Kore wa daisuki wo benkyoushimasu, ne?

A/N: *waves* Hello again! Hope you’re enjoying the story so far. Here’s your awaited update, kiddies! =^_^=

Disclaimer: Nope. I don’t own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. People with money and lawyers do. XD

Chapter 7: The Past and Present Make Up the Future


Kagome raced for the well as soon as she and everyone else stepped through the portal. She paused at the destruction around the well and frowned. ‘I’ll have to fix this later.’ She reminded herself before a pair of hands rested on her shoulders. Miroku and Sango gave her a brave face and nodded. They had to do this. For Inuyasha.

“Everyone, make sure you have a hand on me. Then we’ll jump on the count of three. Okay?” she instructed them, placing a hand on the corner of the well. They nodded, and Kagome couldn’t help but make a small prayer that they would all be able to go through the well. She took a deep breath and counted loudly, “One…Two…Three!”

Everyone jumped at once, slipping through the bottom of the well and into a swirling black nothingness. Growls came from the demons as the unknown slightly freaked them out. Kagome just smiled. It had been too long since she had been back in this era. They landed on the bottom of the well, and all were amazed to see that there was a clear blue sky above them and no stench in the air. Hiei’s mind couldn’t help but think, ‘Have we really gone back in time?’ Sesshoumaru lifted Kagome up out of the well by her waist, and she didn’t let go as they steadied themselves on the ground, truth be told, he didn’t want her to let go.

Kagome’s happiness radiated off of her, making everyone else’s spirits lift with contentment. “We’re going to have to find Inuyasha as soon as we can. Kikyou can come later, but she won’t live to see another day.” Kagome’s aura took on a dangerous tone and everyone gulped. This woman was quite volatile when she wanted to be, and no one wanted to be on the receiving end of her anger.

Sango nodded fiercely to her, taking up the lead. Kagome followed her and they headed for Kaede’s village first. The old miko would certainly know the whereabouts of the hanyou if anyone did. Upon entering the village, many stares were directed towards the rather large group of demons and the few humans. If it would have been any other person other than Kagome in the group, the villagers would have been taking up arms, but at the sight of their heroine, they all relaxed and continued onto their everyday chores.

Kagome raced forward and hugged Kaede as she saw the old woman exiting her home. “Kaede baba!!” her voice rang out, a new and previously unknown happiness coming from her. “Child!! Where have ye been? How has ye been fairing?” Kaede asked quickly, her own emotion coming to light. “I’m sorry. I thought I’d never get to see you again! I’m okay, but where is Inuyasha? Shouldn’t he be here with you?” Kagome asked, a new fear overtaking her.

“Child, Inuyasha hasn’t been here for 2 days. He left with my sister and was supposed to be back yesterday afternoon. Kikyou hasn’t returned here either.” She frowned at the look Kagome received on her face. “Is everything okay, child?” she asked, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Where were they supposed to go, Kaede?” Kagome asked, trying to contain her tears. ‘He’s in danger…he is somewhere out there and he’s probably hurt and alone…’ she held in her tears, anger overtaking her. ‘Kikyou will pay…she will pay for ever hurting him…’


“They wished to go and be alone for a while, as lovers often sometimes do.” She said, searching for any remains of pain on the girl’s face at the mention of their relationship. “Kikyou put a subduing spell on Inuyasha, Kaede. She’s trying to force him to not interfere with her plan to kill me. She still wishes for my death.” Kagome’s soft voice came out, as she placed a shaking hand on the miko’s shoulder.

Kaede just nodded, now understanding the need for all the demons that now accompanied the young miko. “Well, it looks like you will be well protected, child. If you should start anywhere, look for Kouga. He usually has a good idea of where Inuyasha is at all times.” She advised, hugging the girl a final time before stepping back.

Kagome nodded, and gave her a small smile. “Thank you for everything, Kaede baba. We won’t give up until he’s safe with us. Keep an eye out for Kikyou, and be wary. She hasn’t changed from when she was part of the undead. She still harbors a hate in her heart, and I’m afraid of what she’ll do.” Kagome said, sighing as she felt a hand squeeze tighter around her as Sango leaned closer to her.

