So, another chapter for another day! Yay! OOH! I love this chapter so much. It was so fun to write... I want to do some fan art of it... xD Yeah... That'd be fun. Very fun.

You guys are gonna hate me. :)

Save Me From Myself

Chapter Six: You're Next

It's not like I didn't want that jewel out of my back, but I didn't want anyone to get hurt. Though, my attempts to protect everyone else was in vain. Though, at the time, we had no idea of the power that the Bachiatari Jewel held.

- - -

"So, Naraku put a jewel in your back?" Kaede asked Kagome, who was eating some ramen.

Kagome nodded. "It's the Bachiatari Jewel."

Kaede's eyebrows arched towards her nose and she frowned. "I'm sorry to say that I know nothing about it. The name doesn't even sound familiar," explained the old woman, standing up.

Kagome sighed. "Figures as much... I didn't think that you'd know anything about it, though. It seems like no one has even heard of it."

"Usually legends and stories travel through the villages and towns, but I've never heard anything about this," Kaede mused, looking into the fire in her hut and sticking another piece of wood on it.

Kagome sighed again and said to Kaede, "Well, thank you anyway... I better get back to my time. I've got a test and somehow we ran out of ramen... I thought I brought enough."

Kagome left Kaede to think some more about the jewel, but nothing came to mind.

- - -

"Stupid girl! Where could she be? She knows that she was supposed come back a day ago!" InuYasha shouted, tapping his claws against the side of the well.

"Sit!" InuYasha's face hit the ground, sending dirt and grass flying up into the air.

"Dammit..." muttered the hanyou, pushing himself up after the spell wore off. He turned to see Kagome climbing out of the well and shouted, "WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DO THAT?"

"It's one thing to insult me to my face, but it's another to insult me behind my back!" Kagome shouted back, throwing her backpack over the top of the well and getting out of it. She walked over to her giant bag and managed to pick it up. Kagome started to walk towards the village, and InuYasha followed, a bit miffed from the sitting he had just endured.

InuYasha sighed and took Kagome's bag from her. "Huh?"

"It looks heavy," InuYasha said, carrying it with one strap over his shoulder.

Kagome smiled and said, "Thanks."

She turned around and walked towards the village, her back towards InuYasha. He looked at the spot where the jewel was, and where the still healing wound had been put. The wound didn't open up any more, but she still needed the bandage around her back.

Kagome hadn't told her family about the wound. She didn't want to worry them. But, she had asked them and other people about something else. Kagome sighed.

"What's with you?" InuYasha asked, walking up next to Kagome.

She groaned and said to him, "I asked countless people about the Bachiatari Jewel, and no one knew a thing about it! I even asked the old man at the shrine, but he didn't know anything other than that story that we heard."

"Oh," InuYasha said, looking at the passing trees.

Kagome sighed once more and looked at the ground. "What's going to happen, InuYasha?"

"Why are you asking me?" InuYasha growled, glaring at Kagome out of the corner of his eye.

"You're always so sure about things... You can make me believe that everything will turn out all right," Kagome explained, turning her head towards InuYasha. "That's why I asked."

InuYasha started to feel fidgety under Kagome's gaze. "Well... I guess that I'm not really sure about anything right now."

"Oh," replied Kagome, crushed by InuYasha's words.

InuYasha glared. "That doesn't mean 'I can't help you!'" shouted the hanyou. "I said I'll protect you, and I will!" That brought a smile to Kagome's face.

"Okay."

- - -

Later that night, while the group was eating their dinner, a youkai attacked the village.

"RUN!"

"YOUKAI!"

"MY BABY!"

Villagers scattered and the Inu-tachi stood their ground, getting ready for the youkai to attack them. Kagome, still favoring the wound in her back, stood behind the others to make sure that she wouldn't get hurt again. But, that wasn't a problem since she fights with bows and arrows.

The youkai was tall and had claws the size of houses and teeth of equal size. He stood well over the trees and had purple skin with green hair, and blood red eyes. The youkai roared in a deep voice and took a step towards the group, who scattered, getting ready to fight.

