(A/N) Here's another chapter for everyone to read and hopefully enjoy!

Ch.6 Second Chances

All heads turned towards the direction of door with varying degrees of surprise.

"Sister Kikyo, I must admit I am not surprised you have decided to visit," Kaede said, turning back to the pot to stir the stew that would be done soon. "Please, have a seat so that we might discuss what is going on."

No one was more surprised than the half demon whose nose was now lying to him. He had smelled a human, a normal human, coming in their direction. It was a scent that he couldn't place but one that tickled his mind. He had known that scent at one point or another. It had bothered him the entire time it kept drawing closer to the hut. Kikyo? What is she doing here?

It was odd seeing Kikyo here once again. Then again, given the current circumstances seeing her at all was a rare sight. For some time now she demanded the respect of distance from any living creatures besides her soul stealers. Granted, given the pull that the rest of Kagome's soul had upon hers that distance couldn't be helped. Getting too close to the group usually caused her a great amount of stress.

Kikyo looked around the room at all the stunned faces. She had come here to get information and nothing more than that, though she herself was surprised having expected to see the cause of concern. Upon looking around the small hut, she could not spot Kagome anywhere. She quickly determined by the group's pained expressions that something had happened to the girl. That would explain partially what happened to me.

Kikyo had been doing her normal routine that had gone on for quite some time. She was wandering around to help those that she could, gather what souls were in the area so that she might stay alive a little longer, and attempted to track down the horrible demon Naraku. She had been in the middle of a small forested region when she first felt that something was indeed wrong. Her soul stealers were swirling around her as normal but they seemed agitated. Trying to determine the source of their discomfort, she glanced around the woods, but could not see or sense anything that would put them at such a state of unease.

What is happening? It was then the first pangs of pain hit her. It felt as though a horse had bowled her over and was then trampling over her repeatedly. She cried out and fell to the ground. She never knew how long she was laying there writing in pain but by the time she was able to move again it was already dark. Her soul stealers, she noticed, had wandered off at some point during whatever was going wrong. What is wrong with me? She sat up slowly and winced at the pain she discovered was still coursing throughout her body. Looking down at herself she could find nothing that would indicate the amounts of pain she was in. What Kikyo did notice, however, was that her skin was no longer as pale as it had once been. She felt differently as well. Even through the pain she could feel something strange, something that had become foreign to her for it had been gone for so long. I feel…alive.

Several scenarios ran through her mind. The first being that perhaps the girl that followed Inuyasha around, the one that shared her soul with her, had been killed. The problem was that even if the girl were to die and Kikyo possess the full soul, this would not have been the effect to have taken place. With a soul like Kagome's, she would have existed as her dead self but would likely have no need for other souls for quite some time. This could be a trick of Naraku's doing. She thought about it for some time. This was the kind of mind game that someone like Naraku would pull. He was most certainly evil enough to give her this glimmer of a hope that she was human again.

Kikyo stood up shakily. Muscles that she had realized were so strained tried to prevent her from rising but she did anyway. She knew she had to make it to a village. In this condition she would not last long if a demon decided they wanted to kill her.

After several hours of trudging along, she finally came to a small village that had already settled down for the night. The town guards were wary of her at first as they simply saw a figure moving in the dark. Once they noticed her priestess garb they quickly let her in without hesitation.

"You there, take her to your home for the night. I shall continue to keep watch for any demons," the taller of the guards stated.

The shorter one nodded, "Yes sir!"

"And quiet down. You're either going to wake the entire village or announce to demons that we're here," he chided. New recruits…

Kikyo followed the young man to his home and gratefully walked inside. It had been some time since she had the luxury of staying indoors. It had been even longer since the last time she had been in someone's home without them looking at her suspiciously due to her dead looking state. She thought back to some of the troubles her being dead had caused. At one point, someone had even tried to exorcise her. The poor man hadn't stood a chance.

"Miss?" the young man inquired.

"My apologies. Thank you very much for allowing me to stay here. Tell me if you can, do you know where the village Priestess Kaede is from resides?" She had to get to her sister. If something had happened to Kagome or Naraku was trying something completely evil, she would know. Somehow she always seemed to know.

"Yes my lady. She used to visit here occasionally when her health was better. Her village is about a week journey. Maybe five days if you hurry," he replied.

