Author's Note: Sorry that I'm like, 2 months late on this chapter. :( But here it is.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha...


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Chapter 11: Where Do We Go From Here?

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There was a knock on the door and Kagome went to get it, a smile lit on her face. She opened the door to greet the room service man as he wheeled the cart of food into the room. He left her with high hopes of meeting her again after seeing her on television from the weekend's events. Kagome shut the door as the man left and went over to the cart to examine the breakfast that she got for her and Inuyasha. 'Inuyasha…' Kagome's eyes averted to the view of Inuyasha's room since the door was still hanging open on the hinges, unable to close again. She hadn't heard from him since he left. Well, she overheard some talk but he had gone outside to talk to Kikyo and she had figured to take a shower so she could avoid trying to snoop. Kagome sighed, thinking that she was terrible, and wheeled the tray to the dining table.

Inuyasha stepped in just as she got into her seat.

"Oh," Kagome said, surprised, her hands right above the table. "The food just arrived."

Inuyasha smiled with a nod. "I heard…" He was wearing a black surfing shorts with red flames dancing along the bottom near his knees. Kagome's eyes lingered on his chest, making her lose all train of thought as he noticed her distraction. Inuyasha smirked, his pride and approval setting in, and walked over to the dining table. All the while, Kagome was staring at his chest, drooling like a lost puppy. "Hungry?" he asked, snapping Kagome out of her thoughts as her eyes looked sheepishly up at him. Inuyasha chuckled and moved to her side, grabbing her chin with both hands and claiming her lips as his own. 'Mine.'

Kagome moaned and was released from his hold. "Yes, I am," she said with a moan. Inuyasha smiled and turned to reveal the omelets and pancakes underneath the silver covers. He placed their food on the table and all the commodities and utensils while Kagome poured their orange juice into the available glass cups and they began to eat their breakfast.

"So… ready for the beach?" she said, taking note of his surf shorts.

Inuyasha nodded his head, shoving food into his mouth as he talked to her. "I wanna try and catch some waves."

Kagome arched her eyebrow as he kept eating. "Hungry are we?" she asked with a chuckle. Inuyasha looked up at her, stopping his hand's movement to his mouth in midair. He smirked and arched his eyebrows in answer.

"Yep. I wanna hurry up and finish my breakfast so I can have my desert."

Kagome rolled her eyes and began to eat her omelet, dipping it into ketchup. "There is no desert in the morning."

Inuyasha chuckled, his eyes going back to his pancakes as he took a bite of the sweet syrup. "We'll see," he said with a challenge. Kagome glared at him, but he kept his eyes on his food, a smirk on his face. Kagome sighed with a smile and kept eating, both making small talk about the food and the beach day today.

After breakfast was done, Inuyasha placed everything back onto the cart and wheeled it outside. Kagome walked over to the phone near the bed and dialed room service, telling them that they were finished with the cart. Once she hung up, she noticed Inuyasha walking towards her, a smile lit on his face.

Kagome hung up, her eyes wide and her hands going up in defense. "Oh, no." Inuyasha wiggled his eyebrows and kissed her hard, as if he's never seen her in days, and she moaned into his aggressiveness. He pushed her back against the mattress, her legs hanging off the bed as he slid onto her body. Kagome groaned and Inuyasha pulled back from the kiss, trailing kisses down her chin and onto her neck. She had on a black spaghetti strap and a black and white skirt with her bathing suit underneath. Inuyasha slid his way down her body, taking in her scent and the smell of him all over her.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome groaned, unable to stop the desire that she felt for him even though they had just shared an unimaginable amount of passion for each other last night. She was still a bit sore, and found herself a bit wobbly when she got up to take a shower this morning, but her body just wanted him. Her body was betraying her. "We can't possibly… do it again…" she said between pants, her womb clenching in anticipation. He was spreading her legs apart as he knelt to his knees, his shoulders above the mattress.

"Shhh…" Inuyasha whispered, lifting her skirt up to reveal the pink bottom she wore that matched her pink top that wrapped around her neck. "Just let me do the work." Inuyasha lifted her skirt onto her abdomen and slid her bottom down to her knees. He stood up and took off his shorts, his dick standing firm in all its glory. He could smell Kagome's arousal, strong in his nose, and he couldn't stand the waiting any longer.

Kagome looked up at Inuyasha, seeing the cruel etch on his face as he gazed down at her body. He came down onto her like an animal, ruthless and aggressive, but she accepted him. He plunged into her, making Kagome cry out at the invasion as he stretched her. On and on Inuyasha went, needing Kagome's cries and moans, but most of all, needing her. His face was in anguish as he held himself above her and thrust deeper and harder into Kagome. She hung onto his back, raking against him with her nails. Her bottom slid down to her ankles and she worked frustratingly to get it off, Inuyasha not wanting to stop his assault on her. She knew this was what he was, this was who Inuyasha was underneath it all. He could be sweet and gentle, as he was with her last night, and he could be aggressive and ruthless, as he is now. Kagome got her bottom off, thankfully, and wrapped her legs around his waist.

Once Inuyasha felt her legs wrap around him he pushed into her, driving her further onto the bed, so he too could get on. Once he found a comfortable spot, Inuyasha continued to pump into her. His growls emanated from his chest, dark and loud. But Kagome could only moan at his animalistic growls, getting turned on even more. She loved this side of him, the side where he held nothing back from her and gave her everything that he is. The two of them came together in a passionate high as they screamed out each other's names, riding on the double orgasms they had to start their morning off together. Inuyasha collapsed onto Kagome, breathing hard, trying to get the breath into his lungs. Kagome's hands were limp on his back, her scratches showing the red welts where she had desperately left her mark on him.

"Inu… yasha…" Kagome said between breaths. He groaned, his face lying against her chest as her clothes were still on. "You seriously… need to… get laid more…" she said with a giggle.

Inuyasha chuckled and lifted himself up to kiss Kagome on the lips. "Yeah… I know. And you can help me." He pulled out of her and kissed her one last time. Kagome wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into her embrace as he settled back onto her body. She smiled into the kiss and they both let go of each other.

"I love you," she said, watching as he stood up.

"I love you too, Kagome," he said, reaching down to grab his shorts. "My fucking phone is ringing," he said, hearing his phone in his room going off.

Kagome arched her eyebrow, sitting up to grab her bottom that lay on the ground. "I don't hear anything."

"I put it on vibrate," he said, tying his shorts and walking into his room. Kagome shook her head at his sensitive hearing and fixed her clothing, turning to look into Inuyasha's room. She heard Koga's name and Inuyasha was talking about the beach. Then she heard him hang up and Inuyasha came strolling back into the room. "Koga and Miroku are coming."

Kagome gasped and stood up, running to the bathroom to check herself in the mirror. Inuyasha scrunched his eyebrows as Kagome blew past him.

"Hey. What the hell are you doing?" he asked, watching her disappear into the bathroom.

"I just need to make sure that my hair is not messed up so they don't think that we did anything," she said, already feeling self-conscious. Inuyasha crossed his arms as he looked to the opened bathroom door.

"Well you can't hide it from Koga. He'll smell me all over you," he pointed out. Kagome gasped and she poked her head out of the doorway, frowning with fear in her eyes.

"You sure?" she asked, already knowing the answer. Inuyasha nodded his head and she sighed, giving up on her efforts. She turned off the lights and headed back into her room. Inuyasha noticed her sadness and grabbed her by the shoulders, facing her to him.

"What's wrong Kagome? You don't want them to know?" he asked, fearing that maybe she would be ashamed of what they shared. He knew they would have to keep it a secret but he didn't know that she would be so fearful of others finding out.

Kagome quickly tried to reassure him, placing her hands on his bare chest. "No, Inu. It's not that… it's just…" she said, trying to figure out what to say. "You know how Koga is. He'll definitely have something to say."

Inuyasha snorted and waved his hands in the air, dismissing Koga's actions. "Don't worry about that wolf. He's an asshole anyways." Kagome rolled her eyes and walked towards the balcony outside, needing some fresh air. She took a deep breath and brought the sea air into her lungs. Her eyes then went to the ground at her feet as she began to wonder about this morning's events. 'I forgot to do my meditation…' She would definitely have to do it tomorrow morning, and visit her mother to tell her what had happened at Seifa-Utaki.

There was a knock on the door and Inuyasha went to get it. Kagome bit her bottom lip and walked back into the room, fearing Koga's reaction. She knew that the man had gotten a bit more protective of her ever since she and Inuyasha had almost had sex in his club that one night. Sango had told her the stories that Miroku told her about how Koga got on Inuyasha's case at the studio and how he was trying to get Inuyasha to leave her alone. Kagome thanked Koga for his thoughts about her well being but she didn't want him in any of this. It was something that she and Inuyasha had to figure out, especially now that they were mated. 'Mates… I still can't believe it…' she thought with a smile, the mark over her heart tingling with the knowledge.

But Kagome's thoughts flew out of her head once Koga and Miroku came into her room. Koga's eyes met hers for a long moment, though it was only seconds, as he stood frozen next to the kitchen counter. His eyes were wide with shock and understanding, though she could see the denial in them. And then, all Hell broke loose.

Koga's growl was the first thing that signaled a fight and as Inuyasha closed the door, Koga turned Inuyasha around and slammed him against the door. Kagome gasped, her eyes flying wide as Koga's hand wrapped around Inuyasha's neck, dragging the hanyou's feet off the floor.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed, unable to get her scream out before the fight began as the demons and their reflexes kicked in.

It took Inuyasha a second to realize what Koga had done and he was moving against Koga's hold. He kicked into Koga's abdomen, sending the demon flying back into the bedroom, hitting against the dresser containing the television inside. Kagome's scream was heard but he paid no mind as Koga's growls only fueled his own anger. Inuyasha growled back, taking on Koga's challenge, and the two pounced on each other in the next second.

"Stop!" Kagome screamed, running towards the boys as they punched each other in the little room made near the door. The two were ducking and trying to land a punch on each other, making Kagome wrap her aura around the two to try and calm them. Miroku had snapped out of it as well and ran to grab Inuyasha, trying to avoid Koga's punches and Inuyasha's ones as well while he wrapped his arms around Inuyasha's torso.

"Inuyasha! Stop!" he yelled, grunting as he tried to pull back Inuyasha's demonic strength. The hanyou was fighting against him, wanting to get at Koga.

There was a shift in the air and then the three felt the sudden change as it had ceased their movements in an instant. Kagome had placed a barrier around the three, settling their auras down while protecting them from everything, especially themselves. Kagome's eyes were glowing a light blue as she gazed at the three within the light purple barrier that she had around them. Their eyes flew to her at once as they realized what happened and she let out her held in breath from their actions. At once the barrier dropped and they all jerked from their stillness. Inuyasha growled and pushed out of Miroku's hold, but he didn't advance on Koga. Though the wolf demon was glaring at him like he wanted to kill, Inuyasha only held in his desire to rip the wolf demon's throat out as he glared back at Koga.

