miroku-sama!" I said, holding the violet shard out.

"Great job." He came up next to me, rubbing his arm.

"You're not injured, are you?"

"Nope. Easy as pie," he said with a wink. "Kyokotsu was hardly a threat, but it won't be as easy with the others."

"The most important part is breaking up the heads of the sectors, right?" I asked. We started back towards the hospital, which was acting like our headquarters now. It was nighttime, and there was no moon, which meant that Inuyasha was safe inside while Miroku and I handled the riffraff that came looking for the Shikon no Tama.

"The Shichi'nintai is the glue that holds the sectors together," Miroku agreed, "but it won't be as easy as eliminating each one of them." He stopped to whistle at a prostitute's rear end, and she winked at him over her shoulder.

I rolled my eyes at his antics. We turned the corner, and now were on direct route to the hospital. "What do you mean?"

"The vice presidents are, in a lot of ways, closer to Naraku than the Shichi'nintai are," Miroku explained.

"How so?"

Miroku twisted his mouth. "You remember, I assume, that you shot Kagura and nothing happened, correct?"

I shivered at the memory, and that was all the confirmation he needed.

"Naraku has her heart," Miroku said, as if he expected that alone to be illuminating.

"I don't get it." We had reached the backdoor of the hospital. I knocked, and Kisume allowed us entrance into the basements. "How does being in love with that sick son of a bitch keep her from dying when I shoot her in the chest?"

Miroku shook his head. "Not that kind of having, Kagome-sama. I mean that he keeps her heart in a jar."

I stared at him, still confused.

"Literally."

"Is that possible?"

Miroku shrugged. "With the exception of Sesshoumaru, all the vice presidents belong to Naraku. Before anyone remembers, he was a specialized agent for the old government. He was known for his inhumanity. The government that had created him began to fear him. And we know what happens when the government fears something."

"It destroys it."

"Right," Miroku said. "They laid a trap for Naraku, who was then known as Onigumo. Then, they set the building on fire. He was grievously injured but somehow, he survived. He made it to the government headquarters, and made a deal with the youkai there. The youkai devoured his soul, and in exchange, gave him a new body. Thus, Naraku the monster was born."

I felt a cold hand gripping my heart.

Miroku calmly retrieved a piece of gum from his coat pocket and held the door for me with his foot. We entered the dimly lit hall, checked in with the night nurse, and punched in the code to open the basement door. "So, he's essentially a hanyou. However, unlike natural-born hanyou like Inuyasha, Naraku can siphon off the youkai of which he is constructed, and give them a semi-independent life. Kagura and Juroumaru are two such examples of his detachments."

"Oi." I jumped a little as the black-haired, steely-eyed Inuyasha turned the corner. "You're late."

"Sorry," Miroku said with a shrug and a half-smile.

Inuyasha looked at me. "Are you hurt?"

I blushed a little. "No, just fine."

"Good. You can make me dinner, then. I'm starved."

I rolled my eyes, and Miroku and I shared a laugh. It was good to laugh.

(-)(-)(-)

"So," Sango began as I was cleaning up dinner, "we've taken out Mukotsu, and his vice presidents Juuroumaru and Kageroumaru. That means that the sixth sector, biological weapons, has been deprived of its key players. And yesterday, Miroku and Kagome took care of Kyokotsu, the seventh sector leader."

We were at the apartment, the four of us. I put the dishes in the sink and came back to kneel next to Inuyasha at the table. "Who's his vice president?"

"Someone named Goshinki," Miroku said.

"Never heard of him," Inuyasha said.

"That's because we've never run into him as of yet," Miroku said. "From what Sesshoumaru has told us, he's another one of Naraku's detachments."

"I'd kill for a go at that Renkotsu freak, and his pet, Ginkotsu," Inuyasha said, pursing his lips around his beer bottle and taking a long slug. He was on his fifth beer of the night. And probably, he would have a cigarette afterwards out on the fire escape. "I'll take Bankotsu's head while I'm at it."

Miroku was enjoying his fourth beer, while Sango and I were splitting a bottle of red wine. We were sitting back, relaxing, enjoying our success in taking down Kyokotsu the night before. Our talk was business-oriented, but our hearts and minds were concerned with the comfort of the group.

"I'll put in the movie," I said, getting to my feet. I stumbled slightly, and Inuyasha caught my arm.

