InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ DarkWorld ❯ Near Death ( Chapter 7 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. However, I have a friend who owns 1/124 of it. As for me - nope, nothing, nada. I only write fanfiction, draw fanart, and lay awake at night imagining what could happen if I controlled the wonderful manga or anime. . . Ah, dreams.

Chapter 7: Near Death

They all moved quickly, climbing out of the well. Kagome had climbed onto Inuyasha's back and Hiei looked surprised at the motion. Kagome watched him and Kiori carefully and noted that there seemed to be only a professional relationship between them. They didn't even argue.

Sandira and Kamikimimaru leapt out of the well but the others stayed behind the barrier. Kagome noted that while you couldn't see inside of it, you could see out of it, and she was looking directly up. It was a small view but it was a view. She saw thunder flash across the clouds and a lightning bolt strike. Inuyasha tensed but they knew Sandira and Kimi would be fine; they were lightning-based.

And then Kimi was soaring through the air in their view as though she'd been thrown and she fell into the well. A few feet down she braced herself against the walls of dirt with her feet and one hand.

"Son of a bitch, that hurt!" she hissed. She looked down. "Inuyasha, get up here," she said.

Inuyasha pushed Kagome off him and leapt up, and Sesshomaru was seen at the top before Inuyasha had made it that high.

"You can't leave me here!" Kagome snapped but they were already gone. She crossed her arms and fumed and heard Inuyukio chuckle.

"You do not like being left out of battles?" he asked.

"I don't like being left behind when I can help," she retorted.

"You do not know this."

"I always help, whatever Inuyasha says. He needs me there." She blushed; she hadn't meant to say that, but now she couldn't take it back.

Another bolt of lightning flew above the view of the well and Kagome winced when she heard something slam into the well and Inuyasha yell, "Bastard, you'll pay for that!!"

"Okay that's it," Kagome said. Shouldering her bow she grabbed the vines and started climbing. She flipped her legs over the edge and peeked at the battle over the lip of the well, hiding behind it and taking up her bow. She didn't understand what she was seeing but she could pick out Sandira, Kimi, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, so she knew who to attack.

They were fighting three demons of human form and five of bull form. The bulls were black, spotted in red and blue, and the demons seemed to be triplets, two boys and a girl. They all had waist-length braided green hair and shocking white eyes, narrowed in likeness to Naraku's. All three were decked out in armor and each had a katana in one hand and a shield in the other. They were controlling lightning and flying upon red clouds.

Sesshomaru had drawn Tojikin and Inuyasha had Tetsusaiga, and Sandira was using Lei-Long flawlessly. Kimi was whipping them with her thunder wires, taking on three of the five bulls at once. Two more bulls lay dead at their feet. Kagome stood and aimed an arrow at one of the men's clouds. She shot and it dissolved the cloud, and she ducked down again before they could see her.

"What the fuck are you looking over there for?!" she heard Inuyasha scream. "Kaze no Kizu!! I'm your opponent, over here you bastard!!"

Thank you, Inuyasha, she thought. She huddled close in on herself and waited until she heard the sounds of full-fledged battle before getting up and aiming for the woman's cloud. She shot again but the woman dodged and looked at her. Kagome froze.

The woman's eyes had changed from pure white to a frightening yellow and it made her body stop moving. She was stuck! She couldn't even yell for help!! The woman threw a lightning bolt at her with her katana and Kagome couldn't dodge it. . .

She saw a flash of white block the attack and her body could move again as the woman's eye contact broke. Her knees felt weak and she collapsed. Looking up, she saw what was white. Inuyukio's fur cloak - or maybe it was his tail?

He didn't look hurt and drew a sword. It looked like a katana if not for the curved golden blade with two spikes at the tip. The hilt was silver and he threw an attack right back at the woman with it. The blast that followed was magenta and went jaggedly towards her. The woman screamed and then she was engulfed and gone, and the remaining man was singed by it. He sized up Inuyukio and then retreated.

Don't let him get away, Kagome's mind told her. She got up and rounded the well, drawing an arrow. "Hit it," she told herself and drew the bow. She let go and this arrow went faster than any of her others, striking the demon through the back as she drew another. This one dissolved his cloud and she shot a third, this one going through his back as well.

