A/N: Okay, so a reviewer brought the fact that Inuyasha's been a little different from the Secret War to my attention! If anyone else has noticed, I apologize! I will attempt to return him to his usual self :D

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

Inuyasha cursed, his head resting in his hands as he waited impatiently for Miroku to come home from the hospital. He was leaving Sango, but bringing Kirara with him, leaving just Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, and Miroku to search for Kagome. And worse than that, she'd been gone for hours as they'd had to wait for him to return to his half-demon self.

Sesshomaru glanced over at the half-demon moaned softly, his eyes full of grief for his missing Intended. "This Sesshomaru requests that you shut up so I can focus."

Inuyasha bared his fangs at Sesshomaru. "Remember when Rin was kidnapped by Naraku? You know, just hours before Kagome died? Imagine that except a hundred times worse because she went willingly."

Sesshomaru grunted in acknowledgement, returning his attention to the lap top he was currently typing on so that he could hopefully find the location of Magatsuhi and their missing friend. An article suddenly caught his attention and he clicked on it, narrowing his eyes at the picture that popped up with it. It was of three women and a man. They were outside, obviously having fun, and Sesshomaru said, "Inuyasha."

Inuyasha was immediately peering over his shoulder, looking at the picture. "That's Kagome and her co-workers. Ayame, Yura, and Jakotsu."

"Look," he said suddenly, pointing at Kagome. "There is a bruise along her jaw," he gently traced the spot with a claw, "and another at her throat."

"That must have been after Magatsuhi beat her half to death and took her heart," Inuyasha said. "She said he beat her before he took her heart for disobeying."

Sesshomaru listened, then said, snapping the laptop shut as Miroku ducked in, Kirara on his shoulder, "If that is the case, then your woman could very well be killed soon. We must hurry if you want her to come home alive."

Inuyasha snarled, shooting to his feet, ears flattened against his head as he touched the Tetsusaiga at his hip to keep him from transforming. "You think I don't know that?" He pointed at Miroku. "We've been waiting for your stupid ass to show up so we could leave! What took you so long?!"

"Sango got an infection," Miroku explained softly. "I'm sorry; it took me longer than I expected to get Kirara as well."

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru growled. "If you want to leave, we must leave now. I will not help if I'm not back with my mate by sunset."

"Okay, okay, we're going," the hanyou snarled furiously, glaring at Sesshomaru before ducking out the front door. "Come on, you two." His eyes darkened and he became grim. "Let's go. We have a demon to hunt down and a woman to save."

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

A young woman shoved her hand through her hair, shaking her head; green eyes fill of guilt as she studied the picture of the woman that hung on her wall in her shop. A man dressed in a light blue shirt and blue jeans stood beside her, glancing over. "Don't blame yourself."

"Yeah," another woman agreed her dark eyes gentle and her short black hair swaying as she walked over to join them. "He's right. He threatened your only cub, Ayame. You had no choice."

Ayame gave a small whine, the wolf youkai's eyes glittering with tears. "I feel so bad for her though…he'll kill her, guys! I want to help her…but…"

The man wrapped a reassuring arm around her. "If it makes you feel better, I deserve punishment more than the two of you do. Not only did I not offer Kagome help, but I was the one who helped Magatsuhi disable the alarms. I was the one who helped Naraku capture Rin-chan."

"That was your brothers, Jak," the second woman protested, but Jakotsu held up a hand.

"Who was the one who told Bankotsu where to go, though? Ayame, Yura's right. We all betrayed Kagome, not just you…"

"I didn't even tell her that Inuyasha was waiting for her," Ayame said mournfully. "I didn't even tell her that Rin had come by, asking about her. I lied…we all lied!" Now she gave a hysterical laugh. "We all lied for our own sake! We lied! We're going to Hell!"

"No, no," Jakotsu scolded, stroking his friend's hair. "Don't worry, Ayame, I'm sure the kamis will understand. You had no choice."

Yura, who'd been quiet up until this moment, suddenly said softly, "No, we won't. We can still fix our mistake, Jak, Ayame." She gave a smile. "We made the mistake of assisting Magatsuhi…but you know what? We can fix it! By now, Inuyasha's panicked and he's searching for her. Perhaps…perhaps if we apologize and give him the location of Magatsuhi…perhaps we can save Kagome! We can fix this!"