"Steady on, girl," he said.

"I got it," I said. "Totally fine!" To prove it, I stood erect, and walked in the straightest line I could manage to the living room. Sango followed with the wine. Her cheeks were flushed, as I'm sure mine were. We giggled as we looked for the movie.

The microwave beeped, and Inuyasha and Miroku came in with another six-pack of beer and the popcorn. We popped in the movie, coalesced on the couch, and laughed and chatted for two and half hours, watching the movie in fits and spurts. We opened another bottle of wine, the boys had some more beer, and we put in a second movie.

When that movie was finished, Sango was asleep, her head on Miroku's shoulder. Miroku bade us goodnight, roused Sango with a kiss on the forehead, and helped her out the door.

I smiled at my friends as I watched them wind their way down the stairs. It was a different life from the one I had intended, but it certainly wasn't bad. Not bad at all.

"Hey, can you help me clean up?" Inuyasha asked.

I came over and made a rather feeble attempt at helping to clean. When we had successfully gotten all the empty cans and bottles into the kitchen, I threw my hands up in defeat and laughed. "That's the best I can do, Inuyasha."

"Don't tell me you're drunk," he said with a laugh.

"Not at all," I said, straightening up.

"Your cheeks say otherwise." He bumped into me. We laughed. "Join me on the fire escape for a cigarette?"

"Sure," I said.

We went into the bedroom and climbed onto the bed. Inuyasha crawled out onto the fire escape, and then took my hands and pulled me out with him. He pulled his cigarettes out and offered me the pack. I took one, and he tucked one between his lips before putting the pack away. He took out his lighter, lit the end of my cigarette, and then his own.

I took a long drag, and then blew out the smoke. Inuyasha watched my motion, one eyebrow cocked, his mouth set in a smirk. He blew his smoke out through his nostrils, and again, I was reminded of a dragon.

"Since when do you smoke?" Inuyasha asked.

"I had a friend in junior high named Romi who introduced me to cigarettes," I said.

"What happened to her?"

"She died. I haven't had a cigarette since."

Inuyasha sat on the steps, one leg on a higher step than the other. His cigarette smoke swirled around his silvery mane, which glimmered in the moonlight. My heart was beating wildly in my chest, despite the alcohol and cigarette smoke.

I let my cigarette butt fall into the alley far below. I could feel Inuyasha's eyes on me, but I dared not look at him. I felt giddy and lightheaded, intoxicated by his presence. A flashback surged behind my eyes, but I refused it, suppressing it with all my might.

"They killed my mother."

"What?" I asked, looking up at him.

"She was a member of an upper class family. She met an agent. She didn't know that he was youkai. She didn't know until it was too late. She gave birth to a hanyou. My father found out that they were going to kill my mother…and kill me. He tried to save us…but there were too many for even him. My mother and I escaped. She raised me by herself, taught me to be secretive. When I was eight, they found us. I came home from school and she was…" He closed his eyes.

"I was alone for a long time. The Resistance found me, took me in, taught me everything I needed to know, and when I was ready, gave me the sword my father had left me. Sesshoumaru found me then, and tried to take Tessaiga from me."

"What was her name?"

"Izayoi," Inuyasha said.

My stomach was full of bubbles. "Can I have another one?"

He nodded and stood, but as he stood, his foot slipped on the stair, and he fell forward, directly into me. My back hit the railing, bracing me against his weight. His scent and warmth rushed over me, stealing the air from my lungs. Slowly, I looked up at him.

He was looking right at me, and the fickle moonlight had flooded his golden irises with a soft, warm expression. "Inu…" I managed.

"You have…something in your hair," he said, reaching up and plucking the offensive object from my head. But his hand did not go back to his side. Instead, he touched my face.

"Inuyasha," I breathed.

He smiled. It was such a sweet, genuine smile. I flushed at the sight of it, my heart leaping in my throat. "Good night, Kagome." He slipped through the window, back into the apartment, leaving me alone on the fire escape, shaking.

"Inuyasha…" I whisper, my fingers tracing his spine. He shivers and kisses me.

"Kikyo, I love you."

I fell to my knees, clutching my head. "Get out!" I screamed, and then again, quieter, "Get out…" I started to cry. "I don't want to remember those things. I don't want to see them. I don't want to feel them." I hugged myself as I knelt there on the cold, iron fire escape.

