Em, it's been a while since I've even ATTEMPTED to write an Inuyasha fanfiction.
This story actually was written a loooong time ago, and I found it on my computer and revised it. (Many, many, many, many, times. XD)
I don't feel the title fits the story at all, (Actually I never named it, but I had to give it a name here.), but that's for you all to tell and me to find out.
So without any further ramblings from me.
Here's the story!

BEWARE - This story is unbeta'd!

Disclaimers; Alas, I don't own InuYasha and never will.

One

It had been three and a half years since Kagome was first pulled into the Bone Eater's Well by Mistress Centipede. She was now eighteen, graduated from high school a week ago, and had been accepted to the University of Tokyo. Her life was finally beginning. As for her life in the past, the shards of the Jewel of Four Souls had almost been gathered and Kaede had been teaching her to use her powers and become a priestess. 'All in all, not a bad existence,' she thought as she hefted her backpack over the ledge of the well. It was lighter without her textbooks and it landed with a thump on the dirt as Kagome followed it.

Kagome looked up to see a face appear from outside the well. Inu-Yasha reached down and grabbed Kagome's sack.

"It's about time! Where have you been girl? I told you to be back by sunset." He pointed to the bright glow coming from just below the horizon. "Do you see that? Do you know what that is? That is the SUN after it has SET, wench!"

Kagome wrinkled her nose. "Calm down, so I'm a couple minutes late. I've only been gone since yesterday. God forbid I ever go home! But, no, I guess to call it that I would actually have to LIVE there! In the past year I've spent more time in the feudal ages then I have in my own zip code! What am I talking about? You don't even know what a zip code is!"

Inu-Yasha felt a punch to the gut. He didn't know what a ‘zip code' was. Yet another example of how much more advanced Kagome's time was and why she did not belong here with him. Not one to let emotions show, he snarled. "Come on, wench! Kaede says the jewel is nearly complete, but she can't tell just how close we are. I heard rumors of a warlord in southern Nagato with abnormal powers." He grabbed Kagome's arm and swung her onto his back.

Kagome sighed and out of habit laid her head between the dog-boy's shoulder blades. With her free hand she fingered the small draw string bag on her necklace. It held the many shards she and her friends had gathered over the years. The vial she used before could no longer contain them all. 'How am I going to tell him?' she thought. 'But then, why does it matter? The Jewel of Four Souls is almost complete and so my adventure is nearly over. Inu-Yasha has been my friend. I won't let him use the jewel to become a full demon- not like Sesshoumaru. He'll probably hate me. I guess it's just as well. Maybe it will be easier to not be near him. Ugh! Don't start thinking like that! It's a bad train of thought. He's immortal. I'll be old and wrinkly when he's still looking young. He's a dog demon. We're completely different species. Not to mention we don't even live in the same time period. Forget it, Kagome, and don't to let it show.'
Inu-Yasha jumped to a stop in front of Kaede's hut. Kagome hopped off his back and called, "I'm back!"

Shippou immediately rushed out and jumped into her arms. He was now almost as tall as her knees. "Kagome! You're back! I missed you!"

"I missed you, too, Shippou-chan."

"Hmph. Hurry up."

Kagome sighed and glanced at Inu-Yasha. "We just stopped by to get my bow."

"Here it is." Kaede stepped through the doorway handing her the bow. "This could be the last shard you need, Kagome."

"I know."

"Then it will be up to you to become again its protector."

Kagome nodded. "I will."

The perhaps one time sisters shared a glance toward Inu-Yasha and understanding passed between them. "I will guard it with my life," Kagome said, "just as before."

Kaede stepped back and smiled. "Good luck."

"Good luck, Kagome-chan!!"

"Thanks, Kaede, Shippou. Bye!"

"ARGGGH!" Inu-Yasha clawed at the hands choking his neck. The warlord had a shard. He dug his claws into the demon's flesh. It screamed and loosened its grip. The dog-boy dropped into a crouch just as an arrow penetrated the front of its forehead from behind. The tip of the arrow popped off the shard which had been embedded in the demon's forehead. Inu-Yasha grinned. "Ha ha! CLAWS OF BLOOD!" The shredded demon lay still on the ground.

