InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Kurayami no Naka de Hikari ❯ Transformation ( Chapter 25 )

Kurayami no Naka de Hikari

Notes: 8,200 words | 12 pages – I know... I took FOREVER to update this... I have lots of reasons, but I won't bore you with endless excuses, the biggest thing is, I'm just not motivated to write this anymore. This started as a stress relief project because of all the garbage that was happening in my life and now that all that garbage has been taken out, I don't need this as an outlet anymore. I'm trying to wind this story down and I WILL finish it, I just can't guarantee it'll be in a timely fashion.

Also, I edited this story to remove the MA content. It's posted in it's full version on Mediaminer, Inuyasha-Fanfiction, and Eternal Destiny (there are links on my profile).

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 23 – Transformation

He glared darkly at the ceiling as he thought about his station in life. He wasn't the leader, hell, he wasn't even the second in command! He had to take orders from a man that pranced around in womens clothing, wearing makeup when his leader was away from them! He deserved to be the leader, he wouldn't have brought them before two powerful dais and been the cause of a death to their ranks! It was going to be a 'bitch' to fill Mukotsu's place in the Shichinintai and 'of course', it would be left up to him to find an appropriate replacement.

That's how it always worked out for him, he was forced to do all the bitch work! He had to oil and maintain Ginkotsu's broken and partially mechanical body. He was the one left babysitting the women up on Onigumo's floor and it pissed him off! There was a stairway that led to the floor above him where the women were stationed and he had a direct feed of their conversations as well as a video feed to watch their actions.

He smirked to himself at the little 'conspiracy' he could hear going on within the room, but made no move to do anything about it. The only thing that kept him where he was now was the upfront payment made to them by Onigumo. He personally felt the guy was a nuisance and was just waiting for the time when the money dried up and he could get rid of the bastard. He could give a shit less about the guy's sick obsession, he just couldn't stand the condescending attitude he had when dealing with them.

All in good time, though. Bankotsu he confided in him and Jakotsu what he suspected Onigumo was 'really' after and that legendary object truly peaked his interest. He would have to get it away from Onigumo AND Bankotsu since their 'wonderful' leader would undoubtedly want it for himself. He felt more envy and anger with his 'leader' and longed to usurp his position, though the time wasn't quite right. Soon, though... soon...

Renkotsu put his hands behind his head, intertwining his fingers, and leaned back against the headboard. He couldn't hear what the two women above him were saying any longer since they were now speaking in hushed tones, but he didn't care to pay them any attention anyway.

The traitorous youkai bitch was trapped in the room by a youki sealing charm on the outside of the door, one of the reasons the Shichinintai was involved since Onigumo would get a nasty shock from touching it; the human miko was kept inside the door by a similar charm that was infused with Onigumo's youki so he didn't have to worry too much about their desire to escape. And who wouldn't want to escape from the dire situation those women were facing? It's not like he gave a damn if they escaped anyway. It appeared that Onigumo had some control over both of the females as well as the Inu no Taisho's mate that lay trashing around on the bed in a nightmare.

Renkotsu was getting annoyed by the other youkai bitch that kept prancing around the place pushing hr breasts up out of her dress and letting her ass hang put for all the world to see. That bitch was a straight, nasty slut and while she had a good body, there was no way in HELL he would ever put his hands on it! Yura flounced around the place, grabbing any male (or female for that matter) that she saw and trying to coax them into her bed. He had even seen her propositioning Kyoukotsu and there's no WAY their anatomy would match in ANY way. In fact, it was just plain creepy!

He pushed these disturbing thoughts from his head with a shudder and let his vision focus on the random swirls in the paint on the ceiling above him. He really hated being a 'babysitter', he was a mercenary for Kami sake! There had to be some better use of his time than this! Jakotsu and Kyoukotsu were probably done with that hanyou and the taijiya that had escaped earlier, so it was definitely looking like the boredom would be sticking around for a while longer. The two dais were trapped in that creepy kid's mirror and were unlikely to escape so that left the babysitting of two humans and a traitorous bitch. He sighed in disgust and let his eyes close, intent on taking a quick nap since nothing was going in.

- l - l - l -

Her scent was strong in his nose, the only one that wasn't washed out and insubstantial. A deep seeded rage burned within him as he heard her scream rent the air. A scream of terror and agony hat made his legs pump faster and his rage reach new heights. The bastard that stole her away was going to die an agonizing death and the justice system wouldn't be able to touch him since his mate had been stolen away by a youkai with full knowledge of the laws.