"I don't want yours, Kikyo…I want my own." I put my head on my knees and sobbed.

"I love you too, Inuyasha."

(-)(-)(-)

We are running through the hallways. I praise myself for having the foresight to spend the day resting, allowing my body to recover from the brutality of the past three weeks. When I looked at myself in the mirror this morning, I almost looked human again, though my cheeks are sallow and my arms too thin.

"Sesshoumaru," I pant. "Wait up."

"Hurry up, girl," he says, but his pace slackens slightly.

We stop at an intersection, and press ourselves up against the wall.

"Which way now?" he asks.

I close my eyes and concentrate. My core shifts, swirls, and unfurls around me, arching along the cold, white walls, towards the faint pull and the violet glow that permeates my mental vision. "It's that way," I say, pointing at the crux of the two hallways across from us.

"Which hallway do we take?" he asks, frowning.

Feet clap along the linoleum floor. Sesshoumaru readies his sword. The two men in lab coats who turn the corner lose their heads in two swift gestures. Their warm blood hits my cheek. My stomach turns and I have to swallow down the urge to vomit as I rub the blood from my cheek.

"Which hallway?" Sesshoumaru asks again.

"This way," I say, somewhat reluctantly now as I run down the left-most hallway. I wonder what waits for us at the end of this sprint, and whether Inuyasha will be there.

My heart leaps in my chest.

(-)(-)(-)

I barely dodged the blast in time, and my lungs flared as I sucked in a hot, smoke-filled breath. I looked up to see the metal beast looming over Inuyasha, who had turned to check on me. "Inuyasha!" I called.

Inuyasha whirled around and caught the metallic rod that substituted for the creature's left arm with the blade of Tessaiga. Ginkotsu, the president of the fifth sector responded with a tinny, hollow series of unintelligible oaths, and reached for the katana at his belt. He swiped, and Inuyasha leapt back.

I took aim and fired, but Ginkotsu noted my attack and shifted so that the bullet embedded itself in a plate of metal armor. He cackled and jogged away, back into the trees.

"Are you ok?" Inuyasha asked, helping me to my feet.

"Fine," I said, "And you?" I examined his shirtfront with my fingers. The fabric was torn, but the skin underneath was untouched.

"Not even a scratch," he said, winking. "Here." He sheathed his blade and turned around. "Climb on."

I blinked at him. "Excuse me?"

"We have to go after him," Inuyasha said. "It'll be faster this way."

"I don't get it."

"Just quick. Climb on my back."

I did as I was told, though my cheeks were burning. I had barely gotten my legs situated before he was off, running faster than I thought possible through the foliage. He jumped up onto a park bench, and then, to my shock and displeasure, into the canopy of city park trees. Inuyasha leapt from tree branch to tree branch. I felt lighter than air, and the feeling was incredible…

"Enjoying yourself?" Inuyasha asked, a smile in his voice.

I lowered my face to the crook of his neck, my face flushing as I took a deep breath of him. I nodded.

Inuyasha laughed. "Just don't forget to shoot when we catch up with that bastard."

The memory sprang up, catching me off guard.

"Inuyasha!" I gasp. "This is amazing!"

Inuyasha laughs. "Don't let go, ok?"

I laugh as well. "One second," I say, pulling my gun from its holster. I point it at a light post two blocks down. "Turn left."

Inuyasha does so. I fire, and the light explodes.

"Awesome!" Inuyasha barks.

I lean over and place a firm kiss on his neck. He stops on the next tree branch. "Get down," he orders, his voice suddenly firm and mirthless.

I dismount quickly, holding onto his shoulder even though my training has provided me with the ability to balance on a toothpick. "What? What's wrong?" I ask, looking around.

He grabs me, spinning me into his strong arms, and places a firm kiss on my mouth. My heart leaps into my throat, but I melt against the feeling of his lips on mine. He breaks the kiss and looks at me, his golden eyes soft…so much softer than when we first met.

"Nothing…now," Inuyasha teases, kissing me again.

I close my eyes and push my task to the back of my mind. It won't be much longer now…and then…I will have to kill him. I sigh and lean into another kiss.

…I wonder if I still have the power…

As I surfaced from the memory, we passed the tree…that tree. I knew Inuyasha glanced at it. I could feel it as certainly as if he had told me. My heart sank slightly.

