Inuyasha 1. Frozen Like A Lake

**And now part 2 begins. It's time for more fun, tragedies, excitement and adventures with our favourite cast! Thank you for reading the first Arc of this story and I'm glad that you enjoyed it (if you did). I hope that this half of the story will be as good as the first half was and I hope that it doesn't drag on too much. But I enjoy writing this story because I just do hahah, it's a fun thing to do when you don't have a lot of homework :( Anyway here you are, Arc Two! :3**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha; I only own the characters that aren't included in the anime/manga.**

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><p>Chapter One<p>

The air was cold but fresh as the tiny white snowflakes fell to the ground and covered the land in a beautiful crisp white blanket; it was the middle of winter so the lakes and rivers were now huge icy mirrors.

Inuyasha was sitting beside a frozen river breaking away the ice with an axe, he would then heat the ice so that it would melt down into water which he could then use for Kagome's bath; since she was fragile and rather immobile at the moment she had to bathe in a small bath that Sesshomaru had lent the pair. She was now in the middle of her pregnancy and she was also suffering from terrible baby sickness, every few days she would run a high fever and vomit several times. Though this was her second time with child this time was clearly much worse than her first and either Rin or Kaede or even Inuyasha himself were at her side constantly in case of an accident.

Despite Kagome's apologizing and trying not to work him so hard for her sake, he couldn't help but worry about her even more than when she was first pregnant. The baby was a fierce little thing and it seemed to enjoy kickboxing inside Kagome's stomach even more than Hanyuu had done, it was highly demanding and used up most of it's mother's nutrients meaning that she needed to be fed almost every hour though she would sick it up a little while later.

He sighed as he felt a familiar presence and scent standing behind him, turning his head slightly he sighed, "What do you want, Sesshomaru?" The dog demon Lord glanced down at his younger brother and gave him a blank look, this frustrated Inuyasha as he snapped, "Can you try answering me at least once? I get sick and tired of your vague looks and one word statements!"

Sesshomaru was the one to sigh this time as he chiseled a pile of ice for his brother with one crack of his green whip, "Calm yourself, Inuyasha. The stress is getting to your puny head." he said flatly.

"Oh shut your trap, will you? I'm not in the mood for your attitude." he scowled as he scooped up all of the ice that Sesshomaru had chopped up and placed them into a large brown sack and slung it across his shoulder as he stood up and headed for his hut.

Sesshomaru followed after, using up the rest of Inuyasha's patience quota for the day as he spun around angrily and shouted, "WHAT!? What do you want!? Why are you following me!?"

"I am only assisting you, little brother. Do you have a problem with that?"

"But you hardly ever help me out and whenever you do it's usually for your own selfish reasons, you've been too nice and supportive to me recently, something doesn't smell right! Why are you suddenly acting like an actual brother?"

"Because that is what I am, I haven't been taking that role very seriously so now that has to change." he replied flatly as he overtook Inuyasha by walking a lot faster.

The snow on the ground was still thick and hard to walk in but Sesshomaru seemed to be gliding over it with ease, Inuyasha increased his walking speed as he tried to overtake his older brother: there was no way that he was letting stupid Sesshomaru beat him back to his own home. Sesshomaru saw Inuyasha's speed quicken from the corner of his eye so he smirked slightly and quickened _his _pace just to annoy the half demon even more.

Inuyasha knew that Sesshomaru was trying to out-walk him as well as show off, but he wouldn't let himself be beat so easily; after all, a race was a race even if there was no signal that it had even begun. The half demon took off immediately in the direction of the forest, the bag of ice still slung securely across his shoulder, and ran as fast as he could. Sesshomaru wasted no time as he also flew into the forest which happened to be on the way to the village.

The two zoomed through the snow-coated trees at high speeds leaving frosty trails behind them. Inuyasha glanced across at Sesshomaru who had caught him up and was flying through the whiteness of the forest, who also glanced back at him and Inuyasha could have sworn that he saw his brother smirk in a sort of competitive way. But it wasn't in an overly arrogant look or a look that could have suggested he was superior to the half breed that Inuyasha was, it was a look that two brothers would give one another whilst playing together. Inuyasha had never seen Sesshomaru look at him like that before.

Sunlight was streaming onto Inuyasha's face from the gaps in the snowy trees up ahead, the village was only a few feet away and he was not going to lose this race. He leapt high into the branches away from Sesshomaru and hopped from branch to branch until he was out in the clearing in which the village had been built upon, he landed in front of his hut and crossed his arms proudly, "It looks like I win, Sesshomaru! Sucker!" he gloated proudly only to find that his brother was nowhere in sight.

Shaking his head and deciding that the Sesshomaru he had seen only a few seconds ago was simply an illusion, he would never be that decent. He walked into the hut and placed the bag filled with ice on the floor beside Kagome who was sleeping in her futon; she was sweating heavily and tossing and turning all over the sheets.

Kaede wandered into the room with several clean blankets in her arms which she placed down in one of the cupboards, when she eventually noticed Inuyasha she sighed at him, "Ah, Inuyasha. I only sent ye to get some ice, what ever took ye so long?"

"I uh, was pre-ocupied with... something else." he muttered trying not to make himself seem suspicious. If he told Kaede that he was running around playing with Sesshomaru and they weren't trying to kill each other she would probably die of a heart attack and that wouldn't be ideal right now.

She raised her eyebrow at him and nodded slowly, "Right, of course ye were."

"Well... Don't just sit there woman, go and melt the ice with the stove!"

"But I'm a frail old woman, shouldn't YE be doing that now?"

"I can't just leave Kagome's side like that when I just got back to her! Are you trying to make me look like a bad husband!?"

"Inuyasha... the stove is directly behind ye." she sighed face palming, "Ye would only have to move a few feet whereas if I did it I would have to walk all the way across the room!"

"Alright! Alright! I'll do it already! YE lazy old hag." he snapped crawling over to the inside fire and emptying the bag of ice into Kaede's soup dish (although Inuyasha thought that it looked more like a witch's cauldron). The icy chunks immediately began to melt in the large pot and steamed in the heat.

"See? That wasn't so hard now, was it?" Kaede teased.

He simply scowled at her then glanced across at Kagome who still looked like she was having a very troubled sleep, he sighed as she coughed and stretched out her legs in pain. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her forehead crinkled as her eyebrows pointed down in discomfort.

"Oh dear, she must be having another nightmare." Kaede said as she gently shook Kagome in an attempt to wake her.

Kagome groaned and opened her eyes before yawning and coughing violently, she could feel the vomit climbing up the back of her throat as she reached for the bucket beside her futon and choked into it. Inuyasha rubbed his hand up and down her back in a soothing manor as he tried to make her feel better, it didn't however quite stop her from being sick.

When she eventually ran out of puke and relaxed back down on the futon, she looked up at Inuyasha and smiled, "I'm sorry that I keep doing that." she apologized, "It just isn't very comfortable when I try to hold it in."

"You shouldn't try to hold it in, just let it out and you'll feel much better." he smiled stroking her forehead.

"Yeah, but it does leave a disgusting taste in my mouth afterwards." she scowled as she tried not to swallow, "Gross!"

He chuckled slightly as he passed her a cup of water to get rid of the foul taste, she happily accepted it and gulped it down, "Don't drink it too quickly, you might get hiccups!" he warned.

"Hiccups? Please! That's a load of nonsense! I've never gotten hiccups from drinking water too quickly in my li..." she started before her sentence was cut short by a loud and violent hiccup.

"What did I tell you?" he grinned smugly as she pouted.

Kaede smiled and emptied the now hot water from the cooking pot into the small bath and walked over to Kagome in order to help her into the basin. However, she didn't have to do much as Inuyasha picked her up bridal style, undressed her from her loose ordinary village women's kimono and carefully placed her into the warm water. "I've got this, Kaede." he said turning to the old woman as Kagome relaxed in the liquid, "You can go back to Jirou and Rin now if you want to."

The old woman nodded and left through the door for her own home. She knew that Inuyasha would take care of his wife and make sure that no harm would come to her, after all she was safer with him than she was with anyone else.

Inuyasha knelt beside the bath and watched Kagome who had closed her eyes and was relaxing in the warm water, he smiled at her peaceful expression which much more pleasant that her vomiting or painful expressions.

She felt his gaze on her and opened her eyes, "What are you smiling about?" she asked quietly as she was losing her voice from all that her mouth had been through lately.

"Oh nothing really." he smiled, "I was just thinking how pretty you are."

She blushed and looked away making him chuckle, "No I'm not." she whispered shyly, "Not really."

"But you are! I don't tell you enough, you really are beautiful! Well _I_ think that you are anyway."

Her blush deepened as she looked down into the bathwater shyly, "T-Thank you." she stuttered.

He grinned at her embarrassed reaction as he began to pour water over her hair and then rub it dry with one of the blankets that Kaede had brought with her earlier. Kagome giggled as he tickled her leading to him being drenched in the bath water that she had splashed at him, he spat out the the liquid that had flown into his open mouth and shook himself to dry off.

"You really are just like a dog." she laughed as he continued to shake the water from his hair and ears.

He grinned and made his ears dance for her making her squeal with delight and clap her hands, she then splashed him some more just to irritate him as he had just properly dried off; the water was now all over the floor and Inuyasha truly did look like a wet dog.

She laughed at his appearance before looking down at her big tummy to feel it, Inuyasha crawled closer to her and lightly rested his head against her stomach to listen.

"What are you doing?" she asked curiously. He laughed slightly just as she had finished her sentence, "Why are you laughing?" she asked.

He lifted his head and looked up at her, "It likes you." he smiled happily.

"It... does? How can you tell?"

"I can feel it's heartbeat." he replied leaning back down and pressing his ear to her stomach once again, "It likes the sound of your voice and your touch, in fact it's really happy in there. It already loves you a lot."

"Really?" she asked happily.

"Good job, Kagome. Good job."

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><p>Sesshomaru walked over the snowy turf beneath his feet in search of Kikyo, she was usually at the lake which bordered the lands so he decided to head there first, it was a short walk for a human but for a demon lord like him it would only take a matter of seconds to reach the destination.<p>

Just as he had thought, Kikyo was stood at the edge of the frozen lake staring out into the whiteness as more snow fell and rested on the huge mirror. She looked up at the blank sky and held out her hand to catch a tiny silver snowflake which rested on her palm for a few seconds before melting because of her body heat. "I am fully aware that you are here." she said rather suddenly not even turning her head to face the dog demon, "Why do you insist on going for a silent approach every time?"

He had not intended to sneak up on her, if he had not wanted her to know that he was there then he wouldn't have allowed her to sense his presence. He walked and stood beside her, also staring out across the icy lake and into the clouded distance.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" she asked lost in the scenery, "The villagers call it Lake Serenity, because it's so calm and tranquil out here."

Sesshomaru remained silent like he usually would in a conversation as he continued to stare ahead.

"In fact, this lake reminds me a little of you." she smiled.

This caught his attention as he turned his head to face her and asked, "Why is that?"

"You are calm, composed, mysterious..." she answered as she knelt down and placed the palm of her hand onto the thick ice, "But you are also cold... Like me."

He gazed down at the priestess who's eyes were still fixed on the frozen water as she ran her fingers across it's surface. Kikyo wasn't a cold woman, she was caring, kind, strong and a loyal friend, she was also an excellent ally.

"But what lies beneath the hard icy surface of this lake? I imagine there are a lot of secrets deep down below the thick sheet of ice. And I bet that not many people know about these secrets because it has built up a strong and cold wall to keep everyone out. I do wish that the surface would melt just a little so that I could see what lies beneath, I want to see: I want it to let me in." she said calmly as she looked up at him meeting his gaze.

His heartbeat quickened slightly as his eyes widened a little at the meaning behind her words.

She rose to her feet still gazing into her eyes as she continued speaking, "I want for you to trust me, to be able to rely on me, to talk to me about... well anything that you wish to talk about; I want you to know that I care about you and I will always be here for you no matter what happens."

Sesshomaru couldn't believe what he was hearing though he liked most of the things that she was saying, even though his expression remained as secretive as ever only with a little more emotion behind his piercing eyes.

"I was wrong to begin with." she whispered, "I thought that you were a heartless monster who cared for nothing and killed simply because you were able to. But I was wrong..." she lifted her arm and placed her right hand onto his chest, "I can feel it. Beating away like the sound of the drums on a festival. I can feel that you have a heart."

He raised his hand and placed it over Kikyo's, closing his fingers around hers which caused her to have a reaction, "Do you not fear me?" he asked staring deep into her dark brown eyes.

"No. I do not." she answered firmly as she stared back intensely.

"But the sound of your own heartbeat betrays you. I can hear it from here, loud and clear."

"It is not pounding because I am afraid."

"Then why is it behaving so?"

She smiled, "Take a wild guess."

"...It seems I am more like my father than I had originally thought."

"How so?"

"I possibly do not entirely despise humans anymore. I know I do not despise you."

She giggled quietly, "That is good."

"In fact..." he started, "I may also have fallen for one."

Kikyo's eyes widened at his statement as she stared at him before she smiled and closed her eyes to whisper, "Luckily, I think that this human might have also fallen for you."

Her words made Sesshomaru's heart race faster than before as he pulled her closer towards him by her waist with the arm that he wasn't using to hold her hand, her eyes were still closed and she had parted her lips slightly. He lowered his head, closing the distance between them as he also closed his eyes and tightened his grip on her.

"Keep quiet, you insolent fools! Do you want to give us away!?" cried a voice that sounded like Jaken's from one of the snow-coated bushes, "If Lord Sesshomaru ever found out that we'd been spying on him like this he would have my head!"

"But Master Jaken, _you_ are the one who is making all of the noise." came another voice that sounded like Rin's.

"Silence, you silly girl!"

"Shush!" hushed another that sounded like Shippo, "They'll hear us!"

"Silence as well, you little...!"

"SSSSHHHHHH!" hissed someone that must surely have been Kohaku.

Sesshomaru sighed, he couldn't get _any _privacy these days, well without being stalked, spied on or eavesdropped at least. Kikyo giggled and removed her hand from his chest and walked in the direction of the whispering, she then peered over the top of the bush to see Jaken, Rin, Kohaku and Shippo all sitting arguing in the snow. She coughed to get their attention and when they finally realized that she had seen them they cried out in fear.

"Oh darn! We've been discovered!" Shippo exclaimed.

"I told you this would happen." Kohaku sighed.

"Oh please don't kill me, oh please oh please!" Jaken sobbed as he lay on his knees begging for forgiveness, Rin looked away as she was so embarrassed to be seen with him.

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><p><strong>That's the end of the first chapter, I hope you all enjoyed it! As much as I enjoy doing it, writing scenes between Sesshomaru and Kikyo is tricky because they are both so calm and concealed so it's hard to think of ways for them to interact and things for them to say; it's no where near as easy as doing scenes between Inuyasha and Kagome ^.^ Well thank you for reading, leave a review if you enjoyed! ~Happy<strong>


	2. Sheltering From The Blizzard

**Hellooooo and welcome to the second chapter, this will only be a short chapter as I have a lot to do but I hope you enjoy it all the same! I held my neighbor's baby today and pretended that it was Hanyuu when she was first born but the child didn't like me and burst out crying, I guess that babies just don't like me :'( I'm going to be a doomed mother when I grow up. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha; I only own the characters that aren't included in the anime/manga.**

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><p>Chapter Two<p>

The snow was falling heavily and the wind was picking up, it had gone dark and the sky had clouded over: it was going to be one hell of a snowstorm. The town inn was crowded with men, women and a few children who took shelter from the cold and dark. There was no more room but the landlord had agreed to let the small crowd stay in the downstairs tavern.

A young man with long grey hair that was tied back in a low ponytail sat at the bar sipping from a small cup. His name was Shun and he was a guard/samurai that defended the castle here in the south, he had been out on a stroll in the town when a gale picked up and heavy handfuls of snow were thrown down over him so he ran to the nearest inn for shelter.

He took another swig of alcohol before turning his head slightly to see a young girl walking in from the blizzard wearing a hooded black cape, she sat down beside him and the landlord slid her a cup which she picked up and took a small sip from. Shun peered over at her discretely, trying to see her face however it was completely masked by her hood and bangs of hair; she could have been anyone.

The girl felt his gaze on her as she turned to her left and looked at him, he still couldn't properly see her but her eyes were now visible; they were bright and exciting eyes but they were also full of mystery.

He cleared his throat and addressed her, "Hello. I am Shun, a guard and samurai to the castle."

She simply stared at him, remaining silent. He found it rather odd that she was being so secretive by leaving her cloak hood up and hiding her face, was she hiding from someone?

"What is _your _name? Are you not from around here?" he asked studying her clothing, "You look like you're a traveler."

She paused before answering, _"Yes. I am a traveler." _she said quietly.

"But why come _here_ of all places? Did you come to see the king or something?"

_"... That isn't important, I'm just passing through. Why are you so interested in my business anyway?"_

"I'm just curious, that's all. We don't usually get many travelers coming through here apart from enemies or messengers so a girl simply passing through can be seen as awfully suspicious, people will be incredibly wary of you."

_"Then I shall avoid all contact as much as possible."_

"But you are talking to me." he grinned.

She scoffed and chuckled quietly, _"That is only because I am stuck here with you and I would appear rude if I simply ignored you. I don't want to cause any trouble so I'm laying low for the time being."_

"Trouble? Why are you laying low? Are you hiding from someone?" he asked.

She did not answer him, she just looked down at the drink in her hands and took another sip from it.

"You can't tell me, huh?"

_"I'm sorry, but my life is hardly any of your business." _she huffed before standing and heading for the door.

"Wait!" he called after her, "You can't go out there! Have you _seen_ the weather?"

_"Then what do you propose that I do? You are being incredibly nosy and bothersome and I grow bored of this commotion so I wish to leave now."_

"Just hold on a minute." he said as he rushed over to the landlord and whispered something into his ear, he then handed him a small bag that was filled with gold which the large man accepted happily. He then walked up the wooden staircase behind the bar and signaled for Shun to follow him.

Shun turned to look at the cloaked girl and beckoned her to come to him, she walked towards him and looked up at him, _"Yes?" _she asked.

"I got us a room." he grinned.

_"But they are full? How can you have got a room?"_

"Bribery. They always have at least one spare room, they just want someone to pay them enough for it." he whispered, "Now come on, let's not waste my money!"

He walked up the stairs and followed the landlord to the room, the girl was hesitant at first but eventually followed after. The large man opened a door and showed them in, it was a small room with a couple of futons folded away at the side of the room, "Beds are there and the washroom is in that extra room there." the innkeeper pointed, "You and your wife will be very comfortable here, sir."

Her ears twitched at the word 'wife' and when he left she turned to Shun and raised her eyebrow, _"Your WIFE?"_ she asked, _"What exactly did you say to him?"_

"I had to tell him that we were a married couple! A man and a woman don't just go and stay in an inn for the night if they were only acquaintances! He would be suspicious and I gathered that you don't want to draw too much attention to yourself."

She was about to make a sarky comeback but realized that he was probably right, annoyed that she had been outsmarted she scowled, _"I'm going to clean myself up."_ she said walking off to the extra room and closing the door behind her.

Shun rubbed the back of his head in confusion, she sure was strange; and she hadn't even bothered to remove her cloak or take down her hood, was she really _that _keen on disguises? He walked over to the closed shutters and opened them to see outside, it was still snowing heavily: it seemed that there would be no leaving until it had hopefully calmed in the morning. That meant he would have to spend the night in the same room as this unknown girl whom he had only just met and knew so little about. She wasn't very eager when it came to conversation and it made him wonder just what she was up to and who she was.

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden shriek from the washroom and a loud thud, he rushed across the room and yanked the door open to see the young girl laying on her stomach on the floor wearing nothing but her under-kimono; she appeared to have slipped and fallen, how very clumsy of her.

He walked over to help her up but stopped when he noticed something rather odd; on each side of her head were two big, black, fuzzy dog ears that twitched occassionally. Her hair was also a light purple colour which he thought was rather unusual. He eventually came to the conclusion that she must be a demon or a spirit so he stepped back and clutched the handle of his sword cautiously.

She raised her head and peered up at him in embarrassment, she then looked away as she felt awkward, she then lifted her arms and covered her ears with her hands. _"Uh..." _she muttered.

Shun knew that he should unsheathe his sword and slice her in two but there was something about her that seemed not quite like a murderous and bloodthirsty demon. She was behaving exactly like a human would and she also even looked it if it weren't for her ears and interestingly coloured hair. The look on her face was so innocent and vulnerable that he found himself unable to eliminate her.

_"This is why I hid my appearance." _she said sitting up, still covering her fluffy triangle ears, _"Because humans don't accept me and neither do demons, I don't belong in either category."_

"Then you're... a _half_ demon?" he asked hesitantly. This was the first encounter that someone or something with demon blood coursing through their veins hadn't yet tried to kill him.

She nodded at his question and looked away again, _"You should have just left me alone, then you wouldn't have gotten into this predicament." _she muttered sadly.

Shun felt pity for her, she seemed incredibly lonely and was wanted dead by many, humans and demons alike. He knelt down on the floor before her and asked, "I'll ask you again: what is your name?"

She peered up at him, confused at his actions; was he trying to win her trust so that he could kill her more easily? Maybe so, but the look in his eyes was sincere and genuine, a liar could not possibly have that kind of gaze. She looked down shyly and whispered, _"...It's Hanyuu."_

"Hanyuu, huh? Hanyuu..." he said as he thought to himself. He knew that he had never met this girl before or even heard of her name yet she seemed so... familiar. Why was that so? "Well then, Han-yuu. Now that you know I won't try to kill you, will you tell me your reasons for coming to this land?"

She paused for a moment before muttering, _"Well uh... I needed some time away from my parents, I just kept causing them trouble so I left. I came here because I heard that there was a powerful head priest who prayed to the winged goddess and had some compassion for the angels resided in the castle here so I wanted to consult him about something."_

"Are you interested in learning more about the winged people or something along those lines?"

_"Very." _she nodded, _"I want to learn everything that I can about them and also... I do have a secret."_

"A secret?"

_"Yes. A secret."_

"What is this secret?"

_"That I cannot tell you, I'm very sorry but it really is a big secret."_

"That's alright. Everybody had secrets after all."

_"Indeed they do." _she agreed, _"Oh and another thing... the next time you come barging in whilst I am washing please knock first or I shall have to be violent with you."_

"My apologies, because of your scream and the loud bang I was worried that you could have been hurt."

_"Then I shall forgive you this time, now please leave so I that can properly undress in peace."_

Shun rose to his feet and left the washroom closing the door behind him, giving her some privacy. She was unlike the other demons that he had previously encountered, they were killers, dangerous and cruel but she was different. Being half and half couldn't have been an easy way to spend a life especially when the other half was human, she would have strength and powers of a demon but she would also have basic weaknesses like a human; she must have been incredibly vulnerable and dangered when she was younger.

However, he still couldn't shake the feeling that he had met her somewhere before though he had no memory of ever encountering her; he felt as if he had seen her in his dreams if anything, like he had known her all of his life though he knew that that couldn't possibly be true. He was a human samurai and she was a demi-demon girl.

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><p><strong>Sorry that this chapter was so short, I have been rather busy and I felt that putting something small on was better than nothing. And Hanyuu is back! YIPPEE! I missed her! As did Inuyasha and Kagome I imagine. But the samurai guy, Shun... who is he? Oh and by the way he isn't Onigumo or Naraku before any of you keen viewers make that assumption. I know that some of you notice a few small things and details like you, sarahdiamond; you really seem to like guessing and you notice the little references that I sometimes put in and I often look forward to what you think will happen next. Thank you to all of my reviewers, favourites, followers and even viewers for carrying on reading this story; I shall try my best not to disappoint you! ~Happy<strong>


	3. Creepy King

**I feel depressed because it is snowy in the story but not in real life, how sad WHY WON'T IT SNOW ALREADY!? Anyway thank you for your reviews and on with the SNOWY story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha; I only own the characters that aren't included in the anime/manga.**

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><p>Chapter Three<p>

"Just stick to the plan and I'll be able to smuggle you into the castle grounds without causing too much suspicion, then I'll take you to the shrine where that priest you were looking for lives; he's always going on about the winged people and their legends so you'll learn everything that you want to know from him." Shun explained.

Hanyuu nodded as she put on her cloak and lifted her hood to conceal her appearance, _"But what if someone stops and and questions us? Won't you get into a lot of trouble for trying to sneak someone who has demon blood into the castle?"_

"If you keep your hood up like that then they'll just think that you're an ordinary village girl that I found to use for my own entertainment."

_"What!? That is absolutely awful! Do you take random women off the streets on a regular basis!?" _she cried in horror.

"Who, me? Oh no! _I _find that behaviour sickening and to be honest and a waste of time. I would never use a woman for something as low as nocturnal entertainment! That is something that a foolish monster would do, like the other men guarding the castle!" he exclaimed, horrified that she would accuse him of such a thing.

_"You do not approve of using women for your own entertainment then?"_

"Of course not!"

She chuckled quietly and muttered to herself, _"You're the exact of of someone I used to know."_

Shun heard her low remark and asked curiously, "Did you know someone who was like that?"

_"Oh um! Sort of." _she replied awkwardly.

"... He didn't... entertain himself with you, did he?" he asked hesitantly.

She panicked at his question and shook her hands frantically, _"Oh no! Not at all! I would never let someone like him anywhere near me!" _she exclaimed blushing bright red.

"Good for you, not letting men push you around just because you're a woman." he smiled.

They left the inn and made for the castle, it wasn't a very long walk but it felt longer for Hanyuu, she felt as if everyone was watching her or that her ears were poking out from under her hood; it also didn't help that the snow was a few feet deeper than the previous day due to the wild snowstorm. Shun noticed her uncomfort and whispered down to her (he was a lot taller than her after all), "Stop worrying over nothing, no-one is looking at you. Just keep walking and try to act normal when we pass through the castle gates."

_"Okay." _she nodded, pulling her hood down further covering her eyes.

They walked through the gates luckily without any trouble, a few other guards grinned at Shun and raised their eyebrows at his lady friend but he simply ignored them and quickened his pace causing Hanyuu to have to jog a little to keep up with him.

When they were in an empty courtyard away from the guards and castle residents, he let out a sigh of relief and stretched out his arms yawning, "Phew, we should be alright from here on."

_"Thank you for helping me like this, I really appreciate it." _she smiled at him, still holding her hood.

"It's not a problem, someone as crazy and reckless as you wouldn't get very far on your own on a stealth mission like this." he laughed.

_"Huh? What makes you think that I'm crazy and reckless?" _she asked in confusion, _"We only met the other day."_

He paused and pondered, "... I don't know why I thought that. I just did." he admitted.

Pushing the topic aside, Hanyuu walked in front of him and looked around, _"So, which way is it to that shrine?" _she asked.

"This way." he answered as he lead her to a large building that looked more like a temple than a shrine. They entered the large room and looked around for someone, "Hello? Is anybody here?" Shun asked loudly.

Whilst he was searching for another person, Hanyuu found herself entering a room with lots of paintings inside it. There were many pictures of the angels, spreading their wings and flying high above the clouds and into the heavens. Hanyuu let down her hood as she examined more of the pictures. Some of them were stories of how the winged people would save a person's life with their powers of healing and how they could also take away a person's life away with their powers of destruction.

There was a larger painting at the back of the room that appeared to be a large castle floating in the sky that the angels were flying towards, she walked towards it and studied it closely.

"A demon? How did you get in here? There are spells and charms to ward demons away but here you stand live in the flesh." came an unfamiliar voice from behind.

She turned to see a tall well dressed man holding a large staff, he was looking at her in bewilderment as he could not quite comprehend on how she had got in, _"Um." _she muttered, _"I am a demon, but not FULLY." _she explained.

"Only half then?" he asked recieving a nod as a response, "What do you want here anyway?"

Before she could answer Shun walked in a gave a sigh of relief when he saw her, "Oh there you are, when you vanished I was worried that the inhabitants of this shrine had grabbed you and tried to exorcise you or something."

"Ah, a samurai? Tell me, young man. Do you know this half demon girl?" the man with the staff asked.

"Yes, I was the one who brought her here." she answered, "She wanted to talk to you about the winged people, it seems that she's just as interested in them as you are."

_"This is the head priest?"_

"That is me, girl." he replied, "Now tell me, just what business do _you _have with the winged beings?"

_"I uh, it's kind of a long story actually."_

"I have a lot of time to kill."

_"Well... it would be easier if I just showed you." _she said quietly.

"Showed me what?" he asked curiously.

She undid her cloak so that it fell to the floor and she lowered the upper part of her kimono slightly.

"What are you doing?" Shun asked in panic, "A little while ago we were talking about how letting men take advantage of you was a bad thing!"

_"That is not what I am doing." _she replied loosening her kimono more and exposing more of her flesh despite Shun's protests.

As she held the upper part of her priestess kimono so that it was covering her breasts, her back glowed brightly and her wings danced out into the open, floating down beside her shoulders and shifting gracefully. The head priest gasped in awe at what he saw, "You're a...?" he started but was unable to finish his sentence due to the shock.

She nodded at his unfinished question as he fell to his knees in amazement, "So beautiful." he whispered.

Shun simply stared at the white feathered wings, he knew that he should be awfully surprised right now but for some reason he just wasn't; he felt that he had seen this happen before, it was as if this wasn't new to him at all. He wondered why that was so.

"What is it that you desire?" the head priest asked as he looked up at the lovely creature before his eyes, "I shall do everything in my power to help you fulfill the wish."

_"Wish?" _she asked, _"What wish?"_

"Before a winged person meets their demise, they must grant a single wish. That wish can be anything and for anyone but it must be for good intentions or that winged person's soul will become defiled."

_"That sounds a lot like the Shikon Jewel's power." _Hanyuu pondered.

"Well the sacred jewel was greatly influenced by a winged girl who fell in love with a human man but gave up her life to purify her family, she then along with her birth-parents became a part of the jewel. Since she was unable to grant a wish before she died, her power was passed on to the jewel giving it the power to grant the wish that she could not." he explained.

_"So that is where the jewel obtained that ability. And also, about that winged girl... um... that was me."_

"It was!? How incredible!"

Once again, Shun felt that he should also be reacting the way the priest was but he found himself unable to find any of this shocking; this story of a winged girl and a sacred jewel... it all seemed so awfully familiar.

Hanyuu turned her head to once again look at the painting of the huge sky castle, _"By the way. What is this?" _she asked.

"That is Amaterasu, the sky kingdom that floats high above the clouds where the winged people originated from, before they all died that is."

_"So where is it now?"_

"No-one knows, it has been lost for centuries."

_"I see..."_

Shun cut in all of a sudden, "But if you're a winged person then surely _you _know where it is? Did you know it's location when you were Haya?" he asked.

_"I am afraid not." _she admitted in disappointment.

"Let's continue our discussion later, the two of you must be tired and thirsty." the priest said, "Follow me."

Hanyuu brought her wings back in and pulled her kimono higher up over her upper abdomen before following after Shun and the priest. So long ago the angels originally lived in a flying castle named Amaterasu? She wondered if there were any more winged people left that were just like her, or was she cursed to be alone forever?

* * *

><p>A little while later when she and Shun were sitting by a small table with cups of sake on it she turned to him and spoke, <em>"Hey. Earlier, when we were talking about Amaterasu... you asked me if I knew the location of it."<em>

"Yes I did, was there something wrong with me asking that?" he asked.

_"No, that isn't it." _she said shaking her head,_ "It was what you said afterwards that was odd."_

"Why, what did I say?"

_"You asked me if I knew the location when I was Haya. True, that is a fair question to ask but there was one problem with it."_

"Which was?"

_"Neither me nor the high priest ever mentioned the name, Haya. We referred to my past self as the 'winged girl' so the question I am asking you is this: how could you possibly have known what my former name was?"_

Shun paused. He didn't know how to answer her question, he didn't know how he had known her former name it had just rolled off his tongue as if he had said it a thousand times before. That had been happening a lot recently, not major things but small things that Hanyuu would do Shun would have a strong sense of Déjà vu. Even shocking secrets he learned about her, he felt as if he already knew somehow. It was as if he already knew her incredibly well.

"... I don't really know how to answer your question." he admitted, "I know it sounds weird but it really just came to me."

_"Well, if you do speak the truth that is a rather strange thing to happen to someone. How do I know that you haven't been stalking me or something?"_ she suggested playfully.

"Don't be so ridiculous, who would ever want to stalk someone as weird as _you_?" he teased more playfully than her.

_"Well obviously I wouldn't know that fact, now would I? You could be a creepy weirdo who stalks innocent little girls like myself." _she teased.

"Don't kid yourself, no-one would EVER stalk a funny little demon like you." he grinned.

_"You are the one who is funny, but not a good funny."_

"Are you two finished yet?" the priest asked who looked as if he had been sitting down for a while now waiting for them to cease their bickering.

They stopped instantly and coughed awkwardly.

The priest continued anyway, "We have a very special guest who is here to see you, miss."

_"Oh? Is that so? Who could it be?" _she wondered.

"You may enter, sir." the priest called loudly out of the room.

A strong looking man dressed in fine blue robes who looked to be in his late fifties or early sixties walked into the room and took a seat beside Hanyuu, he looked across at her with a very strange look and did not speak for some time.

She began to feel uncomfortable under his strange gaze as she slightly shifted closer to Shun in fear, there was something in his eyes that wasn't quite right.

"This is Lord Komatsu, our castle's king and ruler." the priest introduced his master politely, "He has always taken an interest in the winged people's ancestry and like me he has longed for the day that another would walk among us."

The king bowed and addressed Hanyuu, "How do you do, miss?"

She shivered at the sound of his voice and found herself edging even closer to Shun almost to the point that she was nearly sitting on his lap. The samurai had noticed her unusual behaviour and wondered what could be bothering her, her expression looked a little fearful and judging by how much she had moved away from the king it was probably safe to say that she wasn't all that keen on him. Maybe she had heard the rumors of his womanizing; he would entertain himself with a woman from the town then have her beheaded claiming that she had 'bewitched' him into sleeping with her. But Hanyuu was a smart and strong-willed girl, she wouldn't let herself get involved with someone like him; she had even said so herself.

"I have dreamed of the day that I would finally meet a lovely maiden with wings such as yourself." he complimented, taking her hand and kissing it much to her horror, "You are indeed as beautiful as the stories say."

_"T-Thank you, your highness. But your flattery is wasted on me, I'm not really all that beautiful." _she stuttered awkwardly, he was too close for her liking and she really wanted him to move away and let go of her hand.

"Ah, you are modest too. Such innocence, that is indeed a rare beauty these days." he smiled, releasing her hand much to her delight as she leaned away from him slightly.

She tried her best to look anywhere but his eyes, they were white and cold, there really was something that just wasn't right about them, something that made her skin crawl and the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

"Tell me, where a bouts are you staying?" he asked curiously.

_"T-The inn in the town a little way away."_

"Oh no, that just won't do." he shook his head, "You must stay here in my castle, you will be comfortable and warm and you will be well fed."

Hanyuu panicked at his request, staying away from publicity was her original intention and here she would have more privacy; but would she really? With this king under the same roof as her, she wouldn't feel safe and Hanyuu couldn't stand feeling threatened; it reminded her of the very first danger that she ever experienced when Ren had kidnapped her and almost killed her. She hated her fear.

_"Only if Shun here can stay with me to protect me." _she said as firmly as she could manage right now. She was afraid of this strange man but with Shun there to keep him away or at least stay with her so she wouldn't be completely _alone _with the king if he decided to pay her a little visit.

The king paused for a moment to think but eventually agreed, "Yes, alright. That will be acceptable. Guard her well." he ordered the samurai.

"Yes, sir." Shun bowed. He was confused now, why did Hanyuu want him to protect her? She really must have been afraid of the king. He decided to question her later when they were alone.

Lord Komatsu led the pair through the castle corridors to a large room at the edge of the palace, there was a balcony that over-looked the frozen gardens. Hanyuu entered the room and looked around for an extra room which should be the washroom, _"Where do we bathe?" _she asked the king.

He pointed down the corridor and replied, "There is a large indoor spring just down that way, all the other lovely ladies use it and I am sure that they will all be very jealous of your flair. But if you want to bathe alone, go late in the evening when it has just turned dark out, the others will have already taken their baths and have left."

She nodded politely and bowed her head as he took his leave. A _public_ spring? It would be a real problem if someone walked in on her with her wings exposed! She would have to be extra careful.

* * *

><p>Later that night when Shun and Hanyuu were laying in their bed (yes, it was a double bed so they were lying awkwardly right on each edge of the bed far away from one another). He spoke to her quietly so that no-one would overhear him, "Hanyuu? What was wrong with you earlier? When you first met with Lord Komatsu?"<p>

She did not reply at first and he wondered if she was asleep but she replied quietly, _"There was something about him that I did not like. He had a funny look in his eyes that disturbed me a little."_

"I know that he has a bad reputation for being a player but maybe he was just being friendly and polite to you, he's wanted to meet an angel like you for a long time now and I bet he found it hard to contain his excitement; I bet that that was why he was looking at you funny."

_"Maybe so, but..."_

"But what? Don't tell me that he's ANOTHER stalker who's been spying on poor and innocent girls like you?"

_"Oh, hush! I would like to sleep now and I will not be able to if you keep rambling on all night." _she huffed turning over so that she had her back to him. He laughed at her pathetic behaviour and also closed his eyes to sleep.

Lord Komatsu peered at the sleeping half demon from behind the door and ginned evily before walking back to his quarters, he now had her right where he wanted her.

* * *

><p><strong>Uh oh, this king sure is suspicious isn't he? Just what does he want with our little Hanyuu? Leave a review if you enjoyed the chapter! ~Happy<strong>


	4. Kirai The Killer

**I am so sorry that it has been a whole week since I last updated! I was very busy with homework, my computer was playing up and I was having trouble with the internet connection! So again, I am very sorry for making you all wait this long and here is the chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha; I only own the characters that aren't included in the anime/manga.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Four<p>

The crescent moon was shining brightly in the night sky, beaming in through the long windows of Lord Komatsu's palace and illuminating the hallways that were usually shrouded in darkness and mystery.

Hanyuu scurried quietly down the corridor, clutching a white cloth and a bundle of clothes as she entered the washroom with the large indoor hot spring.

It was the dead of the night so she would have to be very careful to not wake any of the castle's residents, none of them could ever learn her secret. The only ones here who knew of her ancient heritage was Shun, the head priest of the temple and Lord Komatsu himself.

Checking the outside hallway for any possible pursuers, she slid the screen shut carefully and undid her kimono, letting it drop to the ground, revealing her bare flesh and allowing her wings to extend out comfortably; being tucked into a small outfit nearly everyday made them feel cramped and flattened.

She placed the white cloth which she would later use to dry herself with beside the pool's edge along with her clothes and crawled into the liquid slowly.

The water was warm and smelled of rose petals, it steamed silently and worked its way into Hanyuu's tired skin; she sighed peacefully at the calm feeling that circulated within her body.

As strange as the king was, he had been right about the washroom being empty at this time of night and she couldn't help but feel rather relieved that he had spoken the truth; but there was still something that was very wrong with him though she wasn't entirely sure what it was quite yet.

Her wings shifted calmly as they sloshed around slowly in the warm water, the minty greenness of the spring sunk into the furthest cracks between her feathers and gently massaged the sensitive extra limbs. Hanyuu closed her eyes and allowed herself to slip into her thoughts as the water gently lapped at her chest.

She often tried to avoid thinking of her mother or father, or Onigumo and his drastic change to the evil Naraku; but sometimes the memories just bled right through the wall that she had built in her mind. She missed her friends and family very much and often wondered what they were doing, but she knew that really what they all needed was to let her go and carry on with their lives: especially Inuyasha. The image of his broken face as he held her in his arms for the very last time still remained in her head clear as crystal, she had tried and tried to rid herself of his expression and pleas but she could not forget them.

She had caused him enough pain and suffering already and she never wanted to see him like that ever again - it would crush her soul completely.

She also thought about Sō'unga occassionally, she wondered just what had become of him after she had sent him away using the powers of the Rift. Had he been found by the old flea and his allies and been sealed away for many centuries only to finally awaken but be destroyed by Inuyasha and Kagome? After all he had done for her, that did not seem fair at all. She owed her life to the mighty fang - literally.

He had saved her life.

Sō'unga had given up every last drop of his lifeforce in order for her to survive Naraku's miasma at the cost of his own life. Without him she would be dead.

A sudden splash and low pitched hiss in the bath only a few feet away from Hanyuu caught her attention immediately as she snapped out of her thoughts and stared over at the area where the movement had come from. She sunk down further into the water so that it was up to the tip of her nose and waited, she stayed still and listened for more noises.

Everything was silent apart from the constant drumming of her own heartbeat as the snow outside began to fall once again. The part of her body where her wings met her shoulder-blades was tingling and the feathers were standing up just as Kirara's fur used to whenever she sensed danger. She erased the image of the two tail from her mind before she could picture her mewing affectionately and rubbing her furry head against Hanyuu's arm lovingly; she couldn't think about such things at a time like this - it hurt too much.

She lifted her head slightly and turned it to peek behind her just in case there was an intruder spying on her or a murderer planning to assassinate her. The screen that was blocking the doorway and hiding her from view was just as she had left it and even though there was no-one there she felt an uncomfortable presence of someone else. Another small splosh in the water made her begin to wonder is she was in fact truly alone.

The feeling of dread was becoming stronger as her heart rate increased, she had brought no candle with her for a source of light because she did not want to be discovered by a servant or respectable individual. She was in complete darkness aside from the moon's bright beacon and the tiny white particles of ice that were falling that could be seen through the large window in the room.

She had never really been afraid of the dark before, oh no. It was what was _in_ the dark that really made the hairs on the back of Hanyuu's neck stand up in fear. There could be anything hiding in the shadows, ready to strike her down whenever she let her guard down and she would be defenseless and quite blind to whatever was attacking.

She was now a whole year old despite her appearance (rapid aging, remember?) so of course she was a little frightened, especially now that she was alone.

Usually when a child is afraid of something like the dark, their natural reaction is to curl into a ball and squeeze their eyes shut to try and ignore the blackness surrounding them. But it is never darker than when we close our eyes after all and yet we keep them closed.

Closing her eyes would be useless, it was hard enough to see already and she didn't need her sight diminishing entirely quite yet so she opened her eyes and looked around the room. The water was steamy and clouded and sitting in it no longer felt safe or comfortable so she moved to lift herself out of the hot spring.

Just as she was about to pull herself out, something grabbed her right foot and held onto it: tight. She yelped in surprise and fear as she lost her balance and toppled over into the warm water, her foot was still caught on something below the surface of the water and did not seem to want to budge. The unknown clinger yanked hard and pulled her so that she was underwater with little air left in her lungs; the more she panicked, the more oxygen she burned.

Reaching down and using her hands to make an attempt at releasing her foot, she opened her eyes and waited for them to adjust in the scalding, scented liquid. She gasped at what she saw, losing more oxygen as she panicked even more.

Coiled around her foot tightly was an incredibly large, dirt-brown coloured eel! It had long, sharp teeth and two empty eye sockets that looked just like black holes. It hissed at her and wrapped around her even more, stopping the blood flowing in her foot.

She clawed at it with her jagged fingernails, desperate for it to release her from its grip; she even used her other foot to kick its head and scratch it with her toenails. She needed air more than anything right now and if she did not remove this eel from her flesh now, she would undoubtedly drown and there would be no-one awake to save her. Death by a bathtub; it wasn't really the best way to go now was it? Hanyuu could think of several better and more noble ways to die that did not involve a wash basin and a daft aqua worm!

With one last powerful strike of her sharp talons, she managed to get it to loosen its grip and allow her to rise to the surface for the air that she needed badly. She coughed and spat out the water that she had inhaled and sucked in as much oxygen as she could and pulled herself out of the pool swiftly.

She had managed to escape the cloudy waters of the bathtub but unfortunately the eel was still firmly attached to her foot, refusing to let go. It did not seem to be affected by the lack of water or the air as it sunk its teeth into her skin and began to suck her dry.

Crying out loudly in pain, she bashed her foot around into the wall several times in order to weaken the slimy creature however it was quite stuck. If only Sō'unga were here right now! She could unsheathe him and squish this puny water serpent with one small swish of the sword!

"HANYUU!"

Hanyuu turned swiftly to see Shun rushing towards her with his samurai sword held up high as he sliced the eel from her foot causing it to fly across the room and hit the window, shattering the glass instantly. He put his sword away under his belt and turned to face her; he was indeed a very skilled swordsman, very capable of protecting this important castle.

_"That was... smashing." _she muttered looking over at the smashed window, she was turning into Kōga by making a joke like that. But Shun simply smiled in amusement at her comment.

"Oh, my Hanyuu!" cried another voice from behind Shun, it was Lord Komatsu rushing in with a candle before placing it down on the ground and pulling Hanyuu into his arms "Are you hurt at all!? Are you in any pain!? What ever happened to you!?" he cried peering down at her right foot which was bleeding onto the floorboards.

Once again, she was getting a bad vibe from the king and she was not too comfortable with him having his arms wrapped around her like he owned her; she also did not like the fact that he seemed to be caressing her wings and checking to see if they had been damaged.

Shun was also a little suspicious of the king's actions towards Hanyuu, he was a good thirty years older than her yet he treated her as if she was his lover especially with the way that he was stroking her back.

Hanyuu shot the young samurai a look as if to say 'help me' but he only raised his hands and mouthed an apology. Although Hanyuu was his companion, Lord Komatsu was his ruler and he could not disobey him for the sake of a half demon girl.

_"You can let me go now, your highness." _she muttered awkwardly, _"I can assure you that I am quite alright now thanks to Shun and yourself."_

Lord Komatsu simply gazed down at her with that disturbing expression of his that Hanyuu disliked so and replied, "Nonsense! Just look at your foot injury! And your clothes! You need to be dried and properly clothed!"

_"Clothed? What do you...?" _she started as she looked up at Shun in confusion who was trying to avoid looking back at her and coughing awkwardly. She gazed down to find that she was still buck naked, she had been so occupied with the eel that she had forgotten to cover herself with the white cloth she had brought. She shrieked in embarrassment and covered her chest with her hands.

"Come." the king said standing and extending his hand down to her, "I shall have someone fit you one of our finest kimono's."

_"That is rather unnecessary!" _she protested, _"It is the middle of the night, no-one will be awake! And besides, I have my own clothes."_ She looked around for her kimono and was puzzled to find that it was nowhere to be seen. _"What's this? I am sure that I left it just here."_

"Is that so? Well it doesn't matter too much, we have many other kimono's that will look lovely on you and you will be very comfortable in them." the king smile his sinister smile making Hanyuu cringe a little.

She looked down sadly, Onigumo had thrown her that kimono when she had first met him, it was her only memory of him but now it was lost just as he was. Sighing, she reached out and took Lord Komatsu's hand which was much larger and harder than her own.

"Wait." Shun spoke loudly as he removed his green outer haori and gave it to Hanyuu, "Put this on for the time being, you can return it to me later."

She smiled at him and draped it around her, glad at being slightly decent again. The king then escorted her in the direction of the exit and before they left she turned to Shun and smiled at him again.

He smiled back as she disappeared behind the corner and was now left alone with the mangled body of the eel; he glanced down at it and scowled, "You are an ugly thing, aren't you? No wonder you attacked someone as lovely looking as that pretty little demon." he muttered to the slimy creature.

He reached down to pick it up however it sprung back to life and leapt back into the water where it swum away through the fountain entrance.

"Damn it!" he cursed, rushing over to the hole in the wall where the hot water was flowing from and filling the bath, "You sneaky little freak!"

Giving up on the elusive eel, he turned and made his way towards the room's exit but stopped when he noticed something strange. Hidden behind the screen beside the doorway, was Hanyuu's kimono and white cloth. How had they gotten all the way over there? He had not noticed them earlier as it was so dark and the king had been blocking them from view... wait. Could it have been possible that The Lord had hidden her kimono and cloth in order to get her into a princess' kimono? But whatever for? Did he want to see her dressed all posh that badly? Just what exactly were his intentions?

* * *

><p>"Oh, you do look beautiful, miss." smiled a middle aged servant who went by the name, Ai.<p>

She was fitting Hanyuu into a shimmering red under-garment before placing a white and pale pink patterned kimono that princess' would usually wear over the top of the kimono, the obi (belt) was red and tied at the back in a large graceful looking ribbon, the sleeves of the costume were very long and covered even her hands completely, there was also a very large silky trail that lay across the floor covering her feet.

Hanyuu peered down at her clothes and lifted her arms to flap the long sleeves around, _"Isn't it a little... big?" _she asked with doubt.

"Oh, nonsense. This is the smallest size that I could find since you are so small and dainty, but luckily it fits you almost perfectly! You look just like a real princess!" Ai exclaimed excitedly.

_"It feels like I have over twenty futon sheets slung across my body."_

Before Ai could comment, there was a small knock on the screen so she scurried across the room to answer it. Shun walked in and bowed at the serving woman politely, when Hanyuu noticed him she felt relieved at seeing someone that she knew so she spoke confidently to Ai, _"Um, Ai? You may leave now, um, if you want to I mean." _she ordered awkwardly. Ai nodded, bowed and left Shun and Hanyuu alone.

Shun studied her in the expensive looking kimono and tried to conceal his chuckle. Hanyuu scowled at him and snapped, _"What are you laughing at?"_

"Nothing really, it's just weird seeing you dressed up all fancy like this." he chuckled a little louder.

She looked away and huffed, _"Oh, hush. You hardly know me anyway. You never know, I may secretly dress like this all the time."_

"Nah, you wear priestess costumes and yukatas (summer kimonos); preferably peach coloured or cream."

She looked at him and stared strangely, he was doing that thing again where he seemed to know things about her that he could not possibly know unless he was previously acquainted with her. But as he seemed to be unaware of doing this and he had denied knowing her several times before, deciding to ignore his comment she pushed it aside and teased, _"You sure do take careful notes on what types of kimonos I wear; surely you are a stalker, are you not?"_

"I have told you this many times before and I will repeat this answer: no I am not a stalker." he replied firmly shaking his head, "You are incredibly paranoid for such a young girl, you should try and relax every now and then."

_"Giving ME orders, eh? Since I'm dressed like this wouldn't it make sense for you to obey MY orders?" _she asked playfully.

"Just because you are dressed like a fine lady does not automatically transform you into one."

_"Stop acting like such a know-it all, just because you are a castle guard does not mean that you have some kind of high authority over a poor innocent girl such as myself. Were you not taught to respect women or have you always treat them this way?" _she pouted at him.

"Innocent? I don't think that that is the best word to describe someone like yourself. Don't you mean ignorant or irritant?"

_"No, I think that you are describing yourself now."_

The pair were both knelt on the floor on all fours right in each others faces, grinning playfully. Shun chuckled at her immaturity and the childish expression that was plastered across her supposedly 'ladylike' face, she seemed so incredibly familiar it was ridiculous. Why did he feel that he knew her so well when he could not recall ever meeting her in the past?

It appeared that Hanyuu was thinking the exact same thoughts as him when she asked, _"Have we met somewhere before?"_

"I don't think so."

_"I see..."_ she muttered as she pondered.

"Why do you ask?"

_"I know it sounds crazy, but I feel like you and I know each other from somewhere but I can't seem to recall where or when."_

"You do?" he asked in surprise, so it wasn't just him that had that strange feeling, "I sort of feel like that too."

_"Really?" _she asked in disbelief, he felt as if he knew her too? True he knew things about her that she was sure she had not told him but how could she have forgotten meeting him if she ever had?

"I am sorry to interrupt your conversation but I could not stay away from my Hanyuu any longer." Lord Komatsu exclaimed as he walked in and kissed Hanyuu's hand like a true gentleman.

"There isn't any need for you to apologize, sire. We were only passing the time with light conversation." Shun bowed as he scooted away from Hanyuu, he did not want the king to think that there was something going on between the pair, he could be punished for flirting with her.

The king nodded and turned to the half demon girl beside him, "Are you alright after suffering such a traumatic experience?" he asked with concern.

_"Yes, I am fine." _she nodded, trying to subtly shift away from him as she was uncomfortable with how near he was to her, _"I have been through worse."_

"You have? You truly are an incredible girl." he smiled.

_"Um, thank you." _she smiled falsely, _"Shouldn't we all get back to sleep now? It is rather late."_

"Late? Oh my dearest girl, it is now dawn. Resuming our sleeps would be useless now but if you insist then I shall allow you to rest some more." he said pointing at the sun rising from behind the mountains through the window.

_"Oh, so it is." _she muttered staring at the fresh sunlight.

"Now excuse me, but I have some... business to attend." he bowed at her, "Feel free to rest for as long as you wish and call Ai or Shun if you should require anything."

_"Alright, bye bye."_

Lord Komatsu stood and left the room leaving Shun and Hanyuu to entertain themselves for the day, since there was not much else to do he turned to her and asked, "Do you want to go look around in the gardens? I know it's cold but the snow has settled and you look as if you need some fresh air."

The thought of playing in the crisp white snow and running around all the icicle trees entertained Hanyuu as she beamed at him happily and nodded.

He offered her his arm and she took it and smiled, he then led her to the sliding doors covering the exit and slid them open revealing the winter wonderland outside. He hopped down into the snow and helped her down afterwards. She was only wearing her socks and they were soaked instantly at the cold touch of the floor, Shun was about to offer her his boots before she threw off her socks and ran around bare-footed. The frozen ground seemed to have no affect at all on her feet as she ran around playfully, falling face-first occasionally because of the ridiculous length of her kimono.

She stood back up and held the rim of her dress up making it easier to run as she headed in the direction of the half moon bridge that went across the frozen river, she ran up it with ease and stood overlooking the icy stream with the crystallized lily pads still on the surface.

Shun followed after her and when he spotted her on the bridge looking across at the mirror of a river he stopped and gazed up at her. The way that her hair blew in the cool breeze and her smiling expression as she stared into the snowy gardens, Lord Komatsu had been right about her being beautiful; if it weren't for her ears and fangs she could easily be mistaken for a celestial being or even a goddess. His scent drifted over to her as she turned her head and smiled pleasantly at him from up on the bridge.

He walked up and stood beside her on the wooden raised platform, she then reached down into her kimono and pulled out his green outer haori that he had lent her a little while ago.

_"I believe that this belongs to you." _he smiled.

"Yes it does. Thank you, my lady." he joked as he took it from her and placed it back over his shirt for warmth.

She laughed at his sarcasm and returned her gaze to the frozen landscape.

* * *

><p>Arina sighed as she placed the books containing information and stories on the winged people back on the shelves in the ruined castle's library. "I need a break, Ren." she shouted across to Ren who was sitting on top of a shelf reading a book. He glanced at her briefly and nodded before returning to his reading.<p>

She turned and exited into the calm winter conditions and breathed in the fresh air. Inuyasha had been visiting frequently asking to borrow more books and documents, it seemed that he was now absolutely obsessed with the winged people and would not give up on his daughter even though he should have known more than anyone that she was not coming back.

"Hello again, Arina."

Arina gasped in horror at the sound of the voice that had come from behind her, she wanted to turn around and see Ren standing there smiling at her but she did not want to turn and see... him.

"Have you missed me?"

She scowled at the ground, still refusing to face who was addressing her, "No I have not." she snapped.

"Not even a little?"

She spun around aggressively and shrieked, "NO! NOT AT ALL!"

Lord Komatsu grinned evily at her, "Now now, Arina. Is that any way to talk to your father?" he asked.

"I no longer consider you my father." she frowned, "What are you doing here!? What do you want!? I was sure that you were dead!"

"Well as you can see, I am alive and well. And what is it that I want, you ask? I want you to ... kill that half demon for me." he chuckled.

Arina scoffed in amusement and laughed, "And just why would I do something like that? You think that just because I'm your daughter I'll have to do it out of love or something mushy like that?"

"Well if you don't do it out of love for your father then I'll be forced to _make _you obey me." he chuckled.

"Make me? Just how do you intend to do that?"

"By doing this." he replied, "Kirai, you know what to do." The eel from before slithered behind Arina and coiled itself around Arina's leg.

She panicked and tried to throw it off, "What is this slimy thing!? Get off!" she screeched.

"That is Kirai, she is my friend." Lord Komatsu smiled evilly as the eel tightened her grip on Arina, "Careful, she bites."

"What is wrong with you!? Why are you doing this!?"

"Because I want you to kill Inuyasha and this is the easiest way to get you to do what I want."

"But why do you want him dead!? Just what exactly will that accomplish!?"

"You see, because of him I am unable to kill his very lovely daughter."

Arina laughed, "What's that? Are you talking about Hanyuu? She's dead, idiot! What are you talking about!?"

