Set Me Free

A/N: This is in response to the challenge by Sango chan. BTW: Happy bday SANGO CHAN!!

Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don’t own Yu Yu or Inu. *weeps*

Set Me Free
Chapter 1: When You Look At Me


Kagome stared into her watered down Dr. Pepper as she swirled it with her straw. Kami, she was bored. She looked up as Ayumi and her new boyfriend began to grind against one another on the dance floor. Then she spotted Yuki talking to a boy that looked just as shy as she did. The miko couldn’t help but smile a little at the sight. Yuki was always so shy she didn’t really talk to new people, while on the other hand, Ayumi had no qualms about meeting new people, especially new boys.

The music pounded into her head, and she couldn’t help but wince. Did they HAVE to come to such a noisy club? She was really regretting coming, but she couldn’t leave without Yuki or Ayumi. She promised that she would be the designated driver for them tonight, and once she saw that Yuki really was going to drink, surprisingly enough to even her, the raven haired girl ordered up a Dr. Pepper, and was now to the point of nursing through it.

She couldn’t help her mind wandering to the past as she looked into her drink once more.

It had been a little over two years now since she had returned for good. She remembered the battle vividly, as dreams plagued her still, even now. She watched in horror, over and over as Inuyasha was killed, followed closely by Miroku and Sango, both of whom were clinging to each other as the miasmic acid disintegrated their bodies.

Kirara and Shippou survived, getting the recently revived and shardless Kohaku and a crying Rin out of harms way. Sesshoumaru helped Kagome deliver the final blow, striking Naraku with both swords in his possession, the Tetsuseiga now being able to be wielded by him as soon as Inuyasha breathed his last breath.

Her arrow swirled around the combining powers, gathering the strength to completely destroy the vile hanyou. At that moment, Kagura was freed from her imprisonment, and was freed to live a normal life, one starting with the stoic demon lord and his charge.

Kanna went with them, as did Kohaku and Shippou, both of whom were graciously accepted into the demon lord’s family, something the taiyoukai had always wanted, but never had the opportunity to have. He promised to take care of her kit, and Sango’s little brother, as Rin had become quite smitten with the demon slayer boy.

After the burial, Kagome caught a glimpse of Kikyou, watching as she placed the hanyou’s body into the cold earth; but as quickly as she saw her, the un dead miko was gone, and Kagome had not seen her since. A large part of her soul was still missing, so that could only mean that Kikyou was still ‘alive’ somewhere, still stealing souls of dead women to live on the earth.

The completion of the Shikon no Tama was a large victory in itself, but the defeating of Naraku was the real triumph. The jewel, once again in its complete, untainted form, went back into Kagome’s body. She still had to make a wish on it. Everything she thought of was so selfish sounding, that she figured it would be best not to make a wish on it at all. And so it became dormant once more in her body, and so far, everything was getting somewhat back to normal.

She came back and the well sealed itself again, and Kagome began to repair her broken life. She went to a new school and finished high school, shocking herself and her mother both. She was accepted to a university, and was to start her third year in the fall, but now, it was summer, and she was stuck driving for her friends. She sighed again. She was convinced now more than ever that her life completely sucked.

Kagome was shaken out of her reverie as she felt a demon energy spike in anger. She looked over quickly and found the source of the power. A short man with a white burst of hair amidst a sea of pointed black hair was glaring menacingly at a human girl who looked like she had had a little too much to drink. Looking closer, she narrowed her eyes as well at the girl.

‘Poor guy…Eri never knew when to take a hint…’ Kagome thought, before getting a pure stroke of genius. She hopped down from her stool and walked swiftly over to the demon, stepping between him and the girl saying, “Sorry, traffic was a nightmare, have you been waiting long?”

~*~

Hiei glared once more at Yusuke and Kuwabara, both of whom seemed not to notice. He couldn’t believe he had lost a bet to those two. It didn’t help that Kurama was there, trying to be sympathetic to the situation, but failing miserably as he went ahead and began to dance with some girl who was practically tripping over herself at the chance to dance with him.