He hit the ground and then Kagome was knocked to the side and into the air, painfully. She yelped and felt her side, noting the hole and the blood and then looked down. A bull had hit her and she was falling fast. . . .

Inuyukio leapt up and caught her. With one arm he held her against his chest and swung at the bull with his other, sending another magenta stream. The bull snorted and rose up on its hind legs and then it was gone, pink shimmers left behind as the only proof it had once been there.

Kagome fought to sit up straighter and looked over his shoulder, seeing that Kimi had just killed two more bulls, and the last fell at Sandira's sword. Inuyasha had cornered the demon she wounded and Sesshomaru had come to Kimi and was looking her over, and apparently he had killed the first male demon. Kagome didn't notice that Inuyukio was inspecting the gaping hole in her left side until he touched it and she yelped.

His left arm, curved around her back and under her thighs, tensed. She opened her eyes to see that Inuyasha had heard her and was looking at them. Inuyukio turned to face his daughter and counterpart's children. After a moment he started towards the remaining demon and Inuyasha stepped on the demon's arm to keep him from crawling away.

"Who are you?" Inuyukio said, and Kagome shivered at how hard his voice sounded. Caring he may be, but he was still a Lord and now she knew why he was so revered.

The demon laughed and then coughed up blood when Inuyasha stepped on his chest, on her arrow. The wood of the arrow snapped and the demon screamed in pain. "You gonna start talking now?" Inuyasha asked and Kagome marveled at how much he sounded like Inuyukio at that moment.

The demon chuckled. "I am unimportant."

Inuyasha stepped on the other arrow. Considering the two were pointing up, out of his chest, she could hardly believe they weren't hurting his foot, but then Inuyasha was thick-skinned. "Wrong answer and you only get three tries. That's two so far."

The demon shuddered and gritted his teeth. "I am unimportant," he repeated. "I, my brother and sister patrol this area regularly and these bulls were sent as aid. It seems that you cannot escape," he added to Inuyukio. "He will find you wherever you go. You cannot hide. Especially not while caring for a bleeding bitch," the man added and laughed.

Kagome felt Inuyukio's hand jerk under her thighs and then he lifted his sword and then demon quite literally lost his head. His body burst in a show of bright green shimmers and then he was gone.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha, who was already staring at her wound. So much for hiding it from him.

What he said surprised her. "That's where the Sacred Jewel was."

Kagome blinked and then smiled. "Yeah, it was."

"What are you talking about?" Inuyukio asked.

"Oh, you don't know," Kagome said. "Kikyo was burned with the Shikon no Tama in hopes that it wouldn't be brought back but it came back in my body. It was torn out." She shuddered in memory.

"The Shikon no Tama was in your body?"

"Right where this wound is now."

"You will have to explain this."

She nodded.

"First thing we need to stop the bleeding," Inuyasha said.

Inuyukio shook his head. "Naraku knows where we are. We must leave."

"And go where?" Sandira asked.

"Kagome, can you put up barriers?" Kimi asked, stepping closer.

"I. . .I don't know. Kikyo could, but she's not here," Kagome replied.

"We have to treat her wound!" Inuyasha snapped at Inuyukio. "Kagome's human, she needs to be treated!"

"I know what she is," Inuyukio said.

"Stop arguing," Kagome interrupted. She offered Inuyasha a soft look. "You know he's right," her eyes said. "We have to get moving or none of us will make it."

Inuyasha was stubborn. "If she's going anywhere she's goin' with me!" he snapped at Inuyukio.

Kagome blinked and lifted her legs out of Inuyukio's embrace, standing up. She caught the look the Lord gave her and deemed that it meant something along the lines of him missing having to hold someone and unhappy about letting her down. She put little pressure on her left leg and found she couldn't walk. Inuyasha picked her up and headed directly for the well.

He didn't jump down, though. He sat on the edge with Kagome in his lap and shrugged off the looks he got. Inuyukio leapt into the well with Sandira and Kagome heard them talking fast. Within minutes everyone was climbing out with several packs apiece and then Ah-Un lifted through the ground, Inuyukio standing on his back.

Ah-Un groaned at Kimi and tilted one head. Kimi rolled her eyes and made some sort of groaning sound back that Kagome guessed was a dragon's speech. But she'd heard Kimi bark before, so Kimi must have the vocal cords and knowledge to speak both languages. That either made her lucky or cursed, perhaps both.

