The moon was full and the stars shone brightly, blanketing the small campsite with enough light to see even without the crackling fire. Everybody was sound asleep except one. She leaned against the trunk of a tree with her knees drawn to her chest. It was the second night she found herself like this. Once again the man she thought she loved had ran off to be with another.

A single tear rolled down her face. How had it come to this? She knew she could never compete with the strength of a person's first love, but it didn't seem fair. The great miko passed away fifty years ago in a tragic confrontation with a hanyou called Naraku. Had the youkai, Urasue been stopped before she could use her magic, everything would have turned out much differently. Kikyo would have remained in her grave, nothing more than a memory. Instead, Kikyo had been resurrected in a manor of speaking, roaming the earth in a body composed of graveyard soil and pottery.

It was that moment in time, when the miko was revived, that she realized she would never have all of Inuyasha's love. There would always be that part of him that loved Kikyo, despite how much it hurt her feelings. If Kikyo was hurt or was in need of help, Inuyasha wouldn't hesitate to run to her aid, no matter the situation at hand.

The girl wiped the tear away with the sleeve of her uniform and stood up. She couldn't take this anymore, she had to know exactly what Inuyasha and that clay pot were doing this late in the night. She closed her eyes momentarily and scanned the area for their auras. Locating their position, she slung her bow and arrows over her shoulder and went in that direction.

She was thankful for the brightness of the moon as it lit the ground, guiding her to her destination. She pushed away stray branches and stepped over large roots as she trekked through the thick vegetation of the forest. The soft cry of a soul collector caught her eye as she neared her destination. She expected it to dip into the trees and release a soul into the body of Kikyo, but it didn't. It hovered over the area with nothing in its possession. She shrugged it off as she knelt beside a bush large enough to conceal her body.

Nothing in the world could have prepared her for what she saw. She spotted a pile of red and white discarded clothing and a familiar sword that lay over top of them. A series of moans brought her attention to the left where Inuyasha and Kikyo's bodies entwined together in the passion of lovemaking.

Shock and anger flooded her senses at the same time, unsure of what to feel first. Deep in the back of her mind she always knew this was a possibility, but she couldn't bring herself to believe he would do such a thing. Tears flooded her eyes as she turned and ran back the way she came.

Her trek back wasn't as graceful as before and she found herself tripping over the smallest obstacles. She ignored the cuts and bruises that blossomed across her skin as she tried to run from the pain.

After what seemed like hours of running, she realized she didn't recognize any of her surroundings. She tried to flare out her miko powers to search for her group of friends, but with her flustered emotions, she couldn't get them to function properly. She collapsed to her knees and cried.

Back in the small clearing, Kikyo couldn't restrain the smirk that appeared on her face as she sensed the presence of her pathetic reincarnation. She turned her attention back to the man above her and pushed away the thoughts of the girl. She would get the shock of her life when she realized just how little Inuyasha really cares about her. After tonight, he would be hers and nobody else's.

Sure enough the girl stumbled upon them, doing her best to remain hidden. Kikyo spied her out of the corner of her eye and restrained the urge to give her a wink. No, she would restrain herself tonight. It was good enough that the brat finally came to realize she was nothing more than a jewel detector to the young hanyou. Now that they have mated, she would lose her place in their pack. She would take the ignorant child's place since she was just as capable of detecting the shards of the jewel.

Back in the forest where the young miko fell, a cougar youkai lingered in the trees over head. The scent coming off the girl was enough to have him licking his lips. She smelt absolutely delectable. A wonderful mix of fear and desperation, a juicy cocktail of fragrances. His tail twitched behind him as he lowered himself, readying himself for the pounce.

Kagome felt the presence of a youkai only feet above her, the murderous intent behind it was enough to shock her out of her state of distress. She jumped to her feet and readied her bow. It was hard to aim her bow since she couldn't make out the body of her predator, only the general direction of his youki. She felt him move and let her arrow fly. The light of her miko powers pulsating through the arrow gave off enough light to illuminate the surrounding area if only for a second. The arrow flew harmlessly by the youkai, who was now hissing.

She did the only thing that came to her mind. She ran. Thoughts of Inuyasha flashed in her mind. He would save her, he always did even though it tended to be at the last possible second. He would save her; she repeated the thoughts over in her mind until she tricked herself into believing them. He wouldn't come because he didn't know she was out on her own. As far as he was concerned, she was curled in her sleeping bag, oblivious to the world around her.

