A/N – Oh mah! I can't believe I'm up to eleven reviews, and I've only gotten three chapters up! I have you guys all to thank, you're what keep me going! I truly appreciate all the reviews and favorites, it's made this story my priority for the moment. XD I never thought it'd catch on like it did, so thank you guys, and much thanks to Tsukiyomi Lien. That made my day, and it's just starting! Haha, well anyway, here is Chapter 4! Mature themes warning to this chapter, and Kikyo/Inuyasha haters must be warned. A lot. I don't own Inuyasha or the characters, just the story line. :]

Chapter Four – Magical Stone-Throwing Gnomes

"I own and operate a ferocious ego." -Bill Moyers

The God Tree, as Kagome had expected, brought on more questions than answers. But it gave her a little insight, and for that she was slightly grateful. She wasn't grateful for the pounding headache blooming behind her eyes, though. She thought back to the vision of Kikyo bowing to some other priestess while she held a knife to Inuyasha's neck. Although the so called priestess wore the normal garb, Kagome suspected that she was more demon than human. And her face was hidden. The only problem was that she didn't know how far into the future that vision was. Or that it was even going to happen. She made a mental note to warn Inuyasha about it later. For now, the exhaustion that was settling in her bones was making it hard to focus on where she was even going. The light of the day had long since faded into darkness, the stars above her a cold, bright silver. Waving silver hair as he walked away. Her thoughts had kept wandering back to him, still confused as to why he saved her. It just didn't make any sense.

Cool night air was settling over the land, and even though it was summer, the evenings here had a tendency to be cooler than normal. Making a frustrated noise, Kagome increased her speed, trying to remember the exact location of her hut. As she passed Kaede's hut, she heard the old woman's soft snore. Smiling, she continued on her way, finally making it to the hut. She was half asleep by the time her head hit the pillow.

0-0-0-0-0 Warning. Young look away. XD

Kagome hadn't heard what was going on just a few huts away, in pitch blackness. Kikyo's light pants and Inuyasha's ragged breaths were just quiet enough not to wake anyone. "Ngh. Kikyo..." Inuyasha groaned as he thrust deeply into her. Her nails left little red trails down his back in her fight to pull him closer; her usually stoic face lost in ecstasy. His lips sealed over hers, hot against cool, teeth grazing her bottom lip. He grasped her hips harder, his claws digging in to her skin as he fought for release. He drove them faster, pressing her up against a wall. Just as she was about to moan, he caught her lips again, rubbing his tongue against hers. Her arms twined around his neck, hands grabbing fistfuls of his hair while one of his hands used the wall for leverage. The beautiful pressure was building up; Inuyasha trailed wet kisses down to her throat, where he bit down a little harshly, growling deep in his throat. His thrusts grew frenzied, and he kissed Kikyo again, drinking in her moans and whimpers. Her body seized for a moment as her orgasm took hold, her nails breaking the skin of his back. Inuyasha blinked, and for a split second, in the darkness that Kikyo couldn't see, he saw Kagome's face below him, twisted in pleasure. He groaned, and came half a second later.

After the high of his orgasm, a pit of guilt curled it's way into his stomach. He was silent for most of the night, pondering why he'd thought of her then, of all times. Kikyo gazed at him strangely a few times, her eyes unreadable. "Kikyo... Come here." Inuyasha's eyes were soft light gold in the darkness. She lay next to him, glad that the girl was finally out of the picture. His arm rested around her waist, his drowsiness gaining power over him. "I love you."

"I love you, Inuyasha." She murmured. His deep breathing was the only sound that was left, but she couldn't sleep. Kikyo lay there, content for the moment. It could have been an hour, or just five minutes, she didn't know. Until a presence made itself known, only to her. Sliding away without waking him, Kikyo slipped on her clothes, standing stone still in the darkness. Her powers were less now, but she could still fight if need be. Her bow, she realized, was not there. She'd left it at Kaede's hut.

"Now, now, Kikyo, do not fret." The presence was now inside the hut, but she couldn't see the face. "I'm not going to harm you or your half demon. For now." It was female, or at least, that's what it sounded like.

"What do you want?" Kikyo asked, her voice a dead pan.

The presence, a mere figure in the heavy darkness, chuckled. "Your services, of course." The figure tilted it's head, and Kikyo caught the glint of faintly glowing red eyes.

Silence. "For what purpose?"

The eyes glowed brighter this time, alight with madness. "To eliminate all demons and half demons, of course."