The fire apparition was currently contemplating if he could get away from the detective and dumb one without being noticed. He saw them both look at him, and he ditched that idea. He would have to just wait it out. There was no way he was going to let them hold something else over his head. He would suffer through this torture, but he kept in mind that paybacks would be oh so sweet.

He had to up his natural scent to keep himself from hurling. The mix of human, sweat, and arousal was disgusting in this place. To make matters worse, this ‘music’ as the humans called it, was so loud it was deafening, and he had to also concentrate on tuning it out.

He quickly slammed down the whiskey that the detective had ordered for him. It was nothing that he hadn’t had before. Liquor in the Makai was exponentially more potent. This was like water to him. He quickly ran his Jagan over the place in boredom. He felt some very weak demon signatures in the club, but he caught the faint hint of holy energy too. It wasn’t unusual, but it was unexpected. He thought on it a moment before dismissing it.

Suddenly, he was confronted by a human woman who smelled strongly of sake. “Heya, handsome…wanna dansh witch me?” she slurred out, batting her eyelashes at him.

He glared at her and said, “I think not.” She seemed unphased by his answer and leaned closer to him, attacking him further with her horrid stench.

“Aww…come on…it’ll be fun…” she pestered, reaching out a hand for him, that was stopped as a different girl came between them, saying, “Sorry, traffic was a nightmare, have you been waiting long?”

He looked to her a moment before catching on to her idea. “Not long, have a seat.” He said, gesturing to the empty bar stool next to him.

“Kagome!” the drunk woman shouted out in surprise. “This is…he’s with you?!” she shouted out, suddenly seeming much more sober.

“And if she is with me?” Hiei ground back, his anger spiking once more.

The woman faltered a moment before saying in a seductive tone, “You would have a much better time with me, handsome. Leave this little girl alone and let me show you what a real woman can do.”

The fire apparition felt the raven haired girl’s anger rise as she narrowed her eyes at the woman. “Eri, would you kindly let us through? I believe I was just about to be asked to dance.” She said sweetly, anger hidden beneath a mask of normality.

Hiei looked quickly to her, but then nodded, before taking her hand in his and pushing past the stunned drunk.

They made it to the dance floor and Kagome sighed, relaxing again. “Sorry about her…I have known her since Kindergarten, and she has always been a pain in the ass.” She said, looking finally into the demon’s eyes.

Hiei could feel the holy energy coming from her and he resisted the urge to pull away from her. He took a quick sniff of her scent and about growled. The girl’s scent was pure and sweet…wildflowers and forest. It was the most pleasing thing he had ever encountered, and he let his own scent drop and let hers come through to him.

She began to dance softly and he followed suit. He wasn’t much of a dancer, but no one else seemed to care, least of all the girl whom he was dancing with.

“So what’s your name?” she asked, looking to him as she moved. His eyes intrigued her, and she couldn’t help but lock with them.

He didn’t answer and Kagome backed down, not wanting to make him feel more uncomfortable.

“So are you here with anyone tonight?” she asked again, trying to get some conversation going. Again, he didn’t answer her. She frowned and kept her anger inside as she began to talk to herself, in hopes of getting some sort of response out of him other than boredom.

“Well, hello Kagome. How are you doing today?”
“Fine, just peachy. Went to a club with Yuki and Ayumi to be the DD and I ran into Eri.”
“Really? What happened?”
“Well, she decides to try and pick up a hot demon, whom I have no idea what his name is, and she’s drunk off her ass to top it off. I walked over and helped him out, and then we went to dance. Turns out he’s not much of a talker.”
“You’re getting involved with a demon again? Didn’t you learn your lesson last time, Kagome?”
Her voice trailed off, just as the song changed to a slow number.


Hiei watched as the human woman began to talk to herself. ‘Great, a drunk and a crazy ningen. Are there no normal creatures in this place?’ he thought, glaring at her, but his glare quickly turned into a look of shock and surprise as she mentioned him as a ‘hot demon.’ But he was shocked beyond belief when he heard her tone change and her voice soften as she said, “You’re getting involved with a demon again? Didn’t you learn your lesson last time, Kagome?”

