01-03-10: Well hello! This chapter is very long. After reading all of Dear John in six hours I realized that in a real novel one chapter is much longer than how we make them here on fanfiction. So I downloaded OpenOffice and typed this chapter up on there first. I got to ten pages before I finished.. and I might add the last chapter to this as well, just depending on how I feel. I might not though and we'll just move on with life. Valentines day is in 11 days!! Who's excited? Not me that's for sure! :]

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You're Kinda, Sorta, Basically, Pretty Much, Always On My Mind.

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I Don't Own Inuyasha

"Talking"

53. Kaori's Confession and the Wind Sorceress

I ran through the deep virgin snow, the flakes striking at my face like bullets. The wind howled. My body shivered. I sprinted forward, gasping, my breath forming a silver cloud in front of my face. I was almost oblivious to everything around me. I didn't know where I was going. I didn't know what I was doing. I wasn't following him.. Or maybe I was but I just didn't realize it.

I had escaped in the opposite direction, moments before Kaede could reach me. I didn't want her help. I wanted to be alone. To cry. To deal with life by myself. How ever could I learn if I relied on everyone else's advice?

I regretted confessing my petty and unrealistic fears. He had only been a room away. I knew his personality. I should have thought it through. I should have waited. I shouldn't have said anything at all. Idiot.

I didn't know what I was going to do. I didn't know what I was going to say. I was running away.. But I couldn't really run away.. I wouldn't.. I promised. I slowed down considerably until I came to a stop, and stared blankly at the air ahead of me.

Inuyasha had only run away because my story had been new to him. It had come to him has much as a shock as it had to me. But I.. I was scared of his opinion. Of what he was going to do now. Would he think of it as just a dream and move on? Or would he hate me and never want to see me again? I was scared of the latter. I couldn't face him. Not now. Not ever. I looked around. But then.. where would I go?

I shivered. I wrapped my arms around my body, the thin white nightgown doing nothing except letting the heat escape. I didn't think transforming my katanas into firewood would provide any sort of help, considering if that were even possible.

I winced as the dropping temperatures caused the ache in my chest to grow, and took off into the wind. I had to find him.. but I was so scared. Either him or shelter.. maybe I'd find shelter and then him.. or him and then shelter.. I chose shelter first.. I wasn't ready to face him.. How long had it been? Hours? Minutes? Seconds? He ran away. He must hate me. I didn't want to hear those words coming from him.. I wasn't ready.. maybe.. maybe tomorrow I would be ready.

I stumbled as I hit a pit of snow that reached my knees and fell forward. I tossed my hands out in front of me so I wouldn't hit my face and I watched as a bright splatter of red soaked the frozen water as I hit the ground. Broken ice.

I crawled toward a tree, and turned over to sit on my bottom. My right hand was cut open. I stared at it. The cold numbed away the pain, but the blood seeped down my palm.. my arm.. all the way to my elbows where it fell in droplets. I felt so satanic.. or.. depressed as I did nothing. I just watched myself bleed. Wondering if hands really could contain that much blood.. But then.. as it stopped.. and it froze on my exposed flesh, I watched as a droplet of water rolled down my nose and then hung there as he waited for more to push him off the edge.

I sniffed, and wiped away the lone tear. How suicidal it was.. just standing there by itself waiting to fall. My thoughts drifted to my death dream. Why was I so stupid? I mean.. Kaede was right it was just a dream.. but it held such an effect on me.. it hurt me..

I wiped away more tears and moved to sit on my knees. I picked up hand fulls of snow and slid it up and down my arm as it melted, to cleanse it of the blood. Once I was clean and the skin had turned to gooseflesh I ripped some fabric off the bottom of my nightgown and tied it around my hand. There. At least now I was normal.

I stood up and looked around. I was in a forest, the trees dense and close together. I spotted my footprints not to far off.. but the falling snow were already forcing them into nonexistence. I sniffed the air, but came up with nothing but scents of cold. Great. I was lost.

I wrapped my tail around my legs and hugged my arms. Then I started walking into the direction I thought I had come from. The wind licked at my exposed skin, and my body was soon reduced to constant shivers. I was a hanyou.. yet I was this cold.. I wondered how cold it really was.. and even if a human could survive this temperature.

