Chapter 22: Between The Packs

It had been two weeks since Kagome's pack had defeated Yamata no Orochi and rescued the village children. The village were eternally grateful for bringing back their children. When they noticed the state of the village, they decided to help them repair it. Kagome and Akari made sure that everyone in the village was in perfect health before working. Masahiro and Hansuke helped out in the fields to where the plants almost looked dead. Thanks to Hansuke's knowledge, they were able to find the cause of it. Tomoe was hunting with Shippo to get some food and medical plants. After two weeks on repairing the village, the pack decided to leave to continue on their quest. The village leader said that they're welcome to come back any time. Two miles away from the village, Totosai showed up with his ox. He was surprised to see that Masahiro had the Sukaiburēdo with him. In a need of a scabbard for his new sword, they made a route to their next stop: to find Bokusenō, the wise tree yōkai.


At the same time when Kagome's pack was leaving the village, Inuyasha soon found out the truth about Kikyō. What really caused Kagome and Shippo to leave their pack.

"You used an enchantment on me?!" Inuyasha said, "How could you do that to me?!"

"She doesn't belong here! She's just a copy! I'm more powerful than that wench!" Kikyō said in anger. Everyone what shocked at what Kikyō did. They knew that Kikyō hated Kagome, but to use an enchantment on Inuyasha? That was going too far. With an unbearable rage boiling inside of her, Sango took out her katana and with no hesitation, sliced Kikyō in half. Kikyō screamed in pain as her body crumbled into pieces as the numerous souls of dead maidens escaped from her clay prison. But one soul was just floating in front of them. Sango walked towards it and then it took off.

"Hurry! We have to go after it!" Inuyasha said as he took off at full speed as Kirara turned into her adult form and let Sango and Miroku jump onto her back. Kirara went up into the air and tried to follow Inuyasha as the soul headed towards Kagome.


"Kagome, what's that?" Tomoe asked. Kagome looked up where Tomoe was pointing at. It look like a small orb of light coming towards them. As it got closer, Kagome realized what it was. Before she could do anything, the orb went into her chest and she collapsed onto the ground. An intense pain was coursing through her body. It felt like she was on fire inside and out and then turned cold. She was seeing different images that raced through her mind. She couldn't focus on them.

"Kagome! What's wrong?!" Tomoe asked, panicked. She saw Kagome clutching her head and flinching. She also noticed that Kagome was breathing very heavily. It was like she was in extreme pain. Shippo was even more worried about Kagome. He never saw her like this before. Except the time when she was attacked by Kikyō that one time. She used her shinidamachūs to restrain Kagome and cast a spell on her. A deadly and painful spell. Then she stopped flinching. She finally let go of her head and sat up.

"Are you okay now, Kagome?" Tomoe asked, worried.

"I'm fine now, Tomoe, Shippo. Sorry if I scared you two." Kagome said.

"Are you sure you're okay? You looked like you were in extreme pain." Shippo said, worried.

"Don't worry, I'm okay." Kagome said, smiling, "Well, should we head back?"

"Yes." Shippo and Tomoe said, picking up their pile of wood. Kagome picked up hers and walked with Tomoe and Shippo back to the camp. The both of them looked at Kagome with worry. She was unable to see their worried looks because she was walking ahead of them.


"Kagome? Are you okay?" Akari asked. She noticed that Kagome was silent throughout dinner. She had been that when she and the young ones came back with firewood. The rest of her companions noticed that she was blankly looking at the fire.

"Oh, sorry. Just lost in thought I guess." Kagome said. Everyone knew that something else was bothering her. They wanted to know, but they wanted Kagome to be comfortable on telling them. So they waited. However, Hansuke didn't wait for her to tell them what was bothering her.

"You have the rest of your soul back, Kagome." Hansuke said. He sensed something different in her. He noticed that her aura had changed since they first met. Everyone went stiff at that moment. They never expected that Kagome would get the other half of her soul back.

"Hai." Kagome said, sadly while poking at the fire. After a moment of silence went by, Masahiro decided to talk.

"What's wrong, Kagome?" Masahiro asked.

"When I retrieved the other half of my soul, I saw Kikyō's memories." Kagome said.

"What did you see?" Hansuke asked, curious to what Kagome had seen.