The music changed to a soft song, and he saw the ningins pairing up and dancing slowly with one another. The miko woman turned to walk away, but before she was out of arms reach, he pulled her quickly into his arms, like the other humans were doing. She gasped out in surprise, but didn’t fight against him, surprising him.

“My name is Hiei.” He said into her ear, before she righted herself and looked deeply into his eyes again, getting lost in the crimson pools.

She wrapped her arms around his neck gently and he placed his arms around her waist. She was well toned, and yet she was soft.

“I’m sorry…you must not like to talk much.” She said, getting his attention again.

‘Does this woman never shut up?’ he thought before nodding in response.

“Don’t be afraid of me, Hiei. I won’t purify you.” She said, making his body stiffen then relax. “I am not afraid of you, ningen.” He said, trying to sound nonchalant about it.

“The name is Kagome, not ningen.” She said, irritation seeping into her voice.

“I am well aware of the fact, but as you are the ningen, and I am the demon, I will call you whatever I please.” He said with a voice that was the epitome of calm.

“Dammit, what is it with demons and not being able to call me by my name?” she cursed softly, growling into his ear.

He raised an eyebrow at her as the Jagan flared to life, itching to inspect the girl’s mind and what she meant by that statement. He reeled it back in and decided that it would be good to get away from her before he did something he would regret. Thankfully for him, the song ended, and they broke away, staring at each other before walking back to their respective seats.

“Maybe we’ll see each other again, Hiei.” She said, surprising him again.

“Is that a request, ningen?” he asked, smirking at her shocked and angry expression.

“Wha…you don’t think…dammit!” she sputtered out, before he was gone from her sight, leaving her alone, angry, and flustered in the middle of the club.

‘Damn demons…oh so high and mighty damn demons!’ she shouted mentally to herself, before stomping back to her seat, only to find it occupied by a red haired man. He wore an all pink uniform, in which his hair ran down almost the full length of his back. Kagome resisted the urge to run her fingers through the soft looking locks, and decided to take up the seat next to him.

She took a moment to brush her aura up against his, looking for a response. At his soft gasp, Kagome fought down the urge to smirk, and settled for schooling an expressionless face, so much like Sesshoumaru would do.

~*~

Kurama tore away from the girl who asked him to dance. His boredom had completely overrode his common sense, and he had said ‘yes’ to her, entering himself into a situation he really didn’t like. She was hanging all over him, laughing loudly to try and impress him, basically acting just like one of his high school’s fan club girls, annoying him greatly. Youko wasn’t helping the situation any, either.

‘You should have said ‘no’, now you’re paying the price. She isn’t even that pretty…what were you thinking?’ the kitsune spirit said to him, smirking at the avatar’s misfortune.

‘Don’t I know this?’ he replied, sighing heavily.

After three songs, he pulled away, losing himself in the crowd before the girl knew what had happened. He sat down at an empty barstool, and downed someone’s Dr. Pepper. To his surprise, that’s all that was in the drink was the soda. Sighing, he ordered up another one, and waited for Yusuke and Kuwabara to finish torturing his friend so that they could all go home.

He was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice a girl with raven black hair inspecting him, but he couldn’t ignore the miko energy that brushed gently over him. He subconsciously emitted a gasp of surprise, and Youko became wildly animated as he took in the strength of the power, and the purity of the owner of such a power.

He looked over and saw a breathtaking beauty who had a look of pure innocence upon her angelic face.

‘So she likes to play, does she?’ Youko thought, grinning. ‘I’ll show her…’ the kitsune thought mischievously, striking a little fear into Kurama.

‘What do you think you’re….doing….’ he stopped, as the kitsune pressed out his aura to touch against the unknown miko girl. She looked over in their direction curiously, as she allowed his aura to surround her, and inspect her.

“A kitsune…an old one…” she said softly, turning around fully to face the red headed stranger.

Kurama’s eyes went wide with shock and he couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the beauty before him.