Her foot snagged in an uplifted root, sending her sprawling on the ground, her bow flying from her grasp. She pulled her legs underneath her and attempted to get back up, but her ankle protested. Of all the luck…She struggled to her feet as the youkai stopped in front of her, running his hooked claws down the bark of the nearest tree. She cringed as she imagined what those claws could do to her flesh.

The youkai licked his lips once more. "I hope you've made your piece, Onna." He lunged.

Kagome let out a blood curdling scream that caught the attention of every youkai and hanyou in the area. She slammed her eyes closed and clasped her hands in front of her chest hoping Inuyasha would save her one last time.

When the pain never came she dared to take a peek. In a blur of movement faster than her poor ningen eyes could keep up, she saw two youkai battling it out with tooth and claw. Realizing her rescuer was not swinging a giant sword or dressed in red, she raised a curious eyebrow.

It wasn't until the body of the cougar youkai landed in front of her was she finally able to make out her rescuer. In her desperation she hadn't sensed the two jewel shards which resided in his legs. She dropped her hands to her side and let out a small sigh of relief. She had been saved. Inuyasha…He hadn't come to save her like always. That thought broke across her mind like waves on the shore.

"Are you alright, Kagome?" The blue eyed ookami asked as he stared down into her soft brown ones.

"Koga-kun…" She felt another tear slip from her eyes as she took a step closer to him. Without a second thought, she threw her arms around him and buried her face into the cold metal of his armor.

His arms wrapped protectively over the girl in his arms, curious as to her odd behavior. The light which usually shone in her eyes was gone, replaced by detachment and hurt. He could smell fear and confusion coming from her in waves. What had happened to put her into this state, and why was she out here alone. He wasn't complaining, he was enjoying the fact that Mutt Face wasn't around to interrupt them.

"Kagome, what are you doing out here? Where are your friends?" he asked as he held her closer.

She sniffled and took a step away from him, avoiding eye contact. She turned to look in the direction she had found Inuyasha and Kikyo and pointed. She couldn't bring herself to speak of the atrocity she had encountered, it would only bring more tears. She felt herself being scooped up into his arms.

"Koga-kun…please no…" she cried, only it was too late for words. The ookami prince was off like a rocket.

He could smell the idiot mutt all over the place along with the familiar scent of graveyard soil. He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he drew closer to his destination. The closer he came, the more he was beginning to understand Kagome's fragile state of mind. The smell of sex was everywhere.

Koga's signature whirlwind ripped into the clearing only minutes after the hanyou and miko had finished dressing. Instinctively, Inuyasha reached for his sword, ready to rip that scrawny wolf to pieces. Kikyo, however placed her hand over his sword hand, signaling him to stop. It wasn't apparent as to why until the whirlwind came to a stop and Kagome's scent hit him. He knew he was in trouble. There was no way Koga would dismiss the obvious scent in the air. He was after his Kagome after all, anything that would draw her away was fuel to the fire. He was so entranced by the look on Kagome's face, he missed the devious smirk on Kikyo's.

Inuyasha took a hesitant step towards Kagome. "Kagome…why are you here? Why aren't you with the others?"

Kagome flinched at the sound of his voice. Her eyes focusing on the ground at her feet instead of meeting his golden gaze. Her mouth opened to respond, but no words came. How did she confront something like this? Her eyes wandered from the dirt at her feet to the red of Inuyasha's outfit where the beads of subjugation hung from his neck. She still couldn't find the strength to look him in the eye. If she did she would find herself lost in the liquid gold of his eyes, unable to think, unable to turn him away.

"Kagome?" His voice called again, this time concern coated his voice. He stepped forward once more, putting himself within arms reach of her. His hand reached out to her, to force her to look at him. He couldn't take the silence it was killing him.

"Keep your filthy paws away from Kagome!" Koga snapped as he swatted the hanyou's hand.

Inuyasha couldn't restrain the growl that came from his throat. How dare this filthy ookami keep me from my Kagome! Didn't he understand she wanted nothing to do with him! He found his hand once again residing on the hilt of his father's fang. His gold eyes met icy blue as they stared off, daring each other to make the first move.