Kaede nodded and watched as the group walked away from her. “Kagome!” her shout brought back the girl’s attention. “Wait, Kagome. I have something for you.” She said, retreating into her hut only to return with a rosary. “This is the rosary that he wore when I put the spell on him.” Kagome looked blankly at it before anger previously unknown to her overtook her. “Kikyou took it off of him and forbade him to keep it. He gave it to me and I have kept it safe for him. She does not know that it still is here, otherwise she might try and kill me herself.” The old woman said, a sad expression on her face. “Kagome…I know my sister is lost to me as I once knew her. There is so much hate in her heart, and she is ever jealous of the love you and Inuyasha had once shared. Inuyasha still loves you, child. He always has. You are the only one who has given him love unconditionally, and the only one he will truly love. Find him and save him. Get him away from Kikyou.” She asked softly, her face now filled with fear and sadness. A couple of tears ran down the old woman’s face and Kagome couldn’t hide her own tears anymore. She hugged her tightly and for a few moments, no one could hear anything but the sobs of the two women and the wind that whispered through the trees.

Kagome pulled away finally and put on a brave face, nodding to Kaede. “We’re going to find him. Everything’s going to be okay.” She promised, holding tightly onto the rosary. Suddenly, it started to glow with a small pink light, tugging away from the village. Kagome gasped and watched as it arched and pulled at her hand, floating on an invisible air. She didn’t hesitate to start walking in the direction the beads commanded. Hiei, Kurama, and Sesshoumaru all frowned slightly at the walking girl. Should they trust it? Apparently Kagome did, so they went against their best judgment and followed her as she walked more quickly out of the village. Even Kaede followed, this new development intriguing her.

Kagome stopped watching the beads, her own heart calling towards her first love and somehow, she knew where he was, and she was livid at Kikyou.

~*~

Inuyasha’s head fell back again, his whole body aching. Kikyou would pay for her betrayal. She planned on killing Kagome because she was jealous. She was going back into the future without him. She was going to get Kagome alone and kill her, and here he was, tied up in the cave where it all began. Fifty years ago he was born of demons and lust. And Fifty years ago he imprinted the betrayal of Kikyou and himself on one another, and for the past fifty years, he was bound to the Goshinboku, waiting the day that Kagome would free him. He struggled against the chains again. Normally, these would be long gone, but Kikyou was no fool. She put a spell on them and they burned painfully into his wrists and ankles as he struggled. ‘Kagome…’ he thought, a bloody figure appearing in his head. He couldn’t stop them. The tears that he had forced himself not to shed came flowing quickly over his face.
“KAGOME!!” he shouted, his cry of anguish filling the cave and surrounding area. ‘She hates me…she will never care for me again…she was so angry…and so sad…’ his head kept repeating. He shook his head and hung it again. ‘I’m never going to see her alive again…she’s going to be dead before I can see her smiling face again…’ he thought, his melancholy thoughts taking over again.


“INUYASHA!!”

He paused, his head looking up. “Kagome?” ‘Why is she here? I thought she’d never come back to the past?!’ but all other thoughts delayed themselves as his hoarse voice cried out, “KAGOME! In here!”

~*~

Kagome followed quickly, her concentration ahead of her. She recognized where she was and involuntarily shivered. Her ears perked up at a cry of despair and she couldn’t help her tears from falling anew as she began a sprint to the forbidden cave. ‘Damn her! She is a cold heartless bitch for containing him here of all places!!’ she cried mentally, pulling the Jagan’s attention on her again. Hiei took a sharp intake of breath at the new images that raced through his head from Kagome. Onigumo and his birth into the evil hanyou Naraku, the priestess Kikyou and her betrayal of the inu hanyou, it was all jumbled together almost to the point of overload, but suddenly, all thoughts stopped as he heard her voice shout back out across the fields, “INUYASHA!!” ‘He’s alive! Oh thank kami!’ she shouted mentally, running her fastest and the beads in her hand jingling as she ran.

‘Please be okay, Inuyasha! Please be alright!’ she thought over and over, her fear and worry surrounding the travelers. She reached the mouth of the small cave and couldn’t help but crying out his name again, seeing his tears and his smile.

