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Japanese Volcabulary:

Doryoku-mamoru: Power-protect

Hai: Yes

Name:

Kodokumo: Spider child

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Episode 17: Inner Demon

Kagome stood frozen, eyes widened, her sister's hand sticking out of her stomach. Her breathing started to become ragged and come out in gasps as she felt the poison from her sister's claws spread through her veins.

At that moment, Inuyasha finally snapped out of it. He lifted up Doryoku-mamoru and charged at Kikyou.

"Kagome!"

Kikyou glanced over her shoulder and just as Inuyasha got near, she shot out her right hand and grasped him around the neck. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I am getting very tired of your interruptions," she hissed, glaring.

Her hand glowed green and she pierced her claws in his neck, just enough to inject her poison. Inuyasha let out a choked gasp, his sword dropping to the ground.

The others finally came out of it and rushed towards them. "Inuyasha!"

Kikyou threw him to the side and they ran towards where he lay, now unconscious.

Kagome gasped and closed her eyes tightly. 'I don't want to die...I don't want to die like this...'

She found herself glancing at Inuyasha and thinking,' ...I don't want him to die like this...'

She suddenly heard a deeper, rougher version of her voice speak in her head.

'Do you want to die?'

'...No,' Kagome replied.

'Will you do anything to survive?' it asked.

'Yes.'

'Anything at all?...'

'Yes.'

'I can help you... Will you accept my help?...'

Kagome hesitated for a second before closing her eyes. 'Yes...'

Two scarlet eyes suddenly appeared in her mind's eye, smirking. 'Then, let me take over.'

She closed her eyes, tighter. 'Hai.'

The smirk grew wider. 'Good...'

Kagome suddenly started to pulse and her blood started to heat in her veins. She started to struggle but she suddenly heard the voice.

'Do not struggle. I'm helping you.'

Then, she gave in, letting it consume her.

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Kikyou, at the moment, was smirking at Inuyasha, who still lay unconscious.

Suddenly, she froze feeling Kagome's scent fill her nose. She turned to look at her younger sibling, puzzled.

'What is this? It's as if the demon half of her blood, is consuming her human blood,' she thought.

Suddenly, Kagome lifted her hands, grasping Kikyou's left wrist, which was the hand sticking out of her stomach, gripping it tightly, claws digging in.

Kikyou found herself holding back a grimace, the grip was so tight. Then, Kagome turned her head, looking over at Kikyou.

Kikyou felt herself freeze as red eyes with slitted blue pupils stared at her with an almost primitive gaze. She suppressed a shiver.

Suddenly, faster than a blink, Kagome grabbed Kikyou's wrist and pulled it out of her stomach. Not changing her grip, she twisted behind her sister and pulled Kikyou's arm behind and up, her other arm around Kikyou's throat, claws bared, prepared to slit the demoness' throat.

Kikyou's eyes widened and as did everyone else's who was watching. In a desperate attempt, Kikyou swung around her right hand around behind her to slice through Kagome, but Kagome released Kikyou's wrist and instead grabbed that wrist, stopping the hand in its tracks.

Kikyou glanced at her hand and noticed that Kagome's claws were longer and her fangs were protruding out over her bottom lip. She examined her position and for one of the first times in her life... she found her blood running cold.

Kagome turned her gaze from Kikyou and glanced at her right, to Inuyasha on the ground. Then, she lifted her eyes to the others, freezing them in their spots. She stared at them for a moment before commanding them in a voice, not quite her own.

"You are to leave this place," she said gruffly.

They merely stared at her in surprise.

"NOW," she growled out, forcefully.

They came to their senses, nodding. Miroku picked up Inuyasha, slinging him over his shoulder, heading over to Shippo with Kirara and Rin following close behind. Sango stared at her for a few moments more, puzzled, before turning to follow the others.

"Trying to save your friends?" Kikyou said mockingly, trying to conceal what she actually felt.

Kagome merely turned her eyes to Kikyou with a piercing look. She studied Kikyou's eyes for a moment before smirking.

"Your eyes betray your emotions," she replies," I can see your fear."

Kikyou remained silent.

"How does it feel to be frightened?" she asks," How does it feel to know you're at my mercy?"

Still no answer.

Kagome's smirk grew wicked, almost evil. She licked the blood that had dribbled from the corner of her mouth.

"I can't wait to taste your blood on my claws," she whispered, as she ran her claws over Kikyou's neck, not quite hard enough to draw blood.