Not that any of that mattered now! His mate was near and was in trouble! His surroundings he mostly ignored, only noting that it was heavily forested as he remembered Japan to be during the warring states era. One of the few things he missed from all those centuries ago when he rose to power in the West. The deforestation in Japan centuries had been a travesty and had only been done because of the tendency of humans to reproduce like rabbits. With the truce formed between human and youkai, there had been massive overpopulation since that time. Hence the reason his manor was so far out of the loop and surrounded by one of the few remaining forests of the West.

He focused his thoughts on the task at hand as another shrill shriek rent the air, adding to his growing fury. He growled low in his throat as he took a leap into the air, flying over trees and hills alike. He would be able to go much faster in his transformed state but for some odd reason, he was unable to assume his true form. There was some sort of binding spell on the area that prevented him from drawing on his true strength.

Not far ahead, he could see a pillar of smoke and a flash of red and orange illuminated the hillside, making the twilight sky light up and hold onto the last vestiges of red and pink from the recent sunset. Unlike everything else in this strange place, the scent of smoke was strong in his nose instead of muted and insubstantial so he pushed himself harder and faster than his human-like form had ever traveled before. He had been thankful he hadn't taken a mate until later in life so she didn't have to worry about surviving youkai attack from day-to-day, but that also meant she wasn't as knowledgeable of protecting herself or finding a decent hiding place as someone from the feudal era.

"Be safe, Izayoi..." He growled out as his eyes flashed red and he took one more bounding leap up onto the roof of a large building.

There were various holes decorating the roof that had golden flames dancing up and licking with their glowing hands. He found a spot in the roof clear of any flames and, with a swipe of his claws, ripped it open and jumped inside the burning structure. When his feet hit the ground, he immediately rose his arm to cover his sensitive nose from the overpowering scent of smoke. It was thick and billowing and blocked his vision to where he could only see a handful of feet around him. His senses were rendered useless from the smells, visual obstructions, and sounds of crackling and popping that blanketed him.

His head snapped to the left as another terrified scream rent the air and he immediately took off in that direction, ignoring heat, flame, and smoke alike! All that mattered was getting to his mate and getting her to safety! He didn't care that he was gathering burns nor getting cuts and scratches from falling debris. She was close, and though he didn't know where he was or how to get home, he knew the first step was to save her so they could break the illusion together!

- l - l - l -

Kagome continued to glare at the wind demoness sitting opposite her on the other bed, not really sure if she should trust or believe what was just said to her. She could feel deep down that Kagura was telling the truth and really wanted Naraku dead, but her logical mind was arguing with her resolute heart. Since the woman had betrayed the Takahashi's, Kagome's mind was telling her that she wasn't trustworthy and was playing a trick to break her slowly healing heart. Kagome decided that she would trust her for now. There was nothing Naraku could do to hurt her further so of he was using Kagura to work a different angle, he still wouldn't be able to get anywhere with her.

"Okay, the first thing we need to do is get out of here." Kagome said calmly as she crossed her hands in her lap. She could feel swirling youki several floors below her and had to force it's darkness from her mind as dread gripped her stomach. The vileness of the youki put an unnatural fear into her very soul and Kagome wondered to herself how she had never sensed it before. Though, she hadn't even known she had inherited spiritual powers from her family until Miroku had started teaching her to tap into it.

"Nice observation." Kagura said dryly as she rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "Did you go to college to draw that conclusion? Even if there 'wasn't' a barrier against miko powers on the door, there are other things keeping that door closed aside from locks. Only a considerable amount of youki could break it down and without a medium to filter my youki through, it's unpredictable and could destroy the whole building."

"What do you use as a medium to control it? Maybe we could make something similar." Kagome suggested as she gave Kagura a nasty glare for the comment she had made. Kagura gave a short bark of laughter that made Kagome's eyes narrow further. She really didn't know too much about youkai and their advanced and specialized abilities. Even though she had been with Naraku as long as she had been, she didn't really see all of them with the exception of his eyes flashing red when he got angry.

"The only thing that won't just burst into flames or melt when I infuse it with youki is titanium so unless you have some of that hidden on you that I can fashion into a fan, we're shit out of luck!" Kagura snapped as she turned angry eyes on the dark-haired human across from her.

"That attitude isn't necessary!" Kagome snapped, angry at the condescending tone the tall youkai was using with her. To prove her point that she wasn't going to allow it to continue, she pushed some spiritual power into the hands of the woman in front of her, giving her a little zap. Kagura's eyes widened in surprise and she jerked her hands back at the sensation, before looking at Kagome with a quizzical expression as she turned the image of a miko over in her mind.

"I was under the impression you didn't know about or how to control your miko powers." Kagura said quietly, trying to assess the woman in front of her. After everything Onigumo had done to the human, she expected her to be frail and broken, but instead she saw only strength and determination filtering into the girl's eyes. Not at 'all' what she had been expecting to see. A light pink aura pulsed around the young miko and Kagura let a small smirk slide across her lips at the image.