Kagome blinked, her eyes slowly turning back to chestnuts, but she couldn't stay away from the boys. She ran to Koga, placing her hands on his chest as she went in front of him, putting herself between the two demons.

"Koga… please. Enough," Kagome said, her eyes pleading as she gazed up at him. But Koga didn't look down at her. He kept his eyes pinned above her at Inuyasha, and she turned around to see that he was glaring at Koga as well. She looked back between the boys and then to Miroku, her eyes begging him for help. He was clueless as to what was going on, not having the demonic senses that Koga had, so he was trying hard to keep it together for the two boys.

"Why don't we go sit down at the table, Koga?" Miroku asked, walking towards the boy to place his hand on Koga's shoulder. But Koga immediately growled and shrugged Miroku's hand off, turning on his heels to walk towards the table. Miroku followed him, still trying to figure out what happened as he sat at the table with Koga across from him.

Kagome turned around and gazed up at Inuyasha, but the hanyou's attention was still on Koga. "Inuyasha…" she called, trying to catch his attention. "Inuyasha… will you stop it?" she asked forcefully. A growl came out of him and he gazed down to look at her. But the look he gave her was enough to shut her up.

"Don't, Kagome…" he said, anger spilling from his mouth. She could see the change in him, the ruthlessly edge of his lips as he snarled the warning to her and walked past her. Kagome turned around and gazed at his back, now clean of the evidence of their love making just a few minutes ago, as he walked to her bed and sat down, never once taking his eyes off Koga. Kagome took a deep breath and walked over to the three, sitting down at the table, in between Koga and Miroku. The four stayed in silence for a few minutes, all trying to collect themselves and their thoughts before they explained things. But Koga broke it first, unable to stand the silence and the not knowing.

"What the hell did you guys do?" he asked, his eyes turning on Kagome. He thought that she would be smarter than this. He knew that Kagome loved Inuyasha. Hell, he knew that she had died for him and had come back for him, showing Inuyasha more than once that she loved him more than anything. But things were different now. The two just couldn't get back together as if everything was alright, as if the world revolved around their happiness. 'What the Hell were they thinking?'

Kagome bit her bottom lip and looked away from his heated eyes, unable to stand the glare from them. She didn't know that he would have been this mad, which made her angry as to why he was so mad at her.

"Koga…" Inuyasha growled, his eyes glowing red for a minute as Koga's eyes went to Inuyasha. "Leave Kagome out of this." Koga could see the fierce protectiveness in Inuyasha's eyes, the way his aura flared with his anger. But Koga wasn't afraid of the hanyou. He knew that Inuyasha wouldn't go as far as to kill him, but he would do some damage on him if he threatened or hurt Kagome, that was for sure.

"Why are you so angry about it, Koga?" Kagome asked, her eyes heated as she gazed at Koga. He turned his eyes to her, seeing the difference in her as she now became angry for what he said.

"Why am I angry?" he asked, shock on his face.

"This is none of your business."

"No," Koga said forcefully as he pushed his chair back, making Inuyasha tense, and stood up. "But involves all of us." He walked towards the sliding door, gazing out at the ocean.

Kagome's eyes followed him as anger and confusion set on her face. "You are not involved in any of this. What Inuyasha and I did is between the two of us."

"And Kikyo!" Koga yelled, silencing Kagome's words. He watched as she bit back her words, her eyes averted to the floor. He then looked towards Inuyasha to see that he too had his eyes averted to the ground. "You two really didn't think that you could just fuck and get back together again, did you?" He waited for their answer, waited for Inuyasha to come barging at him after what he had said. But none of it came. The room was silent. Miroku sat at the table, gazing at the tabletop with worried eyes. Kagome and Inuyasha both had their eyes averted to the ground, silent and confused.

Koga shook his head, shock and pain at seeing his friends and what they had gotten themselves into. He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. "I know that you guys love each other," he said, catching their attention as they both looked up at him. He looked into Kagome's eyes, the one he used to love so much and the one he still loves, just in a different way. "Kagome… I know what you did for Inuyasha."

Kagome bit her bottom lip, wondering why Koga was becoming so sensitive with her. He had protected her ever since she had come back to life. He had been there for her when she was trying to cope with Inuyasha and Kikyo being together and she had seen how much he worried about her. Koga knew what she had done for Inuyasha and now she had to live with the consequences. But she could see that he cared. Kagome watched as Koga ran a hand through his hair, his hip leaning against the glass door as he looked at her and then to Inuyasha.

"Trust me… I remember how you guys were as a couple and I have to admit… we were happy back then," he said with a forlorn smile. Koga remembered those days well when they were in high school and the world was right.

Miroku nodded his agreement. "Yeah… those were the good 'ol days," he said, pitching in. Kagome turned towards him and smiled appreciatively, thanking him for his words.

"But that's all they were," Koga said, his eyes going back out to the ocean. He couldn't bear to look into Kagome's eyes to see her hurt. "They were the past. We can't go back to that when we have all chosen our new future."

Kagome smiled sadly and looked down, understanding Koga's words. He was worried for her, but not only her, for Inuyasha and Kikyo. He was worried that Kikyo might get hurt. Just like how she did.

"I know why you're so angry, Koga, and truly… I don't hold anything against you for doing so," she said, her eyes watching as Koga turned towards her cautiously. She smiled encouragingly at him, waving a hand in the air. "You worry for my sister." Koga smirked and nodded his head, surprised that Kagome figured it out. Kagome sighed heavily and looked to the ground, trying to find her words. "I worry for her too. I don't want to hurt her. And I can't even begin to know what she had gone through after Onigumo's death…"

Koga sighed and tried to make Kagome understand. "I just… don't want Kikyo to go through what you had to go through, Kagome."

Looking up at him Kagome smiled with a nod. "I know, Koga," she said softly. He frowned, hearing his name come off her lips in weariness. Kagome shook her head and frowned. "It's just… I love him," she said, turning to look at Inuyasha. He brought his head up and she smiled into his golden eyes, seeing his welcoming smile. "There's no one else for me… but him." Inuyasha's smile was still there and she could only drown in his eyes. Kagome turned towards Koga and saw that he understood her, but he still worried for Kikyo. He was torn. "Don't worry about me, Koga," she said with a wave of her hand. "Kikyo's pregnant. Let's not make things worse for her yet."

Koga nodded his head as he looked towards Inuyasha, but the guy just remained like a statue, his head back towards the ground. As he wondered what Inuyasha must be thinking, Miroku stood up from the table and caught everyone's attention.

"So… are we going to the beach or not?" Miroku said, trying to cheer up the mood. Everyone was too depressed and this was their last day on their vacation here. "I really wanted to catch some waves." Miroku looked around as everyone tried to laugh and stand up, catching onto Miroku's move and their mood changed. Everyone filed out of the room as they headed downstairs to have fun on the beach.

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The sounds of the birds high within the trees was a sign that life on earth still existed. Raige appeared out of the forest, his figure menacing compared to the nature around him. He wore a dark green hakama with a matching kimono that had designs of the bamboo tree on the back. The kimono was left open to reveal the white kimono he wore underneath. The wind was beginning to pick up and Raige brought his face up into the wind, sniffing out the faint stench of humans. 'I finally found you.'

Raige walked towards the source of the smell, heading against the wind through the forest. For days he had been searching for the shrine, and for days he had come up empty. It took him about four days. Four days of wandering around Fukui, trying to find the shrine that the man said was within the mountains. But he had searched Fukui's mountains aimlessly, finding no source of life. Little did he know that the shrine he was searching for was right where he had searched over and over. It wasn't until he had slaughtered a village out of pure rage that he had learned about the shrine's secrets. There was a barrier over the shrine grounds to cloak its presence from all outsiders. Raige smiled as his nose picked up the smell again.

He had gone back around the mountains, taking into account the trees and the smells within the forests. And he had found the missing link in the serenity of the forest. The shrine was hidden well, next to a long waterfall to help drown out the sounds and disruptions within the shrine. He had missed the subtle breeze that changed direction when he had gotten close to the barrier and the way the trees swayed differently from within the barrier. All those little things he had missed the first few times around. But now he sees them and he beat himself for missing it. This only enraged him.

Raige smirked, his eyes glowing a darker blue, as he gazed at the invisible barrier. His silver hair flew with the wind as he struck at the barrier, the electricity of the two opposing auras shocking the forest with light. Animals scurried away from the commotion as Raige struck again, his face an implacable mask. He showed no emotion but allowed his rage to strengthen his demonic aura as he hit the barrier again with his poison whip. The barrier sparked and showed its true destination around an area, but then disappeared again. Raige concentrated on his demonic aura, finished playing with these games.

"Enough…" he said, his whip glowing a darker green. His eyes flashed red for a moment and he sent his whip out to the barrier, blasting the barrier with his demonic aura at the same time. The dome-shaped barrier glowed bright as sparks radiated from the two opposing auras, fighting for dominance. But the barrier began to shimmer and blink, and suddenly it died. Raige smirked, his eyes glowing bright blue as he ran towards the shrine, his speed so great that his silver hair couldn't be seen through the densely green forest.

Raige could smell the stench of humans now and it only fueled his lust for a good fight. He needed to release his rage and he would do it with a bit of bloodshed. He kept moving towards the source of the stench, his body fueling for a fight, his eyes in slants at the thought of blood on his hands. The barrier couldn't hold him back from his goal and he would get what he wanted this day. The sun beat down on his invisible figure as he moved with great speed to the shrine.

Landing on the archway into the shrine, Raige smirked down at his greeters.

"Well what do you know?" he said, looking down at the dozen of priests that stood in four lines to greet him. Raige smirked and hopped down from the archway, landing gracefully as he went to his full height. The priests in front of him didn't even flinch. 'Hmm… this is going to be a good fight.'

"What is your business here, demon?" one priests asked.

Raige arched his eyebrow as he looked at the man who spoke. "I came here for a demon. The neko."

The priests didn't budge at the acknowledgement of the demon that they had bound within the shrine. One priest moved forward from the first line, bringing his hands into his kimono as he regarded Raige with no fear. "The neko you speak of is in our holding. She cannot be released without our spells being undone."

Raige shrugged as he felt the breeze float through the shrine. This time, the breeze was a welcome as it fired his rage. "No matter. You will all die."

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The beach was crowded with people trying to get at the waves that pounded on the shores. There was a high tide that everyone tried to take advantage of.

"Watch out!" Koga called as he came down on his boogie board, riding a wave. Miroku had ducked under the wave, just in time for Koga to go over right where he had been. Kagome watched from the sand, smiling at the three as they all tried to catch waves with their borrowed boogie boards from the hotel. She was relaxed on the beach towel laid out on the sand. The sun felt good on her skin as she laid back down and closed her eyes, enjoying the sounds around her. She could hear the children's laughter nearby as they built a sand castle and she could hear people yelling and the waves breaking on shore. It was all so relaxing.

