InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Kurayami no Naka de Hikari ❯ Pack ( Chapter 22 )

Kurayami no Naka de Hikari

Notes: 7,200 words | 11 pages – Blah, this is more belated than I wanted it to be, sorry about that. Every time I sat down to write, something would pull me away (and by something, I mean either my job or my daughter, lol XD). Anyway, I THOUGHT I was getting close to the end of this, but I'm not so sure now. I have a direction in mind that's going to make the end battle a bit more dramatic and a bit longer. I'm sorry if this chapter is a bit choppy, I wrote it in small chunks. I'll probably write Solstice next, it's finally getting into the good stuff so PLEASE go check it out? I've gotten very little feedback on it so I'm a bit discouraged, but it's really a fresh and somewhat original idea. I'll give you a cookie if you go check it out? A Nestley Toll House cookie! (~.^ that's seriously the BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe!). Or how about home-made applesauce from my Betty Crooker cookbook that I perfected in high school?

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters thereof. Even though that is the case, please don't steal my plot, concept, or story out of respect for my creative endeavor as I would not do this to anyone out there.

- l - l - l - Change of scene, time, etc.
'Thoughts/dreams' will be in single quotes (IE: ' ')

Chapter 21 – Pack

Kagome curled into a tighter ball, pulling her knees to her chest as she tried to block out the memories that kept replaying in her head. She had no doubt in her mind now that she was pregnant with Inuyasha's child and she had finally deduced how that could be possible. That first time with Inuyasha, in his old bed at his parents' manor... She had been on birth control since High School because of her irregular cycle, but because of all of the commotion of Sango's kidnap and rescue, and then of charges filed against Miroku, she had forgotten to take her pills for several days rendering their effectiveness useless.

Now that she was pregnant, she would do anything in her power to protect the tiny aura that was growing stronger in her stomach. It was amazing how quickly maternal instincts seemed to kick in. She wasn't going to lie to herself, though. She was seriously terrified of the prospect of having and raising a child. And she was so tainted and filthy now that she didn't think she even wanted to try at this point. That's not to say she could get rid of the child, but the baby wouldn't need someone as unclean as she now was in its life. The baby would have to do with having a loving father and grandparent's that doted on it, they would be all a baby could ever want or need. She wasn't mother material any longer, not after everything that had happened. She squeezed her eyes shut and hugged her legs tighter to her body as another memory involuntarily floated to the surface and she bit down on her lip to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.

'Kagome's eyes slowly opened and she found herself in a horizontal position, her arms were stretched above her head and she could feel a family metal ring holding them in place. The same went for her legs, being pulled out taut and strapped down firmly by metal cuffs. She didn't even bother to pull against them, what was the point when she knew she would be unable to break them?

She took a moment to scan her surroundings and found that she was no longer in the same room. This room was smaller, darker, and had nothing by a bed laying in it and two towering cabinets on either side of the room, which were both closed. There were no windows in the room and no decorations of any sort. The only light was a small lamp with a red cloth draped over the top of it that case a brilliant, crimson glow to everything in sight.

She shifted uncomfortably on the hard surface, trying to find a more comfortable position to lay in. She was still a little groggy and wasn't quite sure how she had survived the nasty miasma that had filled the room and caused her to black out. That's when a sudden thought hit her that chilled her the marrow in her bones... Izayoi-mama! Had she survived? Where was she at?

"Oh kami-sama..." Kagome whispered as she felt dread grip at her chest. She gulped thickly, trying to push away the tense feeling in her chest as she attempted to push the thought of Inuyasha's mother from her mind. 'Please be safe...' She thought to herself as she squeezed her eyes shut and took several deep, calming breaths to regain her composure. Her eyes snapped open when she heard a quiet squeak of hinges as if of a door opening.

"Little whore." A dark voice muttered as the door opened to reveal a very pissed off Naraku standing in the doorway. He wore only a pair of black pants with no shirt or even socks with a simple silver chain hanging around his neck with a key on it. Kagome had seen him wear that key around his neck from time to time and had even questioned him about it out of curiosity before. He had stated simply that it was a memento from his father that he wanted to keep close to his heart... his black heart! "To think you let that mutt put his seed in you."

