Chapter 14

InuYasha.

It has been a week since we left the others. A week of traveling after Naraku; a week of trying to get Kagome back; a week of failing. All of this was my fault. If I had listened to everyone about Kikyou, none of this would have happened.

I looked towards Kagome and inwardly sighed. She sat in a spring with her head tipped back and her eyes closed. I was thankful I couldn't see those dark orbs. I hated knowing that Kagome was locked away inside of herself.

"Do you not like me then?" She asked, making me flinch. I forgot she could read minds when like this.

"It's not that. It's just, you are not Kagome. I want the real Kagome back." I answered, watching as her eyes slowly opened to look towards me.

"Are we not one and the same?" She asked.

"In a way, but the Kagome I know wouldn't give up. Pops loves you, and you know it. You didn't even give him a chance. I'm not entirely sure what happened between the Old Man and Ma, but it was obvious that you leaving hurt him." I informed, hoping I could make her see.

"He would have done the same thing you did. He even started to believe that she hadn't betrayed him." Kagome argued, looking down into the water.

"No, he didn't. And even if he did, he still wouldn't have wanted her to stay on this earth. He's stronger than I am." I admitted, my shoulders slumping.

"It does not matter. Kagome is gone and I am left. I am unable to feel love." Kagome argued, waving her hand. The water sloshed around her and splashed against her uncovered breasts. Normally I would have been happy to see her naked as she bathed, but now, it just felt wrong. She was no longer mine to look at, and I needed to get her back to Father.

"Do you hate him?" I asked, looking to the ground.

"Yes." Kagome answered with no hesitation.

"If you can feel hate, you can feel love." I replied. Kagome didn't say anything back and I was thankful. It meant she was thinking about my words.

I looked up when she groaned and felt my panic begin to rise. I didn't know why, but every now and again, her entire body would start to tremble and she would be overcome with pain. At this point in time, she had her head back and her eyes squeezed tightly shut. Her hands were clenched into fists as she groaned again from the pain.

"Are you okay?" I asked, looking worried.

"It will pass." She retorted harshly. I let out a sigh and watched. A small line of blood was leaving her nose. This wasn't the first time this happened, and I wasn't sure what was causing it.

"Maybe we should go back to the group. Sango might be able to help you."

"No! I will not return! Do not speak of your father again!" She snapped, her dark eyes peering into me. I just simply nodded.

I have never hated Kikyou before in my life, but now I did. I wanted to kill her for what she has done to my family. She somehow knew about Father and Kagome and used that against us. Who could be so cruel as to do that? Kagome has felt enough hurt in her life and it needs to stop.

I snuck a glance towards the woman again and inwardly sighed. She absentmindedly had her hand resting over her mark as she stared out into the forest. The blood had been washed away and she now just sat deep in thought.

"Someone approaches." Kagome said, making me stand. She herself stood and walked out of the water. I quickly turned my head, giving her some privacy.

As she dried and dressed, I shot out my senses, searching for the one she spoke of. When I felt it, I instantly relaxed and sat back down. I wonder how this is going to go over. He's going to be pissed when he sees how Kagome is doing.

Just then, a little ball of orange fur launched itself out of the trees towards me. I caught him and held him to me as his arms wrapped around my neck. He had grown quite a bit since I last saw him. He now stood to just about my waist.

"Hey, Shippo." I said, causing the boy to smile up at me.

"InuYasha. Have you still been an idiot?" He asked playfully.

"I guess you could say that." I answered halfheartedly.

"What's wrong?" He replied. I just pointed to his mother figure and he turned in my arms to see her. When he tried to leave me, I held him there. I wasn't sure what she would do, and I wasn't going to let her hurt him.

"Mama? Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yes, I am. Of course, InuYasha believes that I am not." Kagome replied, her dark eyes flicking up to me.

"What happened to your eyes?"

"These are my new eyes. Do you not like them?" Kagome informed, cocking her head to the side.

"You don't seem like yourself, Mama." Shippo stated, pulling himself closer to me. Kagome sighed before beginning to walk away.

"It seems no one can accept me as the new Kagome. I will forever remain alone." She whispered as she weaved through the trees.

