"Kagome, be strong…."

"Inuyasha…. I cant… I wont… Please make it stop!" Kagome silently plead as she fought to remain in the sanctuary she had made for herself safely tucked away deep in the darkness of her sub consciousness. The pain emanating from her arm had began to spread again throughout her body devouring the bitter numbness she had so longed for. "Why cant I just stay here, Inuyasha? I don't have to fight here, I don't have to feel…"

All she wanted was peace, why was that so much to ask! She knew the void could offer her at least that much so why not allow her to slip away into the darkness where nothing could ever hurt her again; she could be safe…. Right? The soft thud weakly droned on, the last remnants of reality starting to fade as she waited, counting the beats until she could be free. Thud… the pain in her arm slowly started to recede- Thud… as the cold began to spread through her body- Thud… and her heart gave its final push.

She started to sink deeper again, the weight of the world leaving her mind for good when suddenly a sharp pain wrenched her out of the void. A searing white light began to burn away the edges of the darkness causing her mind to scream out in agony, "What is… happening… to me!"

Before she could even begin to fight it she felt the white light begin to tear through every fiber of her being. The pain was unimaginable! She could feel her body being torn apart bit by bit all the way through to her very core. The light finally seeped into her mind, consuming everything she had in its fiery rampage. Every piece of her felt as though it was going to melt away and then…. Nothing. As suddenly as it began, it left. Everything was still as her mind went silent.

Then a piercing growl ripped through her dragging her back to reality. She pushed against it with all her might, "I was almost there," she cried. As though in response to her thought the growl escalated ferociously and gave another mental tug. The entity then began to take control of the rest of her body empowering her with its energy. Kagome felt as the energy focused in and fused with her heart bringing the dull thud back to life with a fiery intensity. "Where is all this power coming from! What is happening to me?" Kagome gasped. There was no way to fight it off now, the energy had already melded into her soul and she could feel as her body began to change. It was like all the shattered pieces left behind from the pain she was just forced to endure were being sewn back together.

Her nerves danced with the electrifying pulse that shot through her system, repairing and strengthening every cell in her body. Something was wrong though, this life was not hers, it was foreign and frightening. The growl maintained and she yelled through the noise, "Who are you! What are you doing to me! Why cant you LEAVE ME ALO-"

She was cut off by a viscous snarl, "Silence girl!" it barked. "I am the spirit of the great Inu Youkai and I have been ordered to heal what you have so foolishly tried to destroy!"

Kagome gasped, "Inu… Youkai… but I am human, how can-"

She was cut off by another harsh growl as the entity again tugged at her tortured being, this time though it was centered at where she assumed the wound in her arm would be. She winced as she felt the flesh begin to fuse together, welded by this borrowed energy.

"You have been given a gift miko," the entity snarled, "I have become one with your body to save your life."

With that the growl faded along with the white light. The pain was gone and she sighed in relief. After relishing in her new found calm for a while, she began to become aware of her surroundings. She could hear the wind out side the-

She stopped. Outside the what? Where was she? She couldn't yet bring herself to open her eyes so she just listened. She couldn't hear anyone talking, just the wind. No traffic, no sirens, nothing really except the soft rustle of leaves from outside. So I must be in Feudal Japan….

She concentrated on that for a while, letting her mind relax and flow with the soft melody that was the summer breeze. I can't believe I'm still here, she thought. I had been so close to dying if not for- um… if not for what exactly. What was that? How did- Why was- Inu Youkai?

She heard a movement not far from her, felt the breeze as it was shifted towards her. Cinnamon and cloves she thought as she took in the scent. She knew this scent, or so she thought she did. Strange, this smell is awfully familiar but from where. Images of soaring through the trees flashed through her mind. InuYasha's scent? Wait… how do I know…

Her eyes began to flutter open as curiosity pushed her to understand what her new found instincts were trying to tell her. "Inu… Yasha?" She looked up as her eyes struggled to focus on the two brilliant orbs that gazed down on her.

"Kagome!" InuYasha all but yelled. He knelt down beside her, relief evident in his face. "You stupid girl! Don't ever do that to me again! I thought I almost lost-" He stopped suddenly, embarrassed at how much emotion he let slip for the young miko.

"InuYasha," Kagome whispered as tears began to form in the corners of her eyes, "I'm so… I'm so sorry! What happened to me! All I remember was dark and-"

"Keh, you're fine now and that's all that matters," he mumbled. "I'll get Kaede. You need to eat something, you've been out for days." With that he got up and stalked out of the hut. He thought back through the endless waiting and worrying. He hadn't left her side the entire time, he was so afraid that he'd lose her. He watched as she would struggle in her sleep, going between chills and a fever. Every now and then she would whimper or cry out in pain, it tore at his heart to watch her go through all that while knowing that there wasn't a damn thing he could do to help her. He was worried that something had gone wrong in the spell, that he had somehow made things worse rather than better. Kaede had said it was dangerous but it was all he could have done or she would have surely died.

He shook his head to try and erase that thought from his mind. No, I will NEVER let you die Kagome. But still, there were consequences for what he did to save her… or so he was told. What did I do… What will become of her now?

He continued to search for Kaede as he pondered over the fate of the young miko.

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it took so long! Life ya know? Whew. Well hope it was worth the wait. Next one should be up real soon J Much Love *Little Bird*