Kagome didn't make a sound a simply stared back at him blankly, trying to keep any emotion from herself. She knew he could sense her fear, he seemed to be able to read auras as well else how would he have known Kouga had been in their apartment? He had no extraordinary sense of hearing or smell like Inuyasha and his father and brother, nor did he have control over illusions and fox-fire like the adopted kit, Shippo. So it was left up to reason that his skills lay in other areas. It seemed that his most valuable asset, to him at least, was his ability to manipulate people and get them to do his bidding, whether by force, trickery, or by masquerading as someone else entirely.

"What I do with my body is none of your concern." Kagome said coldly as her eyes watched his every move.

He walked up to her and glared down at her darkly, his face cast into harsh shadows in the dim light that only illuminated one side of his face. Even after all he'd done to her, she couldn't help but admire his physique and his angular face. He was definitely a good looking man... all those good looks were hiding what he was deep inside and she cursed herself for ever being so gullible to fall for his charm. His eyes were now truly blood red instead of brown hinting on red so she assumed he had been wearing colored contacts while they'd been together.

When she was sure he was just going to stand there and continue to just glare at her, she felt his hand connect with her cheek and her head whipped to the side forcefully. Her cheek stung and burned from the force of the slap, but she determinedly refused to give him the satisfaction of making her cry out or letting tears leak down her face. She kept her face turned away from her, her hair covering her eyes and shielding her eyes from him. Anger and a deep hatred she didn't know existed burned in her belly as her eyes burned with fury.

"You belong to me, koibito." He said darkly as a smirk touched his lips and dark amusement twinkled in his eyes. He grasped her chin roughly and turned her face back to stare him in the eye. "Never forget that, miko." Her eyes widened against her will when he called her miko. She had only recently found out about her spiritual abilities so how did he suddenly know about them? His smirk deepened at her look of surprise and he pulled his hand away from her face and reached beside her for something that she assumed was on some sort of table that was out of her line of sight. In his hand was a remote that he pushed a button on and she felt the whole table move as a mechanical sound filled the air. The table tipped forward until she was nearly upright while still being strapped down firmly. She felt the support on her back give way as the mechanical sound continued and couldn't help as a ripple of fear ran through her at his sadistically confident smirk.

"Yes, I know you're a miko. I've known since I met you." Naraku said calmly as he set the remote back down and walked around the side of her table. She didn't turn her head to follow him, not wanting to give way that she was afraid. "I have a particular talent at... reading auras." He said and she could hear the pleasure in his voice and braced herself for anything. She bit down on her lip, not wanting to cry out in surprise when he started whatever he was going to do.

"What do you want from me?" Kagome asked calmly as she kept her eyes forward. He walked back in front of her and kept going, slowly circling her like a shark scenting blood in the water. Nervous sweat slid down her brow as she tried to find the unnatural fear that was kicking her fight or flight reaction into full gear. She felt like prey... she was prey with the exception that she didn't have the option to fight OR flight. She was a cornered rabbit trying to put on a brave front as she felt his immensely dark youki swirling around her sending shivers down her spine and making her body feel locked in place.

"You're a big piece in my master plan." He said as he stepped in front of her and lay a hand on her flat stomach. She squirmed to break his touch on her stomach, which he responded to by smacking her across the face... hard... Kagome saw stars and her hearing seemed to dim, the pain in her head too great to comprehend what he was saying to her. She sucked in a deep breath as she tried to clear her foggy mind and hissed in pain as she felt her head lifted up by a firm grip on her hair. Her neck bent upward until she was afraid it would snap and she managed to open one eye to see his cold, red eyes staring down at her in anger.

"I won't kill you. You'll be one of my pets once I've gotten what is due me. But first... your punishment." He said coldly and the smirk returned to his face and a scream of pain ripped from her throat as something sharp and metal raked across her bare thighs. "That's what I want to hear. You'll never see that mutt again, even if he comes, he'll never reach you. They're walking into a trap that's about to be sprung."

Kagome squeezed her eyes shut and bit down on her lip hard enough to draw blood as another blow nearly knocked her into unconsciousness. That's when the real pain came... and Kagome had to muster all of her control and recede deep in to her mind to hold back her screams of anger and pain as he punished her body.'