"She's been working with Naraku; giving him information to him and jewel shards as well. But also…" Kagome paused for a moment, "Her intimate moments with Inuyasha."

Everyone froze when Kagome said 'intimate moments'. They didn't know that Inuyasha was that much involved with Kikyō. Especially that she was allied with the enemy. Masahiro noticed how sad Kagome looked when she mentioned Inuyasha and Kikyō.

"It's okay, everyone. I'm through with him, but it still hurts. It reminds me of all those times when I loved him and he never loved me back. The times when he kept comparing me to Kikyō. He kept calling me ugly, stupid, and weak. Whenever I got the opportunity to do some training, he wouldn't let me. He would say it's a waste of time or we have to get back on the road soon. It's like he wants me to be weak. Even though he doesn't want me, he kept telling Kouga that I belonged to him. Why would he care about who I want to be with?" Kagome asked.

"Inuyasha is a big fat jerk, Kagome!" Tomoe and Shippo said. Everyone looked towards the both of them.

"Indeed. Inuyasha has no respect towards you." Akari said.

"He doesn't have respect towards anyone." Hansuke said.

"He doesn't deserve to be the alpha of his pack." Masahiro said.

"I guess I have to agree with all of you." Kagome said. She was glad that there were others that didn't like Inuyasha. After all, it seemed like he didn't care about her at all. Well, he only cared about being useful as his shard detector.

"I think you and Masahiro make a great couple." Tomoe said. Kagome and Masahiro blushed at that statement.


Inuyasha's group:

"We lost it." Inuyasha said when they lost sight of the other half of Kagome's soul. Inuyasha felt so guilty at that moment. He couldn't believe that Kikyō put an enchantment on him. It was because of him that Kagome and Shippo had left the group. It was also because of him that made Kagome to hate him for choosing Kikyō over her.

"So now what do we do?" Sango asked when Kiara landed behind Inuyasha.

"Perhaps we should head back home for some rest and rethink about our situation." Miroku said, getting off of Kiara.

"But we have to find Kagome!" Inuyasha said in a panic tone. Sango and Miroku were confused at that moment. They never saw Inuyasha being so worried about Kagome. This was a first for them.

"She's fine, Inuyasha." Sango said, reassuring him. She knew that Kagome and Shippo were fine and well protected.

"What do you mean, Sango?" Inuyasha asked, confused. What did she mean that Kagome was fine?

"She is correct, master Inuyasha." Myoga said as he hopped onto Inuyasha's shoulder.

"Myoga?! When did you get here?!" Inuyasha said, shocked. He didn't sense Myoga nearby.

"Just now I did. But Sango is correct. Lady Kagome and Shippo are safe." Myoga said.

"Safe? How are they safe?" Inuyasha asked. He was curious to why Sango and Myoga said that Kagome and Shippo were safe. He had a feeling that they were hiding something from him.

"She and young Shippo are traveling together with a group of powerful individuals." Myoga said.

"Powerful individuals?" Inuyasha asked, his brow arched. He wondered who these 'powerful' individuals were.

"Hai. The first individual is a dragon yōkai named Lord Masahiro. The second is a white tengū named Akari. The third is an onmyouji named Hansuke and the fourth is a hanyō lion cub named Tomoe." Myoga said.

"A dragon demon?" Inuyasha asked. He was curious at that fact. He didn't know why Kagome was traveling with a dragon demon since his father was heavily wounded by Ryūkotsusei. It didn't make any sense to him.

"Hansuke?" Miroku asked, curious. That is the second time he had heard that name. He didn't expect Hansuke to be traveling with Kagome. But if he's there, he felt relieved that Kagome was being protected by him.

"Isn't that the same Hansuke you told us about, Miroku?" Sango asked.

"How did you know him, Myoga?" Miroku asked, curious.

"Hansuke is Lord Sesshomaru's cousin." Myoga said.

"WHAT?!" Miroku exclaimed, shocked at the new information about Hansuke. That was something he didn't expect. Actually, it was quite shocking that Hansuke was related to the 'Killing Perfection'.

"Huh? You didn't know that, Miroku?" Myoga asked, confused. Blinking at Miroku. He didn't know that Hansuke and Miroku knew each other. It was quite a mystery to the flea demon.

