Chapter 3- Hearing Kagome's Voice

This is during season 1 episode 23 "Kagome's Voice and Kikyo's Kiss". What if Kikyo never paralyzed Kagome to see her spell on Inuyasha, but Kagome witnessed the whole conversation between Inuyasha and Kikyo deep in the forest? She saw Kikyo dragging him to Hell, but Kagome saved him from her voice, and Inuyasha thought he heard Kagome calling him.

As Inuyasha rushed to find Kikyo after hearing the monk's story, he went to the riverbank where Kikyo was last seen according to the monk, leaving Miroku and Shippo behind. When he arrived to the riverbank, he took deep breaths from his running and said, "This is it. This is the place the monk told us about."

Then, he spotted something at the rocks nearby the riverbank. As he picked it up, he asked himself, "What is this? A hairband?"

He pictured Kikyo removing her hairband that makes her hair from ponytail to straight hair. He said, "Kikyo, are you really still alive?"

From that moment, Inuyasha headed north of the riverbank to find Kikyo until he spotted Kikyo's soul collectors. He said, "Huh? Them again. It's the demons that were taking off with the souls."

As he leaped onto the log, he saw the soul collectors enter into the spirit shield. He thought, "Kikyo must be on the other side. Kikyo, is it really you?"

Meanwhile, Kikyo woke up from her sleep on the tree branches, and was notified from one of her soul collectors that Inuyasha came to see her. She opened the spirit shield, so Inuyasha can pass and see her. However, Kikyo never noticed that there was someone watching her deep in the forest, and it was Kagome, hiding in her green cloak with her hood up. As Kagome was watching her gather souls of the dead, she saw Inuyasha coming towards Kikyo. Since she was far away from them, she went closer quietly to the nearest tree without them knowing, so she can hear them. Kagome saw how Inuyasha looked stunned when he saw Kikyo because the last time he saw her was when the demon witch, Urasue, kidnapped Kagome because Urasue needed Kagome's soul to resurrect Kikyo from the dead. Then, Kagome's soul was brought back into her body after Inuyasha and Kikyo fought about what happened fifty years ago. Finally, Inuyasha tried to save Kikyo from falling off the cliff, but Kikyo luckily survived from the fall.

Inuyasha started talking to Kikyo, while looking at her. "Kikyo. So you're the one doing it, gathering the souls of dead women."

Kikyo turned around to face Inuyasha. "My body is molded from the earth and bones from my gravesite. It must be sustained by human souls if I have to remain here. Inuyasha, you must despise me. I have drawn in the souls of the dead to maintain my presence, and it is my hatred of you that fuels my actions."

Inuyasha was shocked about what she just said. He said, "That's just ludicrous. You may very well despise me, but the feelings not mutual. Kikyo, I never stop thinking about you, not even for an instant."

When Inuyasha confessed to Kikyo like that, Kagome suddenly felt sad that he didn't have any feelings for her before he pushed her down to the well. Kagome realized she loved him before Kikyo was revived because from the moment he leaned into her face when they went back to Kaede's village and found out that Kikyo's ashes were stolen, part of her said that he was freaking her out by the way he was acting towards her, but the other part her wanted him to kiss her.

As Kagome continued to spy on them, Kikyo faced away from Inuyasha as he said, "I could never hate you or think less of you. It's your spirit I care for, not your appearance."

Kikyo suddenly said, "Truly Inuyasha. You wouldn't?"

Then, she turned around as she caressed his cheek with her left hand as she said, "You wouldn't despise me if I use these hands to steal the life from you."

Kikyo closed her eyes as she put her lips onto Inuyasha's, and Kagome felt very heartbroken when she witnessed what Kikyo did in front of her. As Kikyo stopped kissing him, she hugged him, saying, "Inuyasha, after I meeting you, I renounce my position as a shrine priestess. I became an ordinary woman. I longed to embrace you like this when I was alive."

Inuyasha hugged her back, and thought, "Kikyo's scent is so familiar. Her fragrance is just as it used to be. The only difference is that she has no warmth. Her body is cold from death, and she is sad and lonely."