Jakotsu's eyes lit up at this and he nodded in agreement. "You're right! I'll be right back, let me go get my phone!"

Ayame looked between her two companions, her eyes hopeful. "Maybe…you're right. We can do this!"

Jakotsu returned handing her his phone and Ayame took it, dialing the half-demon's number. She waited until he picked up, wincing when he snarled, "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU AND WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT!"

"Ayame. I am Ayame, and I think…I think I can help you."

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

Ring!

Inuyasha paused, hesitating as his phone rang. Choosing to ignore it, he continued sniffing the area, ignoring Sesshomaru and Miroku's looks.

Ring!

The half-demon growled in frustration as it broke his concentration. He stood as it rang for the third time. Finally, he tore it out of his pocket, nearly smashing it as he snarled into it, "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU AND WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT!"

"Ayame," a voice replied softly. "I am Ayame, and I think…I think I can help you."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

A sob escaped through the phone, followed by reassuring voices as Ayame said shakily, "I'm sorry, this…this is all my fault. I knew he was going to take her, I knew he was. And…and I did nothing to stop this, I'm so sorry, Inuyasha-san!"

Inuyasha's blood ran cold. "Wait, your Kagome's co-worker…you knew she was going to be taken?!"

"I did, and I'm sorry," Ayame replied, her voice becoming more confident. "But to make up for that, I want to help you. I know you'll probably hate me, I know you don't trust me right now, but I know where you can find Kagome-chan. And you need to hurry, Inuyasha-san, before it's too late."

"Then hurry and tell me where to find her!" Inuyasha demanded, ignoring Miroku's pointed expression.

"You know that building beside Inuyasha Industries? The abandoned one?" Ayame said. "There. Hurry up and go there. There's a barrier around it, but I know you can get through it. He plans on beating and returning memories to Kagome before finally killing her and returning her body to you. Please, Inuyasha-san," she choked on sobs, "I need to apologize to her. Please help her."

Inuyasha snorted, a grin crossing his face. "Wench, you really think I'd leave my mate in the hands of that bastard? Jeez, you're stupid." He hung up, and then turned to Miroku and Sesshomaru. "We've gotta location. Let's go."

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

Kagome stirred from her place on the cold stone floor, giving a soft moan of pain as she lifted her head, pain filtering through her head. "Ugh," she whispered, cradling her head with a whimper. "Just like in a horror movie. Waking up in the basement of a cold blooded killer. Which is exactly what he is," she said with a rueful smile, rubbing the bump on her head. She looked around herself, rubbing her arms slowly as she whimpered, "its cold."

Kagome examined the area around her, searching for an escape route. She had agreed to come with Magatsuhi; it didn't mean she was willing to stay with him and allow herself to be killed. She was going to fight tooth and nail to get out of here and back to Inuyasha.

Pain flooded her mind and Kagome whimpered again, giving a moan of pain as she slumped against the wall, darkness flooding her senses and a voice softly calling: "Kagome."

Kagome whirled around, her eyes searching the never ending blackness of the void for the familiar silver haired man, her eyes frantic. "Inuyasha!? Inuyasha, where'd you go?" She screamed into it, panic filling her. Why wasn't he here like he always was, to comfort her and help her? "Inuyasha…" she whimpered.

Suddenly, silver flooded her vision and warm arms wrapped around her as a gruff voice muttered, "Stupid, do you really think I'd leave you?"

Kagome buried her face in his chest, shuddering as she whispered, and "I want to go home." Her tone was soft, her body quivering. "I want to go home. I want to remember everything. I'm tired of all this…mess. I want things to go back to normal."

Inuyasha rumbled quietly, soothing her before murmuring, "And you think we don't? Keh. Stupid."

Kagome gave a shaky laugh, clinging to him. "I'm sorry I don't remember you," she said suddenly, lifting her face and giving a small smile as she caressed his cheek. He closed his sharp golden eyes with a soft growl, resting his head in her hand. He twisted his head suddenly and pressed his lips to the mark on her wrist, smiling slightly. "I want to," Kagome murmured, closing her eyes as he gently nipped at the Mark. "I want to remember you…and Miroku-sama…and Shippo-chan and Rin-chan. But I can't."

