I don't even know if I posted my last chapter yet…guess I should look into that. Anyways, I sitting here eating sour Jelly Belly beans (which I highly recommend) listening to Dir en Grey (which I also recommend) typing on my new vista computer (you get the idea). HERE I AM! SPOILED GIRL!!! BOW TO ME!!!!

Disclaimer- Did you know that more people die annually by donkeys than they do airplane crashes? When did those ugly things get so damn violent?

Is it just me…or does this look like a face ci.i)

The whole time I was typing this, every time I tried to type 'you' it came out 'toy'….how funny would it be if I didn't catch this every time I typed you?

EVERYONE!!! BOW TO P.MCTULLY!!!! She's awesome, and she keeps mentioning me (LOVE!!!) and she's a gifted writer and she's funny. GO READ SOME OF HER STORIES, DAMMIT!!!!

Chapter twenty Six (…wow…I'm really getting up there, huh?)

Hell Hath No Fury…

Payne looked at Miroku oddly. "…'Soul skimmers…'?"

He nodded and looked at her seriously. "Yes, have you heard of them?" She shook her head and he continued. "They look like a cross between a bug and a fish, almost. They fly through the air and they collect the spirits of dead young women." (A/n: mock me if you want I think those things look like a mix between fish and a bug. I really didn't know how else to describe them….-.-')

She nodded. "I've seen them skimming around the woods at night. They're bizarre, to say the least."

Fumi shuddered. "Yeah, they're creepy."

Payne looked at her questioningly. "When did you see them?"

"When I was following you in the woods." (A/N: Now I'm eating an orange…mmmm…orange-y)

"Of course,..." She looked toward the door. "…stalker…" Fumi jumped at her and they started fighting.

Miroku sweat dropped and whistled to get their attention. "Not that I'm not enjoying you two beat the tar out of each other, we have to inform Inuyasha and Kagome that Kikyo is near." He tried to stand, only to have Sango push him down and stand herself.

She motioned to Winry, who also stood. "We're going to tell Kagome about what's going on. There's a good chance that if you can sense Kikyo that Inuyasha has already smelt her scent and is off following her." She started walking out the door with Winry following closely.

"Sango…" She turned to see Miroku looking at her seriously. "Be careful, you know how she is." Sango nodded then smiled.

"Why did he say that?" Winry turned to face Sango after they had be walking around, looking about in a cursory fashion. "Is Kikyo really that dangerous?"

Sango nodded. "Yeah, priestesses are almost unearthly with their range of power. That's why Kagome usually doesn't fight. She saves her power. But Kikyo has had her power longer and she knows how to use it. And she does. She's …evil." Sango turned to see Inuyasha. He seemed to have his nose in the air, attracted by a scent. "Inuyasha…" He turned to look at her. He seemed to be angry that she distracted him, but once he saw her he calmed. "Where's Kagome?"

"Isn't she with you?"

"No, she went off to help you…what are you doing?"

He blushed and looked toward the forest. "I thought I… smelled something…"

Sango sighed and looked at the ground. "You did." Inuyasha turned to face her, looking odd for his personality. "Kikyo is near. Um…we…need to find her and Kagome."

"Yeah, you're right. I'll go look for them." He turned and ran off in to the forest, where there seemed to be an unearthly glow.

Sango sighed and followed after him. "Wait!" Winry started after Sango, "Why are we following? He said he'd find them. Why do we have to follow?"

Sango scoffed and glared at Inuyasha, who could barely be seen running ahead of them. "He'll either go to Kikyo right away, or drag Kagome back here and then go to her."

"That's Terrible!"