Kikyo made sure to thank the young guard before he left to go back to his duty of guarding the village from any dangers that might come in the night. As she settled down she also wondered if perhaps Naraku had been killed and this was somehow a result of the sacred jewel being used. No, she though shaking her head, if there was a fight with Naraku on that scale I would have known. Straying thoughts aside, she wondered at how Inuyasha would react if he happened to be there when she arrived.

Kikyo moved over to Kaede and sat down next to her. It was an odd feeling to have but she seemed to get comfort from being next to her younger sister. She looked over at a particular half demon that was currently staring at her. "Inuyasha," she said as if just to confirm that she knew he was there. She had yet to forgive him for the past. It may not have fully been his fault, but he had still played a part in her death and in her revival.

Inuyasha stared at her as she sat down as mixed feelings flitted across his face. He was angry with her for not trusting in him enough to know he would never have killed her for the jewel, saddened by the loss of all the time they could have had together, regret that he wasn't there for her to save her like he should have been, and guilt that she had paid the ultimate price indirectly because of him. It was her trust in him that had gotten her killed. "Kikyo," he nodded as the guilt part of emotions took him over and his ears sunk flat against his head.

She regarded him for a moment before coldly turning her head and addressing Kaede. "I gather you know why I have come?"

Kaede nodded sagely as the started to poor the soup into bowls for everyone. She did not speak until after everyone had their fair of food and had settled down comfortably. "The reason Kikyo is here is due to Kagome. The spell that was used upon her was supposed to change her, transform her into whatever she had contact with next. My guess is that the demons recited the spell and were going to use something harmless to throw at her, thus having a better ability to kill her or let her forever be on her own in a situation in which death was most likely."

Inuyasha cut in, "You mean that turned Kagome into something different? " He stood up and paced back and forth in agitation. His Kagome, the second girl he had failed to protect now, was probably some deer in the forest he had been in.

Kaede nodded. "Now, the bad news…"

"What do you mean the bad news?" Inuyasha yelled. "Kagome is probably wandering around helpless and I wouldn't have a clue what she is to even begin to turn her back!" He continued his pacing around the small hut.

"Inuyasha, let us hear Kaede out," Miroku instructed. He too could understand his frustration but that was not helping them listen to everything Kaede had to say. I can only hope he has the ability to stay here and listen to everything.

"As I was saying, there is good news and bad news," she turned to Inuyasha and gave him a stern look that could only mean for him to remain silent and listen. "The bad news is that the spell worked. As you can tell, Kikyo is now human again due to the sever of ties between the soul residing in Kikyo and the soul residing in Kagome."

"You mean Kagome's soul is permanently severed?" Sango asked with great concern lacing her voice. Tears started to blur out her vision as she imagined Kagome with only part of her soul left. It was one thing to allow your soul to be split but still whole, now it was not even at one with itself.

Inuyasha sniffed the air instinctively. It's true! Kikyo no longer smells of death and dirt! He stared over at her and noticed that she only ever looked at Kaede and the soup that was within the bowl. He could tell that she was no longer used to actually having to eat to survive and was trying to secretly enjoy eating every bite.

"Now there is a bit of hope. Kagome's soul could only have been severed completely like this under one condition. She would have to have the opposite energy that she used to have and thus, the tie would not hold between that great a distance," Kaede instructed.

Miroku pondered this. "Kagome had purification energies before. Do you mean to say, Lady Kaede, that Kagome's energy has turned…demonic?" His face was both inquisitive and shocked. If this were true then their Kagome would be a demon.

"That is exactly what I am suggesting has happened. I am guessing Kagome struggled with the demons or ran into one after running away from the scene, probably the latter as I'm sure the ones that did this would have kept their distance," she mused aloud.

Inuyasha did not know what to say. Shock registered across his face as the realization hit him like a ton of bricks…well, like a ton of bricks would affect a human. "I know where Kagome is…" His pacing became ever more agitated. "How could I have been so stupid? The demoness I saw was Kagome!"

Shippo looked over at Inuyasha and asked, "What demoness?"

Inuyasha rubbed his hand over his face. "On the way to save Kagome, I happened to run in on Sesshomaru holding a weak demoness. I asked them if they noticed Kagome and she said she was Kagome…and I didn't believe her."

Kaede knew that admitting that fact hurt the half demon more than anyone knew. It was trust, after all, that had caused quite a few problems in his life. "Inuyasha, ye could not have known that it was indeed Kagome. Though if what is said is true, that would make Kagome the same type of demon that Lord Sesshomaru is."

