A/N: Chapter 8 has arrived. Hope you'll enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha

Chapter 8

Inuyasha ran through the forest quickly. In that moment only one thing was clear…he had to find Kikyo.

What he would do when he found her was another issue all in itself however, and in the end he was only left with confusion and despair.

"Why did she do this," he thought to himself as he ran past the tall trees. It was a stupid question, he knew good and well why she had done it and why she would work with Naraku.

To Inuyasha, it was obvious what her plan was and he didn't want Kagome or anyone else to get involved in it. This was his personal battle that he had to fight. It would be a fight that would put everything on the line and a fight that would make him decide between the two people he loved most.

First, there was Kagome. She had always meant something to him, but he had come to realize that he truly did love her. He wanted to be with her and yet the event that had brought them together was also the thing that could possibly tear them apart.

Inuyasha had already forgiven Kikyo for piercing the arrow through his chest that fateful day fifty years ago. He had decided long ago that it wasn't her fault, but Naraku's…the man that Kikyo was now fighting for.

Still…Inuyasha knew that Kikyo's real intention was to lure him and the others out so that Kikyo could kill them all. He also knew that she had a deep hatred for Kagome.

"Kagome."

He felt guilty about how he'd lied to Kagome and how he was leaving her now, but he had to do this. If he was ever to move on with his life, he had to do the one thing that he had never wanted to do.

He would have to kill Kikyo.

Two days later

In Kagome's time

Kagome P.O.V.

"Kagome. Earth to Kagome."

I finally noticed Hojo waving his hand in front of my face.

"Were you saying something Hojo," I asked.

"Kagome, I was explaining how to work out Binomials," Hojo chided. "You were supposed to be listening."

"Right," I thought as I gazed out the window as the same thoughts that had been plaguing me for the past two days.

Why did I let him go?

In my heart, the second Inuyasha left us I had wanted to go after him. But I guess the truth is that he'll always go after Kikyo. Why bother to keep denying the fact that he'll never be mine?

"Kagome, you're doing it again," Hojo chided.

"I'm sorry," I replied.

"Is something wrong Kagome," he asked.

"No."

"Don't lie to me, I can tell that your upset," Hojo replied. "Kagome, you can tell me."

"No I can't," I thought. "I don't want to confide in anyone. I just want to be left alone so I can drown in my own depression."

"I see, you want to drown in your own depression," Hojo stated.

"How'd you guess," I asked, surprised that he'd nailed it.

"It's the feeling you get when you're in love and heartbroken," he replied. "I get that feeling all the time."

"Really," I wondered aloud. "Why?"

"I suppose it's because I'm a fool," Hojo replied with a laugh. "A fool who's in love with you."

That in itself was surprising. If I'd known two years ago that Hojo had always had a crush on me I would have probably fallen for him instead of the jerk who left me behind for another woman, again.

Then again, part of that is my own fault. I let Kikyo take Inuyasha away from me time and time again. I'm doing it now.

It's clear that I'm the one who's let Inuyasha do this to me. I gave him the power to hurt me through Kikyo without even realizing it.

So in the end, it's really not his fault that Kikyo keeps coming between us. It's mine.

No, I refuse to be like Hojo. Heartbroken and sad because the one I love has chosen another. It's time for action and it's time to make Inuyasha choose me. This time that boy will be mine.

And nothing Kikyo can do will change how I feel about it. She can't change the way I feel about Inuyasha.

I have to go back to the Feudal Era. Truth be told, I never should have left in the first place. The Feudal Era is my home. The place where I really belong.

"Hojo," I said as I stood.

"Yes."

"Thank you for helping me realize that I can never give up on the one I love," I told him.

"You're welcome," he replied with a small smile. "Now, get out of here and tell him how you feel." I nodded and took off, leaving the library and Hojo behind.

In Feudal Era

Kikyo P.O.V.

"I have returned Naraku."

"Kikyo, you came later than expected."

"I don't travel fast," I told him as I returned to a standing position. "Besides, I've brought what you desired."

I held up the last shard of the jewel, beckoning him to take it from me. My plan for the world nearly complete. He only needed to touch the jewel shard in my hand.

"At last, destruction will fall upon the world," Naraku said as he stepped toward me. The fool, he actually believed that I wanted to help him in his quest. It's quite sad really, I expected more of a challenge from the despicable Naraku. This is child's play now, his end is upon him and he doesn't even realize it.

His fingertips barely touched the jewel shard, but before he could pull back from the force of my sudden spiritual attack I took hold of the sacred jewel.

"You wench, I knew you would try and pull something like this at some point," Naraku snarled, but the time for him to fight back had already passed. I was now absorbing his demonic power through the sacred jewel.

"You can't do this," Naraku screeched as his power was ripped out of him. For me absorbing the negative energy was difficult, but I managed to still purify it. My power was growing, while his power was depleting.

"It's over for you Naraku," I said. "Just like you absorbed your reincarnations, I'm absorbing you, with the help of the sacred jewel."

"I'll break free," Naraku shouted. "You'll never be able to purify all of my negative energy."

"I won't need to," I replied as the last bit of him was absorbed into my body. Now I had more than enough power to control the sacred jewel so it would do as I wished. The time has now come for me to destroy everything.

It won't be long now, before Inuyasha belongs to me for all of eternity.

Meanwhile

An ominous cloud began to cover the countryside as Kikyo's final plan began to reveal itself. It would not be much longer before the Feudal Era was destroyed.