Kagome pulled herself into a tighter ball and banished the memories to the back of her mind, trying to block out the pain he had inflicted on her though her body still ached from the cuts and bruises he'd left on her. She was thankful that he hadn't partook in any of the sick nightmares he had filled her head with after Inuyasha rescued her, but she knew it was only a matter of time before he came back for her. She could still feel the aura of the baby burning in her stomach so she wasn't afraid that the beating she had taken had caused a miscarriage, but she knew if she didn't get away from him, that was the fate the poor child would befall.

"Kagome." Izayoi's soft voice broke into Kagome's thoughts and she buried her face in her knees, not wanting to face the pitied look that was no doubt in Izayoi-mama's eyes. "Please Kagome, don't do this." She pleaded and Kagome felt fingers running through her hair soothingly. But Kagome was neither a child nor in need of comfort so she uncurled herself and rose to her feet, refusing to make eye contact with the older woman.

"You don't have to do this, Takahashi-san." Kagome said formally as she looked to the side, her eyes falling out of focus. "I know that I'm tainted and unworthy of anyone in you family, so you don't have to force yourself to be near me."

Izayoi's eyes widened and she felt tears welling up as she took in the poor girl in front of her. Her eyes looked empty and Izayoi felt sorrow rising up from her heart and overtaking her whole body. Poor Kagome was broken and feeling like she was unworthy of love or kindness. She was taking full responsibility for everything as if she were the reason that Izayoi's family was involved in this mess. Tears slid down Izayoi's cheeks as she walked up to Kagome and pulled her into her arms, hugging the smaller girl to her chest with her head tucked under her chin and stroked her hair gently, just like she had done for Inuyasha when he was but a child.

"You aren't alone Kagome. None of this was your fault, you're a victim. I only wish I could do something to take away all of the wrongs that have been done to you." Izayoi whispered into her ear as her tears flowed freely, dripping from her chin into Kagome's hair. "I love you, Kagome. You're like a daughter to me. I will protect you and my grandchild with my life."

Kagome's eyes widened and she stiffened automatically as she felt Izayoi-mama pull her into her arms and run her hands through her hair, just like Kagome's own mother used to do. She wanted to push away, but Izayoi-mama's words had hit a nerve deep within her. 'I... I don't disgust her...?' She silently mulled that thought around in her head, wondering how it could even be possible. Kagome had allowed this man to put his hands on her, she had stayed when he had tormented her, she had taken him back when he had raped her... and Izayoi-mama was still here trying to protect her? Was this what a family did? It had been so long since she had any contact with her own family that she had no clue... Her own family had abandoned her years ago, she honestly didn't even know how to contact them any longer. Naraku had been her whole world for so long and had betrayed her so badly that she had been guarding her heart against Inuyasha and his family. They had been so kind to her and even after she had gotten Izayoi-mama kidnapped, she was still supporting and protecting her... nurturing...

Kagome allowed herself to meld into Izayoi's arms as she wrapped her own arms around her back and buried her face in her bosom. The tears came easily this time and she sobbed out all of her sorrow, all of the pain she'd been holding inside all of this time. She sobbed for her lost family and her lost innocence. She cried and cried, her body wracked with the force as she sobbed uncontrollably, clutching onto Izayoi-mama as her only lifeline while Izayoi whispered consoling words that Kagome didn't really listen to.

- l - l - l -

Inuyasha let out a feral growl as he stared at the humans assembled in front of him and his pack in warning. His thoughts kept going in and out of focus like a radio that was going in and out of range of the station that broadcast it. There was only one thought that he was able to keep in the forefront of his mind... Kagome. His demon was just as focused on the raven-haired woman, though her name went from Kagometo mate and back. He knew that when his vision and thoughts became fuzzy it was because his demon was gaining more control over his body and he would force him back down, trying to keep his mind sharp and focused. He couldn't risk succumbing to his inner demon and getting reckless in his attempts to save his Kagome.

He wasn't quite sure when he'd started thinking of Kagome as his, but now that he had seen what his demon had been screaming at him for the last month, he wasn't going to do this thing half assed. Now that he knew she was the one he wanted, he wasn't going to take her for granted like he had Kikyo. He would cherish and protect her with his very life and only ever let her out of his sight if he had to for work and whatnot.

