Chapter 17

Kikyo again ventured to the other side of the well to see if the bear had done what she had asked. She was sure the demon was eager enough to carry out her request. It did not surprise her that upon the mention of offering any shards of the jewel that the demon would comply.

'I will not be giving that filthy demon any shards,' she laughed dryly to herself as she passed climbed up the well.

She immediately saw the corpse of a purified demon, and smiled.

'So my copy took care of the beast while fleeing. Perfect,' Kikyo thought to herself.

She pushed the doors of the well house open and saw the main building completely destroyed and graves in front of the tree of ages. She was not sure how many people had lived with Kagome, but she was sure that by the looks of the demon's purfied remains that she had seen everything. And telling how fresh everything looked, it was less than a day since it happened. She found it strange that there were already graves dug in front of the Goshinboku, but then she found the faint trace of InuYasha's aura behind and figured it had been him. She was not happy that he took compassion on Kagome's family, but was not surprised since he had admitted his feelings about her reincarnation.

'Very nice. I hope the little brat is suffering. To be denied InuYasha, I guarantee I will make her life living Hell before I go. InuYasha, you use to have no compassion for humans when I was alive. Now you are weak for loving my reincarnation, and it will be your demise.'

Her cold eyes sparkled with malice, as she jumped back into the well. Her soul collectors surrounded her once she was on the bottom in the feudal era, taking her out of the well. As her head came out of the well, she saw Naraku. He stood in his blue out kimono and his armor made of of his own power, from his most recent transformation. Kikyo snickered as he never really fought, letting his minions doing the dirty work. He was actually trying to look like a warrior, instead of the coward he really was.

"Onigumo," she hissed.

"Dearest Kikyo, I'd hope you would quit calling me that vile name. I haven't been that name for half a century, and you know I have already discarded his heart from my body, but that is besides the point. You will help me obtain the priestess Kagome," he commanded.

"Is that so? I don't take commands from vile half demons, and especially you," she said coldly, she drew her arrow. "Why would you want my copy? She does not have the same power as I, and she's not even as powerful."

"Now, now, Kikyo. I want her for myself. I will not be denied. Give me the little priestess, and I will guarantee InuYasha will be yours," he negotiated. "Or is it that InuYasha does not want you? I could make him want you, you know. I think deep down you know what I already know, and that your so called copy houses a lot more power than we know. She does not even know how much she wields, and yet she restored Lord Sesshoumaru's arm with a mere kiss."

Kikyo growled. In a way, she had a feeling that Kagome had untapped power, but she was untrained and she was too old to learn everything in such a short time.

"Lord Sesshoumaru has been training her, and her powers grow even more. His libraries hold a plethora of scrolls based on priestesses trained to guard the Jewel of Four Souls, which was written by Midoriko herself. I know she has had access to those under his tutelage," Naraku continued, his brow raised in amusement.

He could not tell if Kikyo was irate, but he had a sneaking suspicion that due to her past actions that she wished her reincarnation ill will.

"I will think about it, now be gone," Kikyo demanded and then released her arrow. "Vile halfbreed."

The baboon disintegrated into a small wooden doll, Naraku's laugh echoing in the air.

'Figures. What a coward,' she scoffed. 'Hn. He says he can make it so InuYasha will want me. Preposterous. InuYasha can be manipulated, but not for long. I will not give into Naraku, despite his tempting offer.'

She wandered near the Goshinboku, and heard a gruff voice, "So, what were you doing near the well, Kikyo?"

The voice came from above so she looked, finding InuYasha standing on the branch, leaning against the trunk.

"My, my, InuYasha, you are fairly nosy lately about my whereabouts," she said coolly, as he jumped down.

"I ask this one last time. What were you doing near the well, bitch? Your smell was around it, inside it and even on the other side," he said with a growl, stepping closer.

'Like a dog trying intimidate.' She thought wryly.

"I bet you know what happened on the other side too, don't you," he said and then pushed her down.

Kikyo's eyes widened. Never had Inu Yasha put his hands on her to harm her. He had actually pushed her!

Two of her soul collecting spirits quickly picked her off the ground, and carried her a little distance in the air, from InuYasha's angered form.

"You will do well half demon, to not touch me anymore or I will purify you," she warned.

"You've crossed the line Kikyo!" he yelled as she disappeared from his view.

InuYasha ran westward. He had smelled Kagome, and hoped that she was okay. Her blood was on both sides.

He had carefully buried her family under the Goshinboku, as he thought Kagome would appreciate it. He did not know exactly what had happened, but he smelled that it had been demon related. He also had a feeling that Kikyo had been behind the plan. She had become very psychotic since his confession of loving Kagome, and was worried for Kagome's safety. The fact that he had smelled that Kikyo had successfully crossed over to Kagome's time disturbed him, as it meant that anyone with a shard could. He had not tested his theory out on the rest of his group as he had not thought about it. In fact, he had never thought about the possibility of someone besides him or Kagome coming through, with the help of a shard, and now that made things very dangerous.

Once there, he had barged in on Sesshoumaru comforting a distraught Kagome.

"So you know?" he asked Sesshoumaru.

"Yes, little brother," Sesshoumaru replied softly, looking down at Kagome.

Despite him being a bit irked, he followed Sesshoumaru to his chambers to keep Kagome company in her sleep, letting her know that she was not alone and they would take care of her.