"Oh she is, is she? Fine then, don't believe me. But would you really risk her like that?"

"She IS dead, you're lying and I know it. And anyway, how would killing Inuyasha make it easier for you to kill her even if she was alive?"

"Because that half demon's love for his daughter is so powerful that it has built up a barrier that is protecting her so I am unable to touch her soul, eliminating him would make finishing her off and consuming her a lot easier." he explained.

"And what if I told Inuyasha about all of this?" she threatened, "Then what would you do?"

"Oh that is simple, if you tell anybody about our conversation then I will simply kill that lover of yours, Ren."

"How would you know if I told anyone or not?"

"That is why I brought Kirai along with me, she will be keeping a close eye on you and will know if you open your mouth. And if she knows; I know. Our minds are connected you know."

"So what if I just killed the eel? Would you die too?"

"I'm afraid not. It's only our minds that are joined, not our senses. Well anyway, I think that I shall be going now. Take care!"

Arina growled, "You monster."

He was about to turn and take his leave before he stopped, "Oh and another thing, if you don't finish Inuyasha off quickly enough, let's say in a month, I will also kill his precious little sisters, Tomoyo and Yuki; that Hobo boy too. Travelling through that well will be no trouble if I have Hanyuu with me, I'll just have to think of an excuse to get her to go with me. Well that is all, goodbye now Arina my sweet." he grinned as he vanished into thin air.

Arina looked down at her leg to find that Kirai had also disappeared, but was she hiding in a nearby bush waiting for her to tell someone about Hanyuu, even if her father was lying could she risk Hanyuu's life?

"Arina? Are you alright?" Ren asked walking out and standing before her, "I heard shouting."

She was about to explain what had happened when she heard a faint rustle in the bushes and a hiss, she muttered awkwardly, "Um, yes. Everything is fine."

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><p><strong>Uh oh, Arina can't tell Inuyasha about anything! Will she kill him for Ren, Tomoyo Yuki and Hōjō's sake!? Find out in the next chapter! Review if you enjoyed! ~Happy<strong>


	5. Arina's Dilemma

**I have been recently reading a lot of Sesshomaru x Kagome content and I seem to be slowly falling for this couple, first I read the Raindrops Doujinshi by YokaiYume on DeviantART and I am currently reading the fanfic: Tales From The House of the Moon by Resmiranda. Both stories touched me emotionally and even broke my heart a little, although I am fully aware that Sesshomaru and Kagome would not work as a canon couple it's still nice to read a little about them every now and then. Plus, some of their fanart is absolutely breathtaking! But don't worry, I still ship Inuyasha x Kagome and they are still a pair in my story. ****So thank you again for your reviews, favourites and follows and I hope you enjoy the latest chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha; I only own the characters that aren't included in the anime/manga.**

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><p>Chapter Five<p>

Kikyo entered Inuyasha and Kagome's hut with a bail of crushed ice and set it down beside the sleeping Kagome. She then carefully wrapped up a small handful of ice-cubes in a clean cloth and placed it gently on Kagome's forehead, hoping that it would help to rid her of her fever.

Kagome's eyelids lifted sluggishly at the cool sensation that had surfaced just above her brow, she raised her arm to feel the cold cloth and then noticed the elder priestess sitting at her bedside. "K-Kikyo? What are you...?" she whispered hoarsely.

Kikyo simply raised her finger to her lips to silence her, "Go back to sleep, Kagome. In order for you to recover from this fever, you need to rest." she whispered.

Kagome relaxed and laid back more comfortably into the futon, her stomach was ridiculously large now and it was becoming more difficult to move around every day; it didn't help that she had come down with a stupid fever either!

"How is your stomach? Does it still hurt?" Kikyo asked, peering down at the younger priestess' large belly with concern.

"No, it isn't that bad today. I mean it's swelled a little but it's not exactly painful."

"Would you mind if I took a look at it?"

"Not at all." Kagome replied she removed the futon sheet and opened the front of her kimono, revealing her bloated tummy.

Kikyo placed her palm on Kagome's stomach and rubbed it lightly, she also leant down and pressed her ear against the fleshy balloon. She could feel something stirring beneath the skin, something small and fragile; it was the faint drumming of a child's heartbeat. What? The infant was only six months old at the most but it was already fully grown and moving around in the womb. Had Hanyuu been like this too in her fetus? Were all half demon pregnancies so short compared to human ones?

Sitting up straight and putting on her usual, concealed expression she spoke gently, "Alright. Now please sleep."

Kagome smiled before closing her eyes and trying to resume her relatively pleasant slumber.

Kikyo watched her for a while longer before quietly standing and walking outside into the chilly landscape, she sat down on the step just outside of the hut and stared into the horizon: it was sunset. The sun was low and the clouds were sprayed with hot pinks and bright oranges, they looked as if they had been painted across the sky with a giant paintbrush like coloured ink on a very large canvas.

The gentle sunlight was reflecting onto the clean, white snow and dancing around the area like fairy lights or pixie-dust. It was also surprisingly warm and comfortable for such a cold winter's day which created a calm atmosphere and made Kikyo feel quite content as she closed her eyes and leant back against the outside of the wooden hut.

The faint sound of boots lightly crunching the snow beneath them as they walked over it and a familiar dominating presence caused Kikyo to smile to herself before addressing the stranger who was approaching. "Sesshomaru." she muttered.

The dog demon Lord approached her casually and glanced down at her, waiting for her to open her eyes and look up at him.

However, she did not open her eyes nor did she raise her head as she spoke again. "You were just with Inuyasha, weren't you?" she said calmly.

Sesshomaru did not reply, how on earth had she known he had wasted and entire day with his stupid half-demon brother? Had she followed him and watched him own Inuyasha with his skills from afar? No. Stalking did not really seem like the priestess' style so he pushed that possibility aside. "Yes. What of it?" he asked flatly.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she finally opened her eyes and gazed up at him, "I am just happy for the pair of you that you were able to see past your differences and finally act like a proper family."

Act like a proper family? Inuyasha and Sesshomaru? They bickered constantly and threatened to kill one another almost ever day. He decided not to comment on her last UNTRUE statement so he shifted his gaze over to the setting sun.

Kikyo chuckled silently at his pride and ego as she too looked over at the dusty horizon-line. She had been thinking about quite some time now but she had been a little unsure on who to ask, maybe Sesshomaru could put her mind at rest and cease her worrying. "May I ask you something? It has been on my mind for quite some time but I was insure on who to consult." she asked hesitantly.

He continued to stare into the golden sky but listened carefully to whatever she was about to say, he wondered just what it was that was troubling her.

"You're a powerful demon Lord who should be rather knowledgeable when it comes to demon pregnancies, aren't you? So tell me... what exactly are the symptoms when one is carrying a half-demon child?" she asked.

"Why do you ask such a thing?"

"It's about Kagome, I have been rather worried about her recently." she confessed worriedly. "Kaede told me that her sickness is a little worse than an ordinary human pregnancy, I know that maybe because of the demon blood that has been added to the mixture but it still concerns me. She is apparently not handling this baby as well as she had done with Hanyuu, the swelling and oddly shaped bruises on her stomach are also quite alarming..."

"That all sounds rather ordinary to me." Sesshomaru admitted, taking a seat beside the troubled priestess.

"Yes but, how quickly is the child supposed to develop? Because it already seems fully grown to me!" she exclaimed, "I understand that I am no expert when it comes to demon birthing and such, but I do care for Kagome more than I let on and I want to make sure that she is alright."

"Well a full demon child would grow in no time at all, I estimate in around three-four months whereas you humans take at least nine to even go into labour so it would make sense that a half-demon would develop some time in-between those two time spans." he explained calmly, "And besides, the priestess is strong, she has delivered an infant with demon blood flowing in its veins before so it should be nothing new to the woman."

"So what you are saying is that... she is going to be okay?" Kikyo asked, sounding incredibly relieved, "Oh thank goodness!"

There was a short silence which allowed Kikyo to catch her breath, Kagome was going to be fine, it was all alright. She felt even more relieved that she would not have to worry Inuyasha with any of this, in fact she decided to not bring the matter up again.

A strong arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her closer to Sesshomaru surprised the priestess as she glanced across at him nervously. The expression that was plastered onto his face was making her cheeks turn pink; she tried to calm herself in an attempt to reduce the redness of her face but the demon Lord did not make it easier by smirking devilishly handsome smile at her as he chuckled at her reaction to his touch. Her heart began to beat faster as his gaze became more intense, it was so loud that surely he must have been able to hear it by now.

She looked away awkwardly, trying to conceal her blush and sighed in defeat. "Oh, Sesshomaru. The things you do to me. It is a great achievement to be able to make I, Kikyo, act this way." she spoke as confidently as she could.

"But are you are not my woman now? Is it not natural for me to treat you in this way?"

"Well yes..." she whispered as he pulled her so close that she was leaning against his shoulder comfortably. She closed her eyes and nestled her nose into his white sleeve and inhaled his musky smell, it was warm and she felt quite at home.

"Well well. Are you two like a thing now then?"

The pair looked up to see Inuyasha smirking with the Tetsusaiga slung across his shoulder, he looked very amused and was chuckling slightly.

"Yes. What of it?" Sesshomaru scowled at his younger brother's annoying timing.

"I just find it ironic that how someone as stubborn and bossy as you, Sesshomaru, who originally claimed to hate humans decided to let a human girl tag along with you, and now to make things even better you're in love with a human woman!" he exclaimed before bursting out into hysterical laughter, "The irony!"

Sesshomaru snarled at his younger brother and snapped, "Silence, half-breed. Do not be such a hypocrite."

"Hypocrite!? I never said that I absolutely despised humans like you did! I just said that they were weak and annoying!" Inuyasha fought back.

"And yet you also ended up with a human woman. But at least it did not take me so many years to speak my feelings out loud, how long did it take you? Two... three years to get the guts to say 'I love you'?"

"Urgh... just... shut up, okay!"

"That was not exactly your greatest comeback, fool."

Kikyo chuckled at their immaturity as she slid away from Sesshomaru's grasp and rose to her feet. "Well, I am going to see if Kagome needs any assistance. Have fun and play nice, boys." she smiled.

* * *

><p>Arina leapt through forests and valleys, she hurdled high cliffs and left lakes in her dust as she continued to head south. She had told Ren to keep an eye on Inuyasha whilst she went to attend to some 'business', he was a little suspicious but agreed after a little convincing. Before she even considered killing Inuyasha for her father, she needed to know if Hanyuu was actually still alive and that it wasn't just her father telling lies. For an ordinary demon even with a highly developed nose, the king's scent would be rather difficult to follow but not for Arina; being his flesh and blood made her immune to his scent masking and she was able to follow the trail which he had left behind without breaking a sweat.<p>

If she had ever wanted to find her father in the past she would have simply looked around a little until she sensed his presence and followed his scent like she was doing now. But then again, she had never really wanted to see her father at all before now, in fact she still didn't; she was only going to find Hanyuu who was supposedly a prisoner in his dwelling. After all his years of studying and desiring the winged people, if Hanyuu was in fact still living then he should be over-joyed. Why couldn't he just study her in person and befriend her? Why did he NEED to kill her and consume her lifeforce? He already had the life span of a demon though he appeared more human than any demon man you would ever lay eyes upon, if Hanyuu had met with him then she would not have known he was a great demon overlord who long ago dared to oppose even the fiercest demon of the western lands, Inu no Taishō.

Many centuries ago when the great dog demon Lord was still around, he faced a deadly foe; an elemental demon warlord who would act as a human to gain power and wealth only to then use it to slaughter every human around for entertainment, he called himself Komatsu. An elemental demon was a creature with powers superior to most demon-kind, they could control the weather and the four seasons; they could also control people's minds and manipulate their hearts with ease. He was indeed a great threat. However, he was defeated by the dog demon, stripped of his powers and banished to the south never to enter the powerful Lord's territory again or bother any of his underlings again.

So why had he broken the agreement now? He had been laying low for so long and staying away from trouble... well, until he killed his wife. Could it be that he had been slowly regaining his powers and preparing another evil plot? If that was true then Arina really needed to hurry, and if it was a trap - she would have to think of something to get herself out of it.

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><p><em>"Shun? What exactly is snow?" <em>Hanyuu asked curiously as she lay on her back on the frosty ground with her right hand extended up in an attempt to catch the falling white stars and examine them.

"I don't know. It's just... snow, I guess." he muttered picking up a handful from the ground from the icy rock that he was sitting on and also examining it.

A tiny flower shaped snowflake landed in the palm of her hand and rested there peacefully, she lowered her arm and brought it closer to her face so she was able to properly study it. But alas, the coldness of the small crystal was easily diminished by the heat of her palm as it quickly melted. _"But just what is it, I wonder?" _she whispered to herself.

Shun gazed down at her as she pondered about the shimmering frozen raindrops, he wondered what it was about the falling snow that fascinated her so. She looked so tranquil simply laying there in the sleet, lost in her own little world. Maybe his suspicions about Lord Komatsu had been correct, maybe his Lord WAS in love with Hanyuu after all. Well, how could Shun blame him? She really was very beautiful. Any man would be incredibly lucky to win her heart.

Speaking of which, he wondered if Hanyuu had ever been in love before herself. She would have undoubtedly have had many admirers already but had she ever harboured feelings for any of them?

She smiled to herself as she caught another tiny fallen fragment, _"You__ know, each flake almost looks like a small piece of starlight. They truly are magical creations."_

Shun was more focused on how the glint in her eyes also looked like starlight than the snowflakes with the way that they shone whenever she smiled, or how they reflected the fresh sunlight and gleaming of the snowfall.

The sound of a branch snapping a few feet away caught his attention as he sprung up and sheathed his sword defensively.

_"What is wrong?" _Hanyuu asked, lifting her head slightly and peering up at him.

"I thought I heard something." he whispered, tightening the grip on his sword, "Don't move, okay?"

She lowered her head once again and silenced, she watched Shun as he stood still and ready. There was no movement for a few minutes however the samurai did not lower his blade, he was sure that someone or something was watching and waiting until they let their guard down.

Another snap of a twig caused Shun to leap on top of Hanyuu, cover her mouth to keep her quiet and roll into a snow-coated bush in order to hide. "Shh." he whispered down to the half-demon girl beneath him as he raised his finger up against his lips, "Don't make a sound."

The two listened hard for more noises and the suspense continued to grow, Hanyuu's ears perked up trying to hear more clearly and Shun's hand tightened over her mouth.

Just when Shun was sure whoever was near was about to strike, the feeling that he was being watched left him as did the strange presence making him remove his palm from Hanyuu's face, allowing her to breathe more easily. He peered down at her and asked, "Sorry about that. You okay?"

_"Yeah, it just surprised me a little when you grabbed me and shoved me into a bush." _she giggled.

"What did you think I was going to do? Force a kiss on you or something?" he joked.

_"Well... it wouldn't be the first time that something like that has happened to me. I wouldn't be all that surprised if you did something like that."_

"Oh Hanyuu, I've already told you a million times that I don't use women for something so shallow. Why would you even think something like that?"

_"Um, can we maybe get out of this bush now if the coast is clear? It's just it's kind of uncomfortable in here."_

Shun sat up and helped Hanyuu out of the shrubbery back onto the path. He then offered her his arm and escorted her back to Komatsu's castle.

* * *

><p>Arina relaxed as Hanyuu left for the palace with the unfamiliar samurai, she had been spying on the girl but accidentally stepped on a fallen branch and alerted her companion.<p>

When she had first spotted the half-demon girl she had intended to jump out and embrace her happily but stopped herself when she realized that Hanyuu had 'died' just before Arina and Ren had switched sides from bad to good, if she had just popped out Hanyuu would have been afraid and the samurai would have most likely tried to slay her.

But none of that mattered right now because Hanyuu was alive! Arina could not wait to tell Inuyasha and Kagome the good news but she stopped when she remembered her father's words, _"If you tell anyone about our conversation then I will simply kill that lover of yours, Ren." _

"Damn." she cursed under her breath. If she even considered speaking of this to anyone, Ren's life would be put in danger, Tomoyo, Yuki and Hōjō's too. "You're still here too, aren't you?" she snapped down at something on the ground by her feet.

Kirai the demon eel was slithering around her feet and hissing at her. Arina sighed aggressively and snarled at her, "If you weren't stalking me then I'd be able to do something useful for once!" Kirai simply grinned an evil toothy grin.

"Ah, my little Arina! You came all this way just to visit me! You have never done this before!"

Arina snarled heavily as she locked eyes with Lord Komatsu, he chuckled and walked closer to his daughter only to have a small horde of fire shot at him which he only just avoided.

"Take it easy, my sweet. I was only greeting you like a loving father would greet his cherished daughter."

"Oh spare me your false words!" she scolded, "I thought that Hanyuu was supposed to be a prisoner! She seems pretty free and happy here to me!"

"Well she has to be comfortable if I am to get my own way."

"What exactly does that mean? 'Get your own way'?"

"If I consume her lifeforce immediately after Inuyasha is killed, the angel blood will then become scarce and there shall be no more. She needs an heir to carry on her bloodline and heritage so the solution is simple - I need to breed her; and of course I cannot do so if she does not like me."

Arina was sickened by his foul plot as she shrieked in disgust, "You filthy creature! How could you do such an awful thing to someone as pure as her!?"

"Because I'm evil, duh." he chuckled darkly.

She snarled and stepped back, now what was she supposed to do!? If she didn't go back and inform the others of what she had learned, Hanyuu would be doomed, but if she did talk then Ren would be in danger! However, she could not just leave Hanyuu here for the king to do as he pleased with her either! What in the world was she supposed to do!?

"Oh Arina, I really did not want to do this but I have no choice. You know too much." he sighed.

"What do you...?" her sentence was cut short as Kirai sunk her teeth into her leg and made her slowly lose consciousness. "Damn you..." she snarled before everything went black and she fell to the ground.

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><p><strong>Oh dear, Lord Komatsu wants to impregnate Hanyuu! :O NOOO! He'd better stay away from her or else! If Inuyasha finds out he's going to kill him! Leave a review if you enjoyed and thank you for reading! ~Happy <strong>


	6. Escape

**Aaaaarrrgggghhhh! I hate English essays! They make me depressed and I cannot concentrate on them no matter what I do! So when I should have been working on my writing piece I was secretly writing this chapter, muhahahahaha! Anyway I hope that you enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha; I only own the characters that aren't included in the anime/manga.**

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><p>Chapter Six<p>

Inuyasha sighed in annoyance as he felt the lingering presence of a certain individual, the scent had been tickling his nostrils and making his ears twitch for a while now, making it harder and harder to ignore the feeling that he was being pursued. "What do you want? Lizard boy?" he snarled loudly, recieving a low pitched chuckle from the trees behind.

Ren hopped down from his hiding place and grinned arrogantly at the half demon standing before him. "Oh, nothing." he replied, shaking his head and trying to act as innocently as he could, "I was just bored and wondered where you were slinking off to."

"I'm sure there are much more interesting people to spy on than me." Inuyasha frowned, "Why don't you go and keep Arina or someone else company?"

"Because Kagome told me that you've been disappearing out into the forest a lot recently and she thinks you're up to something, so I decided to see what it is you're doing."

"Well, you can tell her that I'm just busy and I'll be back later. Now get lost!"

Ren raised an eyebrow in suspicion and stated jokingly, "Just busy, eh? You must really like trekking around in three meters of snow every day just for fun then. You can fool everyone else but you can't fool me that easily, Inuyasha. I _will_ find out what you're up to sooner or later."

Inuyasha let out a low growl from the back of his throat and glared at the young man with fiery red hair. "Changing the subject, I don't suppose you've seen Sesshomaru have you?" he asked.

"I regret to say that I haven't. But why ever would you be wondering where your elder brother is right now? From what I heard from the fox boy, you two aren't exactly the _best _of friends. I don't suppose that he too is in on this secret of yours, is he?"

"Urgh! Will you shut up! There is no secret!" Inuyasha snapped at him, the Dragon's persistence was beginning to irritate him and he desperately wanted to run so that he was far away from his spying eyes.

A loud tiresome sigh silenced the pair as they turned their heads to see Sesshomaru leaning against a frosty tree trunk with an expression of true boredom plastered onto his face, he appeared to have been waiting there for a while now. "Finished so soon, are we?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"There he is, Inuyasha. _He_ came looking for _you_." Ren chuckled, "Now be good little doggies and tell me what's going on."

Ignoring Ren's command, Sesshomaru addressed Inuyasha, "Draw your sword, little brother." he ordered firmly.

Inuyasha drew his gaze away from Ren and chuckled confidently, "I think it'd be a better idea for you to draw _yours_ first!" he jeered.

Sesshomaru unsheathed Bakuseiga and held it in front of him in a sinister manor, "As you wish, half breed."

Ren snarled at the fact they had simply ignored him like that, what bad little doggies they were! He made a mental note to ask Kagome to sit Inuyasha later for his rudeness, and as for Sesshomaru? He would get Rin to punish him somehow, she could tease him over his relationship with Kikyo again! He didn't like that!

Inuyasha pulled out the Tetsusaiga and held it out in front of him just like his brother and laughed arrogantly, "You're going to hell for sure!" he shouted.

Ren was confused, so they were only sparring? There was no secret? Was that all they had been up to for these past few weeks? Maybe after losing his first pup, Inuyasha felt that he needed to become stronger for his new one so he asked Sesshomaru to be his training partner? That made sense a little but why did they feel the need to come this far away from the village? Probably to avoid being seen not attempting to kill one another.

"Save your words." Sesshomaru spoke in monotone before lunging at Inuyasha with his sword only to strike the hard earth as Inuyasha leaped out of the way just in time.

"You're getting a little rusty, Sesshomaru. You really must be getting old, you move just like Kaede!" he teased as he landed beside a frozen tree stump that had been chopped down a couple of weeks ago by Miroku who had needed more wood to make a new table as Setsuko had trashed the other in her tantrum simply because Sango would not allow her to play in her new best kimono. Ah, children.

"Silence. You are the one who requires more training, not I." he snarled, running over to him and striking again.

After jumping out of the way and up high above his older brother, Inuyasha held Tetsusaiga up above his head and swung it down at Sesshomaru screaming, "WIND SCAR!"

The streams of large demonic energy slashed down in the dog demon Lord's direction only to be reflected by Bakuseiga's sheath. Sesshomaru had borrowed this technique from Inuyasha when he saw him using Tetsusaiga's sheath to deflect an attack in the past. When the energy was eventually diminished, Sesshomaru nodded his head slightly in approval and muttered, "Not bad."

Ren jumped out of the brothers line of fire and sat in a tree to watch them, he wondered why Arina had wanted him to keep an eye on Inuyasha whilst she went away somewhere. Just what was it she had wanted him to do? What exactly could she gain from him observing the half demon? Although he wasn't quite sure what it was, something told him told him that he wasn't stalking Inuyasha to gain information or attack him; he was beginning to believe that Arina wanted him well protected. But surely he could look after _himself_ adequately enough? And he had Sesshomaru with him too who was twice as powerful as he was, so why would he need _Ren_ to help? Unless she wanted everything reported back to her. He sighed and slumped down in the tree branches, preparing for a long day of watching this game of swordplay.

* * *

><p>The sickeningly sweet scent of burning incense tickling at Arina's nostrils caused her to open her eyes sluggishly, when her vision cleared she studied her surroundings. She was laid in a large king sized bed with purple velvet curtains in a huge room that smelled of roses and lilies, the smell was so strong Arina felt the need to cover her nose and bury her face into the bed sheets before she realized that they too were strongly scented.<p>

"Good day to you, miss. I take it that you had an adequate enough rest?" came a woman's voice from the side of the bed.

Arina shifted her gaze to the right to see a serving woman with kind amber eyes smiling down at her. "And you are...?" she asked quietly as her voice sore for some reason.

"Oh I do apologize! Forgive me for not introducing myself, Lady Arina!" she pleaded, bowing her head with respect, "My name is Ai."

"How do you know who I am?" she asked curiously, only to regret speaking again as she realized that she had an awful headache that throbbed whenever she used her voice.

"Everyone here knows who _you _are, miss." she smiled, "You are our Lord's only daughter whom he lost many years ago. He often speaks of you and often prayed that you should return to him someday, and now you have!"

"Oh." Arina croaked resting her head back down on the soft bed and looking up at the cream coloured ceiling. So her father had been playing the nice guy and made everyone believe that he had not killed his wife and then tried to kill her. He really was a crafty man.

Just as Ai was about to stand and leave Arina reached out and grabbed her arm rather suddenly, alarming her. "Um, yes miss?" she asked shyly.

"Tell me..." she started, "Is there... a young girl here in this castle? Half demon to be specific?" she asked dryly.

"Do you mean Mistress Hanyuu? Our Lord's concubine?" she asked.

"CONCUBINE?" Arina practically screamed as she sat up swiftly and grabbed both of Ai's shoulders fiercely, "When you say concubine, do you mean... CONCUBINE?"

Ai trembled at the young woman's sudden mood swing as she stuttered, "W-Well actually, I should say concubine _to be _as he has yet to propose the matter to her. Everyone was informed but we were ordered not to tell her under any circumstances."

"YOU MEAN THAT HE HAS AUDACITY TO BROADCAST TO EVERYONE THAT SHE BELONGS TO HIM WHEN SHE HAS NO KNOWLEDGE OF HIS CLAIM WHATSOEVER!?" she shouted louder, tightening her grip on Ai's shoulders and unintentionally digging her nails into the human woman's flesh.

Ai whimpered in pain and squeezed her eyes shut in fear, Arina paused when she realized she was hurting the woman and let her hands drop quickly. "I'm sorry! I really am! Forgive me!" she pleaded, panicking.

The servant simply smiled falsely, "Oh no, it is _me _that should be apologizing, mistress!" she replied shaking her hands frantically, "I did not mean to provoke you so!"

Arina felt bad at taking her anger out on the innocent servant before her, it was not her fault that her father was so vile and low after all. "So... what's this concubine thing?" she asked more calmly this time.

"Yes, miss." she nodded, "It all began when the master discovered her and one of our guards in the castle temple consulting the head priest on something, he fell for her charms instantly and planned to make her his."

"But why not make her his wife? A concubine is simply a relationship between a wealthy man of high authority and a woman of his choice that is... well... sexual." she winced at the last word that came out of her mouth. She knew the answer to that question herself. Like he had told her previously, he only planned to 'breed' her in order to carry on the winged bloodline. It was inevitable that when she had birthed him a healthy child or two he would just kill her off without a second thought.

"That I do not know, maybe he does intend to make her his bride later on?" Ai suggested.

Arina snorted, like that would happen; what exactly was wrong with these people? Were they blind or something? He was clearly a monster with evil intentions! True it was almost impossible for a mere human to realize that he was a demon but surely SOMEONE had noticed or even been a little suspicious of him before... unless he had killed them off too.

She needed to warn Hanyuu of this mess, but how? The half demon was unaware that she was on Inuyasha's side now so she would not trust her so easily. But what about the guard? Maybe she could convince him and then he would help Hanyuu to believe her story? It was not an amazing plan but it was the best she could come up with at the moment. "Who the guard who was accompanying her in the castle temple? And where is he now?" she asked.

"His name is Shun, he is usually with Hanyuu acting as her own personal guard. It gets lonely here in this huge palace and one can never be too careful when it comes to ones you care about." she replied honestly.

Excellent, she had located him... sort of. She just needed to know where Hanyuu was now to find the pair of them. It was like hitting two birds with one stone, only without hitting them with a stone... and they weren't birds either... okay it wasn't really like that at all. "So where abouts in the castle is the girl right now? she asked, trying to sound curious and innocent.

"Her room in the northern part of the castle, it is on the lower floor and leads right out into the palace gardens. Why do you ask?"

"Oh... why? Um, I..." she stuttered awkwardly. Great. Just great. Now what was she supposed to say? What excuse would cover for her nosy ways? "I... wanted to pay her a visit!" she exclaimed, "Yes! That's why I wanted to know!"

Ai's expression changed to one of worry as he stuttered shyly, "I'm sorry but the Lord ordered that she not be disturbed. Shun is the only exception as she needs company and someone to look after her."

"I see..." she said disappointingly. Damn, getting to the girl was going to be real challenge now. Her father truly was no fool and was doing everything in his power to keep her away from Hanyuu, how perplexing. But why should something as little as that stop her? She leapt from the bed in a flash and grabbed the fresh kimono that was laid across the bed sheets. Wasting no time, she threw off her sleeping kimono and jumped into the new one much to Ai's surprise as she simply stood staring in astonishment.

"Um, miss?" she stuttered, "What are you...?"

Now properly dressed and combing her long plum coloured hair with her fingers, Arina turned to Ai and spoke loudly, "I would like to go and take a stroll in the gardens!"

"But it is cold and the ground is covered in snow, would you not prefer to stay inside?"

"Nope! I want to go outside!"

"... Very well then, mistress. I shall accompany you around the gardens." she sighed in defeat.

"Oh no! I would not want to trouble you and I would very much prefer to go alone!" she insisted, "I will be fine! Don't worry about!"

"But..."

"But nothing! Now run along to... wherever it is that you run along to when someone tells you to do so."

Ai nodded and bowed her head respectfully before leaving the room at last. If Hanyuu's room lead out into the gardens like she had said then surely she would be able to reach the room from the outside! Well, even if it didn't work it was something to go on. But how to avoid Hanyuu recognizing her? She needed a disguise!

* * *

><p>Hanyuu was bored.<p>

Shun was out sparring with the other guards of the castle so she was now alone with nothing to do but sit around on her backside.

Well that was not entirely true but she had already done everything that she could think to occupy herself with so far: first she had lit some incense only to extinguish it immediately due to the foul scent it had emitted, she had painted a large picture of the sky on a canvas which was now drying on the other side of the room, she had played with the face powders and lip coloring's that Ai had left for her and she had also made a blue paper fan which she was using to fan herself; however, since it was winter and a fan was used to cool a person when they were hot, it was practically useless and making it had been a waste of her time.

She sighed aggressively from the hard floor on which she was laying and rolled over onto her other side, she yawned as she created even more wind with the fan and directed it onto her face.

_"Mom. Dad."_ she whispered to herself, _"I wonder what you're doing right now."_

"Well I don't know about Kagome but Inuyasha is probably chewing on a bone or a slab of meat like mutts usually do."

The sudden voice from behind alarmed her as she sat up instantly and pointed the fan imagining that it was Sō'unga at whoever had spoken. She smiled widely at first as she thought it was Shun but her expression changed instantly when she realized that his hair was black and in a higher ponytail than Shun's was, she was about to scream for Ai before she paused and studied him properly. When she realized who he was she sighed in relief and shrieked happily, _"Kōga!"  
><em>

The wolf demon chuckled as he threw off his samurai outfit and laughed, "Hey there, mini mutt."

She beamed at him happily before pondering and asking, _"Wait, what are you even doing here? And aren't you surprised that I aren't um... you know? Dead?"_

"Well, it's kind of a funny story actually." he started, "You see, I was on my way to pay Kagome and mutt-face a visit when I overheard that Arina woman talking with this guy who she called father in the woods. So I hid in a tree and eavesdropped for a while. Her father was saying that he had you in his castle or something and she was freaking out over the fact that you were still alive as was I at the time, she was going to tell Inuyasha about you but he knocked her out before she could and made off with her."

_"What? You mean to say that Arina isn't evil anymore?" _she asked in confusion.

"Nope, she and Ren switched sides right at the end. Smart choice if you ask me."

_"So if she's with you, why didn't you try to help her?"_

"I uh... I thought it would be wiser if I followed the guy, that way I could save both her and you at the same time."

_"Well, I guess that does make sense..." _she muttered, _"But how did you get in here without being killed?"_

"Easy, I knocked out this samurai round near the back entrance and stole his clothes. He didn't put up much of a fight though and he didn't seem to mind that I was removing his clothes, I think he may have been a homosexual or something, not that that's a bad thing or anything. But gee, it sure is hard being as attractive as I am; I get men AND women after me!" he joked.

He coughed awkwardly when Hanyuu did not laugh at his humor so he shrugged it off, her response made him feel even more awkward. _"So you're telling me that there is a man somewhere outside without any clothes on because you stripped them from him with your bare hands?" _she asked.

"...Erm... yes?" he nodded hesitantly, smiling falsely and laughing slightly.

_"Wow, and I thought it was Miroku who was the hormonally active one. Only he goes after just women but it looks like you don't really have a gender preference." _she muttered making him shake his head frantically.

"Hey!" he protested, "It isn't like that!"

Before Hanyuu could make a sarky comment, she was stopped by the sliding of the screen leading to the outside. A woman wearing a long red veil slithered in and grabbed Hanyuu's hands much to hers and Kōga's surprise.

"You must leave, Hanyuu!" she said squeezing the half demon's hands tighter, "You cannot stay here any longer!"

_"Um, who are you? And how do you know my name? Have we met before?" _Hanyuu asked as the woman continued to hold her hands.

"Oh come on Arina, get that stupid piece of silk off now." Kōga sighed, pulling the veil away to reveal a rather shocked looking Arina.

"W-Wha...?" she stuttered, "How did you...?"

"Uh, this thing is kind of see-through, you know?" he pointed out as he held the translucent veil up, "You should have just thrown a sheet over your head and pretended to be a ghost."

"Right..." she said in embarrassment. Now Hanyuu knew who she was she would undoubtedly call for help so now she was doomed, damn that stupid wolf. If it weren't for him then... hold on. Just what was he doing here anyway? No-one else knew of Hanyuu's location or the fact that she was even alive so how had he got here? "What exactly are you doing here, wolf?" she asked suspiciously.

"Oh yeah, I followed you after your father kidnapped you." he replied bluntly.

"Really? You didn't even consider helping me?" she asked, rather surprised at his brutal honesty, "Or informing Inuyasha and the others of my kidnapping?"

_"That's what I said." _Hanyuu nodded in agreement.

"Stop ganging up on me you two!" he snapped, "I did what was right at the time!"

Arina was about to fight back when she remembered Hanyuu, why was she still not trembling in fear because of her? She looked down at the girl and asked, "Um, Hanyuu? Why haven't you freaked out over me switching sides? You still think I'm evil, don't you?"

_"I did." _she nodded, _"But Kōga showed up literally a few seconds before you did and explained the full story to me."_

"He did, did he? Looks like he does have his uses then."

"Shut up lady!" he snapped, "Anyway, come on! We have to go now!

Hanyuu was confused, why did they have to leave? Despite how boring it was, it seemed relatively safe here aside from Lord Komatsu but it was warm and she had Shun to keep her company. She didn't really want to leave that much. _"Do we have to go?"_ she asked sweetly, _"It's just that I quite like it here."_

"Do you _want_ to get jiggy with the Lord of this castle?" Kōga asked bluntly.

_"Jiggy?" _she asked, _"What ever do you mean?"_

"Let me translate what he is trying to say for you." Arina sighed at his weird phrasing, "Basically my father wants to make you his concubine in order for you to birth a child, you see without an heir the winged blood will run out and he cannot take your lifeforce if there is no more to consume."

_"WHAAT?" _Hanyuu practically screamed in horror.

"It's true, mini mutt." Kōga nodded, "That's why you gotta get out of here as quickly as possible."

With that news, Hanyuu no longer had any complaints about leaving this castle. She only wished that Shun were here so that he could come along with her. _"Um... could we possibly wait for Shun to return so that he can accompany us too?" _she suggested, _"He's an incredibly skilled swordsman and he's a very reliable ally."_

"Sorry kiddo, but we don't have any time to waste." Kōga shook his head sadly, "We can't afford to wait any longer in case that creepy Lord comes checking up on you and finds us here."

Hanyuu sighed in disappointment and nodded, she had become rather fond of the young samurai's company and leaving him behind saddened her; but if it was for the best then nothing could be done. And after all he had done for her, the least she could do to repay him was to keep him safe by not involving him any further.

The three slid open the door to the snowy gardens and trekked out into the harsh cold, it was almost nightfall and it was beginning to snow heavily. Hanyuu's thick four layered kimono was making it incredibly difficult to walk in so Kōga sighed and slung her over his shoulder, this would speed things up rapidly and increase their chances of escaping unnoticed.

Arina glanced back at the lantern lit castle and wondered how long it would take for her father to realize that Hanyuu was gone, would he come after her? Of course he would! What a stupid question to ask herself! Snapping out of her thoughts, she shouted over to Kōga, "Hey wolf! Aren't you cold in that ridiculous skimpy outfit? Cause I know I am in this layered one that I'm wearing!"

"Not at all!" he shouted back, "Besides, Kagome's green and white garment that she used to wear was waaaaay skimpier than this! It literally ONLY just covered her bottom half! Well it didn't do that job whenever she was in battle or falling." He chuckled to himself at the memory of Kagome's short skirt... and the lovely view that it blessed everyone with occassionally.

_"You and Miroku must get along really well." _Hanyuu muttered to herself. He would have gotten along well with Onigumo too if he'd ever met him... She shook her head vigourously and bashed it against Kōga's shoulder, trying to shake the bandit out of her head which was not working (she was giving Kōga bruises if anything).

"Stop!" Arina shouted over the howling of the wind, "We're being followed!"

"Followed? By who?" Kōga shouted, sniffing the freezing air, "I can't smell anything! Are you sure?"

"DUCK!" she screamed.

Kōga did as she said just in time to avoid the demon eel, Kirai lunging at him with her teeth bared. She plunged into the deep snow and slithered around underneath it like a worm in the dirt only to leap back out at Kōga once again. He punched her in the face, sending her plummeting back into the snow where she snaked around unaffected by his fist.

"Can someone tell me how the hell a frigging eel is moving around without any water!?" Kōga yelled, kicking her slimy body when she came up and aimed for his arm.

"Don't ask me!" Arina shrieked, "She's been stalking me for hours now, waiting for me to make my move!"

"Make your move? What on earth are you going on about!?"

"My father told me that if I didn't kill Inuyasha, he would kill Ren and his sisters along with Hōjō! If I said or did anything related to Hanyuu then this demon eel would inform my father of what I'd done!"

Kōga punched Kirai with a great force sending her flying as he shouted, "But why does he want you to kill mutt-face? What will he gain from it?"

"He told me that his love is protecting Hanyuu! With him still around, my father can't touch her!"

Hanyuu's heart palpitated at the mention of her father as it yearned for him, simply catching a quick glimpse of him again would be enough for her now, she wanted to see him and her mother more than anything.

Kirai sprung out of the snow from behind the wolf demon and aimed for Hanyuu's neck.

"BEHIND YOU!" cried an unfamiliar voice from a couple of feet away.

Kōga spun around and held out his fist as it collided forcefully with Kirai's face sending her back into the snow where she slithered away, her mouth was bleeding badly and she had lost a few fangs in the impact. The wolf demon put Hanyuu down to examine his hand which had eel teeth stuck fast in his knuckles, he began pulling them out making disgusted noises with every pull.

Hanyuu looked over to where the strange voice that had warned them had originated from, she gasped happily at what she saw. Standing in the snow panting heavily, with his sword in his right arm: was Shun. He looked as if he had been dragged through a bush backwards and then ran five miles, but then again she probably looked like that too. _"Shun!" _she exclaimed happily as she ran to his side only to trip over the bottom of her kimono and land face-first in the deep snow. _"Ouchie." _she groaned, sitting up and rubbing her squished nose.

Shun knelt down and offered her his hand, "I see that your grace has not improved since we last met." he chuckled.

_"No not really." _she giggled, taking his hand and rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment.

Arina stared at the young samurai and assumed that he must have been the guard who accompanied her into the castle in the first place, did that mean that he was a friend and not a foe?

_"How did you find us?"_ Hanyuu asked him, now on her feet.

"I followed that eel that attacked you whilst you were bathing a couple of days ago."

"So she _was_ following you." Kōga said to Arina who nodded at him.

Arina sneezed violently, "Now not to change the subject but is there anywhere that we could shelter until this storm blows over?"

_"Yes, I agree. It is pretty cold out here." _Hanyuu nodded.

Kōga sniffed around and squinted his eyes in an attempt to see through the blizzard that was beginning to stir, "If I'm correct, the southern wolf tribe's den should be around here somewhere. I just have to catch a whiff of them but that's going to be a little tricky in this weather."

_"There is wolf scent coming from that direction." _Hanyuu shouted, shielding her face with her kimono sleeves from the biting of the chilly wind.

"What?" Kōga asked in confusion before he too caught the scent of wolves, "Oh, so there is. Good job, mini mutt." He was surprised that a _half _demon had caught the smell of his own kind before he, a full demon had but that didn't matter right now, all they needed at the moment was shelter.

It was Shun this time that lifted Hanyuu, saving Kōga the trouble before the group took large strides through the deep sea of snow towards the smell of fur and warmth, praying that it was the wolves den and not a demon's lair.

* * *

><p>"Are you guys ever going to call it a day and head back indoors?" Ren complained as Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's swords continued to clash, "You've been at this for hours and it looks like there's a blizzard on its way!"<p>

The two brothers landed on the soft snow and sheathed their blades. Sesshomaru nodded at his younger brother with an expression that looked relatively pleased for him. "Not bad at all." he said flatly which Inuyasha assumed to be a compliment.

"Not bad yourself." Inuyasha grinned, "But you need a _little_ more work before you're perfect."

"Silence, half breed. Kindly remember that it is _you _who is practicing, not I."

"Yeah yeah. You just keep thinking that you fight like a god." he teased.

"GUYS!" Ren practically shouted, catching the two's attention as they shot him irritated glares.

So he has been observing all this time?" Sesshomaru muttered to Inuyasha, "Is that the scent of a stalker I smell?"

"Yeah you said it." he whispered back, nodding.

Ren was growing tired of their annoying ways and he was considering leaving for the village on his own, despite Arina's orders that he keep watch over the half demon. He felt a wave of relief wash over him when he saw the two begin walking in the way of the village as he followed after them, however he was left behind in their dust as they seemed to be racing back. How incredibly childish of them, Ren had expected at least Sesshomaru to act a little mature but they really were both as bad as each other! Not that he could blame them though, they had not exactly had enjoyable childhoods and they had had a bad history together as siblings; living up to it now seemed a perfectly logical and understanding thing to do. Ren knew that if he could do the same with Tomoyo and Yuki, he would without a doubt.

* * *

><p><strong>End of the chapter! Aw, Inu and Sesshy bonding there ^.^ What do we think of Lord Komatsu and his plans on making Hanyuu his woman? And know that Kirai has seen Arina acting against her father and undoubtedly told him of what she had witnessed, what will he do? Will he stay true to his word and go after Ren, Hōjō, Tomoyo and Yuki? Read on to find out and review if you enjoyed! ~Happy<strong>


	7. Akane, Sweet Akane

**Aw thank you all for your lovely reviews, I really do appreciate the time that you take to read this story. Enjoy the chapter, I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha; I only own the characters that aren't included in the anime/manga.**

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><p>Chapter Seven<p>

It had been two days since Arina had left to attend to her secretive mission, and the snow was falling heavier by the hour. Ren was worried that something bad could have happened to her, it was unlike her to take so long on accomplishing a task that he had assumed was easy enough for her to handle alone but now he was beginning to consider the possibility that she may be in grave danger. Should he go searching for her? True, she had ordered him to stay behind and watch over Inuyasha, but surely the half demon would be alright with his friends nearby; and besides it wasn't like there was anyone around that posed a major threat to the group any more. Naraku had been defeated for good, and he and Arina had switched sides just at the last minute - a rather wise choice if he did say so himself.

"Um, mister Ren?"

He peered down from the high tree branch from which he was sitting to see one of the monk and the demon slayer's twin daughters (though he could not tell which one) standing at the foot of the tree and staring up at him. "What is it, twin number... uh? Never mind, is something wrong?" he asked, looking down and meeting her slightly concerned gaze. He had forgotten how to tell the two twins apart from one another since they looked so incredibly similar, and he had also forgotten the different coloured kimonos that separated one girl from the other.

Instead of answering him, she placed her hands on the icy trunk of the tall tree and attempted to crawl up to where Ren was sitting; before sliding straight back down and landing on her backside in a pile of snow. "Ow," she grunted, rubbing her now dirtied bottom, "That was rather shocking."

Ren sighed as she once again twisted her arms around the slippery bark coated skyscraper and pulled herself up far enough to reach the first sturdy branch, she let out a sigh of relief and put a hand to her heart, feeling the fast beating of a samba against her palm.

"Need a hand?" Ren asked, leaning down a little and offering her his left hand whilst his other secured him firmly to the higher branch, "Or do you want to fall on your face this time?"

She smiled and took it gratefully, he hauled her up and placed her down on the strong branch beside him where she clung to his arm because of the intimidating height. Her pink rosy kimono was now a pale dusty colour and dripping because of the dirt and snow that she had previously fallen onto and the red obi was slightly torn. Ren snorted, that's what she got for throwing herself around like a rag doll in such a fragile costume that was made for sitting in and looking pretty. Curly brunette locks of hair fell into her dark, chocolatey brown eyes causing her to lift her small hand and brush them away. However, the bangs simply continued to fall back into place, making her repeat the action of moving them. The cycle continued for a while and Ren found it strangely hypnotic - who would have known that watching a little girl play with her hair could be so fascinating to observe?

He coughed loudly which caught her attention and ceased her hair meddling, "Was there something in particular that you wanted from me?" he asked.

"I just wanted to know if you were okay," she smiled widely - a grin that reminded him of the slayer's, "You look a little sad and I haven't seen you with miss Arina for a few days. Are you two okay? Did you get into a fight or something?"

"No, uh. Not exactly," he replied hesitantly, unsure on how to phrase the situation and his ponderings to a five year old, "She just said that she had to go away for a little while but she hasn't come back yet, so I'm sort of worried about her. That's all it is."

"Did she go away _because _you had a fight?" she asked earnestly.

"Not really, we always have our little disagreements; this one wasn't really anything big but there was something different about her when she left, I could feel it."

"Don't worry, sir!" she chirped cheerfully. "Uncle Inuyasha and auntie Kagome get into little arguments all the time, but they always kiss and make up afterwards," she shifted closer to him and grinned strangely with a small glint in her eye, "and I'm not kidding about the kiss part, I've _seen _them do it. IN PUBLIC." she emphasized that last part as her grin widened, "I spied on them with Kohaku and Rin - we were playing secret agents."

Ren raised his eyebrow at the little girl and teased, "You have, have you? Forget secret agents, you sound more like creepy fangirls to me."

She pouted and raised her head haughtily, eyes closed and huffing. He chuckled again making her peek across at him with one eye, scowling. "And what is so funny, sir?" she asked as his laughter increased much to her frustration, "Well? Spit it out!"

He calmed his amusement and glanced over at the scornful look she was giving him. "You know you really shouldn't look at people like that," he tutted whilst shaking his head in disappointment, "it's rude and a frown like that simply doesn't suit a pretty little face such as yours in the slightest. You should smile instead, like you were doing before; it makes you look a lot cuter."

After seriously considering his comment, she softened her expression to its usual sweet one and returned to the original topic, "So are you going to wait for Arina to come back or are you going to go look for her?"

He lifted his hand and allowed his fingers to rub his stubbly chin as he decided on what to do, surely it wouldn't hurt it he only left Inuyasha for a _little _while? He wouldn't be alone and he would be well protected; and besides, just what kind of trouble could a half dog demon like him get into in such a short amount of time? None of course, good. Then it was settled - he would depart shortly and follow Arina's scent (it was a good thing that he and Arina were a mated pair, therefore he would be able to easily follow her scent, which was usually quite a hassle for any ordinary human or demon. Like Komatsu, she too of course could mask her scent if she so desired to like the very first time that Hanyuu was kidnapped as a newly born pup).

He glanced down at the little girl who was smiling cheerfully at him, "Thanks, little lady. I think I'll go find her after all." he smiled.

"Good for you," she smiled, "I'll cover for you here if you want?"

"Thanks."

She giggled, both surprising and confusing him as he wondered just what she could be laughing at. "What's so funny?" he asked curiously, "Do I have something on my face?"

"No," she laughed again, "It's just smiling and having a relatively civilized conversation with you after you kidnapped my siblings and I seems pretty weird, it doesn't suit _you_!"

With that last statement, she clung onto the thickest tree branches and slowly made her way back down to the base of the tree. Ren was pretty surprised at the fact that she had made it down successfully without falling or stumbling on the way, he chuckled to himself as the little girl below scowled up at him guessing just what was on his mind. She had just begun to walk back to the village when she stopped and turned to glance back up at him, she hesitated before speaking but she eventually shouted up to him, "Hey? Do you... know which one I am?" She was obviously testing his ability to tell her apart from her sister and she was rather eager to know if he could tell the difference between them.

He rubbed his chin once again and grinned to himself, "You're... Akane," he answered after a short moment of thinking, "Am I right?"

A small smile tugged at her lips as she spun away from him with her hands behind her back, "...I'm not telling!" she replied in a sing-song voice before skipping off back home to her family.

Ren chuckled to himself, she reminded him ever so slightly of Arina when she had been younger, when they had first met - so sweet and innocent.

* * *

><p>"Oh Kirai, my poor lovely Kirai." Lord Komatsu cooed as he ran his hand down the slimy skin of the demon eel's skin in a soothing manor, "So a meddling wolf demon did this to you, you say? How incredibly bothersome. As if eliminating the half demon, Inuyasha wasn't enough trouble already? Now another problem added to my problem platter, I shall be needing two platters soon!"<p>

Kirai hissed in pleasure as her master's hand continued to shift up and down her long, coiled form. Her front fangs had been smashed clean out of her mouth by the cursed wolf, and although it would not take long for new ones to grow it still hurt.

"Since Arina has finally taken action in the whole Hanyuu scenario, I think it's time that we had some fun, don't you?" he asked Kirai as she sniggered in agreement, "It's finally time to bring in our extra chess pieces. Using the powers that you sucked from Hanyuu whilst she was bathing we shall go to the 'Bone Eaters Well' and use the power of a winged being to pass through the portal within the shaft. And then, we can... 'greet' those lovely red-headed sisters and the Hobo boy too." He burst out into malicious laughter as he thought about his devious plan.

* * *

><p>Small clonks and clanks were emitting from the weapons storehouse as Setsuko stopped at the entrance of the large shed, staring at it intensely. She had been looking for Akane, who had been missing for the majority of the day and oddly enough, it didn't seem as if anyone had seen her. Her parents were busy exterminating demons and Hiroshi was playing with Jaken and Ah-Un, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha had vanished like they usually did so asking them was not even an option, Kikyo and Kagome were in the hut pleasantly chatting about cooking rice and neither of them had seen Akane either, Kaede and Jirou were getting a foot rub from Rin and Kohaku who seemed to be <em>flirting, <em>and Shippo was away taking the fox demon exam.

So if everyone was already occupied with something and there was no reason for any of the villagers to require an army weapon at this moment in time, just WHO was in there making such a ruckus? Could it be Akane? But what ever could her twin be doing in such a place?

Setsuko let the door slide open slightly as she peered in through the small gap, a small girl was looking around for something and moving the swords and other weapons around; it looked like Akane. "Sis!? What are you doing?" Setsuko asked suspiciously as her twin shrieked in fright and hid something behind her back.

"S-Setsuko!" she snapped in fright, "Give me some warning before you jump out on me like that! Gee, a face like that should come with a warning!"

"Uh, Akane... we have the same face," Setsuko said raising an eyebrow, "Were identical twins, remember?"

Akane laughed awkwardly, "Oh, of course we do!"

Setsuko glanced across at her sister's hands which seemed to be clutching something tightly that she did not want anyone to see. "What have you got there, Akane?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and attempting to catch a glimpse at whatever was behind the other girl's back that she was being so secretive about.

"Nothing!" she shrieked in panic, slowly edging towards the exit of the weapons storehouse and away from her twin sister's prying eyes. She did not want her sister to know that she intended to follow Ren on his hunt for Arina, no-one could know as they would definitely try to stop her, they would lecture her on how she was only a child and that it was too dangerous.

"If it's nothing why are you hiding it behind your back?" Setsuko teased, jumping over to get a quick glance at the secret object, "Come on, show me!"

"No, go away!" she shouted, running towards the exit as fast as her tiny legs could carry her; but of course her sister was not going to give up so easily.

Setsuko ran after her twin screaming, "You get back here now, stupid! Stop being so unfair and show me what you've got!"

* * *

><p>"Oh, Kikyo. Just what <em>is <em>all of that bothersome noise?" Kagome groaned as she rubbed her temples and shifted the futon sheets in distress, she already had a throbbing headache.

The older priestess lifted her head in the direction of the hut's exit and listened to the shouting outside. "I believe that there is an argument of some sort occuring out there. Please remain calm, I shall go and see what is taking place." she said standing and leaving for the harsh winter cold.

She studied the vicinity and eventually noticed the monk and demon slayer's twin daughters running around and screaming at each other in frustration and bitterness. Kikyo sighed as she strolled over to the angered children in an attempt to resolve the situation.

When Akane and Setsuko saw the priestess slowly approaching them, they let go of each other's arms and ceased kicking one another instantly. When the respectable woman reached them, she knelt down and spoke gently, "Hello Akane, Setsuko. Can I ask why the two of you are fighting so viciously?"

"She's got something behind her back and she won't show me what it is!" Setsuko yelled, pointing at her sister who scolded and pulled out her tongue.

Kikyo turned to the eldest of the twins and asked her calmly, "Akane? What do you have behind your back? Does it belong to you or did you take it from elsewhere?"

Akane stepped back and clutched the item tighter, she had been caught, now what was she supposed to do? Give in and admit that she was planning to follow the Dragon in the hopes of being some help to him? She sighed miserably and slowly revealed what she had been trying so badly to conceal.

Kikyo and Setsuko's eyes widened slightly at what they saw. "Hey," Setsuko muttered in surprise, "Isn't that... Lord Sesshomaru's sword?"

"Tenseiga..." Kikyo whispered as she carefully studied the blade in the little girl's grasp. Just how had Akane managed to get her hands on the Tenseiga!? Sesshomaru hardly ever let go of it! It should be tucked into his yellow belt along with Bakuseiga. "Akane," she started hesitantly, "How did you manage to... obtain this sword?"

"Yeah!?" Setsuko agreed nodding her head frantically, "He's like the most careful guy around here! It doesn't seem like him to go leaving his sword around like Inuyasha does!"

Akane shifted from side to side awkwardky, "I just..." she started quietly, "I just wanted to help Ren find Arina." She looked down sadly, "I thought that if I borrowed Lord Sesshomaru's sword when he put it down when he left with Inuyasha, I could be of some use to Ren and I wouldn't be as weak."

Kikyo felt guilty, the girl's intentions were good, she had taken the sword in order to help the Dragon despite the consequences and Sesshomaru's wrath. "But Tenseiga is a blade that cannot cut," she explained softly, "it was designed to _save _lives, not take them away. It would be useless in battle."

"Oh. Well... here you go then, Lady Kikyo." she said handing the fang to the priestess, smiling sweetly, "If you could give this back to Lord Sesshomaru and tell him that I apologize maybe he will not be as angry with me. I did not take it to be spiteful, I swear."

Kikyo smiled at the young girl as she accepted the sword and stroked her head affectionately, "He will not be angry with you, in fact he does not need to know of this little incident. We shall keep it a secret." she winked, raising a finger to her lips.

Akane looked at the priestess gratefully and sighed in relief. Setsuko nudged her arm and teased, "Why did you want to help Ren anyway? Do you have a crush on him?"

"No I do not!" Akane snapped, horrified that she would even suggest something like that.

"Oh of course, I forgot." Setsuko giggled, "You only have eyes for Shippo, isn't that right?"

Akane's face turned as pink as her kimono as she covered her ears with her hands and shrieked in embarrassment, "Lalalala! I'm not listening! Lalala!"

Kikyo smiled at the twins before rising to her feet and walking in the direction of the weapons storehouse where she would place Tenseiga in order for Sesshomaru to find as if nothing had ever happened to it.

Before she could open the doors and enter the large shed, she paused and spun around swiftly. She could sense something in the forest, and whatever it was, it didn't feel friendly. With the Tenseiga still firmly in her grip, she walked towards the forest following the strangely familiar presence.

* * *

><p>Kagome opened her eyes slowly and sat up in her futon, she could sense something - something... new, yet old. What was it? Simply wondering would not satisfy her curiousity, so carefully holding her bloated belly, she rose to her feet (something that she had not done in many weeks) and staggered towards the exit of the hut using her bow as a crutch.<p>

Maybe going outside in such a bad condition was not the best idea but Kagome decided that she could not lay sleeping every day until she gave birth, she had been itching for something interesting to happen: like for a demon to show up that she could purify. Her spiritual powers had not been used in months so the magic was beginning to clog and gather at her fingertips, desperate to be released. In fact, she probably didn't even need the bow to defend herself; she felt that if she got into a bad situation she would simply be able to destroy any opponent with her own palms!