Kagome moved the demon's shoulder with her foot and picked up the sliver. She took the bag off her necklace and held it in the palm of her hand. Poising the new shard above the bag, her eyes found Inu-Yasha's.

"If Kaede is right and this is the last shard, something should happen now," she told him. Kagome brought her attention back to the matter at hand. She took a deep breath and dropped the last piece into her bag. Neither Inu-Yasha nor Kagome could move. Kagome let out the breath she was holding. Nothing happened. "I guess we have some more searching to do." Kagome put the small pouch back on her necklace.

Inu-Yasha sighed. 'I suppose it's just as well,' he thought. 'Delaying the inevitable. Kagome won't let me have the jewel, so I'll have to fight her for it. But can I? Could I ever hurt her? Doubt it. Some demon I am. But that will change. It's what I searched all this time for.'

"Inu-Yasha!" He was startled out of his thoughts by Kagome's scream.

"Kagome!" A glow was pulsating from the sack around her neck as Kagome was trying to yank it back off. He started toward her, but an explosion blew him back. The cord Kagome was pulling on snapped off and she was pushed back by the brunt of the explosion. She landed on top of the warlord demon they had just killed.

"Oh..." Kagome tried to sit up slowly, but winced. She looked down to the pain in her side. 'Blood.' She touched it and looked at her hand. 'Blood. I'm bleeding. This is the injury from Mistress Centipede! The one that released the jewel! What the hell is going on?'

"Kagome!"

She looked up. Inu-Yasha was on the other side of the Shikon Jewel. It was whole and hovering four feet above the ground. The glow it was emitting lit the small clearing in waves. Kagome's attention was drawn to shadows in the surrounding trees. She gasped. 'Demons! They can sense the jewel! The jewel! I have to get it!'

Holding her side, she tried to stand. Faltering she fell to the ground softened by the warlords blood.

"Wahaha!" Kagome spun around in direction of the laugh. 'The warlord demon! It's alive! Agh, got to move. Got to move.'

"DIE!" He slashed at her with his sword. She tried to scream, but blood was pouring out of the fresh wound on her neck. She grabbed at her throat with both hands. 'My throat! He cut my throat! I'm going to die! No! Inu-Yasha!' She looked toward her friend but he was too busy fighting the mobs of demons trying to make a path to the jewel. She pushed herself away from the warlord with one hand until it landed on something sharp. It was one of her arrows. She took it with her blood soaked hands and rammed it through the demon's lower stomach. He screamed and fell.

'My last chance,' Kagome thought. 'I will protect the jewel.'
She pulled herself to her feet and stumbled toward the glowing orb. She lunged and snatched it from mid air. She landed hard on her shoulder, but took the added pain in stride.
'This is it,' she thought. ‘I'm going to die. Ugh, no!' Kagome clutched the rock that she was dying for. Tears rolled down her cheeks and into the grass and dirt as it mingled with her blood. She curled herself tightly in a ball around the jewel. Her mind was filled with regrets.
'College. Sota. Mom, Gramps, Buyo. My home. I'll never see it again. Kaede, my sister. Shippou, Sango, Miroku, my friends. Tokyo, school, I worked so hard. Gone, all gone. Hmm... this is it. This is death. Hmm... Inu-Yasha. Inu-Yasha... fighting! He's still fighting!'
She opened her eyes. Sure enough, he was still there, protecting her. He must have seen her hurt for the Tetsusaiga was drawn. He was swiping down demons by the dozens as wave after wave fell upon him.
'He's so brave,' Kagome thought. 'And strong. Handsome. He's cute when he's mad.' Her lips twitched slightly as if to smile. Pain had made her slightly disillusional. 'He would never give up. My best friend. Still protecting me and hurting for me,' she thought as he took several blows. 'When I die, what will he do?' She remembered Kikyo. 'Will I be reborn? Into another person? NO! I'm me! I don't want to be like Kikyo. A spirit. Bitter. NO! I will not!' The jewel strongly shined, like the sun. 'I won't leave.' She tried move and eventually sat up drenched in her own blood. 'I won't become someone else.' Numb to the pain, she stood, the jewel cupped in her palms. Her eyes met Inu-Yasha's. She could see shock and pain... and grief. She smiled. 'I will not die. I cannot leave. I will not! I WON'T!'