"I'm in training and have been told I'm a fast learner." Kagome replied simply making her aura pulse. She knew that Kagura's glowing red eyes could see the spiritual energy, she had done it purposely to show the demoness that she could hold her own and wasn't just a frail and helpless human.

"Interesting..." Kagura mused quietly as she seemed to contemplate something within her mind. "Wind youkai are rare in and of themselves, I've only ever met two others aside from myself. Because of my early childhood until my teenage years, I'll never truly be able to control my youkai without using a medium. I can thank my good-for-nothing, drunk asshole of a father for that."

"Can you tell me what happens when you try to use your youki without a medium to channel it?" Kagome asked thoughtfully as the wheels in her head began to spin. She did NOT want Inuyasha or anyone in his family to have to come after them. The feel of Naraku's blackened aura made her skin crawl and she didn't want his family to be hurt by that monster.

"It comes out too fast so I can focus it on what I want to use it for." Kagura explained with an look of disgust on her face, presumably toward the father that didn't teach her a damn thing about controlling it. Wind youkai needed to be taught nearly from birth to control their youki or they would end of like Kagura; forced to rely on an outside source to channel it.

"What if I purified the overflow and kind of 'funneled' it into the door. Would that work?" Kagome asked thoughtfully as she turned chocolate brown eyes up to look at Kagura. She received a skeptical look in return, but didn't get an immediate dismissal of the idea.

"Do you have enough control over it to 'just' purify a portion of it without purifying me with it? Also, how do you know you're strong enough to purify enough of it to keep the building from being torn apart?" Kagura asked with a questioning look. She wasn't ready to die yet, but perhaps being purified to death would be better than letting Onigumo kill her. That man was ruthless so at least with the spiritual burn, it would be over quickly.

"From what my teacher has told me, I have outstanding control over my spiritual powers." Kagome told her seriously as she looked down at her hands, focusing her powers into just her fingertips to demonstrate her level of control to Kagura.

The demoness raised one manicured eyebrow as she saw the pink glow move from her fingertips to illuminate just her palms. Kagome moved her hands apart and turn them slowly, holding the apart slightly as if she had a ball between her palms. With this gentle motion, spiritual powers began to swirl in a tiny cyclone between her hands, looking a bit like a cone pointing toward Kagura. Kagome then sent a tiny shoot of power through the spinning vortex while pointing at the wall. The small shoot of energy buried itself deep into the black-painted surface and only stopped when it hit the barrier that kept Kagome's trapped within the room.

"Interesting..." Kagura said as the skepticism left her posture and was returned with confidence. All she would have to do is focus a trickle of her youki through the human's little 'machine gun' and the door would be dust. Then it was as simple as each of them removing each others seals on the door frame. Before either of them could put the plan into action, there was an ominous feeling outside of the door and they could both hear the jingle of the locks as someone undid them one by one.

"Damn..." Kagome muttered as a chill ran down the length of her spine. The cuts and scrapes she had ignored until now began to throb as if her body knew what she was in for and she wrapped her arms protectively over her stomach and grit her teeth. She had been hoping they would have been long gone from their little prison before he'd come back. She set her features into a defiant look and stiffened her backbone, but she refused to turn around behind her and look like she was waiting for him hen the last latch let loose and the door swung slowly open, creaking slightly on it's hinges.

"Come along, koibito." Naraku's smooth, deep monotone filled the air. She suppressed the shudder of disgust she felt building, not waiting him to take it was a shudder of fear.

Kagome stood tall, proud as she spun around to face him, wiping all emotion aside from defiance from her face. She would make Izayoi-mama proud with her confidence and be worthy of the faith the older woman had placed in her. Naraku had done a number on her before, she 'refused' to allow him to do the same again. Even with the determination bubbling deep within her, Kagome still felt fear trying to creep up from within as his blackened aura pulsed evilly.

"I'll take pleasure in wiping that brave look from your face." Naraku whispered close to Kagome's ear, his warm breath bringing a shudder of sheer revulsion to run through her body. Kagome could feel the bile rising in the back of her throat and forced herself not to retch. 'How did I ever find that sexy?!' Kagome's inner voice screamed as she forced the sickness down and walked forward toward the open doorway.

She could sense Naraku following close behind her as he peeled a paper seal off the side of the doorway. The bald-headed guy from before that had taken her back to the black light lit room held another paper seal in his hand outside of the door, a completely passive look on his face as if he was really bored. She didn't spare him another glance as she limped out of the room, her sore muscles protesting the movement.