It was obvious that the figure was just a shell to allow whatever thing that possessed her to move her limbs about as it pleased. "How would this be to my advantage?" Kikyo's voice was steadily calm, unwavering.

The figure laughed again. "The life of your mate would be an advantage." A blade flashed, this time half a centimeter from Inuyasha's throat. If he were cut there, or stabbed, he would be very hard pressed to survive, that is, if the knife didn't kill him on impact. "What do you say, eh? Will you serve me?" Triumph thinly veiled the malice that was seething below the surface.

Kikyo knew that she could not win without killing Inuyasha in the process. "Yes... Master. I will serve you." She said, bowing stiffly and detesting every moment of it.

"Good." The woman cackled quietly, poison dripping off of her next words. "I will send you information on what I wish you to do. You must follow orders, or your half breed will die. And you shall follow him. Be warned. Disloyalty begets slow death." And then the figure was gone, leaving Kikyo to make sense of the aftermath.

0-0-0-0-0

Kagome decided that she hated being an early riser. But Kaede, on the other hand, was queen of getting up early. "Wake up, Kagome! If I am to teach you, we must do it in early morning."

Groaning, she dragged herself out of her sleeping bag, and blinked a few times to wake herself up. Shippou helped, of course. "Kagome!" The little fox yelled, jumping up to her shoulder.

"Good morning, Shippou. How did you sleep?" She smiled brightly at him, giving him a hug. Nothing like a dose of hopped up Shippou in the morning to get you going.

"Great! Kaede made a fire in her hut, and I guess I must have fallen asleep next to it."

"Here, Shippou, why don't you go draw with these while I work with Kaede?" Kagome dug through one of the bags and gave him crayons and paper. "I'll join you later today, and then we can go bug Inuyasha and eat ramen in front of him. How's that?" Shippou grinned.

"Thanks Kagome!" He said as he bounded out the door, no doubt to find Inuyasha and brag. She smiled after him for a moment, grateful again to be alive.

Kaede turned out to be quite an energetic teacher, in her own roundabout way. It was only noon when they stopped, and already Kagome had learned how to recognize the flu from a cold, and what to treat both with, then how to dress a wound and what kind of salve to use. She was sure that after a while, her medical supplies would run out, and the things she learned here would help her if she or anyone she knew got hurt. It was a comforting thought, and one she relished in knowing. Kaede was smiling at her. "You have done well on your first day, Kagome."

"Thank you, Kaede." Kagome smiled back.

"Well, I have other things to do, so if you would like, run along." Kaede sighed as Kagome walked out of the door, waving to her. Oh, to be young again, she thought wistfully. Kagome wandered until she found Inuyasha, Kikyo, and Shippou, all hanging out, slightly outside of the clearing.

Sango and Miroku weren't back yet, and Inuyasha was starting to get antsy. "I swear, if they aren't back by sunset, I'm going after them." He grumbled, crossing his arms. Shippou was still drawing, totally involved in it, actually, he hadn't even noticed Kagome's presence. Rolling her eyes at Inuyasha, she glanced at Kikyo, who seemed a little more glacial than normal, if that was even possible. She looked spaced out, and a little distressed.

Kagome frowned, but said nothing of it as she sat down next to Shippou. After defeating Naraku, that left the group with little to do besides get rid of demons here and there, so it was rational for Inuyasha to get bored. "Kagome! Look what I drew! It's Sango and Miroku!"

Truly, it was. For Shippou's age, he was a good artist. Sango and Miroku were holding hands, and a giant heart was floating between their heads. She laughed, "That's great, Shippou! You need to show that to them when they get back!" Inuyasha glanced at her for a moment, a strange emotion flickering across his face, but it was gone too quickly for Kagome to even recognize it. Kikyo tilted her head to the side, as if she wasn't used to hearing laughter. Which, Kagome thought, was entirely possible. Hell, no one knows where she's been in the past few years. She made a mental note to laugh more often, and to try to make Kikyo smile once. After all, she hoped there was no bad blood between them. Kikyo's eyes locked with hers, and she seemed almost confused. But before Kagome could make a comment, Kikyo averted her gaze.

Joining Shippou in his drawing, she wrote his name a few times and taught him how to write it. He was ecstatic, and kept asking her to teach him how to write more. "Of course, Shippou, you need to know these kinds of things when you grow up." The thought of him growing up caused an unexpected twist in her heart. Along with the things she'd brought, There were books on random subjects, some of her favorites, and a few on math. She didn't want to just forget everything she'd worked so hard at all those years, that would just be a waste.