Ah-Un looked dejected.

Rin and Jaken were also on Ah-Un's back and Inuyukio stepped off and motioned Kagome silently. Kiori came up to her and lifted her shirt so she could see the wound. Kagome swore she heard Inuyasha growl at Kiori but decided she was imagining things due to the pain. Sango's eyes joined in next to Kiori's and Sango looked shocked. She looked in Kagome's eyes and smiled faintly.

"At least it's not life-threatening," she said.

"Oh don't say that, Sango," Kagome replied. "It's bad luck."

Sango covered her mouth and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Kagome-chan. It's just hard to see you hurt and I'm trying not to say anything negative."

Kagome smiled at her. "It's alright, Sango. It hardly even hurts," she lied. Funny how she could lie to make people feel better but never for any other reason.

"We should move," Inuyukio stated in a strong voice. "Kiori, how is it?"

"It doesn't look like anything has been punctured and the bleeding isn't as heavy as it could be. But it's deep and needs time to heal. It will take the better part of a moon to fully heal, longer if it breaks open again." She straightened. "We can wait a few hours before it has to be fully treated."

"Then we will move now. Is everyone ready?" Nobody said anything. "Let's go."

Inuyasha stood up and continued to hold Kagome against his chest as they walked quickly. Kimi and Sandira were standing side-by-side in the center of their group with Sesshomaru at the back, beside Ah-Un, with Tsurumaru riding the dragon with Rin and Jaken. Kai'rei flew ahead and informed them of anything she saw, good or bad. Hiei stood next to Inuyukio at the front with Miroku, Sango and their counterparts behind him, Myouga with Miroku and Kirara transformed with Shippo and Toshiro on her back. Marise had left.

Along the way they met with trouble, deep in the dead forest. Inuyukio stopped and held up a hand, and everyone stopped in response. He stared straight in front of him as Kiori came over to hover around Kagome's side. Kai'rei landed and leapt onto Kimi's shoulders. Another few moments and a demon dropped in front of them, a male one with blazing yellow hair that stood on end and coal black eyes. He had a woman by the throat in his left hand. Inuyukio tensed but did not move.

The demon laughed. "One of yours, I think," he said to Inuyukio, lifting the woman. She was dressed in clothing much like Sango's but her hair was short, shorter than any woman's Kagome had seen before. It looks as though not a single strand was over two inches in length. Her hair was reddish-brown and her eyes were pale green. She had a snarl on her face.

"You just made the biggest mistake of your twisted life," she said to the demon. She kicked his throat with her foot and clawed at his hand. He dropped her. She kicked again and the demon was shoved backwards at the impact.

He snarled back at her and drew two short swords, crossing them over his chest.

She reached out and grabbed the swords with her left hand, blood coming forth instantly, and drew back her right hand. She punched him and then drew back, looking at her hand.

"Hiei," Inuyukio said, and Hiei came forward and started his own assault at the demon. The demon's swords were knocked away in the fight and he grabbed Hiei's Tetsusaiga, drawing it. It transformed.

Kagome's jaw dropped. Something was definitely different in this world. Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga rejected demons and couldn't be wielded by humans. But that demon had ahold of Hiei's Tetsusaiga and he was using it. "Put me down," she told Inuyasha.

Inuyasha already had her idea in mind. He drew Tetsusaiga after setting her on her feet and clashed his sword with Hiei's, still being weilded by the demon. Sparks flew and electricity crackled. Kagome watched, fascinated, as the electricity she saw went fully around both swords and the demon dropped his.

Hiei had a grip on his Tetsusaiga before Inuyasha fully lifted his and then the demon was gone, disintegrated at a strong swipe. Inuyasha was smarter than he let on; he didn't use Kaze no Kizu because not only would it have been overkill, but it would have destroyed much of the forest and caused a large scene which would have found them in no time.

Looking around, Kagome saw that Kiori had left her to look over the unknown woman. Looking at her now, Kagome noticed that her outfit was only likeness to Sango's in that it was black. The boots she wore were modern-time army-issue dark blue boots. She wore a jacket over it that leveled at her hips and looked like a jet fighter's, minus the fur around the neckline. She took off the jacket and shooed away Kiori to inspect it, and Kagome noticed that what she took as a bodysuit was two pieced, a sweater and leather pants tucked into her boots. A thick belt was lopsided on her waist. Who was this?

