InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Midnight Blood ❯ Ultimatum ( Chapter 27 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

I know it’s been a while since I updated. Short story: my life has been in the fast lane as of late and I’ve even started writing some original works. Long Story: So much to do, so little time, plus my hands getting super tired super fast because of work. I’m sorry this took so long, but I hope you enjoy. I do have a question though, and I don’t usually do this, but I had originally planned to include a scene with Lilliana and Narek, but took it out because it did not fit the chapter. I would include it when it would work, but I’m not so sure if my readers are interested. Thoughts?
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DISCLAIMER: I don’t own Inuyasha, nor do I take credit for Rumiko Takahashi’s genius. I don’t own Yu Yu Hakusho, nor do I take credit for Yoshihiro Togashi’s awesome characters.
@REVIEWERGODDESS: And it’s always a pleasure to get a new review from you too! Sorry to say this chapter is shorter then the last. I wouldn’t call the desert nightwalkers fun. More like, unstable. By the way, after reading your review, I had to go back and listen to ÒBallroom BlitzÓ again and it was stuck in my head for a week, I hope you’re happy. Interesting, you think Narek would treat her better then the ice nightwalkers or Naraku did, eh? Eeeeh? Also, between you and me, I don’t think an impasse would last long. *Gasp* I’ve said too much!  But as always, thank you so much for your input and for reminding me what I have to show/return to later.  Looking forward to your next review!    

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@KAGOME0123456789: Glad you enjoyed the longer chapter last time! Maybe the desert nightwalkers are busy trying to get good air conditioning. Hey, it can get pretty hot in a place where there is no sun! Also, if Inuyasha and the others don’t get back to the human world, they can always start a tour guide business right? Whoa, I just had an idea for a fanfiction of my fanfiction.  Well, if you have something that’s a part of you, better to embrace it then let it control you through fear. At least Inuyasha made peace with his own head. All joking aside, love your reviews! Thanks for reading!

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Part Twenty-Seven: Ultimatum
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Inuyasha jolted awake, his eyes burning in the dim light, blue haze dancing in front of his lashes. The sleep faded away from his vision, but the blue mist didn’t disappear. It floated over the grass, undulating in four directions, reminding him of roads intersecting. In his half-asleep mind, he vaguely wondered when was the last time he had seen the color blue. The world around him was nothing but black, grey, and red. Was this a sign of something different for them to come, or was it that he was getting so used to this world that he was turning grey into blue in his own mind.      
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‘‘Took you long enough.’’  
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Inuyasha turned his head, the blue trails vanishing as he spotted Shippo, who was sitting cross-legged next to him with Myoga on his nose. ‘‘This isn’t a very safe place to sleep you know. The illusion may keep people lost in here, but that doesn’t mean they can’t run each other into eventually. You’re lucky I’m here to keep an eye out for you.’’
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‘‘Master Inuyasha! Oh, I can’t tell you how relieved I am that you returned from the desert alive!’’ Myoga was sounded like he was close to tears, and Inuyasha vaguely wondered if fleas could even cry.
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He looked at Kagome, still sleeping in his arms.
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‘Exhausted,’ said his inner demon.
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‘‘Tell me runt,’’ Inuyasha peered at Shippo with an emotionless expression, ‘‘did you know that Yoko was heading to the desert too.’’
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Shippo fidgeted. Why the fox lord had sent the brat to spy on them when he such had a terrible poker face was beyond Inuyasha.
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‘‘I’m not going to hit you, runt.’’ Shippo breathed out. ‘‘But I am going to ask you questions. Why does Yoko want you to keep an eye on us?’’
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‘‘Yeah, like I’m really going to tell you that.’’
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‘Let’s eat him.’
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Ignoring both his inner voice and the brat, Inuyasha turned his attention to his so called servant. ‘‘Totosai said I was in danger here. It’s because of this Naraku person isn’t it?’’