The jewel flared brighter than a hundred stars. The light exploded, encompassing Kagome and flinging all other beings within a hundred meter radius into the night sky.

Eventually the glow resided leaving Kagome as the sole inhabitant to the leveled clearing. She stood with her hands by her sides and her eyes closed. Her feet hovered several inches above the ground. Moments passed and time stood still. Finally there was movement. Lips parted and Kagome gasped for air. She collapsed onto the grass in a heap and was then still, save for her soft breathing.


*

A/N: Reviews please!

=o

Good! Me likey!

I got to start reading other work on here XD

For a minute there, I thought she died..


Very good story.

Me likey MOAR.


Bah, same here. I barely visit this place.

I know, I only update my story and leave lawl

Not many people here as there use to

;-;

Cool.

It's been a whiiiile since I've update so finally - Here's chapter two.
Ah and thank you all for the comments.

Also - Enjoy the twists and turns in this chapter!

Two

Inu-Yasha woke several hours before dawn to find himself strewn across a tree limb. His injuries from a few hours before had healed. He sat up straddling the branch and shook his head.

"Ugh. Kagome! Where's Kagome? And the jewel! ARG!!" He sniffed the air. He could barely find the slightest hint of blood. 'Kagome's blood,' he thought. Inu-Yasha increased his speed as he leapt through the trees. 'Stupid girl. She had better be all right. She almost got herself killed . . . and then the jewel. What did she do to the Jewel of Four Souls? She used its power? But she's human. The jewel is powerless to her.'

He stopped when trees became burnt and opened into a clearing, now larger than it had been previously. Inu-Yasha could smell her blood strongly now, but the scent that defined Kagome herself was not present. He swept across the clearing to the crater at its center. He blinked. She was there! She was sprawled across the ground . . . asleep!

"Kagome!" he jumped down the slope and kneeled beside her. "Kagome! Kagome, wake up, girl! Are you all right?" He leaned down and sniffed across her chest and abdomen. This didn't smell like Kagome. 'But it has to be her! It looks just like her! No one else could have such ridiculous clothing.' He nudged the body gently at first then roughly. Getting no response and not being the most patient of people Inu-Yasha growled, "WAKE UP, GIRL!"

She shot up almost instantly and took in her surroundings. 'She . . . she has yellow eyes!' Inu-Yasha thought immediately. 'They're just like mine! And . . . and fangs! She's got fangs! Oh no.'

"Kagome?" he asked cautiously. Her eyes finally focused and turned to him. A smile spread across her face- he loved that smile. It made his heart ache.

"Inu-Yasha!" She threw herself into his arms. "You're all right! And I'm alive! I thought for sure I was going to die! That demon slashed my neck open! Almost no one survives from that."

Inu-Yasha blinked and wrapped his arms around the girl. This was her. His Kagome. And she was . . . she was . . . a demon? 'It can't be. The Jewel of Four Souls doesn't work this way. But then again, who knows? No one has ever used its full power, obviously, or it wouldn't have been here.' He sighed and softly said, "Agh, girl, what have you done?"

"What was that, Inu-Yasha?"

"Nothing, Kagome. Ah . . . Kagome . . . where's the jewel?"

"The jewel! Oh my Gosh! I completely forgot about it! Where is it?" She started looking around frantically for the familiar glow. "Inu-Yasha, I don't see it! I... I... Is it gone? Did something get it? The whole jewel . . ." Inu-Yasha was looking at her strangely, almost sadly. "What? What's wrong?"

"Kagome . . . " He took her hand.

"Inu-Yasha!" Kagome began to blush. Inu-Yasha had . . . they had never . . . He brought their entwined hands in front of her face.

"What do you see, Kagome?"

"I..." She looked at their hands. Then she looked at her hand. The glow. "Oh no." Releasing Inu-Yasha's hand she looked down at herself. "My body! It's glowing! My whole body! The jewel's back inside me?"

Inu-Yasha sighed and tilted her chin back up. "C'mon Kagome." He swung her onto his back and was off.

They stopped at a spring.

"Why are we here, Inu-Yasha?"

He took her hand again, receiving only a slight reddening on Kagome's part. "Come here." He led her to the water's edge.