(-)(-)(-)

I sprinted out of the hospital, taking the safety off of my gun. Sango and Miroku were already fighting, and Sango cast a relieved look in my direction as I ran on the scene.

Something shot across my vision-a purple blur, and then a nearby fire hydrant exploded, showering us all in a heavy rain. The demon rose up, dripping wet, his red eyes glowing, and looked at me.

"Hello, Kagome," he cooed.

I swallowed hard.

"You're wondering who I am, and how I know your name," he said, his lips curling back in a hideous smile. He was purple and huge, all sinewy muscles with satyr-like legs and a dragon's head. Great horns rose from his skull, and a white mane cascaded down his spine.

"You hope that I don't reach Inuyasha," he said, nodding. "How cute."

I couldn't keep the confusion out of my face.

"Yes, that's right. I can read your mind," he said.

Sango lifted Hiraikotsu and rushed forward. The demon did not even look at her, but threw his arm out to toss her aside.

"Sango!"

"Sango-chan!"

Sango twisted, dug Hiraikotsu into a crack in the pavement, and spun around it to land nimbly on her knees. She glared at the youkai's back.

"My name is Goshinki," he cackled, still looking directly at me.

Inuyasha was injured. He had killed Renkotsu two nights before, but the fight had nearly cost him his life. He was healing quickly thanks to his hanyou blood, but he couldn't fight right now. We had to finish this soon, before Inuyasha got any stupid ideas about helping.

"Injured is he?" Goshinki rumbled. He squinted his red eyes with pleasure. "No matter. I'm here for you, Kagome."

I took a step back and raised my gun. Goshinki moved, so quickly that it felt like I was in slow motion, and my shot hit the window behind him. Goshinki laughed.

Miroku fired, I fired. Goshinki was two steps ahead of us, and wrapped himself around Sango, entrapping her even as she attempted to dive across the street. She glared up at him, waskizashi in hand and a scowl on her face.

"No, he won't," Goshinki told her, shaking his head.

Sango was taken slightly aback by this statement, but her surprise registered only in her face. I took aim.

Goshinki looked at me. "Do you think that's wise? I can read your thoughts, Higurashi Kagome. Your mind is an open book. You shoot, and I can simply lift Sango here directly into the line of fire."

I bit my lip and lowered my gun. How much could he actually tell?

"Oi! What have we here?"

I cringed. No, no, I pleaded mentally. Not Inuyasha.

Still looking directly at me, Goshinki released a hideous, maniacal laugh. "No, no, not Inuyasha!" he mocked, mimicking my own inner voice. "How disgusting you humans are. Filthy and weak, with minds full of baseness." He narrowed his eyes. "Even your concern is selfish."

He turned to Inuyasha, and stepped away from Sango. "Good evening, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha spat on the ground before pointing Tessaiga between Goshinki's eyes. "Your fight's with me, ugly."

"Big words coming from someone who can barely lift his sword right now," Goshinki said. "Why don't you just put it down? It will make your death so much less humiliating."

"Ursai," Inuyasha growled. "You know nothing."

"I know that you're currently judging the distance between you and Kagome, and wondering whether you can run over and take her out of harm's way before I have time enough to react," Goshinki said.

Inuyasha's golden eyes widened ever so slightly.

"That rattled you," Goshinki cackled.

Inuyasha growled, showing his teeth. "Shut the fuck up."

Goshinki ran forward. Inuyasha sliced, but Goshinki was already out of the way. Inuyasha twisted to avoid Goshinki's horns, which would have impaled him, but Goshinki was ready with his fist. He caught Inuyasha in the back and sent him sprawling. Inuyasha was up in a heartbeat, and ran towards Goshinki. Another similar skirmish knocked Inuyasha down again, and again. I could hardly stand to watch it.

"Good morning, Kikyo."

A cold shiver passes down my spine as I turn to face the cell. Goshinki grins back at me, his hideous, sharp smile taunting. I wish for all the world that I could blow that smug look off his face.

"How is Inuyasha?"

White hot rage fills my body. "Leave him alone, Goshinki."

"Be careful, miko," Goshinki warns. "Your thoughts are becoming softer…"

I turn and storm out of the room, determined never to pass this way again.