"Who are you?" Kagome asked.

She looked up. "Does it matter?"

"I think it does," Kagome replied, already not liking her.

"Does it matter what you think?"

'Not liking' wasn't good enough anymore. She was getting annoyed. "Yes, in fact, it does. Now hand over your name."

"Or what, you'll rip it out of my throat?"

"No, but I could have Inuyasha do it for me."

"Who?"

Kagome looked over at him and Inuyasha smirked at the unknown woman, flexing his fingers, claws all for show.

She snorted. "I feel afraid now. Please, someone, save me." She rolled her eyes. "What's going on, Inuyukio?"

"We have been found," Inuyukio replied. "So we must move."

She swore. "I liked that hole-in-the-ground." She looked at her cut palm again. "Dang this thing stings." She shook her hand.

"How did he catch you?"

"I have no clue, but now he's dead so it doesn't matter."

Inuyukio shook his head as though her answer had amused him and turned to Kagome. "This is Jenei."

"Jeanie," she corrected. "He can't pronounce English names."

Kagome narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You're American and modern."

Jeanie tilted her head. "Fascinating. You figured that much out so fast. Let me guess, you're Japanese and modern."

"You have amazing deduction skills."

"It's a gift."

"Let me guess what another of these gifts are -"

"Watch it, girl."

"Watch what?"

"I know what you're going at. I am not the type to sleep around."

"Looks like it to me."

"Well if I look like the type to screw any man I meet, what's that make you?"

"Hey!!" Kagome snapped, her face reddening. "Inuyasha, shred her!"

Inuyasha chuckled and leapt, aiming a slash at Jeanie. The girl jumped backwards and hit a tree. Inuyasha got up, brushed off his sleeve, then returned to Kagome's side. Jeanie narrowed her eyes and then smirked.

"Clever girl, controlling a demon like that," she said.

"Hey!" Inuyasha snapped. "I am not being controlled!"

"She told you to do something and you did it. What would you call it?"

"We do not have the time for this," Inuyukio interrupted. He had been speaking with his children and Kiori and they seemed to have come to some decision. "We are moving on. Sandira is to return to the well to destroy it."

"You can't!" Kagome snapped, before she could stop herself.

"Why?"

"Because it - I - I need it," she said.

"Why is this?"

Inuyasha stepped in front of her. "None of your business, old man. You can cave in that hobble you call a hideout but the well is not going to be destroyed, got it?!"

Jeanie, off to the side, sighed. She looked over the group. "I'm missing something," she said.

Inuyukio looked at her and then followed her line of vision. "I will explain later. For now, we move. Sandira, go. Leave the well safe but cover our scents. Return quickly and do not be seen."

Sandira nodded and turned. She leapt into the sky, hidden in the clouds, and was gone from sight. Inuyasha was about to pick up Kagome when Hiei stopped him.

"Your Tetsusaiga is different from mine."

"I noticed."

"How did you make that demon drop it?"

"I'll explain it later. Let's keep moving." He picked up Kagome before Hiei could reply and Kagome saw the look on Hiei's face. Not only that, but she read it.

He was shocked. Inuyasha carrying Kagome like he was doing when she could walk, moving the group so it wouldn't take so long to treat her. . .Hiei was almost jealous. Kagome saw him throw a look over his shoulder at Kiori and tilt his head. Kagome read the look as him asking her to look back at him, saying something along the lines of, "Could we be like that?" But Kiori and Hiei weren't nearly as close as she and Inuyasha were. Kiori wouldn't get the message, even if she looked.

As they moved on, Jeanie fell back beside Shoda and Ran'gawa.

Inuyukio stopped them again after traveling for an entire hour. He looked around and sent Hiei and Kimi on a check of the area, to which Sesshomaru included himself without being asked. Inuyasha sat down against a tree and refused to let Kagome out of his reach, meaning she had to stay either beside him or in his lap, and since she blushed too much while sitting in his lap, she moved to the side. Kiori treated Kagome's wound with amazing efficiency and bandaged it cleanly.