~*~

‘She’s here. She came to look for me. She knew something was wrong. She came back for me. She came for me!’ he couldn’t help but think, a smile coming on his tear streaked face as her figure came into his sights. ‘She was crying for me? She still cares for me?’ he thought before he felt her launch herself on him and hugged him tightly. “Kagome…” he said softly, nuzzling in her raven black hair and inhaling her scent deeply. He missed this. He missed her. No matter what he had said in the past or how he acted when he finally saw her again, he still loved her. “Inuyasha!” she shouted out, tears falling harder as she held him. “Kami, I was so scared! I thought she’d pinned you to the tree again! I thought…” her voice stopped as she couldn’t talk anymore. Inuyasha smiled softly and nuzzled her head again, comforting her silently.

He looked back to the mouth of the cave and his eyes widened. Miroku, Sango, Kirara, and Shippou were there too, along with someone he never knew would ever care for him. His half brother, Sesshoumaru.

He hid his face in her hair, tears coming down now much more rapidly than before. ‘They all came for me…they were worried about me….they came to save me…’ he put together coherently, his heart constricting in happiness.

Kagome finally let him go and brushed away his tears. She was never going to let him out of her sights ever again, not if she had anything to say about it. She touched the shackles and flinched at the tainted aura that Kikyou had infused in them. She concentrated and purified the restraints, clearing them of the spells that were woven into them. “Break them, Inuyasha!” she said, smiling powerfully at him. He grinned, nodding to her with a smirk. They instantly shattered and he rubbed the area where the metal had burned into his wrists. Kagome saw the burns and placed a gentle hand on them, closing her eyes to concentrate again. Growls could be heard erupting from the males again, finally alerting their presence to Inuyasha. He growled back, but Kagome didn’t even flinch from her concentration. He looked down to her and felt a tingling sensation float over his wounds as the skin quickly regenerated and healed over the burns that were there only seconds ago.

Kagome took a deep breath and finally opened her eyes. As soon as her eyes met the golden orbs of his, she began her tears again and hugged him tightly, her fears and worries coming out in her aura. The males looked around nervously, but Shippou came forward and jumped up to land on Inuyasha’s head, hugging his hair tightly as he did so often to Kagome’s. Then Sango, Miroku and Kirara came forward and embraced him along side Kagome and Shippou, the circle of friends becoming larger. Inuyasha couldn’t hide his tears, as he felt his only true family hug him, their silent support breaking down his usual gruff demeanor. Sesshoumaru stepped forward, placing a hand on his little brothers head, acknowledging that he really didn’t hate the hanyou, although sometimes he did irk him slightly.

He had smelt his little brother’s tears and was touched. ‘He has learned about love, and he accepts them, as they have accepted him.’ He kept his mask on, but inside, a battle was raging. He had found no one that accepted him unconditionally. His past demeanor had finally caught up with him, and now that Rin had been gone for so long, the loneliness intertwined with his heart and he let out a sigh. He could now say safely that the past reasons for not choosing a mate were no longer valid in the human realm that now existed.

Had he lived in the Makai, things would surely be different, but living in the human realm for so long assured him and any future life he would make would be secure and happy. The only thing was, that there was no one to make a future with. He looked down at the little group comprised of mostly humans. The monk and taijya had a future together, and then the miko and hanyou. He sniffed the air gently. ‘Kagome is still an innocent? She had not mated with Inuyasha?’ he thought, frowning, then he smelled her emotions as the floated off of her. ‘Contentment…happiness…nothing more…unusual? I thought she loved Inuyasha?’ but his nose couldn’t detect any other emotions intertwined in her aura.

Kagome pulled away from Inuyasha and wiped his tears away again saying, “We’ll always be here for you, Inuyasha. We’ll always be best friends, no matter what. I promise.” She said, smiling at him. He sniffed and smiled, a growl of happiness coming from him. Everyone around him laughed and he grinned sheepishly, his heart full to the brim with nothing but good things—things that came from his friends and family.

Kagome latched an arm around Sesshoumaru’s waist and she placed a head at his side. He was slightly shocked at her open display of affection for him at this point in time. He had realized her first reaction to him was just because she was lonely and seeing him after so much time was shocking to her system, but now, she had no reason to show him affection. That one little act made a little balloon swell up in him as a spark of hope rose. Growls surrounded them as Hiei and Kurama finally had had enough of their chosen mate touching males besides themselves.

Sesshoumaru smirked to them, tightening his somewhat loose grip on her slightly. ‘If they wish to claim her, they’ll have to get in line.’ He thought, smirking again.