"Her reiki has taken over, Shippo. Go find the rest of the group. They will explain what happened to you." I ordered the small kit. He nodded his head and jumped from my arms before disappearing in the opposite direction.

I stood there for a few more seconds before following after Kagome. When I found her, she was standing beside a tree with her hand on it. She slowly turned to look at me and I swallowed. Her eyes seemed to search my entire being and it made me uncomfortable.

"It seems I still have feelings. The kit's rejection of me hurt more than I thought it would." Kagome admitted before turning her head back to the tree. "I wish to feel nothing. Can I trust you?"

"Of course, Kags. You are my best friend. But I don't think it's a good idea to feel nothing. I know right now it hurts, but if we just go back to Pops, we–"

"Enough." She snapped before placing a hand over her heart. A dark light surrounded her hand and I took a step back. I wasn't sure what she was doing, and I just hoped I could fix whatever it was.

After a few minutes, the light died away and Kagome turned to look at me. Her eyes were even darker now than they were before, and they now held no emotion at all. They were completely dull. Whatever she did, she succeeded in removing the last little bit of Kagome there was.

She held out her hand to me and I gasped. There, sitting in the palm of her hand, was a black stone. A stone that resembled Kagura's heart. The only difference: this was Kagome's heart. I looked up at her and held out my hand. She let it roll from her fingers so it landed in mine.

"You now have my heart, InuYasha. Isn't this what you always wanted?" She asked before turning and walking away.

"Not like this, Kagome." I whispered, fighting the tears that wanted to fall. I clenched my hand around the stone before pocketing it. Without another word, I followed behind the woman, praying that this could be fixed.

Mattaki

I slowly followed the group in front of me. We were following the path InuYasha had created for us. It seems Kagome was blocking both of their scents, but InuYasha was leaving little marks on the trees to help us follow them. I would have to find a way to thank the boy later, if I could ever get my Kagome back.

When a surge of pain went through my body, I placed my hand against a tree to support myself. The separation was becoming unbearable and I wasn't sure how much longer we would last. When the pain finally subsided, I opened my eyes to see the group looking at me sadly.

"Keep moving." I ordered. The last thing I wanted was everyone's pity. I didn't need it because I would find a way to bring Kagome back.

"Father, the miko's kit approaches." Sesshomaru stated, making me look up. Kagome had mentioned him a few times. I had always wanted to meet him, but now I wasn't so sure. What would he think of the man that hurt his mother?

"Sango!" An orange ball of fur called before crashing into the demon slayer.

"Hey, Shippo." Sango said sadly.

"What happened to Mama? She's so different." Shippo asked, tears running down his face.

"Have you seen her?" I asked, walking up to him. He looked up at me and nodded.

"InuYasha says her reiki has taken over. Her eyes are almost black." Shippo informed, making me close my eyes. How was I supposed to fight her reiki?

"Where were they?" I asked.

"About three miles that way." He informed, his little finger pointing in the direction he came from. I nodded at the kit and was about to take a step forward when a sudden jolt of pain coursed through me.

Instantly, my hand flew to my heart as I fell to my knees. I had never felt a pain like this before. It was as if my own heart was being ripped out. Sesshomaru was by my side instantly, trying to help me. I couldn't even breathe from the pain.

Throughout all of it, I realized I could no longer feel Kagome. Somehow, she had separated us, and fear pulsed through me. Did she somehow find a way to remove my courting mark? Did she find a way to separate herself from me?

"Kagome, what have you done?" I whispered as Sesshomaru put his arms under me and picked me up to my feet.

"We camp here." Sesshomaru ordered. Without even realizing it, I followed Sesshomaru to a nearby tree where he sat me down gently. He kneeled in front of me, his eyes full of worry.

"What has happened?" He asked.

"I don't know, but I can no longer feel her." I whispered before leaning my head on the tree. "I need her, Sesshomaru."

"We will find her." He replied.

"Finding her is easy. Getting her to come back to me will be the hard part." I retorted, looking away from him. He didn't say anything. He knew it was the truth and nothing he could say would make it better.

A few hours later, I hadn't even moved. I didn't want to. I just wanted to hold my miko and cuddle with her, but I was beginning to wonder if I would ever be able to do that again. It seems she is going out of her way to make it impossible for us to be together.