Inuyasha heaved a huge sigh. "Keh. You're obviously not trying hard enough, wench. Now, listen." His tone became fierce, his eyes firm. "When your memories come back, don't let Magatsuhi take them away. The real Inuyasha and Miroku and Sesshomaru…they're all trying to find you right now with the help of Ayame. Try to keep your memories for the real Inuyasha. If you don't…things just won't go the way we want them to and you'd be better off dead."

Kagome grimaced at his rough choice of wording. That was definitely Inuyasha. "I understand," she replied firmly, raising her head proudly and looking up at him.

The half-demon grinned cheekily and slowly pressed his lips to hers in a chaste kiss before pulling back, grinning and nipping at her nose when she giggled. "Be careful of what you say to Magatsuhi, Kagome," he told her, beginning to fade. "Don't piss him off and make him lose his temper enough to kill you. Tenseiga may work, but it'll make the real Inuyasha hurt.

Kagome watched him fade away in her arms, her eyes determined. "Of course. I won't let him get to me. Not this time."

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

Magatsuhi gritted his teeth as he silently stared at a wall, semi-watching the said wall and mostly watching the half-demon, his brother, and the violet eyed man manage to easily get through a wall of demons that had been sent to rid him of them.

The demon hissed in frustration as they passed.

Shoving a hand through his violet hair, Magatsuhi turned to a demon that bowed his head respectfully. "Wakiko, go."

"Yes, Magatsuhi-sama," she whispered, vanishing.

Magatsuhi returned his attention to the wall to watch, a half-crazed grin on his face. Even if they managed to get to Kagome, he'd already planted his mark on her. And Wakiko would make sure that she suffered until she was rescued, and then would die in the arms of the half-demon. Again.

He grinned.

He really did enjoy the suffering of Inuyasha Takahashi. He had, after all, ruined his plans for the last keeper of the Shikon Jewel: Kikyo.

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

Inuyasha grunted as a demon tore through the air, very nearly catching him the stomach. He ducked to avoid it, giving a snarl and immediately throwing a Wind Scar, glancing over as Sesshomaru growled angrily and lashed out with his Bakusaiga. Miroku, meanwhile, hissed in frustration. "I hate not having the Wind Tunnel right now."

Inuyasha gave a strangled laugh. "It would be helpful."

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes, straightening. "They've stopped."

Inuyasha looked around, confirming what his half-brother had announced. "Let's go then."

"Wait, Inuyasha," Miroku said firmly. "It could be some kind of trap."

Inuyasha shot him a look and Miroku held up his hands. "We're going," he replied, then darted forward. Sesshomaru and Miroku glanced at each other, and then darted after him.

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

Rin glanced over her shoulder as Sango gently soothed one of the two twins. Miroku had demanded she return home in his absence and Sango had agreed, though she longed to join in the search for her best friend. "Sango, is Miki okay or is she sick or something?" Rin demanded.

"She's fine," Sango reassured, gently bouncing her daughter on her hip. "She's just nervous about something, that's all, Rin. Could you grab Hotaru over there?"

"Of course," Rin replied, moving over to the cribs they'd placed in the Mansion, and gently pulling out Hotaru. Hotaru gave a little couch, sniffling quietly and Rin smiled, soothing her head with a loving look.

Sango noticed and grinned. "I take it Sesshomaru won't let you have any kids yet?"

Rin sighed. "No, and I quote: "You cannot keep track of my half-demon brother who is hundreds of years old. How can you keep track of a day old infant?""

Sango giggled, replying, "He has a point there, doesn't he?"

"He does," Rin sighed, and then became nervous. "He'd better come home. I know Inuyasha's anxious to return Kagome to normal, but I want Sesshomaru safe, too…if he dies…"

"You both do," Sango replied, eyes gentle. "I know, Rin."

Rin shuddered as she carried little Hotaru over. "Jeez this girl is heavy," Rin mumbled. Sango merely laughed at her.

"You know," Sango said softly, "About Inuyasha and Kagome. I think their kids will be the ones to have the dog ears. They'd better; Kagome will have a fit if they don't."

"True," Rin laughed. "If there's something she loves just a little bit more than Inuyasha, it's his ears."

Sango smiled softly, kissing her daughter's head. "That is, if they rescue her."

"They will," Rin said firmly. "Sessh will not let her die, for my sake as well s Inuyasha's. He may not admit it, but he cares for Inuyasha."

"You're right," Sango agreed, biting her lip nervously. "You're right. They'll get to her in time. I trust them."

