Chapter 8: Past Illusions

"He's an idiot,"

She could only stare at him, unable to say anything for the lump that formed in her throat.

"You were willing to give up everything for the bastard," he growled. 'And I would have missed out on finding you again,'

~*~

"I'm sure you had your reasons Kagome," Genkai interrupted, knowing eyes switching from her apprentice to the disheveled girl. "But if your theory is correct you'll need to remove the Shikon,"

Kagome's hand shot to the gem around her neck. "If I do that, I'll be exposing the jewel to the world," she whispered, afraid that even her voice could disrupt the jewels temporary state. "And at this rate, not even my presence will affect it,"

"Then enjoy feeling as weak as you do now, for as long as you cling to that thing you'll never gain back your powers," Genkai jabbed.

Sapphire eyes widened, while Yusuke growled. It was fine for Genkai to be a bitch to him, hell he expected it, but Kagome didn't deserve it. Before he could come to Kagome defense, Kagome spoke.

"What do you suggest?" her head bowed in defeat.

Genkai grinned. "Take it off,"

This was ridiculous. Kagome shouldn't even be thinking about taking off the Shikon, to leave it out in the open to be taken, again, the jewel, or even another shard hunt in the future, would lead to World War 3.

But Genkai was wise, and if she recommended this, Kagome would have to trust her or risk the loss of her powers forever.

"I have a box we can seal it into," Genkai stated. "And it will be under my protection 24/7,"

Kagome nodded slowly. "Okay,"

"Don't worry so much kiddo, as long as it's here no demon can get to it," Genkai reassured before pulling forth a small wooden box that was covered entirely in sacred sutras and protective carvings.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Kagome reached back unclasping the chain holding the jewel. Falling into the palm of her free hand Kagome eyed the pink sphere, the energy within swirling excitedly, a spark of violet visible at its center. She blamed Naraku, having corrupted the jewel to such a point as he had was bound to affect the gem, only at full power could she hope to purify his darkness from the Shikon.

Dropping the gem upon the velvet cushion, once out of her hand, it flashed brightly, the pink color mixing with flashes of magenta and black. It was corrupted now, the hushed murmurs of its power, of its wants and desires, now screams against her mind.

'Death! Destruction! Pain! Freedom!" There was a sad maniacal laugh, it sounded like Naraku, his deep voice taking a cackling turn with an added feminine sultriness. Images of her and her friend's deaths flashed in her mind. A cold sweat overtook her now trembling frame.

'The world will burn if our power is not harnessed! You miko! You will die! You must die! You must be reborn! It is our destiny; we are to become-'

Genkai snapped the box, and the voice was cut off.

Kagome's breath was leaving her lips in trembling pants, her teary eyes wide with terror.

"Kagome?" Yusuke asked.

There was no answer as reiki flared and settled against Kagome's skin. It pulsed around her, draping her in a blanket of glittering pink and silver energy. Fear scented the air and colored her aura; Yusuke could practically taste it.

"Kagome what's wrong?" His panicked eyes switching to Genkai. "Grandma?"

Trembling hands gripped her head.

She could see her kid brother, his blood seeping from a cut to his neck which he grabbed at, panic and pain distorting his face as he reached for her with a blood-soaked hand. Beside him lay the mangled limbs of their grandfather and mother, their glassy eyes and faces frozen in a cry of agony.

Next were her friends in the past. The first being Shippo, his small body covered in long slashes; he'd been tortured with Kirara at his side. Sango's body had been ripped open, her organs hanging from the teeth of a demon, Miroku only feet away as he was torn limb from limb. And then Inuyasha, his limp body held within the arms of her incarnation who grinned as she too gave into death.

They were only images, yet they felt so real.

The last death, the one that was her own, it was not an image so much as it was a feeling. The pain and fear radiated through her body she felt claws that weren't there ripping into her flesh and feel what seemed to be poison coursing through her veins like fire. In the image she could see Yusuke screaming for her, calling her name as he rushed to her side, his own body littered in heavily bleeding wounds but the sadness and tears he shed for her tore at her already aching heart.

"The jewel- it's going to kill me," her voice trembled on her lips, tears falling down her cheeks. "I'm going to die,"

Genkai looked just as surprised as her apprentice before her eyes hardened. It seems the girl was right, the jewel when out of her control wanted her destroyed, mentally and physically. She had felt a rush of dark magic take over the jewel, feel its intent towards the girl but it was neither evil or good. But what did it want?

"What did it say Kagome?"

"The world will burn if our power is not harnessed! You miko! You will die! You must die!" Kagome repeated, her eyes numbly wide. "I saw everyone die; it was my fault,"

~ 500 Years Ago~

Just as the Shikon had been born of blood and war, so to would it's destruction.

For many the days blurred together as they fought without rest; without yielding. This was a war long since overdue, from the moment of its creation the Shikon Jewel would not be obtained without being paid for in bloodshed. The siren song of its power called out to anyone willing to fight to obtain it, bringing more than just the two forces that were originally fighting over it.

On one side fought Kagome and Inuyasha with their misfit group consisting of all the enemies that Naraku had ever made. Fighting at their side were the Hōshi, taijiya and neko, but unlike all the times that Naraku had faced them they fought alongside; Sesshomaru -the new Lord of the Western Lands- and his army of trained youkai, and even Kouga -Prince of the Eastern Tribes- with the entirety of the ookami tribes.