A rustling in the trees caught my attention, but I didn't move to look at it. I knew exactly who it was, and I wasn't sure what it meant if he was here. I looked up at the moon and wished that all of this could be over with. I just wanted Kagome back.

"Where is Pops?" InuYasha asked, stepping out of the trees. Nobody said anything, but I assume they motioned towards me because it didn't take long before he was making his way towards my crumpled form.

"InuYasha. Why are you here and not with her?" I quizzed, not looking at him.

"She has done something, and I'm not sure if it can be fixed." He answered, making me look at him. He held out his hand, and I did the same. A cool stone was dropped into my hand and I looked at it, confused.

"She didn't!" Kanna gasped, looking up towards InuYasha.

"She did." InuYasha remarked, looking at me sadly.

"What is this?" I asked, looking up at my son.

"She removed her heart." InuYasha explained, making my eyes snap down to the stone, no, heart, in my hand.

"Can she put it back?" I asked, my voice breaking.

"I don't know. At the moment, Kagome is gone. The only thing left is her reiki." InuYasha informed. "Look, I can't stay. I need to get back before she realizes I'm gone. I'm going to try and fix this, Pops."

I didn't say anything as he turned and left the camp. My eyes were trained on the stone in my hand. She removed her heart. This was what caused that pain earlier. She completely removed herself, not just from me, but from everyone.

My thumb trailed over the stone in my hand and I almost broke. I wanted her heart but not like this. I just wanted her to love me, just like I loved her. I moved my hand to my lap, my eyes never leaving the stone. I had to fix this.

"I love you, Kagome." I whispered out loud for the first time ever.

Kanna

I sat up from the ground and looked around. Everyone was asleep, and I was thankful for that. I looked towards Mattaki and could see that he had finally fallen asleep as well. I silently stood, my mirror in one of my hands. I made my way to Mattaki and kneeled beside him. Very gently, I pulled the heart from his hand and looked at it.

I may very well get exiled for what I was about to do, but Lady Kagome gave me my life back. Now I am going to give her heart back to her. I stood and placed the heart in my pocket. As I turned around, I couldn't help but gasp. Sesshomaru stood towering over me. His eyes spoke of rage and I hoped he would allow me to explain before he killed me.

"It's not what you think. I'm going to try and fix this." I whispered, not wanting to wake the others up.

"How can you fix this?" He asked, his eyes still untrusting.

"I can make her feel what he feels. I can make her see how much he loves her. I just need to get her heart back in her so I can do it. Trust me." I begged, hoping he would give me a chance. He looked at me for a second longer before turning and walking away. I relaxed before running out of the camp.

I need to remember to never get on his bad side. It didn't take long for me to reach Kagome and InuYasha. I hid behind a tree and looked over at the two. Lady Kagome was asleep while InuYasha watched over her.

I had to admit what he was doing was admirable. He was attempting to fix his mistakes; not many people would do that. His actions showed he has honor. If this ordeal can be fixed, the group will once again accept him. Now if only I could get them to trust me.

I picked up a small rock and threw it at him. I hadn't meant to but it collided right on his cheek. His head snapped towards me and when he saw me, I could tell he was mad. He stood up and quietly made his way towards me.

"Was that completely necessary?" He hissed, glaring at me. I looked up at him and smiled. His ears twitched, and I had the sudden urge to touch them but I fought it.

"I needed to get your attention. I have an idea on how to fix this, but you're not going to like it." I whispered.

"At this point, just about anything is worth a try." He sulked, his ears falling flat on his head.

"Well, I need to get her heart back in her. To do that, I am going to have to remove her reiki so she won't hurt us." I informed. His golden eyes snapped towards mine.

"Will that hurt her?" He asked, worried.

"No. It will make her weak at first, but if my plan works, I can give her back her reiki once she is herself again." I explained, hoping I could convince him to go along with it. He looked over to her before looking back at me. He gave a curt nod and I began walking towards the sleeping Kagome.

"What do I need to do?" He inquired, his face full of determination. I reached in my pocket and held out Kagome's heart.

"When I remove her reiki, put this back into her. I will take care of the rest." I instructed, not taking my eyes from Kagome.

"I'm surprised you got this from Pops." He scoffed.

