Human Compensation

Koga stood on top of the small hill with arms folded and a smirk on his face. "Fee, Fi Fo Fum, I smell the blood of Naraku's scum." He looked up and saw Inuyasha pounding against an invisible force holding him back, then looked down and saw Naraku's body and Kikyo chanting from some book. How was she still alive when he'd been the one to rip out her throat and feed her to his pack? His growl came low and harsh. He had wanted to kill Naraku. He had a personal score to settle with that bastard. The scent of someone else tickled his nose. He hadn't smelled her until now. Kagome was nearby. Why was she in the midst of all this? Didn't Inuyasha know how to keep his woman safe? This was a war! He sprinted down the hill joining his pack and following Kagome's scent to find her. His nose led him to a huge oak tree. The base of it was covered with small demons slowly making their way up to the branches.

Shippou was too busy watching Koga's wolves and youkai attack the demons to notice Koga had reached the tree until he heard the painful screams of dying demons. He looked down to see Koga fighting them off. He looked just like a wild animal. His lips stretched back showing his dangerous fangs as he bit into a couple of demons. Shippou looked at Kagome who was watching with a blank expression on her face. Thinking she was too sensitive to see such a thing, he gently covered her eyes with his hands to stop her from watching the massacre. Kagome shook her head and pulled his hands away.

"Is that Koga?" She asked.

"Yes." Shippou said.

She glanced around at his pack killing off an endless number of demons. Her eyes stopped on Kikyo. She was the one who was causing all of this.

"Koga!" Kagome shouted down at him. "Stop Kikyo. She's the reason why the demons keep coming."

Koga finished off the last demon and licked the blood off his lips. Kagome shivered. She would never get use to seeing a youkai kill.

"I've killed that bitch once. She left a bad taste in my mouth. Let dog boy do it this time," he looked up and laughed dryly. "If he ever gets through that shield."

"Koga! Please, you have to help us!" Kagome pleaded near tears. She didn't know how long Inuyasha could keep up his strength.

"I came here to kill Naraku. I could smell the blood and death a mile away. Someone beat me to it." Koga leaped up into the tree smoothly and landed on the branch beside her. "But I will help you, Kagome. I'll just take what is mine and leave." He knocked a surprised Shippou out of the branches before he could react. Shippou had no idea that Koga was after Kagome. His body went crashing through the limbs of the tree until he finally reached the bottom.

Kagome stared down at Shippou's limp body. He'd been knocked unconscious. She glared at Koga.

"How dare you! Get your filthy hands off me!" She yelled as he tried to pull away from him.

"You're mine, Kagome. This is a war after all and Inuyasha and I have been fighting this war over you for quite awhile."

"You will never have me. I don't want to belong to you Koga. I am Inuyasha's mate! Get over it!" Kagome slapped him hard causing his head to turn the side. A deep threatening growl came from Koga's throat as he slowly turned to face her. Kagome gasped and moved away. "Inuyasha," she called softly, fearing her for her life. The red mark on the side of her neck began to glow.

Inuyasha felt her fear rip through his body. Kagome was endanger. The intensity of her fear and the violent anger inside him caused his true nature to break free. The beast had arisen. Inuyasha's eyes turned blood red and began to glow like fire. His fangs grew and stretched until they stopped below his upper lips. His claws grew into long razors points and the hair on his head stood up making him look wild and dangerous.

Koga's head jerked up when he felt the change in Inuyasha. Kagome stared up at the sky mesmerized by the beast she had known was there, but had never really seen until now. This wasn't her Inuyasha. She was frightened by what he had become. He was a beast and the only thing on his mind was death.

Inuyasha broke through the shield and flew at Kikyo at a speed that Kagome would have missed if she had blinked. Tattered pages from the book stained with Kikyo's blood flew around them like a small whirlwind, shielding them from the horrific vision of Inuyasha's blood thirst.

"He's completely lost it," Koga said. "You must come with me Kagome before he turns on us."

"Inuyasha would never hurt me," Kagome said.

"In this state of mind, you don't know what he's capable of doing," Koga grabbed her arm.