Not long later, Sango and Miroku returned, bringing with them a bag of coins. "There was nothing there besides a lizard demon and pretty maidens, Miroku. And you know it." Sango said, sounding annoyed. Kagome grinned and gave her a hug, startling Sango out of her annoyance for a moment.

"Oh, hello Kagome. How have you been?" Sango asked, concern in her eyes.

Kagome waved a hand dismissively. "I'm alright. Are you two hungry? I was just about to make lunch."

Miroku smiled at her. "Your kindness knows no bounds, Kagome."

Turning to prepare some food, Kagome sighed. "Whatever, Miroku." Inuyasha snorted.

After a rather awkward lunch, on account of Kikyo and her unnerving dark eyes, was through, Miroku had wandered off to meditate, and Shippou had gone to play with some of the children of the village. "So, Kagome, are you ready to start?"

Kagome blinked. She hadn't expected this yet. "Uh. You mean now?"

"Why not?" Sango asked, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Come on. I'll warn you though, I won't be teaching you any moves just yet. We're going to run." It was Sango's turn to grin. Oh, no. Kagome thought. Well, I wanted to do this.

Running with Sango was a lot more tiring than Kagome had ever thought. She was ten times more in shape, and her stamina was never ending. For the first half twenty minutes, they had talked, but after that, talking caused too much effort for Kagome. Sango just laughed lightly. "Come on, Kagome, you've got a mile left in you." She urged. Kagome's feet burned, her lungs burned, and her mouth was dry. Gulping air, she forced herself on. Sango was effortless, her strides never breaking, never faltering. At the end of the run, they ended up outside of Kaede's hut. It was late afternoon, and Kagome's face was bright red.

Kagome staggered into the hut. "Kaede! I need some water, please." She managed breathlessly. Kaede laughed heartily and gestured to the barrel of fresh water in the corner, a little wooden cup next to it. She took large mouthfuls of water, savoring the coolness. "Thank you." She said. Sango took a few drinks as well, her face a only slightly red.

"In the mood for a bath in the hot springs?" Sango suggested after they'd relaxed from the run.

"When am I not?" Kagome countered, snickering. They gathered their things and left. The hot water felt... awesome, for lack of words, on her tired muscles.

Sango slipped in a moment later. "How are you holding up, Kagome?" Always thinking of other people.

"Well, you know. Everyone has to move on if they want to live life." Kagome sighed, tilting her head back to get her hair wet.

"When did you get so wise?" Sango's brown eyes were alight with what looked like admiration.

Kagome snorted. "Come on, Sango. Me? Wise? The two don't mix."

Sango laughed then, a loud, joyful one that Kagome hadn't heard in a while. "Kagome, sometimes I wonder how you don't realize that you are a very..." She couldn't find the right word. "...Good person."

Kagome's giggles died down. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Thank you, Sango." She'd never really thought of herself the way that Sango apparently thought of her.

0-0-0-0-0

Night had fallen on Edo by the time Sango and Kagome returned, and all she wanted to do was sleep. Almost to her hut, Shippou jumped on her shoulder. "Kagome, is it okay if I sleep with you now? Kaede snores really loud." He looked tired.

"Shippou, you didn't even have to ask, hon." Kagome murmured as he fell down into the curve of her arm, half asleep. "Goodnight." She kissed the top of his head.

"Mm... Night.. Kagome." His voice was muddled with sleep. She smiled down at him. I may not be his real mother, but I'm going to do the best I can from now on. I'll promise you that, Shippou. She thought as she brought him into the hut and set him down on the sleeping bag, following after she changed. He curled into the crook of her neck, and Kagome petted his hair softly, falling asleep as she did so.

The first thing Kagome did when she woke up was groan. Her legs were sore. Shippou was still sleeping soundly, so she stayed quiet as she went around the little hut and got ready. She pulled a few of the books she'd mentioned the day before out of her bag. The silence of the early morning let her mind wander. Long, silver hair flashed in her head. I still can't fathom why he'd want to save me. There wasn't any good reason. I know, that's a slightly morbid though, but really. It doesn't make sense. Not... that I'm ungrateful or anything. Kagome shook her head slowly. Soft morning light filtered through the screen over the doorway. She picked up her grandfather's beads and slipped them around her wrist, staring at them for a moment.

"Shippou, it's time to wake up." Kagome leaned over him, her eyes bright.

