InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Light in Guiding Darkness ❯ The Sword of Life in the Hands of the Miko! ( Chapter 9 )

Disclaimer: I wish I had some kind of cool rhyme or something, but I don't. Besides, you guys know I don't own it. So piss on that you nutz-o lawyers! Dark Neko-chan has drawn another picture (and on her busy schedule too!) It's on the A Single Spark site if you're curious, which you should be. It's a great picture of Kagome and her 'protector'. Oh, but on with the fic!

Chapter Nine: The Sword of Life in the Hands of the Miko!

Kagome stopped instantly, wondering at the creature's sanity as he whispered to himself. 'Maybe this is my chance,' she thought as she crept toward the forest unnoticed. 'He's out of it so…' She turned on her heels and bolted, her hair streaming behind her as she fled through the dark forest.

Raphael was beside himself and honestly didn't know what to do. 'I knew the other vampire wouldn't hurt her, but this one-' He glanced back at a growl and watched as the silver haired vampire stood up and leapt to the sky.

'That can't be good.'

'My lady, you must go faster,' Raphael pleaded. The menacing aura swirled around them, dark clouds of black miasma choking the breath from Kagome.

"I can't…breathe…" she gasped as she stumbled over knotted roots and fallen tree limbs. "Raphael…"

'Please, go faster,' Raphael urged as he began to flap his wings. 'I'll clear the air for you, but you must not da-'

The earth exploded ahead of them, and Kagome shrieked as she and various debris went flying. Raphael could only watch as Kagome sailed through the air to land in a nearby bush. She struggled to get out, Raphael wincing as thorns ripped through the fabric of Kagome's kimono.

She finally stumbled out, her hair in disarray and her clothes ripped in places as she glared ahead of her. The moon shone down on her assailant, the furry ears and white hair she found to be cute in the fading daylight quickly becoming menacing and frightening as they glowed in the darkness.

"You're going no where."

"I don't understand," Kagome said as she once again attempted to avoid him. This time Inuyasha traced her steps, following each one she made with two of his own. "What do you want with me?"

"I don't want you," Inuyasha replied with a fanged smirk. "Though I wouldn't mind a…taste. Someone else wants me to bring you to him."

"No," Kagome shook her head. "I'm not going." She raised her bow defiantly, her arrow nocked, glowing and ready as she finally stood her ground. "No more running."

'Look at her,' Inuyasha's curse snarled as he stalked her. 'So pure, so powerful. She's more powerful than Kikyou ever was…'

"Yes," Inuyasha hissed, his crimson eyes clashing darkly with her multi-toned orbs.

'Her blood must be especially sweet. Why let Naraku have her? Why not take her for yourself?'

'Yes…'

'Taste her blood…'

'Yes…'

'Drink her dry…'

'Yes…'

'Make her yours. No other should have such power…'

Before he could blink, or think, Inuyasha dashed across the clearing in the blink of an eye, his hand wrapped around Kagome's throat as he hoisted her into the air. He knocked her head once, twice, three times into the trunk of a tree before brutally shaking her and opening his hand. Kagome slumped to the forest floor, her vision swimming as he loomed over her with a wicked grin.

"You belong to me now," he smirked as he licked faint remnants of her blood from the tips of his claws. "Forget Naraku. He can have the bitch."

Raphael watched, mortified as the hanyou kneeled down and grasped Kagome by her right arm. Her jerked Kagome up roughly, his claws making faint red lines along her skin as she hung there like a limp doll. Inuyasha gripped her by the chin and held her face to his, close enough so that his once existent breath could dance over her face. "Are you sleeping now?" he mocked before swiftly backhanding her. A large dark purple bruise flared on her cheek momentarily, then faded until nothing was left but a tiny red welt.

"I just knew there was something special about you," he growled before licking the side of her face. Her blood sizzled on his tongue, the slight taste of her innocence and purity intoxicating him into dropping his guard.

"Yes…Naraku doesn't deserve-OW!!!!" he yowled when her entire arm blazed purple, smoke curling from the fingers holding her. He dropped her and held his hand, once again sending her plummeting to the grass below.

Kagome quickly scurried away from him, her blind momentum causing her to run backwards into a nearby tree. Inuyasha held his still-smoking hand, his eyes glowing an unholy light as he glared at her through his bangs.