Kagome grabbed Inuyasha’s hand and lead him out of the cave and before they got too far away back to the village, she turned around and faced the forbidden birth ground of Naraku. Eyes narrowed, she brought the staff in front of her and concentrated. On what she was concentrating, she had no idea, but the power floated through her senses and she infused them into the staff and it began to glow a sugar pink, the energy swirling softly around the wood and resting in the kanji on it before moving on.

Kagome pointed it out towards the cave and a beam of miko energy shot out at it, swirling over head as dark energy clashed with it, coming out in waves from the cave. Kagome began to shake slowly, as the light fought with the darkness, but then, as she felt she didn’t have any more energy, the darkness was surrounded with her bright pink light, slowly degrading the darkness into nothing. Her energy settled over the grounds and instantly, flowers of all colors and shapes sprouted, beautifying the once before defiled cave and surrounding area.

Everyone had watched with interest as she purified the area. No longer would anything dark be allowed to taint the area. She was sure of it. Kagome smiled and brought the staff back to her side. She was immensely pleased with herself. Nodding satisfactorily to herself, she turned back to everyone and grinned brightly. “Life is GOOD!!” she shouted, giggling madly to herself, as she skipped past them and back towards Kaede’s village. Everyone looked at her retreating figure and not one spoke until Jin asked, “Is…uhm…the lass a bit…mad?”


++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Kagome sat on Kaede’s floor, happiness on her face and in her aura. Things were calm, and calm was always to be cherished, especially since it was a rare occurrence, considering the jewel and its constant need for protection.

She watched her friends, new and old, come into the hut, instantly finding the best spots they could to occupy and still be comfortable. Kagome leaned back and Sesshoumaru instantly claimed the spot next to her. She gave him one of her brilliant smiles and he gave one back before the rest of them could notice it.

As she looked around, she couldn’t help the sigh of contentment that came from her. This is why she could never be alone. Loneliness was something she didn’t like, and with so many friends around her, she could never truly be alone. She almost berated herself for her earlier actions of selfishness, but stopped. It was in the past, ‘Or future.’ She thought ironically and grinned. She saw Inuyasha sit down and got to her feet.

He watched her warily come closer to him. ‘What’s she doing?’ he thought before he felt a pair of hands around his neck. Kagome lifted up the tainted necklace put on him by Kikyou and replaced it with her own, earning a glance from everyone. She looked at the rosary and growled at it before throwing it in the fire. The darkness washed off of it and the wood burned brightly, cleaning it of all taint as the fire consumed it.

She stared at it until it was completely turned to ash, before smiling and taking her seat back beside Sesshoumaru.

“How did you know I was in trouble, Kagome?” Inuyasha asked, confusion on his face now that the danger was eased. “I saw it. I saw what Kikyou did…I saw what she said to you, I heard you yelling at her that you wouldn’t let her hurt someone. I knew that someone was me. I saw her put that rosary on you and I saw her hurt you again and again…” she couldn’t continue further as tears made her throat lock up and she stopped trying to talk anymore.

“How did you find me?” he asked, looking now to Miroku and Sango. He didn’t want to watch her cry. “I don’t know how she did it, Inuyasha.” Sango said, puzzled. “Kaede baba gave Kagome you’re old rosary and told us that Kikyou wouldn’t let you keep it after she removed it, and that you had her hold onto it for you. Then, I don’t know. Something strange happened and Kagome just started walking away from the village. We just followed.” Miroku added, looking back to Kagome as she struggled to get her tears under control.

Sesshoumaru flinched when she began to cry and instinctively placed a hand around her waist and she didn’t hesitate to lean on him for support. She cried harder as the images flashed over and over in her head. Hiei went to her other side and sat down. He was watching her pain as she was watching it and he placed a hand on her other shoulder. Kagome turned to him and he cringed at her tears and pain. She hugged him tightly and no one dared to say anything about his rare display of affection. Inuyasha kept his growl in check as she gained her comfort from his brother and that demon that he had seen when he saw her last, but it didn’t make the wounds he inflicted on her seem to shrink at all. After a few moments, her tears diminished again, and anger overtook the sadness that was there only moments ago.