“How is that possible? I’m sure there is a very interesting story behind it…” she said, smiling softly to him. She found him fascinating, even as much so as the other demon she had danced with earlier. His eyes were the deepest emerald green she had ever seen, and his face held a gentleness that she had not seen in any other creature other than Rin.

Kurama finally found his voice and he managed a smile back at the strange girl. “So you really are a miko…” he stated, looking back down to his new drink, wanting to see her reaction. Somewhere in the back of his mind, the though of purification arose, but it was quickly tossed aside. If she was going to purify him, she would have done so already, and she wouldn’t have taken the time to inspect him. She found him interesting, which surprised him, and also made him quite curious, as mikos were supposed to destroy all demons, no questions asked.

Kagome heard his statement and her face fell slowly. ‘Always afraid of purification…all of them…why can’t they just see me for a person, not a miko all the time?’ she thought, looking away from the kitsune. She suddenly felt like crying. The only demons that were never afraid of her were Inuyasha, Kouga, Shippou, and Sesshoumaru. There were, of course, the demons that she befriended along her travels, but in this time…her time…everytime she came across a demon aura, they fled before she even had a chance to talk to them. In all honesty, the miko was lonely, and there was no one whom she could tell her story to without them trying to lock her up in the nuthouse. She clasped her hands in front of her and stared at them slowly, lost in her thoughts once more.

Kurama watched as many different emotions filtered across her face. Sadness was the most prominent as she looked away from him, but as the seconds passed, a deep sense of loneliness over took her body and facial features. He frowned as he became confused. ‘What did I say to make her so sad?’ he asked Youko, as he looked at the girl.

‘I don’t understand either, Red. Maybe…maybe she doesn’t wish to be a miko?’ he said seriously, his heart wishing to comfort her and see her smile once again. It was an unusual feeling for him to say the least. This girl was very interesting to the fox, and he wanted to inspect her further. There wasn’t much anymore that could keep the fox’s attention for more than fifteen seconds; the miko before him was a rarity indeed.

“I’m sorry if I upset you, miss.” Kurama said, breaking the silence between them.

Her sapphire blue eyes shot up to him, meeting his emerald green ones. Surprise and confusion filled her face. “You…” she shook her head before she began to laugh softly. Now Kurama was the one to be confused and his face showed it.

“Gomen…” she said after a few moments. “It’s just…I thought…I thought…” she paused her voice softening as she leaned closer to him.

“I thought that you were going to leave…because…I’m a miko. I thought maybe that you were afraid that I was going to purify you or something. I didn’t want you to go yet. I like you.” She said, smiling again.

His eyes went wide again, and he managed to remember to smile back at her. ‘She likes us? She is a miko…and I am a demon…how can she even consider befriending us?’ Kurama asked, now more confused than ever.

‘Don’t worry about it so much, Red. If she wants to be friends, who are we to deny her? It’s not like we have many friends as it is that are female. Then again, it’s not like we have a lot of friends, period. Think about it, at least.’ Youko said softly, gently wrapping around his counterpart in a light embrace.

“I’m not leaving…not yet, anyway.” He said, nodding for emphasis. “By the way, my name is Kurama.” He added, holding out a hand.

Kagome grinned brightly at the kitsune and held out her own hand. “My name is Kagome. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kurama.”

He took her hand and kissed the back of it lightly, earning a soft blush from the miko. “The pleasure is all mine, Kagome.”

“So, how is it that there are two spirits in your body?” she asked, her over curious nature coming through.

Kurama laughed softly at the excited and curious expression on her face, in which Kagome blushed even further.

“Well…” he paused and looked around at all the people surrounding them. “Maybe, we should go somewhere else to talk?” he asked, looking back to her.

Kagome watched his wandering eyes and nodded, taking the hint. “Sure, lets go to the roof, or would you rather go somewhere else? If we do, I have to tell my friends to take a cab. I’m supposed to be the designated driver for them tonight.” She said, subconsciously searching for Ayumi and Yuki.

“Let’s go somewhere else. Are you hungry?” he asked, watching as she nodded quickly.