"You bitch!" he snarled viciously. Kagome flinched as if she'd been slapped, her life playing before her eyes when she spied her bow on Inuyasha's side of the clearing, all of her arrows scattered to the four winds.

'Help us Heavenly Father,' Raphael prayed as Kagome closed her eyes.

"Great Kami-sama, I'm ready," Kagome whispered as Inuyasha rushed toward her, his claws extended and glowing a fierce yellow. "I'm not afraid."

Raphael smiled down on her, his admiration for the girl growing by leaps and bounds before glancing toward the sky above. Kagome looked up as well, Inuyasha forgotten as she stood up and looked to the stars.

'Do you feel that?' she asked her ever-present guardian.

'Hai my lady. I do.'

Another aura approached them, this one surrounded by a powerful but benevolent youki, completely different from the dark youki surrounding her now.

'What is it?'

'I do not…wait!' Raphael sang out, finally realizing exactly what was coming to them. 'It's coming this way Kagome! Reach for it!'

Kagome did as she was told, turning completely away from Inuyasha as she reached up and toward her prize. Inuyasha snarled, his eyes narrowing angrily at being ignored. "How dare you take your eyes off me? I'll show you you little wench!"

He leapt forward just as a blinding shaft of light settled in Kagome's hands. She closed her eyes when her fingers wrapped around what felt like leather straps around something solid, like metal or wood. A comforting feeling flooded through her and she dropped to her knees just as Inuyasha's hand sliced through the air. He missed by mere centimeters, his claws melting away a few strands of hair.

Inuyasha looked down, his eyes wide and disbelieving as she spun on her heels and impaled him with the shaft. She never looked up at him, her lowered head the last thing he saw before falling into the darkness that awaited him. Kagome slumped down beneath him, her right hand still grasping the mysterious light as she drifted away.

Shippou fell from the tree tops soon after, his keen ears listening to the sounds of not one, but two heartbeats as they dozed unawares. He watched as the light faded from existence, leaving Kagome with a sword or katana of some sort. 'This would be a great prize,' he thought as he greedily eyed the bright saya. 'Definitely worthy of the prince of thieves.' He reached out for it, his fingertips barely grazing the strong sheath when the sudden shock of youki and a jolt of pain to the back of his head sent him reeling. He collapsed immediately afterwards.

Raphael stood by, an amused smirk on his face as Aragon jumped from the same treetops Shippou came from just moments before. "Well, well, well," he heard Aragon sigh as he stood over the three. "Would you look? Sleeping like babes. How adorable." He sighed again and went to work, first grabbing Inuyasha's ankles and dragging him off of Kagome's legs before grasping Shippou by the base of his tail and outright hauling him away from the unconscious girl.

"Now let's see…" Aragon glanced around, his green eyes sparkling mischievously in the moonlight. "Oh yes. I know what to do now. You're first Chorizon. Don't you feel lucky?"

><

Sesshoumaru chucked the mirror away from him, watching as it sliced through the air and clocked Jaken upside the head.

"Ow…" Jaken sniveled as he rubbed the reddish bump on his head. "My lord, what did I do?"

"You didn't do anything," Kanna replied while Sesshoumaru growled in the background. "Sesshoumaru is just bad tempered. What's wrong Sesshoumaru?"

'That…conniving…deceitful…bastard..-'

"Hanyou?" Kanna offered with a smile. It faded when he turned around, his normally golden eyes glowing a hateful red as he turned on her.

"Shut up apparition," he snarled from the other side of the platform. "And how many times must you be told to stay out of this Sesshoumaru's thoughts?"

"I was only trying to help," Kanna answered with an appeasing bow. "What's wrong?" she asked as she picked up her mirror and crossed the plain toward him. "I thought you'd be happy."

"Happy?" Sesshoumaru snapped before his eyes returned to normal. "Why would I be happy? That filthy hanyou touched what belongs to me!"

"Sesshoumaru-"

"Imagine the nerve of that little halfwit!" Sesshoumaru raged on, his hands fisted at his sides and his claws digging into his palms. "He will regret this day, of that I can assure you."

"Sesshoumaru?" Kanna tried again, this time pulling on the edge of his dark haori sleeve.

"I will tear him limb from limb-"

"Sesshoumaru?"

"…his blood will soak the four lands-"

"Sesshoumaru?"

"…how dare he threaten what's mine!"