And once the past is destroyed…the future will follow.

Kagome P.O.V.

"Ugh, I'm back," I said to myself as I climbed out of the well. It was good to be back, but I wouldn't feel at ease until I found Inuyasha, wherever he may be now. I should have never let him go, especially since I have no way of tracking him down.

"Kagome!"

I turned to find Miroku heading toward me.

"Hi Miroku, where's Sango and the others," I asked as he reached me, but I soon realized that something had happened.

"Kagome, the village is under attack," Miroku explained.

"What, how?"

"No time to explain, we have to get back there right away," he said, taking off in the direction of the village. I followed, knowing somehow that Kikyo had everything to do with this.

Once we arrived I immediately cringed at what I saw. Bodies of the innocent villagers were now sprawled out everywhere.

"Miroku, what's happening," I asked.

"The souls of the people are being stolen," Miroku answered. "From what I could tell, it was Kikyo's soul collectors that were doing this."

"But how Miroku."

"I think Kikyo was only working for Naraku so that she could get the sacred jewel," Miroku replied. "Now that she has possession over it, she's taking the souls of the living and the dead to strengthen her powers."

"Why would she do that," I wondered aloud.

"I don't know, most likely it has everything to do with Inuyasha."

"Then we need to find him," I exclaimed.

"Well, that is surely easier said than done," Miroku stated. "For now we should help Sango, Kohaku, and Shippo defend the village from Kikyo's soul collectors."

"Right, but I need to go to Kaede's hut first," I told him. "I need to get my bow and arrows and check up on Koga and his friends."

"Alright, just be careful Kagome."

"I will, don't worry."

After parting ways, I hurried to Kaede's hut. I'm sure that Kaede wouldn't be there right now, and Koga would probably still be recovering from his wounds. I remember that he hadn't been in the best of shape when I had checked on him two days ago. In an attack like this he wouldn't be able to defend himself or his friends.

However, in the midst of those thoughts, I began to worry about Inuyasha again. I wondered if he'd stumbled into Kikyo's soul collectors, though knowing Kikyo, she wouldn't go after Inuyasha.

She'd go after me…

I entered the hut and noticed that Hakkaku, Ginta, and Koga were all out cold. Apparently, their souls had already been taken…

And now that same soul collector who had taken their souls was waiting for me.

It violently hissed the second I noticed it and then it the dragon-like creature attacked me. I dove to the ground before it could bite my head off and then I quickly grabbed my bow and arrows that I'd left here. In the next moment the soul collector came at me again, this time I didn't get away fast enough and it bit my arm.

"Ugh, get off me you pest," I screamed as I violently tried to get the demon to get his teeth out of my arm. It was useless, he wasn't budging at all. I moved my hand to its mouth to try to pry it off, but that only made it worse as my blood spilled to the floor.

"How, the heck am I going to fire arrows with this thing latched on to my arm," I yelled angrily to myself. "Get off!" I tried to pry it off once more, but the thing was stubborn and I decided to just let it stay on my arm if it wanted to. Besides, if it lets go then my blood will really spill out.

So after strapping the arrows to my back, I took my bow and ran out of Kaede's hut.

It would have been better to stay inside. Hundreds of soul collectors now surrounded me and the hut. One of them suddenly attacked, and I quickly shot him with an arrow even though it proved difficult to maneuver around the soul collector that was still attached to my arm like a parasite.

The others began to attack as well, and though I was able to get a good deal of them with my arrows, they turned out to be way too much for me to handle on my own. In the instant that I was distracted, another soul collector attached itself to my other arm. I was incapable of firing my arrows now and the rest of the soul collectors took advantage of the situation. One of them wrapped itself around my torso while another wrapped itself around my legs.

"Let me go," I shouted as the last soul collector wrapped it's tail around my neck. In the moments that followed, they began to lift me into the sky. No doubt I was being kidnapped yet again. Don't the bad guys ever get tired of using this one?

It was difficult to breathe because the main soul collector that was lifting me into the sky was the one who had its tail wrapped around my neck. The pain in my arms was getting worse and though I wanted to let go, I didn't lose my grip on the bow that was still in my left hand. If anything, I held onto it as though my life depended on it…well my life probably did depend on it.

In the end, I realized that there was a definite possibility that I would die tonight. However, I still had a shred of hope left. The hope that when these soul collectors brought me to Kikyo, I'd be able to fight her head on. However, my grip is starting to waver. The pain was getting the better of me.

"Hang on Kagome," I think as I desperately cling to the bow. "Just hang on."

It wasn't helping. My grip continued to waver until my hand grew numb and I couldn't tell if the bow was still in my hand or not. I glanced down at my hand, it was still there, but I was definitely losing my grip fast.

"Maybe…Inuyasha will find it if I drop it," I thought after a moment of fighting the numbness to keep a firm hold on the bow. "At this point, I have no other choice but to have faith in his love for me."

Slowly, I let go of the bow, and as it fell I passed out.

A/N: I'm sure you guys probably noticed that this story went from being in third person to first person in like, two seconds flat. My original intention was to make the whole story in third person, but apparently I have a really hard time staying with one point of view for an entire story if it has multiple chapters. It's amazing that I got my brain to get seven chapters without changing the overall point of view. Anyway, despite this I hope that you enjoyed the chapter.

Note: Again, I'm really, really, sorry for the late update. I have a lot of stories going on at once. (I brought it on myself, but I can't help it if my imagination runs wild and I have to express it. Blame my evil imagination for it's evilness.)