"Good. Now, let's get these chubby babies fed!"

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

Kagome stirred once again, opening her dull eyes. This time, no pain filled her and she found herself able to sit up. She blinked in surprise; there was another woman beside her, gently touching her shoulder.

"Good, you're awake," the girl breathed, eyes wide. "My Lord would have never…I would have been…thank Kami you're still alive."

Kagome recoiled away when she grinned. "Get away from me!" she gasped, glaring at the girl. "Who the heck are you anyways? Are you some slave to him or something? If you are, I'd stay away. When I get out of here, you'll be the first one I come after. Inuyasha too."

"Oh, I'm here to not kill you," the girl reassured, though her eyes flashed dangerously. "Actually, I'm supposed to return your memories…"

"What?" Kagome whispered eyes wide. "Are you on…our side then?"

"Oh hell no," the girl snorted, rolling her eyes. "I'm to return your memories, and then let Wakiko-chan have her way with you. Magatsuhi-sama said he'll be watching until you recall your miko powers, and then it'll be his turn. He needs a way to get rid of Wakiko anyways apparently."

Kagome glared at her, scooting backwards, her eyes narrowed. "Get the hell away from me!" She demanded, becoming panicked as the girl pressed forward, gently pressing her palm to Kagome's forehead.

Kagome gasped at the pain that seared through her. She cried out, cringing away and holding her head.

Kagome smiled at the young boy when he called her by name before turning to politely bow at Inuyasha. "Hello."

"Keh!" Inuyasha snorted, rolling his eyes and looking away.

Inuyasha was a good head taller than her, and had silver hair with the same colored dog ears. His golden eyes were the color of melted gold, and then he had fangs and claws as well. He wore a red T-Shirt with black jeans and converse. Strapped to his waist was a sword that looked plain, and rusty, too.

Kagome sighed slightly. "Do you two have any questions?" She asked, smiling brightly at both…

Yo, woman. We got a problem. There's a guy I met at some restaurant and he somehow managed to get my number.

Kagome laughed so hard, she almost dropped her phone in the frying pan. You mean you have a problem, San. What's his name?

It took a hot minute for her to reply, as Kagome suspected she was checking the name of the contact. Kagome grinned. About time Sango got a boyfriend. She scrambled for the phone when it rang.

He said in the restaurant that his name is Miroku. Huh. He's a pervert, Kags! Now I've got a perverted stalker!

Kagome began to laugh again and quickly replied. How do you know he's a pervert? And how the hell did he get your number?

Kagome could almost see Sango throwing her hands in the air as she read Sango's answer. He asked me to bear his children! Who the hell does that these days? And I have no idea; I told him if he didn't stop or tell me how we got my number, he'd meet my Hiraikotsu…

Kagome had gone about half-way down the driveway, digging through her pockets for money for a taxi when she heard a car drive up and stop beside her. When she looked over, she edged closer to the grass and a ways away from the car. "What do you want, Inuyasha?" she asked suspiciously.

Inuyasha smirked from the car. "Need a ride?"

"From Rin, yes. From you, hell no," Kagome replied, stalking forward…

Inuyasha snorted, pulling into a parking lot. He parked, turned the car off, and then turned to face her with a smirk. "Shall we go?"
Kagome eyed him warily. "Is it alright if I ask that you please not do anything for revenge?"

"Nope."

Kagome groaned, climbing out of the car. "Let's go, Takahashi…"

Inuyasha gave another smirk, though he wanted to slam his head into the car out of embarrassment. "Look, we've only been out two times and all…but you know what?" Damn it damn it damn it! He cursed silently. How was he supposed to say this, especially since she didn't trust him? He couldn't help it! It wasn't his fault! The demon inside was starting to well up a bit. He just hoped it didn't rise completely, or Kagome would hate him.

"Spit it out already!" Kagome muttered, swallowing. Okay, what this about? He's scaring me…

"Okay, okay," Inuyasha waved her statement off with a clawed hand. "I like you. Jeez…"

A sudden snort caught her attention and in walked Inuyasha. "Keh! I don't plan on dying for a couple hundred years, wench. Neither should you, Shippo."

Kagome smiled brightly at the half-demon. "What are you doing here?"

"Driving you two to the school. What else?" he grunted in reply, rolling his eyes. He flashed a smirk at Kagome, dog ears twitching. "Now, are we going or not…?"