"SESSHOUMARU!!!!"

Sesshoumaru's mouth shut with an audible click before he looked down at her, his golden eyes piercing as he arched a dark brow.

"Sesshoumaru, do you remember what we discussed when I first showed you the miko?"

Sesshoumaru thought a moment, his mouth pursing slightly as he looked up and to his right side. "What of it?" he finally said.

"Did you not ask about being able to speak to her?"

"Yes."

Kanna held up the mirror, her index finger lightly tapping Kagome's image. "Do you remember what I said about that?"

"Yes…" Sesshoumaru growled in frustration, but humored her. "You said that she would have to have something of mine."

"And just what do you think that is in her hand?" Kanna quipped snidely. Sesshoumaru raised his hand to strike her, but at the last second grabbed the mirror instead. He peered into it and recognized the sword on the other side. "Is that…?"

Kanna nodded. "You can speak to her in her sleep. All you have to do is touch her image."

Sesshoumaru nodded in understanding, his index and middle finger lightly tracing Kagome's form on the glass surface. The glass shifted, melted into a liquid and oozed up his fingers. The silver metal flowed over his arm to his extremities and Sesshoumaru vanished in one bright flash of light.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken squawked, rushing toward Kanna as she reached out and caught her mirror. "Where's Sesshoumaru-sama you witch!" Jaken demanded as he swung the Staff of Heads. Kanna chuckled lightly and gazed into the mirror.

"Don't worry your little green head," Kanna said as Kagome tossed in her sleep. "Sesshoumaru will be right back."

><

"My lady?"

Kikyou looked up from her reading, her expression less than pleased as she glared at the human sentry in front of her. "Yes? What is it?"

"Um…I-Inuyasha-sempai has ret-turned," he suffered with an unsteady bow. Kikyou shrugged and returned to her book.

"What does that have to do with me?" she asked when the guard remained standing.

"H-he looks like he's h-hurt."

"What?" Kikyou stood up and quickly left the room, the sentry scrambling to keep up with the quicker being as she stormed down the hallway to Inuyasha's room.

'It's not possible,' Kikyou told herself as she neared Inuyasha's room. 'Nothing on this earth could touch him now, especially with his brother gone. The guard must have been wrong. Worthless human.' She frowned suddenly, her thoughts becoming negative as she rounded a corner.

'What if he is hurt?' she asked herself. 'How am I supposed to overthrow Naraku if my only lapdog is out of commissio-'

"Kikyou…"

Kikyou glanced to the side as Naraku approached her. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"A guard informed me of Inuyasha's return to the fortress. Is this true?"

Naraku sniffed a moment, his nostrils twitching before he nodded. "Yes, he's here but…he doesn't smell right."

"How so?" Kikyou asked as Naraku made his way to Inuyasha's room. He threw the door open and scanned the room, his eyes falling on Inuyasha as he exited the bathroom. He gaped in open mouthed shock, one hand grasping the towel around his waist and another holding the towel wrapped around his head.

"GAH!" he yelled in surprise, then shook it off and glared at them as Kikyou pushed her way inside. "Can I help you two…three?" he raised a brow at the frightened sentry.

"I heard you returned," Naraku began as he shoved Kikyou and the human guard outside and closed the door in their faces. "I was also told that you were injured. Is that so?"

"No," Inuyasha said with a shake of his head. "I'm fine."

"Then what happened and why are you here?"

"Well…" Inuyasha frowned thoughtfully and sat down on his bed. "I'm not entirely sure. I was in the woods near where the Northern wolf tribe used to be when I sensed this miko aura. I went to investigate it and…I don't remember much else. I don't even remember how I got back."

"I see." Naraku nodded in acceptance and stood up. "It concerns me that one of my generals would be bested by a mere mortal. I assume that you'll be staying here for the remainder of the search?"

"Er…I guess so. Why?"

"There are more important things that command your attention," Naraku replied nonchalantly. "By the way, what's that smell?"

"What smell?" Inuyasha wondered as he raised his arm and sniffed. "I don't smell anything."

"It's a woodsy smell, like pine needles. Surely you smell it?"

Inuyasha sniffed a little more, then rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah. It's the soap I used. I woke up and decided to take a shower."

"Hmmm…well, I expect you to report to me tomorrow night, understood?"