"That's Inuyasha. He has no sense when it comes to love. It is beyond me how someone could have lived as long as he has and still be so clueless when it comes to love. I seriously don't understand his train of thought when it comes to situations like this. He really doesn't understand why Kagome gets as upset as she does when he does these visits to Kikyo. I real…ly-" Before them stood Kikyo and Inuyasha. Sango tilted her head and noticed something that Inuyasha seemed to have missed, Kagome, laying not five feet from Kikyo, covered in some sort of silk, and seemingly unconscious. Sango didn't have time formalities when it came to her friends, she charged forward, destroying Kikyo and Inuyasha's moment of affection, and ran to Kagome's side.

"Sango, what're you doing here?" Inuyasha managed to stammer out before he saw her lift a silk, revealing an unconscious Kagome. "Kagome?" He turned to Kikyo and looked at her crossly. "Kikyo, why is Kagome here? What happened to Kagome!?" Kikyo shied away from his glance in her stolid fashion, infuriating Inuyasha. He growled and got into her face. "Kikyo, tell me what happened to Kagome!!!"

She smiled and looked at Inuyasha evilly. "Wouldn't you like to know what happened to your precious Kagome. From what I hear you were asking what happened to me in such a fashion a few weeks ago after I had battled with that Damn Naraku. You really should pick your love interest, my sweet Inuyasha." Her words stung him like a cold wind. She laughed maniacally at his surprised expression. "Oh I would never say something like this," she said in a mock-tormented tone, "…it's got to be all the things that Naraku has done to me. I never should have join forces with him." She laughed again at his expression when it turned to that of sheer shock. "Oh, that's right, you weren't completely sure that I had done that, were you? Well, now I guess you are. You foolish dog, as if I would choose you as my love. You are but a half-breed and I have already surrendered my heart to your claws. You must think me a fool to have thought that I would give my heart to you again, beast." Inuyasha looked to the ground like a scolded child and the look on his face made Kikyo laugh all the more.

The scene before her pissed her off, so, Winry walked up and pushed Kikyo back from Inuyasha. She stood in front of the shocked Hanyou and glared at Kikyo. Kikyo snapped at her like a rabid dog, "Do you know who you are messing with, girly?!"

Winry smiled wickedly, keeping her eyes in a glare. "I don't give a damn who you are. To me, you seem to be a princess who has not yet been knocked off her pedestal. You feel that others are beneath you and that you are better than others."

Kikyo smirked and tossed her hair, very uncharacteristically. "I AM better than others, and I'm going to show you this." Purple dust seemed to waft out on the breeze that the movement of her hair had created. (LIKE DANDRUFF!!!! SOMEBODY GET THAT GIRL SOME 'HEAD AND SHOULDERS!!') "You need to learn to mind your business. I'm such a generous person that I'm willing to teach you." Sango came forward and blew some white powder in her face. Kikyo snarled and took a step back. "What is this stuff?"

Sango smiled at her reaction. "It burns, doesn't it?"This struck Inuyasha out of his trance, but he still remained still and silent. "I remembered something that my father had once taught me. With certain herbs found in surplus all over this area, a golem and a soul-harboring dummy can be made to run in fear." Kikyo kept wiping at her face, which was becoming redden with blotchy rashes, causing Winry and Inuyasha to gain more interest than before. "I have made plenty of this, so if you feel it necessary to remain in the area and pursue us in this unreasonable fashion, I'll be here, waiting for you. I don't have the patience or the time to deal with a clay pot, much like yourself."

Kikyo's face contorted into an infuriated glare. "Have it your way, but don't even think of writing me off as something that is innocuous, because as soon as lose the idea that I'm a threat, I'll teach you not to belittle my reputation." She stepped back a couple paces and leaned on her soul collectors. "Until that day, I'll be watching you. Remember me, my sweet Inuyasha." They carried her off, leaving the group in silence…until…

"MAN!!!! What a bitch!" Winry stomped her heal and growled in frustration. She turned to Inuyasha. "Now, why do you like her again?"

Inuyasha looked to the ground and muttered quietly, "She's never been like that before."

"I DOUBT IT! She seems like a bitch and you should regard her as such!" Winry turned to Sango, who was in a crouching position next to Kagome. "How is she?"