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‘‘Er, well yes and no.’’
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‘‘Tell me bug, or squashing you will only be the first thing I do.’’
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‘‘Well, it is certainly true that Naraku is a threat to you. I’d venture to say you’re in danger of anyone that knows about your, uh, special condition.’’
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Inuyasha was getting annoyed.  He asked his inner demon what the hell kind of special condition he had. ‘Don’t know. I definitely know there’s something different about us though.’ He grinded his teeth together, ready to throttle both the little fox and Myoga, when Kagome let out a low moan in her sleep and he froze.
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She opened her eyes, stretched and sat up.  If she was surprised to see the two additions to their party, she didn’t show it. She simply turned to Inuyasha and he could almost read her thoughts.  There were questions in her eyes, questions that he had no answer to. He replayed the past events in his head, pushing away his first thoughts, which were centered at Lilliana, and tried to remember what had been said and by whom.
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Kagome was busy saying hello to Shippo when he brought her attention back to him. ‘‘Maybe you could help me make sense of what happened to us back there.’’
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She rubbed her shoulder tensely. ‘‘You mean, besides all the creepy nightwalkers harassing us?’’
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‘‘From the looks of you two, I’d say you were extremely lucky. The nightwalkers there are borderline insane. If they aren’t sadistically pulling off fingers, toes and limbs one by one to eat you, they’re only less violent form of entertainment is to sexually attack.’’ Myoga said.  
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Inuyasha rubbed his chest uncomfortably as he remembered the men and women that came way too close to their personal space.  Kagome looked like she was going to retch. She put her head between her knees.  
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‘‘I bet it was because Lord Yoko was there. Maybe their leader told them to behave themselves.’’
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Kagome straightened up and glared at Shippo. ‘‘Pu-lease, Shippo. Yoko being there didn’t stop all those demons and slaves from pouncing on us.’’
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 Inuyasha didn’t know whether to smirk at Shippo’s blush, or to be amazed that Kagome had the capacity to be cruel to him. His inner demon hissed at her appreciatively.  Still, the questions about why there were humans, even in the form of slaves, in this world swirled in his head.  
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‘‘Speaking of slaves,’’ he patted Kagome on the shoulder, ‘‘it’s not that big of a leap in logic to think that there must be an opening that they are coming through.’’
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‘‘The last person we saw with the slaves was Tsubaki. Maybe she knows of a way to get back to the human world.’’
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‘‘You two still believe in that-’’
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‘‘Shut up, Shippo,’’ Inuyasha and Kagome growled. The boy grumbled, picking at his tail.  
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Kagome twirled a stray hair around her finger, her face contemplative.  ‘‘So what are you thinking? We track down Tsubaki and ask her where the opening is?’’
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‘‘No, I doubt she’d talk, especially since her master seems to want us.’’
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‘‘True, though it seems that they really need only two of us. Me, and either you or Lilliana.’’
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‘‘Just like Totosai said. The first blood-child I created will have the same problem I do. What do we know so far? You’re fourth generation and there’s something wrong with me. This Naraku guy wants us, you for your blood and me and Lilliana for something else.’’
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‘‘That knowledge is forbidden!’’ Myoga jumped onto Inuyasha’s nose. ‘‘Please, Master, you have to understand, the trail of thought that the two of you are going toward is a dangerous one. No nightwalker should know about why you two are special! The sooner we find a way to get the two of you out of here, the better.’’
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‘‘Tell us what you know! We have a right to know what concerns us damn it!’’
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‘‘No! My lady, you don’t understand! There is a reason the two worlds were divided, to keep this knowledge hidden! Things between nightwalkers now may be strained, but it is nothing compared to what once was!’’
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Kagome pulled Myoga off Inuyasha’s nose and actually squashed him. ‘‘Fine, don’t tell us.’’