I swiped a lose strand of hair away from my face as I carefully stepped over another deep patch of snow. I felt like I was going up hill.. the climb becoming increasingly difficult. I didn't remember any hills coming this way.. I didn't really remember anything.. My hand left my hair and landed on my chest, clutching the pewter pendant hanging between my breasts. Koga.. I could go to him.. maybe.. I shivered. Maybe I should. I mean.. he loved me, didn't he? He searched for me endlessly for three months. He wouldn't run away. He wouldn't leave me.. I thought of everything that might happen if I ended up in his cave.. He might love me but he was a youkai, and a wolf. Wild animals.. I remembered how they lived and how there would be no other females there except for me. Going there might set up more problems.

I swayed and leaned on a tree for support. It was so cold. I felt so tired.. Maybe I should just go there.. just.. just.. just to warm up and then I'd leave.. yeah..

"Inuyasha, why do you think Naraku caught you and I in a trap.. and made us hate each other..?"

My heart thudded against my chest and a shiver ran up my spine that, for once, was not related to the cold.

"That's.."

Inuyasha's voice.. What..? Where was I? I looked around, my heart beating loudly in my ears. I was.. still in the village.. this was the area around the Goshiboku.. I held my breath as my fear grew up inside my stomach.. the urge to throw up suddenly strong.

"..to corrupt the Shikon No Tama. By tainting your heart, which keeps the jewel cleansed, with hatred for me.."

"Humph... That's.. just an excuse. Even without corrupting my heart.. If Naraku just touched the Shikon No Tama, that should have been enough to corrupt the jewel."

Inuyasha said nothing.

"The remains of Onigumo's heart inside Naraku.. wanted us broken up."

"Onigumo's heart..!?"

"That wild-thief.. wanted me for himself."

"'Jealousy'..? What a meaningless reason to-"

"Yes, it's meaningless.. and also very human."

Silence again.

"Inuyasha, you told me that you have overheard my sisters speaking about the dream in which Kaori had, the one I gave her. It wasn't real. That day when my soul inside of Kaori was set free and she was to be her true self.. How she turned on me for you.. It made me jealous.. So I thought of something that might ruin you two.. But she, as much as it has plagued her, was too strong for that.. She wouldn't change.."

"So.. you tried to kill her..?"

This time Kikyou said nothing. I slid to my bottom, my eyes wide and unable to blink. It was all a lie.. Just a big.. horrible.. lie.. A lie had forced me to tears almost every night.. A lie had brought me down to an almost suicidal state. A lie made by my own sister.. just because she was jealous.. I bit my lip as silent tears ran down my cheeks and tried not to listen anymore.. Yet I found this task nearly impossible.

"You must hate me now, don't you? I tried to kill a girl over a silly emotion such as jealousy."

Inuyasha growled. "I've already told you before!! I can't hate you!! No matter what you've done!" The ache in my heart grew.."That someone as disgusting as Naraku loves you, makes me sick. Kikyou, you said that my life was yours! In that case, your life is mine! There's no way I'll hand you over to the likes of Naraku! No matter what you've done!"

"Inuyasha.."

A sob escaped my lips and I wondered if Inuyasha would hear it thus forcing them to break apart.. but they seemed too lost in their own moment to notice much else.

"Kikyou, you.. know where Naraku lives.. where his castle is, don't you?"

"If you knew, then what..?"

"That's obvious. I'd go in and.. rip apart Naraku. Then you won't have to fight anymore."

"I've already told you Inuyasha. I am the only one who can purify Naraku and completely remove him from this world."

"But.. if you're attacked again like just now.. Who will protect you!? I'm the only one who can, aren't I!!"

"Inuyasha.. you're saying that from the heart, aren't you?"

"I can't take it any longer.. I couldn't stand it even if.. That measly Naraku sees you, or hears your voice! To say nothing of how I'd feel if I lost you again.."

"Fear not Inuyasha, I won't suffer something like that again. Besides Naraku won't be able to kill me. Not while Onigumo's heart, his heart that yearns for me, still remains.."

I heard the rustle of snow and fabric. "I should be going.."