"Hai Naraku-sama" Inuyasha saluted as Naraku left the room. He grimaced when the door shut and released a soft growl. 'I should have stayed in the field,' Inuyasha thought regretfully as he walked toward a nearby closet. 'Now I have to stay here and listen to Naraku's griping. What a day…'

He tugged on a white dress shirt, leaving the buttons unbuttoned and his chest exposed before rummaging for a pair of pants. 'How did I get back here exactly,' he asked himself. 'I don't remember the run back, though I had to do more than run if I'm back here after a few hours. What happened?'

Inuyasha thought about it a little longer, then dismissed it with a huff. "Forget it," he said aloud as he yanked out a pair of black pants. "I've got better shit to do than worry about that."

He sniffed around, still unable to find the woodsy scent Naraku found as he finished dressing. 'Weird,' he thought as he scratched his side.

Had he bothered to pay attention, he would have seen a thin red welt on the right side of his ribcage and heard his heart beat once before returning to it's centuries-long silence.

><

She watched them as they played, her heart secretly wishing she could join in.

The younger Kagome danced around her older sister, the children happy and giggling as their parents watched from the doorway of their small hut.

'I miss this,' Kagome mused as the smaller version of herself ran past, her sister hot on her heels. They squealed as they tumbled to the grass, their arms wrapped around each other as their parents laughed from the sidelines.

'Why couldn't it have stayed this way?' Kagome wondered as the scene shifted. She saw herself as she was at the beginning of the year, her father and sister practicing their katas as she meditated. A stray wind blew past them, lifting hers and her sister's hair in the breeze as they prepared for their separate occupations.

'What would have been so wrong with living in peace?'

The scene changed again, this time with only herself and her mother six months ago. They stood over a shallow grave near their house, her mother with a handkerchief to her eyes as Kagome held her hand.

"It's a slayer's life," she remembered her mother saying as Kagome placed a single jasmine on the gravesite. "Your father knew the risks, as does your sister." She caressed her swollen belly, a ghost of a smile on her face as she gave it a gentle pat. "There are only four of us now."

'Now I'm by myself…'

The scene changed once again, this time not to one her memories but from her heart's true desire. She sat with her sister, the both of them dressed like simple villagers. Their parents smiled at them from a blanket on the ground, her father's blue eyes shining happily at them as they laughed and joked about various things. Her mother smiled at them, then at a tiny bundle in her arms. Kagome stood from her solitary place and looked at the baby, a beautiful boy with her father's dark hair and her mother's eyes.

'I'm so lonely. I suppose Raphael counts, but nothing could compare to having a voice with a face to talk to-'

"Is this what you do when you sleep?"

Kagome gasped and turned toward the woods behind her. At first all she heard was someone's laughter. It was rich, deep and sensual as it caressed her tattered nerves. "W-Who's there?" she stuttered as she stared into the forest. He laughed again, and for a moment she thought she was dreaming about the day vampire when the air shifted in front of her.

She blinked rapidly, her eyes obviously deceiving her as the silhouette of a man faded in and out of her dream. She walked away from her dream family, her head tilted to the side in confusion as she approached the specter. The flashing stopped when she neared it, the ghost disappearing entirely. Kagome reached out to touch where it was, her fingers jerking back when a bit of white formed above her. The white grew downward, soon becoming a bang of silvery hair. The rest of the body formed around it, revealing someone with long silver hair with a matching tail draped over its shoulder. A black gi with sandaled feet and a white sash were the last items to form.

His face appeared like the Cheshire cat, golden eyes and fanged smirk revealing a male youkai to Kagome's discerning eye. She gasped as magenta stripes slashed across his cheeks.

"I…I know you don't I?"

"I should say so," he muttered sarcastically, a quirked eyebrow revealing a hidden side of the youkai. "You're holding my sword."

"You're…sword?"

He sighed in exasperation, his eyes closing briefly before opening again. "Yes, the Tenseiga. It belongs to this Sesshoumaru." Kagome bit back a laugh, her fingers covering her mouth while he scowled at her. "Just what is so humorous?"

"It's the way you talk," Kagome snickered. "It's so old. You don't actually sound like that do you?"

He sighed again, this time in displeasure as he shook his head. "And to think," he growled. "This Sesshoumaru must depend on you for my revenge."

><

Kagome's eyes snapped open, her pupils dilated as she attempted to adjust to the sudden light.