“Kagome?” Inuyasha questioned, confusion on his face again. ‘So much anger…why?’ he thought, but Hiei’s eyes widened at the images she was conjuring from her subconscious. Images of a Kikyou surrounded by her miko energy as her life was sucked from her. ‘For a miko, she sure is violent.’ Youko thought, as Hiei relayed the images to the fox. There was something about her thoughts that was unusual. Miko’s that had thoughts like that were usually not as pure as this one. So this Kikyou person must have done something exceptionally terrible for it to spark this kind of reaction on the girl’s mind.

Kagome’s usually soft voice came out hard and angry as she asked, “Where is Kikyou?” Her voice was vibrating with deep seated hatred, and everyone’s eyes snapped open at her obvious anger.

“I don’t know, Kagome. I just know that when she tied me up, she was going to go through the well and try and kill you. She was wanting to get you alone and then…” he stopped. Hearing it aloud a second time was too much for him to stand. Kagome nodded, accepting his answer. “So she’s in my time, is she. Well, so much for her to die in the time where she was born.” She said coldly, making Hiei put a stronger grip on her waist. She looked to him and instantly her anger shattered.

“What am I going to do?” she said despairingly. No matter how much she would love Kikyou to just be gone, she could never take another’s life, unless they had threatened hers maliciously. “I won’t be able to stop her. I can’t take her life. I can’t hurt her at all. No matter what she’s done to me or my family. I can’t do anything…” she whispered out, closing her eyes. It had been one hell of an emotional roller coaster these past couple of days, and she felt so drained. Kikyou’s reintroduction to her life just made everything more stressful.

She rested her head on Hiei’s shoulder and took a deep breath. She needed to relax. She needed to get away from everything, for even just a little bit. She looked to Sango and gave her a smile that was unique to the two girls. She knew what that smile meant.

“Let’s go take a bath, Kagome.” She said, smiling as Kagome got to her feet and followed the girl out to the nearby hot springs. Everyone looked open mouthed at them before Inuyasha just said, “Feh. Stupid girls and their stupid habits.”

The demons, now with no girls around, showed their open claims to one another. Each one more fearsome than the next. Kurama took a seat next to Hiei and Sesshoumaru glared at the orange haired boy. ‘That boy is more annoying than Jaken could ever dream of being…’ he thought, holding back the temptation to grit his teeth together.

‘He is the biggest competition I have for Kagome’s affections.’ Youko thought, before his counterpart burst out, ‘Excuse me? I? I think you mean ‘we’ my dear friend.’ Kurama corrected him quickly, a frown coming to his face. Youko laughed. ‘Of course ‘we’. We are a package deal, after all. And I don’t think she has a problem with either one of us, do you?’ Silence filled the mental link before Kurama finally replied, ‘I don’t think it’s only us that she would have a problem with. The hanyou, for one, still holds a part of her. And this one next to us is someone she is comfortable with. And what about Hiei? He still has made no voiced claim to try and court her. Yusuke has also shown interest in the girl, don’t forget.’ Youko lashed out quickly, ‘Fuck the detective! He has Keiko! He shouldn’t even be giving eyes to Kagome, let alone any other girl!’

Kurama sighed. Everything was just so confusing sometimes.

Kuwabara broke the ice by talking loudly to Inuyasha. “So, you were trapped by a girl? That’s hilarious!” he laughed, giving the hanyou a goofy grin. He growled at the boy and shouted back, “How would you know anything about demons and miko energy?! There is no way for a demon to counteract miko energy, dumbass.”

“Half demon.” Sesshoumaru added the word with a smirk. Inuyasha glared at him before replying, “So what brings you here, brother?”
“Your human woman is what brings me here. She was hell bent on saving you, and killing that miko bitch Kikyou. As you can see, she has saved you, but she does not have the heart to kill your lover.” He said, his stoic face revealing nothing and his eyes narrowing at his brother.

A faint blush spread across his face before he looked away. Kikyou had gone way too far this time. He couldn’t love one so heartless as her, and her trapping him in that particular place was the final straw.

“So who are you guys and why are you with Kagome?” he finally asked, regaining his composure. Kurama spoke up, seeing as no one else was. “My name is Kurama, and this is Hiei. The boy next to you is Yusuke and the one next to him is Kuwabara. The woman sitting next to Kaede is Genkai.” He said, nodding and pausing before continuing. Inuyasha asked again, “What are you all doing with Kagome?” his voice came out slightly worried, so Kurama eased his tone slightly.