"But-"

"Isn't it about time.. that you got back to your friends?" I listened to her footsteps.. then she stopped. "Besides.. a little girl has been waiting for you, patiently crying, behind that tree over there."

"Kaori..?!"

I listened to the footsteps as they ran closer and then as they stopped right in front of me. My heart skipped a beat.. and carefully I pulled my head away from my knees and got to my feet, struggling not to look at him. I glanced behind the trunk and upon noticing that Kikyou had disappeared turned back to him, keeping my gaze toward the ground.

"I'm.. sorry.." I took a shaky breath.. carefully adding something more.. "Inuyasha.. Nii-san. I'll never do it again!"

I took a step to run, tears streaming down my face. A hand shot out and grabbed mine, freezing me in my tracks. "Don't run away.."

My heart leaped and the tears stopped falling. "Why.." My voice was weak.. shaky.. Even to me I sounded in pain. "Why!? All you do is.. is do these weird things and.. and.."

"I know.." He whispered. "Just don't go.."

"Why..? It's not like you need me.. The fact that she tried to kill me means nothing to you! If I had died or not, it wouldn't make a difference. You would still chose her over me!"

"That's not true!"

"Isn't it, Inuyasha?"

"No, you're completely wrong.."

"So.. If I had died.. would you have gotten revenge.. would you hate her.. Would you do anything..?"

Silence. I chocked back a sob and forced a laugh. "Yeah I thought so.."

"You don't understand.. Until I met you, I couldn't trust anybody. But you cried for my sake. You were at my side without a second thought, even if you ran away you'd always came back.. I've done nothing to deserve you, and I continue to prove it.. all the time, everyday. But I enjoy your company, I feel at ease when you are here.. If you had died.. if she had gotten away with it.. then I don't know what I would do.. However.. She didn't go through with it.. so I mustn't laugh and enjoy things."

I was at a lose of what to say. My mind was blank.. all I could do was listen, and concentrate on the places we touched.. "Why..?"

"I have to risk my life for Kikyou in return.."

I shook my head, the tears returning. "That's not what I meant. I meant.. I meant.. I know I can't compete with her. I mean.. She gave up her life to be with you.. I mean.. that.. Why was I making everything so complicated.. What's wrong with me..?"

I pulled away from him and he let me go. I leaned up against the tree, trying to hide the tears I knew he could smell. "But then I keep asking myself.. Why can't your bond be cut.. I don't understand your feelings.. It.. sets a fire inside me, where I almost hate her.. I almost hate you.. Because even though your relationship was so fragile that you ended up turning against each other, even though she lied and hurt me.. even though she's already tried to kill us both.. you.. you.. You don't care that she tried..You still love her.. " I closed my eyes, clenching my teeth together.

Then I felt his arms around me and felt his chest against my cheek. I sighed. "I'm despicable.. "

"No.. you're not.."

"Yes I am. I know everything.. I was there for everything.. through moment of your relationship with her.. I watched every you two fall in love.. and yet.. and yet I'm still jealous.. I still.. want you to belong to me, and me only.." I swallowed.. my face hot and sticky.. My breathing was shaky and a sob escaped my lips and I spoke the impossible words.. "I love you, Inuyasha.."

The tears took over as sudden pain struck my heart for a reason unknown even to myself, and I would have fallen if not for him keeping me up. I hands clutched his haori.. I could feel his heart beating hard in his chest, and he was tense.. but he said nothing.. All was silent besides my constant quiet sobs.

I felt him rest his head on mine and we stood like that for what seemed like ages. Soon my sobs ceased, and the tears ran until my eyes could produce no more. I breathed in deep breaths, full of his intoxicating scent, my mind drifting over ever moment since I had first met him. I tried to pin point the exact moment.. that the innocent admiration turned into this feeling.. but I couldn't.. After a while I came to the conclusion that I always had.. but I had been too young to understand..

Everything made sense to me now.. I had no more questions about what was wrong with me.. The only thing in the world that I was afraid of.. was.. what he was going to say..

I heard him inhale and I held my breath..

Then, suddenly, a female laugh pierced the silence and my eyes snapped open. I felt Inuyasha's head leave mine and his grip tightened around my waist. I stared into the bushes, and a pair of bright red eyes stared back. I sniffed. The scent of Naraku.