She chuckled to herself as she stepped out into the frozen landscape outside her hut, she had been cooped up inside for so long that she had hardly even seen the snow! If anyone saw her strolling around in it alone so heavily pregnant, they would freak out and rush her back inside in a flash. Then she would never know what this unknown presence was.

Although Inuyasha would be incredibly annoyed and probably yell at her later for her reckless streak, she could no longer sit back and do nothing. She plodded towards the odd energy source, which seemed to be coming from deep inside the forest, checking to see if she was being followed first and then disappeared into the trees.

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><p><strong>What an idiot Kagome is! She's just putting herself in more danger! True, if you'd been cooped up in bed for months you would be pretty bored, but you wouldn't go off wandering into the forest alone following a weird presence whilst heavily pregnant! Review if you enjoyed and thank you for reading! ~Happy <strong>


	8. Illusions Of Makia

**Heey sorry it's been such a long time since I last updated! I've just been very busy with schoolwork! Thanks for the reviews and thanks for waiting for this chapter, I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha; I only own the characters that aren't included in the anime/manga.**

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><p>Chapter Eight<p>

The further away from the village Kagome travelled, the stronger the odd presence became. She clutched the bow she was using as a crutch tightly and took wider strides through the knee-deep snow, she was now beginning to think that she had acted rather rashly. Inuyasha would be very angry at her stupidity and could possibly even blame Kikyo for leaving her unattended, even though it was not the elder priestess' fault in the slightest. Then again, he hardly ever blamed Kikyo for anything anyway so that possibility was instantly pushed aside with a sigh. He would grab Kagome by the shoulders and scowl at her in annoyance making a comment such as 'you're such an idiot' or 'what the hell were you thinking, you stupid woman?'. Though the thought of his over-protective ways usually frustrated her, but instead they gave her a small sense of hope and relaxed her worries.

As she continued to walk on, she peered down as her stomach and ran her hand across the warm, thick kimono that protected her special little one from the cold. She began to panic that she had maybe put the infant in danger with her ridiculous curiosity and she hoped that it would be able to hold out until she arrived back at the village, where Inuyasha would (hopefully) still be busy occupied with Sesshomaru like normal and would never have known she was gone.

Though the presence continued to fascinate her, she decided to be reasonable about the situation for once in her life and retreat back to base camp. However, the sudden snap of a twig somewhere behind her made her to spin around rather quickly, resulting in her stumbling slightly. She raised her bow in an attempt to protect herself only to slap herself mentally when she remembered that she had brought no arrows with her. No matter, she would simply use the palms of her hands like she had speculated earlier... if she could pull it off without getting herself killed. Since there was no further movement or sounds, she shifted slowly and began walking back in the direction of the village, praying that she would get back without inflicting any damage to the child which she was currently carrying.

Just as she was nearing the sacred Tree of Ages, she paused because of a new strange feeling that had just developed in her gut. Before coming out of the bushes, she peered out from behind a tree and remained absolutely silent. Her eyes widened in horror and disbelief at what she saw, she had to rub her eyes several times and pinch herself just to ensure that she wasn't having a nightmare.

Pinned against the huge God Tree, with an arrow stuck fast in his chest: was none other than Inuyasha. Kagome blinked repeatedly as she tried to process just what exactly her eyes were seeing. Inuyasha should not be here, he should be somewhere with Sesshomaru doing whatever it was that they did, not pinned here like he had been those years ago.

What came next surprised her even more and also caused her a tight knot jealousy to form in her chest, a feeling which she had not felt in quite some time now. Kikyo was standing a few feet away from the unconscious Inuyasha, panting heavily with her bow held in front, sweat running down her forehead and blood dripping down from her shoulder forming a small pool at her feet. She dropped the bow weakly and coughed hoarsely before whispering, "Inuyasha..."

Kagome felt the knot in her chest tighten as Kikyo staggered towards Inuyasha, leaving a small trail of blood behind her. She lifted her hands and placed them gently on his shoulders and leaned her head onto is chest with an expression of true pain and sadness plastered onto her usually perfect face. "I am so sorry, Inuyasha." she whispered quietly against his neck, her voice low and cracking because of her grief, "Please... please forgive me..."

Though Kagome had seen this scene numerous times in the past, it never failed to tug right at her heartstrings as she lifted her left arm and felt the damp feel of her soft cheeks. She wiped them away with the hem of her sleeve and sniffed loudly to rid herself of the remaining unshed droplets.

The image of Kikyo holding Inuyasha in her arms slowly faded away and was replaced by them standing in the clearing, smiling softly at one another before Inuyasha reached out and pulled the elder priestess into his arms lovingly before cupping her cheeks and pressing his lips against hers.

Kagome fell to her knees and shook her head in disbelief, "No," she sobbed quietly to herself, "T-This can't be right... it must be another bad dream! Yeah, that's all it is! A bad dream! Inuyasha will wake me up soon, I know he will!"

However, the harder she tried to block the image out of her mind, the stronger it became as it seemed to broadcast the scene directly through her closed eyelids. She squeezed her eyes even more shut and covered her ears with her hands, desperately trying to wake herself up from this foul nightmare. "Stop it, please," she sobbed weakly, "Don't show me any more of this, stupid brain. Why must you always think about this?"

_"Come on, mom. Stop that crying and stand up already."_

Kagome's eyes snapped open instantly in recognition to the strange voice. She raised her head slowly and tried her best to see through the layers of tears that had clogged up in her eyes and was clouding her vision.

Standing to her left, wearing her former skimpy priestess kimono, ears twitching and smiling softly: was her beloved late daughter. "Hanyuu...?" she choked in surprise as she blinked and reached out for the girl's hand, "Hanyuu, I... are you... a part of the dream too?"

Hanyuu smiled widely at her mother skipped over to the kissing Inuyasha and Kikyo where she leant up on her tip-toes and poked her father's cheek with her pointer finger, it went straight through and made the pair's images ripple slightly. The half demon girl spun around and grinned at Kagome, _"Of course this isn't real, mom. Get a grip!" _she giggled.

Kagome could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks once again as they fell into the snow at her feet and froze into tiny icy flowers, she clenched her fists tightly and wiped them away with her arm. "You're right, honey. You're always right." she choked, sniffing and hiccupping every few seconds, "THIS IS NOTHING BUT AN ILLUSION!"

The image of Inuyasha and Kikyo vanished, along with Hanyuu who gave a small smile and a wave before disappearing much to Kagome's dismay and disappointment. She rose to her feet and ran towards the see-through version of her daughter, arms outstretched and tears flowing like small waterfalls. But alas, Hanyuu was long gone before Kagome got within even a few feet away from her.

"Kukuku, how touching. What a poor little priestess you are, and with so many amusing weaknesses."

The unfamiliar taunting of a man's voice startled Kagome as she looked around frantically for whoever was messing with her now. "Who's there!? Show yourself!" she demanded fiercely.

A low pitched chuckle echoed around the wintery woods in which Kagome was lost in whilst heavily pregnant. If she had learned a few things from all of the pregnancy television shows she had watched and the talks she had had with her mother and Kaede, Kagome knew that panicking was not good for a due infant. So she, took a deep breath and kept her cool. "I don't like having to repeat myself so listen closely this time," she spoke loudly, "who are you and what do you want with me?"

A rather sturdy looking man with flowing plaited green hair and long brown robes appeared before Kagome and smirked darkly at her before snapping his fingers loudly. Another image of Hanyuu peeked out from behind the stranger and giggled playfully.

Kagome's eyes widened at the sight of her daughter but she restrained herself from running to embrace the girl, for she knew that like before she was nothing more than an illusion. "Nice try," Kagome jeered, "but I know that isn't Hanyuu, she's supposed to be dead, stupid."

The man's smirk grew as he laughed maliciously, "You can try to act noble and fearless, but your expression betrays you." he grinned, "It is one of pure distress and longing, such a face is priceless once worn by a woman. And if she were dead, why do you and the half breed believe so strongly that she is not? Is it because of what you saw many months ago, high in the sky?"

Kagome hissed under her breath as the copy of Hanyuu simply smiled sweetly and giggled at the man. "Stop that," Kagome frowned, "Stop her from doing that!"

_"Stop me from doing whaat exactly... MOM?" _the copy chuckled.

"I warn you, I'm getting very angry now so I shall ask once more: who are you and what do you want?" Kagome asked the mysterious stranger, with no friendly tone to her voice at all, "Come on, spit it out." She wished that her bloated belly was not quite so obvious as it was, she had no idea of knowing what this man's intentions were, or how he had created such an accurate image of her daughter when she had never met him before. He could intend to injure her child!

He laughed again, "I am Ayumu, master of illusions and visions. We have not met before, but my Lord informed me of you and your companions. You are the reincarnation of the half breed's first lover and the mother of the final winged person remaining. Kukuku."

"Stop laughing like that! It's weird!"

"Weird? So is your inflated abdomen in my opinion, have you been feasting on the finest foods or could it be that you are you perhaps... with child again?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

Kagome clenched her teeth and held her bow (arrows or no arrows, it didn't matter to her) in front of her tummy in a protective fashion. He was not getting his hands on her second baby, not on his life.

"It would seem that my Lord spoke the truth, what a pity that this child will be so unfortunate as to not even make it out of the womb." he sighed.

_"Aw, my poor little brother." _Hanyuu's copy sighed and shook her head falsely.

Kagome could feel the spiritual powers tingling at her fingertips as her brows pointed down and her mouth formed a firm line. "Shut up." she hissed under her breath, telling herself that they were simply lying just to get to her.

"But priestess, even if you managed to deliver the child, it would undoubtedly die almost instantly."

"And why would it? Are you some kind of doctor or something?"

"Such strange words." he chuckled.

_"But mom," _the copy started, smirking with her eyes narrowed in a sinister manor, _"can you not feel it? The aura brother is emitting?"_

"Don't. Pretend you are her." Kagome snarled at the girl who wore the face of her daughter but at the same time looked nothing like her, "And what 'aura'?"

The copy giggled in a sickeningly sweet way, _"Though it forms ridiculously fast and appears fully grown already, think back to the night that the infant's development began, the night that you and father..."_

"I get it okay!" Kagome snapped, "What are you getting at!?"

_"It was on the night of the new moon wasn't it? Meaning that father was in his human form."_

Kagome froze when she finally realized what the imposter of her daughter was trying to tell her. She was human. Inuyasha had been human. Meaning that...

_"Meaning that the child is also fully human." _the copy finished the words that were stuck on Kagome's tongue.

"No!" Kagome cried, "No human baby should be able to develop that quickly! It's usually at least nine months on average but I've only been carrying for like seven!"

Ayumu was the one to answer this time, "Priestess. With your spiritual powers and the half demon's genes helping the infant along, it would only be natural for it to have a speedy growth. However... that does not mean that this benefits the child... or you."

"Why not?" Kagome asked.

"Why, because..." The illusionary man was cut off by an arrow flying past and frying one of his many hair braids and causing it to fall to his feet steaming. The arrow flew past Kagome and struck a tree behind her before emitting a bright, pink light. Kagome shifted her gaze to behind Ayumu and let a relived expression spread across her damp and dirty face.

Kikyo was standing back with her bow ready with another arrow pressed onto the string, she had sensed her reincarnation's presence nearby along with this stranger's. Seeing the illusion of Hanyuu explained why Kikyo had partly recognized the aura, taking the form of Kagome's late daughter was a cruel trick indeed that would really get to the younger priestess.

"Ah," Ayumu practically sighed in delight, "Now I have the original version as well as the copy, double prizes!"

Kagome looked down at the ground when he called her a copy, she had had enough of people thinking that she was second best to Kikyo to last her a lifetime! She already knew that she was not as powerful, intelligent and nowhere near as beautiful as the elder priestess and she did not like to be reminded of those flaws.

Kikyo did not approve of his insult to Kagome either, she was rather envious of the younger priestess herself actually. She wished that she could go through so much suffering and be able to manage a smile afterwards, she wished that she could be so positive constantly and not know the meaning of giving up. She aimed for Ayumu and released her spiritual powers into the arrow.

When he and Hanyuu's illusion flew out of the way, she ran towards Kagome and stood in front of her protectively. "You won't touch Kagome." she glared as Ayumu landed back on his feet and chuckled darkly.

"My my," he laughed in amusement, "what a strange relationship the two of you share! From what my Lord told me of your past together, you aren't all too fond of one another. Exactly like the half breed and his older brother? Could it be that my Lord was wrong with both his judgements?"

"Enough." Kikyo ordered, reaching for another arrow, "But before I finish you off, would you care to share with us just who this Lord of yours is?"

"You mean you don't know of him? He is Komatsu, my Lord and master."

_"And my love," _Hanyuu's copy smirked seductively, _"he has taken me as his concubine after all."_

"Concubine!? Stop lying, you witch!" Kagome screeched from behind Kikyo.

_"Well, it is not ME that he has taken exactly for I am simply a copy. I was referring to the proper girl."_

Kagome paused, what if this vision was speaking the truth? If it truly had been Hanyuu that Inuyasha had seen in the air all those months ago after all? If that was true then perhaps she had been captured by this Komatsu who had desired her so? But then again, it all could just be one big fat lie in order for them to fulfil their evil wishes. It very well could be a trap.

It appeared that Kikyo was on the same page as Kagome when she asked, "How do we know that this is not some nefarious scheme in order to deceive Kagome and I? How do we know whether or not what you say is the truth?"

"Whether you choose to believe my words or not is none of my concern. But tell me... are you really so confident in your decision that you are willing to put the girl's life in danger?"

_"Can you really risk getting me killed... again?"_ the copy jeered as Ayumu chuckled to himself at Kagome and Kikyo's expressions.

"Though I fail to see the resemblance between you priestess', you both wear the same angered expression at this exact moment. It really is a very fantastic face, but I would _love_ to see you both afraid or in agonizing pain. Now that would be delightful. Kukukuku!"

Deciding that he had pushed her too far, Kikyo grunted inwardly and shot an arrow at him like she had done so before. The fact that he once again evaded her attack frustrated her even more, though she kept her usual composed look and tried not to freak out and just throw her bow straight at his smug looking face.

"Do not move, Kagome," she ordered the younger priestess firmly, "I do not want to imagine what the outcomes would be if I allowed you and your unborn to die here."

Kagome was touched by Kikyo's concern for her and her baby's safety, she nodded and turned to take a step back but before she moved away, Kikyo grabbed her hand and gazed across at her from the corner of her dark eyes. She opened her reincarnation's palm and placed the Tenseiga carefully in her hold.

"Tenseiga?" Kagome asked in confusion as she stared down at the sheathed sword in the palm of her hand, why did Kikyo have Sesshomaru's sword? "Why do you have...?"

"Do not ask questions, Kagome. The sword shall put up a barrier around you, making it difficult and unlikely for you to be attacked."

Kagome closed her mouth and licked her dry lips as she stepped back and gripped Tenseiga's handle tightly for support. The polished wood was cold and nipped at her fingers, but she did not care; she was entirely focused on Kikyo.

"Alright then. Let me see what you are made of, priestess." Ayumu smirked, "Hit me with everything you've got."

"Gladly." Kikyo scowled, raising her bow. The spiritual powers swirled around inside of her and was slowly being channelled into her black Dragonsbane bow, it glowed a bright pink that was so strong it could be considered as white.

Ayumu could sense the great amounts of power that were being emitted by the elder priestess and though he did not like to admit it, it threatened him a little as he stepped back hesitantly. The copy of Hanyuu peeked across at him and raised her eyebrow in surprise that such a feeble amount of power would send him quaking, how pathetic.

With her powers at the maximum, Kikyo smirked and waggled her fingers around, letting the lights dance around at the very tips before vanishing into sparkles. "Hmm, I wonder. Which one of you should I go for first?" she speculated, "You or your cruel little illusion of Hanyuu?"

"Oh? Illusion you say?" he chuckled, raising an eyebrow, "So you think she is simply an illusion, do you?"

This frustrated Kagome as she snapped from inside Tenseiga's barrier, "Well she sure isn't my daughter so don't even try to say that she is!"

"You are correct in that field, she is most certainly not your daughter, but she is also no illusion."

"Then please feel free to explain just what she is, then." Kikyo ordered calmly but sternly.

He laughed at the older priestess' tone and looked down at Hanyuu's copy who was also giggling, he placed his hand on the top of her head and stroked it slowly, causing her to purr at the wonderful sensation that she was experiencing.

Kagome frowned at this. Although this creature was not her little girl, she still wore the same face and seeing that face so entranced and almost... pleasured by someone as foul as Ayumu was enough to make her feel sick, literally.

Ayumu shifted his hand down to her right ear and continued to rub in small circular motions, making her purr louder and much more audible. There was something wrong with her purr and smile, Kikyo could not put her finger on what was making her feel so uneasy but there was something not right at all going on here.

It was when he moved his hand down to the copy's collarbone and began to massage her smooth skin that Kagome could truly feel the sick rising in her throat, she was absolutely disgusted by this scene and she desperately wanted to throw a rock at Ayumu's head. Her knees became weak and she fell to the ground, coughing and spluttering because of her vomit clogged throat.

Kikyo glanced across at the younger priestess briefly, before returning her gaze to Ayumu and glaring fiercely at him. He looked over at her and made eye-contact, he then removed his hand from Hanyuu's copy's flesh (much to Kagome's joy) and laughed loudly at the hateful look Kikyo was giving him. "Do you not approve of my actions, priestess'? Does it sicken you how I freely move my hands over the girl's body as if I own it?" he jeered, lifting his hand once again and massaging the girl's waist and left thigh this time.

It was too much for Kagome as she lowered her head and released the foul tasting acids that had gathered in her throat onto the once clean white snow, the infant appeared to be uncomfortable with this situation too as it was kick-boxing vigorously inside her almost as if it wanted to punch Ayumu. When she was finished, she wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her haori and coughed one last time, she then dropped Tenseiga's barrier and staggered over to Kikyo's side.

"Kagome? What are you doing?" Kikyo asked in confusion, "Stay back!"

Kagome did not listen to Kikyo's command, instead she stood firmly beside the elder woman with the long black hair and looked across at her with a determined look in her eyes. "Come on," she spluttered, "this guy needs finishing... along with that lame excuse for a clone."

Kikyo knew better than to argue with her reincarnation, her expression said it all and she was not going to back down after what Ayumu had just done, so she nodded slowly and took her hand giving it a gentle squeeze. "I understand." she said softly.

Ayumu laughed at their idiocy but Hanyuu's copy was not so sure, there was something about the two priestess' that hadn't been there before, and she didn't like it - not one bit. Stepping away from Ayumu (much to his confusion) and putting her smiley Hanyuu face back on, she looked over at Kagome and sung, _"Bye mom, see you later!" _And with that, she vanished into thin air.

"Fine then," Ayumu grumbled, "Go ahead and leave after all that nice stuff I just did to you!"

A high pitched hiss from Kagome caught his attention as he flipped his head back to the two women standing before him. They were both giving him death stares and seemed prepared to kill him there on the spot. They raised their entwined hands which were both glowing a bright, dusty pink and released the energy towards him. Tenseiga also began to glow a pale blue in Kagome's grip much to both their surprise as it merged with their spiritual energy making the attack even more deadly.

It took him a second to realize that he would not survive if he was struck with this attack, so like the copy of Hanyuu had previously done so, he too vanished into thin air without a trace. Leaving the huge wave of energy to hit a tree in the background and fry it to a cinder.

Kagome blinked a few times as she tried to register what had just happened, Kikyo was also rather surprised at the immense power she and Kagome had just created though her expression remained still. She peered down at the Tenseiga in Kagome's hand and looked at it closely, its demonic energy had just merged with their spiritual energy, how could that have been possible?

A wave of nausea passed through Kagome as she held her stomach lightly and groaned in discomfort, "Well! That was intense, don't you think so?" she laughed weakly before falling unconscious only to be caught just in time by Kikyo's right arm as she quickly wrapped it around her waist for support.

"Kagome?" Kikyo asked softly though the young woman was out flat. She sighed and allowed a small smile to form on her face before she slung Kagome's arm over her shoulder and waddled back to the village, being careful not to upset the baby or Kagome's insides any more than they already were. It was rather late now and Inuyasha would most surely be back and looking for his wife; he would be absolutely furious. What was she to tell him? Making up a story just to settle him only to then learn the true story later from Kagome would make him even angrier at the fact he had been lied to. Maybe telling him the truth was the best option after all, though he was sure to be annoyed anyway.

She sighed inwardly and quickened her pace, she wanted to reach the village before nightfall at least.

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><p>Hanyuu's copy walked through the long hallways of a large castle lost in her thoughts. The two priestess' were strong and Ayumu had greatly underestimated them, ha, she wouldn't be surprised if he was dead right now!<p>

The familiar feel of something wrapping around her feet snapped her out of her thoughts as she peered down to see the demon eel, Kirai coiling around her ankles. She sighed in frustration, "Yes I know. I am going to see him now so leave me alone." she scowled.

Releasing her grip on the girl's legs, Kirai slithered back to her master's room where she would wait with him and maybe even be stroked by him again if he was in a good mood.

The girl who wore Hanyuu's face snarled and walked forward until she reached the large study where the king usually resided, she knocked before entering like the 'good girl' she was and entered when she received an answer.

Komatsu sat at his desk smirking, with Kirai coiled around his shoulders like Sesshomaru's pelt as he stroked her slowly.

No longer having a reason for talking via telepathy as Hanyuu would usually do, the copy coughed and spoke loudly, "So, what do you want? We didn't get what you were after if that's what this is about, there was another priestess with her and she caused us quite a lot of trouble. Meaning that kid she's carrying is still alive."

Komatsu sighed in disappointment as he shook his head from side to side, with Kirai mimicking his movements making Hanyuu's copy want to strangle the goddamned eel. "So you failed then? Oh Makia, my Makia..." he sighed as she scoffed, already knowing what he was about to say, "though it would pain me to do so, I can easily remove you from this picture. By my Kirai stealing some of Hanyuu's blood and powers in order to create you, the girl is missing some of her soul. You are just a copy - a mirror image. Nothing more." Her sour expression amused him as he knew that he was offending her, "You know you are not a proper existence and you have no real purpose for living, so be a good girl and behave yourself then I may re-consider killing you."

Makia scowled at his threat and huffed, "Fine, but I'm pretty sick of imitating this brat. Her friends and family are so touchy and annoying, not to mention that her chest should NOT be this big!." she frowned.

"You are not a _perfect_ imitation: you have red eyes and Hanyuu has brown, she has wings and you do not."

His little comments and insults were really starting to get to her now as she brushed it off, "Can I leave now? Since I'm drawn to the half demon's aura maybe I can find her for you?" Really she just wanted to get out of his castle and out of his sight, she had no desire to be of any real 'help' to him, "I could sort that traitorous samurai out for you too if you want?"

"Ah yes, that would be splendid!" he chuckled rubbing Kirai's neck, "You do that."

She nodded and left the room without hesitation, how thankful she was to be away from him! Now all she had to do was seek out the girl who's appearance she was mimicking and bring back her head... along with her body and she had to be alive as well.

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><p><strong>Well that's that. New bad guys there everyone! Ayumu of illusions and Makia the copy. Review if you enjoyed the chapter and thank you for reading! ~Happy<strong>


	9. Flaxen Weeping

**Sorry about the long wait for this update but I made this chapter _extra_ long just to make up for it! So I hope you like it and thank you so much for all of your lovely reviews, I really like reading them! ^.^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha; I only own the characters that aren't included in the anime/manga.**

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><p>Chapter Nine<p>

"Hey Hanyuu, get up already!"

Hanyuu groaned as the clawed hand continued to tug at the rim of her sleeve, she sighed and brushed the hand away sleepily before sinking back into the soft brown furs that she was resting on comfortably. The large hand then shifted up to her cheek where it began to poke it more forcefully.

She growled in annoyance and swatted the hand away, before rolling over and snuggling up against something else that was just as soft and furry as the wolf pelts she was lying on, the only difference was that this particular object seemed to be moving and was letting out the low thrumming sound of a heartbeat. Pulling it closer to her body and inhaling its scent, she found herself unable to tell its scent from anything else in the room as there was wolf stench all over the place, masking everything in its musky blanket.

The moving object that Hanyuu was snugly pressed against shifted uncomfortably before she could literally _feel _its breath on her earlobe as it spoke louder, "Mini mutt! Get the hell off o' me!"

Her eyes snapped open in confusion as she found herself covered in wolf furs with her arms and legs wrapped around a very impatient looking Kōga staring down at her in embarrassment. When she realized the awkward position she was in, she leapt up and yelped in surprise only to tumble over onto her back due to her clumsy ways and poor balance.

The wolf demon sat up and looked down at the half asleep girl in a knot on the floor, he chuckled at her dizzy expression and the fatigued twitching of her ears. She rubbed her eyes and yawned widely, exposing her big, jagged fangs before flashing him a wide smile. _"Good morning!" _she chirped.

He was rather surprised at how easily she had pushed the awkward situation that had just occurred aside without any further debate, not that it mattered anyway; she wasthe one who was getting cosy with _him _after all. If only her mother, Kagome, had given him that kind of attention. That way he would not have been as bothered by the fact that she had ended up with dog breath instead of him, though it was not important anymore as he had both a healthy mate and many cubs that were strong enough to take on his duty of being pack leader. And of course, having so many kids with Ayame had been rather fun indeed, oh yes. He chuckled at the memory of it.

Hanyuu waved her hand in front of Kōga's face in an attempt to distract him from his thoughts that he seemed to be deeply entranced by, she wondered just what could be so interesting that he could manage to shut himself out from the world just to ponder upon. Then again, watching as a small layer of drool ran down his chin, she had a very good idea of what was on his mind. Finally giving up after he simply refused to acknowledge her presence, she rose to her feet sluggishly (as they were still weak from her long and deep sleeping) and wandered out into the tunnels that had been formed into passages and doorways.

They had successfully managed to locate the southern wolf den all thanks to hers and Kōga's sharp noses and senses. The other wolves had been wary of the group at first but when they saw Kōga, their opinions changed instantly as they ran to greet him; it had appeared that Kōga and Toboe, the southern tribe's leader, were on good terms with one another which benefited Hanyuu and the others greatly. It was good to have warmth and shelter from the harsh cold outside, even the thought of the iciness and chilly wind was enough to send shivers down her spine as she rubbed her upper arms, generating friction (something she had learned about from one of her mother's foreign 'textbooks' as she called them) to keep herself warm.

Her icy thoughts were interrupted by something small and furry rubbing against her ankles as she peered down at whatever was touching her. Gazing up at her, with big green eyes and its tail wagging in a friendly manor: was a rather small wolf cub. It was resting its head against her leg and licking her adoringly, causing her to giggle at the feel of its slippery tongue moving all over her flesh. Four more of the cubs, each different in certain features, came running and copied the first one's actions, making Hanyuu laugh even louder and fall to her knees in a fit of giggles and snorts.

Petting their fuzzy heads and rubbing underneath their chins playfully, they piled on top of her excitingly and licked her both her face and neck as well as her arms now. They let out little amused sounding growls that Hanyuu assumed were laughs as they continued to tackle and play fight with her.

"Now now, boys. Go easy on the girl, will ya?" came a man's deep sounding voice from her left as she turned to see Toboe, the leader of the pack, standing smirking down at the pile of fur which had fully enveloped her.

The wolf cubs relaxed slightly at the sight of the pack's leader as they restrained their licking and settled down on Hanyuu with their heads snuggled comfortably against her warm body, she rubbed the chin of the cub with one lazy ear which must have been damaged whilst playing or during an attack of some sort. The baby wolf let out a low growl from the back of its throat before too relaxing its head on Hanyuu's stomach and closing its misty, grey eyes. She smiled sweetly at it before shifting her soft gaze over to Toboe who seemed impressed at her ability to soothe the usually restless infants, he made a mental note to keep her around to settle the young in the pack.

_"Can I help you with something, Toboe?" _she asked as she rubbed the back of another cub's neck in a circular motion, causing it to purr in pleasure at the calming feeling, she giggled at its reaction.

Toboe tried to stop himself from staring intently at the lovely young girl before him who had the smile of an angel (literally). He swallowed and coughed to get her attention once again, "Actually, I have a request to make of you."

_"You do? What is it?"_

"Well, erm. Before I make it..." he started hesitantly, not wanting to alarm or make her suspicious of what he was about to ask, "Do you... have someone who you are interested in, Hanyuu?"

His question caused her to blush slightly and run her index finger across her lips as she let Onigumo's many kisses cross her mind for the first time in a while, she could not tell him that she simply could not forget about the man who had had so many attempts at her friends and family's life in the past, she also could not say that he had mercilessly slaughtered many of the wolf demon tribe once he had become the evil monster, Naraku. No. she would leave out those little details.

_"Um," _she started shyly, _"It is a bit of a long and complicated story, I would struggle to adequately explain it to you without missing out some of the details."_

"So there _is _someone that you love then?" he asked, trying to mask the disappointment in his voice.

The blush continued to creep across her cheeks as her heart ached thinking about it, _"You could say that, yes." _she said quietly, the sadness showing a little in her tone and expression as she tried to brush it away. _"Anyway, what was it that you wanted to request of me?" _she asked innocently, trying to get off the awkward topic as quickly as possible.

Now he was the one blushing as he scratched the back of his head nervously. He could not ask what he had wanted to after what she had just told him, he could not say that he found her rather desirable and wished to take her as his woman just as Kōga had with the half demon, Inuyasha's human priestess, Kagome. Not when someone else apparently had their claim on Hanyuu. He shook his head frantically and laughed at the confused expression she was giving him.

"Erm... Is it the samurai who you love?" he asked curiously.

Shun? Toboe had just asked her if she was in love with Shun? Though he was a nice man and a reliable ally, Hanyuu could not bring herself too see the young man as anything more than a friend. In fact, she had never really thought about it before now as she had never truly been able to completely forget about Onigumo.

_ "I'm afraid not." _she said shaking her head.

"Kōga?" he suggested, desperate to know who was fortunate enough to win her affections.

She giggled wildly at his statement and wiped the newly formed tears from her eyes with her sleeves, she was not entirely sure why she was crying or why her chest stung at the memory of loving Onigumo. It hurt bang in the core of her heart - right in the place that Naraku had struck her with his miasma in the past. Though the poison was now gone, the feeling still lingered behind and felt like a permanent mark right in the centre of her chest, almost serving as a reminder of how close to death she had been and how she had managed to fall in love with her parents' archenemy. _This_ was why she tried to avoid thinking such thoughts as often as she could.

_"Nope," _she shook her head again allowing more droplets of water to spill down her cheeks, _"not Kōga either."_

Toboe rubbed his stubbly chin as he pondered deeply on just who had her heart, he also wondered just why she was crying like that. She was laughing and smiling, so why were there small diamonds falling fast down her smooth face without stopping?

One of the wolf cubs that had settled against Hanyuu's right leg awoke at once when she began to sob softly, it whimpered in concern and licked her palm lovingly. She peeked down at it through her wet, clouded eyes and hiccupped loudly before pulling the small demon into a tight embrace as she cried harder into its fur. The other young woke immediately and rubbed against her, desperate to soothe her.

Her sudden outbreak had surprised and alarmed Toboe as he knelt down to her level and lifted her head by her chin to reveal a little face that was filled with sorrow and loss, more tears ran down her skin and dripped onto his clawed hand forming a tiny puddle on the back of it. He gazed down at the salty water leaking from her eyes as he examined it properly, the tears were not clear as tears should be - in fact, they were a fine, shimmering gold that glowed in the dim lighting of the cavern.

"Hanyuu?" he whispered in awe, "Your tears... they're gold!"

She lifted her dainty hand up to her face as she brushed some of the shining liquid from her cheeks where she examined the residue that had clung to her palm, like Toboe had said: it was indeed a bright golden colour. Ordinary people surely did not shed golden tears? But then again, Hanyuu had always known that she was far from ordinary. This situation seemed awfully familiar actually. _"Oh. This again, huh?" _she muttered to herself.

The small cubs stared up at her glittering droplets of sadness in amazement as they reached up to lick them away, although more simply fell and replaced the old ones instantly. Their tongues lapped at her wet eyelashes as they clambered up her body and balanced their selves on her shoulders and upper arms to gain easy access to her waterworks. It tasted like magic and they quite liked the flavour of it.

Arina watched from afar in the darkness of the cavern as the girl before her continued to weep quietly, clearly confused at why she was having such a reaction to nothing much. Though she was unaware of it, Hanyuu was slowly beginning to correspond with her past self, Haya, in both her actions and destiny. It would soon be time to grant the wish that her previous form could not.

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><p>"No, Haya! You can't stop them! They won't ever stop until they've brutally destroyed each other and everything else around them!" Onigumo cried as his lover leapt onto the back of a large and determined looking Kirara.<p>

"Please do not try to stop me, Onigumo." she said to him as she secured herself onto the fire cat demon's back, "They are my parents and I refuse to just sit by and watch them murder one another without trying to do something!"

Onigumo sighed inwardly as more villagers screams could be heard from the village nearby where Magatsuhi and Midoriko were still battling it out fiercely. The demons in the forest had become restless and were fleeing the area in the fear of being purified by the great priestess' immense spiritual power. Onigumo had wanted to leave the land with Haya to a safer place were he could then ask for her hand in marriage. However, she seemed intent on staying and refusing to abandon her parents, despite their new killing natures.

"But what happens if they hurt you?" he asked quietly, the concern in his low voice was enough to break Haya's heart.

She let out a small sigh and nudged Kirara for her to walk closer to Onigumo in order for her to pull him against the fire cat's fur and closer to her, she ran her hand through his thick raven hair and squeezed him tightly. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her waist and sighed into the space where her neck and shoulder joined. She kissed the side of his cheek softly before she leant back, giving him a small smile.

Kirara growled in a gentle pitch as she gave the girl a worried look, Haya rubbed her hand over the two tail's head and jawline slowly. "It's okay, Kirara." she cooed softly, "My wings may be gone and with the master of potions, but that doesn't make me weak and useless." The cat demon looked away sadly, finding herself unable to look the girl directly in the eyes, she had an awful skin-crawling feeling that this was not going to end well.

Haya then shifted her gaze back to Onigumo and put on a brave face, "Help the villagers to evacuate their homes, I shall do my best to put a stop my parents fighting. Your place is here, now do as I ask and do a good job of it." she ordered firmly.

He nodded, putting on _his _brave face as Kirara took off to the sky with Haya holding onto her fiery mane tightly. He followed after them as they flew over the forest and back to the burning village where men, women and children alike were running around screaming in fear. Just as the fire cat and her purple eyed rider flew off into the distance and out of sight, he spotted a young girl on her own trapped in a ring of fire, wailing loudly for her mother and father. He leapt over the smaller flames to her side and slung her over his shoulder swiftly before running back as fast as his legs would carry him.

Haya stared up ahead at the raging fires and fields of destruction as Kirara increased her speed, a sudden horde of demons flying away from the battlefield crashed into them at a great speed, throwing the girl from her loyal two tailed cat and into the air. Kirara let out a loud snarl as she sunk her fangs into the fleeing demon's hard flesh, ripping them to pieces in order to clear a path for her to fly through and catch the falling Haya.

She caught the girl in her jaws just in time as she flew in zigzags, trying to avoid all the hovering mutant worms and spiders as they hit her with their poisons and claws. A large centipede latched itself to her face and dug its sharp talons into her magenta eyes, blinding her as she let out a high pitched, shrill cry.

Haya gasped in horror as she watched the fire cat growl in pain and bewilderment as to where she was flying, in her confusion she knocked into several other demons that inflicted further damage to her such as hearing loss in one ear and three deep gashes on her back that bled dangerously. The half demon shifted her gaze to the dry, dusty ground that they were now heading for rapidly. "KIRARA, FLY UP NOW!" she shrieked.

Her cry was heard too late by Kirara's only working ear as they hit the ground at a force so great it created a small crater where they fell. Kirara trembled with her fur standing up as she desperately tried to regain her lost vision and now mobility, since her front and hind legs seemed to be broken from the harsh fall. She whimpered loudly as she sniffed around fiercely for Haya and whined loudly.

Lying on Kirara's back in the torn and bloody fur, was Haya. She groaned as she rubbed her temples slowly, trying to stop everything around her from spinning. Thanks to the two tail cushioning her fall, she was reasonably alright aside from her bleeding forehead that caused thick, blood to leak down her eye and drip from her chin. She gazed down at the distressed demon beneath her and coughed weakly to let her presence be known, Kirara tilted her head in the direction of the sound and her nose met Haya's palm who stroked the black, wet tip lightly, receiving a comforted purr in response.

"Oh Kirara," she sighed sadly, studying the many wounds that engulfed the two tail's large body, "look at you. You're hurt very badly."

Kirara simply growled softly at her statement and rested her head on the hard ground, her body weak and tired. She wanted to sleep but she did not want to leave Haya on her own to face Magatsuhi and Midoriko without her wings. The large wildcat attempted to move her legs only to growl in pain as the ligaments were torn and bled more when she shifted them. Haya stopped her instantly and exclaimed, "No, you can't! You'll die if you move!"

The demon hissed weakly as she raised her head limply, searching for the girl's hand which she licked affectionately and rubbed her scratched head against. "Let me help you, Kirara." Haya pleaded, "Please?"

When she felt the half demon's palm pressed firmly against her forehead, she snarled and shifted back quickly. There was absolutely no way that she would allow her to do such a thing for something as insignificant as a lowly demon like herself. Haya's expression saddened at Kirara's refusal, "Please? I don't want you to die. Please, Kirara." she begged.

Kirara sighed inwardly and relaxed slightly, allowing the girl to once again place her hand on her forehead. She could feel the powers flowing into her and giving her a new kind of strength that made her feel a little dizzy to begin with, her wounds closed and her sight and hearing returned - they were a little better than before actually.

Lowering her hand from her demon sidekick's furry head, Haya blinked as her vision began to blur. Her powers were weak and she was running out of time, if she didn't act fast it would be too late for everyone. She licked her dry lips and rose to her feet slowly, leaning on Kirara's shoulder for support as she panted heavily and wiped away the blood that was now pouring heavily from her head injury. Kirara whimpered worriedly as she watched the half demon girl suffer so, only to receive a small half-hearted smile in response.

"I'm alright," Haya insisted, "really I am."

Kirara did not seem convinced as she licked her arm and whimpered once again.

Haya sighed inwardly as she wrapped her dirty arms around the fire cat's neck and tried to hold in her tears, she squeezed her tightly and breathed heavily into the soft and comforting cream tinted fur mane. Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, Haya pulled away and brushed several black locks of hair from her sad lavender eyes as she took a step back from the two tail.

She gave her a weak smile as she continued to step backward, "Mother was wise to choose you as her companion, Kirara. I'm sure she won't ever forget about you. Like I know _I _won't." she whispered hoarsely.

When Kirara realized the meaning behind her words she growled in protest only to be shushed by Haya. "Please don't argue with me, I need you to help the villagers too, along with Onigumo. He can't do it without you." she said just before her voice had the time to break and crack. She looked down at her palms which were emitting a small amount of pink spiritual powers mixed with the blueness of her demonic energy, "And besides, I still have a little fire left in me." she whispered, a hint of hope in her voice.

Kirara broke the eye-contact and faced the ground sadly, all the people that she cared about were doomed to die. First her mistress, Midoriko, whom she had known to be lost from the moment she first stood against Magatsuhi, and now the girl she had helped to raise from birth was now too destined to fade away into nothing. Was this the price that a demon had to pay for caring for a mortal? Could there ever be a happy ending for a human loving fire cat such as herself?

Lifting her head after a while, Kirara moved slowly to one side, allowing Haya to pass to where Midoriko and Magatsuhi were furiously battling. She bowed her head respectfully as the girl trudged by her and disappeared into the murky forest ahead, when Kirara could simply stand and stare as the wonderful, selfless girl just walked right out of her life. Though the girl was convinced on handling this alone, surely she would need _someone _by her side at the very end of it all? Did she really have to die? Before Kirara could change her mind, she took off from the ground in the direction of the burning village where she would seek out the merchant, Onigumo.

Haya followed the sounds of her mother's deafening screams and her father's shrill screeches, the forest was now beginning to burn as the flames gnawed at the trees, transforming them into large dancing torches as she staggered beneath them. Her vision was now blurry and new wounds were opened by the sharp, sizzling branches and briars as she brushed past them all no longer giving a care to how badly hurt she was. She bent down and removed her sandals as they had begun to rub her feet which were now covered in blisters and burns. The shoes were tossed away into a burning bush, as was her blue apron that she wore around her bottom half just as the other women in the village would - it had been getting in her way anyway.

The trees finally parted and she stepped out into the harsh miasma infected air where Midoriko and Magatsuhi were lunging at each other and calling out powerful attacks. She stared up at the pair and watched sadly as the rain began to fall from the dark clouds, cloaking her in a watery veil and dripping down her dirty, bloody face. The loud booms of thunder echoed throughout the land as jagged lightning struck fiercely.

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><p>Whilst dressing an old man's bandages, Onigumo glanced across in the distance at the source of the fires and destruction where the great battle was taking place. He worried for Haya whom had given him a look that he had never seen before when she told him goodbye, it was a look that suggested she was not coming back. Of course, deep down Onigumo had always suspected that she would not be able to live normally due to her heritage and mixed species. He knew that she would eventually be cruelly ripped from him by something, he just never wanted to admit that that was going to happen sooner or later.<p>

Turning back to the injured old man before him he put on a fake smile and said, "Keep that clean and you'll be just fine." The man nodded and thanked him before being helped up by some of his family members that hadn't perished in the fires and was lead away.

Onigumo once again turned his gaze to the distance where he thought of his Haya and her wellbeing, however, his train of thoughts were interrupted by a familiar looking fire cat demon flying towards him at an incredible speed. "Kirara?" he muttered as he rose to his feet quickly, "What is she doing here? And where is Haya...?" He rushed off to meet the two tail approaching him fast and met her as she landed on the ground a few feet away from him.

He studied her back and noticed that it was missing a certain purple eyed half demon. "Kirara... where is Haya!?" he asked hesitantly.

The fire cat gave him a sharp look as she let off a low growl from the back of her throat, she turned and began to walk away only to tilt her head in his direction: almost as if she wanted him to follow her. He got the hint when he asked, "Are you trying to get me to follow you?" She growled as an answer, which he took as a yes.

He ran to her side where she leant down on all fours and looked up at him intently. He gasped in surprise as he realized what it was she was doing - she was giving him permission to climb on her back. He had never had her approval to be able to ride on her back as Midoriko and Haya would, she would simply hiss or flash her fangs at him whenever he got close. But now here she was, lying before him and willingly submitting herself to him. Wow. Haya must be in real trouble for the two tail to give up her pride and ego so easily. Wasting no more time, he straddled Kirara's back and held on tightly as she took off into the air.

Despite the pouring rain, unlike the village and forest fires that were slowly diminishing, Kirara's red flames burned bright as she flew on. Everything about her was burning really: her eyes, her body temperature and even her spirit. Onigumo inhaled the scent of Haya which was still clinging to Kirara's fur along with dry blood and the scent of magic, it was comforting to feel her presence so close.

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><p>Magatsuhi struck Midoriko with his miasma which she countered with her force field, the two were gradually weakening but not willing to surrender, they would rather die than be beaten which at the moment may very well be the outcome of the situation.<p>

"PERISH MIDORIKO!" Magatsuhi bellowed, sending waves of demonic energy towards her.

She sliced the beam in half with her sharp sword and screamed, "Never! I will not give up until you are dead!"

The rain dripped from Haya's hair and down her soaking clothes, she had undoubtedly caught a cold and probably a bad fever too, but that didn't really matter any more. She needed to stop the bloodshed and ridiculous unnecessary fighting before it got any more out of control, but it was quite obvious that her parents were not going to stop no matter what she said to them. Though she did not like to admit it, she was no longer considered to be their daughter, not even to Midoriko. They were so blinded by hate and rage they had forgotten what it was like to love someone.

She knelt on the hard, muddy ground and joined her fingers together, she could feel the remaining powers in her body slowly surfacing as she focused deeply. Her body began to glow a bright pink as she channelled the energy into her palms. Her parents were now too far to be reached, her voice could no longer be heard. Giving up her life did not bother her too much really, it was only a small sacrifice compared to the lives of others. And with her wings gone, she could not truly die anyway - well, actually that was a lie of course she could die. Well rather, her _body _could die but without her wings, her soul could not truly be killed. If she simply manifested her soul into an object of some kind along with Midoriko's and Magatsuhi's, then they would still technically be alive.

Rising to her feet slowly, she muttered the words that would be the start of a great fairy-tale, one that would be remembered for centuries to come.

"Aramitama - Courage," An image of Magatsuhi came to her mind, he was grinning and protecting his lover and child from danger, the way he used to.

"Kushimitama - Wisdom," Midoriko was sitting brushing her daughter's wings like she would every afternoon and singing softly, she was also telling a story and giving her advice.

"Nigimitama - Friendship," Kirara was in her small form, purring loudly as Haya tickled her tummy and rubbed her ears, she nibbled at her fried fish as she poked it with her small, dainty paw.

"And Sakimitama - Love." she finished as an image of Onigumo came to her, laughing and describing something lecherous to her which she would shriek at in embarrassment, receiving a louder laugh from him before he pulled her towards him and planted a small kiss on her lips, only to then threaten to demonstrate the lecherous act he had previously explained on her.

When the words were spoken, her body glowed with a blinding pink light and her eyes burned a fine amethyst as the light left her eye sockets and enveloped a very confused Midoriko and Magatsuhi in mid fight, leaving their bodies frozen in a crystallized form with Midoriko in the jaws of Magatsuhi who was in the form of a great Dragon.

Golden, shimmering tears leaked down Haya's face as she watched the souls of the two people she loved dearly be sucked into a small void. The tears were the remainder of her powers that fell to the ground, sprouting green shoots of grass and flower buds to grow from the once dry soil, cultivating the land and bringing life.

Onigumo and Kirara came flying onto the scene just in time for Haya to glance up at them and give them a soft smile before the final shining tear escaped from her eyes just as they closed peacefully, she fell to the ground and lay motionless.

"HAYA!" Onigumo shrieked as he watched the girl he loved have her life drained away. Just as she fell, a small cluster of white lights escaped from his chest and flew towards the void that had sucked in Midoriko, Magatsuhi and Haya's souls; several lights escaped from Kirara's chest too and joined the others.

Kirara growled in discomfort at the odd feeling she had just experienced, it had felt as if part of her soul was being ripped out forcefully. She snarled and crash landed on the now grassy turf on the ground with plants and flowers growing from it, so the landing wasn't really that bad. Transforming back into her smaller kitten form as the sense of danger had disappeared and she felt weak anyway, she sneezed at the dandelion seeds that entered her nose and made it itch. The small fluffy seeds danced with the gentle breeze and circled around a palm sized, glittering sphere that lay where Haya's body had originally been. She sat up and mewed quietly in Onigumo's ear who also sat and examined the surroundings, he looked around for Haya who, much to his dismay, was nowhere in sight. All that could be seen was a crystallization of Midoriko in Magatsuhi's jaws and a small purple jewel a few feet away from him and Kirara.

He crawled across the grassy earth and picked it up and held it delicately in his hands. The small fire cat watched from a distance as his lips moved in a speaking pattern, he appeared to be talking to the jewel in his hands, she couldn't help but think just what a weirdo he was. But she couldn't really bring herself to blame him for his odd behaviour as the mysterious jewel seemed to be letting off Haya's aura, as well as her mistress' and Magatsuhi's along with... Onigumo's and her own? What exactly _was _this strange gem? How had it perfectly copied a small fraction of her own essence? Could those enigmatic lights that had escaped hers and Onigumo's chests have in fact been a part of their souls? It would explain why she felt as if there was another version of her nearby.

After a little while of Kirara sniffing and sneezing more dandelions since she was not comfortable enough to approach the odd jewel any closer, and more of Onigumo's muttering to it in his palms he stopped and turned to the two tail. He stood upright and walked towards her, stopping a few feet away, fully aware that she was not comfortable being near the jewel.

"Kirara," he started, "this jewel... it needs to be protected."

Kirara cocked her head to one side cutely, like a bird and blinked curiously. It needed to be protected? Why? What did he know about it that she did not?

He knelt down and looked her directly in the eyes, "You're not going to like this but... I need _you _to protect it."

She growled at him, not liking his proposal one bit. There was something about the jewel that comforted her slightly as she could feel Haya and her mistress, but also there was something dark and eerie about it. And the look in Onigumo's eyes was something else too, she had never seen him wear that kind of expression before - not even when they were having an intense staring contest which Kirara would usually win.

"I know you don't like what I'm asking of you," he said extremely softly for him as Kirara raised an eyebrow at him as if she was congratulating his ability to point out the obvious, "but I need you to do this. No, _Haya _needs you to do this." he finished, opening his closed palm and presenting the sparkling jewel to her.

She eyed him and the jewel suspiciously before sighing mentally and lowering her head sadly, her ears drooped along with both of her large bushy tails as she mewed quietly. Shocking her, Onigumo reached down and pulled the small kitten into his chest and cradled her in his arms. She blinked several times in surprise as the irritating merchant buried his nose into her fur and inhaled her scent, she could also smell the faint saltiness of tears escaping from his eyes which seemed very out of character for someone like him, if he could see himself now he would most likely fall over laughing at his ridiculous actions. Though, she was not all too fond of him, she felt sad and lonely too and liked the feel of an embrace, even if it wasn't from her mistress or Haya. As long as no-one saw her, she could respond to him couldn't she?

Just as Onigumo was about to swallow the lump in his throat and release the surprised fire kitten, he gasped in surprise when he thought he felt her snuggle against his chest and the wetness of her tiny nose rub against his tanned skin. He petted the back of her head and stroked the part where her triangle ears joined her scalp, receiving a barely audible purr. Despite the situation and all that had taken place, he found a small smile stretching across his face as Kirara licked his exposed collarbone.

"Well?" he asked eventually, "Can I entrust you with the jewel or not?"

She mewed in a manor that he took as a yes so he handed her the glittering sphere which she took in her jaws and peered up at him, he grinned. "We'll call it... the Shikon Jewel of Four Souls." he said finally after a long pause.

Shikon huh? Shikon did mean four souls after all so it was a rather fitting title for the jewel. The Shikon Jewel.

After Onigumo's disappearance a few days after he gave Kirara the jewel, she entrusted it to the head villager and made it very clear that it was important and needed to be protected at all costs. The village then devoted itself to the arts of slaying and exorcizing demons, along with Kirara they guarded the jewel well and stopped it from getting into the hands of evil. Eventually, the earth began to form around the crystallization of Midoriko and Magatsuhi, forming a small cave that developed its own little barrier which kept stray demons from entering. Only the people of the village knew how and were permitted to enter the cavern.

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><p>Kirara sat on the wooden fence beside Sango's hut as she watched Inuyasha yell at Kikyo and Kaede for leaving Kagome on her own, making it easy for her to wander off without being noticed. The cat demon often wondered how it was possible for someone to have such bad anger problems like Inuyasha did, he blew his top almost everyday at silly little things which she found rather amusing herself like when he lost one of his haori sleeves and blamed her for eating it. How stupid of him, she did not eat clothing she merely <em>chewed <em>at it, and besides his cloth of the fire rat was not very tasty anyway so she tended to avoid it as much as she could.

"If you can't keep a better eye on her then I'll have to watch her all the time myself!" he snapped at the two priestess' who looked as if they had been deafened, the poor things.

All those years ago, when Onigumo had first presented the Shikon Jewel to her, she had never imagined what an incredible journey she would take part in or all the wonderful people she would meet. But also, she never would have guessed that the merchant she once knew would later convert to a cold bandit and then a ruthless, killing monster calling himself 'Naraku'. She also had not foreseen Haya reincarnating herself as Inuyasha and Kagome's daughter and travelling back in time to meet the past version of Onigumo, or the fact that she would finally regain her lost wings... wow, this was a complicated story indeed. It was like one of those 1000 jigsaw puzzle thingies that Kagome had once brought back from her world: there were many pieces that eventually all fitted together and created a picture.

Yep, it was all very confusing indeed and Kirara had often struggled to keep up with most of the details.

After shouting for a while longer, Inuyasha finally cooled down and sighed loudly before retreating back to his hut where Kagome was lying sleeping. Kikyo and Kaede exchanged glances before bursting out into hysterical laughter (or cackles in Kaede's case). All through Inuyasha's ranting, the two sister's had been trying their hardest to keep a straight face and now he was gone they could let it all out. There was no reason for him to be angry, they had gotten out of the Ayumu situation fine and Kagome was safe too, so all was spiffing. They too, returned to their hut wit a few more laughs and gossip about how Kohaku was planning to ask Rin out.

"Kirara?" came Sango's voice from beside the two tail as she turned her head to see the young woman leaning against the fence next to her, "What are you up to sitting there eavesdropping to people's conversations like a ninja, do you like being nosy all of a sudden?"

Kirara chuckled mentally and hopped down from the fence, rubbing against Sango's legs affectionately before bounding off to find the slayer's three children and Shippo to play with. Sango smirked as she watched the small fire cat skip off, she sometimes wished that Kirara could talk so she could ask her about whatever she was thinking, she could be thinking about literally _anything _and Sango would have absolutely no idea. In this case, Sango would never know what took place inside the two tail's mind and that was not about to change.

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><p><strong>Wow, that's officially the longest chapter yet! Phew! I never really thought that Kirara got enough credit in the show and she was often underestimated or simply pushed aside, so I thought she deserved a special part in this story! By the way, the chapter name "Flaxen Weeping" is basically another way of saying Golden sobbing. Well, I hope chapter this makes up for the long waiting. Thank you so much for reading, leave a review if you enjoyed it! ~Happy<strong>


	10. The Sword and The Magic Stone

**Sorry for not updating in a while, I've had tons of homework and I felt a little ill so I was unable to write any more of the story :( But now I am better and I can finally continue! Hope you all had a lovely Valentine's Day (I know I did... alone).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha; I only own the characters that aren't included in the anime/manga.**

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><p>Chapter Ten<p>

Hanyuu strolled out of the wolf den casually and inhaled the cool, fresh air deeply as she stretched her arms out in an attempt to relieve them of the stiffness in her joints. She let a small smile spread across her mouth as she peered down at her old priestess styled kimono that Shun had retrieved from the castle and given back to her. It resembled Kagome and Kikyo's greatly apart from a few minor differences, such as the big bow that was tied at the back instead of the front and the tangy reddish orange that replaced a usual priestess' blood red coloured garments. And because of the cold and high risk of acquiring injuries, Toboe and Kōga had recommended she wear a black jumpsuit sort of costume underneath the priestess kimono - it looked a lot like Sango's demon slayer outfit actually, apart from the pink armour plates.

Kneeling at the foot of a large frosty tree outside of the den, she gasped happily at what she saw - just at the base of the trunk, peeking out from the blanket of snow was a small, green plant shoot. Numerous blades of grass were also poking out all around the area and the thickness of the snow appeared to be a lot thinner than before. Spring must be on its way is what Hanyuu thought to herself before rising to her feet and gazing up into the screen of branches above her, icicles were dripping and leaves were beginning to sprout from some branches.

The young wolf cubs from before came slinking behind her and rubbed against her legs adoringly, she tilted her head to the ground and smiled softly at them before crouching down and stroking the one with grey eyes on the left ear. They licked her arm as they had done before and she kissed each of them on the tips of their noses, making them purr quietly at her attention. As much as she enjoyed petting and cuddling each of the tiny balls of fur, Hanyuu couldn't help but wonder just why they seemed to be so attached to her; they had followed her everywhere for practically the entire day simply staring up at her in awe with their tongues out panting and their tails wagging from side to side.

As she continued to pet the tiny animal children, her ears twitched rather suddenly at a low pitched voice from somewhere in the forest, she stood swiftly and sniffed in the direction of the voice. What was this? There was someone nearby yet she sensed no presence and there was no scent coming from the direction of the speaking. Confused by her actions, the wolf cubs lowered their heads and sniffed the ground frantically. Surprising Hanyuu by instantly leaping back and whining loudly, they then proceeded in scampering behind her and whimpering in fear.

_"What is it?" _she asked, _"Do you smell something?"_

When they only continued to whine, she turned to the direction of the sound and sniffed harder. Could they smell something that she couldn't? Was her half demon nose too weak to detect a scent so advanced? Her ears twitched more as the voice slowly became more audible, she squinted her eyes and raised her ears high to listen more carefully.

The voice was faint and she failed to understand several words but she managed to work out that it was a young woman's voice, "...name is...and...come...your offspring."