Inuyasha was both scared and angry at the same time. He knew Sesshomaru had a temper and he had no idea what such a demon would have done with Kagome. The last he saw of them both was Sesshomaru getting ready to kill her. At the same time, he was angry with Kagome and he knew he had no right to be. It was an anger born of jealousy. She had become the demon that he had always dreamed of being. The one wish he had worked so hard to obtain and suffered so much for…and it was happening to her. He shook his head to clear his mind of all thoughts. "You're sure Kagome is alive?"

Kaede nodded. "If Kagome had been killed then the entirety of the soul would have gone to Kikyo. As it is, she is rather week as it is still only a partial soul and she can no longer take others to sustain herself."

Inuyasha looked over at Kikyo and once again felt a sense of guilt. His inability to protect Kagome had put her in a situation he wasn't even sure she wanted. I can never seem to get any of this right. If I had just been better, none of this would have ever happened.

It was Kikyo's voice that broke his mental berating of himself. "Can Kagome still call her soul back from me?"

Kaede looked at her with a saddened face. She knew that what Kikyo was really asking was if she would die for good if she happened to get near Kagome. "It should not happen as the energies are so different; however, it is still possible. Though I do not think the soul would go willingly back unless it was under the direst circumstances. As it is, you should be fine."

Kikyo nodded. She was relieved that she did not have to worry about what soul she had left leaving her. It was a weight that had pressed upon her for quite some time, due to the fact that both Inuyasha's group and she herself were after Naraku, and she sagged with relief. Quickly realizing that people were watching her, she straightened up and put the cold expression back on her face. "When are you going to go in search for her Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha looked over at the surrounding faces. He wanted to go after Kagome. Everything within him screamed that she was only going to be safe at his side and that he could not let yet another person down. However, it was Midoriko's voice that haunted his mind. She seemed so real and so certain that the best path for Kagome and for everyone was for him to not go looking for her. "Get some rest. I have to think about this."

Kikyo watched the half demon bolt and wondered about him. He has changed from the brash half demon I used to know. In most cases he would have given them till morning at best. Which begs the question, what is making him hesitate? Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden burst of conversation that began once the rest of the group was sure Inuyasha was out of hearing range.

"Kikyo, what are you going to do now that you have changed?" questioned Sango. She didn't know much about the priestess before her except that she too had been tricked by Naraku. For that alone she felt a sort of kinship with the woman.

Kikyo looked over at Sango with a reluctant expression on her face. It had been so long since she had anything to do with normal people that conversation was not something she was still proficient in. Even fifty years ago she was not much of a conversationalist. "I have not made any plans for myself as of yet."

Miroku glanced over at Sango and then the rest of the group as his mind raced with ideas and thoughts about the situation they were all now placed in. "Lady Kikyo, are you still in search of Naraku as we are?"

Kikyo half glared at the mention of the name that still haunted her after more than fifty years. "Yes, though I have had no luck in finding him. There are a few rumors I have heard that he has been seen in the southern regions, but I have yet to confirm them."

Miroku nodded at her response. It would figure that someone like Kikyo would be able to find out more about Naraku's whereabouts then they would. After all, Naraku still seemed to be as drawn to Kikyo now as he was in the past. "I may be stepping out of bounds here, but I was thinking that you should travel with us in our searches. Someone of your talents and looks would be most welcome." He ended his idea with a sly grin, his true personality finally making its way to the surface.

"Pervert!" Sango screamed at the monk as she slapped in across the back of his head, which also caused him to spill some his stew onto his robes and scream out a bit as the hot liquid seeped through. "What he means to say," she pointedly glared at the monk who was wiping the liquid off as best as he could, "is that you would be a great addition to the group. Especially now that we need to recover Kagome, your help as a priestess would be nice to have. Also, I don't want to be the only woman around while we are on our search," she added in a half whisper.

Kikyo let a small smile grace her lips in response to Sango's plea for companionship on the road while searching for their friend. She then thought of Inuyasha and how he might respond to such a plan. Surely he would not want her tagging along as a reminder of every pain he had suffered in the past and most certainly in the present. "Perhaps I could, but it would be up to Inuyasha as to whether or not I am welcome to join your group."

Shippo yawned and stifled a small sob as he once again missed the presence of the closest thing he had to a mother. He looked over at Kikyo and noticed that she too wanted somewhere she could now belong; it was a look he remembered having when he had first met Kagome and Inuyasha. "You don't have to listen to Inuyasha you know. Just tell him you want to come and we'll back you up."