“What exactly do you want, Naraku?†Kagome asked in as passive a voice as she was able to muster at the time. She felt his hand close on her shoulder as he steered her down the left side of the corridor and resisted the urge to rip herself away from him.

“In due time, koibito.†Naraku said calmly, giving off an air of amusement. “We're going to go watch a little movie together.†Kagome's eyes narrowed as she walked stiffly down the hallway in front of Naraku.

“I'm not interested in anything you want to watch.†Kagome bit out as anger began to intercede into her calm determination.

“This one I think you'll like. A certain mutt is the star of it.†Naraku said with a dark chuckle as the hallway opened up into a chic living room with a flat screen on one wall with a squishy, leather sofa and love-seat set opposite it. He pushed down on her shoulder, making her sit on the sofa and sat beside her, kicking his feet up on the glass-topped coffee table and pulling her against his bare chest.

“Let. Go. Of. Me.†Kagome bit out slowly as her aura began to expand with her growing anger. Sparks of pink energy shot up Naraku's arm, leaving small red burn marks on the pale flesh. Without missing a beat, Naraku back-handed Kagome, sending her crashing to the floor between the sofa and coffee table.

Kagome rose her hand to her stinging cheek and pushed herself up with her other arm, all the while glaring viciously at Naraku and hoping the intensity of her glare would cause his hair to spontaneously combust. She released her cheek and stood up next to the couch, pointedly refusing to sit.

"I'd rather stand." Kagome said coldly as she crossed her arms over her chest. A pink haze surrounded the miko as she stood defiantly before him, wisps of hair floating around her on the pulses of energy.

"My, you have gotten stronger, koibito." Naraku said as he stood, his smirk spread across his pale features. He stepped forward and brushed his fingers against her cheek. Kagome gasped as she saw that the flesh didn't burn and her aura didn't try to purify him. "What you don't understand is, I choose when I become human so your powers can only harm me if I choose to allow it." Kagome felt a chill run down her spine at his words and jerked back from his hand as if burned.

She took a few steps backward, putting a little distance between her and Naraku and just studied him intently. She had heard vague statements years ago in high school that hanyous always had a period of time when their youkai powers waned and they were left completely human, a fact that hanyous from the feudal era always kept hidden for their safety. She had just realized that she had never seen Naraku 'become' human in all the time they were together! It had never occurred to her before that point since she didn't really know too much about youkai.

"What are you?" Kagome asked in a whisper as she continued walking backward until her shoulders bumped into the wall behind her. Naraku pursued her, caging her against the wall with his arms and leaning down to meet her confused eyes, his smirk spreading the closer he got. Kagome couldn't help the shear terror that sparked within and spread out, consuming her whole being and causing her to freeze like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Wouldn't you like to know, my dear." He rasped out as he pressed himself up against her immobile body. His voice was husky and Kagome could feel a distinct hard bulge pushing against her stomach as her fear continued to skyrocket.

"What do you want with me?" Kagome asked in a whisper as she put her hands against his chest, but was unable to summon the strength to push him back.

"I have big plans for you. And even bigger plans for the little whelp growing inside of you." Naraku said darkly as he ran his tongue down the column of her neck and bit into the juncture between her shoulder and neck viciously. Kagome cried out at the sharp pain and was finally able to snap herself out of her trance-like state. She put her hands on his shoulders and focused all of her spiritual energy into her hands, crying out as angry tears streamed down her face. She tightened her grip and shot a nasty jolt of energy into Naraku, which sent him flying backward into the glass-encased fireplace. With a sickening crunch and the crash of breaking glass, Naraku slumped to the ground, lazy trails of smoke rising up from his still form, eyes shut and breathing shallow.

"You will not touch me again!" Kagome cried as the tears continued to flow, not caring that he was obviously unconscious. When Kagome saw that he didn't stand up, she decided immediately to make a break for it, but as she was turning to go, a flash of silver caught her attention and she turned her gaze to the plasma screen mounted to the wall and a gasp of surprise came from her throat.

On the screen she saw Inuyasha and Sango with a large feline cat with fangs, two tails, and fire licking up from her paws and tails. What startled her the most was the look on Inuyasha's face, it was terrifying! His eyes were blood red with blue, slitted pupils and there were jagged purple markings stretching across his cheeks and down his arms. His eyes looked crazed and his fangs came down passed his lips and his claws were lethal and dripping with blood.

"Inu... yasha?" She croaked as her eyes bugged out at the sight of him. She had never before been afraid of him, but his looks were so ferocious that she was having difficulty tearing away from the screen. 'What... happened to him...?' She silently wondered as she saw him jump into the air and grab a hold of a huge weapon that had been imbedded in a huge door behind him. He flew through the air and attacked a 'gigantic' creature with teeth filed to sharp points. The giant looked human enough, but he was just so damn BIG.