"So, the hanyou sent humans up against daiyoukai?" A cold voice echoed against the metal covering the entrance, a hint of amusement tinting Sesshoumaru's deep voice. Inu no Taisho shot a nasty glare at his eldest son's show of disrespect for using such a derogatory term in his presence. The tall dai had been quite prejudice against his younger brother when they were children, but he hadn't used that term since he'd mated his human wife, Rin.

Inuyasha glared darkly at his elder half-brother, knowing he was just trying to rile the men positioned in front of them so they made mistakes. He hadn't heard Sesshoumaru use the term hanyou in a derogatory way since the dai had graduated from college and stared working at a small law office. Sesshoumaru had to represent humans as well as youkai at that time without question or prejudice and he seemed to truly take it to heart. How else would such a proud daiyoukai as Sesshoumaru end up married to a tiny, human interior decorator? It had amused Inuyasha when Rin used to always call him Sesshoumaru-sama while he courted her, though. Sesshoumaru was old-fashioned in that way, his little friend Jaken STILL called him Sesshoumaru-sama.

"Whatever demon." The man in front with gray eyes, a long braid hanging down his back, and a purple four-point star tattooed into his forehead said confidently as he swung his huge halberd sword down so it was embedded at least six inches into the tiled floor. "We know how to deal with demons. Oi! Kanna, get your ass out here!" He snapped as his head turned to the side where there was a door ajar behind the security desk.

Kanna walked out of the room neither quickly, nor slowly and stood beside the man. She turned to face Inuyasha and his pack and raised the mirror up that hung from an elegant, braided cord at her side. She positioned it between her hands with one hand at the top and the other at the bottom and stood there as if waiting for a command, her blank, black eyes devoid of any emotion whatsoever.

"Remember, leave the Inu no Taisho alive for now. We have need of him still." The man said as he glanced behind him at his comrades.

"Oh! Isn't he just ADORABLE?" The... was that a man or a woman? The one standing to the right of the obvious leader looked like an obvious gender-bender and it was difficult to tell what it was. "Just look at those adorable ears! I want to mount those on my wall!"

"Heh, he's all yours, Jakotsu." The leader said with a chuckle as both of their eyes fell on Inuyasha. Jakotsu face was flushed and he had a dreamy look on his face as he hefted a wicked looking sword with a wide, half-moon shaped blade on it.

Inuyasha growled low in his throat as he glared with blood-filled eyes at the effeminate man that was ogling him and licking his lips hungrily. His ears lay flat to his head as he dropped into a defensive stance, preparing to tear that unnerving sight from the guy's makeup covered face. He was wearing a tight shirt that hugged his body and, of all things, leather pants that made Inuyasha cringe even while he was in his demon form. The guy didn't seem to take a hint that Inuyasha was going to attack as Inuyasha growled out his warning. He just continued to saunter forward, his eyes narrowed in on Inuyasha as his hips sashayed back and forth.

"Stay away from me!" Inuyasha growled out, the words nearly indistinct through the ferocious growl that rumbled from his throat.

"So you're Inuyasha right? Ah it's so good to finally meet you, Inu-chan!" Jakotsu squealed as he lunged forward with glee in his eyes. Inuyasha swiped his claws where Jakotsu had been moments before and his eyes bulged as he felt a weight on his back and tumbled forward to the ground. "Kawaii!" Jakotsu squealed as his fingers deftly rubbed Inuyasha's twitching ears. Another snarl and Jakotsu leaped backward off of Inuyasha and pulled his sword out from a holster he had strapped to his back.

A small smirk tugged at the corner of Sesshoumaru's mouth as he saw the gay man checking out his blood-rage filled half brother. Though there was a tick of annoyance that it was him that was being ogled. After all, this Sesshoumaru-sama was the ideal of perfection. Even his name meant the killing perfection and he had been voted the sexiest lawyer in all of Japan for the last ten years, not that he really caredwhat anyone thought, though.

"You reek of poison, human." Sesshoumaru said calmly as he walked up to the smallest member of the Shichinintai, a squat little man with a basket and a cloth drapes lazily over his nose and mouth. Sesshoumaru released his hold on Kagura and she dropped to the ground beside him. "Move from that spot and I kill you." She just looked down at the floor, her eyes lost in thought as her jacket pooled on the floor around her.