I pulled away from Inuyasha and, pulled out my katanas as I did so, he pulled Tetsusaiga out of it's sheath and we faced the red eyed woman. I saw a smile in the shadow, and she slunk away into the darkness.

Inuyasha growled and we took off after her. She smelt of Naraku. There was no second thought to what we were going to do. We raced after the scent, a dark figure always on the horizon, not speaking or looking at each other for miles.

We came upon a clearing a moment later.. the woman no longer to be seen anywhere. My nose filled with the scent of wolves and blood and I gasped, as through the darkness, I saw a scene so familiarly horrifying.

The snow was a dark crimson and about a hundred wolves, and wolf youkai men lay in dark pools of their own blood. The clouds rumbled and rolled over head and for a moment, my heart pounded in my ears.

Inuyasha seemed to hear it for he said: "Don't worry.. It's not that flea bags. The fur on these guys is black.. not brown like Koga's group."

I was disappointed that these would be the first words to me after my.. confession. Also at the fact that he thought I had been worried about Koga straight after as well.. I mean of course I was but.. still..

All of a sudden the youkais trembled, staggering to their feet. A gasp escaped me and I stepped back in fear. Zombies..? They growled, their face menacing and viscous, blood seeping from wounds all over their bodies. Then they lunged.

"Dammit!" Inuyasha cursed. He rushed at them, beating each one back. Blood was soon covering his body and I realized that they were being controlled. I heard one creeping up behind me and spun around. I recognized him as one from Koga's tribe and I froze. What was he doing here..?

Inuyasha cursed again and in a flash Tetsusaiga slashed through the body of a man I had once known. I wimped and held my tail.. What.. What was going on?

A new scent on the wind told me Koga was near by, and all of a sudden the corpses dropped to the ground, once more dead and lifeless. My Fiance leaped over the trees, silhouetted against the moon, an then landed across the clearing. He straighten out of his crouch, his eyes sweeping the area then locked upon Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha..!?"

"Koga!!" I shouted, trying to reach him before he got the wrong idea.

"You bastard.." he whispered. He was in shock. "This is so cruel.."

"You probably won't believe me but I'll tell you this anyway." Inuyasha's voice was calm, and his face was guarded. "When I arrived, all your friends had already been killed."

"Don't mess with me! What about the blood on you!?" snarled Koga. He raced forward, his claws flexed. I watched as insane fury danced behind his icy blue eyes and I was scared. As long as he thought it was Inuyasha he wouldn't stop.

Inuyasha growled, gripping Tetsusaiga with both of his hands, and raced forward to met the furious wold youkai.

I felt helpless as I watched, unable to think of something to do. Koga.. was wild with the thirst for revenge.. and Inuyasha would fight, to protect his own life. How.. How could I stop this? It was so obvious it was a trap set by Naraku to have Inuyasha killed..

Koga swung his arm at Inuyasha's body and as he struck the hanyou was thrown back. My heart pounded in my ears. Koga's first hit the ground in the same swipe and the ground was broken in a flash of white energy.

"Koga you bastard." Inuyasha growled. "So you've inserted in another stupid Shikon fragment, huh."

"Heh. My previous fragment was successfully stolen by you lot, but.. this one does seem to work better than the last one."

My eyes ran down his arms, and a moment of confusion struck me. I didn't even sense one, besides the two he had in his legs. In his forearm was a black swirling light.. It wasn't a Shikon fragment.. a good copy.. but.. it was much too evil.

Koga lunged at Inuyasha again and this time he used Tetsusaiga as a shield. Koga's fist struck the fang and after a loud snap Tetsusaiga spun into the ground.

Inuyasha hissed, clutching his right arm. "Dammit.. my arm.. It's broken."

I watched a smirk appear on Koga's face, and he threw another punch, sending Inuyasha into the ground once more.

A snarl rippled from my throat and I threw myself in front of the angered youkai. "Would you knock it off!" I shouted holding back his raised arms. "Inuyasha didn't do anything! I was there! It's a trap!"

"Don't be stupid and cover for a disgusting freak like this Kaori! I'll believe it when I see it with my own eyes!!" He pulled his arms out of my grasp and pushed past me.