"I can't believe it."

Kagome opened her eyes as she squinted up into the sun's rays to see Koga standing above her, water dripping from his body. "Koga?" she asked, pushing herself up so that her elbows held her up. She looked up at Koga to see his shocked face. "What?"

Koga sighed and sat down next to Kagome, on the sand. His shoulders were slouched as water dripped along his skin. Kagome frowned, wondering what was with him. 'Is he still angry about me and Inuyasha?' Kagome sighed and sat up, bringing her bare legs underneath her as she fixed her top. Her fingers brushed against her breasts, right on Inuyasha's mark, reminding her of what they had done. Kagome blushed as she looked at Koga, his eyes down on the sand, and understood what had gotten into him.

"He marked you…" Koga said softly, as if he couldn't believe it even though he saw it.

"Yeah…" Kagome said, not knowing what else to say. She placed her hands on her lap and looked at the side of Koga's face, trying to catch his attention. "Inuyasha told me that he's never had such a compulsion to mark anyone before."

Koga nodded his head, running a hand through his hair to let the water fly off. "Yeah… most demons only have one mate for life. That's why they are so loyal to their mate." He started to feel bad for telling Kagome and Inuyasha what he thought about them having sex. He hadn't known that Inuyasha had marked Kagome. Since the two were mates, it proved to him that Kagome and Inuyasha were meant to be together. He had always thought that about them. They were so happy back then and they looked happy when they were together now. But he hadn't thought that Inuyasha would have marked Kagome because he hadn't done it before. But now he had suddenly marked Kagome. This was all becoming too much of a dramatic turn for them.

"Look… Kagome," Koga said, turning towards Kagome to finally look at her. "I'm sorry for what I said back in the room," he said, watching as Kagome's eyes widened.

"Koga… don't apologize. It's not your fault and I know where you were coming from."

Koga shook his head. "No. It wasn't in my place to tell you two that. Especially now that you two are mates."

Kagome arched her eyebrow, wondering what he meant about that. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Koga smirked with a small chuckle. "It means that I had no right to tell you two to not see each other again because there's really no way that you two can be without each other. Which makes sense," he said, bringing his hands to rest behind him on the sand as he leaned back and looked up at the sky. The sky seemed much clearer than that in Tokyo he noted. Koga smiled as the sun's rays warmed him. In some way, he still loved Kagome. She was such a lovely light that he wanted her with him. But he loved Ayame. Kagome was like a sister to him, and he wanted to keep her that way. And for her to be mated to Inuyasha, he didn't know why, but it felt like a blow to him. Kagome deserved to be happy, and he knew that the two had a connection that he rarely sees. Their love for each other is pure and great, but he just couldn't be happy for them. They were in a love triangle.

"Koga…" Kagome said, her eyes going to the water splashing up on the sand. Inuyasha and Miroku were still boogie boarding and the children were still laughing, music in her ears. "If Kikyo wasn't in the picture… would you be happy for me?" she asked, her voice soft as if she was committing a murder. She would never bear her sister a grudge or hatred, she loved her sister deeply. But she saw where Koga was coming from, and it hurt her.

Koga sighed and bowed his head, his wet hair in dreadlocks against his shoulders. "Yes…" he said softly. Kagome frowned and looked away, watching the children as they built their sand castle. 'If only life was that simple…' she thought, watching the sand castle coming to life.

"Kagome…" Koga said, looking at her turned head as he knew he hurt her. "I just don't want Kikyo to go through the same thing you had to go through."

Kagome nodded her head roughly. "I know." She didn't mean to, but it came out a bit harsh. Kagome sighed heavily and dusted off her body before she stood up, wanting to get into the cool water, wanting to get away from Koga. "Koga… I don't think you really know what I had to go through. So don't say that you don't want my sister to go through that… because you have no idea what I had suffered." With that, Kagome walked towards the water, smiling as Inuyasha waved at her to join him and Miroku. She yelled back and joined the two.

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The sound of wood splintering and falling to the ground was loud within the quiet forest. The animals had scurried away after the loud screams of death and demonic roars. The trees had remained still as the fires erupted along the shrine grounds and burned down the shrines that had hidden themselves from the rest of the world. Blood ran along the stones of the shrine grounds, seeping into the soil and leaking down the stairs leading up to the main shrine house near the back of the shrine.

Raige remained impassive, his face a mask of stone as he made his way up the stairs. Bodies of priests and priestesses laid along the stairs, at his feet, as he kept his eyes on the double doors ahead. The power of a priest's aura could be felt within the shrine, but he didn't mind the fact that there were more. His hands were already soaked with the blood of those foolish priests and priestesses who dared challenge him. He could deal with a few more without breaking a sweat. By now, Raige's bloodlust was satiated, for now. All he wanted now was to get the neko and leave. Night was coming fast and the stars were already starting to show on the dimly lit sky. The land was starting to fall into an unmerciful sleep after what he had wrought.

The double doors swung open from Raige's aura and he spotted the priest in the center of the room. The room was decorated with draping red quilts and in the back, against the wall, was a Buddha statue. 'This must be where they keep her. This place is flowing with spiritual aura.' The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up at the strong spiritual aura in this room. It felt like he was walking into water, but Raige was unharmed.

The priest looked as shock as all the other priests and priestesses that he killed. "How is it possible that you can be in here?" the man asked, his hands going out in front of him as he was ready to defend himself. This shrine was the only one that held so much spiritual aura from all of the priests and priestesses that the priest thought it impossible for the Inu-taiyoukai to even approach the shrine.

Raige just kept walking, his eyes set on the priest. "Where is the neko?"

The priest glared at Raige and brought out his ofudas. "I shall kill you now, demon!" he said, throwing out his ofudas, one after the other. Raige moved so quickly, the ofudas passing him in a blur of white light, as he appeared behind the man. The priest jerked around with wide eyes as he was grabbed by the neck and lifted off the ground.

"I'm going to ask you one more time, old man. Where is the neko?" Raige said, his eyes glowing red for a second. He was tired playing these games, he had spent the whole day toying with the priests to satisfy his blood lust. Now all he wanted was to leave this damn place and wash all this filthy blood off him. He put more pressure around the man's neck.

"I… would ne… ver tell you…" the man said, grabbing at Raige's hand wrapped around his throat. Raige glared at the man for his stubbornness.

"Then so be it." Raige squeezed until he heard a crack and the man's neck broke in his palm. He flew the man to the side, hearing the body thump against the wall and then on the floor, as he walked towards the Buddha statue. He flared out his aura, trying to get a feel on the neko's aura. But this whole place was filled with spiritual energy. And it got stronger the closer he got to the Buddha statue. Raige lifted his eyebrow and flexed his claws out. With one swipe, he destroyed the statue as the golden pieces of Buddha fell to the floor. Raige looked down to see an ofuda sealed on top of a hidden doorway where the Buddha statue once sat on.

'There you are,' he thought, bending down. Raige flared out his aura as he rested one knee against the ground and one hand on his propped up knee. There was a static of electricity as two auras quarreled for dominance, the holy one not wanting to give up what it was holding inside. But Raige found victory and cut the ofuda as its power was depleted. He smirked to himself and reached for the latch, lifting the doorway to peer into the dark abyss below. The stench of neko was in his nose and it took him back for a second, which gave the neko a perfect opportunity to swipe at his face as she came flying out of the dark in less than a second. Raige nearly missed the claws at his face as he moved back, regaining his senses and footing. The neko landed gracefully at the opposite end of the room, standing straight up with her claws flexed at her sides.

"Who are you, inu?" the woman said, her tail flicking behind her in annoyance.

Raige smirked, trying to calm himself down from rushing over to her and killing her for trying to hurt him. But he stopped himself, knowing that he couldn't kill her after all the obstacles he went through to get her. The neko was beautiful, one that he's never seen before. Well, it's not like he had the chance to meet many people while he was growing up. The woman's hair was a rich black, heading down to her knees in waves of lushness. Her eyes were cunningly orange and he could see her pointed ears like that of a full-blooded neko. He smirked as her black tail swayed back and forth behind her, the long appendage swaying with impatience.

"My name is Raige. I have a proposal for you." He kept his smirk on as her eyes measured him up, going from his feet to the top of his head, and back down to his chest. It was obvious that she had been trapped in that dungeon for a while because her arousal was swiftly getting stronger the longer she looked at him.

The female slowly smiled and allowed her body to relax from its tenseness. "My name is Kaya," she purred, her tail coming to wrap around her left leg in a tease.

Raige arched his eyebrow. 'This is going to be interesting…'

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

The moonlight shone down on the ocean below, beckoning those to jump within the glittering water. But the outside world was much more difficult than meets the eye. In their own world, Inuyasha and Kagome laid together on his bed. The night had met them too soon after they day out on the beach. They had stayed at the beach the whole day, and they had gotten a pretty good tan. But the night was an unwelcome sight for the two as they laid in each other's arms, bare skin against bare skin. Kagome sighed and smiled as she ran her fingers along Inuyasha's chest, feeling his smooth skin over his muscles and abs. They had spent the whole night together, making love to each other as much as possible. For they knew that tomorrow, they were heading back home early in the morning. Tomorrow, they had to let go of what they shared, let go of each other, again. They had to leave each other.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha said softly, his hand running along the top of her shoulder as he felt her baby soft skin beneath his calloused hands. He heard her small whimper-like noise and he smiled to himself. He had really done a good one on her tonight and he knew that she probably would have to stretch tomorrow morning before she can walk in public. He had made sure that he loved her as much as he could, that he showed her how much he loved her tonight. That was something that he couldn't do in one night, though, but he tried anyways. Because that was all they had.

"Stay with me…"

Kagome frowned against his chest, stroking between his pecs as she heard his desperate words. They were both desperate to be together. But they couldn't. And they both knew it.

"I love you, Inu. I always have. And I always will."

They remained silent after that, breathing in each other's scent, trying to stay up as long as they could. The night was leaving them behind, and the day would come soon. Inuyasha comforted Kagome when she cried, and he made love to her the whole night through. He wanted to keep her against him, to feel her heart beat the same rhythm as his. He wanted to fall asleep with her in his arms and know that when he awoke, she would be there again, fast asleep in her dreams. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Was all of this never to come true? Inuyasha gazed up at the ceiling as Kagome finally gave into her weariness and fell into her dreams, her dried up tears along his chest and her cheeks. He had never felt so torn between two women before.