“Starving. I haven’t eaten since lunch today, and I hate this club’s food. I don’t know why I even agreed to come here, I’m such a softie when it comes to my friends.” She said, smiling before bounding off to Yuki and Ayumi to give them the news that she wasn’t going to be able to stay, and told them to call a cab when they were ready to leave. They understood, and were actually really happy that she was going out with a boy. They hadn’t seen her this happy in awhile, ever since about two years ago when apparently her ‘boyfriend’ whom they had never met dumped her. Or, they assumed he dumped her. They had no idea that he was killed, and Kagome never felt the need to correct their assumptions.

Grinning, Kagome followed Kurama out of the noisy club, and into the fresh air. They both took a deep breath of air, and Kurama almost growled as he was finally able to take in her scent. The purity and overall sparkling aroma of the girl was intoxicating, and it sent Youko’s youkai into a frenzy.

‘So pure…Never before have I encountered anything like this before…who is this girl? How is it that she has no impurity in her scent?’ he questioned softly, observing the change in her as she stretched in place.

“So, where do you want to go?” she asked, interrupting their thoughts.

“It’s up to you, Kagome. Where would you like to go?” Kurama replied, earning a grin from the girl before she said, “Always the gentleman. Not that I’m complaining any. It’s a nice change from some of the demons I’ve met.” She said, a scowl coming to her face at the thought of the demon she had met earlier in the night.

He raised an inquisitive eyebrow at her before she shook the look away, a smile replacing it.

“Let’s go get pizza! Then we can go to the park or something. I don’t feel like being cooped up in a building. I’d rather be outdoors than indoors any day.” She said, unknowingly earning more respect from the kitsune.

‘Definitely a plus that she likes the outdoors, ne, Youko?’ Kurama said, smiling to the fox.

He nodded in response before following the girl to a small pizza place a little ways away from the club. She walked in and looked around cautiously, taking in all the people who were there. Kurama watched as her body became very rigid before she relaxed and smiled again.

“You order whatever. Just no little fishies, okay?” she said, nodding as she went ahead and took a seat in an empty booth near the back. Kurama nodded back to her and went ahead and ordered a pepperoni pizza, forcing himself not to roll his eyes at the girl who was eyeing him from behind the counter. As if just struck by lightening, he grinned mentally.

‘You realize she has not once fallen to a puddle at my feet, right, Youko? She has kept up coherent conversation with us, as well.’ Kurama pointed out as the thought hit him.

‘Another plus. She isn’t like some of those fangirls in your high school who were not worthy of our glance, let alone our attention.’ The fox said a little disdainfully.

Kurama picked up the pizza and found Kagome leaning back in the booth and looking out the window and up at the star filled sky. The moonlight hit her hair and it made it have a glowing effect to it, the light making the almost blue highlights in her raven hair stand out. Kurama had to fight down the arousal that threatened to overtake him as he walked closer to her.

“Ready to go?” she asked, noticing his approach. Nodding, they walked out of the little place and walked slowly to the park, which wasn’t far from where Kagome lived.

“So, how is it that you have two spirits in your body?” Kagome asked again, before taking a slice of pizza as they sat on a wooden bridge that spanned over a small creek in the park.

Kurama chuckled at her again and said, “You really want to know, don’t you?”

“Yeah! For one, I’ve never come across anything like that before, even in the feudal era…” she froze and her face paled before she looked away quickly. “Uhm, forget I said that.” She said quickly, still not looking at him.

Kurama repeated her words in his head three more times before the shock and confusion finally made itself known.

He could feel the distress coming from her body, and he didn’t like when she wasn’t comfortable. He wanted to know desperately what she was talking about, but she didn’t seem ready to tell her story yet, so Kurama let it drop…for now.

“You already know that there is a human spirit and kitsune spirit in my body, right?” he asked, filling in the awkward silence. He could see her visibly relax and she sighed gently.

“Yeah. I could feel it when I touched you for the first time with my aura. How is something like that possible?” she asked softly, taking a bite of pizza.