Not helpful! I responded mentally to the image. Give me something to work with, Kikyo! But no more memories came. Instead, I began calling on the pure spiritual power within my core. It bubbled up, rising to my fingertips as it heeded my call.

Goshinki whirled around. "I wouldn't if I were you," he threatened.

It was just the distraction Inuyasha needed, though. He came flying in, Tessaiga careening toward's Goshinki's face. There was no room, no time for the demon to dodge. I smiled in satisfaction as Goshinki turned back. I was certain we had beat him.

Then, a terrible thing happened.

Goshinki caught Tessaiga between his teeth, and, tightening his jaw, shattered Inuyasha's blade.

Inuyasha was too shocked to let go, too stunned to retreat. He stared at the broken sword, and did not move when Goshinki's hand came up. He received the full blow of Goshinki's claws in his side, and fell to the pavement along with the pieces of Tessaiga.

"Inuyasha!" I shrieked, running forward.

"Kagome-sama!" Miroku yelled, running to shield me.

Goshinki tossed Miroku aside like he was made of paper. Miroku hit a brick wall, and was motionless.

"Miroku-sama!" I gasped.

"Miroku!" Sango said, running to our fallen friend.

I glared at Goshinki with every ounce of hate in my body. "Let me go to him," I commanded, pointing to where Inuyasha lay on the cold pavement.

"Why?" Goshinki said. "He is dead."

"You're lying," I said. "Let me go to him."

"His mind is blank, empty. He is either overcome with grief over the loss of his precious sword, or he is dead." Goshinki took a step towards me. I took a step back.

"How sad," Goshinki said, tilting his head slightly. "You never told him how you felt about him, and now he's gone forever."

I could feel the tears welling up in the corners of my eyes. No! I screamed mentally. It's not true! He's not dead! He can't be dead! He's not! He's not! He's not!

"But he is," Goshinki said, laughing lowly.

"He's not!" I screamed, and something inside of me clicked. My power poured out of me, exploding, filling the area around me. It was like an hourglass that someone had overturned, and everything was rushing out in the form of blinding violet light, uncontrollable and unstoppable. I couldn't stop. I began to panic. I could see nothing, and hear nothing beyond my violet-colored bubble. And I was being drained. Every last ounce was leaking out, dwindling down. I was in the danger zone, I knew instinctively…much more and I would die.

It felt like I had turned into a strainer. Energy was leaking out of every pore of my body. I was alone…utterly alone inside my mind. I could feel every Shikon shard in the city resonating within me. It was a cold, empty stone. Kikyo's presence was gone. I reached out for Inuyasha with my power, hunting for his presence, but it was gone. Inuyasha…was gone…

It stopped. I didn't have anything else. My core was emptied. I stumbled for a moment, and then steadied myself against the telephone pole to my left.

Goshinki, Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha were all in front of me, the former two of which stared at me in amazement. The latter two still lay unresponsive.

"Impressive..." Goshinki breathed. "It seems that you truly did bear some affection for that hanyou." Goshinki's smug grin returned, and he flicked his tail happily. "You and Kikyo are just alike in that way…in spite of your impressive powers, you're still both stupid, selfish humans at heart."

He came towards me, again with that incomprehensible speed, and wrapped his hands around me. I couldn't stop him-I could barely even move. "Now, stupid human, I will take you to-" He stopped, his eyes widening, and his body spun around. "What?" he hissed.

I hit the ground and rolled as Goshinki's right arm was severed from his body.

"Inuyasha!" Goshinki gasped.

My head shot up, and indeed, Inuyasha had gotten up. He stood in front of me, and his back was turned to me. The wound Goshinki had made in his side was gone…vanished. The skin was whole, though his t-shirt was still torn. His right hand was covered in blood-Goshinki's blood. He stared at that hand, and though I could not see his face, I knew as surely as I breathe that something was wrong.

"Inuyasha…" I whispered.

"What…how?" Goshinki barked. "Why can't I read your mind?"

"Keh," Inuyasha scoffed, "How should I know?" His voice was different…it was rough and harsh-sounding, and grated against my ears like sand paper.

"Your mind is…blank…empty…" Goshinki said. "I see only…only the desire to kill me!"

Inuyasha tilted his head, and emitted a low, haunting laugh. "How did you know?"

"Kagome-chan!" Sango gasped. "Get away from Inuyasha!"