Last time, in high school, he had been confused between his feelings between Kikyo and Kagome. He had thought he loved both. But his feelings for Kagome were much more than his feelings for Kikyo. Was that the way it was now? Did he feel more strongly for Kagome, still? Or was it Kikyo that he felt strongly for? Inuyasha pondered the whole night through, thinking of his feelings for Kikyo, his feelings for Kagome. He remembered the nights he spent with Kikyo, making love to her, and compared those to these nights he had with Kagome. There was a huge difference. He felt complete with Kagome. But with Kikyo, he felt complete too. Just… in a different way. Inuyasha was confused and he couldn't sleep, so he spent the whole night stroking Kagome's shoulder, listening to her steady breathing, and thinking about his feelings for both women. Fate truly was cruel.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

The wind whipped her hair around her face as she smiled at the sight of the jet coming closer towards them. Kikyo smiled, excited to see Inuyasha and her sister again. One hand was against her forehead, trying to block the wind and the glare of the sun, while the other was holding Kazuki's hand. He was at her side, happy as a child can be, waiting for his parents to get off the jet. He was excited to see his mother again so she could take him to the park after this. He wanted to go to the park with her.

The families waited as the jet came to a stop in front of them and the latch of the door finally sounded as the stairs came down. Everyone had a smile on their face as Inuyasha stepped out first, his silver hair whipping around him from the strong winds in the airport. He walked down the stairs the families began to walk towards the stairs, going to welcome home the band and Kagome. The boys followed Inuyasha out as Kagome came out last.

"Inuyasha!" Kikyo said, walking faster until she rushed into his arms, both being careful of her belly. Kazuki yanked on Kikyo's hand until she released him and she could hug Inuyasha fully.

"Kikyo…" Inuyasha breathed, taking in the scent of Kikyo as he buried his nose in her hair. He smiled as he felt Kazuki wrap his arms around his left leg, and he brought one hand down to place it on his son's head. "Hey, pup." Kikyo moved back a bit to smile down at Kazuki as the boy looked up at his father with love and happiness.

"Otou! You're home!" Kazuki exclaimed, squeezing his father's leg again. Inuyasha chuckled at Kazuki's excitement and turned his attention back to Kikyo. "How have you been, Kikyo?" he asked.

Kikyo smiled tenderly at him and placed a hand on her belly. "I've been good. This child has been rather grouchy for the past week. I think he misses you." Inuyasha smirked and rubbed his hand against her belly.

"Okaa!" Kazuki exclaimed, breaking the two out of their world. Kazuki let go of his father's leg and ran into Kagome's arms as she went to her knees.

"Oh… Kazuki," Kagome said, wrapping her arms around her son. She had missed him so much and those 'good night' talks on the phone wasn't enough. She missed seeing her son, hearing his voice, feeling his presence with her. Kazuki's silver hair blew in her face and tickled her nose as she giggled. Kazuki buried his head in his mother's neck and gave her a small lick, showing how much he missed her.

"Kazuki, sweetheart," she said lovingly, leaning her cheek against his head. "What have you been up to? Have you been a good boy for Aunty Kikyo?"

Kazuki nodded his head against Kagome's chin. She smiled and looked up to see Inuyasha and Kikyo walking towards them. She took a deep breath and steeled her nerves as she released Kazuki and the two looked up at the couple.

"Kagome… I'm so glad you're home," Kikyo said as she walked closer. Kagome got to her feet slowly, trying to steady herself, and wrapped her arms around Kikyo's swollen figure.

"How've you been, Kikyo?" she asked, feeling the huge bulge against her stomach. The sisters let go as a smile lit Kikyo's face.

"Okay. Just hard without Inuyasha to help me with this child," she said, rubbing her stomach with one hand and squeezing Inuyasha's hand with the other. Kagome smiled and nodded, remembering how that felt like with her pregnancy. She glanced down at Kazuki and offered him her hand, which he grabbed with enthusiasm. The two walked towards the others as they reunited with their family and loved ones. Sango and Miroku were happily kissing, making up for loss time, as Koga had Ayame over his shoulder, twirling her around as she giggled at his antics. Kira and Souta were waiting with smiles as Kagome approached them.

"Hi, Mama," Kagome said, going into her mother's arms.

"Welcome back, Kagome. I hope you had fun," Kira said with a small chuckle as she rubbed her daughter's back. Kagome giggled and released Kira, gazing into her mother's eyes.

"I did." There was a small moment shared between them and Kira understood what Kagome was trying to tell her. She smiled and nodded, and they turned as the couple came up to them.

"So… where're we off to?" Kikyo asked.

Kira looked to Inuyasha, seeing his silence ever since they came off the jet. "Are you hungry Inuyasha?" she asked, knowing that she shouldn't have to.

Inuyasha smirked and nodded. "Yeah. Let's go eat breakfast." Kikyo giggled and nodded as Kazuki beamed, wanting to go eat at a restaurant where they had a coloring sheet. Kikyo called to the others to tell them their plans and they agreed to take up Kikyo's offer and join them.

"I think I'm just going to head home," Kagome said. Everyone turned to look at her as she smiled sheepishly at them.

"Why, Kagome?" Sango asked, moving in front of Miroku. She hadn't greeted Kagome after she got off the jet and now she saw a change in Kagome. Something had happened.

Kagome shrugged, trying to push it off so no one would fuss over it. "I'm just a bit tired. Waking up early really took it out of me. I stayed up too late last night, I guess." She smiled at the others as they all smiled at her actions. But the truth was, she hadn't even awoken to do her morning rituals this morning. For the past two mornings she hasn't done her morning rituals. She was just too tired to wake up this morning, which wouldn't be a surprise because she had stayed up into the wee hours of morning with Inuyasha. She spared him a small glance and saw that he was watching her suspiciously. 'He knows something's not right…' But she smiled at the others as they all went to their cars and began to pick a restaurant.

The families got into their cars and promised to meet each other at the restaurant. Kagome and her family got into the limo with Dai. He started the car for the Higurashi shrine to drop off Kagome and the limo ride was loud with the weekend's events. Kira and Kikyo wanted to know about Kagome's experience there and Kagome told them as much as she could before they reached the shrine. There was just so much that she knew she wouldn't be able to tell her mother and sister about right now so she tried to stick to the most funniest or dramatic things. Souta just rolled his eyes and entertained Kazuki as the women talked and Inuyasha listened. The limo slowed down and came to a stop in front of the stairs leading up to the shrine. Kagome opened the door and stepped out saying goodbye to everyone and hoping they had a good breakfast. She had to reassure them that she was okay and just tired and they finally let her go. Kagome closed the limo door and watched with a smile as the limo drove off.

At once Kagome's shoulders slumped and she felt like she had been holding in a breath for a long time. Her heart hurt and she placed a hand over her heart as she turned around and slowly made her way up the stairs. She gazed at the ground in pure confusion and concentration, trying to pay attention to where she was going to make it to the top without toppling over. 'What's wrong with me?' she thought. Ever since she had awoken this morning, she had felt so tired. But she thought it was because she barely got any sleep last night. But then her heart started to hurt and her body became impossibly sluggish. It felt like she was sick, feeling sluggish and in pain. But she wasn't running a fever and she couldn't have gotten sick. But this pain in her heart and her body was confusing her. All Kagome knew was that she was tired, so very tired, and wanted her bed. After what felt like forever, Kagome made it to the top and headed straight to her room.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

The relief of being out of the world of life was a welcome. Kagome smiled, feeling the pure aura of her mother wrap around her, giving her strength and love. Her body felt light here, but she still felt tired. Her body was replenished here, but she still felt pain. Kagome squinted her eyes, disbelieving that she could still feel tired and sore even when she fled to the Maboroshi Kokudo.

"Kagome…" Midoriko said, her voice soft and melodic. She stroked her daughter's hair as Kagome's head rested on her lap. Her motherly instinct was kicking in and she was worried for Kagome's life. There was something that Kagome hadn't thought about.

Kagome blinked back the light that shone into her eyes. She took in a deep breath of the breeze of flowers and then opened her eyes, revealing her chestnuts to her Brother Minoru. Kagome gazed at him confusedly, placing her hand on the ground to push herself up. She took in her surroundings, recognizing that her Brothers were here, all of them in a circle around her and her mother. Kagome gazed at her mother sitting tall next to her. "Mother? What's going on?" She pushed aside her worry about her problems for a minute to ask about her Brothers' presences here.

Midoriko sighed and turned to face her daughter, smiling encouragingly. "Kagome… there is something that I forgot to tell you." Kagome's eyes widened as she heard her mother's serious tone and she forgot about her Brothers. For some reason, her mother sounded like she knew what was going on with her. She was connected to her mother anyways, so Midoriko would have known what she was going through. Kagome waited as Midoriko found her words carefully, her face showing her concern and fear for her daughter.

"You see… you are a miko, Kagome. A miko of high power and status." Midoriko placed a hand over her heart. "You are my daughter." Kagome frowned, wondering where her mother was going. "And with that, you have many enemies… and many strengths. But with many strengths, come many weaknesses." Midoriko took a deep breath and sighed heavily. There was no other way she could break this to her daughter so she would just say it. "When you and Inuyasha mated… his demonic fluid mixed with your blood. This is normal, however. In order for a demon, who mates for life, to bind their mate to them, they eject some sort of fluid that comes out only once in their life. This fluid allows the other to live as long as the other."

Kagome nodded her head, remember hearing Inuyasha explain to her what it meant to be his mate and to bear the mark over her heart. Right over where the pain was. Kagome's eyes widened as everything started to sink in. Slowly, she shook her head, placing a hand over her heart where the Shikon no Tama was located. 'It can't be…' "Something's… happening to me, isn't it?"

Midoriko frowned, unable to be happy enough for the two of them. She looked to the side, unable to look into her daughter's beautiful eyes. "Yes. The fluid that mixed into your bloodstream is demonic, and therefore, is killing you."

Kagome gasped and shook her head rougher this time. "No. It's not possible." But she believed in her mother's words. Her mother would never tell her a lie. She might beat around the bush and hide the truth from her at times, but she never told a lie. And it was hard not to believe her mother when she was strangely tired and weak all of a sudden. It was all piecing together. "But… what does it mean?" she asked, trying to understand what was happening. "What's happening to me?"

Midoriko gazed back at her daughter, her brown eyes sad and concerned. "Kagome… the fluid is killing you through the jewel. Because Inuyasha is a demon, you two were never meant to be like this. You two can never and would never be able to be mates."

Kagome sat fully on her butt as she listened to her mother, her face showing her confusion and attention. She kept shaking her head, unable to believe what her mother was saying but believing it nonetheless.

"You are a miko and he is a demon. Both of you could kill each other. And since you have the Shikon no Tama within you, his demonic fluid is conflicting with the purity of the jewel." Midoriko looked to the monks, seeing their sadness and worry for her daughter clearly on their faces. They loved her as much as a father would and they all understood what it is like to lose Kagome. But they didn't want to lose her again. Midoriko turned back to see that Kagome was gazing at the ground intently, her eyes faraway.