Sango sent her Hiraikotsu hurtling towards the youkai's hands, but he knocked it away with his claws. Miroku threw oofudas at the demon from Kirara's back, each of them causing the youkai to burn and smoke to rise from his skin.

Kagome's arrows were powerful, but they didn't do much damage to the youkai; he was just too strong.

InuYasha had his diamond Tessaiga out, and kept slashing away at the youkai, causing it to roar in pain. The youkai pulled back one of his massive hands and sent it flying towards InuYasha's body. InuYasha dodged, narrowly missing the huge claws.

"This is taking too long!" InuYasha shouted, bringing up his sword and readying for attack. "Kongousouha!" InuYasha shouted; he brought his sword down and the diamond spears from his sword sliced through the youkai.

The youkai roared and looked really angry. Well, of course he'd be angry, one of his giant arms just fell off, the blood splattering all over and soaking into the ground. He roared and sent the claws of his remaining arm towards InuYasha. He managed to pierce through InuYasha's stomach, causing the hanyou to black out.

"InuYasha!" Kagome screamed, running over to the hanyou. He was laying on his face, blood pooling around him. Though it was healing already, Kagome couldn't help but feel horribly worried. Though, her anger started to boil up, along with her sadness. And then, her anger reached a peak.

"Oh!" Kagome said, her eyes going wide and her gaze moving off into the distance.

- - -

Miroku grabbed for the beads covering his right hand. "No, Houshi-sama!" Sango shouted, running in front of the monk. "If you pull him in, I'm sure that those claws will widen the Kazaana!"

"I have to do something; InuYasha is in danger if we don't finish this soon and take care of him," Miroku fought back, looking at the youkai. "Wait... What's he looking at?"

Sango looked up at the youkai's face and followed his stare to InuYasha's unconscious body. Next to him was Kagome, sitting on her knees and her back towards the two humans and nekomata. Kirara growled lightly and took a defensive stance, while Sango and Miroku were watching Kagome carefully. Suddenly, the air seemed to pulse.

A dark aura formed around Kagome, and she turned towards the youkai who attacked the village. Her face was serious; Kagome's eyes looked like they could turn someone into stone.

Kagome's shirt bulged in the back, and then ripped, revealing two black wings, shaped like a bat's. They spread out and grew, almost becoming twice as tall as Kagome herself. Her fingernails grew into claws, and her teeth lengthened, becoming more like fangs. And her eyes became red and emotionless.

The one armed youkai took a step back from Kagome, but she took a step forward. Quickly, she jumped into the air, not even looking like it took any effort.

Her hand cupped so the claws on her fingers faced the demon, and she cut through the youkai's stomach, causing him to roar and slice at her with his own claws.

"Kagome-chan!" shouted Sango, taking a step forward. She turned to Miroku and said, "Houshi-sama! What's happening to Kagome-chan?"

"The Bachiatari Jewel! It took over Kagome's body! Her aura is replaced with the one of the jewel!" Miroku said, watching Kagome dodge the youkai's claws.

Kagome growled and flew into the air, flying above the youkai. With a flick of her fingers, huge spears of light flew towards the youkai and pierced him in multiple places.

And with one last slash of her claws, Kagome cut off the youkai's head.

The youkai's blood splashed all over, sending little streams across the ground.

"Kagome-chan?" Shippo asked, running over to the youkai's body. Kagome slowly stood up in the middle of the pool of blood, her red eyes glowing through the darkness. Her wings were folded back, and she stood on top of the corpse, sniffing the air carefully.

The villagers started to gather. "No!" Sango yelled, as they started to group together, the torches lighting the area.

Though there wasn't much light there, it was enough to see Kagome standing there, blood covering her body, head to toe. She grinned maliciously and held up a bloodied hand.

She started to laugh, her voice deep and dangerous sounding. Kagome's laugh sent shivers through everyone who heard it, and the villagers huddled closer together.

"K-Kagome?" Sango said, holding her hand out towards the transformed miko.

"What happened to her?" Shippo asked Miroku; his voice was hardly heard over Kagome's laughter.

Miroku just shook his head, his eyes wide.

Kagome looked out towards the villagers and scanned over them and said one thing that caused the whole town to run.

"You're next."

End Chapter