"What…the hell…are you doing up at eight in the morning on a weekend?" the tired hanyou asked through a yawn, his ears pricking up at the sound of her singing voice. "How come you can't be like this every day?"
"Because it's the weekend!" Kagome cheered, then joined in again with the song, "To ten million fireflies, I'm weird 'Cause I hate goodbyes, I got misty eyes as they said farewell (they said farewell)."

Inuyasha plopped down in a chair, watching his woman dance around the kitchen cooking a huge breakfast up. He yawned again, his eyelids drooping against his golden eyes. "You need to stay up more on the weekends. Maybe then we can sleep in."

Kagome groaned. "You don't know where he lives? How the hell is this going to work?"

"Sesshomaru does know where he lives for sure, Kagome," Inuyasha sighed, using one hand to pop his neck. "I gotta go. I'll see you later, 'kay?"

Kagome nodded. Then with a small blush, she quickly reached up and lightly kissed his lips before dancing into Sango's house.

"Stay the hell away from her! I swear that if you come any closer I will tear your damn heart out," Inuyasha snarled. The weight on Kagome's chest became almost unbearable.

Another voice, Sesshomaru, was heard slightly amused. "It seems that this has pushed him over the edge. I would suggest you humans join me by backing up before his youkai blood shows up and he slays you both," Sesshomaru suggested with what Kagome suspected was a shrug and maybe a gleeful smile.

Inuyasha snarled again and a shuffling was heard as both said mortals moved backwards.

Inuyasha unconsciously pushed his head back into her hands and she giggled. "Keh! If you're having fun, don't stop," he muttered, though he said it because he secretly liked her touching his ears. "What the hell happened?"

"Let's see," Kagome said thoughtfully. "We went to Sango's yesterday and she pulled out the alcohol for some reason after Shippo fell asleep – weird. He's still sleeping. Anyway, you had forty something glasses of beer after challenging Sesshomaru and you got drunk. So I brought you and Shippo back, and you were all weird. I was trying to get you to the couch so you could sleep, and then you said you wanted to 'snuggle'. Then you said if I stayed and let you give me a kiss, I could touch your ears," Kagome finished, smirking when she noticed Inuyasha gape up at her in shock.

Kagome slammed the phone down, eyes brimming with tears. "Well thanks for letting me know. Maybe I should have just died in the crash because I'm obviously not loveable," she muttered angrily, getting up and stalking towards the door. She opened it, and then slammed it behind her.

Inuyasha stared after her in surprise. She doesn't mean that…does she? He asked himself, worried for Kagome. He didn't mean that he didn't…well, love her. He knew he really did. But she just irritated him sometimes! He let out a small whine, scrambling up and darting out the door after her. "Kagome, wait!"

Kagome was nowhere to be seen…and neither was his car.

Would you consider a friendly date this Friday?

Kagome shoved the phone at Inuyasha so he could read it, and then quickly took it back when the Inu demon broke into a growling fit. "Hell no!" he snarled, struggling to take the phone from Kagome.

Before he could, Kagome typed back, can't. sorry though! As she went to click send, Inuyasha was suddenly resting his chin on her shoulder, peering at the screen. He gave a satisfied growl before sitting back.

Kagome rolled her eyes and sent it, then said, "You could have asked what I was going to say before trying to break my damn phone, Inuyasha!"

Kagome smiled brightly, eyes dancing in the light of the lit up house. "You must move back here! Then little Shippo can play with your kids when you have them!"

"Who's Shippo?" Souta gave a teasing smirk. "Your guy's kid?"

Inuyasha sputtered incoherent words and Kagome started blushing wildly.

Kagome winced as Inuyasha silently and carefully bandaged up her wounded arm. "Are you okay?" She asked gently, nodding at his shoulder –which was still leaking out blood. "I need to bandage your wounds, too, so you don't get an infection."

Inuyasha just shook his head, thinking. I know she might never forgive me for this, and that there's a chance she'll move on before we come back, but it'll keep her safe until we defeat Naraku. And if she's happier without me, so be it… He finished bandaging the length of her arm, and growled to himself, ears swiveling. "Damn! I can't believe I didn't recognize his scent!" He cursed.

