"K-Kagome?"

InuYasha had no chance to recover before the girl dropped to her knees beside him. He stared at her, two very wide and golden eyes searching every inch of her for the signs of abuse that moments ago had covered her broken form. As he completed his quick scan, he was shocked to find that there was nothing wrong with her.

"InuYasha! Are you all right? What happ-"

Before she could answer, two shaking arms wrapped protectively around her and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"-end?" Her voice faded, and there was a slight pause as she recovered her composure. Then, in a voice laced with concern, she asked quietly, "InuYasha? What's wrong?"

He did not answer but simply continued to hold her until his heart settled back to a normal pace. She seemed to accept that, allowing the hanyou to cling to her as though she might vanish with his next breath. Every part of him screamed to keep holding onto the girl, refusing to let her go as he had been forced to moments ago. It had to be a dream. Please, tell me it was just a damn dream!

When the moment passed and InuYasha was able to convince himself that Kagome was indeed alive, he relaxed his grip on her slightly. There was a gentle rustle as the young miko's uniform blouse moved against his worn haori, and suddenly InuYasha found his whole world filled with Kagome. She had pulled back just enough as to clearly see his face, yet she was still achingly close. Soft raven locks brushed against his silvery brow, causing an excited shiver to race through his body and settle in his already frantic heart. InuYasha froze when her full lips began to part, their glossy surface scented faintly with sakura petals. Molten eyes raised from her cherry lips to meet her questioning gaze. "Kagome..."

"My my, InuYasha. Someone's affectionate today! Wouldn't you say so, Sango?"

"It's about time!"

Shit.

Briefly, his longing to remain locked with Kagome warred against the nearly uncontrollable impulse to leap into the nearest tree. After a few moments he chose the latter, but only after he gave Kagome one final, unbelieving look. Then with a stubborn huff, he release the girl and leapt into the safety of a nearby mahogany.

Below, Miroku and Sango stood side by side looking very amused and yet somewhat puzzled. Sango offered her hand to Kagome, who sat on the ground appearing even more confused than her two friends. After she dusted the dirt from her knees, she cast a quick glance up into the thick branches where the hanyou still hid. When there was no sign of movement she turned away, following the monk and the slayer back to the camp's small cooking fire. She knew that if anything could coax InuYasha back out of his leafy haven, it would be breakfast.

InuYasha sat in his perch, ignoring the looks that he knew he was receiving. She's alive...that's all that matters. Even with that knowledge, he still could not shake the memory of what could only have been a horrible dream. The images of the final battle against Naraku were still so vivid, but nothing compared to what had happened after. The sound of exploding rock still rung clear in his ears, accompanied by two dark, haunting eyes that only seemed to grow father and farther out of reach...

A sharp pain ran up both of the hanyou's arms as he unconsciously dug his claws into the soft bark of the branch. Honeyed eyes shot down instantly, seeking the cause of the sudden pain and a quiet gasp escaped his lips as InuYasha raised his hands for closer inspection.

No...

Both hands were raw and bleeding.

He never noticed when they started to shake. Nor did he notice that he was suddenly crashing through the thick underbrush, leaving both the tree and the camp far behind him. Branches and twigs tore into the tanned skin of his face and caught in his hair and clothing as he raced heedlessly through the forest. Nothing registered in his stricken mind, but by the time he was able to tear his eyes away from the mangled skin of his hands he had already stumbled upon his destination.

A small stream gurgled nearby, tracing its way through the forest in a winding, lazy path. He dropped to his haunches at the bank and thrust his hands into the water. The cool, crisp liquid caressed his injured extremities, washing away the blood and dirt and stone. After the chill had numbed the pain to a dull ache, he lifted his hands once more to examen them.

"What the hell happened?"

"Nothing, yet."

The ring of metal filled the still morning air as InuYasha leaped to his feet, weapon already in hand. A stray sunbeam caught the blade of his sword, causing it to flash dangerously as he brought the Tetsuiga to bear against the intruder. The toned muscles of his arms rippled beneath the sturdy fabric of his haori, their strength supporting the great sword as they tensed to strike. "Who are you?"

The stranger, a young woman dressed in a lavender kimono and light battle armor, motioned for the half demon to lower his weapon. "Come, InuYasha. We do not have a lot of time, and I have much say."

"I'm not doin' anything until you tell me who you are!"

Thin lines drawn from years of hardship appeared at the edges of the intruder's sun-kissed face as she frowned slightly, revealing the only signs of age on her otherwise youthful features. As her ruby lips turned down she sighed, running a slender hand through her thick auburn hair. The unbound strands gave easily to her touch, ruffling, then resettling across her slender shoulders to spill down her back. Peering out from beneath her thick hair were two dark, fathomless mahogany eyes which now bored impatiently into the hanyou.

Though slightly unnerved by this dark eyed stranger's gaze, InuYasha managed to hold his stance and growled at the woman. She blinked once at the sound, then relaxed her posture and motioned again for the hanyou to lower his sword.

When he still refused, she shook her head and began to carefully pick her way through the underbrush. InuYasha growled again, brandishing Tetsuiga when she neared his position by the stream. The stranger, now oblivious to the battle-ready hanyou and his gigantic sword, took a seat next to the water.

After she had delicately arranged the fabric of her kimono around her long legs she glanced back up. "You really are stubborn, aren't you? Very well. I will tell you who I am, but you must swear that you will put away your sword and listen to me. Agreed?"

InuYasha narrowed his eyes and glared at the woman, but when she failed to continue he lowered his sword slightly and nodded.

"Tell me who you are. Now."

"You should find my name familiar, half demon. I am Midoriko."

The tip of the Tetsuiga dropped slightly as InuYasha stared at the woman before him, his golden eyes unreadable. "Midoriko? I don't think so. I've seen your body, and your soul is still trapped inside the Sacred Jewel. How about you try again?"

Midoriko shook her head sadly. "I speak the truth, InuYasha. Events have transpired that have allowed me a very limited amount of freedom from the Jewel. That is why you must accept who I am and listen to me, or my time will run out and the events that you witnessed will happen again."

Twin triangular ears flattened against InuYasha's silvery mane as a feeling of dread clenched his heart. "What do you mean,witnessed?"

"InuYasha, please believe me when I tell you that what you saw happened. And if we don't stop it, it will happened again." Dark brown met with amber, and InuYasha felt a chill race up his spine.

"InuYasha, this time Kagome will die."

---

A/N: I have returned (finally!) Thank you all for your patience- the last few months have been absolutely crazy for me! I just want to send out a HUGE thank you quick to clnv for jumping in as my beta on this chapter! You did an awesome job, so thank you!