I looked at Sango, and there was fear all over her face. She was staring wide-eyed at Inuyasha, and holding Miroku protectively against her. What was going on?

Inuyasha cracked the knuckles of his blood stained hand. Goshinki took a step back, uttering a cry of fear, and then turned heel and ran. Inuyasha pursued. He was incredibly fast-I couldn't keep up with his movements. One moment, Goshinki was running away, and the next, he wasn't. Bits of the demon poured down on the street, and his severed head hit the pavement in front of me. I jerked back, and looked at Inuyasha.

He was staring down at me. But this was not the Inuyasha that I knew…

His eyeteeth were sharpened, pushing past the confines of his lips like vampirical fangs. His eyes were red, his irises blue. He looked severe, threatening, and…unsatisfied. He stared at his hands, which were covered in blood.

"It's…not enough," he mumbled.

Those words pierced through me, striking a chord in her memories and bringing them to light.

The shower is on, and the room filled with steam, which hits me like a wall when I open the door. He is there, shirtless, his upper body half-submerged in the bathtub, which is practically overflowing.

"Inuyasha!" I cry, running into the room. I pull the plug out of the bathtub, barking in pain as my hand hits the burning hot water. I shut off the shower, and the bath begins to drain.

Inuyasha lifts his head from the water. His white hair glistens in the light as droplets pour off of it. His anguished golden eyes stare down at his hands, which are still under the water.

"I can't get it off…"

I know what he means. I take his hands out of the water and gingerly place them in my lap. Our eyes meet.

"Don't-!" he snaps, tearing his eyes from my face and his hands from my lap.

"It's painful…isn't it?" I whisper. My heart feels heavy in my chest. I've taken so many lives. The blood of so many people…it rests in my hands. Just as the blood of those that Inuyasha destroyed now rest in his.

It isn't the same; Inuyasha didn't choose to transform. I did this to him. I took Tessaiga away, and gave it to the youkai, because I was told to do so. The youkai attacked me, as he was instructed. Miroku and Sango nearly died trying to protect me. And then Inuyasha was struck down…he almost died.

But then…then! He transformed! His aura, his entire constitution changed. It became the aura…not of a hanyou, but of a youkai. And then…he destroyed. He cut the men down until there was no one left standing.

"It…it wasn't enough," Inuyasha chokes out. "I couldn't stop. The bloodlust…no matter how much I killed…it wasn't enough."

I want to tell him that I understand. I know. Practically without awareness, I shift along the linoleum to sit behind him. I wrap my arms around his naked torso. His wetness soaks through my blouse, but I don't let go, allowing the warmth to flow through me. I rest my head on his shoulder. Eventually, his hand comes up to hold my wrist.

"Kikyo…the next time I transform…my claws…they might rip through you…"

The memory dissipated, leaving me alone, lying in the street, looking up at an Inuyasha that I did not know.

I rose shakily to my knees. Inuyasha watched my movements with mild interest. I used a nearby trashcan to get to my feet. I took a step forward. My world spun. I steadied myself and took another step forward. I slipped, and tumbled right into Inuyasha's arms.

He braced against my weight, but did not catch me. I grabbed onto the fabric of his shirt in order to keep from falling further, and with great fistfuls of t-shirt in my hands, I looked up into his face. "Inuyasha. It's me. Kagome."

"Ka…gome." He tested the syllables on his tongue as though he had never said them before in his life.

"Don't you remember me…Inuyasha?" I choked on his name as tears sprang into my eyes.

Inuyasha's eyes moved from my face back to his blood-covered hands. "I need more," he said simply, a growl rumbling in his chest.

I swallowed hard, and reached for his face, turning it back towards mine. "It… It's painful, isn't it?" I breathed. "The bloodlust…it's not enough. But it's time to stop now, Inuyasha. There are…no more…enemies."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Kagome…" he gasped.

I couldn't hold myself up any longer, and I begin to fall towards the earth. Just before I hit the ground, though, Inuyasha's hands closed around my shoulders and brought me in to his chest. He scooped me into his lap as he knelt, my head in the crook of his arm.

"Oh Kami…Kagome…Kagome," he said. "What have I done? Kagome?"

I opened my eyes. Inuyasha's face was etched with concern, his eyes pure gold. "Inuyasha." I smiled, and fell into unconsciousness.

- Ichimu