"I knew you'd want to watch my special broadcast." A deep voice purred close to her ear. Kagome instinctively tried to jerk away, but felt an arm encircle her waist and pull her back against a firm chest, her arms pinned firmly at her sides. "That stung, koibito." He purred again, running his lips up the shell of her ear.

"Don't touch me with your filthy body." Kagome bit out as she tried to jerk herself out of his hold, but he held her tightly and when Kagome glanced down, she shuddered in disgust as she saw there were tentacles wrapped tightly around her from her shoulders to her knees.

"Not going to have any more fight from you." Naraku said in amusement as he lifted her easily from the ground and plopped her back on the couch, loosening the tentacles only enough to let her breathe easily. "I won't have you trashing my place anymore."

Kagome felt nauseous having him draper all around her but unless should could concentrate her reiki to incinerate all of the tentacles simultaneously, she was a sitting duck. Naraku knew this so he leaned back into the sofa and crossed his hands behind his head and turned hi ls attention to the screen.

"You're friends are about to meet a very tragic end, Kagome. Are you watching?" Naraku asked arrogantly as he kept his eyes locked on the screen.

She glared at him for a moment before turning her gaze to the television and she immediately felt her bubble of hope pop at what she saw. Inuyasha was hunched over on the ground with a strange blade going into his back and coming out his chest. 'Oh Kami no...' Kagome thought as tears immediately filled her eyes and she brought her hands up to cover her mouth to hold back a loud sob. Her vision blurred as the tears flowed freely and she couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Inuyasha!" Her heartbroken cry filled the top floor of the building, echoing throughout the building.

- l - l - l -

Sango and Kirara sprinted int the closest open door and upon the sharp click of the latch, Sango drove the blunted Tetsusaiga into the door before clicking every visible lock closed on the door. She heard a clatter at the door and scooted back crab-like as fast as she could. She gripped the katana at her side, preparing to draw the blade as soon as the door was thrown open. To her surprise, though, the door rattled for a moment before falling oddly silent. Only then did Sango relax slightly and let out the breath of air she didn't realize she had been holding.

She heard a low growl behind her and turned to see Kirara gingerly licking the bleeding wound on an unconscious Inuyasha's back. She scampered to her feet and ran to her fallen friend and gently pulled the back of his shirt open to assess the damage, knowing already that to have rendered him unconscious it must be severe. She pulled a small utility knife from her pocket and began cutting his shirt off so she could get a better look at the wound. Kirara nuzzled her elbow before resuming her bathing of the wound while Sango proceeded to rip the blooded shirt into strips to use as bandages.

"Thanks Kirara." Sango said absently as she laid the strips of cloth out beside her. As a taijiya, Sango was well aware of some of the healing properties of youkai saliva, particularly in the wolf, dog, and cat breeds. It wouldn't do much to heal the wounds, but it may help the clotting process so at least he wouldn't lose any more blood.

She glanced over to see Kirara wrapped protectively around him and smiled softly before she approached them with her stack of makeshift bandages. With Kirara's help, Sango managed to gently roll him onto his back with the bandages laid out underneath him to make securing them easier. The sword wound had pierced all the way through his back and out his chest so Kirara resumed her gently licking to seal the other side of the wound. After several minutes, Kirara laid back down around Inuyasha, letting his head rest against her as a pillow as she shared her body heat with the unconscious inu. Sango made quick work of the bandages, tying them tightly around his chest and securing them with strong knots. He grimaced as she pulled them tight but she kept as much pressure against the wound as possible to aid in the healing process.

"Damn, what are we going to do?" Sango mused quietly as her hands balled into fists at her sides. For all they knew, Kagome and Izayoi-mama were being tortured at that very moment! What the hell did the sick bastard want with Kagome?! Ex or no ex, Kagome had made it pretty clear she wasn't interested in the guy when she went to stay with Inuyasha.

Her gut was telling her it was much more than what it looked like on the surface. For starters, if it were just about Kagome, they wouldn't have touched Izayoi-mama. Every person in the entire 'city' knew better than to try anything with her because when Inu no Taisho found out, they were as good as dead. As easy-going and good natured as he was most of the time, mess with his mate or pups (herself and Miroku included), and the hot-headed, go-for-blood side would come out and give swift retribution.

"So what do we do now?" Sango asked as she leaned back against the wall and let out a sigh of frustration. She was at a loss for what to do now. They were trapped in a room by some weird Tetsusaiga-created barrier with Inuyasha injured and unconscious. She had no clue where they were keeping Kagome and Izayoi-mama, nor if they were even still alive. To top it off, she had no clue where Sesshoumaru and Inu-papa were either!