'Light…Huh?' She turned her head toward a warmth on the right and was pleasantly surprised to find a campfire blazing a few feet away. She sat up slowly, her hand grasping a foreign weight on her chest as she looked around. The forest around her was still dark, the moon a little more on her left than it was when she was knocked out. "What happened?" she mumbled under her breath, one hand rubbing the side of her head as the other rubbed…."What's this…" She held it up, her eyes widening as she lifted the sword in her grasp. On the tip of the hilt was a yellow crescent moon, in a golden hue that left Kagome nostalgic as she gazed on the rest of the sword. The long blade was sheathed inside a red saya, the sharpened edges making a singing sound when she unsheathed it.

"Wow," Kagome breathed, the feeling of warmth, protection and contentment engulfing her like a soft blanket. She stood up, noticing for the first time the yellow sleeping bag she had to climb out of as she sheathed the sword, tied it to her hip and gazed around the campsite. Her quiver, which she just now realized was missing, sat on the opposite side of the fire, along with her bow and pack. Another kimono, this one an exact replica of the ruined one she had on now, was draped over the pack with a note tied to the front in blue ribbon.

"To my dearest Little Chorizon," Kagome read aloud once she rolled up the sleeping bag and crossed the campsite. "By now you should have noticed the presents I've left you. I truly loved your kimono, and found blue to be such an attractive color on you that it pained me to see it so ruined."

'Wow, this guy's a real sweet talker,' Kagome commented with a smile as she read the rest of the note.

"Also, I've replaced your backpack with something a little more…favorable to your current situation. Its weight will never hinder you, and it will hold nearly twice of what a normal pack would.

"By now I'm sure your wondering why one such as myself would aid the likes of you-"

'Oh, you could say something like that.'

"Someday I hope to explain it to you. Until then, I hope this letter finds you safe. P. S. I left another surprise as well."

"What surprise?"

"Oh my head…"

Kagome turned around, one hand grasping her bow as the other quickly retrieved an arrow. She rolled away from the sound and sprung to her feet, her bow nocked and aimed as she peered toward the noise. "Hello? Who's there?"

"Hey," she heard someone shout as the sound of someone pounding on metal resonated through the forest. "Damn it! Let me out of here!"

Kagome crept closer to the sound, her leather boots barely crunching on the summer grass as she approached what appeared to be a cage. It was a few centimeters shorter that her, made of a dark metal with the same material used for the one inch thick bars. A male youkai was crouched inside, his back turned to her as he pulled on the bars. His red tail swished angrily behind him, his ginger-red locks held back by a single green ribbon.

"Damn it! Is anyone there?"

"Hello?"

He whirled around, jade green eyes flashing angrily as he reached for her. Kagome stumbled away, falling backward on her hands as his claws barely nicked the front of her kimono. "Let me out of here you crazy bitch!"

"I'm not a bitch!" Kagome shot back angrily. "And I didn't put you in there in the first place."

"Really?"

Kagome nodded. "Really."

"Oh. Well then." He seemed to deflate on that one, his head lowering sadly before looking up again. "You can still get me out though, right?"

"I don't know," Kagome said as she lowered her weapon. "I mean, you did insult me and all."

"Look, I'm sorry about that," the kitsune quickly apologized as he looked past her to the forest around them. "Could you just get me out of here? There's something coming!"

"What? What's coming?"

His mouth twisted sardonically, and he drummed his claws against the metal floor of his imprisonment. "If I knew that, I'd be psychic. If I were psychic I WOULDN'T BE STUCK IN HERE!!!!"

"Alright," Kagome muttered as she crept closer to the cage. "I get the point. Let me see what I can do." She walked around the cage, the kitsune inside creeping about behind her as she inspected the metal workings. "I don't see a door," she told him.

"That's just great," he groaned, his hand slapping his forehead in frustration.

"Hey, can you boost me up?" Kagome asked as she gripped the upper part of the cage. "I think there may be a way to open it up there."

"Yeah, sure." He stuck his arms through the openings, laced his fingers together and at Kagome's word boosted her on top of the cage.

"Hey!" she chirped seconds later. "I see something!"

"What is it?"

"It's a padlock of some kind," Kagome responded as she weighed the heavy lock in her hands. "But I still don't see a d-" 'Oh wow,' Kagome exhaled as a strong youki flared on the outside of her senses. 'What's that?'