Kagome took a step away from the two males as the testosterone levels reached an amazing new height. Koga had always been running around claiming her as his woman, but this was different. His youki was thrashing around him wildly, his instinct starting to take forefront. The sound of a sword clearing its scabbard snapped her attention to Inuyasha. They were going to fight and it would be her fault.

"Stop this…" The words just rolled off her tongue, no louder than a whisper, but loud enough for both men to hear.

They stopped in their tracks and looked back at the young miko. Her fists were clenched tight at her sides, her knuckles were white and the rush of emotions rolling around behind her brown orbs were enough to confuse them both.

Inuyasha grumbled as he lowered his sword. Anger quickly overcoming his confusion. He didn't cope well with emotions, so when in doubt change it to anger, it was something he was comfortable with. "Why should I? He's just here to try and take you away again! He just needs to get it beat into his head that you belong with me!"

Time seemed to stop as Kagome's eyes rose from the red of his outfit to his amber eyes. Behind all the turmoil there was a spark of something else, something that made Inuyasha take a step back. Koga also took note of her state but stayed rooted to his spot. It wasn't him, she was looking at. She only had eyes for Inuyasha. Something he said had set her off and now he was going to pay.

Her eyes narrowed. "I belong to nobody, Inuyasha! How dare you say that to me after you and her…" She pointed an angry finger at Kikyo who had yet to move an inch. "I saw you Inuyasha!" She never rose her voice, letting the sharp, low tones in her voice carry her frustrations. She would not stand and scream like a foolish child.

"I…um…you saw…what exactly?" The inu hanyou stuttered over his words hoping to Kami that she hadn't seen that.

Kagome took several determined steps towards Inuyasha, never breaking eye contact. "I. Saw. Everything." She enunciated every word, making it painstakingly clear that she had indeed seen that. A flash of a smile from Kikyo caught her eye and she turned to face the dead miko. "There, are you happy? He's all yours." She couldn't stop the pain that came with the words. Inuyasha was no longer hers. Deep down she always knew it would come to this. He would have to make a decision, Kikyo or her. Somehow she had convinced herself it would be her. Obviously she had been wrong.

"Very." Was the older miko's reply as she stalked closer to Inuyasha, snaking her arm around his.

Kagome felt her stomach churn at the sight of her touching him. She couldn't take this anymore. She turn and ran despite the protests from her injured ankle. Everything seemed so surreal. Could this all be some terrible nightmare conjured up by the insecurities of her heart? No…the pain in her heart and soul told her it was no illusion but harsh reality.

It wasn't until she stumbled across the small campsite her friends were asleep in, that she allowed herself to fall to the ground and cry. It was surprising that nobody so much as stirred as her sobs echoed off the trees. She stayed like that until her tears ran dry and her body ached. She couldn't stay here where Inuyasha was sure to find her. She couldn't bring herself to see him so soon. He had shattered her entire world. She had given her entire being into loving Inuyasha. She laughed along side him, cried, fought and even loved. How could everything just disappear in the blink of an eye? How could she survive after her heart was ruthlessly ripped from her chest?

She gathered her yellow bag and slung it over her shoulders. She needed time to think things through without the company of her close friends. They would do nothing more than make things complicated since they were also friends with him. She didn't make it far before sensation of incoming jewel shards snapped her mind out its trance.

Koga stood in front of her, his serene, loving blue eyes stared down at her helpless form. She seemed lost and confused, not the happy strong-willed woman he fell in love with. How could that mutt do something like this? Didn't he realize Kagome truly loved him with every fiber of her being? Even he could see that.

"Where are you going?" he asked, careful not to touch her. He didn't know what kind of reaction she would have.

"I don't know…somewhere far away." She replied, her voice devoid of emotion.

"Why don't you come with me?" He offered.

His words shocked Kagome even though they shouldn't have. Hasn't he always been near, protecting me, claiming that he loved me? She churned his offer over in the back of her mind. It was definitely not something she expected, but at least she would be away from him for the time being. Originally she had thought about going home, but she couldn't bring herself to leave. She had a duty to uphold. It was because of her that the jewel was shattered, and it was her responsibility to make it whole again.

"Ok." Was her only reply. Koga couldn't help the smile that graced his face.