"I'm Mukotsu and you're going to die now, youkai!" He shouted as he ripped the cover from the basket and a pale blue mist filled the air. Sesshoumaru didn't even bat an eyelash as the cloud of mist surrounded and encompassed his body. "Your body will melt within minutes youkai or not!" Mukotsu said with a triumphant laugh.

"You're little disgusting concoction is nothing to Sesshoumaru-sama." A deep voice said from within the mist with a hint of amusement. "I shall show you the perfection that is Sesshoumaru-sama." Sesshoumaru said as a green light lit up inside the cloud and began spinning around, gathering the mist into a ball and flinging it back in the face of Mukotsu. The small human laughed as he simply fanned away the poisonous fumes, a confident look on his face.

"I'm immune to all of my poisons, youkai!" Mukotsu laughed delightedly as he reached into another basket hanging at his side and pulled out a small vial filled with a violently purple liquid. "Youkai or not, you were in my poisonous fumes long enough that you'll no longer be able to move!" Before Mukotsu could do anything with the vial, a clawed hand closed around his throat and lifted him several feet off the ground.

"You bore me. As if your pathetic poison had any effect on Sesshoumaru-sama." The tall, silver-haired dai said in a bored voice as the human dangled helplessness from his hand. "I'll introduce you to true poison." Without another word, Sesshoumaru's hand began to glow bright green and the air was filled with the sounds of Mukotsu's screams of pain and the popping and sizzling of burning flesh beneath Sesshoumaru's hand. After a minute, Sesshoumaru released the mangled body and it dropped to the ground with a sickening thud and a disgustingly wet sploosh sound.

Sango shuddered involuntarily at Sesshoumaru's show of power and prowess. She also counted herself lucky to be on the same side as him with the cold indifference that was painted across his face after killing a human being without even straining himself. She had her mask pulled up over her nose and mouth to block out any residual poison that may be in the air. She gripped the tassel on Hiraikotsu and eased it off her back, knowing she couldn't throw it in such a confined space, but knowing that it worked as a magnificent shield and could be used in close combat as well. She also had a few more blades hidden on her, as well as certain powers and poisons that could be used as a distraction along with the katana that hung at her hip.

"You'll die for that, dog..." The leader's confident smile was replaced by a scowl as he looked at the smoldering remains of their brother, Mukotsu oozing on the ground. "Kanna, you're on."

The small, pale Kanna took a step in front of the remaining six members of the Shichinintai and turned her mirror so her hands were on either side of the reflective surface. Her face was still devoid of any emotion whatsoever as the glass surface of the mirror began to glow a brilliant white color. Sango felt a tugging at her body that sent prickles of pain through her body. It felt as if the light from the mirror was drawing her in as she stood unable to move behind Sesshoumaru and Inu no Taisho.

"When my mate is involved, I won't spare anyone, not even someone with the appearance of a child, Kanna." Inu no Taisho said coldly as his eyes focused on the endless black pools of Kanna's eyes that, as usual, revealed absolutely no emotion whatsoever. Kanna didn't say a word in return, just stood there holding the mirror as wind began to pick up in the lobby. Inu no Taisho could feel a strange pull from the mirror and altered his stance to brace himself against the pull of the mirror. He could see white wisps floating off of him and his companions as it pulled them forward.

The pull from the mirror grew stronger and a low growl emitted from all three inu youkai's throats as they felt their strength being drawn out of them. Sango's knees buckled as she felt too weak to stand and she would have flown straight toward the Shichinintai if Kirara hadn't stepped in and broke her fall, grabbing her wrist gently in her mouth at the same time.

The wisps grew larger and Inu no Taisho flexed his claws, knowing he had to do something before they didn't have the strength to fight any longer. When he glanced at his son's, he saw red bleeding into Sesshoumaru's eyes and Inuyasha was down on one knee, his furious red eyes rolling as he struggled to regain his footing. He glanced back at Sango and cursed himself for bringing her along. He knew she was good in a fight, even against youkai, but these ones had been prepared to fight strong dais and, while Sango had strength for a human, it nowhere near matched up to the rest of the pack. And yes, Inu no Taisho considered Sango and Miroku as much a part of the pack as himself and his kin. They had been surrogate children to his mate who had been unable to have more children after Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha! Take Sango and Kirara and get out of here!" Inu no Taisho snapped at his youngest son. Inuyasha turned his face to his father and alpha and growled lightly in acquiesce before he forced himself heavily to his feet. He looked over at his eldest son and gave him an imperceptible nod which prompted a very minuscule upturn of his lips to show he had heard.