"Kirara, stay with him so I can look around." With a low growl of assent from the feline, Sango rose to her feet to look around them room.

The room they were in was dimly lit by only a few low-hanging bulbs from the ceiling that were swinging gently from their hasty entrance. Her quick assessment of the room was that it was some sort of large, supply closet. Stacked on the shelves against the wall were dozens of industrial strength cleaning solutions, along with a big basin on wheels filled with soiled linens, some with a dark substance that looked suspiciously like blood. Leaning up against the back wall were an assortment of brooms and mops that were leaned haphazardly against each other.

There were no windows, which Sango was thankful for, but it was a blessing and a curse at the same time. If anything got through the only door, they had no escape, but on the flip side, nothing could sneak through the window while they were resting. But all of her training wasn't in vain, there were plenty of nasty surprises she could whip up for anyone foolish enough to come through that door. Especially with a ready supply of chemicals to work with such as were stored in the room. A smirk spread across her lips as she crossed the floor to the shelves and began pulling bottles down to create some surprises.

- l - l - l -

Miroku paced back and forth in the main foyer of the Takahashi manor. They had been gone for too long and he was extremely worried for his family. He growled low in his throat as he thought about why he'd been forced to stay behind. He hadn't thought that Koharu was quite as sneaky as she had been, but she did exhibit a tendency to be possessive that would put a dog demon's instincts to shame. But the thought of his precious Sango being in danger and him not able to be there to protect her made his blood boil. If it hadn't been the Takahashi men she was going with, he would have insisted she stay. Hell, that was a lie! He knew if it were just her and Inuyasha, the hanyou would protect her with his life.

But still... the waiting was KILLING him! Every tick the clock made was another second that made his chest clench even more painfully. He was eating antacids like candy by this point and he couldn't bring himself to eat any food.

"Giving yourself an ulcer isn't going to bring them back any quicker, Miroku." A kindly voice stated dryly. Miroku let out a frustrated sigh and plopped down onto the couch next to the elderly miko.

"I know, Kaede-sama." Miroku said as he leaned forward and put his head in his hands. He couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding eat away at his insides. For a reason he couldn't explain, he just had a feeling that the kidnap of the two woman was NOT motivated by greed, but rather by something much more sinister. "I feel so useless sitting around here waiting." He said with another frustrated sigh as he gripped his head tightly.

"There is nothing you nor I can do for them now." Kaede said calmly as she sipped from a small cup of tea that had long-since gone cold. "Have some tea to calm your nerves." She stated as she poured the slightly warm liquid into a second glass that she knew he wouldn't drink.

Miroku remained silent for several moments as he lost himself in his own thoughts, the cup of lukewarm tea clutched between both hands. There was something bugging him not only with the situation, but also with Inuyasha's apparent control of his inner demon earlier. There had been a few incidents over the years when his inner demon had come to the surface, but he never seemed to recognize anyone, whether family or friend, during those times. He also never remembered anything that had happened during the time when he'd been transformed. If Miroku hadn't had spiritual powers to subdue the hanyou, nor Sango have her training as a taijiya, the silver haired inu may have killed or maimed both humans and demons alike.

There was still something tickling the back of his mind tat he couldn't quite grasp. It had to do with the strange rosary Kaede had placed around Inuyasha's neck before they'd left that seemed odd to him. Something about the spiritual residue that he had felt just didn't feel like Kaede's powers. That's when it clicked into place and his eyes widened in shock and realization.

"Kaede-sama, where did you get the rosary you put on Inuyasha?" Miroku asked as he finally picked his head up and looked over at the elderly miko. The spiritual signature had been familiar and foreign at the same time. Something that he was sure had left the world for good. Kaede gave him a sad smile as she set her own cup on the tea tray that rested on the coffee table before her.

"I had assumed you would recognize the spiritual residue of the seal." Kaede said with a soft sigh. "It was something that priestess Kikyo created to subdue Inuyasha for his protection and the protection of others. She spoke to me of it and said she feared that something may happen when no one save her was around and she couldn't bear the thought of harming him if his demon took control. She made it so she wouldn't have to use her spiritual powers to painfully purify him into a human. Before she could give it to him, he pushed her away and then she died and her mother gave the rosary to me. She didn't know what it was and out of respect for my training her daughter, gave it to me to remember her."

“So the aura I felt was Kikyo's. I thought something was odd when you used it.†Miroku said after listening to her story. Her eyes were saddened at the memory of the young girl, but there was a soft smile gracing her lips at her memory. Kaede had known Kikyo at a young age and, though she was nowhere near Kikyo's strength, had taken it upon herself to teach her how to control and use her powers. That was how Kikyo became known across the entire country as the strongest miko in centuries. If only that bright light hadn't been extinguished at such a young age.