"Come on miko," the kit beneath her muttered as heavy footsteps stomped toward them. "It's coming. Hurry up and let me out of here!"

"Ok, O-" Kagome gasped in surprise when arms wound around her middle and jerked her up, her feet leaving the top of the cage as she flew toward the tree limb above.

'Shh…it's only me,' Raphael whispered in her ear as he settled them on the branch. 'I'm going to help you both but you must be quiet.'

Kagome nodded in acquiescence as his wings shielded her from view. To Kagome, the world suddenly blackened around her and a sliver of fear trickled down her spine before Raphael's comforting voice soothed her.

'I'm still here Kagome. When the time comes for you to see again, have your arrow ready.'

<>

"Hey," Shippou called out as the oni stumbled into the campsite. "Hey miko! Where the hell are ya huh?"

The oni turned to him, and Shippou instantly wished he'd kept his mouth shut from the start. "Holy crap," he exhaled as the slobbering, lumbering beast stumbled toward him. It grabbed the cage between it's giant paws and shook it like a can of worms. Shippou bounced around inside, various bones cracking and snapping as the oni struggled to rip the cage apart.

'Well that's one thing to be grateful for,' he thought as the oni finally dropped him. 'I can't get out and he can't get in. Just where in the hell is that miko?' He quickly scrambled to the back of the cage, barely avoiding the enormous claws that penetrated the spaces between the bars of the cage. The tip of one claw snagged the ribbon in Shippou's hair, it and a bit of red hair quickly extracted from the cage.

"Holy shit! Miko, wherever you are I'm going to kill you for leaving me like this!"

"Do be quiet!" he heard her snap suddenly. Only when her scent flooded the clearing did he realize that it had disappeared and he turned toward her voice at the sound of rustling wings. "I'm trying to aim here!"

The oni growled, then jumped on the cage where Shippou couldn't see. A quick burst of miko ki, then large flakes of gray ash slowly fluttered down around him like tainted snow.

"Miko?"

"I'm fine," Kagome said as she dropped to the ground in front of him. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Hm!" Shippou snorted in insult. He crossed his legs beneath him and his arms over his chest as he looked away from her. "I wasn't scared! I'm not afraid of anything!"

"Sure," Kagome said with a chuckle as she struggled to reach the top of the cage. Shippou was no longer in a helpful mood, so Kagome resorted to using one of her arrows to poke at the lock. "Wait a moment…" she muttered to herself as she struggled. Shippou opened an eye to watch, his gaze somewhat admirable as Kagome kicked the cage in frustration.

'She didn't leave me,' he thought to himself. 'She…stayed. It's been so long since someone else looked after me-wait a second. Yeah right. She probably just wanted to save her own skin.'

"Almost…ha!" Kagome cheered when the tip of her arrow jabbed into the hole in the tiny lock. "Got it!" The lock disintegrated in a flash of pink light and Shippou jumped out as the top of the cage melted open.

"Now that's better!" he crowed as he stretched his sore limbs. Kagome stood by, a gentle smile on her face as he readjusted to freedom. He stood a few inches taller than her 5' 2" frame, coming to what she estimated was 5' 10" in all. He was dressed rather plainly in a pair of brown pants, green tunic with a black vest and boots.

"Oh, here!"

Shippou turned just as she bent over and rummaged through her pack, this one jet black like her hair. "Where is it?" he heard her mumble before she stood up. "A-ha! Here you go!" Kagome pulled a green ribbon from the handle of her brush and handed it to him. She smiled at his questioning stare. "To replace the one you lost."

"Yeah…" He took it hesitantly and pulled his hair back, watching as Kagome set to work. The sun rose in the distance, painting the once dark sky beautiful hues of orange, violet and goldenrod. He fumbled with the bow, making sure not to make it too big before turning to Kagome. She grinned at him from the other side of the campfire, her hands cupped to scoop a little of the loose dirt into the fire.

"Would you like to join me?" Kagome asked out of the blue. Shippou started, his eyes wide as she put out the last of the fire.

"Wh-what?"

"I know we're different, but we're both alone and I'd really love to have someone to talk to. What do you say?" She turned to him, her eyes wide and adoring. "Please? I'd feed you."