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Inuyasha tried not to smile at her lest he irritate her further. Though he was just as frustrated about the lack of information, Inuyasha was getting a real kick out of seeing Kagome vent her frustrations on Shippo and the flea. ‘‘He’s right about one thing at least. The human world had been going crazy even before we were pulled here. Slaves, portals and-’’ Inuyasha felt a chill go through him as though the heat were sucked out of him by an ice nightwalker.  
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‘‘W-what? What is it?’’
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‘‘Time moves differently here, Kagome. Think of how long this plan has been going on right under our noses. Before all this, in the human world, we were trying to figure out mysterious disappearances and disturbances for weeks, just think-’’
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‘‘They could have been preparing an attack for decades. You don’t think-’’
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‘‘That Naraku could set his sights on the human world and invade? Yes I do.’’
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They set in silence for a while as the resolution sank in.  Even Shippo and Myoga were keen enough not to break the silence. Then, slowly, with trembling in her voice, Kagome spoke.
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‘‘Getting out of here will be the least of our worries then.’’  
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‘‘Then there’s Lilliana and Narek. We can’t leave without her.’’
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Kagome dragged her fingers over her face, pulling her cheeks down. ‘‘Damn it! We’re back to square one!’’ She turned her claws on herself, digging into her arm and spilling blood.
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Inuyasha grabbed her. ‘‘What’s gotten into you?’’
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‘‘If my blood is so goddamned special, then I should know why. What does it do? Set things on fire? If it’s supposed to make some kind of nightwalker god, how come you aren’t omnipotent?’’
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‘‘Bleeding out isn’t going to answer your questions. You’ve lost enough strength as it is.’’
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‘‘Then what do you expect me to do? I’m tired of this place. I’m tired of not knowing anything. I can’t.’’
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Inuyasha pulled her into his arms.  His shirt felt cold from the dampness of her tears. It was about time, he figured, when one of them broke down again. Kagome shivered in front of him, wrapping her arms around his waist.  He almost wanted to break down in frustration with her but found that he couldn’t. His inner demon hissed when he tried. ‘Stay alert. Mate weakened. No time for tears.’  
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Inuyasha spied Shippo scratching his head uncomfortably. ‘‘Hey brat, can you hunt?’’
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The boy bristled. ‘‘Don’t be ridiculous, of course I can.’’
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Kagome didn’t let him go, wrinkling his shirt in her fists.
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‘‘Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere,’’ he told her.  ‘‘Go get something for us to eat Shippo. If you insist on spying on us you might as well make yourself useful.’’
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‘‘Why do I gotta go fetch food for you?’’
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Inuyasha glared at him. ‘‘Myoga,’’ he said in the calmest voice he could muster.
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The flea cleared his throat. ‘‘Right. Shippo, if you please. I know of a few rabbits that run around the meadow. Hard to spot but delicious if you catch them. Won’t you come with me please.’’
----‘‘Hey, I’m not some fetch boy!’’
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‘‘Shippo! Now is the time for adults to be alone.’’
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The boy made an ugly face at Inuyasha before he got on all fours and bounced away.  Kagome sniffled and giggled at the same time, making her voice sound slippery. ‘‘You sure fit into the lord role well.’’
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He patted her head. ‘‘Feeling better?’’
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‘‘No.’’ She sniffled into his shirt. ‘‘I’m afraid.’’
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‘‘Of?’’
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‘‘This Naraku person.  I’ve heard his voice before. He’s that terrible sound I’ve seen in my dreams. There was just something wrong about him. It’s like he slithers into your mind, rips it open and pulls out your fears so that he can feed on them.’’
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‘‘That answers one question at least.’’    
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She shivered. Inuyasha wrapped his arms tight around her back, patting her shoulder blade softly.  He was reminded about the last time he comforted her, when that leech had attacked her. Only this time, he did not think he could laugh it off afterward. The invisible enemy that they had been fighting off now had a face, a voice, and an army. There was a possibility that his other family members were in danger as well. Worse, his blood-child was in the hands of another hated enemy, and he had no way to track them down.  