"Kagome?" He asked groggily.

"Yep. Get up, sleepy." She said, smiling.

"You don't snore." Shippou said, grinning.
Kagome laughed. "Yeah, yeah. Do you think you could find the others, if they're awake, and tell them I'll be making tea in a few minutes at Kaede's hut?"

Shippou nodded. "Sure Kagome!" He bounded off without a second thought.

The only people awake, it turned out, were Miroku, Inuyasha, and Kirara. Kaede, of course, was already awake and bustling around, providing Kagome with tea cups. "Why good morning, Kagome. You look well." Miroku greeted as he sat down on the cool ground. Shippou sat proudly on his shoulder.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Morning Miroku. Morning Inuyasha. Good morning Kirara. Where's Kikyo?"

Inuyasha grunted. "Still sleeping." He said, sniffing the air.

Kirara rubbed against Kagome's leg, meowing. She pulled a little treat out of the pocket of her jeans and gave it to the cat demon. She started purring contentedly. "I thought you'd like that." Kagome said, smiling. Buyo had loved those treats. Finishing with the tea, she handed the cups to them, leaving a small cup on the ground for Kirara.

Kaede had a cup as well. There wasn't much conversation, everyone was still trying to wake up, aside from the old woman herself. The sun was already out, proving it was going to be a warm day, if not hot. "Well, Kagome. Are you ready for today?"

"No, but let's do this." Kagome said, preparing herself for the day. Miroku chuckled. Until about a little after noon, Kaede taught Kagome about sacred sutras and a little bit about sealing. Miroku was actually a part of the lesson that day, showing his surprising knowledge on the subject. Kagome recognized little things here and there, having listened to Gramps more than a few times about the sutras. Most of what Gramps had talked about was true, he just hadn't had that much power in that area. After her 'lessons', as she liked to call them, were done, she made sat outside for a moment. Inuyasha and Kikyo were talking quietly, and Kagome waited for a moment to speak.

"Inuyasha, I want to ask you something about a vision I saw." She said, memories of the giant mural and of sitting in a field with Rin, Shippou, and Sesshoumaru coming to her mind.

He blinked. "Um... Sure, Kagome."

"I figured I'd ask you. You're a dog demon, and this might make sense to you, but I'm not sure." Kagome blurted. "I saw a painting on a wall of a giant white dog on it's hind paws in front of a crescent moon. Do you know anything about it?" She hoped he did.

Inuyasha was taken aback for a moment. "That's the symbol of my old man. The crest of the family or something like that. Since when have you been having visions?" His voice was sharp, curious.

Kagome shook her head. "You know the tree you were pinned to? The God Tree?" She asked, a little more confused than she had been before.

"How could I forget?" His voice darkened a little.

"It talked to me. And... it gave me visions." Kagome finished a little lamely.

Kikyo snapped back into reality. "The God Tree gave you visions?" Her voice held incredulity.

"Yeah. Weird stuff happens to me, I guess." Kagome shrugged.

She looked a little confused, which was weird, because she barely showed emotion. "That is quite strange. I would advise you to heed the visions well, Kagome." Kagome made a funny face. That was the first time that Kikyo had used her name, or spoken directly to her... In a long time. And it wasn't even a shot at her. It was advice.

Her eyebrow raised, Kagome grinned. "No problem. Thanks... Kikyo. And thank you, Inuyasha." She got up, throwing one last smile in Kikyo's direction before heading toward the God Tree. The stone pendant around her neck weighed a little heavier than normal as she held it in her hand. None of the visions made much sense. Maybe some meditation would help clear her mind. It only took her a few minutes to reach it. She sat quietly, slowing her breathing. With every breath, she swept a little more of her uneasiness and confusion away, until she had relaxed. She didn't know how long she sat there, but a few steps toward her shook her out of her calming reverie.

"Kagome, aren't we supposed to be training?" Sango asked, grinning. "Sorry to interrupt you, but you've been out here a little over an hour. Come on, we got running to do!" She said, helping Kagome to her feet.

"You got me." Kagome sighed, defeated. She giggled.

"Here, put this on your shoulders." Sango held out a pack, and when Kagome grabbed it, she almost groaned at the weight. It felt like Sango had just tossed a bunch of rocks in it. She glanced inside and mentally face-palmed. Rocks. Great.

"It's not that heavy. Alright, let's go!" A light jog started it as they ran along the paths throughout the forest, passing the well and the God Tree a few times. Kagome was panting like a dog, No offense, Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru. She thought. The weight wasn't that bad to start out with, but the longer she ran, the heavier it got. She swore there was a magical gnome throwing rocks into the pack whenever she wasn't paying attention.