“So then, Kaede-sama, why did you put the seal on Inuyasha before he left?†Miroku asked as a few pieces from the puzzle were still missing. If she'd had the seal all that time, why hadn't she placed it on him at any time before Kagome and Izayoi-mama were taken?

“It's because of that girl that was taken.†Kaede stated matter-of-factually as she placed her chilled tea cup back onto the silver tray. “Her disappearance was enough to trigger his blood to overcome his body, yet he still retained enough of himself to not fall into the normal blood lust he has when transformed. This can only mean one thing, his inner demon sees her as his mate and when he finds her, he will stake his claim and she may be harmed in the process as I'm assuming she's human.†Miroku's eyes widened in surprise and realization as it dawned on him and he nodded his head in understanding, a new sense of foreboding striking him at that moment.

- l - l - l -

His ears strained to hear in the eery silence he was suddenly wrapped in. His nose burned from the acrid smell that filled the air. It reeked of hundreds of sweaty bodies all gathered together in one enclosed space, coated in the metallic scent of blood. Amidst the myriad of foul odors, one sweet scent lingered that he focused on. The scent of lilies and tangy, exotic spices was like a feast to his nose and was the only thing that blocked out the foulness and prevented him from being buried. His eyes were heavy and he couldn't begin to lift them. He had been in darkness for a time and knew only one thing in this darkened space, Kagome needed his help.

On occasion, he could hear Sango speaking to him, but it was always very faint and echo-y as if she were far away. And damn did his back hurt! It was making the process of awakening his mind that much more difficult. He had been hearing a strange gravely voice for a while now, but it had gone quiet about the time that the pain set in. It was cold... and the darkness was unnerving... He concluded it must be pitch black since there was no glow on his closed eyelids and had he found the strength to open them, he wasn't positive he'd be able to find the courage to.

When he couldn't take the deafening silence and blinding darkness anymore, he let out a sigh and forced his eyes to open fully. He wasn't disappointed to find himself surrounded in pitch darkness, though neither was he comforted to know he had been correct. He had never been a fan of darkness, things always looked and felt worse in the dark. As a child, things always were more scary at night because of the uncertainty that surrounded them. When you got sick, the pain was always worse at night. Sounds that you hear every day with the lights on are ominous as soon as the lights are expunged.

Through the blinding pain, he forced himself up into a sitting position and squinted off into the distance. All his eyes fell across was a vast expanse of emptiness that left him feeling anxious inside. He reached up a hand and held it to a burning pain in his chest and noticed a wet, sticky substance coating his shirt. Perplexed, he pulled his hand away and looked down at it, noting the crimson liquid that covered his pain skin and noting that seeing that much of the substance was a bad thing.

That's when his eyes widened slightly and he saw the blunt nails at the tips of his fingers. His other hand went to his head, smoothing through silky hair as he searched for the familiar, soft dog ears that were typically perched atop his head. All he found was soft hair so, shaking slightly, his hand slid to the side of his head and traced a shell of flesh that was covered by a sheet of hair. He held up a hunk of said hair and noted it's deep, raven color... he was human... Why was he human again? His memory was fuzzy and he was unable to ascertain how he was injured nor why he was human.

A whimpering sound caught his attention and he slowly rotated himself to face a different direction to find it's source. Sitting directly behind him nearly fifty feet away was a hunched figure with it's back to him, bloodstained silver hair streamed down it's back. His felt his eyebrow quirk in confusion as he stared at the man before him. As he watched, a triangular dog ear flicked in his direction and a low growl filled the air. The hunched body turned slowly, growling softly in warning and he felt his throat seize up as he was met with one blood red eye with a narrow blue slit glaring at him from behind unruly, silver bangs. One fang was visible and hung passed his lower lip and glinted viciously in the strange semi light that bathed the emptiness around them. He had heard stories from Miroku and Sango, but never before had he seen his transformed state. That was the only thing the feral beast in front of him could be.

Inuyasha swallowed thickly as he forced himself to stand up and take a few hesitant steps toward the snarling monster hunched in front of him. 'No wonder oyaji had that room built...' He mused quietly to himself as he walked slowly forward. He stopped a good ten paces away from his other self and crouched down to be eye level. To his surprise, the demon crouching defensively before him merely gave a low growl of warning and just observed him with one blood-red eye.

"What the hell is going on?" Inuyasha asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. His confidence had returned when he realized that no matter how vicious his demon could be, there was no way he could kill his human half. They shared the same body, after all. "Did you run away with your tail between your legs?!" A snarl ripped from the demon's throat and Inuyasha felt himself pinned to the ground with a hand around his throat and a weight on his chest.