Kikyou found herself shivering before she narrowed her eyes, angry at herself for becoming caught like this. Angry that she let her half breed sister catch her at such a vulnerable position. Angry... that Kagome was right...

Then, she lifted her gaze to Kagome's cold and menancing stare and found herself once again shivering, not from cold.... but from fear.

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Miroku pulled himself onto Shippo, then yanked the unconcious Inuyasha up into a sitting posistion in front of him so he wouldn't fall off.

Kirara had transformed into her true form, to help out Shippo by carrying Sango and Rin.

They all felt worried and confused as to what had happened to Kagome.

"I'm confused," said Sango," it's almost as if Kagome has a full demon's aura about her now."

"Mm," Rin nodded," I felt it too."

Miroku sighed. "I know. I feel the same way but there is nothing we can do at the moment. All we can do is follow Kagome's wishes."

"I hope she'll be okay," said Sango, looking back.

With that, Shippo took off, Kirara following soon after. Just then, Inuyasha started to stir. He let out a low moan as he opened his eyes. He was surprised to find himself looking down at orange fur. Suddenly, he remembered what happened just before he was knocked out.

'Kagome!'

He shot up, looking around for her.

"Inuyasha," said Miroku.

"Where's Kagome?" Inuyasha demanded.

"Inuyasha..." He repeated, trying to get him to calm down.

"Where is she?" he demanded again.

Rin pointed behind them. "We don't know what's happened to her and..."

Inuyasha ignored the rest as he twisted around to look back. As he spotted her, he called out.

"Kagome!"

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Kagome's dog ears twitched as the cry met her ears. She looked up at him, unconsciously lowering her guard. Kikyou took her chance, and freed herself from Kagome's grasp, twisting around, punching Kagome in the gut, just below her wound. As Kagome doubled over, she leapt backwards, flexing her claws.

Kagome's ears went back in anger, her eyes shadowed by her bangs, as she growled low in her throat.

Then, she peered up through her bangs, the scarlet eyes becoming menacing.

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Inuyasha found himself wincing as he saw Kikyou punch Kagome in the gut. Then, after a few moments, without turning around, he spoke.

"Miroku, turn around and land."

Miroku looked at him surprised. "But..."

"Land now," he replied, forcefully.

"But Kagome said..." Miroku protested, confused.

Inuyasha glared at him. "I don't give a damn what Kagome said!"

Miroku became silent.

"I'm not gonna just leave her like this!" he continued," I'm not going to run away! I have to help her! She's my friend..."

He glanced at all of them. "...and she's your friend, too."

Then he said," What kind of friends are we to run away when she needs help?..."

There was silence for a few moments, but Sango finally sighed, nodding. "You're right."

Inuyasha smiled as Kirara and Shippo turned around, heading back towards the battle.

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Kikyou narrowed her eyes at her younger sister, flexing her claws. Something had definitely changed about Kagome. It was almost as if she had become a full demon.

Kagome peered up through her bangs, those scarlet eyes glaring menacingly. Kikyou gritted her teeth to hold back another shiver.

'This...This... Thing,' she thought,' is no longer my pathetic half breed sister.' She glanced into 'its' scarlet eyes. 'No. This is dangerous, much more powerful. This has no needs or wants. Only a terrible lust... A lust for blood.'

Just then, Kagome, or 'it', flexed her claws before charging at Kikyou at a frightening speed. Kagome leapt up into the air, claws outstretched, arm extended above her head.

Kikyou leapt back just as 'it' landed, slicing its claws through the air, with an animalistic cry. Three flaming indentures went through the earth where Kikyou had been.

Kikyou was forced to leap back again, continually dodging as Kagome swiped at her, following her moves.

'I must keep dodging,' Kikyou narrowed her eyes,' I can't fight this thing.'

Suddenly, a painful pulse ran through Kikyou's shoulder, causing her to grit her teeth and grasp it tightly. Kagome took this chance to slice through Kikyou's chest plate as if it were butter, just barely scraping the surface of Kikyou's kimono top as Kikyou leapt backwards again.

As Kikyou landed, another pulse ran through her shoulder, almost causing her to cry out but instead caused her to falter, falling down to one knee. Quickly, she pulled back her hand and dug her hand into her shoulder, grasping the shard, and throwing it as far away from her as possible, causing her left arm to become limp once more.

A hand caught the shard, lifting it to their cloaked face. "Well, isn't this a shame."

Kikyou narrowed her eyes at the figure. "You actually dared to betray, me, the Lady of the Northern Lands."

"Titles no longer mean anything to me," said the cloaked figure.