Kagome made a mental note to bring a water bottle next time, and wear shorts. The jeans were a sweat factory, and they were sticking to her legs. Which was always gross. They finally stopped about an hour and a half later. "You did better today, Kagome."

"Really? I thought I did terrible." She let the pack of rocks drop to the ground and then followed it a second later. Kaede had moved the barrel of water outside, and now Kagome was downing water faster than a sponge.

"No, it wasn't that bad. You must be used to a little bit of weight from that huge pack you carry around all the time." Sango observed as she took a drink from her cup.

"Thanks." Kagome paused. "It's going to get heavier, isn't it?"

"Yes." Sango said, amused.

Kagome made a strangled noise in her throat. "This is gonna be really hard." Sango remembered her training and nodded in agreement. But, hopefully, it'll be worth it. Kagome thought, determination steeling her nerves. Inuyasha and Kikyo had gone off somewhere, Miroku was watching Shippou and the other children play, and Kaede had gone off to help a young woman with her pregnancy. The older woman had mentioned that she was close to giving birth, and that Kagome would help with it. She'd blanched a little at that.

The sun was setting again in the sky. It was.. what? Her fifth night there? She wasn't ecstatic, but she was comfortable. Kagome didn't mind this place at all. It was.. nice. The stars were always so bright. Making a quick dinner for everyone, she smiled and laughed, hiding her grief away for now. After dinner, her and Shippou went to their hut. "Alright Shippou, time for sleep." She said, trying to get him to calm down. "If you go to sleep, we can climb trees tomorrow. Okay?"

Shippou bounced, then caught himself. "Okay, Kagome. You promise?" He held up his pinky finger.

Kagome giggled, and locked her finger with his. "Promise. Now sleep." She said gently, extinguishing the candle and laying down. "Goodnight Shippou."

He smiled sleepily. "Goodnight... Kagome." Sitting in the darkness of her hut, she realized she didn't have her grandfather's beads. Her eyes teared up, but she refused to let them fall. Sighing heavily, she tried to push away the pain in her heart for now. Sleep claimed her a few moments later.

0-0-0-0-0

He'd heard them earlier, running through the forests and stirring the animals up. As Sesshoumaru walked across the path that led to the God Tree, he stopped, sniffing carefully. Her scent had passed here a few times, with the demon slayer. Glancing down on the ground, he saw a small circlet of beads laying on the ground. He stared at it for a moment, debating. Kneeling, he picked it up and straightened quickly. His claws grazed the aged wood of the beads as he inspected it. Some of the scent is hers, but someone else originally owned it. Sesshoumaru took another curious sniff. Someone she was related to? It was familiar in a way, but definitely male, and human. He realized he'd never smelled this man before, which brought about a little more confusion, which, he didn't need.

Softly sighing, he began walking toward the village, following only scent. She smelled of exhaustion, but also gentle calm. It is rather soothing. A voice chimed in his head. Snarling quietly, he shoved the voice back into the depths of his head. The scent trail led him to a small hut on the edges of the village; there was a breeze that blew her scent his way through the screen that covered the doorway. Sesshoumaru's footsteps were silent as he walked past the screen, knowing full well that someone would recognize his scent there.

Inside, there she lay. Her scent permeated everything, even the fox laying at her side smelled slightly like her. The center of his confusion. Sesshoumaru stood above her, holding the beads in one hand. I could end this. End her. He frowned at the beads, then glanced at her. She was calm, her breathing soft and her black hair spread about her. He remembered, with perfect clarity, that her eyes were brown. But strikingly so. Being as smooth as possible in his movements, he took one of her wrists, lifting it gently, so she wouldn't wake. Her pulse thrummed in her veins; they seemed so thin and delicate. He knew that he could break her. So very easily. Her skin was warm as well, almost as warm as his own, which was unusual, since his normal body temperature was higher than a normal human's. He slipped the beads on quickly, replacing her hand to it's original place and then turning out of the small hut. This must stop. Sesshoumaru thought as he sped away from the village.

I am unsure that I want it to end. A voice deep within himself murmured. Four trees fell less than a second later, the trunks dissolving in poison.

End of Chapter Four – Magical Stone-Throwing Gnomes

A/N – Enjoy! :D Reviews and Favorites are like my personal energy drink. XD See you next chapter!