I fell on all fours, and felt the wound on my palm open. The white bandage quickly was touched with red. I heard Inuyasha growl and I raised myself to my feet. I realized Koga had hesitated and was now staring at me with wide eyes and as Inuyasha glared at him dangerously from where he now stood.

"Kaori.. I.. I didn't mean to.." Koga stuttered. I realized he was staring at my hand and I hid it behind my back. They must think Koga did it..

"Shut up." Inuyasha growled. "You bastard just because you're upset with me, doesn't mean you can go around hurting people who get in your way. For an idiot like you, the only way to quiet you is by force!"

The fight continued and once more I was reduced to a helpless statue on the sidelines. Inuyasha was loosing. With his arm broken and Koga's 'Shikon shard' it was an unfair fight. He kicked him and the hanyou was pushed back into the ground for the tenth time. Koga leaped up, then rushed down upon him, shouting something and then in a cloud of snow the scent of Inuyasha's blood scorched my nose.

"Inuyasha!!"

The clouds rumbled and the snow fell back to the ground. Koga stood, his fist dripping black liquid. "Humph.. So he's dead, eh?"

I raced forward, snatching Tetsusaiga in my hand and shoved Koga out of my way. I dropped to my knees, my hands trembling as I gazed at the lifeless, unconscious boy. A growl escaped my clenched teeth and I whipped around, dropping the sword with a loud clatter. "You bastard, what did you do!?!" I lunged at him, my fist hitting hard against his face.

He stumbled backwards, his face shocked. "Why the hell are you crying over someone like him!?"

"Because he didn't do anything you idiot!" I screamed. My legs gave out from under me and I collapsed to my knees. I covered my face with my hands, and for the third time that night I cried.

"Feeling cheered up? After avenging your friends' death and all." I raised my head to see a familiar pair of red eyes and a pretty face smiling sweetly as she slowly made her way towards us.

I dropped my gaze and crawled back to be at the side of Inuyasha. They were wrong.. He wasn't dead.. I could still hear a heart beat. I carefully lifted his head onto my lap and bent over him, embracing him, letting my hair falling over my shoulders so I wouldn't have to see the horrible man and the horrible woman which had caused all of this.

"Well mister wolf. Surely you have no regrets over this."

"You the hell are you?"

"I am Kagura. I'll have you dancing your final dance too." I felt a dark surge of power and I listened to the sound of a hundred men creeping to their feet.

"Wha.." I heard Koga gasp.

"In a way just like this.. this lot also died of course."

"You did..!" The swish of the wind, and the sound of running footsteps. "I'll waste you!"

"Humph."

"You bit-" I heard a thump and I took a peek through my hair. Koga was glued to the snowy earth.

Kagura chuckled, covering the lower half of her face with a white paper fan. "Looks like the poisoned fragment you inserted into your arm, has started affecting you. Right, about time I started eh."

She raised the fan over her head, and with a sweet smile waved it in front of her face. "Fuu no Mai." White spirals flew from her weapon and Koga's body was suddenly torn open and gushing blood.

I hugged Inuyasha closer to me, and soft panicked whispers left my lips as I feared what would happen next once this woman was finished with Koga. "Inuyasha.. Please wake up.. Inuyasha.. If you die now I'll never be able to forgive myself!"

He didn't stir.. Carefully I set him back onto the ground, and pulled out, then transformed my katanas into the beautiful and handy bow and arrow I had seemed to rely on so much.. I'd have to do it alone.

"Can't move, can you..?" Kagura smirked. "It's because of the Shikon fragment you put into your arm.. It's a complete fake you see. It's crystallized poison and miasma." Koga swallowed, obviously in pain. She snapped her fan shut, as the clouds rumbled again. "Now then.."

I pulled the string and with a loud 'twang' a shooting star shot from my bow. It missed her by inches. I growled as another appearing between my fingers and took aim.

Kagura glared. "You didn't intent to hit me now, did you?"

I glared back and growled, exposing my fangs. In a glow of light bow and arrow changed to katanas and I leaped forward.

"R.. Run Kaori!" Koga gasped.

Kagura's expression turned bored as she swung her fan once more. "Fuu no Mai."

White energy blades spun toward me and I stopped, sliding on the ice beneath my feet until I fell back onto my butt. "Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap."