"Kagome… you should have told me that Inuyasha had wanted to mate with you. I would have told you the consequences."

"It was in the spur of the moment…" Kagome said softly, still taking in the information. After a few seconds of silence, Kagome looked back to her mother. "Why now? Why didn't you tell me this before? When I was first with Inuyasha?"

Midoriko shrugged and placed her hands on her lap. "I had no reason to. Your prophecy set the guidelines and you knew that I was against you and Inuyasha living together forever. You, yourself, had pushed him away on many occasions as he tried to keep you with him." Kagome frowned and sighed, remembering her former life. "I didn't know that you two were mates, and even if I did, I would still have objected to."

When Kagome was going to interrupt her, Midoriko placed up her hand and Kagome quieted. "You are a miko, Kagome. You cannot mate with a demon. It is not what mikos do. And for reasons like this," she said, looking along her daughter's body as if there was superficial wounds her daughter held.

Kagome bit her bottom lip and looked away. "But… I love him."

Midoriko smiled sadly. "I know, dear. But you two could never be one, not in the sense of demons." Midoriko reached out towards her daughter and brought her hand under Kagome's chin. "You are too pure to be with a demon, and though Inuyasha is a good hanyou, he still is too unclean for you."

Kagome flinched and jerked her chin out of her mother's hand. Midoriko frowned and brought her hand back to her lap.

"So… the Fates won't intervene this time? No matter how much of a necessity I am to their plans," she said with disgust, a smirk on her face. The Fates were the very ones who needed her. They should find a way to get her out of this mess before she dies and there's no hope for the future.

Midoriko shook her head. "The Fates know what must be done, and so do I, but the question is, will it still kill you in the end?" Kagome turned to arch an eyebrow at her mother, wondering what Midoriko was talking about. "The only reason why you are feeling so weak and tired is because the Shikon no Tama is trying to fight off the demonic aura flowing through your veins. Your body, that was once pure, is now trying to tie itself to a demon's aura, and it's intermixing with the pure Shikon no Tama that you hold. We can't afford for the jewel to get corrupted, nor can we afford to lose you." Midoriko placed a hand over her heart and shook her head, not wanting to go through that again.

"So… you're going to try and take the jewel out of me?" Kagome asked, understanding what her mother was saying. Midoriko turned to look at her and Kagome's question was answered. She took a deep breath and placed a hand over her heart. "Is that even possible?"

Midoriko looked to Monk Kiyoshi, seeing the monk's wise face as a comfort. "We do not know, nor do the Fates. It is something that can only be determined once it ends. But if the Shikon no Tama is extracted from your body… then you have a chance to live."

Kagome bit her bottom lip, not really liking the possibilities of this. The Shikon no Tama was as much a part of her as she was it. It completed her, and she completed it. She was as pure as the jewel. But if it left her body, she were to die. One reason was because it was embedded in her heart. But, that didn't mean that it was her heart. Right? Kagome gazed at her mother, searching her face for a sign of encouragement, something to latch onto as she made her decision. But Midoriko had the same fear written on her face as her Brothers around her. They were all worried and concerned about this, but it was the only thing they could do if she were to remain alive. So this was her only choice.

"Let's do it. I have no other choice." Kagome clenched her jaw tight, stealing her nerves for the inevitable.

Midoriko frowned, but nodded her head. "Then let us begin." The Brothers all began to wrap their Ju are their hands, the sound of the beads hitting each other loud in the empty clearing. Midoriko willed the clouds to form and the ground darkened as the white Jasmines glowed around them, helping to give peace and comfort through their mission.

Kagome gazed around her, feeling a bit nervous. The land was dark but the flowers were like lilies in a lake, beautiful and peaceful. She latched onto their serenity, listening to her Brothers beginning to chant.

"Lay down, Kagome," Midoriko instructed as she moved back a bit so that Kagome could lie in front of her. Kagome did as she was told, laying stretched out in front of her mother, waiting for everything to start. The whole time, she was chanting with her Brothers in her mind and praying that Buddha watch over them.

Midoriko relaxed on her knees as she gazed at Monk Kiyoshi in front of her. The Brothers were all chanting, their voices low and in harmony as they surrounded her with strength and power. Midoriko took a deep breath and closed her eyes, the four jewel-like mark on her forehead glowing a deep purple. Her mouth opened as power seeped into her from all along the land and from the souls of her monks. Their chanting intensified and got louder as the mist-like form of energy flowed into Midoriko's body. Kagome closed her eyes, unable to watch and concentrate at the same time. She needed to clear her mind and help her mother in her task. The energy within the Maboroshi was swirling around the small circle in the large clearing of Jasmines as the chanting of the monks could be heard for miles out.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

Breakfast had gone by quickly for the families as they walked out of the restaurant happy and full. They all parted and went their separate ways as they headed home. Inuyasha, Kikyo, Kazuki, Kira and Souta all waited for Dai to pick them up and take Kira home and then the couple could head home themselves. Souta and Kazuki were both talking about the latest action figure that had come out, Souta trying to teach Kazuki about money since he wanted to get an action figure soon. Inuyasha and Kikyo were laughing about Koga's antics a few moments later while they were eating when Kira turned and noticed the magazine racks on the sidewalk behind them. She bit her lip and glanced nervously at Inuyasha and Kikyo to see that they were still talking. She walked towards one magazine rack and picked up the newest issue with a controversial image on the front. In big bold letters read "Love on the Beach?" and the cover was stamped with a picture taken of Inuyasha and Kagome standing together at the water's edge. They were both looking at each other and laughing and Kira thought the cameraman had a took great shot of them for this title. Their backs were facing the camera but she could tell that this shot would definitely cause gossip about the couple, which meant drama for the family.

"What's wrong, mother?" Kikyo asked as she began to walk over to see what her mother was doing. Kira quickly turned around and placed the magazine behind her back.

"Nothing, sweetheart. I was just looking at the latest magazine article," she said, walking towards Kikyo so that she wouldn't see the headlines. But Kikyo's face lit up and she seemed interested.

"Oh… what's the front cover about this time?" she asked, looking behind her mother's back to see her mother still had the magazine. She confusedly looked at the magazine racks and they were full with photos of Inuyasha and Kagome standing together on the beach. Some of the photos were taken at different angles, all with the backs of the two facing the shot, but they all had the same intention in minds. Kikyo frowned and reached for the magazine as Kira let it go with a sigh.

Inuyasha made his way to the two with Kazuki and Souta following him. He peered over Kikyo's shoulder and froze, seeing the picture of him and Kagome on the beach. He immediately growled once he saw the picture and the huge letters of the cover.

"Bastards! What the hell were they doing following us around!" he nearly shouted. But Kikyo remained calm and collected as he let out his anger next to her. Her eyes remained glued on the shot of her sister and her fiancé together on the front cover of this magazine and all the others. This would definitely be a huge issue among the fans. Kikyo sighed heavily, feeling heavy all of a sudden. She wanted to go home.

"Kikyo… are you okay?" Kira asked, worrying for her daughter's health and the child's. Kikyo nodded her head and brought a hand up to her forehead.

"I just want to go home." As if on cue, the limo came down the road and stopped right in front of the group. They all got in quietly. No words were spoken in the limo as they headed for the shrine and dropped off Kira and Souta. As the limo headed off for their home, Kikyo wondered what was going to happen when they got there. The magazine was still in her hands and Inuyasha sat silently next to her while Kazuki gazed out the window on her other side. Kikyo fought the urge to scream or sigh, she would wait until they reached home.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

Kira took to the stairs with worry once she got home. Souta had gone into the living room to watch TV but Kira had remembered the look her daughter gave her at the airport. She had worried about Kagome throughout breakfast and hoped that her daughter was okay. Kira reached Kagome's room and opened the door after knocking. But what met her felt like a punch in the gut.

"Souta!" Kira screamed, running over to Kagome's bed. Her eyes were wide and frantic as she watched her daughter cough up blood, mixing with her blue sheets. Kira gasped and sat on the side of the bed, placing her hands on the sides of Kagome to prevent her body from jerking off the bed.

Souta came in a few seconds, his eyes wide with worry from his mother's scream. But when he saw his sister go through what looked like a seizure and blood coated her sheets, his heart began to beat wildly in fear. "What's going on?" he asked, walking next to his mother, his eyes glued on Kagome's figure.

"Get some towels!" she screamed, not sparing him a glance. Souta left her side in a blur. Kira kept her hands on Kagome's body, the wracking coming and going. Kagome's face was in anguish and Kira prayed to Buddha for her child's health.

"Kami-sama…" she whispered, tears falling down her face. She had no idea what was going on but she knew that her daughter was hurting. Souta came rushing back in with towels and Kira grabbed one, placing it next to Kagome's mouth so she would puke onto the towel. Souta got to his knees next to his sister's head and used another towel to wipe the sweat off her brow.

"Kagome…" he whispered, his heart in pain in watching his like this. He didn't know what the hell was going on. But he could tell that his sister was suffering from something. Souta frowned, his face filled with pain. "What's wrong with her, mother?"

Kira shook her head, more like telling herself that she didn't know. "I… I don't know," she said, holding Kagome down as another wrack jerked Kagome's body. Kira bit her bottom lip, afraid for her daughter.

Just then, a figure appeared behind Souta, startling Kira as she nearly jumped off the bed. But as she gazed at the appearing mist-like figure, she noticed it was strangely familiar. Souta turned around and gasped as Monk Kiyoshi's figure began to form behind him. His mouth hung open as the ghost-like appearance joined him and his mother.

"Kira…" Monk Kiyoshi said, his voice echoing as if he was far away.

Kira looked at the figure in awe. "Monk Kiyoshi…" She shook her head after feeling Kagome's body wrack again, and reality came back to her. "What's going on with my daughter? What's happening to her?" She knew that the monk would know. It was obviously the reason why he had come.

Monk Kiyoshi remained serious as he gazed at Kira. "You must leave Kagome be. We are trying to cure her in the Maboroshi Kokudo."

"Cure her?" Kira asked, feeling a bit in denial. "She's coughing up blood. How can you be curing her? What are you curing her from?"

Monk Kiyoshi held up his hand. "I know you have many questions but I cannot answer them now. My Brothers and I are working diligently with my Lady Midoriko to cure Kagome. She can explain everything later. But for now, I need you and your son to leave Kagome be. Her physical body must be left alone as her soul is trying to heal. I advise you to leave the room and allow Kagome to come to you when everything is finished."

Kira shook her head. "No. Look at her. She's in pain," she said, now turning to look at her daughter.

"You must heed my words, Kira."

There was a few tense moments as Kagome coughed up more blood and her brother wiped her mouth clean. He turned to look at his mother, waiting for her reply. Then, Kira took a deep breath, her eyes regretful as she let go of Kagome.