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Kagome pushed away from him.
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‘‘You okay?’’
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‘‘It’s still a no,’’ she rubbed her eyes, ‘‘but I’ll manage.’’ Leaning forward, she kissed him on the cheek. ‘‘Thanks for sending those two away.’’  
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‘‘All I get for my reward is a measly kiss on the cheek? Lame.’’
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‘‘Oh? Is there something else you would want?’’
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‘I can think of a few.’ Inuyasha was tempted to say the same. ‘‘How about a nice shoulder rub?’’
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Kagome playfully slapped his shoulder. ‘‘Keep it in your pants. We’ve got better things to do.’’  
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‘‘That’s not nice. As soon as Myoga gets back here, I’m telling him just how cruel you to me.’’
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Her smile was crooked. She was quite a sight, smiling even though her eyes were puffy red and her cheeks grey.
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He reached out and whipped away the last remaining tears with his thumb. ‘‘We’ll be okay. I hope Shippo and Myoga get back here soon with something to eat.  I’d let you drink from me, but that would only make our roles reversed.’’
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She leaned into his hand. ‘‘Yeah, and we need that power-up of yours.’’ Kagome dug her fingers into her hair and began kneading her scalp. ‘‘One thing after another, reminds me of ten years ago.’’
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‘‘Yeah, we were running around then too.’’
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‘‘And our enemy isn’t your father this time.’’
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Inuyasha imagined his father’s face and tried to remember a time when his golden eyes weren’t swirling with hatred. His father had killed his mother when he found out about her pregnancy and after that, neither Sesshoumaru nor Inuyasha loved him anymore, vowing to kill him and the ridiculous kingdom of nightwalkers he had created. The man in his memories and the man that Totosai and Myoga described were nothing alike. Inuyasha would venture to say that he was more like Naraku, a man using his empire for his own ends. There was one difference though.
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‘‘My father is not nearly as sadistic as this Naraku person is though. I’m willing to bet that his level of insane is much worse. My old man killed humans, not turned them into his own personal slave army. He was angry, yes, but he didn’t get any joy from what he did. Those years of fighting him, he was always furious, a kill only made him angrier, never able to fill that void I guess. This guy, Naraku, he smiles before he does something.’’ Inuyasha spat. ‘‘Reminds me of a certain someone.’’       
 ----< br> ‘‘How much do you want to bet he’d turn the human world into his own personal playground of hell?’’  She moved around him till he felt her hands on his shoulders and began kneading. ‘‘I doubt the family can handle this level of intense. I hope Rukiya and the others are all right.’’
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‘‘Let’s hope that none of them are having nightmares while we’re away like Koga did.’’
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They settled into an uneasy silence. Inuyasha relaxed as Kagome put pressure on his muscles.  He closed his eyes and was content until Shippo returned with a few dead rabbits. Inuyasha ate one and let the boy and Kagome have the rest, watching as color returned to the surface of her skin. Give it hour and she would be back to full strength, he thought, listening to her heartbeat. He knew he should make them stand, that he should get them to move and do something, but what he wasn’t sure. He was tempted to stay where he was and wait for something to happen, but that was not his way.   
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Inuyasha had a good number of things that got under his skin, but being kept ignorant of something that concerned him was turning out to be one of the worst. He was beginning to understand Kagome’s frustration from so long ago. Now he knew just how much it must have hurt to have the family keeping her against her will and not telling her what was going on outside their temporary homes.  If they ever got out of this, he would have to learn to let her have as much personal space as she needed. Maybe he would travel around the world for a little while and do some diplomatic work to get his mind off things. Inuyasha laughed at himself. Since when had he turned into a na•ve simpleton?
