Hell Knows No Bounds

A.N. Yo! So here I am again! Hope the story has been a treat so far. But I need reviews to see if you guys are hating this stuff or not. (Be nice!) But I guess we'll continue with the story. *looks at Camaro* Marco! Hehehe

Disclaimer: I feel like a shot record"¦.*grumbles* I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters"¦"¦.bah humbug.

**Last Chapter**

The pain seamed to turn her nerve-endings to ash. Her lungs felt like they were going to burst and a strange pressure began to build in her chest. Kagome threw her head back in a wordless scream at the new sensations; a voice called to her.

"Release me"¦release yourself"¦the fires call. The fire in your soul must answer."

Who was it calling her? The voice sounded so familiar. Kagome's eyes became wide as she recognized it. The pleading voice was her own"¦

**On with the story"¦**

Chapter 4
One must die so that one may live"¦

Kouga raised his fist in a right hook to Sesshomaru's right cheek only to connect with air. Not one hit had landed"¦Sesshomaru was playing with him. The wolf demon fell to one knee, attempting to catch his breath. Strangely, Sesshomaru made no attempt to kill him. There were bruises and scraps here and there from when the Inuyoukai had landed hits in self defense and part of Kouga's garb was gone due to poison whip lashings. Kouga glared at the lord across the field that had stood straight as steel, a bored expression dancing across his pale face. Sesshomaru suddenly disappeared; Kouga started and spun around, trying to pinpoint the other demon's position. He quickly found him, but gasped instead of cursed when he saw the unconscious form in his arms.

"Kagome? Kagome!" Sesshomaru had shoved the others to the side when he saw that she had collapsed. He now held her to himself; one of his striped hands came up to brush her bangs from her fevered face as he tried to call her back to him. A concerned light filled the Western Lord's eyes. He turned to question the demon slayer at his side. "What happened?" Sango jumped at being addressed so suddenly.

"We don't know. She wasn't hit or injured, she just looked tired"¦and then she collapsed." Sango held back a sob as Miroku gathered her into his arms, he own fear for his friend evident on his face. Sesshomaru growled warningly as Kikyo dropped to one knee and gently touched the Kagome's forehead. Her skin burned with such fire that Kikyo quickly withdrew her hand, shock and panic stealing the words from her. Darkness had clouded the air around her reincarnation. Her once bright pink aura had darkened to the color of blood. Raising her eyes to the demon lord holding the girl, she shook her head. On the inside, Kikyo wrestled with her senses. She had a theory but it would be best not to jump to a conclusion of that magnitude. Questions began to flood every crevasse of her mind.

"˜Why does Kagome have a demonic aura? Is she possessed? It is a possibility"¦but I've never felt an aura like this. So old, yet so pure. Not miko pure"¦as if it were untainted by time. Her miko strength was still there, but now a growing power is overwhelming it; changing it into something completely new. I don't understand!' Kikyo's frown deepened as her gaze froze on Kagome.

*Within Kagome*

"Who are you!? What do mean "˜release myself'?" Kagome screamed into the darkness. She could hear Sesshomaru calling her but found herself unable to answer him. The voices of her friends fluttered around her. "Show yourself!!!" Kagome clenched her hands into fists as she spun around to check the darkness around her. She jumped when the voice returned from behind her. Her eyes widened at the sight the met her. Ocean-blue eyes met silky, burgundy ones. Kagome's eyes fell on herself! But it wasn't her"¦or was it?

This Kagome that stared back had snow for skin, floor-length hair that held hues of deep red, pointed ears, two wine-colored stripes on her right cheek, a light-red triton tipped at an angle marked her forehead between her longer, and more-controlled bangs. Her eyes were shadowed in the same shade as the Lord of the Western lands. The smirking lips still held the color of cherry blossoms, but looked fuller. Then again, this woman seemed to be quite a bit more "˜matured' than the miko. Each curve formed to perfection and leading into a slim waist. The dark goddess chuckled at the girl's inquisitive stare. An alabaster hand came up from Dark Kagome to sweep an offending bang away from her own forehead and Kagome gawked at the black claws. Only one stripe seemed to occupy each wrist. The woman walked with a grace and deadly intent that could only mean royalty. Not to mention she dressed as such.

She wore a silk kimono that flowered out at her feet and the sleeves overtook her fingertips by half a foot. The color of the kimono rivaled blood, embroidered with white blossoms, the fabric shifted colors as the woman moved. The red took on a dark orange tint in one direction; the blossoms shaded yellow as the orange appeared. The sight gave the appearance that one could weave fire into silk. The sash at her waist was black as night, yet altered in the light just as the rest of the clothing did, only moon-inspired silver streaked across this piece of silk. Armor similar to Sesshomaru's covered her torso, yet the shoulder piece was resting over her right shoulder instead of the left. A twitch behind the woman brought kagome's attention to the long, thick, black tail that swept across the now jade-tiled floor. Their surroundings had morphed into what seemed to be a common room for a palace.

"Why do you look so surprised? You knew it was me"¦" The dark Kagome purred as she circled the shaking girl. "You could feel me growing in the back of your mind. You heard my first heartbeat as I came back into being, yet you denied my existence. Why?" Kagome swallowed hard and licked her lips, trying to comprehend what was happening around her.

"I don't know what you're talking about! Who are you? Why do you look like me?" Her eyes followed the goddess's steps carefully.

"Who am I? Do you not see it still? I am YOU!" The strange woman's voice began to rise.