Kagome peered in to see herself staring back. She gasped. "My eyes! My teeth! Inu-Yasha, I have fangs! What has happened to me?"

The dog demon could see the tears in her eyes as he predicted. 'Typical. Stupid human.'

She turned to look at him. "Inu-Yasha, what happened to me?"

He sighed. "You used the Jewel of Four Souls and turned yourself into a demon. I can smell it, Kagome, your demon half. It didn't even make you full-blooded. You're a halfling. A freak like me." Afterwards he flinched at the stupidity of his own words.

He could see Kagome's bottom lip tremble and her eyes swell with tears as she tried to restrain herself. "Sorry," he grumbled.

Kagome lost it. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed. Inu-Yasha watched her shoulders wrench. He bit his lip. 'Gyah! What do I do? What do I do? Eh . . . ' He obviously wasn't one who could deal well with emotions, since he had refused to acknowledge for many years that he had any compassion at all.

Inu-Yasha did the only thing he could think of. He remembered Kagome comforting Shippou after he had fallen and hurt himself. He turned and squatted next to the girl and put his arm around her. "Uh... there, there. It's ok." Surprising the dog boy, she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head in his shoulder continuing to weep.

'I knew it,' Kagome thought. 'I was dying. And I would have, had I not been able to use the jewel. Now I'm a demon, a monster. I'm supposed to protect the jewel from demons and now I am one. How can I go home? People will be scared of me. I still lost everything even though I didn't die.'

Inu-Yasha sat cross-legged and pulled Kagome into his lap. "Shhh . . . " he soothed. "You'll be okay."

'I have Inu-Yasha,' Kagome thought. "I still have you," she whispered.

"You'll always have me," he replied uncertainly.

Her sobs started to reside. "You are my best friend, Inu-Yasha."

He felt a stabbing in his heart. "And you are mine."

He tightened his arms around her and laughed. "At least we will never have to fight over the Jewel of Fours Souls."

Kagome lifted her head and smiled at him. "So you thought about it, too? I... I think I would have given it to you Inu-Yasha, but I don't want you to become like your brother."

"Sesshoumaru?"

"A full demon. Think about it. Have we ever encountered a friendly full-blooded demon? Shippou doesn't count."

Inu-Yasha frowned. "Feh." 'I couldn't hurt you.' "I will just find another way."

Kagome just smiled and snuggled back into Inu-Yasha's chest. He was surprised, but didn't push her away. 'Is this possible? No. No! Just forget it. You're her friend.'

He rested his chin on Kagome's head. "Well, look at the bright side . . . at least you didn't get the ears."

"I don't know," Kagome sniffed. "I kinda like your ears."

"Feh. Come on, girl. The old hag will want to see this."

Kagome took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "All right. Let's go."

"Kaede!" Shippou called "Kaede! Kagome and Inu-Yasha just came into town. Want to go meet them?"

"Hush, child. Something's amiss. We will wait."

As soon as Kagome entered the hut, Kaede poked and prodded Kagome in a drawn out examination.

"Your body has yet to consume the entire jewel, but you are certainly becoming a demon."

"Does that mean we still have time to knock it out of her?"

Inu-Yasha received several glares. "What? That jewel is rightfully mine! I killed the demons who held the shards. It's not like you want to be a demon, is it?"

Kagome shook her head. "Is there anyway we can reverse this, Kaede?"

The priestess frowned. "No. Unlike before when you were simply carrying the jewel, now it is a part of you, fused throughout your entire body. Take that away and previous injuries would return and you would die." She continued thoughtfully, "I don't suppose this could have happened to just anyone. You carried the jewel within you for many years and your blood is soaked with it's aura. It must have made it easier for the transition to take place. The jewel must be comfortable inside you."

Kagome fought back a strangled sob. "Comfortable? I hate it! I want it out! What am I going to do?" she whispered. "How can I go home? What will Mom say? And Gramps? He'll probably try to exorcize me!"

Shippou bounced into Kagome's lap. "You can stay here and live with us! Then you'll never have to leave!" He smiled hopefully at his friend.

Inu-Yasha raised an eyebrow.

Kagome smiled at the bundle of energy. "This isn't my home, Shippou-chan. This isn't my time. I couldn't possibly live here."

"You don't want to?"