Hiei came up to Inuyasha and again asked about his Tetsusaiga. Inuyasha drew his and lifted it beside Hiei's.

He shrugged. "My father changed this one. Only a hanyou could use it. It rejects full demons and humans can't wield it. It was hidden in his grave before I found it."

"Before you followed me there," Sesshomaru corrected, returning. "You would not have that sword were it not for me."

"Quit being so full of yourself," Kagome told him, then covered her mouth. That was stupid.

"What're you looking at her for you spoiled, arrogant ass?!" Inuyasha snapped.

Sesshomaru's eyes shifted from Kagome to Inuyasha and he smiled then turned his back. Kimi returned not a second later - from the direction Sesshomaru was facing. She was brushing off her arm and muttering rudely to herself.

"What's up, Kimi?" Kagome asked at the look on her face.

Kimi tilted her head at Kagome and Kagome blushed, realizing that it was likely Kimi hadn't heard that phrase before. "A demon attacked me, looking for food."

"Did it harm you?" Sesshomaru asked.

"It was weak, even for human standards," Kimi laughed. "It was probably scrounging off of garbage and leftovers and decided warm meat was a better choice."

"Did you kill it?" Inuyasha said.

"No, it's still alive. I gave it a rabbit."

Kagome's jaw fell.

"Why did you do that?" Sango asked, sharply.

"It was hungry, not evil," Kimi told her. She spotted the swords. "What are you two up to?"

"I'm explaining about my Tetsusaiga," Inuyasha told her.

Kimi sat down near the hanyou counterparts and looked over each katana. "I was wondering about that."

"Well as I was saying, Tetsusaiga's tricky," Inuyasha went on. To Kimi, he said, "Demon's can't touch it and humans can't transform it."

"Why not?"

"It has a lightning barrier." Kimi reached for it when Inuyasha held it up and immediately bight blue sparks began shocking at her palm. She drew back her hand as Inuyasha went on. "It has a couple other reasons why only I can use, and it's been sort of. . .upgraded. Twice."

"Upgraded?" Kimi repeated.

"Yeah. A demon bit through it and for Toutousai to fix it he ripped out one of my fangs." He winced at the memory and rubbed his lip, over the fang that had been yanked. "A couple months later a little hanyou girl named Shiori fused a red orb into it, so now it can cut through barriers."

"Wow," Hiei said, and looked at his own sword. He looked a little disappointed. "What kind of attacks does it do?"

"Kaze no Kizu and Bakuryuuha," Inuyasha said.

"Baku - what?"

"You haven't figured it out?"

Hiei shook his head.

"I used it to kill Ryuukotsusei," Inuyasha said. "It's the most powerful attack it has."

"What does it do?"

"It uses Kaze no Kizu to attack the demon with the demon's own power. Like. . .Like if the demon sends a blast at you, you use Bakuryuuha and it sends the demon's blast back at it, with Kaze no Kizu."

Hiei stared at Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga for a long moment. "Has anybody else ever used it?"

"Well Sesshomaru used it twice before, once with a human arm and again with his hand."

"But demon's can't touch it."

Inuyasha shrugged. "Sesshomaru's a stubborn hard-ass. His hand got burned, though." He chuckled. "Bet that taught him better."

Kimi reached out again and grasped Tetsusaiga. The lightning crackled around her hand and Inuyasha jumped and moved like he was going to push Kimi's hand back, but it wasn't hurting her. She smiled.

"It seems any demon lightning-based may use this sword," she observed. She kind of fiddled with it for a moment before looking at Inuyasha in question.

He laughed. "You have to want to protect something to make it transform," he explained.

"Oh." She looked down at it. But before she had a chance to do anything else, something shocking happened.

The crackling increased and covered her arm. Kimi gasped but not in pain, and then her blue lightning appeared and wrapped around the sword. Kimi jerked back and waved her arm sharply, trying to dislodge the katana from her hand. The crackling around her arm had stopped completely but her tendrils of lightning had not let go of the fang.

Kimi hissed and her eyes turned full blue, her irises disappearing and her pupils slitting to take up the full vertical length of her eyes. She twisted her arm and seemed to be fighting with her own arm. She slammed the sword into the ground and half of it was sunk into the earth. She stepped on the blade and tried to straighten her body, to get her hand to release the blade. It shocked her and she hissed again, but this time it seemed as though the shock had hurt her.