Although Naraku's forces had held up for three days (as he'd been able to keep track), he knew his lesser demons, and army of the dead, were no match for the might of the forces pitted against them. But even so, Naraku refused to pull back, his desire for the jewel pushing him forward.

Bloody eyes narrowed heatedly, able to see through the eyes of his magically made puppet. He grew anxious, almost fearful that his poly would fail, and the jewel would fall from his hands into theirs.

Naraku growled lowly, his fingers skillfully twisting the puppet so that Kagome's arrows missed it. The damn little girl was now more powerful than Kikyo had ever been, making it increasingly hard to dodge the explosion of reiki that followed when her arrows made contact with an object. If this were just another simple puppet, Naraku wouldn't be so worried about her arrows, expect he was directly connected to this one as it carried his half of the Shikon in order to fool his enemies.

Another thing to bother him was that he couldn't exploit the girl's weakness anymore; the orphan fox tyke. Instead, the kitsune had been placed behind a barrier alongside Sesshomaru's ward and were being protected by a two-headed dragon (and an imp?). Now he couldn't use the children as he originally intended against their caretakers.

Even the Hōshi and Taijya were harder to mislead. And without Kikyo, Inuyasha's focus was solely on destroying him.

Kikyo…

A flurry of fondness and fury filled his chest at the thought of the miko his human half loved so indefinitely.

"I wish Kikyo were alive, here, and not Kagome." The thought races across the forefront of his mind, not realizing the significance of his wording. "Then I could be done with both of them."

The jewel heard his wish, and beamed mirthfully. It had never wanted to be separated from its host, on the contrary, it longed for her, pushing its shattered pieces to seek her out. It wanted her to be strong, needed her to be stronger, for their destinies were deeply intertwined.

The darkness gave way to the light, allowing what had been Midoriko's voice to surface in the shards Kagome had within her possession.'The Shikon belongs to you, call its name with your power, call for it, call it home,'

They would give Naraku his subconscious wish, but not sacrifice their host. Since its creation the jewel has existed with only one purpose, there were no souls within the Shikon, only energy- energy meant to be harnist. But it could not simply be gifted, no it had to be earned- deserved- by the one they had been destined to surrender too.

Kagome would be that person to subdue the legendary Shikon No Tama, and tame the power that was inherently hers by birth. Kikyo had done a moderate job overseeing the jewel, but she was not their perfect complement, not their destined other half, she had been a necessary step in obtaining a place in Kagome's side, literally, as a part of Kikyo's soul had created the young priestess who'd born the jewel into the world once more. What made Kagome so perfect for them was that she was a canvis of purity, pieced together by the kami to be able to absorb the jewels power, she was no one persons reincarnation: she was; Kagome of the Shikon- the one of many souls.

A swirl of reiki encased her half of the Shikon, with her connection to the jewel Kagome willed her reiki around Naraku's piece through the small spark of purity that still remained in their malice colored depths. Happy to answer her magic's call, Naraku's part of the Shikon, learched forward, ripping itself from the spider's doll. The two glowing parts came together in a blinding show of power, the light consuming it and their host.

Naraku, stunned, watched as Kagome and that jewel disappeared, her companions not noticing as they attacked his puppet and destroyed it.

Within the dirt, red eyes murderous. Now seething, Naraku jumped from his place of hiding. Already he could feel the power he had been using from the Shikon ebb away; if he didn't act quickly, he would die.

In the corner of his eye, a brilliant light appeared, flashing several times before vanishing to reveal a, living, but curious, Kikyo.

A mix of hatred and love bloomed in his chest. It was her fault; it had always been her fault. Everything he did had been with her in mind, whether to obtain her or destroy her, Naraku had been created with the original desire to have her in some way. Whether it be in death or life, as long as it took for him to take her, Naraku would never be his own person as long as she existed in some way; just a shadow of Onigumo's desires.

"I'll kill you," the words ripped through his throat in a deranged scream.

With practiced ease, Kikyo had an arrow notched and released within a moment of his threat. It cut through the air, glowing with an eerie, magical hue of glittering pink, weaving through the hordes of demons.

The metal head struck him, eyes wide as he looked at her. This couldn't be; he wasn't meant to die. As if in slow motion, his body bowed, forced backward by the sudden surge of reiki now coursing through his body.

He staggered to his feet, glaring at her. The strength of reiki leaving him wounded but not dead, he ripped the wooden weapon from his chest, snapping it before racing at her with his claws.

"It will be you who dies today," Two more arrows soared, piercing his chest with a sickening thud.

He roared, and stumbled forward further, more arrows flew at him in rapid succession, before he could no longer stand. His vision blurred as he fell at her feet.

In a voice that hadn't been his for a long time, he whispered, brokenly, with such longing and loving tones. "Kikyo," her name caressing his lips in a gentle goodbye as he looked up into her dark brown eyes.

There was an arrow to his head and then nothingness. Naraku, Onigumo, whatever name the creature had been called, was now no more. An air of silence filling the battlefield. The beast that had tortured and killed so many was dead, truly dead.

They were free.

Then Shippo asked in the silence, his voice quivering as he looked around the battlefield. "Where's Kagome?"

wolfYLady: Sorry for the long wait but my life has been very hectic.Hope y'all enjoyed, and please review!