“Naraku’s offspring is intent on getting revenge on Kagome. He has survived in the Makai for all these years, waiting for her to be reborn. Now that she’s back, he has crossed over into the human realm and has made himself known to us. He wants her and the jewel that still resides in her body.” He informed the hanyou, taking in the expressions that played across his face.

“What?! Kagome still has the jewel?! I thought it was destroyed when she made her wish?” he shouted out at the new piece of information. “Apparently not.” Hiei finally spoke, anger in his voice. “The girl is still the protector of the jewel, and seeing as how its Naraku’s offspring, we assume that he is more powerful than the original.”

Inuyasha’s mouth went dry. “More powerful…than Naraku? How can that be?” he said to no one in particular. The battle wasn’t through. Nothing was over yet. He hung his head for a moment, and for a brief moment, Sesshoumaru felt sorry for his sibling.

Kagome walked in and Sango followed, now dressed in different clothes, although Sango still had her armor on underneath her kimono. Kagome was now wearing one of Sango’s kimono’s, and even if it wasn’t completely fit to her, the guys all looked to her with slightly hungry eyes. She blushed slightly and noted her seat by Sesshoumaru was taken, so she sat down beside Inuyasha and Yusuke.

“I guess you’ve been told about what’s going on, ne, Inuyasha?” she said, not daring to look at him. “Why didn’t you say something when I was there?” he said softly, placing a hand around her waist and pulling her into his lap. “You were with Kikyou, and you looked so happy with her. I wasn’t going to take you away from her again.” She said softly, willing her sadness away. As well as a small feeling of uncomfortable ness that settled in her body. Hiei was the first to pick up on it and handed the information over to Kurama. Sesshoumaru could smell the uneasiness radiating from her and couldn’t help but feel pleased. She no longer harbored feelings of love for the hanyou.

“Again? What do you mean?” he asked, confused. “Don’t tell me you don’t remember?” she started, angry tones in her voice. “Kikyou was always trying to kill me to take you to hell with her! She hated me with a passion and she always blamed me for taking you away from her!” she shouted, making the demons with sensitive hearing cringe at the rise in tone.

“But Kagome…” he stopped as her eyes began to glisten with tears. “I never had you, Inuyasha. Never. You were always Kikyou’s and I was always second rate. You always told me that if only I was as cute as Kikyou, or as good a fighter, or even as powerful…” she stopped, pushing away from him and getting to her feet. Now was the time to finally tell him her deepest secrets and feelings, and he was going to hear them, whether he liked to or not.

“I was never able to be as good as Kikyou. I was only able to be as good as myself. Only as good as Kagome. I will never be as good as Kikyou.” She said softly, he head hung in silent defeat.

Three voices echoed the same sentence, shocking the speakers and the listeners with equal force. “You will always be better.” Hiei, Kurama, and Sesshoumaru said in unison, instilling calm in the small hut. They heard Kagome’s shocked gasp followed by her tears. She ran out of the hut and didn’t know where she was going, but the thought that those three demons all felt that way about her was almost too much to contain in her fragile state of mind.

Everyone looked to each other quickly before getting to their feet and racing after her. It wasn’t safe for her to be out there alone, and they were supposed to protect her. Kagome stopped as she reached the Goshinboku and she quickly sat down on the branch that extended down to the forest floor. The God Tree gave her peace, and she closed her eyes in relaxation. Her mind not willing to shut down, thoughts of the three demons swirled around over and over, making her heart clench over and over again. ‘What do they see in me? What is it about me that they see as even good?’ she pulled her knees up into her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

Suddenly, a very fast demon aura came closer to her and she cringed inwardly. ‘Not him…not now…’ she moaned. “Kagome! So good to see you!” Kouga’s voice filled her ears. “Kouga kun…” she replied, still hiding her slight annoyance in her face as she covered up with her arms.

“Are you alright?” he questioned softly, looking at her composure. “Fine. Just thinking.” She replied from behind her arms. Suddenly, three demon growls filled the clearing, followed by other sounds of displeasure. Kouga looked over to see Sesshoumaru and the two demons he had seen with Kagome before standing together in a protectors stance.