"Of course. It's been that way to you for more than 150 years, Kodokumo... Or should I say," Kikyou said, before smirking," Exiled daughter to the former Lord of the Southern Lands..." Her eyes narrowed,"...Narakuna."

At this moment, Inuyasha and the others had finally, reached the clearing, just in time to catch Kikyou's words.

"Narakuna? Daughter?..." Inuyasha said, eyes wide,"...so that means..."

"...Naraku..." Continued Sango, also wide eyed.

"...the One we have been searching for all this time..." Miroku continued, shocked.

"...is a girl?!" Kirara finished, having transformed back into her humanoid form.

Narakuna smirked. "So you figured it out did you? I am surprised you did so soon, Lady Kikyou."

"So, you have done it again," Kikyou said," Just as you did your parents, your people so long ago... You decided to betray me."

"I wouldn't have been forced to," Narakuna said," if you had not been losing so badly to your younger sister and a half breed no less."

Kikyou smirked. "Who are you to talk when you are not the full blood of one species of demon yourself?"

Narakuna's eyes narrowed. "That is no concern of yours."

Kikyou chuckled. "Why do you hide so behind that cloak of darkness? Why not show us your true form?"

At that moment, Kagome, who had circled around behind Narakuna, decided to leap up and attack. Narakuna spying her immediately, dodged, but not before the hood concealing her face fell to Kagome's claws.

As Narakuna landed, Inuyasha and the others took a good look at their enemy. Long thick wavy black hair, pulled up into a ponytail, trailed down her back. Pupiless mahogany orbs were narrowed, over lips painted the color of dried blood. Thin wavy black bangs split in the middle of her forehead, with locks of hair in front of pointed ears.

Her eyes narrowed further as a thick purple miasma billowed around her, concealing her from view.

"Mark my words," came her voice," I will be back."

Eventually, the miasma cleared leaving no sign that Narakuna had been there. Inuyasha examined the clearing and realized Kikyou had left, too. The clearing was empty except for where Kagome stood, her back turned to them.

"Kagome!" said Inuyasha, rushing over to her but stopped when scarlet eyes met his.

There was silence before Inuyasha said, hesitantly, confused," Kagome?...."

Kagome turned around and snarled at him, revealing her lengthened fangs, and flexing her elongated claws.

Inuyasha's eyes widened, taking a step closer. "Kagome..."

"Stay back!" she growled out, swiping at his direction.

Inuyasha stepped closer. "Kagome, what's wrong with you?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Stay away from me!" she snarled.

Inuyasha came closer.

She snarled angrily. "Stay away or I'll kill you!"

Inuyasha stared at her for a few moments. "You're not Kagome."

Kagome's eyes widened before snarling, " What are you saying, human? Of course I am!"

He shook his head. "No. You're not."

He stepped towards her. "Kagome doesn't have eyes the color of blood...."

He stepped closer. "Kagome doesn't have a bloodthirsty look in her eyes...."

He took another step closer so he was right in front of her. "And Kagome.... She doesn't threaten her friends."

Kagome stared up at him with wide eyes. "Inu...yasha?"

"Kagome," he said," this isn't you. Change back."

She stared up, surprised, but suddenly, closed her eyes, and grabbed her head, grunting in pain.

'What do you think you're doing?!' the rough voice cried,' You can't send me back!'

'You've given your help!' she thought,' I don't need it anymore!'

The scarlet eyes in her mind glared angrily. 'I am not that easily disposed of.'

Kagome gritted her teeth. 'Get out! Get out of my head!'

She struggled to push back the voice. The voice didn't seem to be leaving without a fight.

'I will not go back!' it cried,' I will have the blood of those humans!'

'No!' she cried out,' For once, I actually have friends! You will not take that away from me!'

With that, Kagome managed to push back the voice, locking it away somewhere inside her.

Kagome finally opened her eyes, breathing heavily.

"Kagome..." Inuyasha smiled, before clutching his neck in pain and collapsing backwards.

"Inuyasha..." Kagome said, weakly, before collapsing as well.

The others quickly rushed over to where they lay. It seemed that Kagome had collapsed forwards and they now lay with Inuyasha on his back and Kagome across his chest.

Miroku kneeled down beside them to check their pulse, and sighed in relief. "They're still alive."

"What happened to them?" Kirara asked.

"It seems that the poison finally got to them," he replied," They're going to need medical attention, though."

Sango nodded, managing to pick up Kagome. "Come on."

Miroku picked up Inuyasha and after having Kirara transform back, took off back to the village.