What in the world was this person saying? Offspring? Wasn't that another word for referring to children? Could it be that a child was in danger? How awful! Hanyuu perked her ears higher and attempted to listen some more.

"What!? No, you can't have her!" came a second voice that sounded impossibly familiar, which surprised Hanyuu greatly as she gasped loudly.

Completely forgetting about the wolf cubs at her feet, she ran off instantly in the direction of the voices, running as fast as she could. It couldn't really be _her _could it? There was no way that it could be _her _of all people! What would she be doing this far away from her home and so close to Hanyuu? The voices were growing louder and becoming more audible as Hanyuu ran on through the trees.

"Too bad, but I will be taking her." the first voice sighed, "Anyway, what can _you _do about it? Your man and puff ball are busy fighting my mate and you look pretty defenceless on your own, so I guess the girl's as good as mine."

"Over my dead body!" the more familiar voice shrieked.

The sinister voice chuckled darkly, "Oh, that can be arranged."

Hanyuu panted as she increased her speed in order to reach the source of the voices. This should not be possible. It was not physically possible for this scene to be happening... _again_. The smell of fear drifted into Hanyuu's nostrils and caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up due to the new chilling atmosphere, she had smelt this fear before and she was certainly not very happy having to smell it again.

"Get back!" the familiar voice cried desperately.

"Don't worry, I'll make it nice and quick." the sinister woman cooed in a sickeningly sweet tone that was enough to make Hanyuu feel sick.

She finally burst through the trees into a clearing where the snow seemed to have fully vanished and looked to have been transformed back into a hot summer's day! Her jaw dropped open at the scene before her as she shook her head slowly. Up ahead, at the centre of the clearing was Arina and Kagome who seemed to be holding something small and fluffy looking. When she realized, she fell to her knees in the shock and discovered that she was all out of air to give out a gasp or sigh. The small fluffy bundle... was her as a small baby. This was the day she had 'died' by Ren's hand. Her father and Shippo were occupied with Ren who was in his Dragon form and Sango and Miroku were about to run onto the scene and give her mother a hand. Then Ren would come charging through the trees and slam into Kagome, sending her flying and Hanyuu up into the air where he would catch her and 'kill' her. It was all about to happen right here before her eyes.

Hanyuu covered her mouth with her hands and shook her head slowly, _"Please not again, not this." _she whimpered quietly. However, her voice did not seem to be heard by neither her mother or Arina and not even the younger version of herself.

Just as she had remembered it, Sango's Hiraikotsu came flying in and almost chopped Arina in half but was a little slow as she leapt out of the way. Then the slayer herself came bounding over with her husband not too far behind, who was panting in exhaustion and mumbling about how he was too old for this now. They fought with Arina for a while before a familiar scream echoed through the forest, causing the group to turn their heads towards the sound.

_"No please!" _Hanyuu cried, tears not streaming down her cheeks - the tears were gold like before and shimmered in the sunlight. She wiped them away quickly with the hem of her sleeve and blinked rapidly, desperate to stop them from falling. Whenever she wept, it felt as if her power was slowly being drained away along with the glittering tears.

"LOOK OUT!" Inuyasha screeched as the Dragon Ren came bursting through the trees in the direction of Kagome and little Hanyuu. "RUN KAGOME!" he yelled loudly, rushing after the large lizard with Tetsusaiga held high above his head with Shippo in pink ball form not too far behind him.

Hanyuu watched motionless as the smaller version of herself was thrown into the air when Ren slammed into her mother and caught the child in his jaws. She licked her lips and swallowed the lump in her throat. It was coming, it was going to happen again, and this time she was here to witness it from a distance like her friends and family had done.

Arina ordered Ren to silence the bawling child in his fangs which he did, only to realize that he had accidentally murdered her. Hanyuu watched as the life drained from her young eyes and her tiny ears drooped lifelessly. She glanced across at her father who dropped his sword and stood as still as a statue simply staring up at her unable to move, Kagome was on her knees, wailing uncontrollably and Sango and Miroku covered their mouths in horror. Shippo had transformed into his normal form and burst into snotty tears and hiccups.

Stomping her foot in frustration, Arina shrieked at Ren for killing their hostage before storming off after ordering him to dispose of the little girl's body. Hanyuu watched in confusion as Ren's narrow red eyes saddened slightly at Sango and Miroku's pleading for him to give them the girl's body, why did he look so pained? Before he could do anything else, he took off with the little girl in his jaws and flew away swiftly.

She then watched as her friends and family all gathered into a large group hug and sobbed uncontrollably, even the men. Hanyuu ran towards them in an attempt to comfort them, desperate to let them know of her presence. But alas, as she had suspected, they could neither see nor hear her, they could not even feel her touch as she ran her hand across her mother's head. Her hand went straight through and caused the image to ripple slightly, there was no doubt about it - this was definitely an illusion of some sort.

_"This isn't real!" _she shrieked loudly all around. Just as the words had left her lips, the image of the grieving group vanished and the scene transformed back into a snowy, wintry clearing.

"Hey, you're better than I thought." giggled a voice that sounded ridiculously similar to her own, "This could be more fun than I'd originally thought."

_"Who are you!?" _Hanyuu snarled, exposing her fangs and claws causing the voice to laugh loudly.

A girl that looked just like a mirror image of herself appeared before her and chuckled at her reaction, everything about the girl was exactly the same apart from the sharp, redness of her eyes and the black flowing kimono that she was wearing.

Hanyuu blinked in confusion at the girl's appearance, _"Wha?" _she stuttered.

"What ever is the matter?" the mirror image laughed, "Have you maybe noticed the resemblance between us?"

_"This is incredible..." _Hanyuu gasped as she properly studied the copy. _"Who ARE you?" _she repeated.

"I'm Makia." she grinned. "I'm your copy."

_"Copy? What are you talking about?"_

"Well do you remember when the demon eel from before bit you in the hot spring back at Komatsu's castle? She sucked a little of your blood which Komatsu then used to create me. That's what I am - your shadow."

_"But why? What can possibly he gain from creating a copy of me?"_

A deeper manly voice stopped Makia from answering, "Now now, Makia. Don't tell the half breed everything. She can find out the rest when we take her back to Lord Komatsu. Kukukuku." he cackled. A man with long green hair in plaits appeared in the air and smirked, "Ah Hanyuu, allow me to introduce myself: I am Ayumu. And might I say just how lovely it is to finally meet you in person... and not just as a crummy clone."

Makia scowled at his comment and grabbed Hanyuu's arm tightly, causing her to yelp at the sudden pinch. "Enough jibber jabbering, you're coming with us." she said firmly.

_"No I'm not! Let me go now!" _she protested, trying to release herself from the copy's grasp.

"Oh come on, bad guys NEVER listen to that stupid plea." Ayumu sighed, "If we let you go just like that, it would defeat the purpose of us coming all the way out here."

_"Wait a minute. How exactly did you re-create that scene of Arina and Ren's... attack?"_

"Simple. I specialize in generating dreams and illusions. Let me give you another little demonstration." His eyes flashed a sudden green as Hanyuu found her vision clouding over.

_"What are you... doing?" _she asked dizzily, losing her balance a little as she rubbed her suddenly sleepy eyes.

"Sweet dreams." he smirked as her eyelids drifted shut and her legs gave way. Makia caught the girl which she was imitating just before she hit the ground and slung her across her shoulder, she scowled up at his 'gentleness' and 'consideration' towards the half demon.

"Aren't you such a gentleman?" she jeered sarcastically.

Ayumu chuckled to himself, "Come now, Makia. We have what we came here for, let us depart at once." He snapped his fingers and he, Makia and the unconscious Hanyuu vanished instantly.

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><p>"Hey. Any of you seen Hanyuu around?" Shun asked Kōga and Toboe as he wandered around the wolf den in search of his half demon companion.<p>

"Wasn't she with the cubs?" Kōga suggested, scratching his head, "Damn, them kids just can't leave her alone!"

"Yeah that's another thing... I can't find any of them either." he muttered.

Toboe rubbed his chin as he pondered, "They should be with the females, did you look there?" he asked.

Shun nodded, "That's the first place I checked. No sign of them or Hanyuu."

"I saw her sneaking out through the west entrance a little while ago," Arina's voice startled them as they turned to see her walking towards them, "the cubs were tagging along after her."

"Take me to her." Shun said, standing before her with his arms crossed.

Kōga slapped his hand on Shun's shoulder and grinned, "I'm coming too. Y'never know, you might need an extra pair of paws."

"Ill come as well," Toboe said confidently. He didn't want anything bad to happen to Hanyuu and he would protect her with his life, even if she didn't return the feelings that he felt for her.

Shun nodded at the two before turning back to Arina, "Lets go." he nodded at her.

"Fine. Follow me." she sighed as she turned and lead them in the direction of where she saw Hanyuu and the wolf cubs last.

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><p>"Excuse me? Wake up miss."<p>

Hanyuu groaned as she felt the unbearable pounding of her head and the burning of thirst in her throat, the ground was soft and smelled sickeningly sweet once again. She opened her eyes sluggishly and waited for her vision to focus. Gazing down at her and smiling softly was Ai, the serving woman whom she had met before in Komatsu's castle.

"Hello again, Lady Hanyuu." she smiled down at the half demon girl who was looking around the room in confusion, "It's been quite a while since we last saw one another, hasn't it?"

Hanyuu coughed and sat up swiftly, only to regret it due to the further pain in her temples that throbbed heavily. Licking her exceedingly dry lips and rubbing her forehead, she looked up at Ai and asked hoarsely, _"I'm not... back here again, am I?"_

"Yes, you most certainly are." she nodded, "The Lord sent out his best underlings to retrieve you the instant he discovered you were missing. The last thing he wanted was you being out there and getting hurt."

_"How very considerate of him."_ she muttered dryly. This was great. Just great. She had managed to get out of here once but now she was back again and everything was as if she had never escaped! And to make things worse - there was no Shun here this time. The castle seemed a lot less safe than last time without him here to keep her company.

Ai handed her a cup of herbal tea, which she gulped heartily, leaving no residue left in the cup when she returned it. The stinging of thirst had now left her throat and she could breathe without craving liquid.

"Now come on, mistress. Out of bed. The Lord wishes to see you as soon as possible."

Sighing and trying to ignore the awful feeling of having to see Lord Komatsu again, she crawled out of the large, silk bed and stretched. She was thankful that her priestess costume was still attached to her and had not been removed or replaced, it felt nice to have at least _one _familiar possession with her, even if it was only clothing. Though her thirst was gone, her head was still pounding because of the sickly sweet scent that seemed to be everywhere and she discovered that she was quite hungry. She then turned to Ai and nodded, indicating that she was ready to go.

"This way." Ai smiled again as she opened the door and gestured for Hanyuu to step through it.

She followed at metres length away from Ai as they wandered down the polished hallways. Hanyuu knew that every step she took, the closer she became to Lord Komatsu - the man who wanted to take away both her newly aqquired freedom and virginity by making her his concubine. She shuddered at the thought of the Lord who was so much older than her with his bony fingers all over her bare skin, euurrgh! Oh, how she wished for the presence of another whom she was comfortable around and familiar with. Ai was not overly bad company but she spoke to her with ridiculously high respect and seemed to be terrified of displeasing the girl and being punished for her mistakes.

They arrived at a large door encrusted in polish and wooden carvings with a sign that read: King's Study, which Ai opened carefully and lead Hanyuu inside. The room was rather large and spacey with small marble statutes positioned around the edges and fancy looking purple rugs laid across the smooth floor, at the other side of the room was a large wooden desk covered in neatly arranged important looking papers... and a bowl of yummy looking fruit that made Hanyuu's stomach growl. There was also a small bookshelf, a window with a view of the gardens and a blue armchair. It was indeed a very beautiful room.

_"This is a very pretty room," _Hanyuu admitted as she wandered around, trying to distract herself from the fruity smell that was emitting from a few feet away and making her tummy scream to be fed. She shifting her gaze up to the elegant crystal chandelier above her head, _"Are you sure this The Lord's study or is it really a ballroom!?"_

Ai chuckled at the half demon's fascination and great interest in a room with not much significance, if she saw the proper ballroom or dining hall she would literally be begging The Lord to make her his. "No, my Lady. This is not a ballroom." she smiled in amusement, "I can assure you that this _is _Lord Komatsu's private study."

_"So if this is his study, where is HE?"_

"Don't worry, miss. He will be along shortly. You just make yourself comfortable in here and wait for him to come and get you. Help yourself to refreshments if you'd like."

Hanyuu chuckled at the word refreshment, 'don't mind if I do' she thought to herself.

"Well please excuse me, I have a few errands to run." Ai said, bowing her head.

Hanyuu simply nodded and waved as Ai left, closing the doors behind her and leaving the younger girl alone with her thoughts. She plodded over to a marble statute of what looked to be a winged person, then again when she studied the other statues they were all angels only in different positions and with unique appearances. Gee, this man sure was obsessive. Shifting her attention the the pile of papers on the desk across the room (and the bowl of fruit), she walked over to it and picked up a few sheets to examine (hopefully without Komatsu catching her being nosy). She also faced a peach and gnawed at it with her fangs, letting the sweet juice run down her tongue and making her growl at the tastiness of it. Her stomach was singing in joy at finally receiving food after all its hard begging.

After finishing the peach, she moved onto an orange as she looked at the many papers on the desk. They were collections of legend analysis' and constructive comments, they were legends and short stories of the winged people picked apart and explained thoroughly, there were also diagrams and explanations of the angels body structures and how they worked. Komatsu sure did have a lot of spare time on his hands for him to be able to write all of these papers, and from the look of it he must have had a lifetime to study.

The short stories caught her attention the most because of their interesting titles and summaries, some were labelled 'myth', some 'false' and a few were 'possible truth'. She flicked through the titles and stopped at one that went by the name: The Magic Stone and The Sword. There were question marks over the documents on it and Komatsu did not seem all too knowledgeable of this text, it didn't look to commonly read either, which meant that The Lord was even less likely to find out she had been having a look at it. Turning her head to make sure that she was alone, she returned her focus to the small book in her hands and opened it delicately, very careful as to not snap the thin wearing spine or squeeze orange juice on the worn pages.

_"In the beginning, in the high kingdom of the heavens, Amaterasu, a great sword was forged from the tears of angels and the bloodstained fangs of demons. However, it was too powerful to be left alone and had to be guarded at all times. When the bloodline of the winged people grew weak, they entrusted the blade to the other half of its heritage: the demons. It was given to a dog demon of high authority and supreme power who was capable of subduing the sword's immense power, he was the Lord of the Western domain and guarded and weilded the mighty fang greatly."_

Hanyuu stopped as she read about the great dog demon, in a story about a powerful sword, this seemed a little too convenient to be a coincidence. Could this be speaking of Inu no Taishō and the demon blade Sō'unga? It certainly sounded like it.

_"Then came a mix of the two species, a being with wings and demon blood coursing through her veins. From her sorrow and the souls of her loved ones came a mystical magic stone with the ability to grant wishes and purify the most wicked of hearts. However, since the stone was born with both demon and angel auras, it was neither evil nor good. If held by a person with a pure heart, it would glow with goodness and compassion; but if held by a person with a twisted heart, it would become defiled and emit pain and suffering. So the stone was entrusted to a purehearted priestess who soon met her demise due to the stone's presence and bad effect it had on her life."_

Okay. Now this sounded a lot like the Shikon Jewel and when it was given to Kikyo, and the part about a half demon angel creating it sounded like Hanyuu when she was Haya.

_"All seemed well until the great dog demon met his demise, leaving the sword unprotected and free to do as it pleased. But it was luckily sent to the underworld later by the dog demon's two sons. And when the pure priestess died also, the magic stone was burned with her body only to return when her spirit reincarnated in another, who managed to finish it finally. So when Amaterasu fell to ruin by the demons attacking, a prophecy was found. It said that when the sword and the stone returned to the kingdom and the sword wished on the stone's magic, it would open once again. But with both objects destroyed, there was no way for the prophecy to come true. And after all - a sword cannot make a wish, can it?"_

This didn't make any sense. Sō'unga and the Shikon Jewel had nothing to do with one another. And other reasons that this story could not be true: first, the sword had met its demise by Inuyasha and Sesshomaru long ago, and second the Shikon Jewel had been destroyed by Kagome's command. These were all things that Hanyuu witnessed through the Rift and which she had seen through her very own eyes. And with all the scribbles on the paper and possible theories, it seemed that Komatsu had thought of exactly the same reasons Hanyuu had for this story to be false.

"You're being pretty nosy peeking through the King 's stuff, aren't you? You know, maybe you're not that bad actually." came a more sinister version of her own voice, this meant that it could only be one person.

_"Makia right?" _Hanyuu said confidently as she turned to she her mirror image standing smirking before her with her arms crossed, _"What is it that you want? Are you supposed to be guarding me or something?"_

She chuckled darkly, "No. I came to deliver this ball of fur to you actually," she said in a matter of fact tone before revealing a small brown wolf cub in her left hand which was snarling at her loudly, "it followed after you when we kidnapped you. Is it yours or do I dispose of it?"

Hanyuu gasped that she would ever think of disposing a baby animal without even feeling a little bad about it. She scowled and snatched the cub from her copy's grasp and held it close to her chest in an attempt to calm it, its body relaxed and it drew its claws back into its paws when it realized that it was in the arms of the REAL Hanyuu.

_"Not that I want to see him, but where is Lord Komatsu?" _Hanyuu asked firmly, trying to sound as threatening as she could, _"Shouldn't he be here by now?" _Sure The Lord was creepy but at least he didn't look exactly like her! Talking to Makia made her feel as if she were talking to her own reflection, only a slightly more spooky reflection of herself.

Makia scoffed at the mention of Komatsu, "Heh. You still call him a Lord after all you've been through? You can drop the fancy titles when you're around me, I really don't give a damn."

Hanyuu frowned and shifted her gaze down to the wolf cub in her arms, she rubbed its chin and smiled softly at it. This was the one from before with the grey eyes and scratched ear, it was comforting to see someone who was vaguely familiar.

Sighing inwardly, Makia turned and walked in the direction of the door. Before she left, she tilted her head slightly and addressed Hanyuu, "Say, you know that story you're reading? Do you understand what it's saying yet?"

Hanyuu looked up and blinked in confusion, she shook her head, _"No, why? Do you?" _she asked.

Ignoring the question, Makia turned and walked out without saying anything else. The girl would soon realize the true meaning behind the story and the significance that she had to it. And as far for Komatsu, the servants had lied, he was out attending to some business with Kirai so Hanyuu would have a long wait (hey at least she has food!). Speaking of which, Makia really needed to get to them now, Komatsu had requested her presence and he would be rather annoyed if she didn't show up. Heck, he could even kill her if he wanted to! Maybe hurrying would be a good option.

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><p><strong>In the next chapter: we finally go back to the present! Thanks for reading, review if you enjoyed the chapter! ~Happy<strong>


	11. The Impossible Children & The Nine Keys

**Okay I know what you're thinking, where the hell have I been all this time? Well I have been bombed with coursework for pretty much every subject and I have been very busy studying for exams, so I have had little time to continue the story. But I have in fact, gone back to arc one and re-written up to chapter 19 to finer detail and more description. So I have not been competently wasting my time by sitting around doing nothing whenever my schoolwork was temporarily under control. You can go back and check that out if you want but there isn't really any MAJOR changes.**

**Also you might want to pay close attention to this chapter as there are vital key points and clues to the plotline here that will be more important later on, and use these clues to make your own guesses on what is going to happen next. It all ties up at the end I promise.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha; I only own the characters that aren't included in the anime/manga.**

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><p>Chapter Eleven<p>

The Bone Eater's well shimmered in the white light of the moon, as the trees around the clearing it resided in swayed in the night's breeze. Makia peered down into the dark pit and placed her hands on its wooden side, staring down intently into the nothingness. It was so dark and empty - just like her. She ran her fingers across the worn wood and traced the lines where the planks and ivy met. It felt rough and drew blood from her index finger, which she rose closer to her face and examined the wooden splinter that had attracted itself into her flesh. The blood slowly trickled down from her hand and created a small pool at the edge of the well, it was clear and a dark colour that was illuminated by the dim light of the moonlit sky. In her reflection, all she saw was the girl whom she had been cloned from, her mirror image... Hanyuu. That was all she was: just a poorer copy of the last winged being that Komatsu needed in order to carry out his plan. She was nothing.

"Makia,"

She turned her head to see her Lord Komatsu standing behind her with his arms at his sides and Kirai at his feet, and he had his gaze locked onto her. She stiffened at his intense look as she narrowed her rose red eyes and crossed her arms impatiently. "Komatsu." she muttered, covering her bleeding finger by tucking it into her black yukata and pressing it against her chest, causing the thick liquid to imprint into her lower collarbone and strain her skin.

Komatsu pretended not to see her injured finger and shifted his gaze to the dry well behind her, he smirked. "Long I have waited to travel through this strange portal to the unknown dimension that Kagome originated from," he chuckled, still staring at the well with excitement, "and now... it would appear that I shall have my wish furfilled."

From out of nowhere, Ayumu appeared to the side of the Lord and laughed heartily. "Oh, you and your wishes, my Lord." he cackled, "You truly are obsessed with the powers of that girl, Hanyuu. Kukuku."

Kirai smiled a toothy grin, exposing her large fangs before slithering towards Makia and coiling around her feet slowly. Makia sighed in frustration as she tried to shake the eel off of her feel. How she hated this vile and slimy creature that Komatsu insisted on keeping, it was absolutely repulsive in every way. The eel hissed at her attempts to remove her from her feet and wrapped herself around the girl's ankles more tightly. "Get off me at once, you disgusting thing!" she whispered in a threatening tone as she shook Kirai harder.

"Come now, Makia." Komatsu sighed, "Try to treat Kirai with a little more care, she is precious. The two of you are connected since you were born from her venom and the blood of Hanyuu. If she is injured - so are you. If she dies - so do you. Just try to keep that in mind."

Makia frowned and stopped resisting the leechy eel. What he had said was the truth, her and Kirai shared a bothersome connection meaning that she had no excuse but to protect the eel from danger. If she wanted to keep her life, that is. If it wasn't for that, she would happily hack the thing into tiny little pieces without giving it a second thought.

Komatsu smiled at her expression and marched forward towards the well. "Let us depart at once. We are wasting our time here." he ordered, "Go ahead, Makia. Open the portal."

She looked down into the dry well and felt its powers rising, if Hanyuu was able to pass through here then so was she. She wasn't an entirely useless copy, it was only the wings and powers of a winged being which she lacked. Ayumu coughed slightly to get her attention and gave her a rough nudge in the shoulder, snapping her out of her envious thoughts and back to reality. So she climbed over the side of the well and slid down into the blackness below, closely followed by Ayumu, Kirai and Komatsu himself.

A dark figure waited in the shrubbery beside the well and watched as they disappeared down into the queen crater, it sped over and leapt in after them just before the gateway closed.

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><p>"YUKI, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING READING MY DIARY LIKE THAT WITHOUT ASKING MY PERMISSION!?" Tomoyo shrieked at her younger sibling, who was sitting comfortable on Hōjō's leather sofa in his apartment and flicking through the pages of a small pink booklet that was patterned with glittery hearts and stars.<p>

The little redhead looked up from her reading and blinked innocently, "What's wrong with me reading it, sister? It's mostly about me and Hōjō so I have a right to know what you think of me." She returned her attention to the diary in her hands and giggled, "Besides.. I'm in the middle of how it felt when Hōjō kissed you for the first time. What's this about tongues...?"

"THAT IS IT! GIVE THAT THING BACK RIGHT NOW!" she screamed in embarrassment as her face turned bright pink and began to steam furiously, before she lunged at her little sister in an attempt to steal back the book that was filled with her personal thoughts and feelings.

Yuki giggled again and hopped off of the sofa quickly, cuddling the diary close to her chest as Tomoyo went crashing head-first into the leather cushions. She squealed with laughter at her sister and rolled around on the floor in hysterics. And deciding to take it a little further, she opened the book on the following page and began to read it out loud: "It was quite breathtaking actually. The feel of his passion for me as he held me tightly and showed me just how strongly he felt about me. I felt as if my heart was going to pump right out of my chest at the intensity of it all."

Breathing heavily and trying to contain her frustration, Tomoyo jumped down on the little girl and began to tickle her with rage, causing her to squeal even more and squirm around beneath her. "SOMEONE AT YOUR AGE DOESN'T NEED TO KNOW THINGS LIKE THAT JUST YET!" she yelled, increasing the power in her fingertips as she continued to torture her younger sibling without mercy.

Just then, Hōjō strolled in through the door with two plastic bags and paused at the scene he saw before him. He blinked and remained silent, unsure of what exactly was taking place this time. Ever since he had asked the two sisters to come and live with him since their parents were always away, they seemed to get into a lot of disagreements and petty arguments. Well that was what siblings did after all, so he could hardly say that he blamed them. All they had was each other now, since Ren was back in the feudal era with Arina. He was sure that they missed their older brother dearly, just as he did.

Tomoyo stopped tickling her sister and crawled off of her, whilst laughing awkwardly and yanking her diary out of the little girl's grasp. "Hōjō.. Hey." she smiled as her embarassed blush grew even more. "So what have you got in those bags you're carrying?" she asked suddenly, changing the subject and pushing the diary down her checked shirt where she knew it would be safe from Yuki.

"I picked up some skewered Dango for us to eat and some Green Tea too if you're both up for it?"

Yuki's eyes twitched at the mention of her favourite treat as she sat up instantly and smiled at him sweetly. "Did you say that you have some... skewered Dango?" she asked.

"Yes," he said hesitantly, raising an eyebrow at her sudden change in mood.

The young redhead smirked and began to whistle innocently, "I see..."

Tomoyo sighed tiredly and rose to her feet, Yuki had an unhealthy obsession with those dumpling sweets and they drove her insane whenever she had them, it was like Inuyasha and his ramen... only 10 times worse. "Well let's wait until tomorrow to eat them," she yawned, "it's pretty late and I'm exhausted."

Hōjō nodded and put the treats away, much to Yuki's dismay as she hung her head low in sadness and slowly walked to her room. Tomoyo smiled and bumped her on the head lightly as she passed her, receiving a half frown half chuckle as the little girl stuck out her tongue and left the room.

Just as Tomoyo herself was about to follow to bed, Hōjō reached out and stopped her. She turned to face him and looked at him in confusion, "What's up?" she asked curiously.

"I found something today in the university library," he started, "something... weird."

"Weird? What was it?"

He rummaged around in the other plastic bag he had brought with him and pulled out an old looking book. He handed it over for her to examine more closely and took a seat on the sofa, where the cushions were all messed up for some reason.

Tomoyo read the title of the book: 'The Impossible Children'. What an interesting title the book had, she wondered just what it could be about and what made Hōjō bring it back with him. She felt the width of it and it's spine, it was only very thin so it has to be a short story of some kind. So she opened to the first page and read the contents out loud.

"Once upon a time there were three impossible children who were marked with the seals of the Gods and were blessed with incredible amounts of power, which had been bestowed upon them by their late mother and father who had met their demise by a mystic, _magic stone_ with the ability to grant one's deepest desires. Before they perished, they made a final wish on the stone before they left the world for good. Their wish had been for their three children to have their powers and heritage sealed and for them to be sent away to _a land that was yet to be_, in order to ensure their safety. So the trio were orphaned and sent away to the distant land, with their memories clouded and their powers locked away. The only clue to their past they possessed was the _supernatural marks_ they wore on their backs, the seals of the ancients. Three of the _Nine Keys_ required to open _the kingdom of the heavens_ and aqquire absolute conquest - The Bird of Fire, The Monster of Wind and The Siren of Water."

Tomoyo looked up from the book and over at Hōjō. "What is this story?" she asked, "What's all this about orphaned children and their sealed away powers? And what's this magic stone and these nine keys?"

He rose from the sofa and pulled a sheet of paper from inside his shirt, which he handed to her, "Now read this."

She examined the old sheet that appeared to have been violently torn out of another book, Hōjō was not usually such a public vandal so this small sheet of text must have been incredibly important for him to go to such extremes in order to get it. She read the top of it: 'The Nine Keys of Amaterasu'. Nine Keys, huh? So this linked back to the other story?

"When the _kingdom of the heavens_ was sealed away by the winged ancients before they died out, many many centuries ago, _Nine Keys_ were left behind that had the power to open the sky castle once again. They consisted of - The _Three Seals of Shikigami_, The _Four Souls_ of Absolution, The _Sword of The Underworld_ and The Wish Granting _Magic Stone_. When all nine items should come together, the kingdom should return to its former glory and whoever possessed the legendary nine items, should gain _eternal youth and power._"

She blinked in an attempt to absorb the vast amounts of information she had just read and turned over the sheet just to check if there was any more text on the other side. When she found no more she looked up at Hōjō in confusion, "Why did you show me these things? What does any of it have to do with anything?" she asked.

"You mean you haven't picked up on it from all of that?"

She shook her head.

"The children with marks on their backs that gave them supernatural powers? You and Ren have magical tattoos on your backs that allow you to transform into mythical creatures. Don't you think that sounds slightly coincidental?"

He was right. The fact that two siblings, her and Ren, had power marks on their backs just like the ones in the story was a bit of a far-fetched coincidence and it made an awful lot of sense, but there was one small fact that didn't quite add up. The story had had _three _supernatural children that had the ability to transform. Yuki did not have any kind of special ability like that. So could it be that this story was not about them after all? And what was this sky kingdom, Amaterasu? She had never heard of such a place before which weakened the chances of the story being about them even more. True, the marks on her and Ren's backs were Shikigami powered but she was sure there were many others who could do the same thing as them. And they weren't orphans either. They had parents, they were just away all of the time on business trips and were too occupied to call.

"But have you seen when these papers are dated?" he asked, interrupting her trail of thoughts.

She shook her head again and looked down at the dates on the book and torn out page: _1506AD._

"1506AD was a date in the Fuedal Warring States period." he confirmed, "That's very near to the time where Kagome and the others live.. or in these circumstances I should say _lived._"

Tomoyo froze. So these were feudal prophecies? Her, Ren and even Yuki in this case had all travelled to the past at some point, meaning that they could very well be a part in these stories. "I see..." she said finally.

She re-read the information again, taking in the important parts. So she had made a strong estimate that The Three Seals of Shikigami could very well be her and her two siblings, though Yuki did not have any Shikigami power. But these Four Souls of Absolution..? Could they be the four souls: Aramitama (Courage), Nigimitama (Friendship), Kushimitama (Wisdom) and Sakimitama (Love)? She had no idea what The Sword of The Underworld could be but she was quite certain that it wasn't Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga. And finally this Magic Stone that was in both of the stories, the stone with the power to grant one's deepest desires and wishes. It couldn't be what the others had told her about before, the thing they had originally fought so hard to destroy? Surely it couldn't be the...

"LET ME GO!"

Hōjō and Tomoyo's heads spun instantly in the direction of the scream. It had come from Yuki's room and had sounded a lot like her.

"Yuki!" she cried in panic as she bounded off to aid her sister with Hōjō following close behind.

She ran to the door to her little sister's room and slammed down on the handle forcefully, but it appeared to have been wedged with something and refused to open. "Why won't it open goddammit!?" she shrieked, bashing on the door with her fists as Yuki's screaming grew louder. "YUUKI!" she screeched loudly as frustrated tears began to form in her eyes.

"Get out of the way!" Hōjō shouted suddenly as he stood in front of the door. She did as he commanded and ran to the side. He made a fighting stance and struck the door with his right foot, it flung open at the force and fell down on the floor.

Tomoyo rushed in to help her sister and gasped in horror at what she saw. Yuki was dangling by her neck in the air from the tight grasp of Inuyasha and the others previous archenemy.. _Naraku_.

His narrow reddened eyes shifted to Tomoyo and Hōjō who were standing staring at him in sheer terror, he smirked and tightened his grip on the little girl's neck in his grasp. Now that the elder sibling was here too, he could take two of the Shikigami seals instead of just one. Things were slowly coming together now. Perhaps his luck had taken a turn for the better after Hanyuu had gone and purified him before.

"Onigu.." Tomoyo started before Hōjō grabbed her arm and shook his head sadly.

"That's not the bandit we once knew anymore, this demon just talks and looks a lot like he did."

Naraku chuckled darkly, "Ah Hōjō, always so observant."

"How are you still alive!?" Tomoyo cried, "Hanyuu killed you!"

"That is correct, she did kill me. But some foolish demon king decided that he needed to revive me in order to use my powers to his advantage. He has not yet realized that I intend to use him to _my _advantage, what a stupid man he is. In fact I do believe he was the father of the wench who revived me once before. Now what was her name again? Oh yes, I do believe that she was called was Arina."

"Why the hell would Arina's father want to revive you!?"

"Something about Amaterasu, I am apparently required as are you and your sister. Now behave and come along me with me, Shikigami seals."

Hōjō stood in front of his girlfriend protectively, "She isn't going anywhere with you!"

"Sorry Hōjō, it would seem that you don't have a part to play in this grand scheme so therefore it cannot hurt to kill you here and now."

As he rose his free hand towards Hōjō and prepared to kill him, a voice stopped him, "Stop wasting time, Naraku. Just get the sisters and we can go."

He turned his head to see Makia sitting on the window ledge behind him, looking extremely bored. He frowned at her.

"Ha-Hanyuu?" Tomoyo and Hōjō gasped in shock. Something was very wrong here, she was supposed to be dead! How was it possible for her to be here and alive? They were both well aware that Hanyuu had been in love with Onigumo in the past but she knew that he was gone now, she had killed him herself! Had she been manipulated into thinking he had returned and was still the same bandit?

Makia could feel Naraku's cold gaze on her as she returned the scowl. She knew that he hated how alike she looked to Hanyuu, whenever he looked at her she could swear that he was trying to kill her just with his harsh expression and actions. Komatsu should have just lied to him and kept him believing that she was the real thing, if that was the case she would be spared a lot of unpleasantness from the cruel demon here.

*Flashback*

"Now be warned, Makia. This demon was one in love with the girl you resemble so greatly, and she was the one who killed him. So do not be surprised with the way he reacts when he lays eyes on you." Komatsu explained.

Makia looked down at the empty body on the floor below her with the long black hair and tentacles escaping from his back. So this was the Naraku that Inuyasha and the others had fought so hard to defeat, and the bandit that had once harboured feelings for Hanyuu only to be killed at her hand. But he was also one of the keys needed to open Amaterasu, though Komatsu had told no one which one he was.

"When he awakens, we shall send him down the portal after us and have him capture two of the Seals of Shikigami that are in the other world there, and I need you to assist him."

Ayumu appeared out of thin air and examined the body of Naraku, "But if Hanyuu killed the guy, won't he try to kill Makia for revenge or something because he'll think it's her?" he asked.

"He may," Komatsu confirmed, "but if we play him correctly we should be able to convince him that a copy of her was necessary. Being as proud and smug as he is, he will believe that he can use us and trick us but little will he know is that I gave him life and I can take it away when his job is complete."

The elemental king snapped his fingers and brought life to the empty vessel of Naraku. Arina had not done a bad job of reviving him before, but her abilities were nothing compared to his. Naraku was the perfect killing machine now.

He demon spectre's red eyes snapped open and he examined his surroundings. What was this? He had died. He was sure of it. Hanyuu had purified him herself.

"Hello, Naraku."

Naraku glanced up at the voice and blinked. Was that Hanyuu staring down at him? No, she had killed him, she would not grant him life again afterwards. And she spoke telepathically, this girl was speaking normally with her voicebox. So what exactly was happening? "Han..yuu?" he frowned in confusion.

Another voice entered Naraku's ears as he turned and saw a large man staring down at him, "I am afraid that this is not Hanyuu." he said.

Naraku studied her more closely, sure there a few minor differences like her eye colour but she still looked just like the half demon girl he knew.

"She is Makia," Komatsu explained, "Hanyuu's copy. The real one died in Inuyasha's arms shortly after she killed you." He had no intention of telling him that Hanyuu was actually alive and well in his castle. It would increase the chances of him betraying him and abusing his castle in search of the real girl.

Hanyuu had died? What? Had his miasma wound been so severe that it managed to kill her like he had originally intended? But never mind all of that, what would having a copy of her accomplish? "And what purpose does this copy serve? To trick Inuyasha and the others?" he asked suspiciously.

"Exactly, they will all be mere pawns on my game board if they fall prey to my trap."

Naraku smirked, "A rather decent deception on your part. But what is it that you have revived me for though?"

"I need you assistance. Have you heard of the tale of Amaterasu?"

He raised an eyebrow, "I have." Haya had told him stories of the ancient kingdom many years ago and he had often come across small fables and legends about it in the time he had spent waiting for her to return to him.

"I need The Three Seals of Shikigami and two of them are in the other time that Kagome came from. I wish for you and Makia to go and obtain them for me."

"And how does any of this benefit me?"

"You shall have the riches of the heavenly kingdom, and perhaps have the power to regain your lost Hanyuu."

Naraku's smirk widened. This demon actually believed that he was gullible enough to fall for such a thing, how amusing. If anyone was going to be deceived here - it was this fellow here. "Keep going."

*End of Flashback*

Yuki squirmed uncomfortably in Naraku's grasp as she gasped for air. He squeezed harder until she lost consciousness and went limp in his grip.

"NO YUKI! LET HER GO!" Tomoyo screamed, pulling Hōjō's hand off her and lunging at him.

Ayumu appeared in her line of jump and grabbed her, his eyes glowed a bright white and sent her unconscious too. "Got her." he smirked.

"Tomoyo!" Hōjō cried, about to run to her before he realized that he couldn't. He looked down at his feet and found a large slimy eel wrapped around his feet, it hissed and sunk its fangs down into his ankle. He cried out in pain and also fell unconscious because of the poisonous venom that was more running through his bloodstream.

"Okay we've got them all now, boys. Can we go?" Makia asked.

Naraku gave her a cold glare and flew out of the window with Yuki in his grasp, closely followed by Ayumu and Kirai who had attached herself to Ayumu.

Makia frowned at the look Naraku had just given her, it wasn't her fault that she looked so much like Hanyuu! He didn't have to give her such an attitude whenever he looked at her! She punched the window frame and jumped after the group.

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><p><strong>Well Naraku is back again. I know, why won't he just stay dead right? But the information in this chapter is more important and he does have a vital part to play with Amaterasu, so just keep it all in mind and stay tuned for the next chapter! Review if you enjoyed ~Happy<strong>


	12. A Lost Akane & Kagome's Predicament

**Sorry for the long wait, it's all been crazy with school work and tests! Plus I had a little bit of writer's block too! I knew where I wanted to go in the story but I wasn't entirely sure on how to get there, but all that's sorted now so don't worry about it! But where have all you reviewers gone? I really miss your comments and it's mighty encouraging just seeing them so please come back :(**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha; I only own the characters that aren't included in the anime/manga.**

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><p>Chapter Twelve<p>

The sun peeked out from over the mountaintops and streamed onto the thin layer of snow covering the lands that would soon melt, spring was approaching fast and the plum and cherry blossoms were already beginning to bloom on the dry tree branches.

Akane ran on through the morning illuminated forest, breathing heavily as she struggled to continue onward. The hem of her kimono was now a damp pinkish brown and slightly torn because of the thorny bushes around her, and her little sandals were soggy and clogged with slushy snow from the vast amounts of running she had been doing.

She clutched the Tenseiga that she had been carrying and slowed down to an exhausted jog, as she looked up into the trees, hoping to catch a quick glimpse of Ren. But alas, he whom she had been pursuing was nowhere in sight, in fact he hadn't been for quite some time now but Akane had just carried on running and praying that she would find him again somehow. Perhaps following him had been a bad idea after all seeing as she was only a small human child with no special abilities or powers, after all. Attempting to keep up with a strong and well built Shikigami wielder such as Ren was sheer madness - no, it was practically suicide!

With her fatigue finally taking its toll, she slowed to a complete halt and collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily as she kicked off her now useless, worn sandals and stretched out her sore feet onto the gravely snow. The blisters stung at the icy touch of the ground and hissed, making her squint her eyes and groan in discomfort.

Interrupting her trail of thoughts and distracting her from the pain in her feet, the sword in her grasp pulsed rather suddenly, demanding her utmost attention.

"I know," she sighed to herself, "I shouldn't have taken you from Lord Sesshomaru again and gone after Ren." She laid back in the snow and rested her head down drowsily as she looked up at the frosty screen of trees above her, "Tenseiga? Do you think anyone will come after me? Or am I going to die out here all alone?" she asked.

But the demon blade did not pulse again in response to her question, it simply remained motionless and limp in her grip as she held it against her chest tightly as a source of comfort. "I wonder if mommy and daddy will be mad at me for going out on my own like this without telling anyone, will they notice I'm gone and come looking?" she whispered sadly, "...And Lord Sesshomaru? Surely he will be angry at me for stealing his sword like this. I suppose in this situation I deserve the lecture and punishments that I'll receive from everyone... well if I'm found that is."

The Tenseiga pulsed again, only much more violently than before this time. It was a powerful twang that startled Akane and quickened her heart rate by at least two beats more. She sat up instantly and looked around cautiously, her short brown hair swishing as she shifted her head from side to side. What was this feeling of dread that had suddenly washed over her? It was as if the demon sword had been trying to warn her about something terrible that was about to happen.. but just what exactly?

"What is it?" she asked the Tenseiga quietly, "What's wrong? Can you sense something?"

It pulsed once again and the snapping of a twig caused her head to spin around in the direction of the sound. She gasped loudly and rose to her feet, ignoring the pain in her soles and almost dropped the sword in surprise.

Standing a few feet away from her - were her parents. Sango in her slayer's costume and Miroku standing with his golden ringed staff held firmly in his left hand.

Akane felt her heart leap with relief as she rushed over to them excitedly, completely forgetting about her broken sandals and the constant pulsing of the Tenseiga in her grip. "Mommy! Daddy!" she cried happily as she held out her arms to the two of them, "You found me!"

Just as she was about to reach them, they vanished in front of her very eyes and re-appeared further away from her. She blinked in confusion and ran towards them once again, only for the cycle to repeat itself. "Mommy?" she asked, "Daddy? Why are you running away from me?"

"Come on Akane," Sango smiled mockingly, "you can run faster than that. You have the blood and stamina of a demon slayer in you, remember? Surely a couple of unfit adults like us can't outrun someone as youthful as you."

"Huh?"

"Yeah hurry it up, honey." Miroku smirked, "Daddy's getting rather impatient waiting."

They vanished again and appeared even further back, egging her on and encouraging her to follow. "What?" she muttered in confusion, "How are you both doing that?" When they did not answer, she ran after them again and made the cycle continue. What in the world was wrong with her parents?

Ayumu chuckled darkly to himself as he watched the scene from above, "This child is the most gullible victim so far. She fell right into my little trap without any trouble at all. Kukukuku." Not that he was complaining of course, the quicker she went in the direction she was heading in, the easier it would be for him to get her right where he wanted her, and this little illusion was proving to be very effective indeed.

The throbbing pain in Akane's feet returned as she ran over the gritty snow that nipped at her soles with the iciness of it. She winced in discomfort and yelped as she ran over a patch of sharp stones that dug into her flesh and tore open wounds that leaked a fine red and left a trail of thick, bloody droplets behind her. Whatever her parents were playing at, she would catch up to them eventually and question them on their odd behaviour that was so unlike them. She would get to them even if the merciless ground tore the soles of her feet apart with the desperation of her running.

All of a sudden and completely out of normal, an entire horde of demons burst through the trees and ripped straight through the fake Sango and Miroku, reducing them to dust and heading front on in Akane's direction. She shrieked at how her 'parents' had vanished at contact with the demons and tripped head first over a rock on the ground and landed on her stomach in the path of the hungry demons, she'd never really given much though to how she would die, but being gobbled up by monsters for dinner certainly wasn't how she wanted to go.

"MOMMY DADDY!" she cried, covering her head as she lay it down in the cold snow and shivered violently in fear.

Something fast zipped through all of a sudden and grabbed the little girl in its strong arms before flying out of range of the demons and high into the air. It clutched her form tightly and looked down at her to discover that she had fainted because of the shock of it all. How very pathetic of her. Oh well, she was only a small child after all and this way was much easier to catch her.

"What are you doing Ayumu? My demons were supposed to get her and take her to Komatsu, not you flying in to save the day like a little wannabe hero."

Ayumu shifted his gaze from the little girl in his arms and turned his head to look at whom had addressed him. "Well pardon me for not wanting the live hostage to come to any harm, Naraku." he said coldly, "She's called a _live _hostage for a reason, you know?"

Naraku scoffed and folded his arms across his chest as he flew in his red protective orb beside Ayumu. He looked over at Akane and frowned, "All we seem to be doing recently is kidnapping children. First the red-headed girls from the other world along with that Hobo boy and now this infant here. Is there a reason behind all of this or does Komatsu just have a thing for young humans?"

"Do not be a fool," Ayumu laughed, "The three from the other world were required for Amaterasu's re-awakening and this child shall make a lovely treat for Kirai, she does love little girls, that demon eel."

"So she is nothing more than a meal?"

"Precisely."

Naraku looked at Akane once again and furrowed his eyebrows. She reminded him of how Hanyuu had been when she had found him in that dark cave back then, so young and innocent, completely oblivious to the pain and suffering that the world was plagued with... and not tied down with useless things such as _feelings_.

Hanyuu was a fool. She had believed that he was still that idiot human, Onigumo, and chosen to keep her love for him. And just look at where it had gotten her, she was dead now... _again. _That girl just wouldn't learn, would she? He was not that silly bandit any more. He was a bloodthirsty, killing monster who stopped at nothing to take a life, in fact he rather enjoyed doing it sometimes. How had she been able to overlook all of that just because of some petty little affections he had for him from when she had been Haya? Well none of it mattered now, because she was gone and he had no proper reason for wanting to bring her back. He was not that weak. Onigumo sure... but not _him._

"Come on, let's get her to the castle and put her with the other humans." Ayumu snapped as he overtook the demon spectre and flew in the direction of Komatsu's castle.

Naraku frowned again and flew after him, with his demons following close behind and the Saimyōshō buzzing away at his sides. Sure the demon wasps main purpose and function had been to use as a counter against Miroku's wind tunnel, but it was gone now so they were just used as spies for his own convenience.

* * *

><p>Slowly, Kagome opened her sticky brown eyes that were glued together with sleep and groaned a long, exhausted sigh. She brought her hands up to her face and rubbed at her eyelids, trying to dig the crustiness out of them and dispose of the awful, gummy feeling that would not go away. She sniffed and pushed the thick futon sheet away from her body, leaving it to sprawl all over the floor in a heap by the bedside as she rolled onto her side, being extra careful to avoid squashing her bloated stomach in the process.<p>

"Kagome,"

The young priestess turned her head slightly and gazed up at Kikyo who was, like usual, sitting beside her with a heap of medicinal herbs in her hold. The older priestess smiled softly down at her and gently brushed a finger across her sweaty brow, slowly moving up to her hairline and tracing the part where the hair met the flesh in a soothing manor - just like she did with sick children and once with Kaede many years ago.

Kagome sighed at Kikyo's finger movements and closed her eyes once again, allowing herself to be lulled to sleep by the gentle singing that Kikyo had just begun to whisper.

"Kagome kagome  
>The bird in the basket-cage,<br>When, oh when will it come out?  
>In the night of dawn,<br>The crane and turtle slipped,  
>Who is it in front of behind?"<p>

"Mmmm.." Kagome murmured at the mention of that song again, "So that song was popular even in this time huh?"

"What is the matter? Do you not like Kagome Kagome because it uses your name?" Kikyo asked, still stroking her hair.

"I didn't use to. The other children used to make fun of me because of it." she whispered, "But it sounds nice when you sing it and I think it relaxes the baby." She looked down at her stomach and stroked it lightly. But her expression changed and she shook her head sadly when she remembered Hanyuu's copy's words from before about the unborn child.

*Flashback*

_"It was on the night of the new moon wasn't it? Meaning that father was in his human form."_

Kagome froze when she finally realized what the imposter of her daughter was trying to tell her. She was human. Inuyasha had been human. Meaning that...

_"Meaning that the child is also fully human." _the copy finished the words that were stuck on Kagome's tongue.

*End of Flashback*

Kagome burried her head in her futon sheets as the words repeated in her head on a never-ending loop. Had Kikyo heard the shocking truth? She had emerged just after she herself had learned it and she had not mentioned anything about it, so did that mean she was unaware of it? Should she tell her? Would it really matter? If the infant was indeed fully human like the copy had said, would it mean that its life was at risk?

"Kikyo?" she started hesitantly, "Can I... Can I ask you something?"

Interested in what Kagome could possibly want to ask, she nodded slowly, "You may."

She stroked her stomach again and whispered quietly, "You know because of how quickly it's developed? If... Say if... this baby wasn't half demon... and it was fully human..." The words were stuck in her throat as she swallowed the lump and tried to continue, "Would it... would it..."

Kikyo looked down and tried to see Kagome's expression, which was hidden by the futon sheets. "Would it..?" she asked softly.

Kagome clenched her fist, "Would it die?"

Finally understanding the question, Kikyo stopped stroking Kagome's head and went silent. Why was she asking something like this? She was usually so positive. So why was she thinking about something as dark and upsetting as this? "Kagome," she said firmly, "Why do you ask such a thing? Do you.. know something?"

Kagome gasped in panic as she shook her head frantically, "No no no! I was just wondering!" she cried, "Everything is fine!"

Kikyo raised an eyebrow at how the younger priestess' body completely tensed so that she was as still as a statue. "I do not know," she said finally, "but please do not fret over it, for I am sure that all is well. Now rest."

"Okay." she whispered, before closing her eyes and drifting off into a dark and troubled sleep that was plagued with dreams of premature children and death, and of Hanyuu's twisted clone from before. She prayed that she nor anyone else would have to suffer any further, even though her wish probably would not come true.

When she was sure that Kagome was fully asleep, Kikyo carefully rose to her feet and exited the hut into the cloudy outside where thunder was beginning to sound in the distance - a storm must be approaching. 'Fantastic' she groaned inwardly at the thought of being soaked or struck by lightning in a worst case scenario. Now really was not the best time for a thunderstorm.

"Lady Kikyo! Lady Kikyo!"

The priestess turned to see Rin bounding towards her from the heart of the village with a small handful of herbs and spices in her small dainty hands, as she nearly tripped over her thick pink hakama that was embedded with strings and bells that tinkled gently when she ran. She stopped just as she reached the beautiful priestess and smiled sweetly up at her, sorting out her long knotted midnight locks that has been blown out of place by the strong winds that had begun to stir.

Kikyo smiled at the girl before her and helped her de-tangle her lovely silky hair so that it fell softly down her back. Rin's smile widened and she handed the priestess the small heap of greenery that she had been carrying.

"For Kagome," she said sweetly, "to help her get better faster."

"Thank you Rin, I am sure that these will help a lot." she smiled back. 'I _hope_' she corrected herself in her thoughts as she remembered the worry that had suddenly washed over Kagome's face earlier in their disturbing discussion about prematurity and death. Was everything really okay? Or did she know more than she was letting on?

"RIN! RIN! WAIT FOR ME YOU SILLY GIRL, I HAVE TOLD YOU HALF A DOZEN TIMES ALREADY NOT TO GO RUNNING OFF WITHOUT ME!"

Rin sighed heavily at the high pitched shrill of the demand that echoed almost as loud as the thunder. Both she and Kikyo knew very well who that irritating shriek belonged to, and no doubt he would not be far away.

The short water imp vassal of Sesshomaru came running from where Rin had originally came with his large staff with twin heads held high above his head as he tripped over a tree branch and fell face flat into a pile of mud. Rin bust out laughing at his little accident and threw her head back with her uncontrollable giggles, causing his temper to flare up. He leapt up at once and rushed over to the laughing girl with the voice like the bells on her kimono.

"Stop this bothersome and un-ladylike chortling of yours at once Rin!" he snapped, "And you should not have run off from me either! What would I have told Lord Sesshomaru if you had gotten yourself into a pickle, eh!?"

"Oh hush hush Master Jaken," she giggled, "I'm not a baby, I can take care of myself just fine now!"

The word 'baby' stung at Kikyo's chest as Kagome's worries repeated in her head, she brushed the feeling off at once and decided that this ridiculous, uneasy feeling of hers needed to be put to rest immediately. Actually... although it was a long shot, perhaps Sesshomaru's annoying toad ward would know something about this topic. He was old wasn't he so surely he had to have obtained some knowledge in his years? Maybe he would be able to put a rest to the frightful thoughts that were going through Kikyo's mind, and most likely Kagome's too. She decided to at least ask him.. but not with Rin standing listening for the poor girl would only fret over the matter.

"Imp," Kikyo said firmly, catching the frustrated Jaken's attention as his shifted his round green head up to look at her.

"What do you want, you presumptuous priestess!?" he snapped back, flailing his staff around wildly.

"I wish to speak to you about a rather concerning matter..." she said formally, "... _alone_."

Jaken blinked at her request and folded his arms in suspicion, "Hmm, very well just make it quick." he said finally.

Kikyo turned to Rin briefly, "Rin, please watch over Kagome in my place."

Rin nodded and balled her fists in determination, "Got it! You can count on Rin!" she exclaimed, before rushing into the hut in which Kagome was sleeping uncomfortably.

The priestess then walked in the direction of the forest and motioned for Jaken to follow, which he did after some careful thinking concerning whether she planned to purify him to a crisp or not. They walked deep into the trees and stopped just beside a frozen stream that was just beginning to thaw out. Jaken tapped his foot impatiently and hit an ice encrusted rock with his staff, cracking it into two and making it roll away.

Kikyo took a deep breath and decided now was the time to ask what was on her mind. She knelt before Jaken so that she was level with him and addressed him firmly. "Tell me imp," she spoke lowly so that no one else would hear, "are you knowledgeable in the field of childbirth?"

He blinked in confusion to her unexpected question, "Ch-ch-ch-childbirth?" he managed to stutter.

"Yes, childbirth." she nodded, "Are you knowledgeable in the field of it or aren't you?"

He scratched his head and pondered. "Well uh, in my many years of service to Lord Sesshomaru I have witnessed many scenes of delivery and have even helped on some occasions. But these were all demonesses birthing heirs to their lands and not weak little humans, so the childbirths will have been much different to what you are most likely wishing to understand." he explained, "Unless you mean half demon children like Inuyasha of course, his birth will have been rather painful for his human mother but not exactly life threatening if that is what you're wondering."

Kikyo's eyes narrowed slightly, "..What about a fully human infant born of one with human herritage and one with demonic?" she asked.

"Fully human? If the child was born of a human and a demon then surely it would be a half demon?"

She paused as she tried to think how to piece her question together without being too obvious as to who she was asking about. "What if... one of the parents was only _half _demon and the other was human?" she asked, "And the night of reproduction was when the half demon was in the midst of his human cycle? Would the infant be fully human then?"

Finally understanding her question, Jaken clapped his hands together in realization, "Ah yes! The infant would indeed be fully human if that were the case!"

So if Kagome's unborn child was indeed created on the night of the new moon when Inuyasha too was fully human, that would make the child 100% mortal too. But that was impossible. According to Sesshomaru, the child was growing at the rate that a half demon would and would be ready to leave the womb any time soon. But if this was just a plain old human pregnancy, the child should be nowhere near ready to leave yet! If it came out now it was sure to be unhealthy and both its and Kagome's lives would be put in danger.

"If the human child developed at the same rate a half demon would..." she started.

_'Would it die?'_

Kagome's weak words still echoed in her mind as she tried to finish her sentence. The pure horror and dread in the younger priestess' voice had been clear as crystal.

_'Would it die?'_

_'die'_

She swallowed the lump in her throat and regained her regal stance, "Would it die?" she finished, using Kagome's words prior to the event.

"Oh almost certainly," Jaken nodded severely, "It would not have had the proper conditions to grow nor a decent enough amount of time. Death would be almost a certainty.. for both it and possibly the mother too."

Kikyo's eyes widened in horror at his final words. The mother? She rose to her feet instantly and looked back in the direction of the village, with uneasy breath and slightly trembling knees hidden by her scarlet priestess lower garments. 'Kagome' she panicked.

Jaken looked up at her pained expression in confusion, "Er.. it's something the matter priestess? You've gone as white as a sheet all of a sudden!" he cried.

She looked down at him firmly and allowed her mouth to press back into its usual straight line as it covered her clenched teeth. "Do not tell Sesshomaru or anyone else of our conversation, imp. Unless you want to be a pile of cinders that is." she ordered sternly, "Do you understand?"

"Um, yes!" he nodded frantically. The air around her had changed all of a sudden, as had her attitude. For that brief moment, Jaken was very much reminded of his Lord Sesshomaru with her proud stance and demanding tone she had used with him. He could not help but obey her and remain obedient, if he did not want to have his leg purified off that is. She did not seem to be in the mood for empty threats so he kept quiet.