Sango smiled at her and Shippo. "We will. Anyone that is after Naraku is a friend of ours."

Kikyo tilted her head to the side. "You are the one with the brother that Naraku has under his spell correct?" She had heard the story off-handedly during her travels and had met the boy on rare occasion. He seemed to her just one of Naraku's errand boys, a poor boy trapped farther in his web than either she or Inuyasha had ever been. Sure, she had died but that had been the end of it. For the boy, he had to suffer every single day knowing what he was doing was wrong deep on the inside.

Sango's eyes clouded over a bit at the mention of her brother, Kohaku. "Yes, my brother is kept under Naraku's spell by the use of a shikon jewel shard. I still don't know what to do about since the removal of the shard will kill him." She started to tear up at that point and Miroku, ever the gentleman, put his arm around her for comfort.

Sango leaned into him for once as her fragile mind slipped into memories of her brother and how life used to be before Naraku had happened. That was until she felt the pressure from her shoulder shift lower and lower until…

SMACK!

"You pervert!" She yelled at him, this time knocking him to the ground with the force of the hit. "Is there any time you are actually serious?"

"Sango, you wound me," he said in a convincingly saddened voice. "I was merely trying to comfort you in the best way I know how." He sat up and rubbed the side of his face. That one had really hurt.

Kikyo watched the display the two were putting on and how the baby fox demon seemed to react as if this were just a normal day. "I see what you mean by not wanting to be alone with certain people."

Inuyasha sat in the tree where his fifty year-long imprisonment had begun. He had a tough decision to make. Should he go after Kagome, which was something his heart told him he needed to do? Or, should he listen to the words of Midoriko and let Kagome go on her own path for a while. She did say that I would see Kagome again…that she would be fine. I also know she isn't dead due to what Kaede said; but, can I just leave her and not do anything about it? He growled in frustration. What was the right thing to do?

He pondered over something else Midoriko had said. For now, Naraku thought that Kagome was dead and would no longer try to go after her. But what if she's wrong? What if all of that was a trick? With all these thoughts going through his head, Inuyasha fell into a deep, haunted sleep.

He was there again; all that was around him was black. He could see no Kikyo this time and no Kagome. A light shined down upon him and in front of him was Midoriko once again. She smiled sadly at him and sighed in exasperation. "Inuyasha, I know you do not like the decision that you need to make, but you must do it for the good of all people involved."

Inuyasha clenched his fists. "How could this be for the good of all people? I'll be abandoning Kagome! Who knows what could happen to her!" He knew he should be more respectful to the very powerful priestess, but he couldn't help the anger that flowed through him. This just wasn't fair. Life had been cruel enough and now he was going to lose another person to the power known as fate.

"Inuyasha, believe me when I say that if you go after her, it will end far worse than you could imagine. Kagome has her fate as you have yours. Both of your paths are going to be very difficult and very long, but you must overcome it." Her voice was full on conviction as she spoke. It was like she knew everything that could happen with any given decision.

Inuyasha paced back and forth within the small amount of light within the black void. "How do you know Kagome is going to be alright?"

Midoriko smiled. "She is strong. Far stronger than most give her credit for," she said and pointedly looked at him. "Kagome will make it back to you Inuyasha, which I can promise as long as you don't go searching for her. Take your group and track Naraku, weaken him little by little. When Kagome comes, the final battle will take place and those within Naraku's snares will be set free."

Inuyasha swallowed the lump in his throat. He knew what he had to do and he also knew he would never forgive himself for it.

Amber eyes opened and noticed the birds of the early morning chirping loudly around him. With a sigh, he jumped down and landed softly on his feet like every other time he had waited for Kagome to come out of the well. With that, he took off towards the hut where his friends were currently waiting and chatting amongst themselves. He pulled back the covering to the entryway and simply said, "Eat and then we are to go after Naraku."

"Inuyasha," Miroku called out, "we were wondering if you would allow Priestess Kikyo to come along with us and aid in our efforts to go after Naraku?"

Inuyasha looked over at Kikyo and noticed that she refused to meet his gaze. It was as if she expected him to say no, which he felt he should on the basis that though she helped them she also often got in the way. After an uncomfortable pause he simple said, "Keh, what do I care? Just don't slow us down."