A snarl twisted her face and she tried harder, grasping her arm with her free left hand. Her lightning loosened and then tightened again, further wrapping around the blade. Her own lightning shocked her and she screamed, her head snapping back.

In all the confusion everyone had moved back or had been moved back, and Sesshomaru approached Kimi. Hiei had put himself in front of Inuyukio, and Inuyukio was looking fully shocked. Inuyasha had moved Kagome to Kiori and was approaching Kimi from her opposite side. Her head dropped and her eyes faded color to pure white with blue slitted irises. Her foot lifted off the blade and she looked up with half-lidded eyes, looking at Inuyukio.

"Traitor," she said, only it wasn't her voice that spoke. It was someone else's. "Stealing my daughter from me like you did." She shuddered and her voice changed again, to a second intruder's. "Pinning my father and sending your little servants to watch me. You fool." She shuddered again and the first voice came back. "You have a lot to pay for. Consider a death -" another shudder and the second voice returned - "at the use of your own fang-sword -" again she shuddered and the first voice spoke again - "ample punishment -" the second voice - "for what you did to us." The first voice. "To me."

Kimi's arm lifted as though pulled and she swung. Inuyasha leapt and tackled her to the side as Hiei and Inuyukio moved out of the way of the blast. Inuyasha yelled in pain as Kimi's blue lightning crackled all around her and shocked him and he was thrown back at the force. Sesshomaru grabbed Kimi's wrist and squeezed painfully, but Kimi smiled at him and shocked him as well.

"Fool!" both voices said. "To think," the second one said as Sesshomaru was repelled, "that you think hurting Kimi is going to make us let go."

"You are stupid, dog," the first voice said. "We have complete control over Kimi!"

"What you do to her she can feel, but she cannot respond!" the second voice was saying.

"You are not hurting us!"

"I will then," Sesshomaru said. He drew Tensaiga and the fang-sword pulsed. His eyes widened and Kagome wondered what he was seeing.

"Traitor!" another voice said and Kagome looked up. Sandira had returned and was brandishing Lei-Long. She landed with a swipe at Kimi and Kimi jumped back.

The fight that followed was stunning in that it was both frightening and beautiful, with sparks blue and magenta shining from either woman. Lei-Long couldn't truly hurt Kimi in that it was thunder, but the blade was still sharp and it cut Kimi in several places.

"You cannot hurt the souls with your blade!" Sesshomaru snapped at Sandira. "She is possessed by two spirits!"

Sandira growled. "How dare you attack my father, you filthy bitch!" she snarled.

Kimi's smile was frightening. "This body is half bitch, yes, that much is true. But we are not," the first voice said.

"We are fully dragons," the second voice said. "And we are dead."

"But this body is not, daughter," the first voice went on.

Kagome gasped. The spirits of Kimi's and Sandira's mother had possessed Kimi to kill Inuyukio! The first voice, then, was Sandira's mother, and the second was Kimi's. Did dead spirits reunite on the other side, or did they return to this world? It was a hard question to answer.

Sandira groaned at Kimi and Kimi groaned back. The reply seemed to shock Sandira and then she smirked. "You think you have her, you dead bitches, but you know nothing!" She lifted Lei-Long and it crackled magenta. The sky above her head began thundering and then a bolt of yellow lightning shot down in jagged lines and coalesced around the blade. Sandira grasped the hilt with both hands, smiled widely, and charged Kimi. She struck Kimi through the chest and the lightning struck through her body and around, and Kimi's head snapped back as she screamed. The lightning continued to spark and continued to go around Sandira.

Behind Kimi, Sesshomaru snarled and his eyes changed color to their demon state in his rage. He sheathed Tensaiga and made for the girls, even as Kimi's lightning tendrils released Tetsusaiga and she fell to her knees. Her eyes changed color to blue and then returned to their usual state. Blood trickled from her mouth as Sesshomaru reached them and he shoved away Sandira and Lei-Long as Kimi smiled and groaned, long and low, at Sandira.

They were talking, Kagome realized, even as her heart clenched at the sight of Kimi. When Sandira groaned at Kimi, she was speaking dragon.