Sango frowned. "Um, she's unconscious….to tell you the truth, I'm very well versed in medical aliments, that's Kagome's forte, not mine. She has a bump on her head, which basically means she got hit…hard, and other than that I don't see anything wrong with her." She turned to Inuyasha and glared. "You didn't happen to notice her?"

Inuyasha looked embarrassed and looked at Kagome. "I couldn't see her until you uncovered her."

Winry crouched next to Sango. "Here let me take a look, I don't much about medicine, but I know enough about simple injuries." She Checked Kagome's joints, making sure nothing was broken, finding a sprained ankle (probably from tripping, Winry deduced from the mud on her knees and palms), which she promptly wrapped in shreds of the cloak that had once concealed her, and turned to Inuyasha. "You are going to carry her." She barked at him impatiently.

Inuyasha frowned and crossed his arms. "I had every intention to, you didn't need to tell me."

"Good." Winry stood and looked at Sango. "So, she's going to stay away for some time, I take it?"

Sango nodded. "If she has a brain in her clay head, but don't worry, even if she comes back, I'm prepared. I have enough of this for an army. It only takes a pinch of this to keep her away." Sango glanced at Kagome again. "Other than her ankle, is there anything else wrong with her?"

"Like you said, she got hit in the head with something, which may or may not be the reason she fell, but I still think she tripped, I mean, it's Kagome."

"Wow…" the voice was weak, "It's good to hear what people think of me when they think I'm not awake." Kagome opened one eye, forcefully it seemed.

Everyone gathered around her with a yell of "KAGOME!"

Kagome wince at the loud outburst and smiled weakly.

Winry blushed. "I'm sorry we yelled, are you okay?"

Kagome nodded. "Where's Kikyo?"

Inuyasha blushed and Winry glared at him. Sango smiled at her peacefully. "Don't worry, she's gone, she probably won't be bothering us for quite some time."

Kagome looked at her curiously. "Why do you say that?"

"I…remembered the ingredients to a powder that reflects her kind."

"Shame." Everyone looked at Kagome as she continued. "She was talking to someone, I don't know who, but she was talking to them about Naraku. I must have made too much noise and she became aware of my presence. I tried running and…" she blushed, "I tripped." Winry did a little 'Yes! I was right!' and thrust her hand in the air in victory, causing Kagome to blush, but she tried (TRIED) to ignore her and she continued. "When I fell, she hit me with something, I don't remember what, and I got knocked out."

Inuyasha blushed and looked away. "I'm sorry, Kagome."

She waved her hands in front of her and blushed, all the while, smiling. "No, no. I'm fine really."

Inuyasha shook his head and picked her up and walked a ways away. Sango and Winry sighed and went back to camp (…or so it seemed…heeheehee…). Inuyasha sat down on a log, still holding Kagome. "I mean for acting so weird."

Kagome looked at him perplexedly. "Inuyasha…"

"I should treat you the same as you treat me, with love and affection, but I always reserved those feelings for Kikyo, which was obviously a bad idea, and I have always acted untruthfully towards you, which is really unfair to you. I just want you to know that I'm sorry you got hurt, that I wasn't there to protect you, and that I never treated you how you deserved to be treated."

"Inuyasha…"

"I just wanted you to know that I'm going to try very hard to change all that and always be there for you. I want to be the man you deserve and one that you're proud of."

"AWWW!!!!" Inuyasha and Kagome sweat-dropped. Inuyasha turned around (DOWNWIND!!) to see Sango punching Winry in the arm and Winry giggling like a school girl. "I'm sorry, it was just so CUTE!!!"

Inuyasha growled and Kagome tugged on his Haori. He turned to look at her to see her blushing slightly. "Whether or not you choose to believe it, I am proud of you. I love you and no matter what you do, my feelings won't change." She kissed him and heard the cheers of Winry and Sango yelling at her to be quiet. Kagome and Inuyasha smiled into each other's lips.