"Get on!" Inuyasha's gruff voice growled out as he jumped in front of the nearly passed-out Sango. Kirara was on the verge of having to return to her small form to preserve her strength. With a quick motion, Inuyasha grabbed Sango by the upper arm and flung her onto his back, scooping the small form of Kirara from the ground as she lost too much youki to maintain her large form. Before any of the Shichinintai could protest or follow, Sesshoumaru and Inu no Taisho charged and Inuyasha, with Sango on his back and Kirara cradled in his arm, crashed through the door to the stairwell and leaped upward, clearing several floors in one single bound.

- l - l - l -

"Hmm?" Naraku looked up from the full-length mirror in front of him as an incessant buzzing filed his ears. He glanced over at the Saimyoushu and listened to it's report, lazily swilling wine around in a long-necked glass. Of course he had been watching every that was being reported to him, but he had to make sure those that served him, whether willingly or unwillingly, followed his orders explicitly and didn't alter their observations to suit their own needs.

A smile spread across his lips as he looked at the screen of the computer monitor on the desk behind him. On the screen was one of the many pieces of his plan, easily the most important piece aside from himself. The sleeping raven-haired human tossed in her sleep restlessly as she curled into the arms of the older human woman occupying the bed. The other woman and her precious mate were a pretty minor part of the scheme. They were merely there to provide him the financial and political power her currently lacked. It had been a coincidence that the human girl had gotten involved with the influential family. He would gain his true power from the raven-headed girl. He had known for a long time that she was capable of getting it. But if she got it while being pure, it would taint the beautiful dark light of it and it would be useless to him.

"Kagemaru, you and your brother will deal with the mutt and little girl. Don't kill them, I want to pleasure of doing that myself." Naraku said to the seemingly endlessly dark room. Two pairs of eyes glowed brightly from within the darkness, catching the dim light from the mirror that was the only light in the room.

"Hai, Onigumi-sama." A deep voice sounded from within the shadows and the glowing eyes disappeared without a sound.

"Just a little while longer..." Naraku mused to himself as a pleased smile spread across his face but never reached his eyes. Only a little bit longer and he could loose the criminal name, Onigumi and be known openly by the name he had fashioned for himself. He could finally get rid of his hanyou birth-right, and hanyou birth-name. He would be able to leave behind the petty criminal that controlled other criminals and became much more powerful and dominate the entire country of Japan. He would make them all suffer for the suffering he had been forced to endure and for the humiliation that had caused him to turn to a life of crime in the first place. It was just a matter of time...

- l - l - l -

Ten minutes after Inuyasha had whisked Sango away to safety in the upper floors of the condo building, he finally paused and slid into a closed door, clicking the lock closed behind them. He set the human girl on her feet in an room draped with velvet curtains on all sides. There were several large armoires positioned around the room that stood open and empty and the scent that filled the room made a growl rise in his throat.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong?" Sango asked weakly as she sat on her feet on the floor trying to preserve her strength. It was only a matter of time before they were found, after all, so she had to be sure she was strong enough to fight by then. Inuyasha held Kirara's unconscious form out toward Sango, subconsciously careful not to harm the small member of his pack.

"Mate..." Inuyasha growled out as a feral snarl rumbled in his chest and he turned his blood-red eyes to look at Sango. He sniffed the air and the rumble deepened as Inuyasha's control over himself began to slip and his vision started to go out of focus. He could smell it... the scent of Kagome's blood filled this room as well as a very faint trace of salt-water from her tears.

Realization hit Sango as she saw the jagged purple marks on Inuyasha's cheeks darken a hair and he slumped partially forward and placed one hand on the ground as he sniffed the air surrounding him. He could distinguish the scent of the alpha female's tears as well as a fainter scent of her blood in the room. There was also a disgusting scent of male arousal floating around the room as well as male blood. One of the male's was the human male that had attacked them downstairs, and the other he recognized from a hospital room and a tattered backpack from so long ago.