Kagome almost wilted like a flower. "I hope he's okay…" she mumbled quietly, then stood up straight and said, "Where's Sango? I need to tell her something…"

"She's in the other room, Kagome," Rin said cheerfully, leading the way to the dining room. "We were just cleaning up dinner when you got here. Hey! Sango!"

"Huh? Kags!" Sango's confused expression cleared instantly and she hurried over, embracing the woman tightly. "Jeez, were you moping! We were waiting for you to come over."

"Kagome!" Sango cried, realizing her friend was nowhere to be found. "Kagome! Where are you?"

Miroku opened up the Wind Tunnel for a moment, and then closed it. "I don't want to suck up Kagome." he explained to Sango. Or if she's not alive, what's left of her…

Inuyasha growled again and lunged, darting to the side to avoid a paw swipe.

Meanwhile…

Kagome gasped for breath, the said breath having had whooshed out of her in surprise when the demon's paw slammed down inches from her face. She was kneeling, hidden by the large leg, hand tightly clutching the Jewel Shards. She could hear her friend's calling for her desperately, but couldn't find the air to reply.

He was cut off as something sliced through his shoulder. Stumbling forward slightly, he turned to look over his shoulder.

Standing behind him was none other than Kagome, her eyes blank, and she was holding Kagura's fan, still glowing pink from her spiritual powers. "K…Kagome?" Inuyasha whispered, his eyes going wide.

Kagome flicked her wrist, sending multiple needles like energies at her boyfriend.

Sitting in a tree just a few feet away, sat a fairly amused Sesshomaru, holding a hose with a sprayer. "You are all so stupid that you did not happen to notice what this Sesshomaru noticed," he announced, continuing to spray the group with a smirk.

"Kag -Bleh! Kagome! How come the-" Sango sputtered again, "-demons always win?"

Kagome hid behind Inuyasha, using him as a shield against the water. "I don't know…HEY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" She suddenly shrieked as Inuyasha whirled around, and instead used her as a shield against the water. In turn, Sango, Rin, Miroku, and Shippo also used her as a shield. "I'M NOT A DAMN SHIELD!" She yelled past the water.

"Sit down, already…what the heck?" She broke off as Inuyasha's face suddenly hit the ground. "Hey…did you trip or something, Inuyasha?"

"Damn!" The half-demon turned mortal hissed. "I hate these kinds of beads!" He began desperately jerking on them. "Kagome, take them off!"

"Who ever said anything was wrong," Inuyasha snorted, golden eyes flashing defensively. "I was thinking, damn it!"

"Okay, okay," Kagome sighed, and then smiled brightly. "But please be nicer, Inuyasha. You could enjoy yourself, you know. And if you piss me off…" she grinned evilly. "I'm not afraid to use the word!"

Inuyasha froze and then forced a smirk. "Fine." He muttered, avoiding her gaze and turning it on the trees that had leaves drifting to the ground.

Miroku yelped and jumped to avoid Sango's Hiraikotsu as she slammed it down near where she had been. "YOU PERVERT!" She shrieked, throwing the massive boomerang.

"You didn't tell him about her behavior, did you?" Inuyasha asked Kagome, enjoying the entertainment before them as Miroku narrowly avoided getting sliced in half.

"I might have forgotten…" Kagome mused, leaning against the half demon happily. Her head rested on his shoulder, her fingers intertwining with his. "It might teach him a lesson on what to expect when they're married though, huh?"

Every demon up to ten miles away must have been able to sense the incredible amount of spiritual powers she sent up. Pink light suddenly flared violently about her, her hair whipping around with the pink flames. Her brown eyes were tinted pink as well, her hands glowing. She flicked the fan open again, lazily waving it so that it looked like she was merely fanning herself. "You messed with the wrong people, Kakushi." Kakushi reared above her and Inuyasha fought the urge to leap in front of her and defend Kagome from the demon. "Oh?" With a smirk as he twisted and shrank, Inuyasha -or Kakushi- stepped out of the small miasma that had erupted from the transformation. "Have I?" He asked in Inuyasha's voice.

~O~

"Inuyasha…"

~O~

Her exhausted face broke into a grin and she high tailed it out of the bathroom and back into Inuyasha's room. "Hey, Yash?" She called, looking around the room for him. She found him flopped down on his bed, peering at her curiously. "Can I use your Jacuzzi?" She asked eagerly. "Please?"

Inuyasha snorted, waving her off with a lazy clawed hand. "Do whatever you want."