A flash of gold rushed over my head as the white blades raced closer and as they collided the purple disappeared into the air. A rough hand gripped my arm and lifted me to my feet, pulling me behind a tall boy.

"Inuyasha!" I gasped. In a surge of happiness I hugged him from behind and I heard a heart other than my own leap.

"So you're still alive." Kagura muttered. "Hey, mister wolf.. You failed to finish him off."

"Bah!" Inuyasha scoffed. "Did you think I was going to drop dead from that's wimpy wolf's tap!?"

"Heh. Do you think you can fight me properly in that condition?"

"I'll tell you this. I'm not giving you any mercy. I really don't like the way you laid the blame off killing the youkai-wolves on me, and also setting that idiot on me, but.. most of all coming from you body.."

Kagura smiled.

"Is the same smell as Naraku!" Inuyasha leaped forward raising Tetsusaiga over his head.

"Oh-hoo. Good nose you have there." Kagura chuckled. She swung her fan and Tetsusaiga was knocked back. Inuyasha growled. Ugh, this was just going along with Kagura's plan..

She raised her fan over her head, closing it half way. "I am a wind user.. All the wind around this castle, is at my beck and call. Ryuja no mai!!" she shouted and thrust her fan downwards. Grayish-purple whirlwinds rushed forward. Inuyasha growled, wrapped his arm around my waist and leaped out of the line of fire. Heat rushed to my cheeks. Why hadn't he just let me escape by myself as usual..?

As my feet touched the ground he let go of me and I spun around. My eyes latched upon Koga, being tossed around by the mini tornadoes, repeatedly being thrown into the ground. My breath caught in my throat and I raced forward. I snatched Koga's arm and pulled him into the crater he caused for cover.

"Are you sure, Kaori?" He asked me, struggling to lift his head. "I tried to kill Inuyasha.. and you seemed pretty pissed off a few moments ago.."

"Tch." I pressed my lips together. "I was just.. being upset.. But don't think I'd be that heartless! I wouldn't let you die, it was just a misunderstanding! Anyways it's not like Inuyasha doesn't know that and is going to get all upset just because I saved you. You're practically helpless for gods sake!" I glanced up toward the hanyou and noticed his glare. Wow.. Really..? Even after.. what I said.. he's jealous? "Right.. Inuyasha..?"

"Heh, waste of time." Kagura smirked. "He's beyond help now. From the fake fragment in his arm.. poison and miasma is being spread throughout his body. When the poison reached his heart, it'll be all over."

I bit the inside of my cheek. Well.. really that's an easy fix.. I reached my hand to pull out the infected sliver of poison but a barrier pierced my finger and a small droplet of blood dribbled onto the snow. Damn..

"Come now, it's time that we had some fun here!" Kagura swung her fan and more gray-purple tornadoes materialized onto the battle field. She continued to make tornadoes as Inuyasha continued to dodge. I waited for him to kill her, with the Kaze no Kizu or something but he never did. Instead he seemed in deep thought. I huffed. Really now wasn't the time to think!

"Kaori!" He suddenly called. "Fire an arrow at me!"

"Now's not the time to go off being suicidal!" I shouted. "Asking me is retarded! I would never-!"

"Just shut up and do it!" He snarled.

"Humph, about time we finished this." Kagura cut in. "Ryuja no mai!!"

More whirlwinds materialized.

"Kaori!" Inuyasha snapped.

I bit my lip and transformed the katanas in a bow and arrow. Fine! I trust you.. I pulled back the string and let the arrow fly. It whizzed around him for a moment and flew off into the distance.

"You fool!" Kagura laughed. "The wind will soon flow back there."

Inuyasha smirked and a moment later swung Tetsusaiga. "Kaze no Kizu!"

Golden lightning bolts broke through the snow and struck the woman. Her face went blank and most of her kimono was ripped apart. "D..dammit.." She gasped, covering her wounded chest. She spun around, pulling a feather from her pony tail. In her hand it grew and a moment later she was riding on top of it, exposing her back to the rest of us.

On pale flesh a bright pink scar covered most of her back. A spider mark..