"I am your true being! Not that filthy human guise you have grown to accept. Had it not been for the prophecy and the sealing of the well you would not have been raised as such!" Kagome's confusion-filled eyes told her everything. Sighing, the woman continued. "We are the last of our kind. A special kind of demon that thrives in destruction and death. The Hellhound demon was once a power to be respected and feared; only to fall to ruin after the first great Demon War. Our father, the king of our race, was killed when fighting to defend Japan from invading youkai. Our mother died sending us to the other side of the well and then sealing it. She was killed by human spies working for the enemy. They slew her while she was on her knees, back turned to face the well. Due to our powerful full-demon forms and dangerous "˜personalities', our kind was hunted down and exterminated by the enemy throughout the duration of the war." She smiled lightly as she glanced at Kagome. "Raised in a shrine as a miko, your true nature denied, and then joined with your new-found miko talents. Interesting, indeed. But you are probably wondering why we were sent to the future to begin with"¦"

"Yes"¦" Kagome felt hot tears spill onto her heated cheeks. All of her life had been a lie"¦yet she wasn't mad at her "˜mother' back in Tokyo. She was mad that she was now very much alone. "˜I'm not human, but there is no other like me out there.'

"We were left on the other side of the well for protection." She continued with a nod from Kagome. "A prophecy was foretold that a dark power would rise and rake the earth for the power needed to become a great demon and destroy all in his path. If this creature had been able to get a hold of one of our kind and absorb him or her"¦there would have been no end to the slaughter." Kagome's head snapped up as a light came to her eyes. "Yes"¦Naraku. By being trained as a miko, I was suppressed and therefore hidden from Naraku. Of course you can question the difference in times that the well had transported to. After being sent to the future and the first sealing by our mother, the well was unsealed with a new time hidden at the other end. The Great War was over and a millennium had passed. Until the threat of Naraku had vanished, I would remain dormant. Now the time has come for us to become what we were meant to be. It's time to take our place once again as one of the most powerful youkai breeds to ever exist."

"Why did I have the jewel then? Am I not Kikyo's reincarnation?" This was getting to be too much. Kagome rubbed her temples, attempting to massage some sense into all of this.

"In order for our true identity to remain a secret, mother had to give us a new one. She sold the last of her strength to make a deal with the spirits of the well. In return for her life, we would be sent somewhere safe and take on a new life. As a result we also became the new vassal for the Shikon no Tama, which was passed into our body as the well took us. When mother completed the spell and sealed the bargain, the spies approached and took advantage of her weakening state. Your resemblance to Kikyo is due simply to the spirits borrowing her image to create a disguise for your new "˜human' body." The woman comically shrugged her shoulders, a short laugh rippled through the air. "It had to come from somewhere." Another laugh followed by a sigh. "Do you wish to know their names? Mamma and Papa, I mean"¦" Kagome's eyes widened with tears as she nodded slowly.

"Akihana (a.n.: red-autumn) was our mother's name; beautiful as well as fearless. Our father, Lord Iwabashi (a.n.: stone-bridge), was one of the most powerful demons of this earth. To die in battle was a great honor to him." The woman's voice seemed to crack. Their eyes met, tears fell rhythmically between them. "You will know all of this for yourself when we are one." Kagome smiled weakly at her attempt to console her.

"How do you know about what happened to our parents?" Kagome sniffled as she wiped the tears away. "You said we were only a couple months old, right?"

"All that time locked away"¦I had to get some answers before returning." Dark Kagome mused lightly.

"But what happens to me? Will I disappear if I let this happen?" Kagome wrapped her arms around herself, she felt so small with all this new information. The demoness approached her slowly, embracing the smaller version of herself and whispered into her ear.

"You will not disappear. You will change but you will still be the same person deep down. Just by accepting yourself for who you are, you will become a whole person once again. Sometimes we must, in a sense, die so that we may truly live. You will be free"¦" Kagome wrapped her arms around the neglected youkai and closed her eyes. "Are you ready?" A clawed hand petted the back of her hair, soothing her and stopping the tears.

"H-hai"¦" The small girl clutched the woman to her as if she were a lifejacket. She bid goodbye to her old life as she heard the demoness begin to sing softly. She couldn't remember the language, but slowly parts came to her.

The fire burns"¦
Our blood calls to meet.

Darkness has passed"¦
Our time has come.

Embrace the flame"¦
Unleash your heart.

The blood roars"¦
To join the soul parted.

Fires of Hell, I summon you"¦
The inferno's caress sets us free.

A terrible seemed to fill the air around the entwined women. A searing pain awoke in Kagome's mind. The last thing she saw was a comforting smile from the demoness that held her so close. All else faded to black"¦

*The Bone Eater's Well meadow*

The girl from the future began to shake in the Inuyoukai's arms, only causing him to hold her tighter and continue to call her name. Her breath had become short gasps. Sesshomaru lowered the girl to the soft grass, careful of his claws. It had not been moments when Kagome made full contact with the ground when her body arched off the summer grass, her mouth and eyes violently flying open. A silent scream seemed to erupt from the changing miko as the grass beneath her burst into flames; her body bucking as flames consumed her. The rest of the group was flung away by the sheer heat of the explosion. Her friends called out to her while Sesshomaru, Kouga, and Inuyasha tried to find a way to get to the burning woman. A heart-shattering scream filled the clearing as the flames grew brighter. A sudden burst of light left the clearing silent and dark.

Except for the glowing figure slowly approaching the group.


TBC

Good? Bad? I'll eventually go back through and maybe revise like the others but for now I thought I'd give you guys something to tie ya over. Hope you liked it!! Cheers! - G.S.