Fear not the flame of my love's candle
Let it be the sun in your world of darkness
Give unto me all that frightens you
I'll have your nightmares for you
If you sleep soundly
Kagome slowly opened one eye the next morning half expecting Sesshoumaru to be there. Of coarse he wasn’t but he was watching her from afar. She sat up and looked around rubbing her eyes, everything was normal. Breathing a small sigh of relief as she stood up and stretched with no pain.
As she walked over to the fire she wondered if Sesshoumaru had suddenly grown some kind of brain tumor that was making him act like this. Or was what they had all seen a mask? She shook her head thinking that it was to early in the morning to be forming theories as to what exactly was wrong with him. Or her for that matter, she plopped next to the fire and looked at Kouga who spent the night there; her tail twitched as her eyes moved to the bloody bandaging on his shoulder.
“I’m fine really.” Kagome jumped as he turned over to look at her.
“I…” he sat up and almost put one of his arms around her shoulder but thought it better not to.
“Its ok really… you where just defending your self.” she looked at the fire and frowned as that strange pain crawled over her body again, but this time it was different. Kagome could feel the blood start to drain from her face as Kouga touched her shoulder “Kagome are you ok?” she raised her hand up to her chest placing it over the small bottle with the shards in it but she knew that’s not what it was.
“I…” her eyes started to glitter with pain as she clenched her teeth. “My chest… ugh.” She bent over and started to cough.
“Kagome!” he leaned over and cupped her cheek in his hand then lifted her head to look at him. She felt something start to drip down her chin, Kouga's eyes got wide as he reached over and whipped the viscous liquid off of her baby soft skin. When his hand pulled back Kagome saw blood.
“Ugh… ohhh… god.” She clenched her teeth as tears started to roll down her face she reached up and grabbed Kouga’s arm her claws digging deep drawing blood.
She moved her head out of his hand and let it hang her hair hiding her face as she watched her blood drip on the ground. What was happening to her? She felt like she was being ripped up from the inside out. Kagome let go of Kouga’s arm and supported her self as she tried to keep her head off the ground. She could smell the tall pail man that had been saving her from her dreams behind her as Kouga raised his head and started to growl.
“Se… Sessh…” she felt a hand on her shoulder and relief flooded threw her but suddenly it felt like his hand was in her mind grasping her pulling her close.
“Sesshoumaru…” Kagome watched Kouga grab the demon lord’s hand to forcibly remove it from her shoulder. Instead he ended up slammed into the ground a few feet away and Sesshoumaru never raised a hand to him.
Kagome could feel Sesshoumaru kneel next to her. It was getting harder for her to breath she felt like someone was stacking 50-pound bags of sand on her chest. And for the second time in a mater of days she was drenched in sweat as her chest tightened just a scosh more as pain shot up her back. Then she felt all of her muscles start to spasm; Oh god am I going to die? Is this it? Everything that’s happened everything that I survived… everything I still have to do and I die like this but she felt some of her pain subside. Suddenly she heard Inuyasha growl.
“Sesshoumaru what the hell are you doing?” Kagome raised her head to look at the hanyou when she realized she couldn’t see. There was nothing but darkness. She could hear Inuyasha draw his sword. No! She knew that Sesshoumaru was blocking some of her pain.
“I… Inu… yasha…” he stopped dead and watched Kagomes dull blank eyes. “S…s… sit.” The sound of him hitting the ground was the last thing she heard and the last thing she thought was ‘I don’t want to die, not like this’ as the pain spiked and she collapsed.
Sesshoumaru could feel her body shut down and caught her before she hit the ground. He turned her over and let his eyes drift across her face. He smirked to him self; she will be fine he thought as he gently whipped the blood off her face.
“WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?” Kouga howled as he pushed him self off the ground. Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow and unwrapped him self from the young demoness’s mind.
“I’m not sure but you should thank me…” Inuyasha lifted him self off the ground silently cursing Kagome.
“Why is that?” Sesshoumaru smirked as his half brother eyed him waiting for his question to be answered.