"Shall we say we're equally injured for today?" She called cheery over her shoulder. "In your case as well, in actual fact you can barely stand up, can you?"

She disappeared a moment later and Inuyasha collapsed to his knees. I stood and ran to him, clutching the red fabric in my hands. He didn't look at me.

"That spider mark on Kagura's back.. I've seen it before.. on Naraku."

" I don't understand what that means.." I mumbled. I so desperately wanted him to look at me, but he wouldn't. Hasn't.. I heard Koga groan and let go of him, rushing back to the wolf-youkai. I heard Inuyasha growl but paid no mind.. he couldn't even look at me..

When I reached the other boy his arm had changed to a deep sickly purple. I bit my lip and dropped to my knees beside him. "He's going to die.."

Inuyasha scoffed behind me. "Keh, isn't it better this way!? So that this wimpy wolf can't do anything else to us,"

My heart skipped at 'us'.

"I think we should just let him die so we can take the leg fragments."

"You want to abandon him?" I asked. "Why..? It's not like he's a treat to you.."

He looked even more away from me now. "I'm just saying we have no duty to save him!"

"But we're all in the same boat! Deceived by Naraku! We're allies.. WHY WOULD YOU WANNA KILL YOUR ALLY!?!?!"

He growled, and shut his eyes in frustration. Then he opened them again and stood. "Fine, if it's like that. Then there's a way." He pulled Tetsusaiga's sheath to his teeth and pulled out the sword.

"Don't kill him I said!" I shouted.

" I wont!" He raised his arm over his head. "I'll just chop of his arm thus taking away the fake fragment in the same swipe."

"But you can't! He needs his arm!" I protested.

"Well what other way is there!? It's not like you can take it out you've already tried!"

Then suddenly something clicked in my mind. "Wait! If my arrows can destroy Naraku's miasma then I'm sure they can for this one!" I transformed a katana to an arrow and nervously hovered over the youkai's arm.

"Wow don't tell me you're scared of hurting people after you've already punched him in the face!!"

"Shut up!" I replied hysterically. "I just need a moment of mental preparation!" A second later I stabbed the arrow into his flesh and Koga hissed in pain. Suddenly his arm glowed a bright pink and the dark miasma quickly dissipated into the frosty air. A small shard popped out of his arm, and I watched as Koga's eyes widened in surprise.

"Aha! I did it!"

"Damn.." Inuyasha muttered.

"Heh.. too bad, eh, mutt face?" Koga growled, struggling to his feet. "You weren't able to kill me..."

"Oh-ho. Aren't we spirited all of a sudden." Inuyasha glared. "Then I won't restrain myself! I'll settle things now!"

Koga leaped out of the crater and landed twenty feet away. "Not yet!!" He sounded almost scared.. "Heh, it wouldn't be fun to beat a turd like you, who nearly dropped dead! I'll leave things as they are for today!"

"Bastard! That's my line!" But Inuyasha was too late, and Koga had already run off into the trees.

"Well." I pipped, lopping my arm through Inuyasha's. "He's quick to run as usual."

"Bah!"

I looked around, sniffing the air. "I wonder where we are anyway.."

By the time we got back to the village it was dawn. With the sky tinged pink and the blizzard long over I was glad to finally relax. Maybe if I hadn't run off crying only a few hours before then maybe no one would have noticed our disappearance.. but.. of course Kaede had gotten worried and now the whole group was aware of the situation.. Not the details. Just the situation.

"So.. where exactly were you two last night?" Miroku inquired, a perverted grin on his face. "A little romp in the snow?"

"Aha.. not exactly.." I laughed trying to shrug it off. It's not like he needed to know everything. "We ran into this girl and Koga.. A whole tribe and even some from his, have been killed recently. Kagura, a wind youkai with a spider mark, similar to Naraku's, on her back did it. Also she had the same scent as him too.."

"Really!?" Sango gasped. "Tell us all about it!"

So I did, trying to provide as much details where it was required and as little as other parts didn't. As I finished Kaede carefully spooned stew into a small red wooden bowl and handed it to me. She watched me carefully, knowing how much more there was to this story..

"Inuyasha ye are surprisingly quiet." She noted. Inuyasha started intensely into the fire. His wounds were all now bandaged up and since we had left the clearing he hadn't said one word to me.. or anyone else.. All he'd been doing for the past hour was staring.