"I'm not a pet," Shippou growled absently, but took a little time to consider her offer. 'Hm…if I join her, if only for a little while, then I can repay her for saving my life. Then I can get that cool sword! Plus she said something about food!'

"Sure, I'll join you."

"Great!" Kagome grabbed her pack from the forest floor, returned her quiver to her hip and skipped toward the outer edge of the clearing. "What's your name?"

"I'm Shippou."

"Kagome. Now maybe you can stop calling me miko. Hurry Shippou!" Kagome called over her shoulder. "We've got to get going!"

"Just where are we going exactly?" Shippou asked as he too left the clearing.

"Kyoto!"

"Kyoto? Great…wait a minute! Kagome, that's not a good idea! Kagome!"

Raphael stood by as Shippou ran after her, the teenaged kitsune calling after his charge as a cool breeze blew past him. 'Well that's over,' he said with a relieved sigh.

'And then there were two…'

----

SF: Ooooo….I just love this chapter!

Sesshou: I see that I make an appearance here.

SF: Of course you do! You're going to be a more frequent part of the story now that Kagome has the Tenseiga! I can't wait for the rest of the story!

Kagome: You and me both! What's happening next Silver?

Silver: (he, Sango and Shippou reading through the script for the next chapter) Woah. I don't know if it'll all fit.

SF: Just start talking!

Silver: Alright. Sheesh. Coming up Kagome's sister (who's been forgotten about until now) finally wakes up from the oni attack-hey, how long has it been since that chapter?

Kagome: ….Um, about three, maybe four?

Sango: (shrugs) Anyway, Kagome's sister wakes up to some new visitors-

Shippou: Miroku takes his dreams to someone who can help. It looks like the pervert's dreamed more than what SF's showing-

Silver: And Shippou- (to Shippou) not you Short Man. The Adult Shippou.

Shippou: Crud.

Silver: The adult Shippou teaches Kagome something new. The next chapter in A Light in Guiding Darkness

Chapter Ten: (yay!) A Dream is a Wish or The Slayer's New Clothes!

writerlover101, Crazy_anime chick696, LadyAkina, Kura, Ice-Hime, Row, silverstargazing, evilfire4321, ShadowCat711, Pixy-Misa-Misao-Amano: Thanks for reviewing! Another chapter's on the way!

migele: Now look here! No predicting the story! Shame on you! Hey, I'm just playing. You were right on the mark, but that doesn't mean that the story's almost over. I thought I'd only have to do fourteen chapters or so, but it seems that I've been proven wrong. Don't you hate it when that happens?

Guardian of Life: No problem. My computer acts up too. I checked into that chapter eight thing and I only updated once. Good looking out though. Oh, as for your questions, sorry but Sango's not Kagome's sister. A lot of people thought that, but that's not it. Lots of people thought it was Rin too, but Rin's the little girl that gave Kagome the flower in chapter two. But Kagome's sister is in the next chapter, and you get a clue as to who she is! On top of that, she's going to be revealed in three or so chapters!

NoLabel: Did I do that? I swear that wasn't the intent. Inuyasha's character is a little more complicated, as is Raphael's and Aragon's. What are you confused about? Let me know and I'll gladly explain.

Kagome: Hey, don't tempt me with pictures I can't see! (starts to cry) You know I'm a sucker for pictures. How mean! (sniff) Oh, but anyway, yeah, you're right. Inuyasha is sorta dead in this fic. Oh well. I forgot about that too. Glad the story didn't or else it wouldn't make sense. Hopefully this chapter is more to your liking.

DarkPyroPlanet: Miroku notices a lot more than tears and bloodstains in the next chapter. Poor Miroku. I actually feel sorry for the hentai. Oh well. I'm pretty sure some lucky female will come along and give him the smacking he'll more than likely deserve. He's a real sweetie in The Breaking Point though. I wonder why that happened? Oh well. I'm going to have to make him do something stupid so he can return to normal. It's really sad about Sango and Miroku though, but I'm sure that a happy ending can be arranged for them.

Father Malvado: Yeah, dads can be like that. My pops loses things all the time, and we're constantly searching for them. We've solved the problem though. See, if he's a constant forgetful then what you do is set up a jar so that every time he looses something he has to put money in the jar. When the jar's full, the has to treat the family to something. Trust me, after going to two theme parks, a skate park and buying me a new archery set (I set up my own jar) he slowed his forgetfulness to a near stop. It's too bad too. I need a new string. Oh well. Oh, but you saw through me, like always. The last chapter was a placeholder for this one. I'm so ashamed!