Satisfied with the fact that Jaken would not dare speak of their discussion, she turned and left swiftly for the village where she would find Kagome - hopefully still in fairly decent health.

* * *

><p>Rin placed the herbs and spices she had picked in a bowl and laid it down beside Kagome's sleeping form. The priestess stirred a little and murmured something in her sleep before rolling onto her side and drifting back into her slumber.<p>

Rin smiled and leaned back against the wall, closing her own eyes to relax. She wondered just what Kikyo could have wanted to talk to Jaken about without an audience, she had said it was rather concerning too. Was something wrong that she didn't know about? Did it concern Kagome?

The smile on Rin's face faded as she continued to wonder just what was bothering Kikyo so. Could it be that there actually was something wrong with Kagome? Her condition did seem to be worsening and a day did not go by when she was not violently sick at least once, not to mention the disturbing things that Rin had heard the priestess utter silently in her sleep occasionally about prematurity.

Unable to stop herself, Rin found herself scurrying across the floor in her expensive kimono from her Lord Sesshomaru and over to Kagome's side. She gazed down at the young woman as she watched how her dark eyebrows were knitted together and how her mouth twitched in pain every now and then. Was she actually hurting?

She shifted her gaze down to the inflated stomach beneath the futon sheets that acted as a cage to the infant trapped inside. Very gently and trying her best not to wake Kagome, Rin pulled the white sheet down from over her large tummy and opened her priestess upper haori to take a closer look at the apparent swelling.

Kagome's bloated abdomen was covered with hideous shades of blue and green bruises that decorated the roundness of her stomach, and there were large stretch marks drawn across the sides of the large lump. The priestess groaned in her sleep as Rin brushed two fingers across the bruised flesh and felt for any movement inside.

There was a soft humming against her fingertips as she moved her delicate hand over the bump as carefully as she could, avoiding as many bruises as she could in her attempt not to harm Kagome or the unborn child within.

"Human..." Kagome whispered suddenly in her sleep, alarming Rin as she turned her attention to the priestess' pained face.

What had she just said? Human? Why on earth would she come out and say something as random as that in her sleep without a good reason?

"Inuyasha..." she continued softly, her eyelids never lifting as she spoke in her unconscious state, "Hanyuu.."

Kagome's brow suddenly creased tremendously as she let out a truly horrific groan, still in her deep sleep. Rin began to panic at Kagome's unexpected cry as she rubbed her cheek in a soothing manor, trying to calm and silence her. But Kagome's awful noises simply grew louder and more intense and Rin could feel definite stirring against the palm of her hand that was rested on Kagome's stomach, from deep beneath the bruised and bloated skin.

As soon as Rin realised what was happening she grasped Kagome's shoulders and shook her forcefully. "Kagome wake up!" she cried desperately, "You need to wake up now, you can't do this if you're unconscious! Please wake up!"

But no matter how hard Rin shook her, Kagome simply would not awaken and her cries were becoming more and more shrill to her poor ears. The priestess also seemed to be slowly losing control of her body as her right leg extended swiftly and slammed into the bowl of herbs and spices, scattering the plant shoots all over as her foot destroyed the basket they were in originally.

"Stop it Kagome!" Rin cried as she tried to stop her leg from further terrorizing the room, but now it would appear that her arms had joined in as they knocked over a scented pot of burning incense beside the futon, spilling the ashes across the wooden floorboards and stinking up the room of harsh smelling dried rose petals and lavender.

Before Rin knew it, the once white sheets and clean floor were drenched with sweat, thick water and deep red blood that had managed to escape from Kagome's unconscious form. She lay sprawled across the wet blankets that were drenched with her sweat and blood, as well as the water from her womb that had just broken.

"No stop Kago..!" Rin's desperate plea was cut short by Kagome's out of control foot slamming into her face and knocking her into unconsciousness also, as she fell on her back against the spilled incense and herbs, now coated in the priestess' blood.

And there the pair laid in a pool of blood with their sight pitch black and their senses off as Kagome tore holes in the floor and sheets, still trapped in her slumber, as the being inside her demanded to be released from its prison that now lacked its protective water.

* * *

><p>Inuyasha restrained from drawing his sword to lunge at Sesshomaru and stopped to sniff the air. He inhaled the air through his nostrils and felt his ears twitch violently. The hairs on the back of his neck and hands had stood up straight, giving him an awful skin-crawling sensation that he was not comfortable with.<p>

He looked across to see that Sesshomaru too was distracted from their practice sparring as his eyes were narrowed much more than usual and his brows were arched down.

"Do you smell that?" Inuyasha asked, "Its the scent of blood.. a lot of it too."

Sesshomaru remained silent. It would appear that Inuyasha did not recognize just whose blood this was that was clouding the air that they breathed, and he did not know if he had it in him to tell the half breed.

"We have to go." Sesshomaru snarled lowly.

Inuyasha blinked at him in confusion. Did he know something that he wasn't telling him? "Sessho.." he started before Sesshomaru's fearsome glare cut him off. It seemed that whatever reasoning behind his behaviour was certainly not good.

Sesshomaru sheathed his sword and took off in the direction of the village immediately, making Inuyasha do the same and scurry after him. His metallic golden eyes narrowed as his pupils dilated in their centres. He could smell Rin along with the poisoning scent of blood and sweat, and a small fraction of the blood was hers.

* * *

><p>The weight on Kikyo's chest tightened as she increased her running pace. Her instincts were screaming at her that something was very wrong, and the thunder had begun to clash fiercely only much closer than before this time.<p>

She tripped over a tree branch and fell flat on her stomach, causing her to pant heavily and pull herself up quickly. 'Kagome' was the only name flooding through her mind as she ran on through the overgrown forest and past the Sacred Tree without even passing it so much as a glance.

'I'm coming Kagome' she screamed in her mind, 'Just hold on for a little longer, please!'

* * *

><p>Hanyuu stopped walking in the outside courtyard of Komatsu's castle and looked up at the grey clouds in the sky above. The thunder crashed and lightning was visible in the distance over the majestic hills.<p>

The serving demoness, Ai, peeked behind her and saw that the girl had stopped dead in her tracks to apparently admire the weather? She was indeed strange. "Come Hanyuu," she smiled, "The Lord will return from his travels soon and he will wish to see you as soon as possible."

But Hanyuu did not hear her voice for she was lost in her thoughts. A feeling of pure angst and dread had suddenly washed over her, but it wasn't because she was soon to see Komatsu. Her chest ached and her throat had gone dry for some reason.

The tiny wolf cub at her feet that had follwed her to the castle rubbed against her leg affectionately, trying its best to calm the half demon girl it was so smitten with.

And then.. came the rain.

Thick heavy droplets from the dark clouds overhead that drenched Hanyuu in a cloak of aqua. Her usually so gentle honey eyes narrowed and her brows knitted together, straining her face and turning her ever ever so sweet expression to one that was much more sour. She growled quietly under her breath.

Something was very _very _wrong.

* * *

><p><strong>Well snap. This isn't good is it? Poor Kagome! What do you think is going to happen to her? And Rin too! Owch, getting kicked in the face sure must have been painful if it was powerful enough to knock her out! And will Inuyasha and the others reach her in time? Find out in the next chapter ;)<strong>

**Please leave a review if you enjoyed ~Happy**


	13. Trapped In The Castle - Save Me

**Thank you again for your reviews people! And please do not worry about the locations of the other characters, they will have their times and you shall see eventually ;) And yes dear readers, poor Kagome indeed! Cross your fingers that she makes it out of her little disaster! But in this chapter we are visiting a different field of characters to last time, and please don't shoot me because of the events of this chapter! You'll see what I mean later on.. *hides in fear***

**Inuyasha: You're so dead when they read on and find out.**

**Hanyuu: _Do not worry Happy! At least all ends well... sort of!_**

**Me: *whimpers as Hanyuu pats head affectionately***

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha; I only own the characters that are not included in the anime/manga.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Thirteen<p>

"I take it that Hanyuu is here in my castle and ready for me as I requested she be?" Komatsu asked a smirking Ayumu who was sitting on a large window ledge with a smug expression plastered into his face.

"Yes my Lord," he nodded, "She is being escorted to your ordered location by Ai as we speak, where she will be taken care of and prepared for you."

Komatsu grinned in excitement, "Excellent."

Before he took his leave in the direction of where he had told Ai to bring Hanyuu for him, he stopped when he heard a faint buzzing from behind the large doors. He frowned and shot Ayumu a brief knowing glance of annoyance.

And then, wasting no time at all, he swung the large doors open to reveal a small swarm of hell wasps hovering outside - the Saimyōshō. They flew away down the hallway instantly, ashamed that they had been discovered and back to where they came from.

Komatsu's eyes narrowed as they flew away out of sight. "Go. Run back to your master." he muttered quietly, "The coward can't do anything himself, can he?"

"Were they spying on us for Naraku, my Lord?" Ayumu asked.

"They must certainly were Ayumu. It would appear that our friend does not trust us, even after we ever so kindly brought him back to life... _again_."

Ayumu shook his head and smirked maliciously, "How very ungrateful of him. You go to your Hanyuu and I shall keep an eye on the fool for you. Kukukuku."

* * *

><p>"I take it you are feeling alright now, miss Hanyuu?" Ai asked sweetly as she opened a large door encrusted with rubies and emeralds for the young half demon. She was obviously referring to the half demon's sudden pause earlier when the rainstorm had begun, "You went so pale I was sure you were going to pass out!"<p>

Hanyuu was brought back to her senses and nodded slowly, _"Um, yes." _she said as she entered through the gemstone door and into a dim candle lit room that stunk of incense with the young wolf cub close behind her at her heels. She herself was still not sure what had happened to her in that short moment. It had felt as if the light in her heart had dimmed for a little while, and a dreadful feeling of angst had washed over her, clouding her every thought with dread.

Ai smiled, "Well that's good. We can't have you feeling ill if you're finally meeting with the Lord, you'll need to be in good health for him."

Hanyuu raised an eyebrow when as she wondered if there was a hidden meaning behind the serving demoness' words, but she decided that there must be nothing to it so she dismissed the superstition and walked further into the dark room. In the centre of the large dwelling, there was a big king sized bed that had been sprinkled with flower petals and had two pots of burning incense on either side of it, surrounded by bottles of what Hanyuu assumed to be perfume? There were candles scattered around the room, illuminating it slightly with its faint and almost ghostly orange flickering light.

Ai suddenly handed her a thin white robe that Hanyuu noticed was slightly see-through, even in the low lighting of the room. She looked up at the serving demoness in confusion and flashed her a look that demanded an explanation.

"This garment will be more appropriate for the occasion," she said in a sickeningly sweet tone, "please change into it as soon as possible, and feel free to scent yourself with the perfumes around the room if you so wish."

Hanyuu blinked as she took the thin robe in her arms and watched as Ai turned to leave through the door which they had entered. Before she left, she turned and looked down at the wolf cub at the half demon's feet. "Oh I almost forgot," she chirped, "That young cub cannot stay in here with you, for it would only get in the way."

The tiny wolf growled menacingly and flashed its sharp fangs, before scurrying behind Hanyuu and peeking out from behind her legs. It did not like the idea of leaving the girl and following this creepy demoness, it let off a loud bark and scratched at the floor. However, the noise it was making suddenly ceased as it went as still as a statue and glared in the direction of the door. There was a faint... _buzzing _sound coming from somewhere behind Ai, and it wasn't something friendly. It barked loudly again and bounded off through the door and after the strange buzzing.

"Well that was a lot easier than I'd expected," Ai smiled before turning to Hanyuu and giving her a thumbs up, "Now have fun and make sure you do a good job, miss!"

And with that last statement, she closed the doors firmly behind her and a loud click sounded through the mechanism - she had locked Hanyuu in this blood-curdling room. With the unexpected loss of her company, Hanyuu found herself backing away to the huge soft bed where she sat and tried to calm herself. What was she doing here?

Another door opened at the other side of the room and the tall figure of a man walked in boldly. He closed the door behind him carefully and strolled closer to where Hanyuu was sitting.

She gulped and kept her head facing down as she concentrated on the flower petals scattered across the floor.

The man's deep voice sounded over the quiet flickering of the candle flames, "How splendid it is to see you again Hanyuu."

She didn't know whether to turn and look at whoever was speaking to her or to just keep her head down and stay quiet. Her heart was thudding in her chest and it felt like it would leap straight up and out of her mouth with the suspense of the moment.

"I take it that you have been well?" he asked, taking seat beside her that was way too close for her comfort, "You have not been lonely without my company?"

She gulped again.

He glanced down and noticed the thin white robe she was clutching tightly in her small dainty hands, he smirked. "Oh dear, you have not yet changed into your costume." he whispered, allowing his masculine hand to rest over hers on her lap as he closed his fingers around them.

Allowing herself a quick glance at the man beside her, even though she already had a pretty good idea of who it was, she peeked up from under her orchid bangs and saw Komatsu himself gazing down at her with eyes filled with something that looked a lot like excitement and lust. She decided that she did not like that expression of his. She realized that she liked it a lot less when she remembered Arina's words from before when they had escaped the castle.

*Flashback*

"Basically my father wants to make you his concubine in order for you to birth a child, you see without an heir the winged blood will run out and he cannot take your lifeforce if there is no more to consume."

*End of Flashback*

Hanyuu gulped a third time as Komatsu leaned in so that his mouth was only a mere centimetre away from her ear and breathed softly into it. So Arina had told her the truth back then. Now she was in real trouble, if he wanted her to birth a child then there must only be one thing on his mind... and she didn't want to stick around for him to give it a try... or rather give _her _a try.

He deepened his voice so that it was nothing more than a whisper, and if Hanyuu were not partially demon, she would have had trouble understanding what he had said. "Allow me to assist you in your changing, won't you?" he whispered directly into the cavern of her ear in a seductive tone, making her shudder, "My Han-yuu."

And then that was it.

She leapt to her feet from the bed and flexed her claws at him in a threatening manor, also letting of a loud sinister snarl from the back of her throat. Her eyes had narrowed considerably and her pupils had become thin slits in the chasms of her irises.

Komatsu chuckled at her reaction and also rose to his feet so that he was now towering above her small form. Her demonic energy was swirling around her and her fangs were out, resting over her bottom lip and twitching whenever he tried to make even the slightest movement. He also noticed that the edges of her eye whites were dancing with small spirals of red, clouding her gentle eyes so that they were cold and lethal. Her hands were balled tightly at her sides as she glared up at him, with a look that could surely kill if that was her intention.

He also noticed that the twisted ends of her vibrant lavender tinted hair were slowly fading to a dull black as her anger seemed to rise. Why was her hair undergoing such an odd transformation all of a sudden? It had not done anything like this before.

His hand snaked up from his own side and entered her personal space, being extra careful that she wouldn't suddenly go and bite it clean off his wrist. Her eyes followed the hand's every move, watching intently at every inch it shifted.

He chuckled again, "This is like trying to tame a wild dog isn't it, my dear?" he smirked.

She did not even bother to reply to him as she just frowned up at him, her eyes locked on his like the trigger of a gun, just sitting waiting to fire. Well this was all mighty fine wasn't it? 'Just how in the world am I going to get myself out of this?' she thought to herself as Komatsu's hand pressed against the maroon painted wall behind her. So he had her against the wall already did he? 'Well that screws my plan of backing away from this' she snarled loudly as his other hand came up slowly and pressed on the wall at the other side of her head.

The now black ends of her hair were suddenly spreading up her waist length locks as they stretched up by a few more centimetres, making it look almost as if they had been dipped in wet tar.

"You really are a very bewitching female Hanyuu, I must say that you're driving me quite wild simply by standing there with that delightful expression on your dainty little face. You're making me want to cut to the chase right aw.." his sentence was cut short by a familiar buzzing sounding through the wall behind Hanyuu.

It seemed that she too detected the faint humming sound on the other side of the wall behind her, as she shifted her gaze away from the Lord and turned her head a little. What on earth was that sound that was echoing through the wall? But judging from Komatsu's suddenly angered face, a small glimmer of hope sparked in her heart when she considered the possibility that something had gone wrong for him. She let a smug smirk spread across her face as his once confident eyebrows knitted together and his mouth pressed into a firm line. Yep - something had definitely gone wrong for him.

The buzzing on the opposite side of the wall intensified and Komatsu removed his hands from either side if her head and looked as if he was going to leave to see what the source of the noise was.

'That's it' she smirked, 'just keep on buzzing whatever you are'.

"Hold on a moment Hanyuu," he whispered into her ear in a low voice as he brushed the furry base with his slick tongue, making her shudder more, "I shall be back before you know it." He then turned and walked out of the candle lit room aggressively, slamming the door behind him as he searched for the bothersome, nosy Saimyōshō that refused to leave him and his private affairs alone.

She let out a sigh of relief and let herself sink to the floor on her knees as she inhaled and exhaled deeply, steadying her trembling and regaining her sanity that she had almost lost. That had been way too close, and she certainly wasn't going to give the lecherous king another chance at her. She needed to find a way out - and fast.

As she tried the heavy gemstone encrusted doors she had entered through and found them to be locked still, she banged on them and began to panic again. What was she supposed to do now? She could not leave through the other door where Komatsu had exited, for she would only run into him and worsen her dilemma more. There had to be another way out of this awful room! Some way out that would take her to the young wolf cub that she had been separated from, for she could not leave the poor thing behind in this evil castle.

But then, much to her horror, came the sound of a door opening from behind her. Had Komatsu dealt with his problem already!? Now she really was done for! So knowing that there was nothing more she could do, she closed her eyes and froze on the spot, waiting for whatever was coming to be over and done with.

"Makia, isn't it?" came the sound of a different voice... a voice that she somewhat recognized to some extent.

Slowly, she removed her hands from the doors and turned her head to look at whoever had entered the room and was under the impression that her name was Makia - her copy. She turned very slowly, not entirely sure if she should be pleased that this was not Komatsu or even more horrified if it was indeed who she believed it to be.

Her eyes became so wide at what she saw, they almost looked like two giant shining stars. Her mouth dropped open and her heart nearly stopped beating all together.

'Naraku'.

It was _him. _He was alive.

Never before had she felt such mixed feelings on seeing a familiar face. She didn't know whether to cry out of sheer happiness and relief, or scream as loudly as she could and run for her life.

"What are you standing around with your mouth hanging open like an idiot at a time like this, Makia?" Naraku asked coldly, looking down at her with his piercing red eyes, "The dirty king is gone now so it's your chance to escape, so go on and get out of here."

She clenched her fist and held it up to her now aching chest. He seemed to be under the impression that she was Makia and not herself, so he there was a decent chance that he may not try to kill her for purifying him before.. or for all the other things she did to him. But why and how was he alive again anyway? She had definitely killed him, she was sure, yet here he stood live in the flesh.

A large wasp-like demon flew in after him and hovered at his side, humming away loudly and beating its translucent, insect wings. So did this mean that the buzzing from before that had distracted Komatsu had been one of his Saimyōshō? Well she was mighty grateful if that was indeed the case but _why_ had he saved her? If he believed her to be the copy, Makia, then what reason did he have to lend her a hand? Was he allied with her or something? Were they plotting together? Hanyuu had no idea.

Naraku was about to make a further comment until he looked at the girl before him more closely. Had Komatsu improved her appearance or something? Because she looked a hell of a lot more like Hanyuu than she had done before. She was now pretty much an _exact _copy. Like a mirror image. He didn't know whether to take pleasure in seeing her enchanting doll-like features once again or to be rather disturbed by the fact that it was nothing more than a monster wearing her seraphic face that rivaled even Kikyo's like a mask. And her eyes were no longer blood red as they had been before, as they now shone brilliantly like honey just as Hanyuu's did in even no light. The only thing that was different, were the midnight black sections at the ends of her vibrant orchid hair. It would seem that even with this image of perfection, there was still a small flaw.

Before either of them could do or say anything, fierce footsteps sounded from just a few feet away from the door which Komatsu had left through. It would appear that the Lord was returning and would be back in the room in a matter of seconds.

Hanyuu shivered as she tried to imagine what Komatsu planned to do to her and looked up at Naraku with pleading eyes. Even if he did believe her to be Makia, would he not help her just this one time?

Naraku saw her fearful expression and cursed mentally. Why did she have to resemble Hanyuu so much all of a sudden? It was both irritating and quite painful in truth. But even if she was nothing more than a copy of the girl he.. no, _Onigumo_ had once loved, he had no desire of letting the vile and repulsive king have his way with her fragile body. He would leave her when Komatsu left and he would not have to bother with her any longer.

So the very second before Komatsu stepped through the door, Naraku grabbed Hanyuu by her waist with one arm and covered her mouth with his other, and leapt under the king sized bed in the centre of the room. She struggled at first but when she realized that he was actually helping her, she stilled instantly and clung to him with all her limbs.

The one Saimyōshō that had followed its master was reduced to ashes by the king's demon eel, Kirai who slithered in before Komatsu and hissed menacingly at the wasp before slicing it into pieces with her fangs.

Komatsu studied the remains of the poisonous insect on his floor, "So there was even one in here." he muttered, stroking Kirai's scaly head and long neck.

Naraku tightened his hand over Hanyuu's mouth and put up his barrier, hoping to mask both his and her auras from the king and his little pet's keen senses. He peered out at them from underneath the bed and prayed that the eel had not seen anything. He didn't care about Makia's well-being, he just did not want to grant Komatsu the pleasure of having a girl that so closely resembled the half demon he had once known. He would not allow the horrible Lord any further luxury, especially when it concerned her.

Kirai hissed and eyed the large bed in the room carefully, searching for any trace of movement of just a whiff of Hanyuu. However, there was no such thing. It seemed that she had fled when her Lord had taken his eyes off of her and managed to escape, somehow without leaving any trail or clue as to where she had gone.

"What a sneaky little one you are, Hanyuu." Komatsu grinned, "And clever. Very clever."

Naraku frowned and held Hanyuu's exact replica closer to his body. So the sick monster was pretending that Makia was the real thing just to make his entertainment all the more enjoyable? Was he that foul and repugnant that he would sink so low just to please his inner desires and just settle for the clone for the time being? He had already despised the fact that he had been revived by such a hideous creature, but now that he saw how attracted to Hanyuu the Lord actually was that he would go so far as to create a copy of her simply to torture her family and for his sexual pleasures, Naraku was so sickened by it that he could actually feel the vomit rising in his throat.

Hanyuu snuggled closer to Naraku's tense form and buried her face in his deep blue and purple cloak and breathed in his familiar scent. Had he finally caught on that she was in fact the real thing and not just a copy? Was that the reason that he seemed so angry and tense as he held her so close to him? Or was he simply trying to hide her further from Komatsu's reaches, with the belief that she was Makia still engraved into his mind?

She could feel her eyes filling with shimmering tears of gold once again as a large lump of sorrow grew in her throat, slowly choking her. But she held her tears in when she remembered that her powers and lifeforce would only drain if she let the golden droplets fall.

She wanted to tell him that it was really her, and she wanted to tell him that she was truly sorry for having to kill him back then. But she knew that being the horde of demons that he now was and no longer the reasonably understanding bandit who would listen to her reason, he would not believe her words and see them as false. Her chest ached more as she could feel his muffled breathing against the crown of her head and tickling her canine ears with the warm air from his lips. Those lips that had once longed for nothing more than her own.

He did not love her any more - and knowing that made it even more painful than it already was.

Komatsu frowned and patted Kirai once again, "Come my lovely. It would seem that Hanyuu has already found a way out of my playroom and its somehow else in the castle. Let us find her immediately, for I cannot allow her to believe that she has escaped from my grasp." he chuckled darkly. He would find her, and he would make her his obedient concubine, with or without her consent.

So the Lord and his pet exited the room and closed the door behind them, leaving Naraku and Hanyuu all alone still hiding under the huge bed.

Naraku removed his hand from over her mouth and listened to make sure that they were actually gone. When he was satisfied that they were safe, he crawled out from the small dark space below the mattress and sat upright on the floor. But he kept his barrier up just in case and his tentacles tensed.

And then after taking a deep breath, Hanyuu crawled out after him and also sat up, unsure as to what to say to him. He had actually gone out of his way to help her out, which made her feel happy to a certain extent although he probably had a very good reason for doing so.

_"...Thank you for saving me from him." _she said finally, her voice coming out in a small whisper, so quiet that it would have been almost impossible for a human's hearing to detect it.

He averted his gaze over to her and just stared. Was this the same copy he had met originally or was this a completely different clone? She seemed so much different from the Makia he had met before, so different that she almost seemed exactly like the real Hanyuu herself. But that was not possible because she had died after finishing him - just as Kikyo had followed Inuyasha into demise.

"Think nothing of it," he only muttered, trying his best to ignore her stupid soft eyes that were filled with gratitude, "just get yourself out of here before he finds you again. You may only be a copy but you are the spitting image of Hanyuu, and he will use that as his advantage and even more so.. pleasure."

Hanyuu sighed softly. So he still believed that she was Makia and not the real thing? No matter, perhaps this was for the best. After all, she had no idea how he would react if he knew she was alive and well. He may try to kill her for all she knew. So as much as she craved to tell him it was really her and to scream how much she still yearned for him, she knew that it would not be wise so she simply smiled and nodded.

He rose to his feet and kicked open the large gemstone encrusted doors that lead out into the courtyard and came face to face with a small group of his Saimyōshō. They buzzed loudly, as if they were communicating with him somehow before flying off down the courtyard. His red eyes narrowed and he frowned, 'so the girl Akane brought Sesshomaru's sword, the Tenseiga, here with her did she?' he thought to himself. How had such a small infant like her managed to obtain the healing fang from its master? And more importantly, why had she taken it in the first place?

Well there was no use sticking around with Makia now that Komatsu was gone, so he took his leave and decided to go and take a look at where the human children were being held hostage. If the Tenseiga was in fact with the monk and slayer's daughter, it would not be difficult to find the location they were being held as prisoners at.

Hanyuu could only watch as he slowly walked away from her, paying her no further attention as he left her behind in his dust. So it would appear that he did not care for Makia or what she did, however when it concerned Komatsu he was suddenly a knight in shining armor. But it didn't matter if he would never know it truly was her. This was for the best. This way it wouldn't hurt as much... she hoped, at least.

So deciding not to give Komatsu another opportunity to find her again, she left the room and was rather disappointed that Naraku had completely vanished. 'It doesn't matter' she thought to herself sadly, 'just don't think about him'.

* * *

><p>Akane finally opened her melted chocolate eyes and was greeted with nothing but blackness. She sat up from the hard and chilly floor she seemed to have been thrown onto, whilst panting heavily in fear at how little she could see. When she shifted her shoeless foot, it frightened her even more when she felt it hit something long and hard. She leapt up at once and fell into a stone wall behind her, knocking rocks from it and tripping over the ones that had scattered across the floor.<p>

"Keep it down!" a voice suddenly hissed to her, making her jump even more and once again hit the long, cold object with her foot.

She looked around the dark cell desperately and tried to stop herself from hyperventilating, "Who's there?" she whispered back in a small voice.

Something touched her shoulder that felt a lot like a hand of some sorts, which made her shriek before her mouth was covered by another hand. She trembled as a different voice sounded this time, "Don't be scared, we're prisoners like you too." it said gently.

This relaxed her slightly, and even more so when the hands removed themselves from her shoulder and mouth, granting her speech once again. "I'm Akane," she whispered, "What are your names?"

"Hōjō."

"I'm Tomoyo and my little sister, Yuki, is here too."

Akane found herself letting out a sigh of relief at learning their names. It was the three from the future that had helped her family and friends in the battle against Naraku, Ren's sisters and the poor boy that everyone got his name wrong. At least now she was sure that they were on her side. She could feel a glimmer of hope rising in her heart as she considered the possibility that they actually could escape if they all worked together.

"How are we going to get out of this dark place then?" she asked hopefully. The atmosphere suddenly changed to one of complete and utter silence as Akane blinked in confusion as to why they had reacted this way. She waited for a few seconds for them to answer before asking again, "Um, excuse me? Did you hear me?"

She heard a manly sigh, which she assumed was Hōjō, "I'm sorry Akane, but... there is no way out." he said sadly.

Akane gasped at his answer and stomped her foot at their half hearted attitude. "No you can't be like that!" she hissed, "You mustn't give up! There must be _some_ way out!"

"Believe me, we've looked many times already." Tomoyo sighed, "But it's just far too dark to see anything in here."

"Well if it's too dark then why don't you transform into your Phoenix form like you did before? Then you can light up the area with the fire from your feathers." Akane suggested.

"No," Hōjō muttered, "It's too small of a space. We went around and felt the size of the room. If Tomoyo transformed in here, she would either crush or burn us to a crisp."

"But daddy told me that Shikigami came in all sorts of forms, can't you summon a small flame from your finger or something?"

Tomoyo sighed again, only this time in disappointment. "... I can't... I don't know how. I'm sorry."

Akane looked down sadly and twisted her fingers together nervously, before she begun to pick at the bottom of her ruined pink kimono, pulling out the stitches and ripping the hem even more than it already was. She rolled up her sleeves and pulled the annoying white ribbon out of her hair, setting her short silky chocolate locks free. The others may have given up, but she certainly wasn't going to do the same! She was going to get out of here and back to her parents, and give the Tenseiga back to Lord Sesshomaru! Wait, the Tenseiga... WHERE WAS IT!? She recalled hitting something long and cold not long ago, could that have been it?

She got down on her hands and knees and began searching for the healing fang that she had stolen from the weapons storehouse. Where was it? Had her kidnappers taken it? No, if she returned without the blade then Sesshomaru would be very unhappy with her! She needed to find it!

Surprisingly, Akane felt another body join her on the floor and squeeze her hand lightly. "What's wrong, did you lose something? Tell me what you're looking for and I'll help you find it." a softer female voice whispered, which Akane assumed was Yuki.

Akane smiled, "It's a sword, Lord Sesshomaru's Tenseiga. It might not even be in here but I just want to make sure."

* * *

><p>Naraku strode through the hallways of the castle in search of his Saimyōshō to see if they had anything worthwhile to report. When he turned a corner, he came face to face with Makia, who stopped when she saw him and raised an eyebrow at the dumbfounded expression he was giving her.<p>

He blinked as he studied her appearance carefully. She looked somewhat different again, only by a few features though. Her blood red eyes were back and she was wearing the black yukata that she had not worn previously when he hid her under Komatsu's bed with him. And the mysterious black ends of her hair had completely vanished and were back to their original colour. Her face was sour and her mouth was pressed in a firm frown as she crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. What was going on with her?

"Can I help you?" she snapped, confusing him even more. It was like she had become an entirely different person entirely compared to when he had last seen her.

"..Tell me Makia," he started hesitantly, "is there.. _another _copy of Hanyuu somewhere in this castle?"

Makia's eyes widened at his question as she panicked in realization. He must have run into the real Hanyuu by accident and believed it to be another clone instead. True, they looked incredibly alike but there were still some minor differences that were noticeable even to the naked eye. She wondered just how careless Komatsu would have to be if he had let Naraku see Hanyuu even if he was unaware that it was really her. Was he that confident that he saw no need to be careful when it concerned the two of them? He knew of their history together and the result would not be pretty if Naraku had caught on, in fact she was rather surprised that Hanyuu had not said anything to him herself. Perhaps she had thought it wise to play along so that she would get to keep her life? So she did have some brains underneath all that darned orchid hair of hers that was so annoyingly beautiful.

"...No." she said finally, glaring at him before resuming her walking and passing by him, "There is only I."

Now he was very confused indeed. The girl he had helped in Komatsu's 'play' room had certainly not been Makia, so if there was no other clone of her running around.. then just who _had _that girl been back there? Had she been an illusion created by Ayumu? No, she had had a physical form that could be touched. He had touched her himself as proof. So what in the world had she been?

He summoned the Saimyōshō to return to him and gave them a very direct order, "Find out just who that girl was and report back to me as soon as you discover anything of importance or relevance involving her."

They buzzed and flew off all in different directions, covering as much ground in the castle that they could as they searched for the Hanyuu lookalike with the cross coloured hair of both shimmering lavender and pitch black.

Naraku was about to continue walking down the corridor when a strange wet object touched his left leg and rubbed against it. He looked down at whatever dared to touch him and found a small wolf cub gazing up at him with wide eyes, it wagged its tail and clung to his leg. He tried to shake it off but it simply held on tighter and barked in amusement at his feeble attempts to remove it from his limb. Was this demon one of Komatsu's spies sent to keep an eye on him? For some reason, Naraku couldn't help but think that this puny little cub was not quite the elemental Lord's style, especially if he was trying to be sneaky.

When the cub would not let go, Naraku glared viciously and balled his fists tightly. "Listen you pathetic furry midget," he hissed, "Let go of me at once or I shall rip you from me by force and you may not end up in one piece."

But the cub only barked more and licked his trouser garments. It could smell Hanyuu's scent all over this man and it was comforting for its young nose. No doubt about it, this man had been with her recently and the cub was determined to find her again. She may be in trouble!

Naraku was about to remove the baby wolf from his leg with his tentacles when he stopped dead in his tracks. Something that looked like a long strand of hair was glinting like a gemstone in the cub's fur. He knelt down to take a closer look at the shimmering object and plucked it from the cub's fur, before holding it in between his fingers and studying the item carefully.

It was a single strand of orchid coloured hair that turned into a dull black at the bottom that clung to his fingers, just as the other Hanyuu imposter had clung to his body back in the candle lit chamber. Makia's hair was like this but there was more of a pink tinge to hers rather than the imperial lilac that Hanyuu had possessed. And the black mixed in with it meant that this single strand could only belong to the other imposter he had met with previously. It was also soaked in her wonderful fragrance - fresh running stream water and the spring breeze dancing through the cherry trees in the morning.

He sighed and crushed the glimmering strand in his palm, "Hanyuu." he muttered.

The young cub barked in recognition at her voice as it clawed at his leg once again to get his attention before bounding off down the corridor, but stopping at the end to wait for him.

Naraku stood and just stared at the baby wolf down the hallway. What was it doing barking away at him from all the way over there? Was it trying to tell him something? Could it be that it was something to do with the other Hanyuu imposter from before? What was Komatsu's reasoning for creating another clone of her anyway if he had done so? Was it a part of his plan or did he just intend to use the clearly better looking one for his... personal entertainment?

"What exactly are you up to Komatsu?" he muttered, before following after the barking cub out into the courtyard that was cloaked in dewdrops from the earlier shower of rain.

A figure came into view at the other end of the courtyard, as he squinted his eyes too work out who it was. The wolf cub however, already seemed to have a very good idea of who it was as it went bounding over to the figure swiftly, barking loudly to draw attention to itself.

When the figure turned to face Naraku and the cub, the sun peeked out from behind the grey watercolour clouds in the sky and spread its gentle light down so that the dewdrops all sparkled in the warm golden light. The dull feel of the area suddenly washed away completely as the green shrubbery and planted crystanthemums were highlighted and made even more vibrant looking. The sunlight shone and rested on the figure's orchid head and made the silky hair shimmer magnificently. Even the black ends of the hair was illuminated and now looked to have gained a warm appearance with a hint of gold.

The figure smiled with her wide brown eyes that shone like honey and held out her arms for the tiny wolf that was running towards her. She scooped its small form up and cuddled it to her chest where it closed its eyes and listened to the rhythmic beating of her heart.

Naraku stood and watched in awe the scene taking place before him. It was the Hanyuu imposter from before who almost looked too real to be a copy. The smile on her face was positively angelic, making her live up to the title of winged being as she truly could have passed as a goddess. He felt small and insignificant in comparison to this creature of pure perfection and he wondered just how it was possible for something so lovely to be nothing more than a clone.

Damn the stupid heart of Onigumo that he just could not seem to get rid of. Curse it for the feelings of longing for Hanyuu and how it kept surfacing in Naraku. In fact, though he would never realize or admit it - not quite all of the longing was coming from Onigumo.

* * *

><p><strong>Please don't kill me for Komatsu's despicable behaviour in this chapter! But did you really think that I'd let him rape my little Hanyuu after all she's been through? If you did... you should have more faith in me, my fellow readers! ;)<strong>

**Hanyuu: _Um__, you did fake my death twice, remember? And you made me fall in love with my parents' previous archenemy... And now I have black dip-dyed hair for reasons that I cannot reveal to the readers quite yet._**

**Me: ...ahaah, oh yeah. Sorry about all that! **

**Inuyasha: You're lucky I haven't sliced you in half with the Tetsusaiga for what you've been doing to by daughter! *pulls out sword aggressively***

**Me: Now now calm down already! I can't help that it's all part of the storyline!**

**Inuyasha: And you made me look like an idiot more times than I can count! Not to mention humiliating me by making my ex-girlfriend get together with my stupid brother!**

**Sesshomaru: You do not need any assistance in looking foolish Inuyasha, for it is your very nature. And as for Kikyo and I...**

***Sesshomaru flies away with Kikyo in his arms, leaving Inuyasha screaming in his dust before turning and punching me on the head***

**Kagome: INUYASHA SIT!**

***Inuyasha slams into the ground and groans loudly***

**Hanyuu: *laughs awkwardly at her dad's actions* _Well thank you all for reading the chapter and leave a review if you have anything to say!_**

**Me: *sobs* Please go easy on me, I don't deserve this. T_T**

**Naraku: Yes you do. Just look at what you're doing to _me! _Jesus, I'm acting like some lovesick fool!**

**Me: ...That's cause you kinda are...**

**~Happy**


	14. Feudal Caesarean Section

**Hello hello hello! I hope you all had a lovely Easter holiday and got lots of chocolate ;)**

**Thank you again for reviewing if you did and enjoy the latest chapter! Pray for Kagome to make it through her pregnancy! Reviews will help her! She needs your support!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha; I only own the characters that aren't included in the anime/manga.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Fourteen<p>

'Ugh.. my head's spinning.. I feel really sick..'

"KAG..!"

'Huh? What's that noise?..'

"KAGOME!"

'My name... someone's calling my name... I wonder who it is...'

"WAKE UP KAGOME! COME ON YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP RIGHT NOW!"

'Wake up?.. I don't wanna... I'm still kinda tired..'

Inuyasha shook the unconscious Kagome's shoulders violently as he tried to wake her from the depths of her slumber, but no matter how hard he shook her, she simply would not open her eyes. He sat cradling her in the pool of blood that was her own, screaming her name over and over and begging for her awaken.

Sesshomaru was knelt beside Rin, who was laying knocked out over the spilled contents of incense and her herb basket, that lay shredded in pieces beside her. Her face was bruised and quite an amount of blood was running down from her nose, but apart from that she was not too badly injured. Kagome must have lashed out in her sleep and struck Rin unintentionally.

"COME ON KAGOME!" Inuyasha continued to shriek as he held his wife's unconscious form in his arms, surrounded by blood and water that was all hers.

He shook her again, even more desperately than before. She had begun to groan in her sleep loudly and painfully as she clenched her teeth and knitted her eyebrows together, her eyes never opening. He did not care that she was now bleeding onto his lap, nor did he care that he was soaked in it and her sweat. His gaze was focused entirely on her pained expression and how helpless he was in the situation.

Why would she not wake up? Why did she not respond to his cries? She was still breathing and moving, yet she remained unconscious and her condition only seemed to worsen. She looked much worse than she had when birthing Hanyuu, so what was different this time? Was it something _he _had done?

"Please Kagome," he choked, "promise me you'll make it out of this."

Kagome only responded in groans and kicks as she struck him with her legs just as she had done Rin and continued to bleed into his lap.

"Kagoome.." he sniffed, swallowing the lump in his throat and shaking her again, "come on, promise me!"

Kikyo burst into the hut, panting heavily and covered in muddy snow as she examined the scene before her. Her heart stopped when she saw the state that Kagome was in. She rushed and knelt beside Inuyasha, who was still holding Kagome in his arms and whimpering to her weakly.

"Inuyasha.." Kikyo started, "You are going to have to put her down."

"No!" he snapped, "I'm not letting go of her y'hear me? I won't!"

Kikyo sighed and looked down at Kagome's form sadly, "Please cooperate Inuyasha. In this condition, Kagome will not make it if you act foolishly. Put her down." she pleaded.

He looked up and saw the desperate look in Kikyo's eyes. He knew that she was right, that he was acting foolishly. And if they didn't act soon, Kagome's life would be at risk. So he placed her down on the bloody futon sheets gently and stroked her sweaty forehead carefully. "Kikyo," he whispered whilst trembling, "please.. help her."

Kikyo looked down and examined Kagome, who was now breaking the floorboards beneath her with her out of control legs. The blood was still pouring and the younger priestess had gone a deadly shade of white as a thin layer of cold sweat enveloped her body. She simply would not wake up.

Kikyo's heart sank when she realised the awful truth.

In this condition.. with the vast amount of blood loss and how she refused to leave her slumber..

_Kagome was not going to make it._

What was she going to do? She couldn't bring herself to tell Inuyasha and make him freak out any more than he already was. So what in the world was she going to do? She felt Kagome's swollen stomach that was covered in cuts and bruises. The violent movement coming from beneath the skin caused her own stomach to do flips as she tried to hold back the tears that were gathering in her mahogany eyes.

_The child was suffocating._

"Kikyo?" Inuyasha whispered, seeing her sudden frozen state as she refused to answer him, "What's wrong? Why are you looking at her like that!? Kikyo!"

Sesshomaru looked up from Rin and saw the priestess' expression and understood at once. He laid Rin down carefully and was at Kikyo's side at once. He pulled her to face him by her shoulders and looked her right in her pained eyes, his eyes were blazing the molten hot gold that they had done before as he had his brows narrowed.

She looked at him and tried to choke something out but Sesshomaru knew what she was trying to say and silenced her. "Restrain Inuyasha." he ordered firmly, "I cannot afford to be distracted, especially at such a critical time as this."

Kikyo snapped back to reality and nodded at his order without questioning him and crawled over to his stressing younger brother. Sesshomaru knew what had to be done and he could not carry the process out with Inuyasha protesting and trying to stop him, which he would surely try to do when he realized what his brother was going to do. As much as it pained both Kikyo and Sesshomaru, it had to be done if the child was to survive at least. And Sesshomaru's Tenseiga could save lives so maybe if they were lucky... _really_ lucky, everything would turn out alright.

Inuyasha met Kikyo's troubled gaze and blinked in confusion as she threw her arms around him suddenly and tightened her grip considerably, securing him in place. "What are you doing!? Let go!" he shrieked in confusion.

But his confusion did not last for long when he saw Sesshomaru raise his claws over Kagome's exposed bloated belly. "NO SESSHOMARU!" he screeched, desperately trying to free himself from Kikyo's surprisingly strong hold, "DON'T DO IT!"

But his cries were in vain as Sesshomaru's sharp claws sunk into the flesh on Kagome's stomach and sliced the lump open, making more blood spurt everywhere and onto his white hakama and furry pelt. Sesshomaru ignored his brother's shrill screams and dug into the bloody mess of what used to be Kagome's stomach, dying his talons a deep red and ripping through her delicate womb to allow him access to the suffocating child inside.

Kagome let out a few final cries in her unconscious state before her head fell back and her womb was in shreds from Sesshomaru's claws. She coughed up a handful of thick black blood and went limp.

"KAGOOOOMEEE!" Inuyasha screamed at the top of his lungs, tears now stinging his eyes as his throat was becoming sore from his deafening cries.

Kikyo squeezed her eyes shut and held Inuyasha back, desperately trying to ignore the awful sound of Kagome's insides being dug apart by her lover's hands.

Sesshomaru choked on the infected air that he was breathing in and continued to tear at the young priestess' stomach vigorously, ignoring his brother's awful shrieks and the poisonous smell of Kagome's insides. The infant couldn't be much further in could it? At this rate, there wouldn't be much of the woman left for Tenseiga to revive. Things were sliding downhill much faster than he had expected.

At this precise moment in time, Rin's eyes drifted open and she sat up slowly, groaning loudly and rubbing her sore temples. Her eyes widened in pure horror at the sight that met her young and innocent eyes, and the sounds that drifted into her eardrums were enough to make her vomit.

A desperate looking Inuyasha fighting and screaming away, whilst being held back by Kikyo who looked to be in tears and trying to block out the awful sounds around her. Andto make it worse, just opposite them was Kagome's terrifying state still covered in blood and sweat.. with her Lord Sesshomaru knelt beside her digging away at her torn up stomach with his sharp claws. His white and regal kimono was drenched in the young woman's blood and there was more of it splattered onto his face and even in his hair and pelt. His eyes were lethal and cold as they were completely focused on tearing Kagome apart as he continued to dig down through her insides, tossing clumps of flesh and blood out with his hands.

Rin screamed and fell back against the wall in pure terror.

Inuyasha and Kikyo looked across at the horrified young girl and panicked even more. This type of reaction was the last thing they needed at this moment!

Rin backed further up against the wall as she continued to stare at Sesshomaru's murderous expression and the frightening feel in his hard, narrowed eyes. She covered her mouth and shook her head. Her Lord Sesshomaru was not supposed to be like this. She knew that he wasn't supposed to be! So why was he doing this!?

Never looking away from Kagome's wrecked insides, Sesshomaru's snarled loudly. "The Tenseiga, Rin." he choked out over the bloody air.

"P-pardon?" she stuttered in terror.

The whites of his eyes were suddenly the exact colour of Kagome's blood as he turned and glared fiercely at her. "RETRIEVE THE TENSEIGA FOR ME AT ONCE, RIN!" he growled over the sound of his claws slicing Kagome up.

Rin stood up immediately and fled from the hut in the direction of the weapons storehouse. Her Lord Sesshomaru had _never _spoken to her like that before! Nor had he looked so horribly frightening! What was going on with him!?

Inuyasha wanted to cover his ears, close eyes and just crawl away into a hole and never to come out. But he could not bring himself to tear his eyes away from the scene of Sesshomaru lashing at his wife's stomach in search of a choking child within her body. He wondered just how Sesshomaru could bring himself to do that, rip an innocent woman with child to pieces without going insane. Inuyasha had put Kagome's life in his brother's hands... or claws, and he decided that if she didn't make it.. he would kill Sesshomaru himself, seeing as the guilt of his actions didn't seem to be doing so.

'Please Kagome, please make it through' he silently prayed.

Sesshomaru panted heavily as he flicked more blood and clumps of flesh from his claws. It was quite a miracle that the girl was not dead yet giving all she was somehow enduring! She was practically in pieces and he was genuinely surprised that he had not dug straight through to the other side of her yet! But her heartbeat remained, even if it was very faint and weak. If she could just hold on for a little longer.. just until he got to the infant inside..

His claws hit something. He reached down through the bloody, slippy mess and clasped his hands around something firm and small. Something with a heartbeat that wasn't Kagome's.

And then... came the deafening silence that seemed to last for all eternity. Sesshomaru's ears were ringing and had finally blocked out all noises around.

Finally, a shrill wail of infancy echoed throughout the sudden silence of the room as Inuyasha sat frozen, still tightly restrained by Kikyo, and just listened to the young cry. Inuyasha blinked and trailed his gaze down to the small ball in Sesshomaru's arms that, like the room and Sesshomaru, was drenched in Kagome's thick blood and insides. It flailed uncontrollably in the Lord of the West's arms and cried loudly for all to hear.

Kikyo looked up from hiding in Inuyasha's hair and dried her soggy eyes. Slowly, she loosened her grip on him and sat up straighter in order to get a better look at the bloody mess in Sesshomaru's arms. Judging by the noises coming from it, he had succeeded. But what of Kagome? Kikyo balled her fist as she tried to bring herself to look at the younger priestess laying in the pool of blood with her stomach ripped open like a present and the contents spilled out all around her. And the loud squealing of the ball in Sesshomaru's hold was ringing in her ears as she covered her mouth in an attempt to hold in her vomit.

Sesshomaru looked down at the small, bloody creature in his arms and held his breath as he wiped some of the red clumps of flesh stuck to its little face. The large hole on its face, known as a mouth, was wide open and emitting screams and wails as it struggled in his hold. His head was spinning as he tried to suppress a small tremble that briefly threatened to take over him. He looked away from the tiny, squealing creature and down to the young priestess that lay on her back before him. Her scent was poisoning the air and her blood was all over him: clinging to his clothes, splattered across his face and stained in his hair and pelt. He spluttered and coughed.

There was no doubt about it - Inuyasha was going to kill him for real this time. And Sesshomaru knew that he deserved every blow that was going to be directed at him. For he had taken away the one thing that his little brother cared for more than anything in the world, as well as the infant's love from a mother.

Unless the Tenseiga would take pity on them and give them a break. But could it really be relied upon? Could he really pin his hopes on the sword that was so choosy about whom it would grant life and whom it would not? It had taken pity on young Rin and allowed him to save her life, but the wind sorceress Kagura had apparently been too far from its reach. What would stop it from refusing Kagome also? She was not exactly in the best shape that she had ever been in, and if a measly little miasma wound had been too much for it, what would it say about this torn apart abdomen? He could only wait for Rin to return with it and see what it thought of the situation.

Inuyasha crawled over to Sesshomaru's side and tried to piece a sentence together. But when he got a closer view of Kagome's form, his jaw dropped and any words that he had begun to arrange were shattered in the blink of an eye. His ears dropped and he placed his hands down in front of him, where he just knelt, frozen in time, staring down in pure horror at his Kagome.

"Kago.." he choked on his tears and the strong scent of her blood, "..me?"

Everything around him faded to white as his vision was fixed on Kagome and the only sound that reached his ears was the shrill cry of the infant in his brother's arms. He reached out slowly and gently poked her pale, limp arm. When she didn't respond to his touch, he repeated his action over and over, quite unable to do anything else.

_"I'll always be right here by your side."_

"You said that..." he whimpered quietly as he continued to poke her arm, "didn't you...didn't you mean it?"

The infant's cries intensified as Inuyasha's eyes filled up to the brim with salty tears that threatened to fall. Kagome's face was a ghostly white and like Sesshomaru, was stained with her sweat and blood. Her brow was furrowed and her mouth was open slightly, allowing pockets of air to drift into her mouth and offer her oxygen if she so desired it. The arm that he was poking so frequently was limp and growing colder by the minute, like the rest of her body. He moved his hand down to her smaller one and squeezed it, demanding her attention. But again.. there was no further response.

"Ka..." he choked, but could not finish her name as it stuck in his throat and forced him to gag.

This wasn't happening. No. Anything but this. Why this? After everything that had happened, after all they had overcome... why _this_!?

Images of his beloved flashed across his mind as he recalled the sweet sound of her voice and the sunshine that came with her smile.

_"Inuyasha is by my side now, so I have nothing to fear."_

_"I'm with you by choice."_

_"I love you. I love you as a half demon."_

"Kagome.. No one ever said that they loved me for who I was before." he whispered, "After all.. I'm just a filthy half breed that both humans and demon's hate.. But you.. you were different. Somehow.. god knows how.. you found it in you to love someone like me. It took me too long to realise what I'd been given.. but now that I finally realise the gift that you gave me I.. I-I.."

Tears were now falling fast down his cheeks as he sniffed loudly and squeezed her hand harder, "I just want you to open your eyes and smile at me again! I want you to say that you love me for who I am over and over. And I know I didn't do it much in my part, but... just let me tell you that I love you too!"

Sesshomaru balanced the child that he had now discovered was male on his sticky lap with one hand and put his other on Inuyasha's shoulder suddenly, causing the half demon to look up at his brother through misty eyes. Tossing his pride aside completely, Inuyasha put his hands down before his brother and lowered his head, causing the salty droplets to fall down onto the bloody floorboards and mix in with the red liquids. The little boy's crying seemed to increase as it struggled more in Sesshomaru's hold.

Inuyasha let out a shaky sob before whispering quietly in a tone that he knew only Sesshomaru's sharp hearing would be able to pick up. "Please Sesshomaru.." he choked, "Bring her back to me."

Unable to sit around and wait for Rin any longer, Sesshomaru immediately passed the screaming child in his arms to Kikyo, knowing that Inuyasha was in no state to care for him at this precise moment in time. He rose to his feet and was gone from the blood infected hut in a matter of seconds, flying swiftly to the weapons storehouse where he had agreed to leave the healing fang temporarily. What was keeping Rin? She was usually so reliable. Why had she not yet returned with the Tenseiga safe in her grip? Had she been that repulsed by his feral behaviour that she had deserted him out of fear and disgust? Would she after all the time she had spent with him? Did she really think that little of him?

He leapt across the frost coated ground and burst open the doors of the large hut filled with axes and other such weapons. Rin was down on her knees searching for something under a pile of torches when she jumped at her Lord's sudden presence. She had not heard him come in, and seeing him towering above her still coated in blood was mighty alarming and made her tremble in his shadow.

"S-S-Sesshomaru?" she whispered.

He felt his heart clutch at the way his name had rolled off her tongue so coated in fear. He also noticed the lack of 'Lord' before his name too. Had she lost all respect in him because of what he had done and no longer saw him as her Lord?

"What has been keeping you, Rin?" he asked flatly, noticing her unease as she sat before him trembling.

She swallowed, knowing that he wasn't going to like her answer. "I-it's the Tenseiga," she whimpered, "I c-can't find it anywhere!"

His sharp, golden eyes widened at this news and shifted his hard gaze to the Tetsusaiga, which was hanging on an iron rail next to the empty spot where Tenseiga had once been. Where was it!?

He scooted over to the black space and sniffed at it frantically, Kagome's blood still dripping from his hair and pelt onto the floor, making Rin shiver more. There was a scent on the empty peg... a scent that he least expected to have been there. It was the monk and slayer's eldest daughter, Akane wasn't it? What had _she _been doing in here? And what business did she have with the Tenseiga if she was indeed the one who had taken it? Nothing was adding up. Perhaps someone else would know something of this? He needed to know where his sword was - now! If Kagome was going to make it that is...

So he left the trembling Rin on her knees behind in the storehouse and flew back to the hut with Kagome inside. He knew that Rin was shaken up because of what she had seen back then, and he knew that she needed time to recover from the fright he had given her. He just prayed that she would not hate him because of what he had done.

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><p>Miroku, Sango and Shippo came running into the hut and gasped in pure horror when they saw Kagome's state. They covered their mouths when they saw Inuyasha in tears on all fours before his wife, bashing the floorboards with his fists.<p>

Kikyo looked up at them through her misty eyes from rocking a still squealing infant in her arms and shot them a look that they understood at once. Shippo fell to his knees and began wailing uncontrollably for Kagome and Sango shook her head in disbelief and buried it into Miroku's shoulder, who had his hand raised and was muttering some kind of prayer for the young priestess.

Inuyasha raised his head from the ground and stopped bashing the floorboards to reach for Kagome's hand once again. He took it and squeezed it tightly, allowing his thick snotty tears to drench her pale hand as he sobbed loudly. Even if she was going to be revived with the Tenseiga, seeing her like this really did a number on him and he wanted to die himself just because of how helpless he had been to save her.

Sesshomaru stormed into the hut, dripping with thick red blood and made Inuyasha look up at him. When he saw no Tenseiga at the Lord of the West's hip, his eyes widened considerably and he stopped breathing. Why did he not have the healing fang with him? What was he doing?! "Sessh.." he started.

"The Tenseiga is missing." Sesshomaru said firmly, causing Inuyasha's eyes to widen even more as he shook his head, refusing to believe what his brother had just told him.

The dog demon Lord then turned to Miroku and Sango and continued, "Your eldest born's scent was where the Tenseiga had once been. Tell me, what business does she have with my sword?" he asked firmly.

Kikyo's heart stopped at this and her expression faltered, causing the hot tears to stream down her cheeks and drop onto the crying little boy in her arms. Kagome's only hope for survival was missing, and she knew exactly who had taken it and why.

Sesshomaru heard Kikyo's heartbeat quicken more than anyone else's at the mention of the matter and turned his gaze down to her. He looked at her in a questioning manor and demanded with his eyes that she tell him what she knew. She sobbed louder and wiped her nose with her sleeve.

"Akane had it once before," she choked over the screaming of the child, "She was trying to take it with her to assist Ren in his search for Arina, so I confiscated it and returned it to the storehouse. But she must have... taken it again." It was all Kikyo's fault. If only she had returned the blade directly to Sesshomaru himself instead of sneaking it back to its original position in the storehouse, then they would not be in this mess. "I am so sorry Sesshomaru." she whispered weakly.

He placed his bloody hand over hers and stared into her sad chocolate orbs. "Take back your apology," he ordered, "it is wasted when you are not responsible for the problem."

He brought her hand up to his face and kissed her knuckles tenderly before rising to his feet and giving her another order, "You and the fox shall remain here with Inuyasha, the priestess and their son. It would be unwise to leave him alone when he is in this state."