Kikyo continued to talk as she was still embracing him. She said, "We are unable to turn back the hands of time. So, please, allow me to embrace you any longer."

Inuyasha talked back, "I can't save you. I can't do anything to help you, except stay like this. If only time could stand still."

Kikyo asked Inuyasha, "Would you agree to that if I did stop time?"

Inuyasha answered, "Yes… I don't care, as long as… as long as I'm with you."

Kagome put her hand on the tree bark, and cried about what Inuyasha just said to Kikyo. She thought, "I wish Inuyasha would say something to me like that. I wish he would love me like how much I love him."

Suddenly, she felt an aura coming from Kikyo and Inuyasha that she saw what Kikyo was going to do to Inuyasha. Kikyo thought, "Inuyasha, I would never let you go. Come with me to the depths of Hell."

Kagome started to panic, and think of what to do to save Inuyasha's life from being dragged to Hell with Kikyo. She did the one thing that could get his attention: she used her voice. She shouted from the tree she was hiding, "Wake up! Don't let her take you Inuyasha! Inuyasha! INUYASHA!"

Inuyasha started to wake up from the sound of Kagome's voice, and told himself, "That's Kagome's voice. Kagome? Is she here?"

Kagome immediately left them, and ran off as Inuyasha looked around and saw no one else there, but he realized what Kikyo was doing to him and got himself out of Kikyo's Hell Spell. He asked her, "Kikyo, what in the world do you think you're doing?"

Kikyo stopped what she was doing, and got up on her feet. She answered, "I am taking you to the depths of Hell with me."

Inuyasha suddenly said, "I'm sorry, Kikyo. I need to avenge your death before I go any further. I realized that you are not the Kikyo I loved fifty years ago, but you only loved me to become a regular human. There is only one person who accepted me as a half demon, and she was my strength in battle."

Kikyo got angry that she asked, "It's that girl who stole my soul, isn't it?"

Inuyasha said, "First of all, that girl has a name, and it is Kagome. Second of all, I realized I don't love you anymore. I love Kagome!"

Kikyo flew with her soul collectors that she said the last thing to Inuyasha, "Inuyasha, never forget. Remember the feel of my lips against yours, for it was real."

Inuyasha said, "Goodbye, Kikyo."

After she left, Inuyasha rushed to the Bone Eater's Well as he realized that he made a mistake of pushing Kagome down to the well for her own safety. He passed Miroku and Shippo as they were running towards him. Shippo asked, "Inuyasha, where are you going?"

Inuyasha answered, "What's it look like I'm doing? I'm going to get Kagome back."

When Miroku and Shippo heard what Inuyasha said, they look at each other and decided to follow him to the Bone Eater's Well.

As Inuyasha saw the well, he jumped in to go to Kagome's era as Miroku and Shippo waited for him to return.

Meanwhile, as Inuyasha reached to Kagome's era, he got out of the well house, and get Kagome. When he went inside the house, he only saw Kagome's family at the dinner table, but no Kagome. He asked her family, "Where's Kagome?"

Kagome's family remembered what Kagome said in case if Inuyasha comes here, which was to lie in front of him. Kagome's mom answered, "She's gone, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha looked horrified, "What do you mean she's gone?"

Kagome's grandfather clarified for him, "We looked everywhere for her. The last time we saw her was a few days after she came back from the Feudal Era."

Inuyasha asked again, "You haven't seen her since then?"

Sota said, "Nope. She somehow disappeared without letting us know. No note, no traces, nothing. I know she didn't go back with you because I didn't see her sacred jewel shards anywhere."

Inuyasha said, "Okay. If you see her, tell her I stopped by."

Kagome's mom notified him, "Don't worry, Inuyasha. Kagome is my daughter. She's a strong girl, and she can take care of herself."

Right then there, Inuyasha left to go back to the Feudal Era, and Shippo saw blue lights from inside the well. He approached to it, and said, "Kagome?"

Inuyasha jumped up and said, "She's gone."

Miroku asked, "What do you mean she's gone?"

Inuyasha answered, "Her family and I looked for her. I think she disappeared from both of our worlds."

Miroku and Shippo had a scared look on their faces when they realized they might've lost their best friend of the group.