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Years of fighting his father had kept him focused, not afraid to getting one task done so that he and Sesshoumaru would be closer to defeating his old man. Then he met Kagome, and his addiction to her blood had him distracted for the first time in a century. Torn between protecting her to protect himself, fighting his desires, and killing his father, the stress of it all had kept him going forward, never thinking about the future or what waited after the deed was done. Back then, his father’s death was the end point, the end of the war he and Sesshoumaru and the family had fought for so long. There was nothing beyond his father; he hadn’t even imagined a happy life for himself. The end of the war was simply the end for him.  
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He had just let Kagome go home and was content to do Sesshoumaru’s every whim afterward. When had he lost a sense of himself? Why hadn’t he thought about the future? Especially now, when he imagined that he might not even have one what with all the monsters in Zenith wanting to hunt him down. Was it because he had thought he had resigned himself to die when Kagome became a nightwalker? He had simply switched the end point from his father’s death to Kagome’s birth as a nightwalker, ready to waste away from not drinking her blood if it meant that she could live without being mated to him. Yet, in the end, her agreement to become his mate had awakened his selfish want to live. What had he done with the life she had given him?
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Inuyasha looked up at Kagome. She was sucking off the blood from her fingers, to regain her strength so that she could keep living, Inuyasha thought. Even if he didn’t know what he would do with his life if they separated, what he would do after there was no one to fight, he wanted to live; he wanted to keep going so that he could find his answer. He had to live and he owed both himself and Kagome the chance.
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‘Took you long enough.’
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Kagome looked up mid-chew. ‘‘Do you hear something?’’
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Shippo swallowed and put a hand in front of his pointed ear. ‘‘I hear a heartbeat.’’
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Inuyasha heard it too. He stood and felt a pulsing. On his hip. He looked down at the sword, Tessaiga, and could almost swear it vibrated with energy. The blade had been inert for so long he had forgotten he even had it, and wondered for a moment, how it never slipped out of his belt when he fought or changed forms. Inuyasha pulled the sword from its scabbard, listening to its rhythmic beating.
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Myoga appeared on his thumb to touch the hilt of the blade. ‘‘Amazing master! You’ve finally awakened its power!’’
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Kagome put her index finger slowly near the blade, as though touching it would make it explode. ‘‘Didn’t Totosai say that it can help us get back to the human world? Don’t say anything Shippo.’’
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Inuyasha thought his eyes were getting blurry. The sword looked as though it pulsed outward, an eerie shadow appeared with each beat. ‘‘How? This is the first time it’s done anything and I don’t even know why.’’
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‘‘Maybe it’s like a beacon. If we walk around and the beats get stronger then we could be heading into the right direction. Like hot and cold.’’  Kagome turned him in a circle, watching the sword intently. ‘‘Inuyasha, did you do anything?’’
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‘‘No. I was just thinking.’’
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‘‘About?’’
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Inuyasha never got the chance to answer.  Hundreds of screams blended together and vibrated through the air like the sound of thunder silencing the noise of a storm. The atmosphere felt sticky, as though they were surrounded by thick syrup on all sides and a faint smell, much like the purple stuff from Naraku’s castle, made Inuyasha nauseous. His ears perked up and he knew what his inner demon was going to say before it even spoke.
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‘Something powerful and dangerous is nearby.’
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Shippo was on all fours, hissing like a cat. ‘‘That’s coming from the Spirit Woods!’’   
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The Spirit Woods looked as though someone had taken a giant shovel and driven it through the dirt. Trees were uprooted like weeds, broken trunks on the ground, branches hanging weakly at their base. Bridges had fallen from their tress, the ropes and planks splintered all over the ground. The deeper Kagome, Shippo and Inuyasha ran, the more they felt as though they were running through something invisible, like walls that seemed to hinder their path, until something cut Kagome’s cheek and she stopped long enough to slowly reach out and grab what felt like a wire.  She pulled on the invisible string, ignoring the sting of it as it cut into her palm.
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‘‘Is this, hair?’’