BelleDayNight: (blush) Thanks. I've never been called addictive before...or at least not my writing. Hey, but that's cool cause I'm addicted to yours! We can bum off each other. Oh and in this chapter you get your wish! (And just between you and me, Kouga's going to be in this story too, even if he's not in Jeffs!)

phoenix: I know, I do that all the time. Cliffhangers just seem to work with me. I tried not to this week, but I broke that with The Breaking Point. Oh well. I tried. Hey, don't let Sesshoumaru talk to you like that! A lot of people thought it was Sango. There are going to be a couple of shocked faces when everyone finds out who it is! I can't wait!

KouseiJL: Sorry, no ear tweaking in this chapter. We'll have to see what we can do for the other chapters. Chorizon is what Aragon calls Kagome. It's because of her eyes. See, Aragon knows a lot more than anyone is willing to guess and out of all the vampires in the story he just happens to be the oldest. (other than Vlad, and Vlad's dead so...) You're temper tantrum is here (sort of) but the good news is that Jaken got clocked! I just love it when that happens! No prob. You take your time. You never know. I might answer a few questions for you and not know it! Thanks for the wine. Oh, and I know who the lush is. Some dog demons can't sit beside a bottle of whisky without loosing their ever-loving minds.

Tokia: Nope, but don't feel bad. Kagome's sister is coming. Sango and Miroku's situation will change, but not before a lot happens in the story. Maybe you should throw Vegeta and Sesshou into the basement. The scarbs are going to get hungry with just Vegeta's short behind in there. Give them a dog to chew on.

BlueDove: Yeah, but no problem. I don't mind. Aragon calls Kagome Chorizon because of her eyes. It's Biblical for mystery. So Little Chorizon (which is what he normally calls her) means Little Mystery.

Fire Phoenix: Aragon sensed Shippou, but Shippou moved before Aragon could think of him as a threat. Shippou is much older in this fic. Shippou was a child in the Feudal Era. It's at least fifty years until the Modern Era in this fic's timeframe. You know what, you're right. She is surrounded by a lot of guys! Gah Kagome, share the wealth! At least Silver's not chasing after her. I'd really be pissed then. No one seduces my cousin! Oh, but anyway...You drew a picture? That's great! Of course I want to see it! Send me the link once you finish! Just so you know, I've kinda planned what's going to happen, right down to the song that goes with the chapter. Don't hesitate to send me the link though. I can always use an idea!

Kiki Smythe: Inuyasha's eyes turn green when he changes in his full youkai form. When he was turned, his vampire curse and his youkai half bonded to create one separate entity and they took over. That entity is why he's the way he is today. If his eyes go back to gold in the fic, it means a lot more than he's calmed down. A lot of people will have a lot of problems if the amber-eyed Inuyasha ever resurfaces.

Kavfh: Patience is a virtue my friend! Kagome and Sesshoumaru just met! It's going to take a while longer for her to get him. He's going to have to understand the enormous sacrifice she's made to get him. He won't be the same rude tai when she comes for him.

acrimsonnight: It fits really strangely, and it's Sango's destiny to help Kagome with something important. In Jeffs story, Inuyasha killed Sesshoumaru but he never explained how. As far as I can tell, it may have been because of Kikyou's influence. That's what I'm running with. Oh, as for Chorizon, it's Aragon's pet name for Kagome. He started calling her that in the 'Curiosity' chapter, when he caught her and saw her eyes for the first time. Little Chorizon (that's what he originally said) means Little Mystery in Biblical (at least that's what the site said).

tessa3: Did Kyo tell you something he shouldn't have? I hope not! I want to surprise you! I'm going to have to ask him something though. What's got you so confused? I'll be more than happy to help in any way I can. Shippou was a pup in the Feudal Era, and this fifty years before the Modern Era so he's at least a few centuries old. I can't remember exactly. I heard about Kyo's name. Congrats to him.

Dark Neko-chan: Hey, don't cry you two! You're still together, but not in a physical sense. Plus you never know what's up my sleeve...wing...whatever. Anyway, thanks again for the really cool picture! I adore it! It's floating around on my desktop as we speak!