Sesshomaru was on one knee and he looked anxiously at Kimi's chest, and then her back. Inuyasha dropped to his knees on Kimi's other side and was looking at her eyes. Kimi smiled at him. "That's quite a sword and you're quite a man to control it," she said.

"Shut up," Sesshomaru ordered. His arm went around her waist. "How is this wound to you?"

He got shocked and knocked back. Kimi smiled weakly. "It will heal but I can't be touched until it does."

Inuyasha, who had been reaching for her, stopped and drew back his hand. Instead he picked up and sheathed Tetsusaiga.

Inuyukio stepped up to her. "What happened?"

"My mother and Sandira's want revenge on you," Kimi said without looking up. "In their eyes their methods are justified."

Inuyukio's face darkened and he knelt down beside Inuyasha. "Nothing is justified when using one of my pups," he told her, firmly.

Kimi laughed. "I'm not yours and you know it," she told him.

"You are the child of my brother-soul and the sister-soul of my child and that is just as good."

Kagome smiled. He really believes this, too. Sandira is his in the literal sense, so Kimi is just the same in his eyes. He's a wonderful father. It's a pity that Inuyasha never knew him. Her smile faded and she looked at Inuyasha, who awkwardly stood up and turned to look at her. She smiled at him and he returned it. "It's okay," his eyes told her.

She frowned. "No, it's not. It's not fair."

Inuyasha looked at Hiei and she knew what he was saying. Hiei knew Inuyukio and that was enough.

All at once Kimi hunched forward, crossing her arms over her chest still-bleeding chest. She stood up and jerked left and right as though something was attacking her and Inuyukio stood up, grabbing her shoulders and looking confused and frightened.

"What is it?" he said, sharply.

Sesshomaru had already drawn Tensaiga and widened his eyes. His lip curled in a snarl and he raised Tensaiga to strike -

And Kimi was thrown backwards, out of Inuyukio's grip and onto her back She gasped and then her eyes went blank and she stopped moving.

"No!" Inuyasha said and came forward to touch her chest. Nothing happened and he paled. He should have felt a heartbeat, Kagome knew, and he should have been shocked as had happened to Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru came closer and Inuyukio caught his arm. Inuyukio touched Tensaiga and shut his eyes and in another second a pulse shot out from Tensaiga and went through everyone present. Kagome gasped at what she saw.

Two souls were wrapped around Kimi's body and were drawing out her soul! They were transparent and reminded her of Mistress Centipede. They were long like a dragon but were women from the waist up, a long mane of fur going down their backs and each had two arms but no legs. Their human-shaped bodies were in proportion to Kimi's body and their dragon tails were more than five times that length. Their faces were beautiful and the same, if not for one having bright pink hair, which Kagome assumed was Sandira's mother.

Kimi's soul wasn't moving and her eyes were closed. Sesshomaru lifted Tensaiga to strike the souls when they noticed him and hissed, turning so Kimi's back faced the blade. Sesshomaru lowered the fang-sword and narrowed his eyes.

The women began cackling and then Sandira came up to Kimi's body. She pressed both her hands to Kimi's chest and lightning went through her and into Kimi's body. Kimi's soul, trapped within the mothers, shot alive. Her eyes opened and then narrowed. She shoved at both women until she was free and slashed the one with pink hair and then drew back.

"How dare you use me?!" she snapped, looking at the female with black hair, her mother. "You as well!" she said to the pink-haired counterpart of Kimi's mother.

"Kamikimimaru, it's time to come home," her mother said in a hiss.

Kimi snarled. "I don't think so. I just found my brothers and I'm not about to fucking leave them!!" She attacked her mother and looked shocked when she flung her hand and no wires of lightning came forth.

"No demon powers here," the pink-haired woman said as her counterpart laughed.

"I don't need them," Kimi returned and attacked again.

"Move aside, Kamikimimaru," Sesshomaru ordered and raised Tensaiga again.

Kimi knocked back both of them and took several steps back. Sesshomaru struck and both women were slashed in half but did not fully die. He went to slash again and the women hissed at him and faded away, out of their plane. Kimi's soul looked behind her and then grew still.

They all looked and saw Ryuukotsusei's, or maybe his counterpart's, spirit. Jaws open, he was traveling towards Kimi and seemed intent on killing her. "Traitor to my daughter!" the mask on his forehead said.