"Um...no, I'm afraid that I didn't." Miroku said, scratching the back of his head.

"Well, what matters is that Kagome and Shippo are safe." Sango said, "I'm sure that they'll return to the village."

"Eventually, Sango." Inuyasha said. To Inuyasha's point of view, he didn't know when or even if Kagome will come to village. Well, she needed go through the village in order to get to the bone-eater's well. They'll just have to wait for them to return.


Kagome's Pack:

Later on that night, Kagome sat on a log by the river, thinking about Kikyō's memories. She couldn't believe that Kikyō allied herself with the half demon who killed her fifty years ago. It made her angry that Inuyasha was in love with the dead priestess. He failed to realized that Kikyō wasn't the same woman he fell in love with fifty years ago. Then she felt a familiar aura coming towards her. She turned around and saw Masahiro walking to where she was sitting. He sat beside her as they listened to the sound of crickets that were nearby while looking at the reflection of the crescent moon on the river's water.

"You're sure you're okay?" Masahiro said in a concerned tone. Kagome left the camp in the middle of the night while everyone was sleeping. When she left the camp, he asked Hansuke to be on guard duty until the two of them returned.

"Honestly, it's pain that is hard to forget. But I know that I no longer love Inuyasha." Kagome said, "If it weren't for Inuyasha and Kikyō, I never would have met you and fallen in love with you, Masahiro."

"Do you really love me, Kagome?" Masahiro asked.

"I love you for who you are, Masahiro. Let's just say you're the first male yōkai who has ever been so straightforward, kind, and protective towards me. You don't mind me of being a miko. You love me for who I am, not as someone's reincarnation." Kagome said. Masahiro stared at her with passion in his amethyst eyes. He knew that Kagome was telling the truth. It was true to what she said. He does love her for who she is: a kind hearted miko who would befriend humans, demons, and hanyō. There wasn't many like her in this era. Masahiro reached out and caressed Kagome's cheek.

"I love you, Kagome." Masahiro said, gazing at her softly.

"I love you, too Masahiro." Kagome wrapped her arms around Masahiro's neck and placed her lips against his.

Masahiro was shocked at first, but then he absorbed Kagome's kiss. He pulled Kagome closer to him; wrapping his left arm around her waist and his right hand holding her head as he deepened the kiss. Her lips were so soft and warm. He licked her lips which caused her to moan and then he pushed his tongue further into her mouth. Their tongues danced inside while they held each other close. They didn't know how long they kissed until they separated to give themselves oxygen. Masahiro stared into Kagome's blue eyes as the moon shined on them, which made them look like diamonds. He gave her a long and deep passionate kiss before they separated and headed back to camp with their hands intertwined.


At The Eastern Palace:

Shinji stood at the window of his study. He gazed at the crescent moon that was in the night sky. He was tapping his index finger with his arms crossed. He was angry at the moment, but he didn't show it. After all, he had to show that he was calm, however he couldn't remain to act 'calm'.

"Naraku." Shinji said. A figure of a male dressed in purple with long wavy black hair and blood red eyes appeared in the shadow of the corner of the room. He had a calm, yet dark smile on his pale white face.

"Yes, your majesty?" Naraku said.

"You said that the Shikon jewel shards are powerful, right?" Shinji asked.

"Hai. They are very powerful towards those with a tainted heart." Naraku said.

"Then how come all of my warriors who have Shikon jewel shards are dead?!" Shinji asked in an angry tone while slamming his fists on his desk. Naraku was shocked at this. He had been watching the hanyō's group for the past few months that he didn't even check on Shinji's servants who had the tainted jewel shards.

"Perhaps your enemies have been underestimated, my lord." Naraku said, trying to ease the situation that he was now in. He didn't expect for Shinji's servants to be defeated. His enemies must be powerful enough to go against beings with tainted jewel shards.

"Or perhaps the jewel shards are nothing like you say they were." Shinji said, still angry while giving Naraku a dried look. He clicked his tongue in annoyance. He couldn't believe that most of his warriors were defeated so easily by his younger brother's pack. Perhaps Naraku was right: he had underestimated his younger brother's powers. Truth be told, he didn't know what they were.