“Well, Youko…that’s the name of the kitsune in my body, he was severely injured by hunters, and so with the last of his energy, he forced his spirit out of his body and wandered the earth, until he came upon my mother, who was just barely pregnant with me. He forced himself inside the fetus, and took the time to recover his spirit strength. Ever since that day, we’ve shared this body.” He explained, unsure of how she would take the almost impossible sounding information.

“So…he didn’t…absorb the other soul, or anything, did he?” she asked, a little worry in her voice as she thought of Naraku and his absorption powers. She involuntarily shuddered.

Kurama watched her shudder and wondered why she would ask a question like that. Not that he wasn’t somewhat glad she was asking questions. It was better that she ask questions than not believe him, in his opinion.

“No, nothing of the sort. We share the body, although not equally. I’m the one in charge most of the time.” He said, as her expression turned thoughtful.

“So he can take over? That’s interesting. I’ve never heard of anything like that happening before, except...” she paused, her forehead wrinkling in thought.

“Except what, Kagome?” Kurama asked, taking a bite of pizza.

“Well…I was remembering…a demon I knew. He was hanyou, and when he was in danger, his demon blood would change, and he would become a full demon. Is that something like what happens when Youko takes over?” she asked, puzzlement in her voice.

‘Any thoughts, Youko?’ Kurama asked, confusion in his voice.

‘I don’t know, Red. I haven’t been in contact with that many hanyous. I didn’t know that they could change from hanyou to full youkai at all. I know that there are times when hanyous change into full human, but I didn’t know there was a reverse to that. Interesting.’ He said, looking back to the girl with renewed interest.

Confused, and not knowing, he shook his head. “I have no clue. I had no idea that hanyous could change into full demons for a time. Youko said that there are times when hanyous become full human, but he didn’t know that there was a flip side to that.” He said, as her face became knowing.

“Yeah, it was the night of the new moon for Inuyasha. He would become a full human for one night, and then, he was back to being hanyou.” She said softly, memories becoming renewed in her mind, especially the first night she was in his company for the transformation.

“So this Inuyasha, was he a friend of yours? You said ‘was’ the night of the new moon…what happened?” Kurama asked, picking up on her statement.

Kagome looked up quickly to him, before she looked down, tears clouding her eyes. Startled by the sudden change in her scent, Kurama placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down. Youko was curious, but he didn’t want her upset. Her tears bothered him to no end, and her gentle scent was overcome with deep sadness and despair.

‘Calm her down, Red. I don’t like to see her like this.’ Youko said, a frown on his face.

‘I’m trying…’ he replied quickly, before she launched herself up at him, hugging him tightly as her tears surged on harder, soaking through his thin shirt.

She felt his comforting hand on her shoulder, and she lost it. No one had been there to comfort her on the other side of the well. Her mother didn’t understand, nor did the rest of her family. The only ones who could even come close to comforting her were in the past, leaving her alone to deal with her grief and loneliness. This demon, who knew nothing of her story, was offering her console, and for some unknown reason, it eased her heart knowing he wasn’t looking down on her in her moment of weakness.

“I’m sorry I upset you, Kagome. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.” Kurama said, his hands strengthening around her shaking frame.

“No…no…I have to tell you. I want you to know.” She said, confusing him. This girl was a constant onslaught of mystery and puzzlement, and he couldn’t bring himself to try and figure her out until she told him her secrets. She trusted him…otherwise she would not have taken the comfort he offered her a step further. It was something that warmed the kitsune to no end, knowing she trusted them.

After a few moments, Kagome gathered control of her emotions, and she took a deep breath, wiping away the stray droplets of water.

“Inuyasha…he was my first love.” She started, instantly getting Youko and Kurama’s attention.

‘A hanyou!? She loved a hanyou?!’ he exploded in Kurama’s mind, a slight wave of energy escaping the avatars body. Kagome dismissed it, and continued on, her smile telling the kitsune that she wasn’t lying, and that she was indeed very fond of the hanyou.

“Over five hundred years in the past is where it all began.” She shook her head and looked up to the sky, her heart clenching once more as she thought of the past, and all the people who helped her grow and become the person she was this day.