Kagome scrambled out of her car, confused. She glanced over her shoulder when she heard her name being called to see Miroku and Sango, looking relieved.

Miroku skidded to a halt at her side, looking horrified when he saw the dent in her car. "Inuyasha…?"

Kagome nodded as Sango hugged her carefully. "He attacked…but then he ran off into the building…"

Sango frowned. "Do you guys hear that?"

There was a sound like a shrill whistling, followed by psychotic laughter that sounded like Naraku…

…and then the building exploded.

After Sango had changed into normal clothes and Rin had paid for the dress, Ayame caught Kagome as the woman prepared to wheel herself outside. "Kagome-Chan, I had a quick question."

Kagome glanced at her. "Yeah?"

"I heard you are jobless now," Ayame said carefully. "So would you consider working with me? I don't usually find what people want so fast…and you look like the kind of person who can."

Kagome broke into a grin. "We were actually talking about me asking you about that. I'd love to. Thanks, Ayame."

"Most of you know of what happened a month ago at Shikon Elementary," Miroku said loudly, turning to face everyone in the audience. "How demons attacked, how Kagome called on our help, how the building exploded…and how we lost a great friend and man, Inuyasha Takahashi, who died saving Kagome and myself. Though he can't be here…" Miroku choked on his words for a moment and tears began spilling down Kagome's cheeks. "Though he can't be here today, to enjoy this wondrous occasion, I wanted to say thanks to him if he can hear us…for helping me grow up, for being there for me, for getting us through tough times with his sarcasm." A few chuckles ran out and Kagome choked on a sob. "And most of all…for meeting Kagome Higurashi, who ultimately helped me, get so close to Sango that we are able to get married. He brought a lot of joy to…to our lives, and I hate the fact that such a good man, half-demon or not, had to go. I hope that one day, when I join him in the other world or if he is still alive, we will meet once again and I will be able to thank him for all the things he did for me in my life. If it wasn't for him…I would not be here today. So, Yash, if you're out there and can hear me now, get your ass out here so I can beat you for being late." Miroku bowed his head as more chuckles rang out. "That is all."

Kagome slammed a fist into the wall, scaring the hell out of the man. "Damn him!" She spat. "He's supposed to be resting in a hospital bed!" Then she stormed off towards the lobby, ignoring Ayame's curious look as she passed the wolf demon. "INUYASHA!" She roared as she saw him, shifting anxiously in a pair of jeans and a simple red shirt with black converse. "You're supposed to be in a hospital bed, what are you doing here?!"

Inuyasha gave a small growl. "We've got bigger things to worry about, Kagome. One being that Rin and Shippo have vanished off the face of the earth. Another being that Sesshomaru's already torn down half the city looking for them." He took on a grin. "And another? Naraku's appeared…again

"Inuyasha!" A panicked voice came from behind some rubble and then Kagome was streaking out from behind it, running as fast as she could away from the rubble. Behind her, a large demon lizard was hissing, easily stalking after her with no rush to reach her.

Inuyasha growled, ignoring Kikyo in his rush to save Kagome. He easily sliced at the lizard, then snatched up his girlfriend, jumping to avoid Sesshomaru's paw again. "Damn it, woman, I thought I told you to stay there!" "And get eaten? He snapped my bow!" Kagome snapped back.

Kagome cried out in shock. "Inuyasha!?"

"Kagome!" Inuyasha's voice replied, sounding panicked. "Are you okay?" Kagome shook from a blast of cold.

"Yes, I'm-" she broke off with a sudden scream of agony when something buried itself in her stomach.

The smell of blood filled the air.

"Stay awake, Kagome," Inuyasha murmured. "We'll come back for Naraku later. Just…" his voice cracked in pain. "Look at me, okay?"

Kagome stared up at him, her eyes dull. "Inuyasha…"

He whimpered, nuzzling her hair as their friends and family paused, looking back with concerned eyes. "Stay with me, alright? We'll get you to the hospital, right now."

~O~

Kagome gave a sob followed by a wail. "Stop…STOP!"

Pink light burst forth, purifying the girl beside her and multiple demons within the nearby area- leaving Magatsuhi, as her power was blocked by a barrier around him.

Magatsuhi grinned. "And now the true torture begins…"

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

A/N: WELL THEN! This certainly turned out longer then expected…o.O