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Shippo hovered above Kagome in his balloon form. He said a little chant, and the hair lit up in dark purple. Lines upon lines of intersecting wires, woven together like spider webs, appeared in the air before them. ‘‘It’s everywhere,’’ Shippo cried.  He drifted higher into the forest, with Kagome and Inuyasha on his heels. They stopped on a branch where a beast nightwalker was swaying upright.
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The man looked as though he were in a daze, until Kagome noticed that he was suspended in the air by the same wires that had cut her. She was too late to shield Shippo as the beast nightwalker was thrown at him like a rag doll. Shippo poofed back into his child form. It was like a puppet was chocking a child that had come to watch the show. Kagome and Inuyasha tried kicking and punching the beast nightwalker, but he wouldn’t let go, pain was not his motivator, and Shippo was turning purple. With no other options, Kagome reached into the man’s memories. There was nothing in his head, no emotion, no memory, no thought, no heartbeat.  
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‘‘He’s dead!’’
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Inuyasha grabbed at the hands around Shippo’s throat, trying to spread the fingers so that the boy could suck in breath. Not knowing what to do, Kagome reached up and cut the strings. The body crumpled on top of Inuyasha and Shippo.  As the boy coughed for air, Inuyasha kicked the corpse off him.
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‘‘You all right kid?’’
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Shippo couldn’t produce a word. He simply nodded, still gasping as he reached for the nearest trunk and began to climb, moving quickly between broken branches, ripped apart buildings, and bridges that were hanging onto their supports by one thread.  
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‘‘Hey! Don’t just go off your own,’’ Inuyasha yelled but Shippo was already out of sight.
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Yet, within seconds, they could hear Shippo’s cries. Inuyasha cursed.
----  
‘‘What’s going on here? Where is everyone?’’  Kagome began climbing the only tree that was still standing, slowly hopping up from branch to branch, terrified that the weak wood would give out from even a feather light touch.
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‘‘We’re surrounded by dead,’’ Inuyasha called from behind her, ‘‘there could be more puppets higher up. Be careful!’’
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And there were. Dead men and women flung themselves at them at every height, swinging their arms and legs as though there were no bones in them, just strings to thrash them about.  Yet cutting their bonds did not hinder the dead.  The more Kagome cut, the more the wires bit into her arm, looped around her ankles, and squeezed her stomach, the blade like bonds slicing into flesh until the only choice she had was to stay still like a fly caught in a spider’s trap, waiting to be eaten.  
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Inuyasha tried freeing her, but the hair seemed to have a mind of its own, moving around him, spreading his wrists and feet wide. He would have to stop struggling, or lose his hands and feet. Suspended by hair between beaten trees, they were completely helpless.   
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‘‘Oh my, oh me. I came here to gather a revenant’s soul and here I find you. How serendipitous, and here we were worried when we lost you two.  Lord Naraku is going to be quiet pleased.’’  
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Yura came down from overhead, balancing on one leg on a thin string of hair like a trapeze artist, the rest of the strings connected to her fingertips.  She smiled sweetly, as though the two of them were honored dinner guests and not prey caught in her trap.  People, all entangled in hair, descended from the canopy above. Some were conscious, groaning, bruised and breathing heavily, while others were knocked out, and some were dead.
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‘‘It’s a shame I can’t get a clean cut and harvest that silver hair, but Lord Naraku did say he wanted you alive. Oh, and do be a dear and don’t change forms. The hair has a mind of its own and will stretch to keep you in place and I hate getting blood all over it.’’
----  
Inuyasha growled.
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‘‘What to do, what to do,’’ Yura sang. ‘‘I do have a revenant to catch, but I can’t exactly leave the two of you to escape now can I? So why don’t you two get comfortable and fall asleep.’’
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The hair snaked up to Kagome’s neck and tightened.  Her lungs blazed red hot, her limps tingling for air. She thrashed, but the hair holding her in place stretched her taunt. Kagome was a rubber band. She wondered how far Yura could pull her before she broke. There was no noise but the sound of air escaping her lungs. Her throat burned, begging for air, and her eyes blurred.
