OK…so I haven't updated in about--- 3 months. Eh heh heh… I won't even try to make excuses, 'cause there are none. :)

So here is a little review in case you're rusty: Kikyo has Kokoro (her whip) and doesn't want Inuyasha to know. Too bad he already does… he's still trying to figure out how Kagome (because that's whose body Kikyo has taken over) knows how to use it so well. Meanwhile Kagome has her own little problems to deal with. She's discovered that by making Kikyo think about a certain subject all day she can possibly influence which memory she goes into when Kikyo's asleep at night…. And who was the handsome youkai she encountered in last night's memory? To top it all off, the three (plus Shippo) have started on their journey to the Mountains of Intrigue to search for the Hanyou Jewel….

Enjoy!

:D

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha…

--~~--

Chapter 14

"Hurry it up, Shippo!" Inuyasha barked. "I knew we should have left you at home…"

Shippo glared up at Inuyasha from his position on the ground. "Like you're one to talk! Kagome's leaving you behind too!"

Inuyasha would have snapped a reply back at that statement…that is, if it hadn't have been true. From this point in the tree, Inuyasha could nearly see the whole path, including the distant black speck that was Kagome. How is it that she's the one leading us? She doesn't even know where the Mountains of Intrigue are!

Inuyasha ground his teeth in annoyance before slipping off his tree branch and landing in a crouch next to Shippo, causing dust to fly and the small kitsune to cough.

"Watch it Inuyasha! I have sensiti—"

"Get on…"

"Huh? You're going to carry me on your back?"

"I said get on Shippo…"

"Hmpf…fine. But I'm only taking a short rest. I don't need you to carry me the whole way."

"I don't plan on it."

The small fox clambered onto Inuyasha's back, using the hanyou's ear as a handle to pull the rest of his body up.

"Watch it runt…"

Inuyasha stood, his passenger now happily settled, and shot off after the disappearing Kagome, determined to catch up. No way was he about to be outdone by that stupid cat.

--~~--

Kikyo flew through the air, leaving Inuyasha and the little fox demon even further behind. So far she'd done a good job of staying ahead of them.

Spell books…

Huh? What the heck?

Spiritual lessons…

Kagome? What are you talking about?

Oh! Don't mind me… spellbooksspellbooksspellbooksspirituallessonsspellbooksspellbooks

Will you stop that!? It's annoying…I can't think of anything over your stupid ranting!

Good…spellbooksspellbooksspellbooks

You must not realize how close I am to putting yo—

Hey Kikyo…Inuyasha's catching up. You'd better find somewhere to hide that little weapon of yours…

Kikyo growled, but glanced behind herself nevertheless. And it was indeed true. Inuyasha was now carrying that little redheaded boy and gaining on her fast. Her eyes flitted down to her leg where her whip was tightly secured. Luckily this morning she'd been able to sneak away from the other two and get the whip from the knothole she'd hidden it in. But now she was in trouble; she didn't have anywhere to hide Kokoro without Inuyasha being able to sense or see it.

Damn…

Maybe you should use a concealing spell…

I hate to agree with you…But that may be my only option…

Well then go head and use it…and make sure you think long and hard about it.

Kikyo didn't know what was up with Kagome's sudden obsession with spells, but right now, she other things to deal with. Alright concealing spell it is. She quickly focused her spiritual energy to the part of her leg where the whip was attached and chanted a few words under her breath. Kokoro slowly disappeared until it appeared as though nothing was there.

That should do it…

--~~--

She was trying to hide it…

Inuyasha could still faintly detect the aura of the whip that was attached to her thigh, but only because he knew was there. She must have used a concealing spell.

And how the heck would Kagome even know how to do advanced spiritual crap like that? I thought Kaede said she only knew the basics…It's almost like Kikyo has taken over her body or some crazy shit like that….

He held back a snort at the absurd idea. How could that even be possible; another person taking over someone else's body? Yeah right. Besides that, Kikyo was dead.

A memory stirred from somewhere deep in his mind. A memory that involved a sunset, a cat hanyou from 50 years ago…and a kiss. What had she said that day? Gah! Here we go again! It's something important I should remember, but can't! I swear I'm going to go crazy…

"Hey Inuyasha! Are you listening!?"

The dog-hanyou shook his head distractedly and stared over at Kagome. "What, wench?"

Her glare intensified. "I said we should probably go ahead and stop. We've been going all day, and now the sun is starting to set."

"Keh, you tired already?"