"Okay... I'm trusting you with my daughter, Monk Kiyoshi," Kira said, standing up with uncertainty. Souta gazed up at his mother, seeing her indecision, and knew that he would have to help his mother get out of the room. For some reason, even though his sister looked like she was dying, he believed in the monk's words. Souta left some towels next to Kagome's cheek and stood up, placing his hands on his mother's shoulders.

"Come on, mother. Kagome will be fine," Souta said, his mother's eyes remaining worriedly on Kagome's figure. But Kira allowed herself to be pushed away by her son as Monk Kiyoshi's figure remained next to Kagome's bedside. Souta led his mother out and grabbed the handle of the door. With one last look at the monk's figure, he closed the door on his sister and prayed that she would make it out of it alive.

Monk Kiyoshi turned back to Kagome's body and watched as another seizure took hold of her. Her body tensed up and her face was in pure anguish. Then, she released her breath and her body was lifeless. Monk Kiyoshi bowed his head, sending a silent prayer for a safe return for Kagome's soul. With that, he vanished.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

The living room was quiet as the family sat on the couches available for pleasure. Kazuki had gone up to his room after being told. He sullenly went up the stairs, not wanting to be cooped up in his room when his father and mother had just returned from being away for so long. But Kikyo had insisted and Kazuki had listened, heading up to his room sadly.

Kikyo looked at the two magazines that laid in her sight. She had left the latest magazine out on the table with the last magazine that had been published from this weekend's events. On the front cover was a picture of Inuyasha and Kagome together on the red carpet. He was obviously whispering something into her ear and she wore a smile on her face. The title read "Love on the Carpet?". Kikyo just didn't know what to believe anymore. She sighed, placing a hand on her belly and leaned back into the couch. Inuyasha was standing up behind the couch in front of her, his eyes boring holes into the magazines as if he willed them to burn to Hell.

"Inuyasha… I don't know what to say…" she admitted.

Inuyasha's eyes flashed to her. "Say about what? Those are just pictures, Kikyo."

Kikyo's eyes grew angry as she glared at him. "Oh really? Then tell me why they made the front covers? Tell me why you and my sister are so close in both of these shots?" she said, leaning forward to grab one magazine and show him the picture. "Or am I just overreacting?"

"You're overreacting," Inuyasha said, turning to the side to pace behind the couch in front of her.

Kikyo snickered and flew the magazine down on the table. "Yeah right." She watched as Inuyasha didn't look back to her and something in her gut turned over. 'Inuyasha…' She turned away from him, hurt. Ever since her sister had returned, she had been having suspicions that maybe Inuyasha and Kagome were trying to get back together again. She was only in the way anyways because those two had been in love before and still were. But now she and Inuyasha were in love. 'I love him. We're going to get married. And have a baby. And we're going to live together as a family…' she told herself, trying to believe in her words. But her heart hurt to think that it was true because these pictures only proved to her that something was definitely going on between the two.

"Inuyasha… tell me. Do you still love my sister?"

Inuyasha froze in mid-stride, his eyes on the ground in shock. He couldn't look at Kikyo, wouldn't dare. He could feel her eyes on him, but her words struck at him the most. Inuyasha didn't know what to do. As Kikyo remained silent, waiting for him, he thought about her question. Yes, he loved Kagome. How could he not? He had always loved her, and always will. But he loved Kikyo too. 'Just… a different kind of love.' Inuyasha looked towards Kikyo, his face serious but not showing any emotion. Her eyes were sad but her face was unreadable, as if she knew the answer but wanted him to tell her. Inuyasha turned away from her and walked towards the stairs. Yes, he loved Kikyo differently than he loved Kagome. Her eyes didn't hold the same light as Kagome's, the light that he loved. She wasn't Kagome, the woman he loved. But she was Kikyo, and he loved her too.

"Inuyasha…" Kikyo said softly, her eyes remaining where he was, never once looking at his retreating figure. Her voice was pleading as her eyes watered, knowing the answer.

Inuyasha was halfway up the stairs when he stopped, but couldn't turn around to face her. "Yes." With that said, Inuyasha headed up the stairs to be with his son.

Kikyo took a deep breath and closed her eyes, the tears finally able to be let free. She released a shuddering breath and couldn't help but feel angry. However, she wasn't angry at Inuyasha. No. Kikyo was angry at herself.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

The Maboroshi Kokudo was silent, eerily silent. The jasmines had withered away, giving all of their life force to help Midoriko in her task. The clouds had darkened, making it seem like a dark night among the small group. They were surrounded by mist and a light purple glow emitted from Midoriko's body in the middle of the circle. Kagome's still body remained lifeless in front of Midoriko as the priestess called for the Shikon no Tama. Kagome's soul was within the Maboroshi Kokudo, since she was destined to walk among these plains with her mother in the afterlife. Her body, however, was damaged and impure.

Blood leaked down Kagome's cheek and onto the grass below. Her hair was disheveled after she had been tossing and turning through the agony of what felt like her soul was being ripped to shreds. And then, Kagome could remember no more as she felt herself become less than air.

Midoriko tilted her head from side to side, her eyes closed, as her jewels glowed on her forehead. Light emitted from her palms as she moved them over Kagome's body, remaining a few inches off Kagome's body. Midoriko could feel Kagome's soul around her and knew that the girl was waiting. Kagome trusted her to complete the ritual.

The monks around her continued to chant, their chanting remaining at the same pace and octave since they've started. Their Ju's were clasped out in front of their chin, their eyes closed in concentration.

Suddenly, Midoriko's eyes snapped open. 'There's no time.' She had to get the jewel out before Kagome's soul could not be called back into her body. Now, she worked faster. Taking a deep breath, she looked down at Kagome's body and began chanting herself. This time, her chant was different than the monks as she called to the purity within Kagome's body to come out. She called forth on the Shikon no Tama, hoping that it'll heed her call. She used her aura to urge it out of her daughter's body and prayed to the Fates for their assistance. The Shikon no Tama would either disappear once it left Kagome's body or become a solid substance. The jewel was connected to Kagome and it was as much a part of Kagome as she was it. The jewel could either disappear if it was taken out of Kagome, and she would die along with it, or Kagome could die through this process, and the jewel would die along with her. They were tied together, which was how Midoriko had made them. She trusted only her daughter with the Shikon no Tama, the most sought after, powerful and deadly object in this world.

Midoriko looked down at Kagome's calm face, now that she was free of pain. 'Please hear my cry… come forth… Jewel of Four Souls…' Midoriko closed her eyes and began to chant, this time, allowing the Brothers to follow her lead. They echoed her chanting as she began to call forth the souls of the jewel.

"Aramitama."

One of Midoriko's jewels lit up on her forehead as Midoriko placed one hand above Kagome's forehead.

"Nigimitama."

Another jewel lit up, and the atmosphere became denser now, as if gravity was pushing down on all of them.

"Kushimitama."

The Brothers never stopped in their chanting as they remained alongside their priestess, staying strong for both of the women. Midoriko never stopped chanting and neither would them. Though she didn't look tired on the outside, pure concentration and serenity set on her face, she was weary on the inside.

"Sakimitama."

All four of her jewels lit up, making Midoriko feel the power of the Shikon no Tama that she had bestowed upon her daughter. The power of the jewel flowed up into her palms, filling her body with its power and presence. She placed her hand over Kagome's heart, calling out to the jewel.

"Jewel of the Four Souls. All united into one being, my daughter. Courage. Friendship. Wisdom. Love. All four souls. All within my daughter. All with my daughter. All without my daughter. For you will separate but be one. For you will be one and separate." Midoriko began to chant again and her jewels began to glow brighter as her palms shone brighter down on Kagome's forehead and heart. Gravity pushed down on them, pressing their bodies into the ground and making them fight the force that would bring their chests to the ground.

'Yes…' Midoriko felt it. The first stir of life. She could feel Aramitama's soul, coming out of Kagome's body with the courage that it was. Right above Kagome's heart, one string of white light began twist up towards Midoriko's hand. It hovered there, twisting slowly as it heeded Midoriko's call. Then, Kushimitama's soul came out, a bright pink light that twisted with the white light, the two dancing together through its wisdom. Nigimitama then came out as a light purple light, playing with the three to unite their friendships again. And lastly came Sakimitama's soul, a bright blue light that mirrored Kagome's spiritual aura, bringing the great love that held the four souls together in one jewel. 'Shikon no Tama. You are one.'

The four twisting lights began to condense into a ball until it become a solid jewel, glowing all four colors until it became a soft, glittering pink. The jewel hovered above Kagome's heart, Midoriko's light shinning down on it. Midoriko began to end her chant, calling Kagome's soul back into her body, knowing that things weren't done yet. Even though the jewel was out, Kagome's soul might not re-enter her body because of the missing link. If Kagome's soul does not return, the jewel will disappear and Kagome will die.

'Come on, my sweetheart. Come back to me…' Midoriko called on Kagome's soul, adding her strength to aid Kagome back to her beaten body. She could feel Kagome's soul enter her body and then the body jerked, arching up to touch Midoriko's palm over Kagome's heart. Kagome's eyes flew wide open, a bright blue color taking on her orbs. Her mouth was open in a silent scream as pain shot through her entire body, centered mostly in her heart. The Maboroshi Kokudo was blasted with a bright light, Kagome's spiritual energy flying out at the invasion of her soul. She screamed, but no sound came out of her open mouth.

'It's alright, Kagome…' Midoriko bowed her head as she concentrated on keeping Kagome's soul in her body. 'Come on, Kagome…' But her body was rejecting her soul. Kagome's body jerked again and her head twisted to one side as her face showed her anguish. Tears fell down her cheeks but her eyes were still bright, seeing nothing. Her hands were fisted at her sides, tearing into the ground, digging up soil underneath her nails.

The Brothers began to chant faster, trying to help Kagome's body accept her soul. But her body felt invaded, searching for the Shikon no Tama that helped to complete her. Midoriko began to chant with the Brothers, their voices filling the clearing with the remaining power that they could will out. After a few minutes, which seemed like hours of pain, Kagome's body finally settled, accepting her soul. The jewel glowed a dark pink as it remained above Kagome's heart, watching over Kagome's recovery.

Slowly, the gravity in the clearing began to disperse and they could sit without the heavy tension bearing down on them. Midoriko opened her eyes, her jewels beginning to dim in color and her palms returning to normal. She withdrew her hands to her lap, suddenly feeling the heavy exhaustion that took hold of her body. She had used too much energy. Midoriko looked around to her monks, seeing their old faces looking as bad as she was feeling. Monk Kiyoshi gazed up at Midoriko and sent her a thankful smile. With that, his figure disappeared, his spirit needing to recuperate after all of the energy they had spent in just under an hour. Midoriko smiled as the Brothers began to disappear as well, their weariness clearly shown on their faces. 'Thank you…'

Midoriko gazed back down at her daughter, seeing the rise and fall of Kagome's chest as a sign that she was alive and well. The jewel was still levitating above Kagome's heart, a dark pink with pulsing energy. Then, Kagome's eyes squinted and she revealed her chestnut orbs, tired after the fight and pain she had. Slowly, she tilted her head to look at her mother, smiling at her mother's smile.