"Onigumi!" He bellowed out in a blind rage as his inner demon took full control of his body. A white-hot fury ate at his insides and Inuyasha watched as a spectator in his own body as his demon pushed him back to being nothing more than a voice in the back of his head, much as his demon was most of the time while he was in control.

"Inuyasha! Calm down!" Sango's voice came through quietly, though he could see her face was red from shouting as she tried to make him hear her. "Relax! You're scaring me!" Kirara had regained consciousness and jumped in front of Sango, transforming in a ball of fire and standing in front of Sango on unsteady legs.

"Must. Kill." Inuyasha's voice came out harsh and broken, all rational thought thoroughly pushed back into the recesses of his mind. Meanwhile, Inuyasha's rational, human side sat in the back for the ride, watching but not having the power to overtake his demon and protect his friends from himself.

"Kirara... We need to go..." Sango whispered to her feline companion and the cat gave a low growl of approval to give her assent. Slowly, Sango began to tiptoe backward toward the door, which stood ajar a few inches, Kirara following suit and growling threateningly to show that Sango was under her protection. Not that either of them would stand much of a chance against a fully-transformed Inuyasha. Even his father and half-brother had trouble handling him when he was like that, and they were dais. Sango wouldn't be able to take Inuyasha down while he was in that state, not without either seriously harming him or dying in the process.

"Pack hunts!" Inuyasha snarled as he lunged at Sango and in one motion, grabbed her above the elbow and hoisted her onto his back before crashing through the door into the hallway. Kirara stood there for a moment before she too, took off after Inuyasha and Sango and headed back in the direction of the humans that had fled from before.

- l - l - l -

Inu no Taisho and Sesshoumaru charged as a team, both heading straight at their enemies before disappearing feet from the mirrored girl and the six human males assembled behind her. In the blink of an eye, they both appeared on either side of the group each with a sword in hand raised and already being brought down in a downward swipe. Bankotsu smirked to himself as he yanked Banryu out of the ground and made a large swiping motion above his head, swinging the abnormally large sword in a circular motion effortlessly. Before either inu youkai could get within a foot of their group, a red barrier burst up around all of them and sent them flying backward.

Sesshoumaru and Inu no Taisho recovered swiftly and spun in mid-air to land with their feet planted against the walls behind them and propel themselves forward using their momentum to keep their speed and launched toward the Shichinintai once again. Bankotsu was still spinning his Banryu above his head fast enough to make the metal blur into a halo above his head that repelled the two dai back every time they charged into the fray. A smirk spread across the bald guy's face as he watched the two youkai struggle to break through the barrier.

"Come on brother! You said I could have Inu-chan!" Jakotsu whined as he put his crescent-shaped sword back into the holster on his back and plopped down cross-legged on the floor. The mirror in Kanna's hands continued to glow and pulse as it drew in more and more energy from the youkai in the room. "Let me go after him, o-ne-gai!"

"Don't worry, you'll get your chance to play with your toy, Jakotsu." Bankotsu said confidently as he kept the barrier in place to give Kanna enough time to finish her part of the plan. "We need to deal with the real threat, first."

"Humph!" Jakotsu said as he blew his bangs off of his forehead, arms crossed stubbornly over his chest.

"All is ready." Kanna's raspy voice broke into their discussion and Bankotsu's smirk grew in size. Inu no Taisho and Sesshoumaru were circling the barrier, but not attacking as they searched for some weakness. They were obviously hoping that if they kept in motion at the speeds they were at, they'd be able to avoid any attacks that came their way. 'Oh how wrong they are.' He thought to himself as he flexed his injured hand that hung at his side. Once Onigumi had what he wanted from the Takahashi's, his usefulness would be ended and the Shichinintai would be able to take control of his whole operation. 'I suppose we'll have to think of a new name since Mukotsu is no longer with us.'

"Do it." Bankotsu said calmly as his eyes darted to the tiny girl briefly while his smirk grew.

"Hai, Bankotsu-sama." Kanna said as she rolled the mirror in her hands until one was on top of the mirror and one was on the bottom. A strange pulsing sensation filled erupted from the glass surface sending small ripples of power outward in concentric circles into the room. It pulsed once... twice... three times... before a bright flash of white light lit up the room, blinding everyone and forcing them to squint against the glaring whiteness.