Miroku leaned over to him, his eyes amused and curious. "Did Kaori-sama tire you out?" Inuyasha growled and Miroku received a large bump on the top of his head. "I was just wondering!! Kaori-sama seems to be that type of lo-"

"Shut up!" Inuyasha growled again. Miroku now lay unconscious on the floor.

My face burned red and I hide my face with the bowl that I now so intently drank from. Oh.. Miroku sometimes your just too much.. I caught Kaede's gaze and with her large brown eyes she asked me how close Miroku really was.. of course not in the perverted way.. but.. in the way she knew..

I glanced around the room, then back to her and she nodded as small smile appeared on her lips. I wondered how much she actually got from an uncomfortable look around.. and if I should be worried if she had gotten the wrong idea..

I listened as Shippo made a remark about Inuyasha being brain dead and he too went down from the fury of a hanyou's fist.

Ahh geez.. If this was how he was gonna be then I'd guess I would just have to say it.. "Inuyasha osuwari!"

"Hm.." Sango sighed, acting like she didn't notice the three boys laying face down on the floor. "I wonder if the scent being similar.. the spider marks.. Maybe she was born from Naraku."

I glanced at her. "But how could a man give birth..? Wouldn't that be kind of.. painful.. well more like impossible!?"

"Well." Miroku raised himself to sit, suddenly in a serious mood. Inuyasha picked himself off the ground and glared at the monk, but carefully kept his eyes away from me. "Originally Naraku was formed of many different youkai who gathered together into one.."

"So if you think of Kagura as a detachment.." Sango added.

"Also Kagura couldn't have been a transformed version of Naraku, it was like she had never laid eyes on us before."

"Firstly, no matter what kind of girl he transformed into or detaches.." Miroku ranted. "I would refuse to ask 'please bear my child' as the original is or was from Naraku."

"Well you know I don't think Naraku would be jumping up and down to date you either.." I muttered, taking another sip of stew.

"What's that supposed to mean Kaori-sama!?" Miroku whined.

"Why are you acting like you want Naraku to love you!?" I asked, my voice raising hysterically.

"Don't ye think it's strange?" Kaede interrupted. "This Kagura seems to be strong for a woman.. If her can produce beings such as her why has Naraku not done this before?"

"That's the point exactly. The reason why he hasn't done it before.." said Miroku."Is that only recently he has been able to do it."

I frowned. "I hope the next time we meet him he's not going to have a thousand Kagura's or something.. She was difficult enough as it is.."

"I don't think it works that way, Kaori-sama."

"On another note, Kaori, have ye learned to control ye's outbursts?" Kaede asked.

"What do you mean?" I replied.

"I mean the corruption ye receive when fighting."

"Oh.. No I haven't even asked.. Sango..?"

Sango looked up from her bowl and glanced between us. "No you actually did tell me about it before we went to Midoriko's cave.. But I'm sorry I wasn't trained in that field of work. We learned how to exterminate, not how to calm youkai."

I sighed. "Well it was worth a shot."

"Has anything else been going on..?" Kaede inquired, glancing between Inuyasha and I. He didn't seem to notice, having lapsed back into a deaf silence.

"I learned about my mother, Midoriko, I saw a painting which showed me what she looked like, and I know her name. Itami Mika. I learned of my swords and that they were made by a man named Hisao.. but Toutousai, the man who had forged both my katanas and Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga ran off long before I could ask him much more on Hisao."

"Ah, I see."

"Yeah.. What a jerk."

End Of Chapter 53.

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~ Okay so I feel kind of silly how I made her confess and then nothing more on Inuyasha's part. My only excuse is they were distracted by Kagura.. and as much as Kaori is now at ease it's obvious something is bugging our favourite doggie boy so I guess I didn't do so horrible.. But even I don't know what's bugging him.. honestly.. It's just something I threw in in the spur of the moment. I really fall into Kaori when I write so her confusion is usually matching my own.. Oh sigh I wonder why he is so silent.. Any ideas why you think he is? It's all probably going to be like "because of what Kaori said" and "because of Naraku and Kikyou" but still I wonder if there are any different thoughts besides those?