"You look tired," Kagome whispered, her voice croaky. Midoriko smiled.

"I am fine. You look worse for wear." Kagome tried to chuckle but nothing came out through her throat. Her throat felt dry and scratchy so she didn't even try to talk again. But then, her body began to feel again and she felt the emptiness in her body. Kagome gazed down to see the jewel floating above her heart.

'The Shikon no Tama…' she thought with shock. The beautiful jewel glowed with its power and purity, beckoning her. Kagome's eyes locked onto the jewel, wondering about its power and mysteries. Such a tiny jewel, only about the size of a ping pong, yet it held so much power. She had seen it once before, but that was in the middle of a war and she wasn't really paying attention to the jewel. Now, she truly saw the jewel. And it took her breath away with its simplicity yet deadly purpose.

"You must take hold of it. The jewel belongs only to you and you are the only one who can wield it," Midoriko said as she too gazed at the jewel. Her hands trembled on her lap as her energy continued to leave her body, leaving her even wearier than a second ago. She was slowly losing consciousness.

Kagome tried to lift her hand, finding herself doing it easily. She reached for the jewel, feeling the slight change in the atmosphere around the jewel. It was as if she was holding the jewel, but her hand was a few inches away from it. She concentrated on her strength and took hold of the jewel, the Shikon no Tama shinning bright, blinding the two women. Midoriko and Kagome squinted their eyes at the bright light. When the light faded, the jewel had turned a bright pink, the colors of all the souls swirling within the jewel, complete once again. Kagome smiled, feeling the pulse of the jewel in her hands the same as the beat of her heart.

"I must leave you now, Kagome…" Midoriko said wearily, yet regretful. Her head had bowed down because she couldn't hold it up anymore. She had used too much of her energy and that of the spirits around her.

Kagome's head immediately turned towards her mother to look worriedly up at her. "Mother… please… go to sleep. Find peace in her rest." Midoriko smiled gratefully down at her and then slowly faded away, succumbing to the rest that she desperately needed.

Turning her attention to the jewel in her hand, Kagome examined the tiny thing. 'You are going to cause such a stir in the world of the living.' With that last thought, Kagome's eyes closed and her hand fell onto her chest as she too succumbed to sleep.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

Inuyasha smiled as he walked towards the balcony where Kazuki kneeled, pressing his body against the steel railing. His hands hung limply through the openings between the bars as he remained on his knees, gazing out at the forest. He didn't move when his father came up behind him and began to sit cross-legged next to him.

Inuyasha smirked and glanced quickly at Kazuki. The boy still didn't acknowledge his presence. "Is something bothering you, son?" he asked, gazing out at the forest that he loved.

After a few seconds, Kazuki told his father. "Are you and Aunty Kikyo not going to get married anymore?"

Inuyasha was taken aback by the question but the two never looked at each other. They both continued to gaze out at the landscape. "I don't know. Why do you ask that?"

Kazuki shrugged his shoulders, pressing his face between the openings of the bars, but not being able to fit through it. "Okaa smells different."

Inuyasha knew what Kazuki meant. Kazuki could smell him all over Kagome and it confused him. He sighed, feeling a sharp pain in his heart hit him for a second, nearly taking his breath away, but then it went away. Inuyasha wondered what that pain was, but then quickly went back to talking to Kazuki. "Does it bother you?"

Kazuki shook his head as much as he could between the bars. "No. Okaa and Otou should smell the same. Everyone else's Okaa and Otou smells the same."

Inuyasha smirked and looked down at his son. "Then why do you ask? Do you want me and Aunty Kikyo to get married?" He had explained to Kazuki what marriage was. The boy was nearly four already, but he was smarter than human babies. He was a pure hanyou, though sired by a hanyou and a human. And therefore, he had all the qualities and advantages Inuyasha had. Kazuki would grow faster, mature quicker until right after puberty, and then he would start to slowly age. Kazuki knew some things more than others, but he was still learning.

"I want you and Okaa to get married."

With a sigh, Inuyasha looked out at the forest. "It's not that easy, Kazuki."

Kazuki pushed back against the railing, looking up to see up at the side of his father's face. "But why? Okaas and Otous are supposed to be together. I love Okaa. Don't you love Okaa, Otou?" he asked, his innocent voice tugging at Inuyasha's heart.

As much as Inuyasha wanted to tell him, he couldn't. Kazuki would only push things further and right now, he just wouldn't understand why he and Kagome can't be together. He was still a child and didn't understand the responsibilities of an adult. Inuyasha smiled and looked down at his son. "Why don't we go to the park?" he offered.

Kazuki glared at him and made a face, turning his head away as he closed his eyes and lifted his chin. "I don't want to go to the park. I want to be with Okaa."

Inuyasha frowned and looked away. 'Kazuki…' Slowly he got up and dusted off his butt. "Well… how's about I take you there tomorrow, okay? Your mother's tired now after the trip. But I'll take you there in the morning." He looked down at Kazuki's head, waiting to hear a reply. A smile tug on his face as he realized how much Kazuki was like him. 'Stubborn hanyou…' Kagome used to always say he was stubborn, and now that he looked at Kazuki, he believed her. He frowned, thinking about Kagome and how she had looked this morning. She definitely had seemed very tired and weak when they had left the hotel and headed home. But she hadn't told him anything, just pushing it aside, saying that she had little sleep last night.

"Okay." Inuyasha snapped out of his thoughts as Kazuki replied, but kept his back to him. Inuyasha smiled with a nod and walked out of Kazuki's room, heading back downstairs to check on Kikyo.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

Kaya paced silently at the edge of the cliff. She waited for Raige as he had left her a few hours ago and told her to wait here. She was sick of waiting. She was free now. She was out in the world again, and she wanted to hunt down every last holy person and kill them for what they were. They had kept her prisoners for years in that basement. Even though Raige had already killed the ones responsible for her capture, she wanted to kill every last holy person in this world. Those bastards think they were so high and mighty and she would show them who they were dealing with. Kaya flexed her claws as the moonlight hit her from above. She looked out at the land below littered with lights all lined up in a line, heading for the bustling area with huge towers and glowing lights. Though Kaya had been trapped in the basement for years, she still knew some things about this time she was in. That city was Tokyo, from what Raige had told her, and last she remembered, Tokyo was just in the process of growing into a huge city like the one in front of her. Now, everything seemed so big and populated.

'Filled with humans to kill…' she thought with eagerness.

"Having fun yet?" Raige asked as he appeared behind her. Kaya turned around, her eyes glittering with mischief and admiration as Raige strolled leisurely towards her. Her eyes remained on him, her body becoming feline as the male approached her.

"A little."

Raige smiled and stood next to Kaya, gazing out at the landscape. Kaya kept her eyes on him, though. Raige exuded power and his body was tough, something that Kaya wanted to rake her claws over. For some reason, this Inu-taiyoukai just turned her on, and she wanted him bad.

"After being trapped in there for so long, I think your hormones are running with you, Kaya," Raige said as he turned towards her with a smirk. His eyes glittered dangerously down at her, making Kaya weak in the knees. She envisioned Raige to be a very dominant male, putting her into submission. But she would fight him, and that would be the fun part. Kaya smiled sexily up at him, never feeling like this for a long time.

"I think so." She closed the distance between them and placed her hands on his chest, running circles along his inner, white kimono. "Wanna test me?" she proposed, bringing her tail to wrap around his right leg.

Raige smirked and arched his eyebrow. "You are a temptation to many, Kaya." He brought his head down, making Kaya's heart jump in her chest. His face came right next to hers as he whispered in her ear, warm breath blowing against her sensitive ear and neck. "But I have eyes for someone else." With that, Raige moved back and turned to look back out at Tokyo. Kaya remained speechless, her mouth hanging open as she gazed up at the stars in the clear sky. Her heart was still pounding, but now anger was starting to creep in. She snapped out of it and turned to glare at his back, pissed that he had teased her and then rejected her.

"Kaya… you are a beautiful female. But I am not interested in mating with you. I have my eyes set on someone."

"And who is this someone?" she asked, coming to stand next to him, trying to control her rage at knowing that someone else had caught his eyes. Kaya gazed out at the landscape holding Tokyo. 'That's probably why we're here. He's come to get her and needs my help in doing so.' Kaya quickly glanced at Raige, furious that he would use her to get a woman of his.

Raige smirked and his eyes glittered dangerously. "You'll be surprised."

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

The morning brought fear as Kira paced in the kitchen. She had been unable to keep her mind off Kagome ever since yesterday's events. The whole time she and Souta had tried to forget about the sight of Kagome on her bed. But they had a hard time trying to watch TV together. She had resorted to going outside and cleaning the shrine with Souta, but that didn't help either. She kept passing by Kagome's window, hoping to hear her daughter's call or something. But Kagome's room was silent. Kira didn't know what to do when she had gone to sleep last night. She desperately wanted to check on Kagome. The sight of her daughter still haunted her when she slept and she had a very light sleep, barely any. Now, Kira could barely even concentrate on cooking breakfast for her family while she thought about Kagome. The girl hadn't eaten anything since yesterday. Her motherly instincts have been in high gear and she couldn't concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes without thinking about Kagome. Kira walked back to the refrigerator for what seemed like the tenth time, just stared in the lighted box, and then closed the door.

Kira tried to keep herself occupied as she made pancakes and eggs for her family. She would walk around, peer out the window, glance in the icebox, and open the cupboards, anything to keep herself busy as the food cooked. Souta came down, startling her in her chores.

"Good morning, mama," Souta said as he yawned. Kira smiled at her son and noticed his tired eyes. 'Souta… you didn't get any sleep either.'

"Good morning, sweetheart. I hope you got some sleep."

Souta smiled sadly and shook his head, not wanting to worry his mother. "Yeah, I got a lot of sleep." Kira watched, unbelievingly, as Souta sat down at the table, running a hand through his hair. He had on a white tank top and a loose black pants, obviously coming straight down for breakfast. She smiled at her son and turned back to the stove, checking the pancakes.

Just then, there was movement by the door and Kira turned to see Kagome standing there. Her eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat as she took in her daughter's figure. Kagome was dressed her miko attire, and she looked a lot better than how she looked yesterday. But Kira didn't have time to look over her fully. She dropped the spatula on the sink and quickly walked over to her daughter.