“Because I just saved her life.” Sesshoumaru stood up lifting Kagome bridal style as he though ‘again’.
“You what?” Kouga looked at Inuyasha then Sesshoumaru.
“You heard me…” Kouga narrowed his eyes at the taiyoukai. “Her new body was rejecting her miko powers.” He walked over to her bed role and gently lied her down.
“If that’s true why didn't it happen earlier?” Sesshoumaru looked at Kouga as he walked over to Kagome.
“Maybe she was settling into her new blood before it happened to help increase her chances for surviving the rejection.” He looked at the boys and walked away. Kouga knelt next to his former partner and looked her over.
“I think he was right I mean it only makes sense.” Inuyasha said as Kagome stirred.
She didn't hurt as much and she was breathing easier but she ached all over. After a moment she realized that her savior was gone. She opened her eyes and everything looked different then she felt the shards change as her ability to feel them faded altogether. Her eyes widened as she sat up quickly surprising her companions and pulled the bottle out of her shirt. The shards weren’t tainted but they weren’t pure ether and they didn't shine as brightly.
“Ohh my god what happened?” she asked in a shrill tone as she tried to purify them. Her eyes filled with tears. “I… I can’t… I can’t purify them.” She stood up stuffing the bottle back in her shirt.
“Kagome you shouldn’t move.” Inuyasha grabbed her arm but she ripped away from his grip.
“Don’t touch me.” She snapped viscously her eyes growing dark as she picked up her bow and notched an arrow. For a moment Inuyasha honestly thought she was going to shoot him but she swung around pointing the arrow skyward. She calmed her self and concentrated on the arrow but when she launched it there was no blue light emanating from it. Instead it was a dark red. Kouga looked at Inuyasha and frowned.
“Kagome…” he walked up to her and she turned to look at him, “we think…” he reached out to try and take her shoulder hoping to comfort her.
“I TOLD YOU NOT TO TOUCH ME!” she barked as her eye turned black and a wave of power burst forth knocking over Kouga, Inuyasha and some trees. She looked around and started to shake as her eyes faded back to bright lavender. “I’m sorry I’m just…” her eyes started to brim with tears.
“Its ok.” Inuyasha quietly spoke as he walked up to her. She sat on the ground feeling faint.
“I’m so tired…” Kouga and Inuyasha sat in front of her.
“Sesshoumaru said he thought your youkai blood might be rejecting your miko powers.” She looked at Inuyasha and sniffled as she nodded.
“That’s exactly what happened now I can’t purify the shards…” tears started to roll freely down her cheeks. “What am I going to do?” Kagome took the bottle out and looked the shards over.
She lost her brother and her powers two of the things that where most important to her. What was she going to do? She stared at the jar that held 5 shards. I could use these to defeat Naraku… but should I? She could give them to Kouga she knew they would go untainted there for a time anyway. She couldn’t give them to Inuyasha not with his mixed blood. They would consume him and his blood would run amuck.
Then her thoughts returned to her self as the boys looked at Sango and Miroku who came walking on to the road they where camped on. I’m there keeper… I should be able to use them… right? Maybe… if I tried one only for a bit to see what would happen? She took one of the shards out of the glass bottle and looked it over.
“Kagome…” she looked up as she heard Sango’s shaky voice. “What are you doing?” the dark haired youkai girl looked back at the shard. It was mesmerizing but some how the more she looked at it the less she wanted it. She opened the jar and dropped it in then closed it.
“Nothing…” Kagome stood up and walked over to where she had been kneeling. She looked at the ground where her blood had stained it. “He saved my life you know.” Sango and Miroku both looked perplexed as she turned her lavender gaze on them. “Sesshoumaru… my body was shedding my miko powers and I would have died. He saved me… but why?” she lifted her head when his spicy sent wafted past her nose.
“Do you smell that?” Kouga looked at Inuyasha then back to Kagome.
“Yes I do.” Kagome said absently as she walked into the woods.