She nodded sadly, showing that she understood and allowed him to release her hand from his hold. She was displeased with being left behind but she knew that it was not safe to leave Inuyasha on his own in this situation, nor would it do for this new child that needed to be tended to and cleaned as soon as possible.

Sesshomaru then turned to Miroku and Sango and addressed them, "Monk. Slayer. You shall accompany me in recovering the Tenseiga and your child."

They nodded and followed him through the door, promising the bawling Shippo that they would return and Kagome would be saved. The fox cried some more and leapt onto Kikyo's lap with the squealing infant, as she petted his head gently and dried his sad green eyes with her sleeves.

Just before Sesshomaru was out of the hut, Inuyasha spoke up. "Sesshomaru!" he cried, making his elder brother turn to look at him, "I'm putting her life in your hands... so don't make me regret it, okay?"

Sesshomaru remained silent and took his leave, with Miroku and Sango following close behind.

They ran into Kohaku and Kirara a little further into the forest, who were doing some training and explained the situation to them. They were greatly saddened by the news but immediately agreed come with them. So the five then left swiftly in search of the Tenseiga and Akane, and would hopefully find the two before the remaining sand in the hourglass of Kagome's life ran out.

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><p><strong>OH NO! KAGOME! (Now I sound like Inuyasha screaming her name all the time) Will the group find Akane and the Tenseiga in time!? Will Inuyasha be okay after his shock!? Will their new son be okay!? AND WILL KAGOME LIVE!?<strong>

**Find out in the next chapter and leave a review! But please don't hurt me... I'm only following the storyline T_T ~Happy**


	15. Defiled Purity

**Thank you for the reviews! I'm sorry for making you worry about Kagome and leaving you like that but the next chapter is now up and includes quite a lot of the characters that have been missing from the story for a while now (you'll see who I mean when you read on).**

**Also, I don't know if you have noticed but I have been dropping little hints and facts about some of the outcomes of this story for a while now, bearing in mind that some are in Arc One too, and I have also included some _very_ key information here and there. Since I have everything mapped out in my head from here on out, I now have a plan for how the story is going to end, and things _will _add up eventually. Hopefully I will surprise you occasionally with some plot and character twists that you will learn soon. I'm actually quite proud of my biggest twist that won't be revealed until near the end, but the hints that lead up to it have been quite recurring and should make you understand anything that you didn't to begin with.**

**Amaterasu, the sky kingdom of the winged people, and its Nine Keys are very important factors of the story and will play a vital part later on, they also tie in with some of the twists and fables I have been telling (The Tale of the Winged Woman, The Impossible Children etc.) Most of the characters will have somewhat important roles to play, some noticeably more than others.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha but I can always dream; I do however own the characters that are not included in the anime or manga like my little Hanyuu.**

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><p>Chapter Fifteen<p>

The gigantic castle that belonged to the elemental Lord, Komatsu, loomed above Shun's crouching form as he sat in the frosty bushes that surrounded the large building. He stared up at the castle silently with his pale blue eyes narrowed and his right hand rested on the handle of his blade as he remained as still as a statue. It had been days since Hanyuu's disappearance and the group had been searching non-stop. And though he was not quite sure why, he was absolutely _positive_ that the little demon of his was somewhere inside the evil demon Lord's castle.

A rustle in the shrubbery behind him was enough to tell him that he was no longer alone, but he kept his gaze locked on Komatsu's castle and stayed silent, not willing to give away his position to whoever was approaching.

However, it was only Arina, who stood tall behind him with her arms folded and her mouth pressed into a firm irritated line. She tapped her foot impatiently and waited for the young samurai to acknowledge her presence, as she was sure he had detected her approaching considering how she had stomped loudly over the crispy white ground.

"Is there something I can do for you?" he asked finally, still not bothering to turn and meet her arrogant gaze.

"Look samurai.. We've been patrolling the outskirts of my father's castle for days now," she frowned, "if you are as sure as you say you are that Hanyuu is inside then why have we yet to attack?"

He chuckled quietly, causing her frown to widen as she knelt down behind him and looked at his amused expression. "What's gotten into you all of a sudden?" she asked coldly, glaring at him through her thick red eyelashes. Was she missing something?

His chortles quietened briefly as he turned to face her. "Why are you so eager to attack? Would it not be best to wait and diverse a proper strategy on how to get Hanyuu out of there safely and plan our escape route too?" he said dryly, "That sounds like a much better plan than blindly rushing in and hoping for the best." (A/N: Poor Shun. He doesn't seem to know that that's what every other character does on Inuyasha and seems to win an impossible battle somehow, kind of like Ash and Pikachu from Pokémon.)

She scoffed and frowned again, "How is it that you are so certain that she is even in there? I know that my father wanted her and probably sent his minions out to look for her, but what if she_ wasn't_ captured?" she asked. 'She is a strong individual after all, both physically and mentally, and she has the power of the winged people on her side too! So there is still a good chance that she could not have been taken.'

"She's in there." he said firmly, his expression still and focused as he replied without hesitation, "There's no doubt about it."

Arina sighed at his certainty and looked up at the daunting castle before her. The samurai was stubborn and proud, and it appeared that when his mind was made it could not be changed. But why was he so intent on rescuing the half demoness in the first place? True they were companions but what had been the cause of their unlikely friendship? Humans did not just go around befriending half demon's, Inuyasha's case had indeed been a rare one and even he still received prejudice on the odd occasion, but the chance of something so surprising happening again was pretty slim. Arina knew there was great loyalty and trust that Shun felt towards Hanyuu, and she knew that he would put his own life at risk to safe hers without restraint. But in fact, Arina was secretly beginning to wonder if there was something deeper than loyalty behind the young samurai's actions..

She cleared her throat and addressed him again."Enlighten me samurai... why do you put your life at such risk just to save a half demoness?" she asked, "I know that she has a vast amount of power and an ancient winged heritage that spans generations back, but tell me... are you... in _love_ with the girl?"

Shun rubbed his chin as he silently pondered to himself. After a moment of silence he looked back at Arina and finally shook his head, "No.. I don't think it's anything like that." he answered earnestly.

She raised an eyebrow in disbelief at his surprisingly honest sounding denial and snorted. "Then why do you strive so hard to protect her? Don't tell me that the two of you are only _acquaintances_?" she asked teasingly, "I don't buy that at all boy."

"'Why do you ask anyway?" he questioned, "Does it really matter what she is to me?"

"To me - not really. But I am still rather curious as to what your answer is." she replied with a glint of confusion but yet excitement in her eyes.

He rubbed his chin again and thought deeply, "To be honest.. I'm not sure I know the answer to that myself." He continued to stare up at the large castle as Arina stared at him in even more confusion. "It _might _be love that I feel towards her... but then again it might _not _be. I haven't really known her for very long but.. I feel like I know her better than I know myself. I know that will probably sound strange to you but it's the truth honestly."

Arina blinked as a gentle breeze began to blow through the frosty shrubbery and through hers and Shun's hair, swishing through her plum locks so that they ticked at her cheekbones and fell at her shoulders gracefully. She did not dare breathe with the sudden intensity in Shun's distant eyes and tone.

"Protecting her.." he continued, "is just.. something that I know I have to do."

"Something that you know you have to do?" Arina repeated quietly, brushing some stray strands of hair from out of her eyes as she played with them with her fingers.

He nodded, "Yeah. Don't _you_ have anyone you feel like that about?"

She didn't answer. Someone she just knew that she had to protect? Well there was Ren obviously but she couldn't really think of anyone else in particular who she cared about much. Her mother was long dead and her father was a complete and utter ass, so there wasn't really anyone else who she thought about like that. Sure she liked Hanyuu to a certain extent, probably down to the fact that the girl had never really harmed her, and she had started to warm up to Inuyasha a little. But there was no one else that really jumped into her mind at Shun's question.

Shun smiled and took her silence as a maybe. After all, she cared about her mate, Ren, did she not? Only in a deeper way than he did for Hanyuu of course. He knew that Hanyuu's heart would always belong to Naraku no matter what the Spider did, but it didn't really bother him that much as long as he didn't hurt her. Shun didn't know why, but he felt that he was indebted to her and sworn to protect her with his life. But he did not remember taking such a strong oath. 'Protect,' he thought, 'I need to _protect_ her.'

Another rustle in the bushes and the soft padding of feet on the thin layer of snow covering the floor caused the two of them to turn to see who was approaching. Kōga and Toboe walked through the frosty bushes and looked down at the two crouching on their knees before them.

"Yo." Kōga grinned, with his hands placed on his hips proudly and an even stronger smug aura than usual emitting from him.

"What's up?" Shun asked, interested as to why the two wolf leaders had decided to come to his post at the same time with such pleased expressions on their faces.

"We found a way into the castle that won't draw much attention to us from any inhabitants inside, so we came to get you guys." Toboe answered proudly.

Shun smirked and gripped the hilt of his sword, "A way in, you say? Perfect."

Kōga grunted loudly and crossed his arms over his chest, "Well mini mutt had better be in there, y'hear? I don't like wasting my time on losers like this Komatsu guy." He glanced down at Arina briefly, "And I know he's your dad n' all but he aint gettin' no mercy from me cause of what he's done."

She shook her head, "No, you're right. He deserves no mercy. Do what you want to him, I honestly couldn't care in the slightest." she frowned.

"Gee you guys must have a great father-daughter relationship goin' on." Kōga teased, waiting for her eyes to blaze with annoyance.

Shun studied Arina's expression and couldn't help thinking that there was a hint of... _doubt_ in her statement. Sure Komatsu had committed many evil deeds and done many wrongs, but was it possible for his own _daughter_ to hate him that much? Did she no longer possess any love for him at all because of all he had done? Not that he was complaining of course. He for one planned to hack the guy's head off for what he had done to Hanyuu and her family. Oh yeah, it was going to be skewered Komatsu for dinner tonight.

"Come on then," Toboe nudged Kōga, "Let's go already!"

"Yeah yeah chill, we're going already. Hurry it along you two, we aint got no time to spare." Kōga ordered as he turned and walked off into the snowy bushes along the outskirts of the castle with the three in his group following closely behind.

"So what kind of security are we dealing with here exactly?" Arina asked her male companions curiously.

Shun looked up at the wall surrounding the castle and raised his voice, "Well first you've got the wall. Fifty feet high, no going over it that's for sure, and it's too thick to smash through so I'm guessing Kōga's game is to go under?" he asked looking at Kōga for a response.

Kōga nodded in approval "Not bad samurai. You're kinda right, there's a a small opening in the wall a little ways onward. We took a quick look inside and spotted around two or three guards strollin' around on patrol. If we can take them out we just gotta lay low and skulk around the place like ninjas. Hopefully mini mutt won't be too far in so we can just grab her and go."

"You? Sneaking around?" Arina mocked, "No offence, but you don't really strike me as the type of guy to go for the stealthy approach. I sort of assumed that you'd go blindly rushing in and get your ass whipped like Inuyasha."

"Don't you dare compare me to the dog turd!" he yelled aggressively, "It's bad enough that he beat me to my own woman. Kagome should have been mine!"

"Come on, Kagome is obviously _not _and never was your woman. And besides, don't you have like half a dozen pups that are mothered by another wolf demoness? You can't just go around claiming women when you've got one of your own and kids to go with it!"

"Oh please! At least I don't go for overgrown lizard's!" he yelled.

"Calm yourself Kōga," Toboe sighed, "And yes Arina is right, a massive ambush would be a foolish move seeing as we have no way of knowing just what we're up against. Who knows just how many soldiers Komatsu could have ready to fight back? We can't afford to be reckless, especially with Hanyuu's life on the line."

Arina smirked, "You know Toboe, you strike me as a much more reliable ally than Kōga here. Unlike him I can actually see why you're the powerful leader of a demon tribe." she said smugly.

Kōga snarled, "Listen here lady! I'm only letting you tag along cause you say you wanna get back at Komatsu for what he's done to you! I couldn't care less if you got yourself into a scrape so don't expect me to jump in and save you if anything happens to you!"

"Oh same here, wolf boy, same here." she smirked.

"Go to hell witch!"

"You first."

Shun sighed heavily as he followed an equally annoyed Toboe. Not long later, they arrived at the hole in the tall wall and knelt down to peer through it. Just as Kōga had said, there were in fact two men standing guard to the side entrance to the castle. So how were they to take them out?

"So what next?" he whispered to the group quietly so that the men standing guard would not hear him.

"We need to find a way to distract those guards there without causing too much of an uproar." Toboe explained, "I guess that one of us could go an-"

"I'll get them." Arina said firmly.

"Uh.. how are _you _going to do anything on your own?" Kōga asked, "No offence but you're just a woman."

She huffed, "Do not underestimate my powers. I _am _the daughter of a powerful elemental demon Lord, so I do have some powers myself!" she smirked.

And then before Kōga could make a clever comeback, Arina vanished into thin air right before their very eyes, causing them to look around frantically trying to find her. Where had she gone!? 'That sneaky wench' Kōga snarled.

However, loud cries of pain from the other side of the wall caught their attention instantly as they turned and looked again through the gap. The men that had been standing guard on each side of the entrance suddenly dropped to their knees and fell unconscious because of a mysterious blow to each of their heads. The three's eyes widened when they saw Arina standing behind the guards unconscious forms with her arms folded and a smug expression plastered onto her face. She raised her finger, indicating for them to follow and examined the entrance to the castle, as she waited for them to crawl through the hole in the wall.

Kōga blinked as he tried to process what he had just seen as he walked to stand beside her. "How did you.." he spluttered in shock, "do that!?"

She cackled loudly in amusement and ran a hand through her long plum coloured hair, "I warned you not to underestimate me, wolf boy. Teleportation is a simple task for someone with my skills."

The wolf demon's eyebrow raised as he questioned her further, "Oh really? So tell me.. what else can you do? Or was that the full package?"

She chuckled again, "You will see all in good time, mongrel."

"Now now you two." Shun sighed, braking up the argument he knew would follow, "Let's not get distracted. We're here for a reason remember? We have to find Hanyuu fast."

The conflicting pair shot each other a quick frown before studying the entrance to the majestic castle. Shun pressed his ear against the sliding door and listened intently for any movement on the inside. When he was certain there was none, he carefully slid it open and took a peek into the corridor within. Luckily it was empty so he crept in and over the floorboards delicately, trying not to make a sound.

Kōga groaned when he was inside and rubbed his upper arms violently. "Uurgh!" he shrieked in discomfort, "This place is making my fur stand up! What the hell is it about this place!?"

"Shh!" Toboe hissed in a loud whisper, "Keep it down! What ever happened to the stealthy approach?"

Kōga snarled at his wolf companion viciously, "Shut up you! There's something seriously wrong with this place! Can't you feel that awful strong aura!?"

"Of course I can feel it but I'm still keeping quiet! Now shush so we don't get caught!"

Arina tip-toed quickly so that she was in line with Shun, she glanced across at him briefly trying to read his expression. His gaze seemed focused on the hallway ahead and his thoughts were engulfing him. "Where do you think Hanyuu will be?" she whispered, interrupting his trail of thoughts as he turned to look at her whilst still creeping over the wooden floors.

"I don't know, but we'll just keep on going," he replied firmly, "if we do that we'll definitely find her. Definitely."

His eyes narrowed as he clutched the handle of his sword tighter. 'I will find you Hanyuu. I swear to you, I will. And then I can protect you.'

* * *

><p>A sudden wave of apprehension flooded through Hanyuu's system as she fell to her knees before the barking wolf cub at her feet an,d fisted her chest violently. Her insides ached and her ears were ringing loudly, along with the rapid pumping of the blood flowing through her veins. What was this blood-curdling sensation that had suddenly overpowered her? Nothing like this had happened before! She coughed and dug her claws into the frosty, gritty ground below her tightly, grinding the sharp stones with her talons and choked on the suddenly remarkably thin air.<p>

Naraku stood a few yards away from the pained girl that greatly resembled the half demoness he had once known and stared at her with eyes filled with uncertainty over what she was doing. The young wolf cub was still yapping away at her pained state and jumping up and down restlessly, shoving its wet nose against her every now and then in a desperate attempt to calm her hyperventilating. For a _very _brief moment, the Spider considered going to her side and trying to find out what was the matter with her, or rather the _Onigumo _side of him considered it. Naraku scoffed. _H__e _would not be so foolish that he would lower himself to showing the girl any sign of compassion. In fact, seeing her this hurt sent his blood pumping in excitement and his eyes danced with amusement. The ghostly white shade her dainty little face had turned and the way her large eyes were bulging out of her head with a tint of red swirling around her honey irises was simply delightful to his eyes, and he found great pleasure in watching her whimper weakly.

But as thrilling the scene before him was, the pathetic heart of that damned fool Onigumo was really beginning to irritate him with how it yearned for her so and demanded her to be taken care of. Yes, the imbecile still desired her and was even more defiant on giving her up that he was with Kikyo. Not that it was surprising seeing as the girl was his winged lover, Haya, reborn, making it even more difficult for Naraku to rid the annoying emotions from his body. He wanted to kill her and be done with all the bother she had caused for him - yet Onigumo prevented him from doing so. The damned fool!

But why was Onigumo having such a reaction to her in the first place? As far as Naraku knew, this girl before him was nothing more than a mere copy of the original, just as Makia was. _She was nothing_. Just a mirror image of Hanyuu that would soon shatter into a million pieces after he had finished with her. Yes, he would find a way to kill her and finally be done with her, and even if Onigumo did everything in his sorry power to stop him, it would not be enough.

This abomination was going to die. And he was going to make sure of it himself.

Hanyuu coughed loudly again and felt her vision slowly fading to a deep red - the very colour of blood. The only sounds that drifted into her eardrums was the infernal yelping of the wolf cub and the loud buzzing of... the Saimyōshō hovering mere metres away from her, along with the murderous presence of their master close by.

_"What's happening to me?" _she literally growled in a deep gruff voice as her claws extended considerably and the whites of her eyes completely faded to scarlet.

Naraku raised an eyebrow at what he was witnessing. It would appear that this oh-so-perfect copy of Hanyuu that Komatsu had created was actually a true monster. Who knew what she was capable of? 'Look at this creature Onigumo' he smirked, '_This _is the abomination that you insist on protecting even though you know full well that this is nothing more than a shadow of the one you desire.'

The midnight black end strands of Hanyuu's hair extended several more centimetres up and shone with an ominous purple hue glow, giving her an eerie factor as her fangs lengthened and grew over her lips like sharp razor blades. Her chest ached and seemed to be crying out from inside its cage, pleading to be heard by someone. Never before had she felt such a strong emotion. Never before had she experienced the feeling of such... _loss_. Why was her body reacting this way? What was happening to her? She felt so _impure_ all of a sudden and in desperate need of cleansing from her sin. But _what _sin exactly had she committed? There was an overwhelming feeling of guilt welling up inside of her, almost as if she had failed to do something very very important... or failed some_one _rather.

Suddenly, everything was silent. There was nothing. Nothing but the hopeless calling of a male's cracked voice just crying out for something... something...

The saltiness of his tears was thick in the air and clouded Hanyuu's sense of smell with his pure sorrow. Her vision cleared just enough to reveal the man's dark figure leaning over.. something.. something... with his head wobbling with his sobbing and his hands pressed in front of him in a begging manor.

Why was he so sad? What was wrong with him? Was he hurt?

Hanyuu tried to reach out to him... but she could not move. She tried to open her mouth to soothe his crying... but no sound escaped her lips, nor via voice-box or telepathic communication.

But when the figure's words became clear, her heart stopped.

"Kagome.."

And then... everything went black.

* * *

><p>"HIRAIKOTSU!"<p>

Sango threw her bone boomerang high in the air in the direction of a large bear demon that had attacked, and hacked its body in two with the rapid spinning of the weapon, that immediately flew back to its mistress when the job had been done. She leapt up into the air when the decapitated lower half of the bear came bounding in her direction and took a blind blow at her with its legs, which she dodged easily with her slayer speed and stamina.

Sesshomaru watched the slayer from his position up in the sky and studied her strength. It became quite evident to him that she was indeed incredibly skilled in the arts of demon slaying and martial arts - she moved just like a ninja. At this rate she would soon be done with the small-fry bear demon without him or anyone else in the group having to lend a hand.

With one last final throw of the Hiraikotsu, Sango was indeed finished as she reached up an arm and caught the giant demon bone in one hand. She ran a hand through her now shoulder-length bristly hair that still had not grown back fully since her experience with the fireball that forced her to cut off her hair. And then, whilst smirking in a victorious manor, she turned and signalled the group to follow after her.

Miroku shook some demon remains from his staff and ran after his wife whilst Kohaku flew on Kirara's back to Sesshomaru's side in the sky. "Any trace of Akane or Tenseiga yet?" he asked.

Sesshomaru merely gave a grunt that Kohaku understood was a 'no' and flew off after the slayer and monk with Kohaku riding the fire cat closely behind. He had not picked up on Akane's scent as of yet, nor had he sensed Tenseiga's aura. But he _had_ picked up on something else of interest. The filthy stench of the fool Komatsu and... somehow _Naraku's_ too? Now that was something strange indeed. Sesshomaru was certain that Hanyuu had killed the Spider vermin before she too met her demise, despite how much Inuyasha denied that her death had been false. Impossible. How was it that one would fake their own death? Perhaps the half breed had finally lost his mind, not that it would be surprising with all that had happened recently, having most of his kin annihilated before his very eyes. It would surely drive one mad.

But even though finding Akane and the Tenseiga was the group's man priorities, surely they could not simply ignore the presence of Naraku and the dastardly elemental devil who toyed with them just as much as the Spider had in the past. Maybe the little girl and his sword were wherever those villains were anyway. If so, their luck might have finally taken a turn for the better, meaning that they could reclaim what was theirs and destroy their enemies all at the same time.

"Look!" the monk's sudden cry caught Sesshomaru's attention as he turned his sharp gaze downward and followed the young man's pointing finger, "It's a castle!"

Sango's eyes narrowed as she ran through the trees with her weapon held above her head, "And there's a strong demonic aura emitting from it!"

"Should we go and investigate?" Kohaku asked from above, "There could be something there that could give us a further lead on Akane and Tenseiga."

Sesshomaru simply flew straight past the humans and overtook them all so that he was in the lead. These humans were better than he'd thought they would be, they had noticed the demonic aura clouding the sky unlike many ordinary humans would and they did not quake in fear at the idea of investigating. Now he understood how they had come so far in their journey to defeat Naraku and purify the Shikon Jewel, though he would never come close to complimenting them out loud.

A large cloud of miasma escaping the castle raised their suspicion as they increased their speed and bounded towards the peculiar castle standing before them. There was also a destructive aura of impurity radiating from the area too that made the group's chests ache and their bodies feel heavy.

"Ugh," Kohaku grunted as Kirara growled loudly in discomfort, "What is this awful feeling!? My body!"

The thick clouds of miasma rolled over the landscapes and enveloped the group so that they struggled to see their surroundings properly. Sango and Kohaku both put on their protective face masks to prevent the poisonous smoke from entering their breathing systems and Miroku just held his breath and tried to inhale as little as he could. (A/N: Poor Miroku, you'd have thought that he'd have gotten one of those mask thingys by now after all he's been through.)

Sesshomaru snarled and readied his green whip of light. This miasma absolutely _reeked_ of Naraku and raised the suspicion that he could in fact still be alive, as impossible as it seemed. He slashed through the purple mist continuously and tried to figure out what direction the ominous castle had been in.

"Sesshomaru! Look there!" Miroku coughed over the miasma as he threw a sacred sutra at a glowing area and cleared a way through to what looked to be a large castle wall.

The group ran to the wall and looked up to see how high it was. It was a good few feet but nothing they couldn't handle, at least there didn't appear to be a barrier of any kind protecting the place. Miroku crawled up onto Kirara with Kohaku and Sesshomaru grabbed Sango by her arm and flew up gracefully, hauling her up with ease as if she weighed absolutely nothing. Miroku frowned briefly at Sesshomaru's hand that was closed around his wife's arm but reconsidered giving the dog demon a good tongue lashing when he remembered all of his previous encounters with other women and Sango's reaction to all of those times. So he decided to keep his mouth shut and just held onto Kohaku and waited to see what was on the other side of the wall, his staff ready if there was something waiting to attack.

"HOLD UP!"

The group perched on top of the wall and glanced behind them in the direction of the voice. They recognized the voice too, just who was it?

Sesshomaru released his hold on Sango's arm and clutched the hilt of the Bakuseiga. "Show yourself," he snarled into the purple mist that concealed everything in its toxic blanket.

A huge figure emerged slowly from the miasma and towered way above them. The poisonous air swirled and a deep rumble could be heard. Looking down at the small group with large yellow slits was an incredibly gigantic green Dragon that growled lowly and menacingly. But it did not attack them. It simply hovered in mid air with its wings batting, before it let off a toothy grin.

Miroku let out a sigh of relief when he realized who it was. "Oh Ren," he sighed, "you scared the life out of us there."

Sesshomaru scoffed, "Scared the life out of _you_, human. Not I."

"What are you doing here?" Sango asked curiously, lowering her weapon.

Ren growled again, "I AM LOOKING FOR ARINA." he boomed in his loud voice.

"Arina?" Kohaku blinked, "Arina isn't here. We haven't seen her for days."

"NEITHER HAVE I. SHE HAS QUITE VANISHED."

Miroku spoke up, "Tell me Ren. Are you familiar with this strange castle? Do you think it has anything to do with Komatsu or anything including Akane and the Tenseiga?"

Ren looked down at the monk. So he too had noticed Komatsu's foul smell? But what was this about Akane and the Tenseiga? Did they know something that he did not? "WHAT DO AKANE AND SESSHOMARU'S SWORD HAVE TO DO WITH THIS MATTER?" he boomed.

"Well you see," Sango started, "Our daughter vanished earlier and appears to have taken the Tenseiga with her to assist you, and we are in dire need of its healing powers and I am so very worried about the whereabouts of my little girl. So I don't suppose you have seen her anywhere?"

Ren pondered for a moment before answering, "...NO, I HAVE NOT." he apologized.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed, "Tell me Dragon.. are you able to inform me just why this place reeks of Naraku?"

The other's eyes widened at The Lord of the West's surprising question and gasped. "N-Naraku?" Kohaku asked, "But that's not possible, Lord Sesshomaru. Naraku is dead... isn't he?"

When Sesshomaru remained silent with his hard golden eyes still locked onto Ren, Sango's mouth pressed into a line and she scowled at the dog demon. "Sesshomaru," she started firmly, "Did you smell Naraku's scent and not tell us?"

But Sesshomaru simply grunted at her question and waited for the Dragon before him to give him an answer, it was their fault for not sensing the Spider's huge demonic presence themselves.

Ren's yellow slits narrowed instantly and his tail swished in the ghostly miasma infected air. "SO YOU TOO NOTICED IT? IMPRESSIVE. I EXPECTED NOTHING LESS FROM THE SUPPOSED GREAT LORD OF THE WEST AND ELDEST SON OF THE GREAT INU NO TAISHŐ."**  
><strong>

"Do not mock me. Of course I noticed his foul stench." Sesshomaru scoffed, "But what I fail to understand is just _how _I can smell such a stink when the fool is supposedly deceased."

"I KNOW NO MORE THAN YOU DO ON THIS MATTER SO YOU WON'T FIND ANY ANSWERS FROM ME. PERHAPS IF WE ENTERED THIS CASTLE THOUGH, WE WOULD FIND THE ANSWERS WE SEEK INSIDE?"

Sesshomaru didn't need someone to tell him to jump into action twice. He grabbed Sango by her arm again and leapt down onto the other side of the wall where the miasma seemed almost thrice as thick. Kirara flew down closely behind with Kohaku and Miroku holding onto her fur tightly, and Ren followed after, inhaling deeply and flaring his nostrils, apparently unaffected by the poisonous smoke.

The entrance to the castle was visible, but what lay waiting within? Was there an attack planned? Would they find Akane and the Tenseiga in there? Or would they find their most hated enemy, Naraku? Who didn't quite seem to understand the concept of being 'dead'.

* * *

><p>From the corner of the dark and gloomy cell, there was a small yet blinding blue light shining brightly as Akane, Tomoyo, Yuki and Hōjō all covered their eyes with their palms. They had been searching the ridiculously small holding area for the Tenseiga that Akane had lost, when the strange blue light appeared out of nowhere!<p>

Slowly peeking out from the gaps in her fingers, Akane squinted her eyes and tried to figure out what the glowing object was. She stepped closer to the light cautiously, ignoring the other prisoners' frantic warnings, and stood just before it. She bent down and reached out to touch it, carefully closing her small fingers around the apparently smooth surface of the object on the ground. And then, as if the light had never existed in the first place, the blinding blue glowing subsided to reveal none other than the Tenseiga sitting comfortably in her hold. She gasped in relief and happiness and held the sword close to her chest. Was her luck was finally turning around?

"Oh thank you.." she breathed as she hugged the sword tighter.

"Akane.." Tomoyo started, "Isn't that.. what we've been lucking for? The Tenseiga?"

The little girl spun around to face the other prisoners and beamed happily, "Yes! This is it!" she nodded.

"Do you think we can use it to get out of here?" Hōjō asked.

Akane looked down at the sword in her hands and then looked over at the ghostly outline of the cell bars that locked them in. "I guess we'll just have to give it a try."

She walked over to the locked barred doors and held the sword up in front of the lock. She closed her eyes and begged silently in her mind with the Tenseiga, 'Please set us free Tenseiga, please.' And then, almost as if her plea had been heard, the healing fang began to glow a brilliant blue once again and shot out a radius of at least five metres of demonic energy, and sounded a loud _click _from the keyhole in the door. Akane examined the door-handle before reaching out and giving the door a small push. It swung open slowly and allowed the dim orange light to flow into the dark cell, illuminating the small area that had originally been so frightening.

Yuki smiled sweetly and clapped her hands together in admiration, "You did it Akane. Way to go, way to go!" she praised.

Akane smiled at the little redhead and knelt down to peel the damp and dusty socks from her shoeless feet and tossed them across the prison floor, leaving her barefoot on the cold dungeon floor, her dainty appearance completely forgotten. She tightened her grip on the Tenseiga and plodded over to the door that presumably was the exit to the dungeons.

Hōjō looked around the strangely empty dungeon and rubbed his chin in confusion. "Something's not right here," he said finally, "Why isn't there someone down here guarding us or something? Surely we wouldn't be allowed to escape _this _easily?"

Tomoyo gasped loudly, "You're right! This is almost too easy!" she exclaimed.

"You know... call me crazy, but it's almost like we're _supposed _to escape from our cell."

"But escape and do what exactly? What would that accomplish if that is in fact our captor's intention?"

"I don't know yet, but..." he started, turning his gaze to the exit to the dungeon, "just where... have Yuki and Akane gone so suddenly?"

"What!?" Tomoyo shrieked, spinning her head around to see and empty doorway with no sign of either little girl. She ran though the door and looked around the equally empty hallway frantically. "Where did they go!?" she cried in panic.

The pair ran down the corridor, desperately searching and calling for the two missing young girls before an ominous purple mist began to roll in from the outside. It was thick and smelled like damp and intense, clogging their noses and making them hold their breaths in an attempt not to inhale the repulsive gas.

Hōjō coughed and spluttered as a huge amount of purple fog drifted into his mouth and began choking him, making him drop to his knees and just sit in agony as he struggled to breathe.

"Hōjō!" Tomoyo cried as she knelt at his side and shook him, still coughing herself, "Hōjō what's wrong with you!?"

He coughed again, "Miasma. T-this mist is miasma.. Don't.. breathe it in..." he choked out before falling unconscious in Tomoyo's arms due to the vast amounts of poison he had taken in.

"HÕJÕ!" she screamed before engulfing herself and him in a whirlwind of flames as red feathers sprouted from her skin and her face extended into a pointed beak-like shape, like a burning ember in a world of darkness.

* * *

><p>Naraku smirked at the delightfully horrifying sight that met his deep red eyes, and chuckled darkly as his miasma continued to cling to the air in a damp claustrophobic way. The copy before him was now quite indeed a beast - with eyes like blood and razor sharp teeth. The black strands at the bottom of her hair were swirling with a toxic aura of impurity and seemed to be defiling her being even more by the minute. Her originally concealed wings tore through the back of her kimono garb, managing to break through the tough black leather jumpsuit underneath, and stretched out upward soaking up all the negative energy so that the crisp white feathers faded to a dull charcoal grey. Her blank once white scarlet orbs of death, now completely iris-free, were locked onto the standing figure of the smug looking Spider before her.<p>

"So you finally decided to show your true colours, copy?" he jeered before scoffing, "You're even more pathetic than Makia."

But Hanyuu did not respond to his mocking, nor did she show any sign of hurt. She simply stared at him blankly, her dark aura steadily growing as she gradually raised her arm and pointed her finger in his direction. Before he could comment on her feeble response to his mockery, he suddenly felt a huge weight being pressed onto his chest and compressing his very soul. His brows furrowed and his mouth pressed into a firm line as he attempted to compress any signs that would suggest she was inflicting damage on him somehow. What did she think she was doing with her finger pointed at him like that? And how was she causing such discomfort to his person without anything showing on her face. He could not predict her intentions!

He snarled and sent a large tentacle in her direction in his frustration, but she merely stopped it with her pointing finger easily, so easily that she did not even so much as flinch. More of his tentacles stretched out towards her, trying to over power her, but without avail for she could not be moved.

'Curses!', he frowned as the weight on his chest intensified, 'Is this your doing Onigumo? Do you still desire this poor replica of the half breed who in all truth was really only a replacement for your precious Haya?'

A crackling orb of dark electricity formed at the tip of her pointed finger as she lightly tapped one of his tentacles with it, sending a powerful wave of electronic power through the slithering limbs before incinerating them into nothing more than dust. Naraku withdrew his sizzling tentacles and balled his fists at his sides, as her dusty wings twitched violently in the suspense of the situation.

But all of a sudden.. came _clapping_.

Naraku looked away from the monstrosity's form and saw Komatsu strolling through the miasma, clapping and nodding his head in approval. Hanyuu lowered her arm and let it hang at her side again as she stared at the elemental Lord with her blank red eyes, grey wings still twitching occasionally.

"Bravo," Komatsu grinned, still clapping his hands together as he stopped a few metres away from the pair, "I must say you've both put on a rather interesting show so far. Bravo indeed."

"Give it a rest Komatsu," Naraku glared menacingly, "No-one is falling for your little act."

"Now now Naraku, I know that you probably want Hanyuu all to yourself but you must understand that she is my property now."

Naraku snorted. His _property_? The idiotic Lord could have her for all he cared, after all she was only another clone - a monster without a soul or conscience of its own. And as for how he was calling her 'Hanyuu' as if she were indeed the real thing was quite repulsive and sickening in Naraku's opinion, the Lord's obsession with the real winged half demoness was becoming quite unhealthy.. and she wasn't even alive for him to act his fantasies out on her!

"Fool," the Spider mocked, "she is not yours. This copy maybe, but not Hanyuu."

Komatsu sighed and shook his head, "Oh Naraku.. you do disappoint me." He shifted his gaze to the silent yet observant winged creature and smirked. "She stands mere feet away from you... yet you still fail to see her."

"Oh I see her," Naraku spat, "but I do not see the _her _that you are implying this vermin to be."

The elemental demon raised an eyebrow and widened his smirk considerably. "You really are a fool Naraku. And not just a fool - a _stupid _fool." he teased, "Normally, I would kill you here and now.. but I need you for the opening of Amaterasu, so I shall have to put up with your idiocy for a little while longer." His eyes clouded and his fangs flashed, "But that does not mean that I cannot cause you a little damage and injuries."

Seeing Naraku's hate-filled expression, Komatsu was about to make another remark when he felt a strange tugging at his soul and turned to look at Hanyuu again. Her eyes were still rather blank.. but there was something other than nothingness within her blood red irises. There was a small ember in her eyes, an ember that was growing and threatening to burst into a treacherous inferno that would burn everything in its path. How amusing. It would appear that she did not like the idea of him hurting the Spider in any way, even though he was set out to take her life by any means possible.

Her claws flexed and her eyes narrowed the fraction of an inch as her wings twitched a quick flurry even more violently than before. She raised her claws to her other wrist and dug her sharp talons into the soft flesh, drawing thick red blood that dripped down her arm and stained her nails a deep red. Her blood-stained talons then quickly flicked scarlet razor blades that spun towards Komatsu like mini razors.

But Komatsu quickly enforced a barrier, blocking the red quantities of energy that had been powered by her blood. The attack she had just used was incredibly similar to Inuyasha's 'blades of blood' attack, and had been just as futile an attempt to hurt him as her father's attempts.

He smirked, "The soul within you does not agree with me harming him, does it Hanyuu?" he mocked. He began to laugh hysterically as he threw his head back and laughed over the thick miasma that had absolutely no effect on him.

The fire in Hanyuu's eyes seemed to intensify as the black hue of negative energy she was emitting increased considerably. She held pointed finger in Komatsu's direction again and pressed the weight back onto his chest. When Naraku was about to make a move to harm her in her distracted state, her other hand shot up in his direction and did the same to him, the dark electricity crackling from her fingertips and burning through to their souls. When the Spider made an attempt to crush her with a large scorpion tail that extended from behind him, the crackling black energy caught it and choked it.

The very principle of evil made flesh.. was right there before Naraku's very eyes.. and it was utterly magnificent.

Komatsu laughed harder at the pair's behaviour towards one another and flicked his wrist to create a small flicker of fire at the top of his open palm, that burned through a small section of miasma and lit up his twisted face in a ghostly manor. "You can fight all you want... despise one other with your very beings... but with the hearts of those fools, Onigumo and Haya, still beating within the two of you, you will never be able to _kill_ one another." he chuckled darkly.

Naraku's expression darkened and the electricity at Hanyuu's fingertips quietened briefly.

Komatsu continued, "Naraku.. after Onigumo waited centuries for his Haya to return to him after being imprisoned in the Shikon Jewel, do you really think that he would allow you to kill her reincarnation so easily? And Hanyuu, like your former self, you too loved the foolish bandit.. but I do wonder... was it really your _own_ feelings that were directed towards him? Or were they just the remainder of Haya's that were reborn in you?"

Ayumu walked from behind Komatsu and snapped his fingers, revealing an image of a young Kagome sitting leaned against Inuyasha, sighing heavily with a saddened expression.

Hanyuu's honey brown pupils re-appeared in her blood red eyes at the sight of her parents, as the crackling at her fingertips quietened considerably.

The illusion of Kagome sighed again as her thoughts spoke out loud and were transmitted to the ears of everyone watching, 'Inuyasha will never forget Kikyo. But I still love him, so there's nothing I could do.' the schoolgirl thought sadly as she leaned her head further into Inuyasha's chest.

The image then faded away back into miasma as Komatsu felt the weight on his chest weakening and Hanyuu's sanity returning. He turned to see her monstrous yet pained expression and smirked, "Just as Kikyo's feelings for Inuyasha were reborn and relived through Kagome, Haya's feelings for Onigumo were reborn and are being relived by _you_."

Hanyuu's eyes faded back to white and her fangs shortened back to their former size, as did her claws and the white colour of her wings.

"And Onigumo loved Haya, _not you_ Hanyuu. You were nothing more than a replacement, just as Kagome is for Kikyo."

The half demoness gasped and dropped to her knees, the negative energy around her breaking apart and fading away into nothing. It was in that moment that the scorpion tail of Naraku broke through her defences and pierced her right through her stomach, going all the way through to the other side. She let out a muffled cry that was silenced by a small pocket of blood that she coughed up as her head dropped and her wings twitched again.

Komatsu snarled at what had just happened and glared daggers at Naraku, who stood with his inhuman limb ripped through Hanyuu. How dare he touch her! She was his! And he needed her for the revival of Amaterasu! He would pay for his mistake, and for all of the foul miasma he had let off around his castle! Now all of his human servants would surely be dead and he would have to find more!

Naraku growled as he sent out his tentacles to withdraw Hanyuu from the large scorpion tail that skewered her. He pulled her towards him and dug his now warped hand into her shoulder and drew more blood from her fragile form. "As you can clearly see, I _can_ kill her if I so choose to, for this is nothing more than one of your imperfect copy's that went wrong. You cannot fool me with your lies, for that is what _I _do to others best." he spat.

Ayumu leaned into Komatsu's ear and whispered quietly, "Pardon me my Lord, but wouldn't it be wise to take the girl from him soon before she bleeds to death?"

Komatsu smiled and shook his head before answering his minion's question, not bothering to talk in whispers, "No not fear Ayumu, for Hanyuu simply cannot die just like that."

Naraku raised an eyebrow at what the elemental Lord was saying. Was he talking about this poor copy bleeding in his hold or the actual Hanyuu? For she was dead so if it was her he was speaking of, he was wrong. Of course she could die, for she was already dead. Unless he was speaking of this copy.. if that was the case then killing her was going to be a lot more difficult than he had originally thought.

Komatsu saw Naraku's expression and chuckled, "Intrigued, are you Naraku? I can see that you do not believe nor understand my previous statement, so allow me to explain it to you."

"I'm listening." the Spider spat as he dug his sharp fingers further into Hanyuu's shoulder, who had now fallen unconscious in his hold due to the amount of blood she had lost.

"Now I can assure you that that girl in your hold is indeed the real Hanyuu. You have been under the impression that she followed you into death after purifying you, just as everyone she knows has too." he started, "But you see, she literally cannot die no matter what happens to her."

"And why is that?" Naraku asked, his voice filled with doubt, "Surely she can die somehow?"

"Well it is true that her _vessel _can die, but her _essence_ will simply revive the body after a while. But it must first undergo a process of restoration - a process known as 'Unfragmented'. It is what happens when the vessel suffers too much damage and is far beyond repair, just as her body was when you poisoned her heart with your most powerful miasma. After using her remaining energy to purify you, her essence shattered her visible form into 'fragments' of light and slowly began the process of restoring her vessel. Which enabled her to return to life and continue on as she does now."

Naraku's eyes widened and his mouth turned into a large frown, "Unfragmented? Shattered into fragments of light in order to repair her vessel? Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. You expect me to believe a far-fetched tale like that?" he scoffed.

"I do not care if you choose to believe me or not, but I do speak the truth, and I shall be taking her back now since you intend to kill her despite Onigumo's resistance."

Komatsu coated his body in flames and lunged at Naraku in an attempt to take back the half demoness bleeding in his hold. Naraku erected a barrier and grew more tentacles to protect himself from the elemental demon Lord jumping at him violently. He laughed as Komatsu changed his tactics from fire to water and tried to soak his way through the powerful barrier with high tidal waves.

"If what you speak about this process known as 'Unfragmented' is the truth Komatsu, then I shall have to kill Hanyuu's vessel and see it revive for myself! he laughed maliciously.

"But you are unable to do so!" Komatsu mimicked the Spider's laughter as he sent more scalding water towards the dark red barrier that imprisoned his Hanyuu, "The human heart of Onigumo will refuse to harm her!"

Naraku stretched his tentacles out of the barrier and knocked the water away, "Then I shall find another way of eliminating her! I refuse to continue with this burden of Onigumo's pathetic feelings preventing me from doing as I please just like with Kikyo!"

Ayumu stood with his arms folded and watched the fight taking place before him. 'They are both fools tied down by useless emotions,' he thought to himself, 'And they call themselves demons'.

* * *

><p><strong>Phew that was a long one! And I'm exhausted after that horribly long day of school! I have some coursework that has to be in soon so I spent 3 hours on it today and I'm still nowhere near finished! I also have some mock exams coming up soon so I'll need to revise for those if I want to pass! Urgh why is life so complicated sometimes? I wish I could fall down a dry well and end up in a medieval version of England or something! Then maybe I could find my own demon boyfriend instead of worrying about all these exams ;)<strong>

**Also since I'm going to be in Ireland for a while and mock exam week is coming up soon I'm not sure when I'm going to be able to update, but I promise that I will not abandon this story! I just want to get good grades.**

**Anyway please review if you enjoyed the chapter, I look forward to hearing from you! ~Happy**


	16. Fire of Nigimitama

**Hello after so long! I am so so sorry for the long wait, a lot has been going recently! But now the summer holidays have _finally _arrived after what seems like forever and I am able to update at last!**

**I highly suggest re-reading chapter 32 from Arc One to refresh your memory of its events, since there will be multiple references to those events in this particular chapter. The relationship and interaction between Naraku and Hanyuu has a lot of depth and struggle involved with it, making them a complicated pair to understand and follow. But I hope that I can overcome this difficulty and make this pairing a success! Yes Naraku is a messed up bastard who's hurt Hanyuu a lot both physically and emotionally.. but just bear with me! He's not exactly a care bear and has had a rough past as a villain, not to mention Hanyuu is no pushover herself... Though it may not seem like there is any romantic connection between the two other than Onigumo and Haya's love, have some patience! Love is something very complicated and cannot be rushed no matter what! Stick around long enough and it'll eventually turn out alright, but before that happens you'll just have to believe in me and them.**

**If there is something that you don't understand or is unclear to you, don't hesitate to PM or email me (see profile for email) and I'll be happy to answer any of your questions! Just don't ask for major spoilers because I can't reveal things like that just yet!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the other characters. All I do own are my OCs, the plot-line of this story and the legends involving Amaterasu.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Sixteen<p>

The vast amount of miasma was still thick in the air as it swirled around the ominous castle of Komatsu's, like an annoying lingering fog that simply would not go. It clung to Naraku's deep blue haori like hundreds of tiny fingers and tickled his skin like the harsh winter's frost that still remained in the vicinity.

He spat a clot of blood and wiped his bloody mouth with the arm that was not holding the unconscious Hanyuu, who's blood was still dripping onto his boots as her shimmering hair fell over her closed eyes and her wrecked wings lay lifeless, drooped and stained with brownish blood at her sides. Her pulse was gone too, perhaps implying that she was dead. It was no surprise really seeing that she had a massive hole torn through beneath her breast, draining her blood by the minute. But that did not matter, because if Komatsu's _'Unfragmented' _theory of her body repair was in fact true, Naraku would be able to witness it himself first-hand. And if it turned out to be a lie... then she would just die. Too bad.. for her at least, not him.

"Unhand her before I am forced to do something that I do not want to do!" Komatsu ordered as he sent a scalding wave of water towards the Spider, which was easily countered by his maroon coloured spherical barrier.

Naraku flashed an evil grin as he began to chuckle darkly. "Why?" he asked tauntingly, "She is dead now, so there would be no point. Returning your toy to you when broken simply would not do, now would it? Unless you have some kind of fetish for broken things of course?"

Komatsu's expression hardened and his mouth pressed into a stern firm line. "Give her back _now_." he spoke through gritted teeth, apparently not all to comfortable with the amount of time that Naraku had been touching 'his' Hanyuu. "Does it not bother you that she is _dead_? Or are you just too stupid to care?"

The elemental's hateful question struck a nerve in Naraku and his laughter ceased immediately. It was inevitable that Hanyuu was dead after all the damage she had endured, but with her recovery process working to save her, there was nothing to be _concerned_ about. This could actually work to his advantage, Naraku thought with another smirk. He could ruin her.. destroy her.. even kill her if he wanted to.. and he would have the luxury of indulging in that bloody pleasure again and again, for an eternity if he so desired.

The Spider's smirk grew as his thoughts became more malicious and evil, and he took the opportunity to take a glance down at the lovely broken maiden in his arm.. but regretted doing so instantly when his nefarious thoughts shattered.

Hanyuu's soft cheeks lacked the usual vibrant rosy attribute to them, and were a plastic white that did not seem real, especially with the deep cracks running down the sides of her face and parted lips. Her thick black eyelashes lay still, resting on those pale cheeks of hers and showed how big and false her eyelids appeared. The long purple orchid locks that fell down her shoulders had lost their once rich imperial shine, and instead were a dull ghostly sheen. Her body had never looked more fragile, practically falling apart as blood continued to ooze down her front.

She really did look just like a broken doll that had been violently abused by inconsiderate children that treated their toys with no respect.

Naraku felt Onigumo inflicting pain on him from within and pressing guilt onto his chest that stung like a sword forger's hot iron. His vision fuzzed for a few seconds and he almost lost his perfect balance... _almost. _Onigumo sent memories of her from his lifetime flooding into Naraku's mind, images of Hanyuu's gentle smile and the pleasant sound of her laughter. She looked so... _alive! _Much unlike she did now.

_"I love you,"_

Her words still echoed in his head from long ago and taunted him daily. She had smiled at him after saying that so foolishly, and then instantly fallen unconscious due to his miasma.

He was no fool. He knew full well that those words had been directed at Onigumo and were influenced by Haya's feelings, not entirely Hanyuu's. But that did not change the fact that she too had indeed been in love with the human bandit. Naraku knew that he did not belong in the relationship between the three. He was just an outcast in the equation of love who preferred that he was not a part of.

_"Naraku... Onigumo... They're both the same man I fell in love with."_

Narrowing his eyes and ignoring Komatsu's feeble attempts to break his barrier, Naraku stood tall with the broken Hanyuu hanging limp against his hard chest. Her kind words towards Onigumo angered him and further fuelled his hatred for her. Why was she so different from any other female he had encountered in his long years? Even Kikyo paled in comparison to this half demoness. At least she was not as unreadable as Hanyuu, nor was she as much of an enigma.

"Something on your mind Naraku?" Komatsu mocked at Naraku's prolonged silence, "..._Hanyuu_ perhaps?"

The Spider turned his gaze to the elemental and his eyes blazed with pure loathing for his opponent. He would stand for this no longer, he was getting out of this hell hole now, and intending to take his broken doll along with him. Large armoured spider legs extended from his sides and attempted to engulf Hanyuu's frail form, but Komatsu merely smirked and shot a giant wave of electricity towards the red barrier and shattered it into tiny fragments of dust.

Naraku's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden invasion and was even more shocked when Komatsu zipped through the air and yanked Hanyuu out of his grasp. The elemental Lord smirked arrogantly and held her by her blood-dripping waist close to him, causing Naraku's aura to spike. Komatsu chuckled and held the body of the half demoness closer to him in an attempt to mock the Spider further.

Komatsu closed his eyes and smiled to himself in victory, "This has indeed been fun Naraku.. but I am afraid that this little game of ours must now come to an end, for I have to observe Hanyuu's condition and maybe even conduct a few personal... experiments."

Naraku didn't like the sound of these 'personal experiments' that Komatsu had in mind, and had no intention of letting the Lord have his way. However.. with his guard and barrier down.. Naraku did not foresee the large wave of lightning jolting towards him, nor did he manage to evade it in time. The electricity crackled on his flesh and ripped him into clumps of flesh, severing him into separate body parts.

As his vision began to fade, Hanyuu's image flashed into his mind and he chuckled to himself inwardly. 'Looks like I failed you, eh Hanyuu? I was never really much of a hero anyway, considering all the bad yet fun things I've done in the past to your friends and family. Guess none of it really matters now.' he thought as his vision slowly faded more.

Hanyuu's sweet smile drifted into his fading consciousness as her words echoed fresh in his mind.

_"I won't judge you on all the things you've done wrong, you see... I'll judge you on all the things you've done right."_

He chuckled again to himself. 'That's quite a small list you've got there to judge someone on, isn't it? Foolish girl.' And then everything faded into nothing and the image of Hanyuu disappeared into the sheer blackness.

* * *

><p>"Akane.. where did big sister and Hōjō disappear to?" Yuki asked quietly as she tip-toed after the other little girl timidly, "They were only behind us a few minutes ago but now they're gone."<p>

Akane shot a brief glance behind her and discovered that the pair had in fact vanished without any trace or clue to where they had gone. Why would they sneak off and leave two young children on their own? Unless they hadn't left on their own accord? It was quite possible that they could have gotten lost because of the thick cloud of purple smoke that was following them. Akane didn't know what it was, but she had a feeling that if she got too close to it she would regret it.

"I don't know where they've gone Yuki," she admitted finally, "But we don't have time to waste looking for them in that odd fog behind us. We should just focus on getting out of here and just hoping that they will meet us outside."

Yuki whimpered and held onto the fabric of Akane's faded pink yukata, "Yuki is scared. Is Akane too?" she whispered.

Akane glanced across at her friend and smiled gently, "..Yes I am a little. But being scared won't accomplish anything, so we have to be brave. Our families aren't here to look after us this time so we have to do them proud and take care of ourselves. "

However, little did the young duo know was that they were being watched from deep within the cloud of miasma behind them. Makia walked behind them quietly, not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention to herself or give away her position. When she had first noticed the two little girls wandering the corridors of the castle unattended, she had been confused. What were Komatsu's prisoners doing out of their cells without anyone monitoring them? Well that probably had something to do with the fact that all the humans inside the castle were dead thanks to the annoying miasma cloud plaguing the area, undoubtedly Naraku's doing. She wondered if Komatsu knew how many people were wandering his castle aimlessly, for she was certain that she had seen a group of four sneaking around earlier.

All of a sudden, Akane stopped dead in her tracks and turned her head to look back at the cloud of purple smoke behind her. Makia stopped too and stilled completely, unsure if the little girl had somehow sensed her presence, which would be quite difficult seeing as she had detected no powers of any sort from the girl.

The redhead also stopped and tugged at her friend's sleeve in confusion, "Akane? Why did you stop? Is something wrong?"

Akane's brown eyes scanned the approaching miasma cloud and she clutched the handle of the Tenseiga firmly. 'What is it Tenseiga?' she asked in her head, 'What made you pulse so suddenly?' An awful skin-crawling feeling had become evident to her.. almost as if she was being watched.

Makia stood silently, not daring to even breathe in case the little girl had managed to detect her. But then she realized just how silly she was being. These were just two human children, incapable of doing anything to harm her, so why was she being so cautious around them? She could just come out and kill them if she really wanted to, in fact she might even be doing Komatsu a favour by eliminating them for him... But helping Komatsu in any way was something that she really disliked and tried her best to avoid without raising too much suspicion from his other followers.

"Who are you?" Akane suddenly asked firmly, "Show yourself!"

Makia's scarlet eyes narrowed as she smirked and slowly walked out of the blanket of poisonous gas and into the view of the young girls before her. She folded her arms and shot them an arrogant grin that drew shocked gasps from both of them.

"...Ha-Hanyuu?!" Yuki spluttered eventually.

Akane knew that she should be relieved at the sight before her eyes, but the way that the Tenseiga was violently pulsing and the eerie aura in the air suggested otherwise. The way that 'Hanyuu' was smirking in almost a mocking manner also unnerved her to some extent. There was something in the half demoness' red eyes that seemed.. wait! _Red _eyes? Hanyuu had brown eyes! Akane blinked as she looked again just to confirm that her own eyes were not playing tricks on her but found that the girl's eyes before her were indeed a deep blood-red rather than the honey-glossed brown that gave Hanyuu such a gentle appearance.

So with the still pulsing Tenseiga held in front of her defensively, Akane stood her ground and pressed her mouth into a firm line as she stared ahead into the imposter's chilling eyes. "Who are you and why are you impersonating Hanyuu?" she asked in a serious tone, her fear not showing if she actually felt any to begin with.

Makia's lips curled up into a smirk as she placed her hands on her hips and shifted her legs occasionally. The little girl was smarter than she looked, and a lot braver too. She was also quite attentive since she had realized that the 'Hanyuu' before her was merely a copy. Perhaps the child could be of some use to her somehow? It would certainly save the effort of killing her.

But before Makia could approach the two children with the intent of further frightening and tricking them, she stopped as a low hissing sounded behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and frowned when she saw Komatsu's pet demon eel Kirai slithering beside the wall, cloaked in purple mist and darkness. The long snake-like creature flashed her glinting yellow eyes at Makia and gave off an evil fanged smirk, her way of warning Makia not to do anything that would go against Komatsu's plans.

Makia scowled and shot Kirai a death glare. How she detested how her life was tied to that satanic eel of Komatsu's! As much as she wanted to dice the creature up into tiny pieces of meat to feed her remains to rogue passing demons, Makia knew that doing something so foolish would end her life too. Which was why she could do nothing other than ensure Kirai's safety if she wished to keep her own life.

"Well?" Akane spoke up, gathering Makia's attention once again, "Who are you?"

There was nothing wrong with the infants learning her name, so with a smirk, Makia closed her red eyes and answered. "I am called Makia, child. And unfortunately for you, I cannot allow you and your friend to wander these halls freely."

Yuki gasped as the Hanyuu lookalike suddenly pounced on Akane and held her down by her wrists. Akane struggled as the Tenseiga lay still in her captured wrist and eventually fell back away from her as Makia laughed at her discomfort.