Kagome struggled against him. "I said stay away from me! I will never love you, Koga. I will always belong to Inuyasha because I am his mate. Get that through your thick skull! I…will…never…love…you! I'd rather die with him than be with you."

Koga stared at her in astonishment and let her go. He turned back to Inuyasha who was tearing through the rest of the demons as if they were nothing. "Fine, if that's the way you want it, then my work here is done. He can take care of the rest of them."

Kagome watched Koga jump down from the tree and land on the ground. His wolves followed after him as he left. She had expected him to put up another fight and was mildly surprised that he actually listened to her this time. Her eyes narrowed slightly. Or maybe, he was too afraid to face Inuyasha in his youkai form. She climbed down from the tree and knelt down beside Shippou's unconscious body. Inuyasha would destroy all the demons and he would change back to his normal self. He had too. He wouldn't harm her…would he?

She stood up and peeped around the tree at him. She quickly turned back and hid behind the trunk of the tree. Her eyes shut tightly. The gruesome sight terrified her. He terrified her. She could feel that side of him, the lust for violence and destruction. She could feel him getting closer to her without turning around. He was searching for her. She stiffened when she suddenly felt his hot breath on her face. The growl coming from him didn't ease her fear. She knew she would have to find a way to turn him back to his normal self. She wasn't sure what he was capable of doing to her in his full demon state. Opening her eyes slowly, she jumped when she realized how close he was to her. His face was inches from hers. His fiery red eyes burned deeply into hers. She gulped when his claws shredded the bark off the tree beside her head.

"Inuyasha? You're not going to hurt me, are you? Remember me? Kagome? Your mate?" She asked as calm as she could.

He continued to growl as he sniffed her suspiciously. He pushed her upside the tree, his body molded against hers.

Kagome cautiously wrapped her arms around his waist and held him to her. His beautiful silver hair was covered in blood and his clothes torn and dirty. None of that mattered to her, he was safe, he had survived. She felt his arms wrap around her and hold her tightly against him.

"Kagome," his voice was grainy and rough as if this was his first time using it. "Kagome, are you okay?"

She sighed in relief. He was slowly turning back to himself. "I'm fine, my love." She whispered.

"I'm…glad…," Inuyasha said in a pained voice. He stumbled against her.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked in alarm. "What's wrong?"

He continued to hold her even as his legs gave out. They fell to the ground in a kneeling position.
"No, no, no," Kagome said in denial. She could feel his life draining away even as he held her. He wouldn't let her go to see his wound. How had he been able to hide it from her?

"Shh, just let me hold you," Inuyasha whispered. "Let me hold my Kagome. It doesn't matter what happens to me, as long as you're alive. I'll die happy knowing that."

"No, Inuyasha don't say that. Please, let me see, let me help!"

"It's too late for that. Kagome…I…I love you," he managed to whisper before he took his last breath.

Kagome knew he was gone, but she didn't want to believe it. "Inuyasha? Inuyasha!" She screamed as she held him close. His arms had remained locked around her waist, holding her tightly to him. His head hung limply over her shoulder.

Shippou woke up with a moan and rubbed his head. He turned to the sound of Kagome's screams. His heart beating furiously in his chest at the desperation in her voice. He let out a soft cry when he saw them.

Two Weeks Later......

Shippou laid beside Kagome on her bed. His arms wrapped around her thin body trying to comfort her, for both of them. Two weeks had passed since that nightmarish day where they had lost their friends. She had lost her best friends and her mate. He had lost his family. He closed his eyes trying to force the memory out of his head, but like always, it stayed to torture him. Kagome hadn't wanted to leave Inuyasha. She screamed and begged him to leave her with him. He had to pry Inuyasha's arm's from around her and pull Kagome away from him. That was when he'd seen the wound, a gaping hole in Inuyasha's chest where his heart should have been.

"He killed every last one of those demons then he came to me to see if I was okay. How could he have made it to me when he should have been dead?" She had whispered in shock as she stared at the gaping wound.