"No! I'm just hungry. This stupid bod—," she cut herself off quickly, eyes wide. "Uh, I mean, this stupid body of mine is always starving. I'm a growing teenage girl, so I need my food."She faced away from him and let the pack she was carrying on her back thud to the ground. "If either of you want any food, you'd better come grab some."

What was that all about? She looked scared for a second there…

Inuyasha's thoughts suddenly scattered as Shippo slid off his back, somehow managing to tangle his little feet in Inuyasha's long silver hair. "Are you trying to get killed? Because I swear, you've got about 10 seconds to disentangle yourself before I start punching…"

The little demon neatly pulled himself free and ran over to Kagome, hiding behind her legs. "Make him stop! He's always threatening to kill me or leave me behind…," he whined.

The cat hanyou patted the seemingly flustered boy on his head and shot an icy glare in Inuyasha's direction. "Don't worry, I'll get him back for you Shippo."

Geez…since when did Shippo and Kagome become best friends? Far as I know they haven't even spoken but, like, twice…Stupid ungrateful twerp…What's he up to?? And then out loud, "Keh, as if a little fox demon and a cat could ever do anything to me…"

"Oh yeah?" Kagome shot back. "Let's see how long you last without food…"

Inuyasha stared at her as she waved a pre-cooked and spiced fish in the air, taunting him. "Smells good, doesn't it Shippo? You want some?" The little demon nodded in approval and followed her as she made her way over to Inuyasha.

As much as Inuyasha hated to admit, the fish smelled really good…and he was hungrier than he thought. His chest vibrated in a growl of frustration as she walked over to him and cleared a spot on the ground so she and Shippo could sit and eat.

His stomach growled, and an evil grin split her face as she looked up at him. "Hungry?"

His temper spiked. "Yes," he bit out, "yes, I am."

"That's too bad…"

We'll see about that…

--~~--

Kikyo knew she was playing with fire when it came to Inuyasha's temper. And apparently being sealed to a tree for fifty years hadn't done much to change that fierce attitude of his… But she never expected him react like this...

She'd been sitting on the ground next to the little fox, slicing the tasty fish down the middle when she'd heard him shift and move. She'd instantly looked up, ready to ask Inuyasha where he thought he was going…

…And then suddenly she was flat on her back a couple of meters away with an Inu-hanyou perched on top of her. The impact of his body pummeling her over had caught her off guard, and Kikyo let down her cool façade for a second as she tried to figure out just what the hell was going on.

Who does he think he is?

She snarled and wriggled, trying to escape from the dead weight that was pinning her to the hard forest floor.

Well, well, well…this is, what, the third time he's had me in this position?

What!? What do you mean? What exactly have you been doing with this dog?

Do I detect a hint of jealousy?

No… why would I be jealous?

You tell me…

"Hmm…I was expecting you to fight back a little more than this…"

Kikyo snapped back into focus, forgetting the conversation she'd been having in her head with Kagome. "What do you think you're doing, Inuyasha?! Get..off…me!" She heaved her hips up, trying to dislodge him. If he wanted a fight, then boy, she was more than willing to give him one…probably more than he would ever know…

Curse this whole 'hiding in somebody's body' plan…if only he knew who I was. Then we could really settle things…

"Now be a good kitty and sit still while I eat your fish…"

Inuyasha held her hands down with one hand and then turned around to order Shippo to bring him some food. Kikyo continued to squirm and buck, giving him as much trouble as she could. "Inuyasha! If you so much as even touch my fish, I will kill you!"

He turned his body back around, so she could see his expression. "Too late," he grumbled, "Shippo already ate the whole thing and is currently in the process of cleaning out the entire food bag…"

So that's what that brat was up to… I knew something was going on when he suddenly ran to me for protection…

Inuyasha lowered his face so that it was only a few inches away from her own.

"Looks like we're both out of luck Kagome…"

--~~--

It was always fun to make her squirm. Of course, he'd been a little surprised when Kagome's eyes had glazed over and her body went slack, without even resisting his sudden attack… But when he spoke, he had her back in seconds, eyes very much focused and burning with an extreme will to fight.

Is she holding some kind of grudge against me? Sure I'm about to steal her food, but does that really call for this type of battle aura?...

His stomach growled again, and Inuyasha turned away from her only to see an empty plate, and a suspiciously missing fox demon. Damn. Looks like the stupid kid took off with the food bag…

He turned back around and smirked down at the furious cat hanyou as she threatened to kill him if he even so much as touched her precious fish. "Too late," he replied, "Shippo already ate the whole thing and is currently in the process of cleaning out the entire food bag…" Inuyasha lowered his face so that their noses were nearly touching.