"He doesn't know." I admitted.

"When he finds out, he's going to kill you."

"No, you will protect me." I stated as if it was true. I hoped it was.

Without saying another word, we stood above Kagome, looking at her sleeping form. I pulled out my mirror and held it above her. Very slowly, I began pulling her reiki into it. A black strand of energy was being pulled from the sleeping woman, straight into my void.

I was surprised that Kagome stayed asleep as long as she did, but as expected, her eyes eventually shot open. Her black orbs met mine, and I was instantly reminded of how I felt when I was under Naraku's control. I had to fix this.

"What are you doing?" She screeched, sitting up.

"InuYasha! Grab her!" I demanded.

He did as I asked and grabbed her shoulders to hold her down. While I was sucking out her reiki, she wouldn't be able to use it. Even so, she struggled against his hold and screamed as if I was killing her. InuYasha looked away and closed his eyes, not wanting to see the woman he cared deeply for act like this.

"Silence her. If Mattaki hears her, he will come. We can't have that until after I have finished." I instructed. He nodded before moving one of his hands from her shoulders and placing it over her mouth. His other hand grabbed her hands and held them over her head so she couldn't escape.

By now, I was working up a sweat trying to absorb all of her energy. She had much more than I thought possible. I was worried that my void wouldn't be able to hold it all, but unless I removed all of it, she didn't have a chance at being saved.

Finally, the last of her reiki was sucked into my mirror, and I let out a breath of relief. Kagome's eyes were now back to their normal blue, but they still lacked the depth they normally carried. I looked at InuYasha and nodded. He took his cue, releasing her mouth, grabbing her heart, and slamming it into her chest.

The moment he did so, Kagome let out a loud gasp as the organ was sucked back into its rightful place. Tears instantly fell from her eyes and her gasp turned into sobs. When she went limp in InuYasha's arms, he picked her up and held her to him.

"Why? Why did you do this to me?" Kagome begged, her tear-filled eyes looking at me.

"I am making you see the mistake in your actions. That yokai loves you more than he has ever loved anything in his life. You never even gave him a chance when Izayoi showed up. You just automatically assumed that he would leave you like InuYasha did. You are wrong. He is devastated right now because you left. Do you love him, Kagome?" I stated, not caring if my words hurt her or InuYasha. It needed to be said, and I wasn't willing to spare either of their feelings if it meant everything could be fixed.

"I can't let myself love again." Kagome yelled, her hands tightening in InuYasha's haori.

"Do you love him?" I asked.

"No." She snapped.

"Do you love him?"

"I said no!"

"Do you love him?"

"Yes! Yes, I love him!" She yelled, finally admitting to herself how she felt.

"Let me show you how he feels about you." I offered, holding out my mirror. Kagome looked at me for a moment before nodding.

I instantly pulled Mattaki's emotions into my mirror before projecting them to Kagome. She gasped immediately. I was only showing her how much he loved her, not how much he was hurting at the moment. Knowing her, if she knew just how much she had broken his heart, she would feel ashamed.

More tears fell down her face and she nodded. I knew she was finally beginning to understand just how much that man cared for her. She covered her face and began sobbing into her hands. InuYasha held on to her and soothed her as she cried. I sat down on the ground and pulled the emotions back. It would take a bit, but once she calmed down, we would find out if what I did had worked.

It took a few hours, but soon enough, she did calm down. She wiped away her tears and looked towards me. I was glad to see her eyes back to normal. They held the light that they always had. I couldn't help but smile towards her.

"How is he?" She asked, still looking upset.

"He is sad. He misses you, Lady Kagome." I answered.

"Do you think he can forgive me?" She asked.

"Keh. You're still an idiot. He'll be so happy to have you back that he won't even remember that you left." InuYasha said, making me chuckle.

"I agree with him. When you return to Mattaki, everything will be just fine." I answered, giving her a warm smile.

"In the morning, I want to go back. I want to make things better." Kagome said, her face full of determination.

"Of course, Lady Kagome." I said before my eyes met with InuYasha's. It almost looked as if he was grateful. I turned my eyes away and couldn't stop the blush from forming on my cheeks. What is this feeling that I have right now?

-sSs-

I do not own InuYasha.