* * *

><p>Towards the eye of the poisonous storm, Sesshomaru's group bounded over fallen bodies of the castle's former inhabitants and wrecked areas. The closer to the source of demonic energy they drew, the stronger the evil aura became. Kirara snarled loudly as her cream fur stood up like sharp needles at the awful atmosphere surrounding her. Kohaku ran a hand through her fur in an attempt to calm her state, but she simply growled louder and sprayed hot flames from her paws onto the ground. She screeched uncontrollably and threatened to throw Kohaku and Miroku from her back.<p>

"Kirara calm down!" Sango cried in panic and desperation, "What's causing you to act this way!?"

But the two tailed fire cat's snarls intensified and her male passengers were thrown from their perches on her back into the air as she flew onward with incredible speed. Luckily, Ren caught the two before they could hit the ground and set them in place on his large back.

"KIRARA!" Sango screamed after her suddenly crazed demon friend, "Where are you going!? Wait!"

But Kirara ignored Sango's shrill cries and just increased her speed, leaving a trail of swirling flames behind her, scorching the already ruined castle below. Her sinister scarlet eyes flooded with flames as fierce as the hordes on her paws as she leapt through the toxic air, still screeching loudly into the purple emptiness.

The powerful wave of anxiety that had washed over her so suddenly and caused her to toss her passengers and abandon her friends was steadily growing the closer she flew to the eye of the storm of miasma. Demonic energy collided wildly at the centre of the swirling violet clouds and shot beams of power skyward, very nearly colliding with Kirara herself. But she did not flee. Her growls loudened and she spun down the air tunnel at the centre, manoeuvring around the beams of energy that shot up insanely, the flames coating her fur as intense and wild as her nature.

She reached the bottom of the toxic tube finally and pressed her fiery paws onto the charred earth as she bared her fangs and snarled viciously.

The elemental demon Lord of the castle turned his head from the direction of Naraku's mangled body and looked at the fire cat demon that had just crashed onto the scene. He still held Hanyuu's frail bloody form against him, which made the flames in Kirara's eyes burn brighter as she lowered her head down to the ground and stuck her hind legs upward, like a wildcat to pounce on its prey. She would reclaim her beloved half demoness from this monster that held her captive and get her revenge on him for capturing her. Mmm.. vengeance.

Komatsu raised an eyebrow at the surprise visitor before him and smirked. "You are the two tail from Inuyasha's company... Why hello there," he said in a polite yet sinister manner, "I must say, you were the last person I had expected to see coming after Hanyuu.. alone as well I can't help but notice." His smile widened. "Well I suppose it is not too much of a surprise seeing as you are, after all, her _Nigimitama_."

Kirara's ebony tipped ears twitched every now and then, and her tails swished in unison with Komatsu's hand movements on Hanyuu's waist. Her ruby eyes followed his every move, despite how subtle his pacing was. Another low growl emitted from the back of her throat as she tapped her talons on the rough earth below her paws, just tiny taps in the silence that Komatsu did not fill for a while. She took the opportunity to study Hanyuu's sickly appearance and figure out what was wrong with her. It wasn't long before she finally realized that the girl was in fact _dead._

Her blood was dripping onto Komatsu, indicating that he could be her killer, but her blood gathered more in another place... Kirara slowly shifted her heated gaze to Naraku's unconscious form lying on the ground before Komatsu. The Spider absolutely reeked of Hanyuu's blood, especially the largest of his tentacles that was stained a blackish red at the tip. He himself was not in very good shape either, his body apparently defiled by _spiritual _energy as well as demonic, suggesting that Hanyuu had fought back against his attack, succeeding in partly purifying him. His aura was noticeably weaker and interestingly, Komatsu's aura seemed to have doubled somehow.

"I see that your gaze lingers on Naraku, two tail." Komatsu taunted, "Perhaps you are pondering on the events that took place before you arrived here? How Naraku came to be sprawled out on the ground in front of me? How my aura has increased in power? And... what your Hanyuu suffered that you were too late to prevent?"

His harsh words stung Kirara as her eyes narrowed out of loathing and returned to Komatsu's smug form. Having obtained the reaction he had anticipated, Komatsu continued speaking. "Despite not being able to speak out verbally, you possess much more intelligence on matters, don't you two tail? More than your companions for sure. I can tell."

The miasma swirled around the flames at Kirara's paws and parted when they touched the heat, letting off small hisses as the smoke swirled. "You know of Hanyuu's ability to heal too, don't you?" Komatsu continued in his eerie tone, "You are aware of the Unfragmented process.. I know you are. The title for the stages that her body undergoes as it recovers from fatal damage. Knowing that is what has prevented you from going mad at seeing her like this.. lifeless and without her light to fill your life."

The elemental Lord broke the intense eye contact between himself and the fire cat as he shifted his gaze down to his closed fist. "I absorbed Naraku's power you see," he explained, his confident demeanour never faltering, "That is why my aura is so much stronger. You and your companions knew Naraku's wicked ways better than any other, so just imagine... what _I _could do with such powers."

Kirara's eyes narrowed even more so that they were mere horizontal strips of magenta stretched across her face. She did not like what Komatsu was implying one bit. But what was he implying exactly? There were a lot of things he could do with Naraku's powers, but what would he choose to do? And who would be the unlucky victim that he choose to prey upon?

"What about your companions?" he suggested, "Should I test these new powers out on them first?" His smile widened as a nefarious idea began to form in his mind, an idea so horrifically evil it made his other dark deeds seem like mere child's play. "In fact two tail.. I know exactly what I can do to demonstrate these powers to you. Just watch the skies and you will see what I mean."

Cautiously, he lowered Hanyuu's bloody form and laid her down on the ground a few feet away from Naraku. He then raised his arms and focused the new demonic energy of his into the palms of his hands, his platinum eyes shimmering with excitement and malice.

Kirara made an attempt to leap up and drag him down with her fangs, but Ayumu materialized beside her and restrained her with his surprising strength, preventing her from touching his master. She screeched loudly and increased the zeal in her flames, hoping to burn the irritating demon that was holding her firmly in place. But alas, the fires at her paws died down after some time and she was left to howl helplessly into the empty miasma-filled skies, calling to the others urgently.

Komatsu chuckled darkly at her pathetic behaviour, "Make all the noise you want, two tail... but nothing can help your friends with what I am about to do."

* * *

><p>"Kirara!?" Sango called desperately, her voice sore from the endless shouting she had done, "Kirara!? Where are you!?"<p>

"It doesn't make sense, why would she run off and leave us like that?" Kohaku asked, rubbing his chin as he tried to work out what had provoked such a reaction from his demonic feline friend.

Sesshomaru sniffed the air for any traces of Kirara's scent, which was quite difficult since the air was defiled by thick clouds of miasma, making finding the fire cat's charcoal stench virtually impossible even for him. He knew that Kirara was smart.. perhaps even smarter than the others. She would not abandon her group without good reason.

Ren scanned the vicinity with his sharp yellow reptilian eyes and searched for fires in the purple smoke, anything to suggest that Kirara was anywhere nearby. He then felt Miroku's aura spike suddenly, as if he was in pain, so he shifted his gaze up and examined the monk's expression. Miroku's face was screwed up uncomfortably and he had his fists balled tightly, sweat gathering at his fingertips and dampening his hands.

"WHAT BOTHERS YOU MONK?" Ren boomed, trying to hide any hint of concern in his usual menacing voice.

Miroku blinked and panted as he looked down at Ren's long scaly face, his face coated with a cold sweat. "Nothing, I'm fine." he reassured, faking a smile that Ren instantly recognized to be false. Something was definitely bothering the monk, and he was not about to dismiss whatever it was as 'nothing'.

This scene caught Sango's attention as she looked over at her husband from Sesshomaru's hold and shot him a worried look. "Miroku...?" she asked quietly, "What's wrong? Is something hurting?"

Miroku let off a weak laugh as he shook his head, "I'm fine, my dearest Sango. Honestly, you worry about me far too much." But secretly, Miroku was in quite a lot of pain, though he would never acknowledge the fact out loud and risk worrying his friends. Though he was unsure why it was happening, the palm of his right hand had begun to suddenly sting considerably, causing it to ache and twitch painfully. He did not know why he was experiencing such a violent reaction in that area, and though he did not want to think such things.. he could not help thinking that the pain he was experiencing in his hand was awfully familiar..

It was in that moment that the thick purple clouds that had originally blocked the group's view slowly parted to reveal the castle below. An air tunnel spiralled down to a signal courtyard where several figures stood in the faint growing light of day that was now visible through the gap in the toxic atmosphere. Sango gasped as she saw Kirara's large form being held back by Komatsu's acquaintance, Ayumu, crying out fiercely as she struggled against him.

"KIRARA!" she called, leaping from Sesshomaru's back and falling down the spiralling tunnel of air, whilst the others called out to her desperately.

Kirara stopped struggling against Ayumu and looked up to see Sango's fast-falling form above her with the others that she had abandoned zooming down closely behind, intent on catching her before she hit the ground. Her scarlet eyes widened in horror as none of the group seemed fast enough to catch Sango, not even Sesshomaru with his incredible high class demon speed. She snarled loudly and tried harder to push Ayumu off of her so that she could catch her friend before she fell to her inevitable death.

As they spun down through the tunnel of air and miasma after Sango, Sesshomaru shifted his golden gaze to the figures standing on the ground below. His gaze scanned from Ayumu restraining Kirara, over to the lowly demon that Sesshomaru had never wanted to lay eyes on again no matter what..

_Naraku._

The dog demon Lord's eyes narrowed with hatred as he deliberately shifted his gaze away from the unconscious bastard who had caused him and the others so much trouble in the past. It was then that he saw another unconscious form that brought pure shock to his being as his eyes widened immensely and he almost let out a genuine gasp.

_Hanyuu._

She lay mere metres away from Naraku, with blood flowing freely from several body areas in critical amounts. Her long lavender hair was sprawled out all around her in the big pool of blood in which she lay, her face pale and her lips parted although no breath escaped nor entered. Sesshomaru's chest thudded loudly when he could detect no pulse coming from her, and his usually hard closed off eyes filled with two emotions that he never made visible on his face. _Hope.. and_ _fear_..

He had found her... Though alive she was not... he had found her. The real her. Everything suddenly felt incredibly surreal, and he could feel a large lump growing in his throat as he continued to gaze down at her.. a lump that was instantly replaced by rage when he discovered that her life had been taken by Naraku of all people.

He had done it now. That was the last straw. Sesshomaru vowed to make sure that the Spider would pay. He would suffer for what he had done to Hanyuu.. for how he had defiled such a perfect creature.

Miroku's sudden cry of agony drew Sesshomaru from his paralyzed state and forced him to glance over at the monk on Ren's back, who was knelt clutching his right hand tightly as he groaned loudly.

"What's wrong Miroku!?" Kohaku shouted over the swirling winds as he held onto Ren's neck tightly.

"Aargh!" Miroku screamed in pure anguish as he brought his throbbing right hand up above his head and felt the winds and miasma swirling around his still closed fist.

Komatsu's eyes sparkled with excitement and he smirked before snapping his fingers, a violent crack that echoed over the howling wind and Kirara's shrill growls. His action intensified Miroku's cries and caused vast amounts of energy to build around his hand, daring him to open his tightly closed fist. The monk's once squeezed shut eyes instantly shot open, as did his balled fist to reveal strong waves of swirling wind.. and at the very centre of his right palm.. was _a small black hole_ that seemed to pull the surrounding winds and miasma in like metals to a magnet.

"MIROKU!" Sango shrieked as she was suddenly thrust upward from the hard ground she was heading for and was pulled up towards the hole in Miroku's hand, along with all the wind and clouds of miasma.

Sesshomaru snapped to his senses and zoomed down, catching the female demon slayer before she was sucked into the void in her husband's hand. Kohaku was forced to hang onto Ren's scaly neck for dear life as the dragon spun around uncontrollably with Miroku's uncontrollable hand sucking everything in.

Whilst Ayumu's attention was on the scene above, Kirara took the opportunity and kicked him hard in the stomach with her left hind leg, successfully freeing herself from his powerful hold. She then bounded over to Komatsu, who still had his arms outstretched in Miroku's direction... opened her giant mouth... and chomped his left arm clean off with her wide jaws.

Whilst the elemental Lord was in shock and trying to stop his arm from bleeding wildly, Kirara leapt past him and threw Hanyuu's bloody body onto her back. Glancing down at the unconscious Naraku before her, trying to decide what to do with him. Before she could change her mind, she grabbed him by his long deep blue kimono with her sharp fangs and took to the skies before anyone could stop her. She disappeared into the remaining swirling miasma with a trail of flames behind, that eventually vanished, leaving no clue as to where she had gone.

Komatsu snarled and cradled his terribly bleeding arm stump, looking around for the arm that Kirara had chomped off with her dangerous jaws, but then realized that she must have just swallowed it whole because it was nowhere to be seen. Ayumu ran to his Lord's side and helped him up, still holding his stomach delicately on the spot that Kirara's powerful hind leg had collided with his flesh.

"Curses," Komatsu spat, "It seemed I may have underestimated Nigimitama to some extent.. I know see that she is capable of much more than I originally expected." He glanced down to the area on the ground that Hanyuu and Naraku had once laid, and his brows furrowed with frustration. "You may have won this _battle_ and stolen the prize from me temporarily, two tail.." he grunted, "But you have not won the overall _war_. And I shall come for you to reclaim what is mine in good time.."

He shifted his gaze up to the scene taking place above him and chuckled wildly. "Things may seem bad for the monk now.. but unlike the last time that this happened to him.. _he has children. _And his _first-born_, be they male or female, will suffer the exact same fate as their father. Now get us out of here Ayumu!"

And with that choked order, Ayumu disappeared along with his Lord and master, leaving Sesshomaru and his group to deal with the problem Miroku had suddenly been cursed with.

"WHAT IS HAPPENING?" Ren growled loudly as he tried to control his flight pattern that had been messed up by Miroku's sudden state of insanity.

"It looks... like the Wind Tunnel!" Kohaku shouted over the howling winds and Miroku's screams, "Komatsu must have absorbed Naraku's power and cursed Miroku with it again!"

Sango's eyes filled with tears as she held onto Sesshomaru so that she wouldn't be sucked into the void. "We have to get it closed up!" she cried desperately, "It'll kill him if he keeps it open with all this miasma around!"

"The majority of the miasma has already been sucked in. His condition will become critical if we do not move quickly." Sesshomaru stated, positioning Sango on his back before he flew towards the pained monk. He knew that if he failed to save Miroku as he had failed Kagome, Inuyasha would never be able to forgive him even if he wanted to. And Sesshomaru couldn't live with the guilt of letting death claim innocent victims.. nor could he live with truly failing his little brother.

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><p>Makia stared down at the helpless little Akane below her and brought her hands from her wrists so that she could strangle her tiny neck, causing the girl to let out small chokes and coughs as she tried to release herself from the bind she was in.<p>

"Akane!" Yuki cried as she stood watching the scene before her with a horrified expression. She took a step back out of fear and glanced down at the Tenseiga that lay only mere feet away from her, an equal distance between her and Makia.

"What's the matter?" Makia smirked up at Yuki, tightening her grip around Akane's neck, "Aren't you going to help your friend? Or are you just going to stand there and watch me squeeze the life out of her?" She hoped that she was acting convincingly enough for Kirai's approval, so she took a sneak glance in the direction of where she had last seen the demon eel, but gasped in disappointment when she found that the hideous creature was not there anymore.

Yuki gulped and broke out into a run towards where the Tenseiga lay, one arm outstretched to grab its handle. Makia chuckled at this and raised one hand up in the redhead's direction, her palm glowing as she focused her demonic energy.

Akane coughed and brought her hands up to try and loosen the imitator's grip on her neck. "Leave.. leave her alone." she spluttered before her right hand began to throb painfully all of a sudden and she yelped loudly.

Energy slowly began to build up around her closed fist and small clouds of miasma started to roll in towards Akane, threatening to engulf her. She cried out in pain as winds swirled around her fist and the stinging strengthened in her palm, as if something sharp was tearing right through her flesh. Finally, her balled fist was forced to open and a small _black hole_ became visible in the centre of her palm, and the thick clouds of miasma surrounding were sucked into the dark void.

Makia jumped off the little girl instantly and fell onto her backside in shock. What kind of power was this!? She had not seen anything like this before!

Akane sat up and grabbed her insane right hand with her other and tried to close up the hole that had suddenly appeared and apparently wanted to suck in everything around it! Though it sounded quite impossible and crazy.. Akane couldn't help but think that what was happening to her sounded a lot like the tale that her father had told her of about the cursed void that had once been in his hand and had plagued many years of his life. But no... that couldn't be it... That was just _insane!_

_Or was it?_

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><p><strong>Well that's that! Damn, pretty intense chapter don't you think? No? I know you might probably want to come after me with pitchforks and slit my throat in my sleep for what I've done to poor Miroku and Akane, but please don't kill me yet! Inuyasha wouldn't really be Inuyasha without Miroku's Wind Tunnel now would it?<strong>

**But pushing that scary stuff aside, haha Komatsu got his arm bitten off by an angry Kirara! The creep deserved it really. After all he's done to everyone, just one arm isn't much to lose really, unless that was the arm he used to write with.. that would be unlucky.**

**Where has Kirara flown off to with Hanyuu and Naraku? And what is she going to do with them? Yes, I know things are pretty bad for the characters right now, but isn't that how a story is supposed to work? Things go wrong, they possibly get resolved in the end.. you know - a story?**

**Sorry but it loks like you'll have to wait a little longer to find out the answers to all these questions! Don't forget to review if you enjoyed this chapter and feel free to comment your feelings.. as long as you don't flame me with hate or threaten to kill me lol :) ~Happy**


	17. Dark Void

**Greetings readers! Thanks a heap for the reviews my lovely chums! In fact Middy had quite a good question to ask in her review, which seems to have been causing a bit of confusion among you readers, so I'd like to clear it up right away for yours and my sake. The question was: "Isn't Hanyuu a quarter demon?" ****And the answer is, nope she isn't. ****I'll give you a brief explanation of why she is _half _demon as opposed to being only _quarter _demon so that you understand.**

**Yes I understand that since Inuyasha is half demon and Kagome is fully human, Hanyuu being only quarter percent demon would make a lot of sense in mathematics terms. However, you have to remember that DNA and genes are not entirely that simple, and it is entirely possible for the different amounts of each species in Hanyuu to be jumbled up and uncorresponding. Demon blood (I imagine) is very strong and quite difficult to dilute, so Kagome being fully human shouldn't really have a major effect on Hanyuu's species. Whilst yes, there is obviously more human blood in the equation between both Inu and Kags but demon blood is obviously incredibly powerful, so Hanyuu will still possess quite a bit demon blood in her veins, perhaps not as much as her human blood, yes, but not nearly so little as a mere _quarter_. Also, we have no idea what could have happened during Inuyasha and Kagome's... erm... process of reproduction let's say. What if Inuyasha lost control or something and turned all demon mode? It's not like he would have the Tetsusaiga strapped to his hip in that kind of situation to keep him from turning... unless he was doing it to be kinky or something if you know what I'm saying.. So anyway my point is that there is no way to say for sure that a child produced by them would be absolute definite QUARTER demon to the exact blood measurement. Plus there's the fact that their new son is fully human because of them getting all 'passionate' on his human night. Those cheeky scoundrels ;)**

**So there ya go! I hope that explains it a bit better but if you still don't get it, email or PM me and I'll try to explain more (if I can)!**

**Disclaimer: (Standard blah blah about how I can't seem to kidnap Rumiko and force her to sign over the rights for Inuyasha to me)**

**Claimer: My OCs, the plot line etc.**

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><p>Akane's shrieks intensified as thick clouds of miasma were pulled into the centre of her hand and sucked into the black void that had appeared there. She knelt on the hard castle floor with the cursed hand held high above her head, pulling everything in it's path into the small yet powerful hole at its centre. Various speeds of winds swirled around her fingertips and spiralled into the hole, along with a bright purple light that shone at the core.<p>

With the air now cleared of miasma, Yuki could finally see her surroundings fully, and made a leap for the Tenseiga a few yards away from her. She managed to grab it with her flailing fingers before being caught by the powerful wind of Akane's hand, and flew through the air swiftly in the direction of the black hole. Before she was sucked in, she thrust the sword down into the ground forcefully and used it to swing herself around, flinging herself in Makia's direction, where she collided with her on the ground and clung onto her desperately.

"Get the hell off me, you little brat!" Makia snarled, trying to remove the clingy little redhead from her front and throw her into the swirling winds where she would be out of the way.

Yuki looked up at Makia with big sad eyes and her lower lip trembled in fear, "But if Yuki lets go of you, I'll fall into that hole in Akane's hand." she whimpered over the howling wind, before wrapping her arms around Makia's waist tightly.

'Oh for god sake,' were Makia's inner thoughts before the power of the winds increased drastically and she was forced to hold onto the side of the wall and clutch Yuki tightly so that she would not fly away, without her knowledge of course for she did not see the need to protect such a useless clingy child.

The increase in the power of the void in her palm brought Akane immense pain, as she cried out and tears formed in her eyes. The Tenseiga shook violently in its perch in the ground and pulsed, its coat colouring a bright blue hue that shone vibrantly in the dull shade of the surrounding area. Akane watched as the sword continued to shake before it was eventually pulled out of the ground and flung into the swirling wind, where it spun around wildly in a blue zigzag, blinding her as it zipped through the air.

And then.. before anyone could do or say anything.. the sword's white-blue light was torn away from the blade, leaving it dull and rusty. The light energy spun vigorously before being_ sucked into Akane's wind hole_.

The now dull Tenseiga zoomed towards Akane's hand swiftly and collided with her palm, forcing her fingers to clasp around it, thus shutting off the powerful source of wind. The air stilled and the area went deadly silent, all aside from Akane's ragged breathing and the faint whooshing of the hole in her right hand. She panted.. slowly.. and deeply.. inhale.. exhale.. that was all that happened for a while as she gathered her bearings.

What had... just happened?

She forced her gaze down to the sword that had flown into her grasp and muffled the uncontrollable winds that pulled everything towards her. It sat completely still in her hand, lightless and seemingly lifeless. She touched it's smooth handle with her other hand - a mere gentle poke. Unlike before, she felt nothing from the blade. No energy.. no power.. nothing.

"...T..Tenseiga?" she breathed, yearning for the familiar pulse of the sword that reminded her it was still with her.

But this time... there was only nothing. An unbearable silence and loneliness like no other. Akane felt terror creeping into her heart as she continued to stare wide-eyed at the demon blade, her breathing hoarse and immensely loud in the deafening silence of the room.

Yuki stared at her friend, her brown eyes huge and filled with fear and confusion as she sat holding onto Makia desperately. What was going on? Why had the powerful winds suddenly come to a halt? And why did Akane look so uncharacteristically frightened? She was never frightened.. at least Yuki had never seen her frightened before.

Makia sucked in a deep pocket of surprisingly clean oxygen as she made an attempt to steady her rapid heartbeat. Her blood-red eyes flickered down to the small redhead that had latched herself onto her like a limpet.. was she ever going to let go? Makia shook the child violently, a feeble attempt to remove her but it was all she could manage at the moment since she was pressed against the wall with the girl's surprising strength. How on earth was such a puny little girl holding her in place so that she was unable to free herself? There was nothing extraordinary about this particular child, she was fully human and possessed no supernatural ability. So how was she pulling off such a miraculous stunt?

Yuki could feel Makia struggling in her grasp and looked up at the Hanyuu double. Up close, she looked quite different to Inuyasha's daughter indeed, her crimson eyes flashing with menace and her hair a dull shade of purple that was easily outshone by Hanyuu's imperial glossy shade. Her mouth was pressed into a firm line and her eyebrows were pointed down in annoyance, not a gentle expression at all that flooded warmth into others. Yet somehow, Yuki sensed that there was something in this copy, something... that wished for something.

Having a wish was what made something alive.. unique. And if Makia could have a wish, whatever it was, surely it meant that she wasn't just a mere lesser copy of something better? Surely it meant that she was... unique?

With a soft smile suddenly on her face, Yuki withdrew her arms from around Makia's waist and released her. Her big eyes were like warm chocolate as she gazed at Makia tenderly, her expression filled with light and compassion, before she stood up and ran in the direction of the fear frozen Akane.

The sudden smile that Yuki had given Makia confused her greatly, and _unnerved_ her to an extent. The little red haired girl had looked at her with a warmth and compassion that no one ever had done so before, completely fearless and innocent, such a simple yet meaningful gesture that the girl probably thought nothing of. Something had stirred in Makia in that moment, something deep within her had shifted.. changed.. morphed.. all from one simple smile from a simple, unextraordinary human girl.

She scowled and rose to her feet, dusting herself down before she shimmered away into mist, floating away down the castle hallways, hoping that Kirai had not seen her leave the two human children alive instead of killing them. The last thing she needed was punishment from Komatsu when the little redhead had drawn such a reaction from here with a mere smile.

But sometimes one small smile of pure innocence.. was all it took to melt a hole in the ice around a person's heart.. just big enough to squeeze in and weave themselves around the person's dark and tormented heart... and save it.

"Akane!" Yuki called, as she ran towards her dumbstruck friend who stood frozen on the spot, just staring at the sword in her hand. "Akane! Are you okay!? Talk to me! You're pale as a sheet!"

Akane blinked to clear her mind as she slowly shifted her gaze from the Tenseiga to her worried friend's expression. Something was happening to her.. what was happening, she had no idea, just that something foreign was spreading throughout her body from the inside, filling her with a strange energy. Her blood seemed to burn as it flooded through her veins, leaving trails of hot fire that licked her skin from underneath, leaving a fiery sensation all over. She felt like she was on fire from the inside, slowly burning alive. And her head was pounding.

"Akane!?" Yuki called again, louder this time as she waved a hand in front of Akane's face to catch her attention. Suddenly, her expression changed drastically to one of bewilderment as she studied Akane's face closer, her eyebrows knitting together in sheer confusion. "Hey... have your eyes always been blue?" she asked rather randomly, causing Akane to cock her head to the side and frown.

"..What?" she asked, beginning to feel a little uncomfortable as Yuki stared deeper into her eyes. What was she talking about? Her eyes were brown, not blue. They had always been brown, ever since she was little. Brown just like her mother's.

"Your eyes! They're blue! Yuki always thought they were brown but they're not!" Yuki exclaimed, her finger pointing dangerously close to Akane's eye, threatening to poke it if she moved it any closer.

"What do you mean _blue_?" Akane questioned, her voice lined with doubt and her eyebrows drawn down in confusion, "My eyes aren't blue, they're _brown._ They always have been brown."

Yuki shook her head in protest, "They're not brown now." was all she said, before looking around for a clear reflective surface that Akane could use to see for herself. She smiled widely when she noticed that the floor beneath their feet was clean and her reflection could be seen perfectly, a fact that she had been unable to notice when the area had been plagued with thick miasma. "There!" she smiled, "Look down at your reflection on the floor! You'll see that your eyes are definitely blue, not brown."

Akane did as she was told and directed her gaze to the clear floor below, kneeling down to give herself a better view, and she gasped in surprise when she saw her reflection. The little girl looking back at her in the floor shared many of her appearance traits such as her short brown-black hair, pale rounded face and button nose.. but then there were her eyes...

Her previously deep brown eyes.. were not brown at all any more.

Instead they were a sharp cyan blue just as Yuki had said, with a curious sheen that glinted whenever she moved her head. They sparkled like polished sapphires and seemed to have so much depth, like two great whirlpools with chunks of ice swimming in the great crystal spirals. Such an intense colour seemed alien for her face and every time she blinked she couldn't help thinking that when she re-opened her eyes again they would be back to their old brown colour. But that didn't happen. They remained the vivid periwinkle and just continued to shimmer like seas.

"What the..." she whispered as she brought a hand to her chest, closing it as the fire reached her heart and set it alight, sending more flames around her body.

"What's going on?" Yuki asked her worriedly, "Why have your eyes turned blue? Is it something to do with that hole in your right hand that nearly sucked everything in?"

"I... really don't know." she replied slowly, returning her gaze to the Tenseiga in her right hand that was sealing the windy void in her palm, still just as lifeless as before. Did the sword's sudden lifeless state have something to do with the new blue of her eyes? She remembered it glowing an intense blue before her hand sucked that same light in, leaving the sword dull and motionless. Had her hand... somehow _absorbed_ the energy from the blade and channelled it into _her_? If that was the case it would certainly explain the fire shooting around her bloodstream and why the pigment in her eyes had changed so drastically. But if that was what had happened, _why,_ was the question? What was it going to do to her? Plus there was the added problem that if Sesshomaru found out she had sucked the power out of his sword he would probably turn her inside out just to retrieve the energy, or draw it out of her eyes or whatever.

But she did know that whatever was going to happen next, certainly wasn't going to be good.

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><p>Outside the castle, fierce winds were spiralling around in the air, sucking in trees and parts of the royal building that broke loose occasionally. The thick purple clouds that had once filled the skies were now gone and the sky was clear, well all apart from the spinning objects and winds being sucked to the centre of a monk's hand that sat on the back of a dragon, crying in pain as he held his hand up above his head. A young male demon slayer clung to the dragon also, a little behind the monk, trying desperately not to fall to his death or be sucked into the void.. both equally painful ways to die he imagined.<p>

Several metres away from the rogue dragon and its passengers, a regal looking dog demon circled the creature that was riding the wind, his long silver hair and furry pelt whipping furiously in the powerful winds and his sharp golden eyes narrowed. Clinging to the upper part of his pelt, was a female demon slayer, holding onto the cream fur tightly to avoid being sucked into her husband, the monk's, black hole.

"Miroku!" she called for the umpteenth time as the monk groaned loudly in agony.

Sesshomaru steadied himself as he flew around in the air, and centred his attention on the monk and the void in his palm. He needed to think of a way to seal the hole with something that would be powerful enough to subdue its power, which meant getting close to it without getting sucked in somehow. What around in the area could be used to close up the black hole sufficiently without also being sucked in? He was certain that a bandage would not work to cover it up, nor would the monk balling his fist in an attempt to cover the hole, for his fingers would just end up being sucked in.

Perhaps the female slayer would know of a way to seal the hole? Though he doubted it very much, since her intellectual IQ was nowhere near as high as his, and if he didn't know how to do something, he sincerely doubted that she or anyone else would.

"Sesshomaru," Sango's voice penetrated his trail of thoughts, "We need to get closer to Miroku. I still have these holy beads that he gave me as a gift from some time ago. Just as his other set of beads was able to, these should have the power to subdue his wind tunnel adequately. Can get us any closer to him without being sucked in?"

By a fraction of an inch, Sesshomaru's left eyebrow lifted at her surprisingly intelligent proposition. It would seem that she was on the same page as him, seeing as she had subconsciously answered his mental question without even knowing what he was thinking. So she did have an IQ level higher than Inuyasha after all, not that that was all that impressive. And as for her plan.. it wasn't like it was a plan conjured up by an idiot, for it did have suitable reasoning behind it, plus it made sense. If the beads that she spoke of were powerful enough to seal the black hole in the monk's hand, then what were they waiting for? Now all that was left was to figure out a way of getting close to the monk without ending up in his black hole. Now how was this to be accomplished? He could instruct her to prepare the beads and then toss her in the hope that she would land just right in front of the monk and manage to wrap them around his hand before being sucked in.. but somehow he doubted that would work. With the insane winds swirling around carrying objects around in circles, her chances of falling in the intended direction were pretty slim. And with the dragon unable to control his flight pattern, it would be pretty much impossible to throw her in just the right direction. What a truly perplexing position he was in.

It was in that moment of thought that Sesshomaru's gaze just so happened to drift across to the young male slayer clinging to the dragon's back behind the monk, and an idea shaped in his head. Perhaps the boy could be of some use in subduing the monk? But how, was the question? If the boy could do something to still the dragon's wild unpredictable movements, he may be able to toss the female in the right direction. Sesshomaru eyed the large chain sickle secured in the boy's green sash around his torso and mentally nodded to himself. If the boy managed to throw the sickle down at the ground and ensure that it kept in place and held onto the other end or tied it to the dragon, theoretically the creature would stay in the same place. Yes... that could work.

Sango followed Sesshomaru's gaze to her brother and she smiled in hope as she guessed what he was thinking. "Sesshomaru?" she asked, "Are you perhaps considering making Kohaku use his weapon to still Ren's wild movements, so I can then bind Miroku's hand with the beads without Ren flying away from me?"

Sesshomaru's other eyebrow raised over the fact that she had somehow figured out his master plan so quickly when it had taken him several minutes to conjure it up. Her IQ level seemed to be higher than he had originally thought, a lot higher actually. Perhaps almost as high as his?No. He shook the thought of a mere human rivalling his intelligence and simply narrowed his eyes, never tearing them away from the young boy on the back of the dragon.

Pleased with his silent confirmation that she was right, Sango waved wildly to get her brother's attention. "Kohaku! Drop your weapon so that it secures somewhere in the ground like an anchor! Then hold on to the end of the chain tight! I'm coming over to sort Miroku out!" she called over the howling wind.

Kohaku nodded and reached down to his sash to pull out his over-sized chain sickle that he had had Totosai make especially for him. He held onto Ren's scales tightly as he spun the weapon around above his head for it to gain speed before thrusting it downward in the direction of a large tree in the castle gardens. The twisted shaped bone shot down through the strong branches and tangled around the thick trunk, sticking into the bark. Kohaku felt the impact at once as he felt a strong pull at his end of the chain, which he fought by holding onto the handle tightly, tearing open his palms with the friction and allowing blood to trickle down his wrists. He clenched his teeth and held onto Ren with his legs and gripped the handle tighter, unwilling to let it go for the sake of his own discomfort. Miroku's and the others lives were at sake, and he was not about to clumsily drop the weapon.

Ren's wild movements were stopped with a fierce jolt as he was held firmly in the air in one place by Kohaku's chain sickle. His wings flapped violently in the powerful winds but he remained relatively in the same place, making it easier for Sesshomaru to have a straight shot at tossing Sango.

"NOW!" was Sango's screech as Sesshomaru spun her around once before throwing her hard in the direction of Miroku, with one of her hands holding the holy beads at the ready whilst the other was outstretched to her husband.

Miroku opened his eyes to see his wife sailing towards him through the air with the holy beads he had given her a few years ago in her hand. He panicked and held his right hand as far away from her as he could, in the hope that it would help avoid her being sucked into his wind tunnel. She crashed into him with a powerful force and grabbed his right wrist tightly, despite his protests and warnings. The wind threatened to pull her in as her shoulder-length hair whipped furiously against her face. But she ignored it and twisted the long string of green enchanted beads around the palm of his hand, wrapping it tightly and gasping in joy as the wind's power seemed to decrease ever so slightly. When the necklace was fully wrapped around his cursed hand, she slammed his fingers shut into a closed fist and smiled widely in victory when the wind ceased and his hand finally quietened fully.

The air stilled and Ren was able to steady himself at last, before lowering to the ground carefully so that his passengers wouldn't fall and managed to land gently in the castle gardens.

Sango let go of Miroku's now sealed hand and cupped both his cheeks with her hands, looking into his violet eyes with panic in her own brown ones. "Miroku? Are you alright?" she asked, her expression filled with a desperate worry that she usually masked.

Miroku groaned and looked down at his right hand that was wrapped up in holy beads. He studied it carefully to ensure that the wind tunnel was in fact sealed and safe, before returning his gaze to Sango and giving her a weak grin that meant 'yes'.

Her eyes filled up with tears of happiness as she threw her arms around his neck and held him tightly, clutching the fabric of his purple robe as she sobbed into his shoulder. Miroku smiled and returned her embrace, feeling too drained to make a move on her at the moment in time. He would just have to wait until his strength returned before he could risk a slap from his loving yet overly ferocious wife. And in the emotional state she was in now, he knew better than to make her even worse. Besides, his mind was on his wind tunnel and how it had reappeared after all this time. He tried desperately to hide the fear that was high in his heart as he could feel the sharp stinging of his right palm, an all too familiar feeling that he had been glad to be rid of. Why had it returned? They had defeated Naraku and broken the curse, but here it was once again, plaguing his life and happiness. Just holding Sango so close to him like this was dangerous. The seal could break at any time and suck her into the void, and he would never be able to live with himself if that happened. And there was his children too. What would become of them if exposed to the awful truth? What if he lost them too? He couldn't bear to think of losing all of his happiness and being useless to prevent it.

Kohaku panted heavily but managed a small smile of relief as he made his way over to the large tree where he had thrown his weapon to anchor it. It was tangled around pretty much every branch and hooked into the tree trunk, it would take quite a while to remove. 'Great..' was what he thought as he clambered up the branches and made his way to where the entanglement began so that he could attempt to retrieve his beloved chain sickle that had saved all of their lives.

Sesshomaru watched the female slayer blubber pathetically over her husband and shook his head inwardly at her silly show of emotion. He had been wrong for briefly considering that she could have an IQ anywhere as high as his when she was putting on a show of such typical human weakness. How pathetic. The only human that had almost been able to match his intelligence had been Kikyo, but she was not here now. As much help his priestess would be right now, he knew that she was needed back with Inuyasha more, as much as he hated leaving her with the stupid half-breed who had allowed his human half of emotions to consume him with grief. Speaking of the half-breed, Sesshomaru very briefly wondered how he was doing. As pathetic as his little brother was behaving, sitting crying and doing nothing, it wasn't really like Sesshomaru could blame him. His woman was dead after all... and he, Sesshomaru, had been the one to bring about her demise.. The guilt still weighed heavy on his chest, though he would not show what it was doing to him. If he didn't return with the Tenseiga to revive the young priestess, Inuyasha would never forgive him for what he had done. Even worse, the pup may even take his own life... and that was something that Sesshomaru would never allow. For he would be the one to kill the half-breed, never would he allow the fool to kill himself and take away the pleasure of him doing so.

Sesshomaru refused to fail his brother this time. He simply would not accept failure in this situation.

He tilted his head towards Komatsu's castle and sniffed the now miasma-free air. Naraku's scent was still powerful and lingering in the area.. but it wasn't as strong as before.. in fact it was almost completely gone, making Sesshomaru consider the possibility that perhaps he had simply imagined smelling such filth. But that thought was declined when the Spider's scent and aura did in fact remain, along with Komatsu's and... the smell of a summer breeze blowing down a running stream. A smell so familiar and distinct, it had been practically been engraved into his sharp nostrils. The scent of a certain half demoness that shouldn't be in the area for it was completely impossible. But just because it was impossible, he couldn't just ignore it, plus there was Naraku's scent to look into as well.

Just as Sango released Miroku from her embrace and looked over to Sesshomaru to thank him for helping save her husband, she blinked when she saw him flying away towards the castle, his pelt unscathed and flowing beautifully behind him like it always does. She stood up and put her hands on Miroku's shoulders, looking him straight in the eyes.

"Miroku... stay here with Kohaku while I go and find out where Sesshomaru is going." she ordered firmly, not wishing to take any chances with Miroku in the state he was in, "Promise me that you'll stay here and keep your wind tunnel sealed up. At least until we find out how you've got it back after we defeated Naraku and broke the curse. I need you to promise me Miroku."

Miroku looked up at her and nodded eventually, uncomfortable with her proposition and his laughable weakness. "I promise Sango, but please stay out of danger and make sure you come back to me soon." he smiled warmly.

"I will," she smiled, planting a soft kiss on his forehead before she turned and shouted her brother. "Kohaku! Look after Miroku for me until I get back okay? I don't want him wandering off anywhere he might get himself killed!"

"You got it sis!" Kohaku shouted back, trying to pull his weapon from the bark of the tree it was stuck in. "I'm not going anywhere fast anyway.." he muttered to himself as he gave the handle another heave.

Ren swished his tail and suddenly snarled to get Sango's attention. She heard him and walked over to him, re-adjusting her red sash so that her sword was secure and wouldn't fall out. As she approached him, she noticed that there was a deep gash cut into his shoulder that had dark red blood dripping from the wound onto the frosty grass beneath. She studied it closely and lightly touched the edge of the gash, drawing a wince from the dragon and a fierce growl of annoyance.

"How did this happen?" she asked gently, unsure of how and when this nasty wound had been inflicted upon him.

A low grumble emitted from Ren's throat as he lowered his large reptilian head down so that his glinting yellow eyes were level with hers. "WHEN YOUR LITTLE BROTHER SWUNG HIS WEAPON IN ORDER FOR IT TO GAIN MOMENTUM, IT STRUCK MY BODY AND RIPPED SEVERAL OF MY SCALES FROM MY FLESH, THUS CREATING THIS INJURY." he growled, his gaze trailing to the green scales attached to Kohaku's bone sickle.

"What can I do to help? I don't have my healing gels with me and even if I did this wound is too big and severe for me to treat." she said sadly, "What do you want from me?"

His eyes glinted in the sunlight as he raised his head to look up at the castle that Sesshomaru had flown to, "I WANT... YOU TO FIND ARINA FOR ME. I BRIEFLY PICKED UP HER SCENT WHILST ABOVE THAT CASTLE, SO SHE MUST BE SOMEWHERE INSIDE. I WANT YOU TO SEND HER IN MY DIRECTION.. INFORM HER I AM IN NEED OF HER.. TO KNOW THAT SHE IS STILL ALIVE."

Sango smiled at his wish and nodded, "Sure, that sounds reasonable enough. I'll do that for you, just sit tight and help Kohaku keep and eye on my monk. He likes to play the hero and often puts himself in unnecessary danger a lot, just make sure he stays in the same place and keeps his wind tunnel shut as well as his mouth if he gets annoying." she winked.

Ren grunted and lowered his head to rest facing Miroku, keeping one eye open to make sure the monk did not go against the slayer's wishes. He missed Arina desperately and needed to know that she was safe. If Sango could find her and send her to him, his worry would be diminished and seeing her alright would fill him with new strength. Simply picking up on her scent for a mere moment had filled him with power and determination that he lacked now when he could not feel her presence. He yearned for her touch and to feel her beside him, alive and well.

Sango spotted her Hiraikotsu sticking out of one of the castle ponds where it had fallen while she was in the air, being nibbled at by some colourful cloy. She ran to it quickly and fished it out, shaking the water and cloy from it. She wiped the handle with her sleeve and held it over her shoulder as she ran off in the direction Sesshomaru had flown. Something had captured his attention and demanded he check it out instantly, and Sango wanted to know what it was. Perhaps he had sensed the Tenseiga or Akane? Hope gushed into her heart as she increased her speed and made her way towards the foreboding castle, a smile forming on her face when Sesshomaru's unmistakable furry pelt came into view above and proved that he was there.

She ran through the beautiful gardens, her hair bouncing at her shoulders at every leap and blowing in the fresh breeze. The air was clean and no longer filled with miasma, the sky replaced with a calm pale blue and soft clouds that drifted along quietly. She breathed in the new freshness and bounded over a thin coat of melting frost were grass and flowers were beginning to sprout.

The harsh winter was finally over... and hopefully gone with it... were the hardships she and the others had faced but managed to overcome.. like every other challenge they had faced.. and _beaten_.

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><p><strong>Weheeeee, another chapter! Since we're in the middle of the holidays and I have no life, I can concentrate on writing more of the story. The bulk of Arc One has been revised and improved (with the exception of the final two chapters) so you might want to go and check that out whilst you wait for the next chap. Leave some reviews and I'll see you next time! ~Happy<strong>


	18. Kagome - The Lost Half of the Soul

**Hey hey hey readers and welcome back to the wonderful fandom world of Inuyasha, where we experiment with the beloved characters and take the mickey out of them for pure entertainment. In this chapter we pay some of the other characters a visit and take a trip down memory lane (you'll see in the content). Prepare for character angst and depression, poor things.**

**Thanks for the reviews chums! And HeresKatie, don't worry your observation didn't offend me in any way in the slightest for Makia is intentionally supposed to be like Kagura. Good job noticing :)**

**And thank you NobleSnow, it was my intention for Hanyuu to be unique compared to Inu and Kags' other children. I guess I was just tired of reading so many fics where the kids are basically the same character every time, even though I did admittedly kind of like other people's versions quite a bit XD**

**Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine at all.**

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><p>Chapter Eighteen<p>

Everything was a pure blanket of white, enveloping Inuyasha as he sat cross-legged on a floor... somewhere. No sound could be heard, nor could anything be seen.. there was only the vast nothingness that seemed to spread for miles around.

He blinked once... twice... and just kept repeating the process of blinking over and over again. His chest rising up and down slightly as he inhaled and exhaled. His ears sat on top of his head, flattened to his scalp in a melancholy frozen manner, highlighting his sheer sorrow.

It might have been days since he saw anything but white or heard anything, or it may have just been mere minutes.. Or it may have been months... or even years. But time stood frozen for Inuyasha, with no movement and no sound. His body had numbed entirely, ridding him of the sharp pain that had plagued his heart before, leaving him motionless and able to do nothing other than stare into the blankness that engulfed him.

Sometimes it felt as if someone was calling out to him, trying to reach out and touch him... just a feather light brushes of fingers, that ghosted over his skin like a gentle breeze.. and then gone soon later.

"...Inu...yasha..."

His golden gaze was dull and lacking of the light that gave it such fire and compassion. He blinked again, the whiteness of the area vanishing for a few seconds and being replaced by the darkness of his eyelids, before the white once again returned when his eyes re-opened. He wasn't quite sure which view he preferred.. black.. or white.. They were starting to look the same as more time passed... or didn't pass. They were both just colours in the end, nothing special about either of them. Just black... and white...

"...Inuyasha..."

He was beginning to wish that the voice would stop calling out to him already. Couldn't they tell that he didn't want to be bothered right now? In fact he didn't really want to do anything at this moment in time... nothing at all... So he just stared into the white abyss that surrounded him and pretended not to hear the voice calling his name.

Kagome...

Her name was the only name that spun around his otherwise blank mind.. Her face was all he saw to compliment the nothingness that was all around him. He closed his fingers into a fist and closed his eyes, imagining that her small delicate hand was closed inside his. And every now and then, he would squeeze his fist a little to reassure himself that her hand was still in his.. if it even was to begin with.

Kagome.. Kagome.

Inuyasha had never really noticed what a beautiful name it was. The way each syllable seemed to roll off his tongue naturally, having a sweet sound as spoken. It had never really occurred to him what a lovely sounding name it was before. He could now understand why he had loved saying it so much before.. why he _still _loved saying it so much, whilst talking directly to her or not. He loved the way it sounded. Loved the way it sounded on her. He also loved the way _his _name sounded whenever she said it. Whenever she said his name, her voice was filled with such tenderness.. such love.. a love that she showed with her words as well as her actions.

A strand of his white-silver hair fell down his shoulder and brushed over his closed fist, tickling at his skin and filling him with a familiar warmth.

Despite his hair being silky and fluffy, as she had dubbed it, her hair was far nicer to look at and touch in his opinion. So pretty... so nice to fiddle with in between his fingers as he combed his hand through the thick raven mess. The way it shone in the light of the day like an onyx crystal.. and the way it glowed in the moon's gentle sheen.. so rare and exquisite. Not very long, no, breast length at the maximum, but still absolutely beautiful. The way it bounced on her shoulders and fell into her eyes when she blinked... so beautiful. Inuyasha found himself sighing softly as he remembered what it felt like when her bouncy raven curls rubbed against his chest when he held her close at night. The way she rubbed her forehead against his torso in her sleep and brushed her fluffy bangs against his skin...

Kagome, the girl with the soft ebony hair that was perfumed with hair products from the future.

She would often wake up after he laughed at the tickling sensation on his chest, and look up at him from under her midnight bangs.. with those big blinking eyes of hers. Those two huge cocoa brown eyes, that would look at him so innocently.. reminding him of a young fawn looking at someone it admired and loved deeply. Her thick black eyelashes would flutter as she blinked and drift down like leaves as she closed her eyes to return to sleep. It was then that he would bring up his clawed hand to run a finger down her jaw, causing her to open her eyes again and look up at him with big chestnut orbs.

Her plump rosy lips would then curl into a smile and she would bring up her hand and lace her fingers through his. He would then pull their intertwined hands up to his face and lightly kiss her knuckles, listening to the steady beat of her heart as she breathed in and out. He loved the way that her other hand would then come up and curl around his neck, resting their thumb at the back of his neck to tilt it back so that she could crawl up his chest and rest her head in the crook of it.

Kagome, the girl with the big brown eyes that looked at her beloved half demon with warmth and love.

It was always in that sleeping position that Inuyasha would relish in her sweet scent, and deeply inhale the soft aroma of roses and vanilla that drifted into his nostrils, filling him with tranquillity. His other hand would then snake around her tiny waist and gently massage her supposedly aching hip, drawing gasps of pleasure from her as she once again would rub her forehead against him.

She would look up at him, her soft breaths on his chin as she smiled again. It was this close up that Inuyasha was able to notice that she had freckles. Just tiny specks of brown on the bridge of her nose. They made her look a lot less menacing and a little childish. Perfectly fitting for her personality.

Kagome, the girl who smelled of all things sweet and possessed all the attributes of an angel, along with a few other qualities too.

Caring... selfless... incredibly hot headed and short tempered... yet patient when she needed to be... and impossibly loving. It wasn't possible to shower so much love onto so many souls the way she did. Accepting... accepting his and everyone's natures.. it came so naturally to her... like a second nature. But those were just several of the personality traits that belonged to... Kagome

_His _Kagome.

"...Inu...yasha..."

He scrunched up his face and tried to ignore the voice that was still calling him, and instead focus on his memory of his lover and best friend. A different memory.. a different memory.. He strained his brain as he dug out distant memories from a long time ago.

Her thick ebony tresses blew gently in the wind as she sat on a grassy hill with her knees pulled up to her chin, and her big brown eyes gazing up at the night sky above. It was a chilly night so she wore some kind of thick long sleeved haori with a pink robe draped around her neck that she called a 'scarf'. But despite the harsh cold, she still insisted on wearing one of those skimpy kimonos that didn't cover up much of her bottom half, but this time she wore odd leg coverers, bright luminous pink that made Sesshomaru's cheek markings look dull in colour.

She smiled when she saw him walk up the hill and sit himself down beside her, following her gaze to look up at the millions of stars that lit up the darkness of the night sky. When he asked her what she was doing, she began a rant on how the universe was so big and mysterious, her hands flailing around crazily as she waved them around when she spoke.. a cute little gesture of hers that she did automatically whenever she was explaining something to him about her world.

She spoke of how the stars fascinated her, her eyes glinting as they reflected the starlight... How they filled the pitch black of the night sky with life.. with hope. The way they danced as the earth constantly spun, looking down upon the planet and illuminating it.. filling it with their light in the time of darkness. She pointed out how several clusters of stars formed shapes.. patterns.. objects. How one of them looked like him frowning. She called them odd names, foreign to him with her futuristic way of speaking. 'Constellations' she called them.. hordes of close together stars that formed different shapes that were given titles depending on their appearances, or so she had said. Stupid names in his opinion

Her chocolate eyes would occasionally drift over to him and sparkle with starlight, as if she had absorbed the light of the stars by looking at them and somehow made their light her own... her own hope...

Kagome, the girl who looked up at the night sky and borrowed the light of the stars to shine upon the people of the earth.

It was moments like those, where Kagome would do something filled with awe and Inuyasha would stare at her with pink tinted cheeks, that Miroku and the others would be hidden somewhere nearby watching the scene like the creepy stalkers they were. Whispering quietly to one another and warning Shippo a powerful pound on the head when they were discovered, thus earning Inuyasha a powerful 'sit' from Kagome.

Inuyasha fingered the smooth beads around his neck and sighed, feeling the spiritual power within them hum faintly.. weakly.. close to disappearing. What he would do to be sat just one more time, as crazy as it sounded, just to feel the sharp sting of his connection to Kagome.

Kagome, the girl who took a collar and put it around the neck of an aggressive dog, a smile on her face as she praised him when he did good, and scolded him when he misbehaved.

When Inuyasha opened his eyes again, the familiar view of white met his gaze, reminding him that his consciousness had been among mere memories.. nothing else. He could no longer tell what was reality and what was fantasy.. perhaps they were the same? Perhaps his fantasy was reality and he was just confusing the two? Or maybe it was the other way around? There was no way of telling for him any more..

All he knew was wherever he was, Kagome was all that mattered to him. Only her.. Nothing more... and nothing less.

_His _Kagome.

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><p>"Inuyasha!" Shippo wailed again, his voice growing sore from all his aimless shouting, "Inuyasha! Why won't you answer me!?"<p>

The young fox sniffed and swallowed the lump in his throat as he looked up at his friend. Inuyasha sat cross-legged on the floorboards.. with his ears drooped and his expression blank and distant. He had not flinched or acknowledged Shippo in any way at all, no matter what the fox did or how loud he shouted. He seemed to have frozen on the spot, unable to hear anything that anyone said to him whether he wanted to or not.

"Leave him be for the time being Shippo," came Kikyo's gentle yet rather tired sounding tone, "He will not answer anyone no matter what they do. Your fatigue is showing, so rest. Give him time and maybe he will come through."

The little fox demon looked over to the where the priestess was sitting across the room through green teary eyes, and sniffed again. Kikyo sat in a lotus position, leaning against the wall of the hut, with the sleeping baby cradled in her arms. Her expression was distant like Inuyasha's, and her eyes were closed off, as if trying to hide her raging emotions and keep her calm demeanour. Her knee-length coal hair hung down her back like a curtain, and her bangs lay flat against her forehead, framing her face yet highlighting the black-purple circles around the bottom of her eyes.

Shippo muffled a sob as he crawled towards her slowly, sitting himself down before her and resting his head on her knee. "You're.. _sniff.. _You're the one who should rest Ki-Kikyo." he sniffled, "You must be way more.. _sniff sniff.._ exhausted than I am, l-looking after the baby and all..."

She smiled at him tenderly and stroked his pointed ear, "There is no need for concern, little one, I am fine. Caring for children is no labour to me, I do whatever I can to help in these situations. It is my duty as a priestess."

"But you haven't... slept in.. in days now," he mumbled against the fabric of her red kimono bottoms, "You've not put the baby down in hours and you haven't eaten anything either. _Sniff!_ You should pass him.. to Rin or Kaede and get some rest."

Kikyo looked down at the baby boy in her arms that was finally sleeping soundly after his crying fit, and sighed in exhaustion. She was indeed tired and would have to pass the child on soon, but there was someone she wanted to give the boy to more than Rin or Kaede. Inuyasha.

She desperately wanted him to snap out of his frozen state and hold his son for the very first time. In the heartbreak he was experiencing, perhaps nurturing the child wound help him in some way? Though Kikyo sincerely doubted that it would distract him from his pain completely.

From seeing Kagome suffer so greatly and perish with him being unable to save her this time, Inuyasha's spirit had broken right before everyone's eyes, and grief had engulfed his entire being. And finally... despite his tendency to argue with Kagome endlessly and order her around calling her a 'useless wench', he had finally realized that Kagome was his very reason for living. The sole purpose that he woke up every day and lived his life. The reason he fought.. breathed.. lived... for her and only her, loving her completely and unconditionally. Kagome was the very air he breathed... the source behind his energy... the light to his darkness. Without her... he would not be able and would not want to continue. He would follow her without hesitation into the depths of the afterlife, just as a loyal dog would follow its master, whom it loved more than anything. Unlike when Kikyo had died and Inuyasha felt like he owed it to her to follow her to the underworld our of guilt.. this time with Kagome was different.

He would follow her without any hesitation or thinking, not because he felt guilty, but because he did not want to live in a world without her in it. He had waited three years for her to return to him before, but Kikyo doubted that he would last three seconds without her now.

"Sister," came Kaede's voice from beside the fire where she sat stirring some kind of stew in her big cooking pot, pulling Kikyo out of her dark and troubled thoughts, "Give the infant to Rin and get ye self some well earned rest along with Shippo."

Jaken hopped up and down on the spot, bashing his staff on the ground as he nodded frantically in agreement with Kaede's suggestion. "If you tire yourself out completely and end up collapsing due to illness, Lord Sesshomaru will have my head! He left me here to watch over you and Rin, and he will not hesitate in melting me with his acid if he comes back to find you in bad health!"

Rin stopped cleaning the bowl in her hands at the mention of her Lord Sesshomaru. She trembled slightly as the image of him tearing Kagome apart with his claws popped into her head once again, closely followed by the menacing look in his eyes when he had come looking for the Tenseiga in the weapons tool shrine only to find it gone. No... her Lord Sesshomaru wasn't like that really. He just did what he had to do. He wasn't really... a monster in sheep's clothing. Because if he was.. Why would he have saved her all those years ago after the wolves had ripped her life away? Why would a fearsome demon Lord like him have allowed a human child to travel around with him if he supposedly hated all humans? Rin had not understood that when she had been younger, but after spending some time with Inuyasha and his group in the village, she learned that the simple truth was that Sesshomaru was just too proud. Too proud to admit that he cared about people. So instead, he built up his cold and sinister facade and fuelled Inuyasha's hatred for him by trying to kill him. But what for? Because he was... scared to let his feelings for others out into the open? Because he was scared that if anyone got attached to him and saw something like what he had done to Kagome... they would leave him?