"Kagome…" Kira said, tears filling her eyes, as she wrapped her arms around her daughter. Souta had gotten up from the table with wide eyes and slowly made his way to the two, never taking his eyes off his sister. He took in her smile and the light in her eyes and knew that she was feeling a lot better.

Kagome hugged her mother back, rubbing her mother's back in comfort. "I'm sorry I worried you, Mama," she said tenderly. She looked to see that Souta was making his way over to them, and she smiled lovingly at her brother. Souta smiled in relief back at her and Kira pulled back so that Souta could hug her. Kagome giggled in her brother's hug as he squeezed her to make sure that she truly was okay.

The two pulled back and both looked at their mother. Kira shook her head, love filling her chest at the sight of her two children together. But then, Kira fully took in Kagome's appearance and questions began to fly in her mind as the relief settled in.

"What happened, Kagome?" she asked, seeing her daughter's smile. Kagome knew her mother was going to ask.

Kagome told her mother and brother to sit down and she told them everything. Well, she skipped the part where she died, again, and that was the whole reason why her Brother didn't want her family in the room. Her mother and brother would have freaked out and they would have overreacted. But Kagome told them about the jewel and how Inuyasha had mated with her. This had stirred emotions out of Souta.

Kagome jumped as Souta pounded the table, making both women look at him with shock and wonder. "Bastard! How could he do that to you!"

Kagome looked confusedly at her brother but tried to reason with him. "Souta… it's not Inuyasha's fault. We didn't know that this would have happened to me."

"No… not that, Kagome," Souta said. He turned his head away from her, his anger still shown on his face as he glared at the table. Kira watched her son, noting his anger and frustration.

"It's just…" Kagome waited as she watched her brother, wondering what was bothering him. "He should have known better. He's getting married to Kikyo." Kagome's eyes saddened as she frowned and looked at the table. 'You too… Souta…'

"He's just so selfish! He can't have both of you two. He can only have one. And he has one. And they're having a child. He can't just abandon Kikyo now!" Souta said, furious that Inuyasha would leave his sister when she would need him the most. That was his child that she carried.

"I know, Souta…" Kagome said softly. Souta's anger deflated as he realized that he said things that hurt Kagome. He turned to look at his sister and was about to explain. "That's why Inuyasha and I are not going to be together."

Kira's eyes shot back to Kagome, shocked at what she said. Even Souta was shocked. "Inuyasha and I know that we can't be together. And what we did in Okinawa was a mistake." Souta frowned, feeling terrible for making Kagome feel that way. He placed his hand on his sister's, stopping her from talking.

"Kagome… I don't want you two not to be together. I know how much you love him, and I know that Inuyasha loves you. But… I'm just saying…" What was he saying, exactly? That they can't be together, but should be? That Inuyasha had made a mistake and they were just hopeful wishing?

Kagome smiled lovingly at her brother and placed her other hand on his. "Souta… I know what you're saying. Trust me." She smiled and looked away, looking to her mother. "But I've made a decision." She brought her hand to her chest and dug inside her miko robes, fishing out the cloth that held the beloved jewel. Kagome took back her hand from her brother and opened up the cloth, revealing the small, glittering Shikon no Tama. Kira and Souta both gasped as they stared down at the jewel, bewildered. "This jewel is a part of me, and I am a part of it. It can never fall into the wrong hands, and it can never be touched by another but mine." Kagome smiled at the jewel, never once fading in her determination. "That's why I have chosen to go back to the Ise Shrine."

Kira's wide eyes flew to her daughter, shocked, worried and hurt. She tried to remain calm, knowing that her daughter knew what was right and she trusted in Kagome's decisions. "Why?" she asked simply.

"I need to protect the jewel 24/7. And I can't be carrying it with me around Tokyo. Plus, demons can feel its aura now that it's out of my body." Kagome took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. "Now that the Shikon no Tama is a solid thing, it'll bring danger wherever it is. It radiates power constantly, power that demons can feel from miles away. And because it's not in my body anymore, I won't be powerful enough to protect the jewel by myself."

Kira smiled tenderly and shook her head slowly. "Now there is where you are wrong, Kagome."

Kagome turned to look at her mother with an arched eyebrow. "How so, Mama?" she asked, wondering why her mother would think otherwise.

"Because I believe that your power comes from you," Kira said, reaching out to place her palm on Kagome's cheek. "You have so much power that even your grandfather admired you." At the sound of Jii-san, Kagome's eyes watered, remembering how he had died because of her. So much disaster and death because of her, and now this jewel would bring more death into her life. She didn't want to burden her family with more loss. "Just because you had the Shikon no Tama within you, doesn't mean that you were strong because of it. It was within you, but who said you were tapping into its powers?"

Kagome smiled tenderly at her mother, remembering Midoriko telling her the same thing. Kira smiled and brought her hand down to place on top of Kagome's. "I know how strong you are, and I believe that there is no demon in this world that can defeat you. The jewel is only an extra boost for you."

"Thank you, Mama," Kagome said, her eyes shinning with love. She was so grateful for having a loving and understanding mother. "But… I believe that I'm making the right decision." She had already told her mother her plans and Midoriko would tell her Brothers, so they would be expecting her arrival. But she needed to take care of some things here before she left. 'Kazuki…' The thought of leaving her son, again, is what frightened her. She didn't want to leave Kazuki, but she didn't want to put her son in harm's way because of the Shikon no Tama. She would protect her son now when she couldn't protect him then.

Kira, however, read Kagome's mind. "What are you going to do about Kazuki?" she asked, knowing how much Kazuki meant to Kagome. A mother's love for her child is one thing that Kira could relate to.

"I think I shall meet with him once a week." Kagome nodded her head, making her decision as it came to her. "Since Tokyo and Ise are so far away from each other, it'll be hard to get more than one visit. So I'll only do one. Unless Dai wants to drive him down every time," she said with a thoughtful expression. Kagome shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever the case, I can be with Kazuki outside of the shrine for the whole day or something and we can go to the park there. Ise has a beautiful park filled with Sakura trees. I know he'll love it," she said with a smile.

Kira nodded her head. "That sounds good." At least Kagome would still be able to be with Kazuki if she were to go back to the Ise Shrine and be hidden from the world.

"Will you come to visit us?" Souta asked. Kagome turned to her brother, seeing his frown. She smiled lovingly at him, still seeing this young man as her little brother.

"Of course. But not as often." She smiled sadly. "Maybe once a month or so. I'll try to do it more often though," she said. Kagome knew that she should be spending more time with them now that she was given the chance to. But it just seemed like her life would always strip her of her loved ones, no matter how many times she may be reborn. Kagome held in her sigh and turned to look at the jewel in front of her. Its power pulsed through her veins, making her aware of its presence every minute.

"I must go. I'll call a taxi to take me down to Ise. But I want to get there by nightfall." Kagome folded up the Shikon no Tama and tucked the cloth back into her miko robes. She would have to make it into a necklace or something so that she would always have her eye on it and it would always be protected by her. Kagome stood up, Kira and Souta following her. The three walked to the door, agreeing to walk to the edge of the shrine stairs to see Kagome off. Kagome was making the call on her cell phone when silver hair caught her attention at the top of the stairs.

'Inuyasha…' Inuyasha and Kazuki appeared and they began walking towards them. Kazuki wore a huge smile on his face, glad to see his mother again after being away from her for so long. He ran towards her, making Kagome's heart soar with joy at the sight of her son. She put her phone back into her robes and walked to meet him, getting to her knees as he ran into her arms.

"Kazuki…" Kagome said with love, leaning her cheek against the top of his head. His little arms grabbed onto her robes.

"Okaa!" Kazuki said, nuzzling against her neck, taking in her breath. The scent of his mother calmed and filled his soul with love. Kazuki felt a great sense of love and relief as he was finally with his mother again, though it's only been a day since he last saw her.

Kagome smiled and then looked up as Inuyasha came up behind them, a smile on his face as he gazed down at them. "Hi," she said.

"Hi," he said back, watching the little reunion as it filled him with love to see his son and Kagome together, as it should be. Inuyasha crossed his arms and relaxed on one leg when he caught a scent and stiffened. His senses flared out as his arms came to his side rigidly. Inuyasha brought his nose up to the wind as he tilted his head to find the source of this threatening scent. 'Inu-taiyoukai…' One that he's never encountered. 'Another that's not from our family?' Inu-taiyoukais were rare, his family being one of the few left in this world.

Kagome noticed Inuyasha's posture and everything in her responded to his attitude. He was on a protective instinct now, making her feel trapped to his new posture. Something was threatening them, a danger. Kagome tightened her hold on Kazuki, bringing him closer into her arms, as she moved her body a bit to gaze out at the shrine. But as she flared out her aura, she recognized the newcomer immediately.

"Raige…" Kagome whispered, her eyes going wide in fear for her family. Her eyes flew up to meet Inuyasha's dark ones, seeing that he already knew who this demon was from what she had told him. Inuyasha stood in front of the two as he waited for Raige to arrive, his claws flexing at his side in pure anticipation at finally getting to meet the demon that threatened Kagome.

Without warning, Raige appeared in the middle of the shrine, his silver hair gleaming in the sunlight with Inuyasha's. His smirk was noticeable from where he stood, making Inuyasha growl menacingly low. Kazuki moved out of his mother's arms to see what had upset his father when he noticed the demon. His mother tightened her hold on him and he stilled, quieting in his mother's arms. Kira and Souta both regarded their new guest, their eyes wary.

"Kagome…" Raige said, his sapphire eyes holding a hint of pleasure at the sight of the woman. He took in her figure kneeling on the ground, making Inuyasha place his body fully in front of her to block the two from Raige's sight. He smirked at the hanyou. "Foolish hanyou." He regarded the hanyou, taking in the sight of the weak Inu-demon as nothing more but an obstacle in his way.

Inuyasha growled. "Ha! Why don't you see if I'm foolish or not?" he challenged, his hands ready at his side. Even though he didn't have his Tetsaiga, he could still use his hands. And a hand-to-hand combat would relieve the anger he felt for this demon. And it would feel good, remembering the last time he had ever used his strength fully. Inuyasha smirked, thinking about the great pleasure he would take in fighting with this demon.

Raige smirked as he felt Kaya's presence near. Her body appeared next to his, a secretive smile on her face. Kaya's hair swayed as her tail flicked from side-to-side, waiting for the opportunity to finally use her claws after all those years she was locked away. Raige smirked, seeing how perfect the timing was.


I found myself in a choke hold for the past two months. At first I had been busy with school work. But then I just couldn't open my story and start writing. I just didn't feel into it. I was confused as to why there was some negative reviews about Inu/Kag's sex scene on the last chapter. So I was confused as to where I wanted to go with this story and how I wanted the two to sort this thing out. But I'm still having the same ending in mind. I'm just trying to figure out how I'm going to get me there. But tell me what you thought. I want to know.

- Kaleialohalani