“There is a priestess, who’s name is Kikyou. She was the miko of a village, and she was also the protector of a jewel called the Shikon no Tama.” She said, as Kurama interrupted, upon Youko’s prompting, of course, “The Shikon no Tama?!”

Kagome looked up at his change in tone, and she smiled softly. “I see Youko has heard of it. Uhm, are you allowed to let him out? I’d like to find out what he knows…if I can.” She asked softly.

Kurama bit his lip, and sighed. ‘I won’t do anything stupid, Red. Let me out.’ The kitsune said in a serious tone of voice, convincing Kurama rather quickly to allow him to take free reign. He had never heard that determined of a voice coming from the kitsune ever before.

Kagome watched spellbound as the red headed man transformed, his hair becoming a glowing silver, and a pair of fox ears appearing on his head. Deadly looking claws appeared, but his hands remained soft around her shoulders, while his body became harder, more defined, and he became slightly taller.

The last change to take place was the color of his eyes. Kagome’s sapphire eyes met his emerald green ones as the slowly became deep pools of rich gold, leaving her breathless. He looked a little like Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, but his looks were much warmer than Sesshoumaru’s and very much more refined than Inuyasha’s.

She looked away, blushing slightly as she tried to remember what it was she was going to ask him, then the jewel pulsed at her side and she looked back up to him, her mind back on track.

Youko hid his smirk at her slight arousal. He tended to have that effect on people, and she was no different, but the fact that she hadn’t pounced on him yet was slightly unnerving. He would have to test some theories later on her…that is, if Kurama would let him see her again. He hoped he could convince his counterpart to keep up relations with this girl.

Once her focus came back on him, he pushed all other thoughts aside, his center of attention now being her.

“What do you know about the Shikon no Tama?” she asked, squirming slightly as she awaited his answer.

“From what legends I remember reading, the Shikon no Tama was a jewel also called the Jewel of Four Souls. It was named that because of the fact that there were four souls trapped inside of the jewel. One of those souls was of a miko, who fought and trapped three other demon souls with her own in order to save the world and in essence, she formed the jewel.” He said, taking in her expression. She seemed awed that he knew about the jewel, and when he mentioned the miko, she looked down, and he smelled more tears coming from her.

“Midoriko…” she said softly, her voice cracking. “Her name was Midoriko…and she trapped three demon souls with her own. It formed the Shikon no Tama, and because of the demon souls…it has to be in constant protection of a powerful miko, in order to keep it pure and also to keep it safe from demons who would use the power of the jewel for evil.” She said, nodding, as she wiped her tears away.

“I see. You said earlier that a miko named Kikyou was protecting the jewel…but you also said, ‘there IS a priestess…’…if she lived so long ago, how can she still be alive?” he asked, wondering if maybe she did something similar to himself with Suichi.

“Yes, IS. She’s still…well…she’s not really alive.” Kagome sighed before shaking her head, somehow feeling the confusion that poured off of the kitsune.

“Maybe I should start from the beginning. It will make more sense that way.” She said, nodding to herself before a shiver of cold rushed through her. It didn’t go unnoticed by Youko.

“We might want to go somewhere warmer. It’s getting cold out here.” He said, helping her to her feet.

“Hai…we can go back to my house. No one’s there now. Momma’s gone visiting family and won’t be back for a couple of weeks, and Souta went with her.” Kagome informed the fox before they reclaimed their pizza and he followed her to her house. The walk was silent, but the silence was comfortable

Kagome sighed to herself. ‘Will he believe me? How will he react? How do I always end up in these situations?’ she asked herself, frowning as she came to the shrine steps.

~*~


A/N: Okay, I know it’s kind of a cliffy. But this is getting pretty long, and I need to take a break. *sigh* Please R/R!

A/N: Thanks to all you who review! I love you guys!

A/N: Next Chapter: My Story

A/N: I've looked over this chapter and hopefully I've caught all the mistakes. If you see one, please point it out to me. I noticed I kept writing "ningin" instead of "ningen"...and the different of that one little letter is the difference between "carrot" and "human" -_-;;