"Shut the fuck up!!" The demon snarled out as an enraged growl ripped from his throat. Inuyasha's heart thumped painfully in his chest and his oxygen was cut off, claws digging into the delicate skin of his throat.

"Where is Kagome?!" Inuyasha croaked out as he glared up at his feral counterpart angrily. He remembered getting angry, furious really, about the raven-haired girl's capture. He also remembered the weird beads the old bag had put on him and leaving to find Kagura with the bastard and the old man, but things were much more dark and hazy after that.

To Inuyasha's surprise, the grip on his neck released and the weight disappeared and the whimpering started all over again. He sat up slowly, rubbing his neck as he sucked gulps of air into his lungs. His eyes, once again, fell on the blood-stained demon's back as he hunched over, whimpering quietly as if he were in pain.

"What the fuck?!? Did you find Kagome or not?!" Inuyasha yelled as he grabbed the demon's arm and whirled him around to face him. The demon didn't fight it as his hands fell flat on the ground in front of Inuyasha, his angry red eyes on the floor.

"Mate close... Too weak to fight..." His demon said quietly and Inuyasha's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. His demon half was supposed to be really strong and yet he was giving up it seemed.

"Fucking coward!" Inuyasha snarled out angrily as he slammed his human fist into the ground, ignoring the sting that ran up his arm. "You're just gonna fucking abandon her?!"

"Shuttup!" The demon roared as he raised his flaming red eyes to glare darkly at Inuyasha, a low growl rumbling in the back of his throat.

“If you didn't just blow in there and start slashing at anything that moved, maybe we wouldn't have gotten injured!†Inuyasha growled right back, not letting the blue-slitted eyes intimidate him. After all, this was a part of him so there wasn't any reason to fear himself. The demon merely growled and grabbed Inuyasha by his shoulders, digging his elongated claws into the tender flesh.

“Weak link must die!†The demon snarled back in his face, the jagged purple marks on his cheeks deepening in color as his rage bubbled over.

“You're the weak link! You can't control yourself when you're like that!†Inuyasha growled out as he shoved the hands off of his shoulders roughly. To his surprise, the demon backed down at his display of dominance and took several steps back, the growl still rumbling in his chest in warning. “If we're going to save Kagome, we need to combine our strengths. My brain, and your brawn should do the trick.â€

A smirk spread slowly across the demon's face and one fang peeked out of the corner of his mouth. The demon wasn't stupid, he knew that this weak human heart that he had to contend with would draw out every drop of strength both of them contained to save their mate. Perhaps he wasn't as weak as he had previously thought.

- l - l - l -

Sango had just sat down on the floor after having set up all sorts of traps for the mercenaries that were undoubtedly waiting outside of the door. She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes, rubbing her temple with one hand to stave off the budding headache. That's when she heard a strange sound... It was a low grumble that was in a strange sounding voice she had never heard before. Her eyes flew open and flew to the source of the sound, only to fall on a partially-conscious Inuyasha on the floor.

She jumped to her feet and took a defensive stance as she watched the jagged purple marks that indicated he was transforming stretch across his cheeks. His eyes were closed tight, but he seemed to be arguing with someone that she was unable to see and someone was arguing back in a deep, gravely voice.

“Inuyasha?†Sango called out softly, tentatively. She didn't want him to wake up and see her as an immediate threat. She had been convinced that he would wake up as himself since he had lost consciousness with such a wound, apparently she had been wrong. Kirara still lay on the ground with Inuyasha laying against her. She licked his cheek gently, reassuringly and he seemed to relax slightly and stop mumbling and thrashing around. Sango noted that there was blood on his shoulders that hadn't been there prior when she had looked him over for injuries.

“I'm coming.... Kagome...†Inuyasha's voice said and Sango's eyes snapped back to the hanyou laying on the ground and widened when they feel on him. His appearance was like nothing she had ever seen before. The jagged purple stripes that indicated his transformation were showing prominently on his cheeks, as were the elongated claws and fangs, but... his eyes were the same golden color that they always were! “We're going hunting, Sango.â€

A smile spread across Sango's lips as she nodded in reply. Something had happened when he lost consciousness that she would likely never understand. She knew one thing, though. Inuyasha radiated the aura of a full youkai, but he knew who she was so apparently, he had learned to control his inner demon so he was much more deadly than he had ever been before. This was about to end.

::FIN::

July 7, 2012

Notes: So, that's it for this chapter. I do have one question for everyone, though. Are you getting bored with this story? If so, let me know and I'll finish it in the next few chapters. I did have Naraku's whole plan pretty much hashed out, but it doesn't seem like too many people are really still interested. Anyway, let me know!