"Oh, Shippou, my family isn't here, or my home. My life was... is just now truly starting. I got accepted to TouDai."

"What is 'TouDai'?" Shippou asked.

"It's a university, more school, where I can finish my education. It's very hard to get into a good university. I was going to tell you guys... this will be good-bye for awhile."

Inu-Yasha straightened. "What? Why?"

"I have to go away for school. I'm living on campus."

"But you can't!" Shippou cried. "You're leaving us?"

Kagome's eyes swelled. "Well I was going to." She looked at her hands. "But this kinda changes everything. If my appearance doesn't change too much more maybe no one will notice."

"Hmph." Inu-Yasha exited.

Kagome sighed.

"He will cope," Kaede said. "He is after all a demon at heart."

Kagome flinched and looked through the open door.

"Why does she have to leave?" Inu-Yasha thought aloud from his tree limb. "It's probably not that important. Feh. What does a girl need with an education?"

"Things change, Inu-Yasha." Kagome looked up into the canopy of his tree.

"He swung his feet over the side of the branch and glared down at her. "What do you want, wench?"

"Life is different in my time Inu-Yasha. Women don't have to just marry and live through their husbands. I told you before, I have to go to school. This one's just farther away. It's not like I'll never see you again. You're my friend. I'll come back. I have vacations."

Inu-Yasha jumped down beside her, jabbing angrily with a finger. "Why would I care if you come back? I care that you think I'm going to sit here while you go gallivanting around another time with my jewel!"

"Your jewel?" Kagome started, falling into their familiar pattern of arguing, "It's my jewel, Inu-Yasha, and my time! Not yours. I don't want to be changed like this. I don't want this to happen, but it is. You need to stop whining about your fantasies not coming true when my entire life may be ruined! I'm sorry," she said sarcastically, "you can't become your true demonic self, but I'm not going to wait here for you to find a way to drain the damned thing out of me!"

"You know that's not how it is."

"Then how is it?"

He crossed his arms and sniffed smugly. "You don't want the Jewel of Four Souls and I want to take it off your hands."

"And you know the only way to do that is to kill me!! So what are you going to do, dog-boy? Kill me? See if I can go for another round of reincarnation and pop out another jewel?" she cried shoving him harshly. "Come on, go for it!" Inu-Yasha grabbed her wrists to keep her from lashing out again. "What have you got to lose?" She sunk to her knees crying.

Inu-Yasha looked down at her shaking form, still holding her wrists. He sighed. 'What a weak being. She'll never be more of a demon than me.' He rolled his eyes and pulled her up. "Snap out of it, girl." He heaved her to her feet, but learned she wasn't ready to support herself as she fell into him with continuing sobs.

With a sigh he surrendered and held her to him while she drenched his shoulder with tears. "Come on, Kagome, come on. Why are you crying? What's wrong with you? Haven't you run out of fluids yet?" Kagome thumped his chest lightly with a fist. "Alright! Alright! I was kidding. Hey." He lifted her chin to look her in the eyes. "Stop. Crying," he ordered.

Kagome wiped away her tears and took a step back. "Sorry," she said softly.

"Don't go, Kagome."

She sighed. "I have to... for as long as possible at least. It's pointless to argue, Inu-Yasha, and I'm sick of it. My eyes are finally dry and my throat is sore." Pushing back a burning from her eyes, she spoke, "That is the last time you will ever see me cry. I promise. From here on out I will not cry because you're right, it doesn't help and I don't feel any better." She hugged him tightly then backed away. "I'll come visit in a few months for winter break. Good-bye." She smiled faintly then jogged out of view.

"Oh, pleh . . . " Inu-Yasha released a breath he wasn't aware he had been holding and flopped onto the ground.

Kagome took her shoes off at the door and set her backpack down next to them.

"Kagome?" her mother called from the kitchen. "Is that you?"

Kagome looked down and wrung her hands. "Uh, yeah, Mom! I'm home!" She took a light, tentative step forward.

*

Note;
Reviews, por favor!

I'd kick his nuts in. << Education that. lol

Nice...Inuyasha's an ass >>

xDD
I'm pretty sure InuYasha will need those one day.
But yes, he sure is.

He better get one ^^ Update when you can

Write more, please!

Wonderful. this is a great story. update when you can.