Shippou could only imagine what Kagome was going through now. How long would she survive like this? She wouldn't eat, wouldn't move, wouldn't do anything, but lay there crying. He had taken her home to her family hoping they could bring her to life. He had to explain to them everything that happened between her and Inuyasha. They were still dealing with everything he had told them.

He held her close, his face buried in her hair. "Kagome, please don't leave me. You're all I have left." He whispered. It was as if she died with Inuyasha. Her body was there, but her spirit was gone.

Kagome's grandfather stood in the doorway watching. "Shippou, bring her to the shrine." He finally said.

Shippou turned around to face him. "Why?" He asked.

"Because it's our last hope of bringing her back."

Shippou picked her up and followed her grandfather to the shrine. He laid her down on the floor in front of the shrine.

"This shrine holds the legendary Shikon No Tama. Many people come here to pray to it in hopes of making their dreams come true, but what they don't know is that the Shikon only grants the wishes of the purest heart. I blame myself for everything that has happened to Kagome and now I pray for a way to make it up to her." He kneeled down beside Kagome. "Kagome, my grandchild, if you can hear me, I want you to pray to the sacred stone with all your heart. Your ancestor was once the guardian of this stone and it has been passed down from generation to generation under our care. You have the purest heart I know, it might grant your wishes." He leaned over and kissed her brow before standing back up. "Let's leave her alone for awhile," he told Shippou.

Shippou looked back as the old man escorted him out. He wondered if Kagome had heard a word her grandfather said. She laid there with her eyes closed as if she was asleep. He was reluctant to leave her, but decided to do as the old man said. He would try anything to get Kagome back.

Kagome had heard her grandfather. He sounded so far away. She couldn't understand why she couldn't move her body. She wanted to be well for her family, especially for Shippou, but she couldn't. All she could feel was pain and sorrow which weighed her down as if she was sleeping underneath a ton of bricks. With great effort, she opened her eyes and stared at the sacred jewel.

"I don't care what happens to me," she whispered. Her voice was dry and cracked from not using it in two weeks. "What happened to my friends was wrong and I wish they were all given a second chance."

The stone began to glow to her surprise. It had never done that before. The room suddenly lit up as it floated above her. She stared in amazement as it got bigger right before her eyes. Suddenly, it was as if her body was sucked into the stone. Kagome found herself standing in a brightly lit place. She could see nothing. There was no beginning or end.

"Your heart is pure. I have heard your prayers before, but never have they been as pure as this one. You prayed for your friends and asked nothing for yourself." A soft feminine voice surrounded her.

"Who are you?" Kagome whispered looking for the woman who spoke to her.

"I am the guardian of the sacred jewel. I live inside of it to control it's powers, to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. No one realizes just how powerful the shikon no tama really is."

"Please…can you help me bring my friends back?" Kagome asked hopefully, thinking this must be a strange dream.

"This is not a dream, Kagome," the voice said, mildly amused. "I am here to grant your wishes, but there will be a price. You asked to give your friends a second chance. I will do as you ask, but there will be a choice you will have to make. It maybe the hardest choice you've ever had to make."

"What is it?" Kagome wanted to know, her heart beating erratically.

"In order to give your friends a second chance I will give them a choice of changing an important event in their lives. This change may have an effect on your entire relationship with them. They may not know you when they return. Are you willing to deal with the consequences? You have a choice to leave here now and remember them as they once were or to give them a life again that may or may not include you."

Kagome swallowed. "What about…Inuyasha?"

"It is the same with him."

"But he is my mate," Kagome said.

"In his next life, he may not be."

Kagome's heart fell. "So you're saying that if you were to bring them back, they may not remember me at all?

"It will depend on the choices they make. It will depend on a main event they wish to change in their life. In doing so, it will affect the outcome of their surroundings."

"Can't you just bring them back?" Kagome asked.

"You asked me to give them a second chance. In doing so, they will have a second chance of going back to correct an event in their life that led to their death. The choice they make will effect their new life."

Kagome finally nodded. "I understand the risk. If they don't remember me at all when they come back, then I will have to deal with it. I just want them back, happy and alive."

"Then your wish is granted."

The light in the room suddenly increased blinding Kagome. Something seem to go through her body before everything turned black.