“What do you want, wolf boy?” Inuyasha’s voice rang out, as he came up to the blue eyed wolf. “Kagome of course. She’s my woman and you won’t hurt her anymore. She was upset earlier today and I’m sure you had something to do with it, dog breath!” he shouted. Everyone heard her moan of agony and Hiei was there by her side in a flash, being the fastest of the demons there.

Kagome felt him closer to her and she coaxed out the dragon spirit and allowed him to circle around her as she felt herself being pulled into a protective embrace by the fire apparition. It felt right, being in his arms. He glared at the wolf demon and calmed when she nuzzled at his chest warmly. He placed a hand on the other side of her head and she smiled up at him softly, her eyes no longer the storm clouds of emotion that they were when she left the hut. Hiei’s heartbeat picked up and he couldn’t contain his soft purr in the back of his throat at the contentment she offered him.

Kouga’s mouth was open wide with shock. She was willingly in the embrace of this demon and she was happy about it! “Kagome! Step away from him! He’s dangerous!” he couldn’t help but shout out, earning himself some new growls. Shippou finally shouted out, “She is happy with him and with Kurama and even with Sesshoumaru! You will leave her alone! Inuyasha did the same thing to her and she hurt for a long time. You won’t interfere in her life like he did!” the kit shouted, hair raised. Kurama reached down and picked the kit up in his arms, his eyes now completely golden as Youko’s influence overtook them. A glare reached the blue eyes of Kouga and his mouth seemed to be able to stop, but not his body. A growl came from deep in his chest—a growl of challenge.

Kagome’s head snapped up at the growl. “Dammit, Kouga! When will you learn!? I don’t care that you’ve claimed me, cause you know what? Demon or not, I’m still human and I still have free will Damn it all! I will still make my own choices and that includes who I will and will not hold dear to me.” Her voice became soft as she squeezed Hiei’s hand affectionately. His protective instincts went into hyper drive at her kind words. Mind made up. She would be his in time. He would not let her slip through his fingers.

Kagome got to her feet and stalked dangerously up to the wolf demon, her miko energy so close to the surface that it made her skin glow pink with hidden electricity. Everyone watched at the confrontation uneasily. The wolf was just asking to be purified if he kept pushing her. While Sango and Miroku looked on with worried faces, the demons just smirked. This was a Kagome they could get used to liking. They knew she was no weakling and she was proving it right now.

“You will release your fucking claim on me! You will go and you will find Ayame and make her happy, as you sure as hell will never bed me! I don’t love you and I did have feelings of friendship towards you until this very moment. At this point in time I’m very pissed off at you and you would be wise to listen to me. Don’t think you’re the only male who has feelings for me, cause you would be wrong…deadly wrong.”

“You’re talking about Inuyasha!?” he yelled back at her, making her frown in frustration and even more anger.

“Dammit! FOCUS!!” It doesn’t matter who the hell likes me or loves me or even has feelings for me at all! The point is that you don’t stand a chance with me! You never have! You never will! PERIOD!!” she shouted to the sky.

She was breathing heavily and a fine sheen of sweat was flowing down her face, making some not so clean thoughts go through many of the demon’s minds. She wiped her brow and stepped back, her energy spent.

His eyes filled with even more red, red that Kagome didn’t notice until she looked up to face him again. “No, Kouga.” She said automatically, turning around from him. That was her mistake.

He grabbed up on her but quickly dropped her as a poison whip surrounded by a rose whip and a blade all made their way to his throat in milliseconds. “You ever THINK of touching her again without her consent and this Sesshoumaru will not hesitate to kill you very slowly and painfully.” The taiyoukai threatened darkly, his eyes flecking with red.

Kurama didn’t trust himself to speak at the moment, as he was trying his hardest to keep Youko from coming out. Hiei growled in warning and time seemed to stop as everyone looked towards the well as a new figure appeared, and no one was prepared for what was to come.

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A/N: Kami! I’m so sorry guys! I didn’t mean to cliffy this thing, but it seemed so great to do in this instance, cause of the fact that it’s getting quite long as it is and the next chapter will be so full of good surprises and stuffs I know you’ll all love--=)

A/N #2: Thank you all for the reviews!! I love them immensely!!

A/N #3: Brother, Sister, Mother, Father