"Looks like we're both out of luck Kagome."

Kagome stared up at him quietly for a second, her face a mixture of hurt and longing, and her eyes uncertain. But in a heartbeat her emotions shifted back to angry coolness, and she stilled her whole body before opening her mouth to tell him something.

"Get off me. You stink."

Either she was pointing out the fact that he had bad body odor, or she was saying, that as a dog hanyou, he smelled bad. In any case, he was insulted.

"Ya know, you don't exactly smell that great either! In fact you smell just like," he took a deep whiff, "like a stinkin' cat!"

"So then get off me!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Inuyasha rolled off Kagome and leapt into a tree where he could be alone. He had to stay away from her. He knew something had been off about her smell, and now he finally realized what it was.

Kikyo…it's not strong, but it's definitely there.

Inuyasha didn't know how or why, but he wouldn't put it past that bitch to somehow still have influence in the living world. What with all the spiritual crap she used to do.

There was one thing he was sure about though… If Kikyo was somehow involved with Kagome, then something bad was bound to happen sooner or later…and it would probably happen to him.

--~~--

Kikyo sat up off the ground, running her claw tipped hands through her hair. She drew in a shaky breath, and hung her head. What am I trying to do? I'm here to get revenge right? To make Inuyasha pay for what he did to me… So why can't I do it?

She placed a hand on her heart and willed it to stop thudding in her chest. What a bother…how can he still make me feel like this?

Kikyo stood up and made her way to the opposite side of the clearing, making sure she was as far away from that annoying hanyou as possible.

Or perhaps, she thought loudly, these aren't really my emotions. They must be yours…

Kagome responded instantly.

How can they be my feelings!? I just met the guy…

Well they can't possibly be mine…I hate him.

So then whose are they?

Yours obviously…

Ok, I admit, he's not that bad to look at as far as eye candy goes. And before my body got kidnapped by a freaky girl, we'd been getting along rather well together…but that does not mean I have any feelings for Inuyasha…You're the one that has a long and painful past with him…So therefore, you are the one that still has some kind of twisted attraction to him…

Oh please, you're the one that's been in strange compromising positions with him atleast three times.…

You're the one that's jealous of that….

It's your body'sheart that's beating so fast…

And just who is controlling my body at the moment?

Oh shut up. I'm going to sleep, so drop it…

You started it…

Kikyo frowned as she curled up against the bottom of a tree trunk, still annoyed at the way she had reacted to Inuyasha. By now the sun had dipped below the horizon, and she was ready to escape reality…and Kagome.

--~~--

Kagome pushed her way through Kikyo's memory wall, eager to see if her 'Make-Kikyo-Think-Of-Something-All-Day-And-Then-End-Up-In-A-Certain-Memory' theory was correct.

She found herself on what looked to be a dock that jutted out into a river. Near the end of the long walkway, Kikyo and Inuyasha were framed against a vibrant sunset, locked in an embrace. The situation made Kagome think that perhaps Kikyo had tripped and landed in Inuyasha's arms, because as she drifted closer to the couple, the tenseness in the air seemed to shift to awkwardness.

Kikyo slowly lifted her head to stare up at the dog hanyou that had caught her, and Kagome let out a surprised gasp as Inuyasha suddenly dipped his head down and captured Kikyo's lips.

Aw great…I've come just in time to watch a steamy make-out session… Apparentlymy theory was wrong. This isn't exactly a memory that's going to help with my escape plot.

Kagome turned her head away from the two, her chest aching in an unfamiliar way. Why am I getting all worked up about this? Man, I can barely breathe… She placed a hand on her chest, and felt her eyebrows draw together in confusion. Don't tell me…I couldn't possibly… Kagome paused and peeked over her shoulder at the couple, her heart clenching. Oh. My. God. I like him. I think I like him…What…How?? When did this happen???

"Inuyasha?"

Kagome turned herself around at the sound of Kikyo's voice, wondering what she could have to say while in such an intimate position with Inuyasha.

"Yeh…What is it?"

"Nothing…this just reminds me of something I read today…"

Inuyasha's ears twitched, and he stared at her with half-lidded eyes. "Tell me about it."

Kikyo ducked her head again. "Well, it was some stupid spell book that I had managed to find buried in the shrine….And I was reading about youkai that could possess people." She lifted her head again and met his eyes. "It said that the only way for a possessed person to regain control…

Kagome listened closely.

..was to kiss someone of the opposite sex…"

--~~--

Sorry for such a long wait… I humbly apologize. :)

Read-N-Review…

Thanx!

-PaintedWingsMoonlight