Kagome shivered and held herself, her eyes wide. "Kimi, no. . ."

Sesshomaru slashed again with Tensaiga but it did nothing on the demon. He placed himself in front of Kimi, who had huddled in on herself and was holding her head, eyes wide. Inuyasha drew Tetsusaiga and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Sesshomaru as the Lord blocked Ryuukotsusei's attacks with Tensaiga.

"Your sword cannot hurt him," Sesshomaru snapped at Inuyasha.

"It can if yours can," Inuyasha replied. "Tensaiga can open a void and Tetsusaiga can finish him off."

Sesshomaru growled but nodded. The two brothers looked frightening beside one another like that, their strengths feeding off one another. Sesshomaru raised Tensaiga and waited. "Tell me," he said to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha nodded and held Tetsusaiga firm and ready. He had eyes for Ryuukotsusei only, who didn't recognize Inuyasha so it must have been his counterpart instead. He lifted his head and energy gathered within his mouth.

"Hold it," Inuyasha said.

The blast was lowered. . .

"Not yet," Inuyasha said to a tensing Sesshomaru.

It was sent at them, at Kimi. . .

"Soon. . ."

Sesshomaru's knuckles had turned white with the effort of holding himself back.

"Now!" Inuyasha snapped and Sesshomaru swung, cutting a rift through the planes to Ryuukotsusei's. Inuyasha's swing was right on his tail. "Bakuryuuha!" he called.

The blast was sent right back at Ryuukotsusei and then the dragon screamed as he was hit with his own power and Tetsusaiga's. The soul of the dragon was gone soon after and both brothers sheathed their swords and turned to look at Kimi's soul.

Kimi was already moving, crawling back to her body. Upon reaching Sandira sent another blast of thunder into Kimi's body and Kimi's soul was drawn back into her body. Her eyes opened and she gasped and coughed. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru were still side-by-side as they strode over to her and knelt down at her head.

"Are you alright, Kimi?" Inuyasha asked.

"Will you heal?" Sesshomaru added.

Kimi smiled at her brothers. "You two are amazing when joined together."

Inuyukio laughed and set prideful eyes on Sesshomaru and Inuyasha. "Indeed you are. The both of you seem to have fully mastered your inheritance and I must say that my brother-soul knew what he was doing when he gave them to you. How do you feel, Kimi?"

Kimi looked at Inuyukio and then Sandira. "I doubt I would be here if not for Sandira. I had no idea I was so smart."

Sandira grinned and winked. "I had no idea what I was doing. Trust me, we're not nearly that smart."

Kimi chuckled and the rolled over, huddling in on herself and wrapping her arms around her legs. Her forehead touched the dirt, she let out a slow breath and then seemed to fall asleep. Sandira tilted her head and reached out to touch her when Kai'rei stopped her.

"Do not touch my Mistress," Kai'rei told her.

"Why not?" Sandira asked.

"She would attack. Leave her."

"We must continue on," Inuyukio said.

Kai'rei seemed to think about that and then nodded on some decision. "Then you shall have to carry her, for she will not move until she has healed."

Inuyukio nodded and came over to pick up Kimi. As warned Kimi slashed at him and he caught her arm. She settled after a moment and let Inuyukio carry her. It was an unspoken agreement to begin moving at that moment.

Everyone grabbed their things and Inuyasha picked up Kagome as Sesshomaru moved to take Ah-Un's reigns.

Kagome never knew Tensaiga had that kind of power. She knew it could revive dead people because it killed the demons who took the souls, but it sent a pulse through the area and allowed them to see the souls themselves. And the way Inuyasha and Sesshomaru had worked together. . .She always knew Inuyasha was smart but using Tensaiga to open a hole and sending Bakuryuuha through that hole was ingenious. It proved how well the brothers could fight when they cooperated and showed how devoted they were to their sister, even if they cared little about each other.

And Sandira said that Kimi could fix that. Kagome hoped Sandira was right about that. Kimi needed her brothers more than she needed anything else, and Kagome knew it hurt her that Inuyasha and Sesshomaru just couldn't get along. It was more Sesshomaru's fault than Inuyasha's; Kagome knew that as well. But Inuyasha wasn't helping the situation any.

Maybe she could help with this problem as well. . .

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End chapter seven. To be continued.