Banryu stopped spinning and a low chuckle emitted from Bankotsu's throat while the barrier expanded outward until it popped like a pricked bubble and disintegrated. All around them was nothing but silence and there wasn't even a smoldering pile of ash where the two dais had once been darting here and there trying to find a way to attack. It all seemed too easy, but Bankotsu wasn't complaining right now. He was definitely going to get paid for this little venture of theirs, and then he would have the supreme power he so desired. He knew what Onigumi was after and he was going to stay close so he could take it from him when that happened. Onigumi had tried to hide it, but Bankotsu knew... Onigumi was only a hanyou and there's no way he'd be able to stand up to Banryu once he'd completed it's transformation. Only one more human and one more demon and it would be complete. He wanted to make sure the last two were extremely powerful to bring it to its highest potential.

"So, Kagura." Bankotsu said as he walked idly toward the wind demoness who was leaning up against the back wall weakly. The mirror had been sucking her youki from her body during this whole exchange though she hadn't been within the range of the pulse that Kanna's mirror sent out. "How well do you think Onigumi will reward me for presenting him with a traitor?" He leaned down slightly and hauled the tall demoness to her feet by her hair.

She snarled in anger at him and grit her teeth against the pain as she found herself too weak to pull away from the human. Anger split through her at the insolent human that was treating her like he was better than her, but she was resigned to her fate nonetheless. She knew her time was about to come to an end. As soon as she was brought before him, he would end her pathetic existence. The only thing that would soothe her battered soul was the fact that she would be free like the wind soon... it was just too bad it would be in the cold embrace of death. She only hoped that she didn't burn in hell too badly for all of the evil things she had done during her life...

- l - l - l -

Inuyasha took his pack down a few floors before smashing through a locked door into a large, empty room and began to search for a window. While the scent upstairs had been his mate and the alpha female of his pack, the scent had still been several hours old and they were undoubtedly no longer in this location. It had obviously been a trap so there was no chance that they were still here. Inuyasha found a window and with one swipe of his claws, the glass fell away with hairline cuts and shattered to the ground. He dove through the gaping hole left behind and landed gently on the concrete sidewalk before propelling himself forward from the momentum of the fall and launching them forward with a burst of speed.

"Where are we going?" Sango yelled against the whistle of the wind in her ears. One of his ears flicked toward her to indicate he had heard her.

"Follow mate." Inuyasha said in a guttural voice, the female's scent trail fading fast but track-able by his demon's extra strong sense of smell. The scent of her blood an unpleasant tangy aroma that stood out from her natural scent that drove him insane. He would hunt down the bastards that had hurt her and he would make them suffer before he sent them into Death's embrace.

Sango took his answer for him having a scent trail to follow, but it seemed his inner demon had come completely to the forefront from his inarticulate answer. Inuyasha was little more than a beast while in his demon form. It was a good thing his best friends were a monk and a descendant from the great Taijiya clan or it would be likely he wouldn't have any friends left. He would go into a blood rage and would attack anyone regardless of age, race, or power. His father had explained that it was a defense mechanism for when his life was being threatened, but he had never been this focused before during his transformation.

Not only that, but he actually seemed able to recognize those close to him, which was definitely a big change. While he wasn't in complete control, he still saw his family as pack. She felt a bit touched to see that Inuyasha, with his gruff exterior and defense mechanisms, saw her as family on both his human and demon side. A small smile touched her lips at this thought and she felt her confidence begin to restore. They would find Kagome and Izayoi-mama and when they did, Sango shuttered to think what a fully transformed Inuyasha bent on saving his mateand mother would do to the ones that took them. 'Glad I'm going to have front-row seats to that!' Sango thought to herself as her grin turned to a confident smirk. 'NO ONE messes with OUR family!'

::FIN::

Notes: So that's it for now. Like I said, sorry if it was a bit choppy, ESPECIALLY at the end -.- There wasn't much Kagome in this chapter, but Izayoi-mama is showing her loving and accepting side (which I could TOTALLY see her doing). Let me know what you think? And PLEASE check out my story Solstice? I promise by the 3rd chapter you'll be HOOKED (sorry if anyone feels the beginning drags a bit... it has kinda a post-apocalyptic, zombie-esc feel to it? Any takers?).