He wasn't afraid of having a bond with someone... He was afraid of what it would feel like when that bond became broken.

A sharp bump on the head from Jaken's staff drew Rin out of her thoughts as he screamed in her ear, partially blinding her in the process. "Quit daydreaming, you silly girl, and take the human child from the priestess!" he squawked.

She crawled over to Kikyo's tired form and held out her arms as an offer to take the small baby from her. She smiled at the priestess and gently allowed the tiny infant to be folded into her arms, drawing a small yawn from him as he settled into the warmth of her chest. Kikyo allowed a smile to grace her lips as Rin cooed softly and rocked the baby in her arms, making him yawn again and release several light gurgles.

"Look at you... like a big sister." Kikyo sighed contentedly as her eyes drifted closed and she rested her head back against the wall behind her, whilst running a hand through Shippo's fluffy auburn hair, "You're a natural.."

"Do you really think so?" Rin asked, whilst rocking the baby boy in her arms and humming a tune quietly. She briefly wondered if Sesshomaru had ever held Inuyasha like this, if there had ever been a time when the two weren't trying to kill one another, probably some time when Inuyasha was still just a small boy. An image of the fierce demon Lord sat cradling a screaming miniature half demon in his arms flashed into her head, replacing the one of Kagome having her stomach turned inside out, and she allowed a smile to wash over a features. That would have been very funny to watch, especially if Inuyasha tried to bite or wee on him.

Kikyo ruffled Shippo's hair again as she listened to the gentle melody Rin was humming to the child, the soft notes drifting into everyone's ears and creating an atmosphere of tranquillity. When Kikyo opened her eyes again, her vision was slightly blurry and tinted white around the edges, creating the image of mist surrounding her. She was in a dream-like state, somewhere between sleep and consciousness. The world seemed to shift and fill with more white mist as Rin's gentle humming echoed throughout.

Her fading gaze rested on Kagome momentarily and a sad frown ghosted her lips. She blinked back her fatigue and carefully placed Shippo down on a pillow beside Rin, brushing his orange bangs out of his eyes as he sniffed and rolled over onto his stomach. It was then that she rose to her feet, knees shaking due to the lack of rest, and slowly made her way over to where Inuyasha sat before Kagome's limp body.

Kaede glanced at her mentally elder yet physically younger sister for a moment before returning her gaze to her stew. Rin sat beside the now sleeping Shippo, with the baby boy cradled in her arms and Jaken peeking down at the sleeping child with interest, blinking with his big amphibian eyes as the baby snored quietly. A soft grunt came from Ah-Un, who was sitting in the doorway, guarding the inhabitants of the hut as he watched the reaction from the water imp.

Kikyo's movement came to a standstill as she stood towering over Inuyasha, apparently still completely oblivious to her presence seeing as he didn't react in any way like he usually would. The sad and pitiful expression on her face would usually irritate him and make him yell about what the hell was wrong with her or why she was looking at him like he was a homeless loser who needed pity. He didn't like pity, regardless who was giving it him, he simply just did not like it. But now here he was, kneeling in silence as she gave him her most pitiful look, with brown eyes swimming with tears.

She bent her knees slowly so that she was in a crouching position before she fully lowered her bottom onto the floor and sat down beside him, following his gaze to Kagome's pale stilled face. Inuyasha's breaths were slow and almost silent, as he sat motionless with eyes filled with a dull emotion.. or realization.. his realization of sheer and utter... _failure._

Deciding that it was best to say nothing, Kikyo just sat and watched him for a while, her eyes flickering in the dim light of the hut as she observed how the flames of Kaede's fire did not seem to reflect in Inuyasha's eyes. All that could be seen, were two empty mustard sockets, showing no emotion.. no life.. nothing. Just entirely.. empty. So empty that it hurt to look into them, so empty that they sent a chill throughout the whole of Kikyo's body. So empty that they.. just sat there looking blank. Their usual warm shine gone from the gold, all the light drained away.

She raised her hand and placed it on his left shoulder lightly and closed her eyes, opening her mouth to whisper something to him.

"I'm here... if you need me."

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><p>A flicker of warmth graced his left shoulder, causing Inuyasha to tear his gaze away from the white nothingness that surrounded him to look down at the area where warmth had begun to sprout from. His eyes narrowed and his mouth pressed into a line. For a moment.. he was sure that he had seen a hand resting there on that shoulder.. But alas, it was there no more, so Inuyasha dismissed it as nothing more than this odd white world playing tricks on his mind.<p>

Kagome...

Despite the sudden flash of foreign warmth, _she _always managed to come back to him.. remind him of her.. and what had happened to her. Remind him of her weak expression coated in cold sweat as she whimpered quietly in pain.. the way the light from her eyes slowly drained away to leave a dull copper in the place of her usual glinting chocolate orbs.

_Stop it. _His subconscious warned him before he could go too far with the graphic detail.

He shook his head to clear his mind from such thoughts and scowled menacingly. He had promised not to think about that.. not _that._ Another memory.. quickly! His hands acted on their own and came up to flatten his ears to his head tightly, trying to block out the sharp ringing that had suddenly sounded as he remembered Kagome's screams as she was torn apart by... Sesshomaru.

Inuyasha couldn't, nor did he try to, muffle his viscous snarls as the scene of Sesshomaru ripping Kagome apart with his claws replayed over and over again in his head. The bastard had shown no mercy or restraint on her, nor had he considered what anyone else that was watching would think of his actions. He had just sunk his sharp claws into her and slashed away until he got to whatever that was inside.. like she was a treasure box or something.. His usually white regal clothes had been soaked with her blood and insides, probably permanently died into the fabric because of the thick amount that had been absorbed, making him look more like the monster he was inside.

Her blood was on _that _bastard's hands. It was _his _fault.

Or at least... it _should _have been.

Inuyasha may have been reckless and stupid and many other faulty things.. but _blind_ was one of the things he was not. He had seen the look of pure despair that Kikyo had shot Sesshomaru as she checked Kagome over.. the look that had made him lay Rin down and begin to slash the younger priestess' stomach apart for the infant within.. almost as if she was some kind of box containing goodies.. And Kikyo had done nothing to stop him! In fact she practically encouraged it by restraining Inuyasha from trying to kill Sesshomaru.

So whilst it was Sesshomaru's hands that had been drenched in Kagome's blood _literally_.. did that mean that her blood was actually on _Kikyo's _hands in a sense?

All of a sudden, the warm sensation gracing his left shoulder grew cold. Very cold. So cold that his hand shot up instantly and slapped his upper arm violently in a manner that he would use to squat Myoga when the annoying flea tried to make a meal out of him. He dug his claws into the warm patch of his shoulder and squeezed tightly, so hard that he ended up drawing his own blood... or what he thought was his own blood.

The foreign warmth was gone in an instant, as were the puncture wounds in his shoulder oddly enough. Inuyasha was confused as to how his claws were tainted with blood, but there was no wound inflicted on his upper arm... How could such a thing be possible? And if it wasn't his own blood stained onto his claws.. then whose was it?

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><p>Kikyo winced and withdrew her hand from Inuyasha's shoulder instantly when his hand shot up and the claws dug into her knuckles, drawing a small amount of blood. She made a small muffled yelping sound as she brought her right hand into her lap and cradled it with her other hand, wiping the blood with her fingers. There were two long slits with blood seeping down the back of her hand torn in the gaps between her knuckles, and they quite honestly hurt like hell.<p>

Inuyasha's sudden movement after so long had surprised her indeed, it was only too bad that it hadn't been a nice surprise. Her supportive hand she had offered to him with affection had been... rejected. Quite literally too. Had her small action offended him so? Was he that unwilling to be touched?

She flinched as she gently brushed her fingers over the injuries and looked up at Inuyasha to see if he had moved in any way. However, he remained as still as he had been before, the claws that had struck her hung at his side dripping with her blood, and his eyes duller than ever. She frowned sadly and reached out to touch him again before she was stopped by Kaede's hand wrapping around her wrist.

The old woman shook her head and Kikyo sighed in defeat, letting her bleeding hand drop so that it was cradled in her sister's grasp. Kaede pulled out a wet flannel from a bucket of water beside her and began dabbing Kikyo's wounds gently, wiping the blood from the opened slits to avoid infection. Kikyo watched calmly as her sister pulled out a thick white cloth and wrapped it around her hand to cover up her torn open knuckles. One - to reduce the bleeding, and two - so that Sesshomaru wouldn't see it and freak on Inuyasha when he returned.

"Thank you Kaede," she smiled in appreciation, withdrawing her tended to hand from her sister and touching the cloth carefully.

A smile crossed Kaede's old and worn face as she washed the blood off of her wrinkled palms, "Tis no trouble seeing to your well-being, sister. After all, twas ye who did the same for me over fifty years ago."

It was Kikyo who smiled this time at the fond memories she had of treating her younger sister's injuries after her famous rough-housing with the village boys her age. "Yes," she agreed, "You were quite profound for coming home covered in fresh cuts and bruises for me to treat daily. It was quite the handful dealing with you as well as Onigumo..." Her voice trailed away as her fond memories came to a halt and were replaced with more bitter ones.

Kaede squeezed her sister's good hand and gave her a reassuring smile. "Fret no more over the matter. The handicapped bandit is no more, as is the monster he became." she said, "Worry over the matter no more."

Kikyo's gaze drifted down to her bandaged hand and a small sigh escaped her lips. "I know that I shouldn't let it bother me any more.. But regardless, I cannot shake the belief that Naraku's nefarious deeds and foul trickery... was a result of my weakness for being too trusting." she confessed, "If only I had had the heart back then to just turn and leave him in that cave to die, which was the inevitable outcome of the situation... all the pain afterwards could have been avoided. But I couldn't do it.. I just couldn't.. I'm so weak-"

"Ye are not weak." Kaede's sharp tone snapped, "Ye are far from it."

"Then why was I unable to see what kind of a monster was beneath his bandages? Why was I so blind to what you saw the moment you laid eye on him?"

"Kindess is not weakness, sister. Make no mistake about that." was Kaede's sharp and simple reply.

Kikyo just stared at the elderly priestess that was also her sister. The firelight flickered in her mahogany eyes and shone in awe at what Kaede had just said. Her lips were parted slightly as she blew soft batches of air in and out, just sitting in a stunned silence.

_Kindness is not weakness._

Kind.. Weak..

For years filled with solitude and hatred, Kikyo had always seen those two words as if they had the same definition.. the same meaning.. She had believed that kindness was very much a weakness, and a great one too.

After she had blessed the leper Onigumo and the outcast half demon Inuyasha with such rare kindness... she had been repaid with betrayal, creating the impression that kindness lead to pain.. and love lead to heartbreak. Such a thing was the biggest weakness of all. After her generosity had been met with sorrow and demise, Kikyo had vowed never to express kindness ever again. To bury it deep down within her soul and cover it entirely with hatred and remorse. She had stuck true to that vow after being resurrected half a century later, showing no affection towards Inuyasha or not even her beloved sister. It had been made easier since the half of her soul that she no longer possessed, the half that Kagome had clung onto, contained most of the kindness and good nature, leaving her half of the soul hate and bitterness.

Leaving Kikyo the darkness... and Kagome the light.

Kikyo the remorse... and Kagome the love.

The two halves of a soul...

_The Yin... and the Yang.._

She looked at Inuyasha once again and squeezed her injured hand. With his soul as scarred and broken as it was, he needed the extra Yang.. the light to his darkness... the compassion to his rage... the acceptance in the world of prejudice in which he lived.

His _soulmate_. The only being that sung songs of love to his inner beast and soothed its rage, spreading warmth and light over his aura. Born for him and him alone.

But what could Kikyo do to help him bring his extra Yang back? There was little to nothing that could be done to help Kagome without the power of the Tenseiga, but still... there had to be _something _she could do. Something... Anything...

Since she and Kagome still shared the same soul.. Kikyo found it exceedingly odd that she hadn't felt a change in her aura or a drastic change in her purification powers at Kagome's passing. When the life left Kagome well and truly, her half of the soul should have returned to Kikyo's body, and left Kagome as no more than an empty shell. But.. that had not happened.. In fact after the amount of time that Kagome had laid lifeless, Kikyo had felt nothing from her powers of purity. No change at all. Which could only mean that the half of the soul Kagome had possessed..._ was still in her body..._

Kikyo leapt to attention as she scooted across the floor and pressed her ear to Kagome's bloody chest, listening intently for... something...

Her sudden action startled the others in the room who were awake, excluding Inuyasha, as they looked in her direction in confusion as to what she was doing. Rin rocked the sleeping baby gently and began humming quietly in case the child had been affected by Kikyo's sudden movements. Whereas Kaede and Jaken scurried over to Kagome's side also, abandoning whatever it was they were doing previously.

"Sister..." Kaede called sadly, "Ye know already that tis hopeless. She is far gone-"

"Shh!" was all Kikyo hissed loudly, further pressing her ear to Kagome's breast as she listened carefully.

Everyone silenced instantly at the fierce tone Kikyo had taken and sat watching her quietly. Surely she had a good reason for whatever she was doing? She usually did. Unlike many others, her actions were hardly based on desperation and were usually backed up with truth. Whatever it was that Kikyo was doing.. surely meant that she still had hope.

Kikyo concentrated on the wall opposite her and tried to block out all the sounds around her so that it would be easier to hear what it was she was listening for. Like before, there was no pulse coming from Kagome's chest and she was as cold as ice.. but a pulse wasn't what Kikyo was looking for. It was quite obvious to anyone who laid eyes on the girl that Kagome was quite dead, and she wasn't miraculously going to magically conjure up a pulse again like some kind of wild miracle from a fairy tale.. But Kikyo was looking for something else entirely.. something that not just anyone would be able to find.

She closed her eyes and pressed her palms onto the area above where Kagome's abdomen had been torn open, focusing her spiritual energy into the lifeless body to give herself a better idea of where the thing she was looking for was.. if it was even there. But Kikyo knew that she couldn't give up like she would have when she had been reborn as an animated clay doll.. she wouldn't give up now! For that was what Sesshomaru had taught her, to not give up on something worth fighting for, no matter how impossible the chance of success. Even though life came and ended in the blink of an eye and might be seen meaningless to some, as it had seemed to Kikyo long ago, it was the little moments and memories made that made it worthwhile. Fighting to survive, experiencing despair and pain only to be rewarded later by warmth and affection.. to have the thrill of fighting for the lives of those who mattered.. those bonds made were what was worth fighting for, worth _living _for. Worth fighting in a cold world for a single spark of flame. Worth enduring a world of monsters for the sake of angels.

It was then that she felt it.

The silent, violent hum emitting from deep inside of Kagome's hollow being.

A fierce vibration against Kikyo's glowing palms that thrummed very much like a pulse, but Kikyo knew better that it was something else.. something much more.. The something that she had been looking for. Wild and bright, screaming for life and acknowledgement.. intelligence.. love.. and kindness.

She had found the remnants of the other half of her and Kagome's soul.. the _Yang.._

It was still there!

Kikyo shot up from leaning on Kagome's chest and grabbed Inuyasha by his shoulders, uncaring of the possibility that he might lash out in protest against her touch. She shook him violently, causing his head to bob up and down and his silver mane to swish against his back and forehead. But when he remained as still and lifeless and before, this time not bothering to claw at her hands, refusing to acknowledge her... she snapped.

She raised a hand.. swung it fiercely in the direction of his left cheek.. and slapped him hard across the face, knocking his head to the right as he let out a shocked cry at the unexpected collision.

He blinked rapidly, the light gradually returning to his dull golden eyes as he opened his mouth as if to say something. His clawed hand came up and touched his painful burning left cheek, wincing at the sharp pain that shot through his face. He felt strangely disoriented.. almost as if he had been awoken from a trance of some sort and thrust into reality unexpectedly.

Everyone in the room gasped loudly, their jaws now down at the ground with shock at what had just happened before their eyes. Shippo had awoken just in time to see Kikyo's hand collide with Inuyasha's face, as a loud smacking sound echoed throughout the hut and quite probably the entire village. The little fox scampered over to Jaken and sat blinking in shock at what he had just seen. Just like Kagome, Kikyo could be scary too when provoked.

Inuyasha blinked slowly as he nursed his throbbing cheek and tried to work out what the hell was going on. He looked up from beneath his silver bangs, expecting to be greeted with the empty white wasteland that he had seen for so long, and was quite shocked to see an uncharacteristically angry looking Kikyo kneeling before him with her hand raised up as if she had just struck something... Wait a minute...

"Wh-Wha?" he spluttered, his voice suddenly seeming so rusty and out of practice as he tried to piece words together to make a sentence. However, being Inuyasha, he just said the first thing that came to his mind. And since this was him, that wasn't always such a good idea.

"H-Hey! You hit me, didn't you!?" he yelled at her aggressively, "You bitch, what the f-"

His shout was cut short by Kikyo slapping him again, this time harder than before as she scowled at him fiercely, her eyes narrow and piercing. One might go as far as to say she looked quite 'deadly' at this point in time.

"Don't. Call. Me. A. _Bitch_." she spat coldly, "You pitiful.. ungrateful.. _mongrel_!"

She hit him again then, a hard slap across his other cheek, ensuring that it would paint his face a bright tomato red. And she just kept striking him, her eyes closing after a few slaps as she whimpered. The power put into her slaps decreased every strike until they were mere pathetic pats that Inuyasha didn't feel at all.

He was about to lash out and begin an argument with her when he smelled the strong scent of salt and water coming from her as she continued to weakly whack his face. Thick tears rolled down her pale cheeks and fell onto the wooden floorboards below, creating a tiny puddle.

"...Hey?..." he said eventually, a little put off by her sudden tears as he grabbed her wrists to stop her from hitting him. It wasn't that it hurt any more, he was just getting fed up of having her flimsy hands mauling his face pathetically.

She opened her eyes then and looked up at him with eyes filled with angry tears. "What.. is _wrong _with you!?" she shrieked.

"What's wrong with _me!?_" he shouted, "I was just about to ask you the same thing! You're the one that bitch-slapped me and then started blubbering like a baby!"

"A _baby_!?" she shrieked, raising her eyebrows as she yanked her wrists out of his grasp, "Interesting choice of words there Inuyasha, especially since you have refused to so much as acknowledge your newborn and instead sat wallowing in self pity whilst _we_ took care of him!"

Inuyasha paused at that and spared a brief glance at the sleeping infant in Rin's arms, and a huge wave of guilt washed over him. "I was just..." he started, before stopping when he realized that he didn't know what to say.

"Well? You were just what!?" she practically screamed in his face, her usual calm demeanour completely forgotten, "Were too busy sitting feeling sorry for yourself to spare your son a mere glance!? Hasn't it yet occurred to you that you aren't the only one suffering from losing Kagome!? We all care about her too goddammit!"

She raised a balled fist and aimed it in his direction, only to have it caught by his clawed hand. She readied her other fist but he foresaw her action and grabbed that one too. He held her firmly in place, just watching as she struggled and let out a few desperate sobs to accompany her falling tears. A long sigh escaped his lungs as he pulled her towards him and rested his chin on the crown of his head, ignoring her uncomfortable squirming. After a while, she stilled and her sobs quietened slightly, to be replaced by a long exhausted sigh to match Inuyasha's.

The others watched the scene sadly as Inuyasha released Kikyo's fists and placed his hands on her shoulders, whilst her arms hung limp at her sides.

"I knew I shouldn't have let you spend this much time with Sesshomaru," Inuyasha finally said against her scalp, "Just look what's happened to you - venting your anger out on me. He'd be real proud of you, that's for sure."

Kikyo sniffed as her cream ribbon that bound her hair fell loose, releasing the thick ebony tresses so that they glided down her back like a curtain. She sighed again loosened her fists in defeat. She missed Sesshomaru... Not having him here to fill her with energy and his silent affection made her feel awfully lonely. Though he wasn't one to openly express emotion, she couldn't deny the fact that just having him beside her was mighty uplifting, especially whilst having to deal with Inuyasha. True she had once loved the half demon, her attraction towards him had always been repaid with hurt and heartbreak whereas with Sesshomaru... it wasn't like that. He _understood _her, he believed in her, he... had told her that he wanted her. He had made her feel wanted. Wanted. Something that she hadn't felt like in a long time. Replaced, yes, but not wanted.

She desperately wished that he would put that super speed of his to good use and back with the Tenseiga to revive Kagome. So that Inuyasha would be happy and not overcome by despair, so that his eyes would once again be filled with their molten gold that flickered like fire. And Kagome could wake up once again and-

Wait. Kagome!

Kikyo wiggled out of Inuyasha's arms and yanked him towards Kagome by his sleeve. At the sight of his bloodied up wife, the colour seemed to drain from his face and he turned away in horror, his ears drooped sadly.

"Please.." he whispered quietly, "Don't.. don't make me look at her... at what.. I've failed to protect."

Kikyo completely understood the way he was feeling, but she was done with being patient and understanding at this moment in time, so she pulled his head back to look down at Kagome. This, he _needed_ to see. It was all for his happiness.

Inuyasha's ears flattened to his skull as he stared down at the lifeless form of Kagome. His stomach dropped and one of his hands slowly reached out on its own to brush the sweaty hair out of her closed eyes, lingering for a little longer than it needed to as he stared down at her in sorrow and self loathing.

"...Kagome..." he choked, sliding his hand along to tangle in her hair as he combed his fingers through it. "I did this... You.. you should have stayed... that world of yours with your family.. you should have stayed in it where you would've been safe. Safe... from me.." His mutterings mixed up and not making sense any more as he whimpered. "This is all my-"

"_No_," was Kikyo's fierce denial of his self blame as she grabbed his hand and gripped it tight, "This is _not _your fault, this is not _anyone's _fault. This was a natural occurrence and there was nothing that could have been done to prevent it."

He looked at her with shimmering gold eyes as he clenched his teeth. "But.. when it's a natural occurrence... there's no one to blame and go beat the shit out of for revenge. There's nothing to make pay!"

"There is no time nor is there any need for revenge right now Inuyasha, for Kagome can still be saved." Kikyo said sharply, her expression growing softer as she trailed her gaze down to her reincarnation, "Even in death.. Kagome is so much stronger than me. She holds on to her half of our soul, refusing to let go.. refusing to let go of life. She fights to live, even when she should not be able to. Her every fibre of her being screams for life and clings to any little sliver desperately. She is too strong to surrender to the darkness."

Inuyasha shook his head in confusion, "What are you saying? I don't understand!"

Kikyo looked at him with a sincere look in her eyes, a look of.. hope. "Kagome is dead.. but she refuses to lose the battle for her life. She still possesses her half of our soul, meaning that there is still a chance she can be reached!"

Inuyasha sat still in shock as his lips were parted slightly. "You mean... I can still save her?" It was a mere whisper, a plea more than a question as his eyes shimmered with tears.

"How far are you willing to go to reach that goal, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha wiped the dumb expression off of his face and stared at Kikyo intently, his eyes flashing with an unknown emotion. "As far as I have to. No distance is too great when Kagome's involved."

The look in his eyes and his final sounding statement were enough for Kikyo. She knew he was ready. He could do it. He would find Kagome.

She took his hand and placed it on Kagome's chest lightly, closing her eyes as she tried to connect to Kagome's half of the soul once again. A dark pink glow shone from Kikyo's chest as she sat silently, an angry red hue coming from Inuyasha... and a small yellow flame crackling at Kagome's breast... connecting the three by their auras. The three's lights shone brightly in the room, forcing the others in the hut to cover their eyes and calm the baby that had awoken and begun to cry.

It was then that Inuyasha reached out suddenly and pressed his second finger to the infant's head, making the boy stop shrieking instantly as he looked up at Inuyasha with wide brown eyes.. Kagome's eyes again.. just like Hanyuu. The baby blinked and sucked in a sharp breath as the sharp red energy emitting from his father warmed his forehead. Inuyasha stared down at him with a strange expression as he raised an irritated eyebrow.

"You're a lot noisier than her," he scowled, "Try to keep it down will ya?... Tsubasa."

Tsubasa - Wing. Named in memory of Hanyuu, showing that a part of her lived on through her little brother... That she would always live on in Inuyasha's heart. And he would never, _never _forget her... or her sacrifice.

The little Tsubasa blinked again But eventually began to turtle loudly as he wrapped his exceedingly tiny fingers around Inuyasha's glowing finger. This alarmed Inuyasha as he tried to shake the kid's tiny hands off him awkwardly, making Kaede and Rin chuckle. When Tsubasa finally let go, his attention turned to Shippo and Jaken, as he burgled at them and blinked more times.

Kikyo smiled at this before resuming trying to find the hum of Kagome's half of the soul, her dark pink aura hissing intensely. The deeper down into Kagome's being she looked, the more energy the yellow flame on her lifeless chest seemed to gain. 'Come on Kagome,' she whispered from the deepest corners of her mind, sending the message into Kagome along with her powers, 'Let me find you!'

The sudden flash of yellow light that spouted from Kagome's chest from the smal flame frightened everyone in the hut as they gasped in surprise, baby Tsubasa blinking wildly in Rin's arms, apparently his favourite thing to do. Jaken squealed and held his staff up in front of him for protection, whilst Shippo shrieked and covered his head with his paws, muttering something about how he still had his whole life ahead of him. But Kaede just sat with a smile on her old face at the scene before her only eye. She had always known that Kagome was stubborn when it came to life, but this was another matter entirely. Perhaps all women from the future were like that...? Or perhaps she was just... _one of a kind._

A smile ghosted Kikyo's lips as her eyes remained closed and the glowing in her and Kagome's chests intensified. 'That's right Kagome.' she smiled softly, putting more power into her light and tightening her hold on Kagome's half of the soul.

"Now Kikyo, mind telling me what the hell is going-!?" was all Inuyasha managed to say before he was blinded by the intense pink and yellow light, along with his fierce red aura, and forced to cover his eyes with his red sleeve, so hid vision was still red anyway.

His entire body was suddenly engulfed by a huge wave of warmth and when he re-opened his eyes, he found himself standing alone in _a strange world of sparkling blue and green lights_ that glittered like gems. He looked around in confusion for someone familiar, but the odd lights seemed to stretch out for miles.

"Kagome!" he called, walking off in one direction, "Kikyo! Kaede!"

The lights glinted at him brightly, briefly reminding him of the light at the bottom of the bone eaters well when he and Kagome used it to travel to her world. He shook his head and returned to calling for someone.

"Rin!" he shouted, changing direction to see if it made any difference, "Shippo! Tsubasa! ... _Jaken!? _Anybody?"

He folded his arms into the sleeves of his haori and frowned. What the heck had Kikyo done to send him to such a weird place? Where even was he? And why was there no one else around? Would he ever be able to leave? Crap he hoped so! Living amongst random twinkling lights with no one in sight wasn't really his ideal fantasy, not that he'd really thought about what his ideal fantasy would be... probably something to do with Kagome.. ew he was starting to think like Miroku! Goddammit! He punched his head and grumbled about how he would never want to be like that dirty pervert poor excuse for a monk.

Lost in his irritated grumbles and cussing, Inuyasha failed to notice the small _purple flurry of lights_ that were so much brighter than all the others spiral down and settle in one place. The lights weaved together and _crystallized_ to create an image, and the glowing eventually died down to reveal the small dainty form of a person.

Inuyasha sensed a shift in his aura. A weak jolt shot through his body, alerting his senses as his ears stood up on top of his head. Familiarity rushed through his systems, his own aura humming quietly in harmony with the new weaker aura, almost in _recognition_. He swallowed and tracked the source of the familiar aura with his nose, locating it directly behind him by a few metres at the least. He swallowed and balled his fists tightly before making a slow 180 degree turn to face whatever was behind him...

His breath hitched in his throat. His heart skipped a beat. And his brain stopped functioning properly for a few seconds, if it even functioned properly to begin with.

There she stood, unblinking and impossibly familiar - a little girl with fluffy lilac tresses of hair that hung down her shoulders, and Kagome's big brown eyes... Twin canine ears, jet black in colour, sitting on top of her head in the place of human ears.. But tiny in build and height... too tiny in fact. Tinier than she had been before. Possibly only toddler class in human years, whereas mere days old in reality. An impossible little girl that sat on the floor of a half demon's lair playing with feathers.

_His_ impossible little girl.

"...Ha-Hanyuu?..."

The little Hanyuu stared at him with her big honey glossed eyes that didn't blink, staring into his very soul and tugging at it to gather his attention. Inuyasha forgot how to breathe for a moment and had to take great big breaths to obtain more oxygen for his stunned lungs. There was no way... this could not... there was no possible explanation for this... This was just.. impossible. Completely and utterly impossible. Inuyasha had believed and hoped her to be alive, but this was all.. wrong.

Drawing his attention back to her tiny form, the little Hanyuu raised her arm slowly and pointed at something behind him. Her expression was blank and her eyes were dull... icy... empty. Inuyasha turned his head in the direction of her finger to look at whatever had captured her interest, and he almost forgot who to breathe yet again!

A girl who looked to be in her mid teenage years, scooted around an alien looking room, searching for something. Her thick raven hair bounced at her shoulders as she leapt around the room, her eyes bright and brown. She wore an odd green and white kimono, obscenely skimpy on the lower half Inuyasha noticed as she crawled around on the floor revealing the insides of the short cloth. Finally having found what she was looking for - a scrunched up yellow bag that had been buried under her bed, she then rushed around picking up odd items from around the room. Strange books with equally strange languages inside, and interesting looking writing quils. She then topped off her haul by tossing something that Inuyasha loved into the remaining space in the bag.. a small handful of... ninja food.

Kagome...

The hurrying teenager ran out of her room with the bag of books and goodies slung over her shoulder as she zoomed down the staircase and out the front door. She bolted across the courtyard that was a part of her home and made her way over to the small shrine hut across from the main house. The door was slid open in a flash and she hopped down the uneven steps merrily, humming a cheery tune. She made her way over to the dry well in the centre of the shed and clambered over the side, and readied herself to jump. With a firm slap on each cheek to wake herself up sufficiently, she leapt down into the blackness and was gone... to another time in a world far away, where she fought monsters and saved lives.

Kagome, the girl from the future who leapt five hundred years back through time to a place of death and war... all to see an over aggressive half demon whom had stolen her heart.. and to deliver lots of foreign foods to her friends. And to re-piece an ancient jewel that she had shattered upon arrival... an ancient jewel that she in her past life as a priestess had sworn to protect.

Kagome, the girl who fought for what she believed in and filled the hearts of everyone around her with the same amount of hope she had. Fighting alongside her group of misfits to destroy a wicked Spider who sought the ancient jewel, fighting to _live_ and not just _survive_.

Kagome... the girl who wasn't afraid to show others her love.

Inuyasha could feel her cheerful voice and laughter ringing in his ears as he brought his hands up to muffle the high pitched sounds. This was too much. Hanyuu.. and Kagome.. Too much. There was a limit to how much a person could take, and half demon or not, Inuyasha had almost reached his. Memories of Kagome spun around him like a roundabout, endless emotion and selflessness, goodness and compassion.. Too much compassion for her own good. Too much of a reminder of what he had failed to protect.

A small hand brushed his left shoulder lightly, snapping him out of his horror stricken thoughts as a faint warm breath ghosted over his left ear. Soft locks of purple fell onto his shoulder as the little Hanyuu closed her distant brown eyes.. and whispered into his ear..

_"...Use the Rift... and bring back her lost soul..."_

And with that short hinted sentence, she was gone. Just like that. Vanished into _a flurry of bright purple lights t_hat drifted away, taking away her warmth and her weak aura.

Hanyuu... the girl with the impossible hair colour as rich as the Shikon Jewel, that wasn't afraid to love a deranged monster, a trait she undoubtedly picked up from her mother. The girl that knew her place in the world as an outcast, a half demon, but refused to settle for that being all she was.

Hanyuu, the girl who looked deep into time and watched a long and hard journey of struggle and war between humans and demons... of pain and loss.. The girl who saw the world as it really was - ugly and scarred... but instead of cowering in fear.. tried to _change_ it. Fix it.

Hanyuu... the girl who had spread her wings and soared towards the heavens, believing that the sky was limitless... only to fall back down to the restrictions of the harsh earth below, weighed down by man's greed.

Kagome and Hanyuu... the torches flickering in the darkness of his life, spreading their light and compassion.

Kagome and Hanyuu, his everything... his.. _family_.

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><p><strong>Damn that took forever man! Paragraphs kept not saving so I just had to keep re-writing them over and over again :O But it's finally finished! I hope you enjoyed it! And I hope you like Tsubasa's name too, kind of has a lot of meaning behind it don't ya think?<strong>

**Review pretty please for the poetic things I put into this chapter about Kagome and Hanyuu, cause to be honest I was pretty darn proud of myself (lol) Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time! ~Happy**


	19. Lost and Found

**Hello again finally *sigh* school is so much work recently with all the coursework and exam practice etc. I haven't had much time at all to focus on this story so I apologize for the infrequent updates. With all the deadlines for my projects coming up, I've had little motivation to continue writing which had made me a little sad. Plus the short one word reviews I've been getting recently haven't helped my motivation levels much either but I should just be thankful that I still get reviews at all hahaha. But god I really do hate school right now.**

**I'd like to thank my reviewers again for all the support/criticism I've been given, I honestly do love you all to pieces, and I hope you can bear with me until I've sorted my life out! Gee I know how Kagome felt trying to juggle all her final year exams, and she was going back and forth in time too! Think my respect for her just doubled.**

**Disclaimer: Still not mine.. I will get my own way though ;)**

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><p>Chapter Nineteen<p>

Sesshomaru sailed through the air with the female slayer running on the ground beneath. But his focus was not on her, it was on the scents coming from Komatsu's castle. The impossible scents of those who had passed, those who were gone.. those who could not return. One scent - he was glad without shame had perished, but the other... he was a lot less glad for that's passing. That lost soul, he would feel joy at discovering once again, much unlike the other... That pure soul.. he _wanted _to find, even if he had to venture to the very depths of the underworld to find. He would find it. He would find _her._

His golden eyes hardened into murderous thin slits as they met a scene of utter destruction below in one of the castle's many courtyards. He flew down to the portrait of ruin and walked over to the centre of the massive energy waves that were being broadcast, over to a large spherical _purple scorch mark _that stretched out in all directions. The mark radiated strong aura, still fresh, Sesshomaru noticed as he pushed his own aura out to examine the mark. His eyes narrowed further at the discovery he then made, and he failed to sense Sango walking up behind him, his being so entranced by the power of the scorch mark before him. His aura spiked, unnerving Sango as she jolted violently in surprise at the sudden rise in demonic power.

The mark was emitting a very peculiar aura, an aura that consisted of both demonic... _and _spiritual. The two opposite energies seemed to hiss and merge together in harmony, Sesshomaru finding himself unable to find where one ended and the other began, almost as if they were that of _one whole being. _But that being true wasn't possible, and Sesshomaru never believed the impossible unless there was a very good logical reasoning behind the impossible factor.

Sango came to a halt at his left and too peered down at the spherical mark that had scorched the hard concrete. She frowned and knelt down to take a proper look at it, trying to ignore Sesshomaru's immense alert aura, her hand moving to scoop up a small sample of the residue onto her fingertip. She held it closer to her face and tilted her head in confusion.

"Wait a minute... Is it just me.. or is this mark emitting demonic.. _and _spiritual energy.. at the same time?" she asked herself rather Sesshomaru.

One glance up at his hardened expression, only a tiny sliver of confusion tinting his narrowed eyes, was enough of a confirmation that she was right. She blew the purple dust off her finger and fumbled around in her shoulder plate for something, eventually pulling out a small maroon coloured pouch. She scooped up some more of the burned dust and put it into the pouch, before rising to her feet and looking at Sesshomaru again.

"This isn't a natural phenomenon." she stated the obvious, "Whatever happened here to cause such vast ruin must have been pretty powerful.. but not a good powerful. Quite a dangerous powerful I'd say in fact." She moved her gaze and studied the destruction all around, the high demonic aura still strong, but these auras did not belong to Sesshomaru... "We need to find out what caused this and ensure that it isn't a threat to us or anyone who is unlucky enough to stumble upon it."

"But what if we do not just so happen to 'stumble' upon whatever caused this?" he asked flatly, "What if whatever caused this... finds us first?"

Sango shivered at his suddenly sinister tone and shook her head. She hardened her expression and folded her arms. "Just what makes you think something so dangerous would target us _specifically_? From the looks of this mess, whatever made it doesn't have much control over their power, so why target us?"

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed so much Sango struggled to see the intense gold flickering in his irises, as he allowed a tiny smirk to flash across his features. "A valid observation, slayer. You could even be correct. Without the proper control to use its power perfectly, challenging someone of my fighting standards would be suicide. It would be far wiser for it to target something weaker.. something that is less likely to put up a fight."

"Wait wait wait," she waved her hands to silence him, "We don't even know what this thing is! We can't just automatically assume that it's going to make an attempt on lives for no apparent reason! We don't even know what it is, never mind what it wants!"

His smirk turned into a frown as his eyes hardened. "You disappoint me human. How can you be so blind to not see this as a threat to you and your loved ones? This creature, whatever it is, is both powerful and dangerous. Continuing without caution would be foolish, and turning a blind eye to those you hold dear would be equally foolish, for if this creature possesses any kind of intelligence.. it will not hesitate to target them to get to you."

"So what you're saying is... you think this thing will target someone who's weak and vulnerable.. someone who can't protect themselves at this moment in time.. Someone like... _Miroku and Kohaku_!"

Sango's expression transformed into one of sheer panic at the realization, and she turned and ran back in the direction she had came as fast as she could, her weapon held high above her head in attack formation.

Sesshomaru tilted his head to the side as he watched her rapidly retreating form soon vanish into the distance, back to her beloved monk and brother. Foolish humans and their equally foolish emotions. Weakness.. Sheer utter weakness.. Such weakness humans possessed. Allowing their emotions to cloud their judgement, to block all rational thought from their minds. How incredibly... human.

Letting his eyelids slide closed, he turned and made his way over to the broken doorway of Komatsu's castle, his cream fur pelt blowing in the wind behind him like a single wing. Making him look like an angel that showed the potential to fly, but considered the consequences of soaring high over a world of pain and ruin. There was nothing to see from up in the sky, nothing other than death and a reminder that everything comes to an end. What Hanyuu must have seen from up there, high above the clouds. What suffering she must have seen below, what sorrow. It was a wonder that she didn't go mad from helplessness.. from the feeling of being so unable to do anything to change the inevitable outcome of the world.

In his thoughts of impossible auras and a sword that could save a hundred lives with one mighty swing, Sesshomaru wandered through the fallen castle and allowed his thoughts to wander to the broken Inuyasha. The pathetic little half demon that had allowed his human side to swallow him and drown him in the overwhelming despair.

"Is this it little brother?" he whispered, his voice catching on the breeze for the wind to carry his message, "Is this enough to break your foolish human heart and wreck your once mighty will? Is this... you finally admitting _defeat_?"

* * *

><p>A silver haired half demon bounded through a world of continuous twinkling lights, running without rest or thought, all for the sake of a human girl from the future.<p>

The surroundings warped occasionally, changing into different scenes and moments.. moments to live for.. moments that Inuyasha wanted to fight for. He would not give up. He would never give up. Never surrender to the unlikelihood that he would succeed, for he was through thinking like that. His will had returned, and it had chime back fiercer than before. So fierce that if it could be seen by the naked eye, it would probably bare its fangs viciously. He was even acting on his demon side, allowing its power to flood into his veins and grant him speed like never before. If Sesshomaru could see him, he would be proud.

Inuyasha believed now.

He fought on.

He was _unstoppable._

When a human grows so determined, so desperate to succeed.. it becomes impossible for them to fail. And when a demon vows to reclaim what is his.. not even hell could stand in its way of reclaiming that it desired. And as Inuyasha ran with his heart open and his senses alert, he felt as if he was running along side his father, finally having reached that impossible level of power. Power wasn't just about brute strength or not showing weakness, it was about sheer will and emotion, truly believing in one's abilities.

"Kagome..." her name rolled off his tongue again, "I swear.. I will.. _find you!_ KAGOME!" He called out into the emptiness, the lights flickering again as his speed increased.

His hair blew behind him like a curtain of silver, and his scarlet haori flapped at his sleeves like flames. His eyes burned like two suns, filled with hot molten determination. The fire had been stoked, and there was no extinguishing it now.

Suddenly, the lights stopped deadly still, as did Inuyasha when he discovered that his legs were stuck like glue. Silence enveloped him as his ears twitched fiercely, his fists balling tightly as he scowled. He sucked in a big pocket of air and opened his mouth, baring his fangs at whatever dared to get in his way, just as his inner demon was doing.

"KAGOMEEE!"

A bright white-yellow light materialized a few feet away from him, and hovered in the midst of the blue and green lights that surrounded. The intense yellow orb fizzed as Inuyasha gazed at it, before it slowly began to come apart, the pieces of light drifting off from the orb to reveal a figure standing in its place. A figure that made Inuyasha's human heart nearly stop, and his demon practically purr.

Gold met bronze in a fierce ignition of flames, and Inuyasha felt his breath hitch in his throat. Soft ebony locks fell above the two brown orbs that were locked with his gold ones, and more thick tresses spilled down the figure's shoulders. She wore a gentle smile on her face, greatly complimented by the joyous flicker in her cocoa eyes. She wore foreign looking clothes, a baggy white haori with a red ribbon tied at the front, and a ridiculously short green garment that only just covered her lower half.

The way he remembered her... The way he would _always_ remember her.

Inuyasha only realized that he had forgotten to breathe when he felt the need to take a sharp intake of air to fill his lungs. His hand reached out on its own.. out towards the girl with the bouncy raven hair and the bright brown eyes. She copied his action, unfolding her hand out to him, her gentle smile still on her face as she silently beckoned him to her.

"...Ka..gome." he choked.

Unable to take the stillness and silence surrounding him, Inuyasha broke free from the invisible force that held him in place and rushed over to his wife. He crashed into her and threw his arms around her tiny figure, pulling her into him as tightly as he could, shaking as he buried his face in the midnight crown of her head. Her arms came up and snaked around his ribs, pulling him down closer to her so that she could rest her head in the crook of his neck, nuzzling her nose against his tanned skin.

Inuyasha grabbed a handful of silky dark hair and held her firmly by the back of her head as he breathed in her sweet scent of roses and vanilla. As she melted into him, he began to feel tears burning behind his eyes as he held her to him.. where she belonged... where she had always belonged.

"Inuya..sha.." she murmured into his neck, "I can't- I can't breathe."

He loosened his hold on her slightly but refused to fully let go of her. He would never let her go. Never. She was his, back where she belonged, and he was going to make sure that she stayed there.

He felt her smile against his collar as she stroked the back of his shoulder. "I guess you missed me huh?"

A silly grin formed on his face and he murmured into her hair, "...'_Missed_'.. is a fucking understatement. You goddamned troublesome wench."

He slowly pulled back but kept his arms fixed tightly on her shoulders, as if he was afraid that if he let go, she would disappear.. which he was afraid of. He gazed down at her bright expression so filled of life and couldn't help the soft sigh that escaped him. His clawed hand cupped her cheek and he brushed his fingers over her soft skin, watching as her eyes drifted closed and she fisted her hands in the material at the front of his kimono.

"You sure took your time coming to find me this time," she whispered with still closed eyes, "I was starting to think that you'd never come."

His other hand came up to cup her opposite cheek and she opened her eyes. He pressed his forehead onto hers and stared into her vibrant chocolate orbs. "Now you listen and listen good. I would never, _never _give up on you Kagome. Never. Even if it took me over a hundred years of searching, I'd definitely find you eventually. Eventually..."

Her eyes flickered with wetness as she smiled weakly. "Over a hundred years? Wow, that's quite a lot you know. Would you really search that long for a clumsy human girl from five hundred years in the future? Would you really wait that long?"

"If I had to... I'd wait those five hundred years.. all the way to your time... and I _would_ find you." he spoke firmly, the finality clear in his voice, "There's no escape from me Kagome, you should know that by now."

She smiled again and her cheeks tinted pink. "Yeah.. I guess I should by now. I'd just worry that after all your waiting.. after all your loneliness... I wouldn't be enough-"

She was cut short by Inuyasha leaning down and pressing his lips onto hers firmly, and his hands catching the tears that rolled down her frozen cheeks. When he pulled away, he looked deep into her eyes and whispered in an uncharacteristically soft tone, a tone he only ever used with her.

"You're more than enough Kagome. So much more. You always will be so much more than someone like me could ever wish for... God do you even know how damn greatful I am to Kikyo for pinning me to a tree so you could trot by half a century later and free my sorry ass? You taught my a hell of a lot after that too, things about friendship and touchy feely shit. If it weren't for you... I'd still be that lonely hated half breed that no one wanted to be around, so lonely that I clung to anything and anyone that would tolerate me, even if it was a demon's natural enemy - a priestess."

Kagome's eyes flickered with emotion as the tears wobbled in them, as she waited for him to finish his long statement. He closed his eyes again and sighed, rubbing his nose against hers lovingly.

"I love you, you stupid wench." he finally said, "Don't you ever forget that... I'll always love you, even if you go and pin me to a tree with a sealing arrow or whatever... _Always_. Okay?"

Kagome tightened her hold as she began to sob openly and shamelessly, tears leaking down her cheeks with a snotty nose. She was sure that she must have been far from a pretty sight right now, not what Inuyasha had been expecting after finally having found her soul, but she just couldn't stop the tears from falling. She crashed her head into the hard wall of his chest and wept into the comforting red cloth, his hands rubbing the back of her head and back carefully.

Inuyasha rested his chin on top of her head and stroked her raven curls, relishing in the way they felt between his fingers - soft and silky, just like he remembered them. It had took a lot for him to open up and broadcast his feelings like that, all mushy crap that he wasn't overly fond of. But right now, it was what he needed to do. Kagome needed to hear him say those words. Needed to hear the voice of his heart, if he was to successfully bind her soul to the world of the living.

'Screw the Tenseiga right now' was what he thought as he summoned all of his aura and enveloped Kagome in its deep red hue, filling her with its warmth and energy. He took a glance down at her gummy face and smirked.

"Ready to get out of this weird sparkly shit hole?" he asked.

She nodded with a sniff and wiped her nose, "You bet."

* * *

><p>Rin blinked down at the suddenly silent baby boy in her arms, her face lined with surprise. Tsubasa's bright brown eyes were huge and unblinking as the little infant's gaze remained glued to his father's trance like state, still glowing with his own red aura. It was then that the little boy's tiny hand reached out all on its own and made a grab for his father's shoulder. However, since his arms were so short, they were unable to reach Inuyasha, and he began to wail again in a pathetic despair.<p>

"Hey now, shh." Rin cooed softly, rocking him in her arms in an attempt to calm him, a futile attempt since it only succeeded in making him cry harder.

He struggled in her grasp and flailed around wildly, kicking and screaming for his father. And then... his body pulsed and a bright green light shone from his chest, enveloping the baby with its harsh green hue. The light intensified as it mixed with Inuyasha's aura, and fizzed loudly in a collision of energy. Yellow light flooded from Kagome all of a sudden, joining the red and green swirling around the hut, filling it with spiritual and demonic energy. Inuyasha's eyes snapped open to reveal the deep red demonic orbs as his energy flared considerably. Tsubasa's crying ceased at the awakening of his father, and his green aura flickered mysteriously.

Mere seconds later, Kagome's eyes shot open to reveal two crisp golden abyss's, glinting away with the yellow aura and her pupils shrunk so that they were virtually invisible in the sea of gold. Her consciousness came soon after the soft brown returned to her eyes, replacing the mystic gold, and she experienced the feeling that she had just awoken from some kind of a dream. A dream in which all she remembered were three auras mixing together in harmony, feeding off one another to gain more strength... three auras, red, yellow and green... but there was also that magical _purple flurry _too, darting in between the other energies like a bird flying through tree branches. And then... it was gone.

"Inuyasha!" Kikyo called, unclasping her hands as the pink spiritual glow in her palms died out and she crawled over to him. "Did you succeed? Kagome's aura just pulled itself out of my grasp so I am no longer able to keep her condition stable? Did you find her!?"

The red in Inuyasha's eyes wobbled before slowly dissolving back into their usual warm gold. He blinked before turning his head to her and pulling back his strong red demonic aura, and shot her a toothy grin, a reaction she had not been expecting at all.

"..Why don't you see for yourself?" he grinned.

Kikyo's eyes widened slightly at his comment and she turned her gaze down to Kagome, the yellow glow slowly sinking back into the girl's chest. The energy wove around the hideous gash that had torn all the way through to her insides, settling into the corrupted flesh and slowly began healing the broken tissue particles. Golden streams sunk deep into the wound and closed it over, sealing the slot closed with no evidence left behind in their wake. The gentle mellow light soon disappeared as Kagome's once still form sucked in a deep intake of breath, her entire body arching up with one mighty jolt as she flung her chest up. When her body calmed itself, she started to have a small coughing fit, her eyes still squeezed tightly shut as beads of sweat ran down her forehead.

Shippo sat wide eyed, tears shimmering in their vast green depths as the little fox kept his gaze glued to the human priestess that meant so much to him. His tail twitched in anticipation as Jaken dropped his staff in his frozen state, it falling onto the wooden floor with a loud clang. Rin's mouth was hanging open and she was so in shock that she did not notice Tsubasa's further struggling to escape her hold, in fact she was so distracted that he managed to worm himself out of her arms and fell flat on his face due to his lack of strength. He then let off a loud shriek and the tears soon followed, soaking his cheeks and the floor his face was planted on, and his wails were loud and clear.

Inuyasha pulled his gaze away from the stirring Kagome and looked down at the pathetically shrieking little boy on the floor before him, and beat Rin to the baby, scooping him up in his arms and resting him in a cradle he had made with his arms. "Shut up ya noisy little whelp!" he snapped in a slightly clipped tone that one could dare call a little gentle, "Quit your bawlin' and look down at your mother for a sec!"

Tsubasa quietened almost immediately as his tiny body was turned in a position that his gaze met the frail coughing form of his mother laid on the futon, drenched in her own sweat. His big brown eyes blinked twice before he laid back and rested his head against the hard yet comforting wall of his father's chest. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at the boy's swift mood swing and shrugged it off, he too returning his gaze to Kagome. Unaware that he had just rested his chin on the soft top of Tsubasa's head.

Kaede shot Kikyo a brief glance before placing her old palm on Kagome's sweaty forehead, a silence enveloping the hut for several minutes as the old priestess concentrated. After a while, Kaede withdrew her hand and looked at her sister again. Kikyo took the hint and too pressed her fingers to Kagome's head, the only difference being that her palm glowed a bright pink, unlike Kaede's had. Kikyo pulled her hand away and released the breath that she had been holding, turning her gaze to Inuyasha and staring at him in an odd manner.

He frowned at the look in her eyes, "What? Whatcha lookin' at me like that for? I ain't any good at that silent communication thing you and Sesshomaru've got goin', so if you got something to say, just say it!" he snapped, unconsciously bouncing Tsubasa on his lap, the little infant making queer noises that indicated his obvious entertainment.

Kikyo sighed heavily and looked at him again, this time a small smile gracing her lips as her eyes filled with a strange look of _relief_. She opened her mouth to speak, and the words came out slowly, "Inuyasha... Kagome is going to be... _fine_."

Inuyasha opened his mouth, only to have to lick his dry lips soon afterward to moisten them. Finally, his childish grin returned to his face as he gazed down at the heavily breathing Kagome with eyes filled with relief and.. pride. "What did I tell ya? ...I did it." he said to himself more than anyone, "I actually managed to... get to her in time."

Tsubasa looked up at him with big blinking eyes and opened his mouth, showing his plain gums where teeth had yet to sprout. He moved his arms up and touched Inuyasha's cheeks, scraping his blunt human fingernails across the half demon's skin. Inuyasha stared down at the little boy, gold eyes filled with surprise and joy. He moved his clawed hand and grasped on of his son's tiny flailing hands in it, giving it a very gentle squeeze of gratitude - gratitude to the infant's silent intention to provide comfort. The warmth in his golden suns flickered and spread throughout Tsubasa's body, filling the baby with a strange sensation of acceptance and happiness.

Kikyo watched this, her smile widening uncharacteristically at the display of affection being shown between father and son. This.. this was what she had wanted for Inuyasha. This was what he deserved after all the hardships he had faced in his past, most of them being her own fault. This... this was what he had fought so hard to gain. After losing Hanyuu, Tsubasa was his second chance to prove himself to... well _himself_.

"..Inuya-...Inu.."

Everyone's eyes instantly shot in the direction of the cracked voice, to be greeted by Kagome's twitching eyelids and struggling frown stretched across her face. Inuyasha clasped his son's tiny hand a little tighter as he lowered his head to look at his wife closer. Her mouth opened occasionally as she uttered parts of his name in croaks. He balanced Tsubasa in his lap and then reached out his free hand to cover Kagome's with it. He stared down at her with burning orbs of gold, and waited.

"Inu... yasha.."

"God Kagome, if you're gonna call out for me in your sleep then at least say my name right and not in parts." he teased, his eyes flickering with determination and mischeif, "You sure are a lazy wench, oversleepin' like this."

Kagome's eyelids twitched again before they slowly fluttered open, revealing the warm brown hiding beneath. She groaned loudly as she tried to focus her blurry vision, shifting in the futon once again. She didn't however, miss Inuyasha's next sly remark.

"Gee I'da thought that all these days livin' in this era woulda done somethin' to improve your lazy streak. Had it easy with your cushy life back in your time, didn't ya? But maybe you still aren't built as tough as me, you weak meatbag."

"...Watch it.." was her barely audible mumble as she met his gaze. Her eyes were laid back and sleepy, yet they screamed challenge and defiance - the eyes of his Kagome. "Watch it.. or I'll... say the word."

Inuyasha suddenly began to chuckle as he bounced Tsubasa on his lap once again. "Feel free, just remember I'm holdin' this little squirt and he'll probably come down with me if I fall." he teased, "Wouldn't want that now.. would we?"

The light in her eyes increased slightly as a smile broke out on her face. She pulled the covers up to her nose and breathed in their strong scent deeply, only to then realise they stunk of some foul metallic substance... possibly having something to do with the dark red liquid that had stained the white sheets. Turning her gaze back to one very arrogant looking half demon who held a baby human boy on his lap, with eyes lined with gold and amusement at her silence.

"...Shut up." was the best come back she could manage as she shifted her gaze down to the evidently happy, bouncing baby boy. She laughed in a muffled tone at his giddy expression and smiled softly. "You sure are a lively one aren't you?" she cooed, catching the infant's attention as he made a loud gurgling sound, "Who's a happy little boy?"

Tsubasa gurgled even more loudly and squealed in delight as Inuyasha bounced him up and down more. Kagome's hand slowly reached out, with apparent difficulty, and lightly stroked the baby's right cheek. He made a popping sound with his lips and wiggled in his father's lap.

Inuyasha watched the gentle caress that Kagome was giving the boy's cheek, and his eyes softened further, the gold transforming into a gentle runny honey colour. Still stroking her son's cheek, Kagome looked up to meet Inuyasha's gaze and smiled at him.

"..What's his name? Or weren't you able to decide on that yet?.."

"I uh.." Inuyasha muttered sheepishly, "It's... Tsubasa.."

Her smile seemed to widen at this as she stroked her son's cheek again, "Tsubasa.. That's a nice name for you isn't it? Pretty handsome sounding too.. You're gonna grow up to be just as good looking as your daddy, I bet.."

A faint blush tinted Inuyasha's cheeks at Kagome's comment and he failed to suppress his flattered grin. Kagome saw his flustered face and laughed lightly, as did the others in the hut. When he eventually met her gaze, she flashed him her small heart stealing smile that filled him with warmth. A small smile formed on his face at this action, and he reached out and laced his fingers though hers.

Inuyasha - the half demon that fought for the life of his little priestess from the future, and waited for her to reawaken. The half demon that stared death in the eye.. and spat in its face.

* * *

><p><strong>Yaaaay! Kagome is a-okay! Looks like they didn't need Tenseiga this time, I wonder why ;) You'll have to wait to find out. Bonding between Inu and Tsubasa there, I love a bit of daddychild moments, since we probably won't be getting many more of them from Hanyuu... or will we?**

**In the next chapter we go and see what Hojo and Tomoyo are doing, the newly blue eyed Akane and Yuki, as well as Shun's little group that are still sneaking around Komatsu's castle looking for Hanyuu (they sure have missed out on a lot of things haven't they?).**

**Don't forget to review! I'll see you next time! ~Happy**


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