----     
Something cut the half the strings and Kagome slumped forward. The hair loosened and she gasped. She would have been content to just remain there, limp in the hair until her lungs stopped aching, but light danced in front of her eyes making her look up. Yura was frozen between large, glowing blue spheres. Souls.    
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Before Kagome could even question this, a blue fire came down from above, burning her bonds to ash. She landed on a nearby branch. No more then ten feet away, Inuyasha did the same. Looking up, she saw Shippo, bruised, bloody, but otherwise alive. Standing next to him, with an arrow pulled back on her bow, was Kikyo.
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‘‘Your master has some nerve sending you here. I hope you’ve enjoyed your rampage because this is where it ends.’’
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A glowing arrow sunk into Yura’s shoulder, her hip, her leg. ‘‘Ow, well isn’t that just plane rude.’’ She shrugged despite the purple blood oozing out of her wounds, despite the points of impact slowly turning to stone.
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‘‘Your head will be next.’’ Kikyo notched another arrow.
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‘‘Far be it from me to stop you, but before you let another one fly,’’ Yura snapped her fingers, ‘‘perhaps you should rethink it.’’
----
The hair shivered. Someone was lowered from a tree, dangling from the neck by a single line of hair. Unconscious, the girl groaned painfully.
----
Kikyo froze, lowering her weapon. ‘‘Sayo.’’
----
‘‘I made sure to nab this girl as soon as I saw her. Wonders what Naraku’s miasma can do. It can even get past a revenant’s defenses. Granted it was easier with a more inexperienced one, but I’m sure, given time, my master’s poison would work on you as well. Oh, and her brother put up a good fight.’’ Yura twirled a bit of hair around her finger. ‘‘It’s too bad that ruffian’s head did not pop off. If he is down there, I’m fairly certain he’s dead.’’
----
Kikyo growled. The souls surrounding Yura crept closer and closer. Yura choked.
----
‘‘I will pull out your soul and crush it,’’ Kikyo seethed.
----
‘‘By all means,’’ Yura coughed between gasps for air.
----
Sayo screamed. The hair slowly sawed into her arms and legs, drawing blood.  The souls stopped creeping closer to Yura.    
----
Despite the strain in her voice, the malicious intent was clear as Yura spoke. ‘‘Master Naraku will be displeased that’s she’s missing an arm or two, but he’ll be happy to have her nonetheless. So what will it be, Lady Kikyo?’’   
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Lucy stood in front of a dark window in the ground. The swirling black mass was right in the middle of a human freeway.  She had to cause a massive accident on both sides of the freeway just to get access to it.  Humans were irritatingly fast, always finishing their work when they were least wanted. Her hearing told her that the highway patrol would soon be on its way to investigate. It was a clever hiding place, trust Xander to make a game of things and look into the most unorthodox of places.  She would have been annoyed that he was undermining her orders if not for the fact that he was successful.   
Reaching into her core, Lucy pulled out a tiny part of her soul. The little sphere floated upward, and extended spider like arms over the edges of the hole. She was out of breath quickly. Manipulating one of the most powerful parts of her being was draining enough; using it to close an inter-dimensional opening was twice as difficult. The sphere used its arms to pull the opening closed, slowly pulling the edges closer and closer together. Just as the opening was the size of a quarter, Lucy pulled out another bit of her soul. This piece was bigger, the size of a basketball. It shone bright, blinding light over the hole, making the shadowy circle shrink and fade out like a fire being blown away from a match. A tiny bit of inky, black smoke dissipated over where the opening used to be.
Just as she pulled her soul back inward, Lucy felt a familiar presence. She chuckled softly and turned to meet the nightwalker king.  ‘‘To what do I owe this visit?’’
Sesshoumaru was not one for pleasantries it seemed.  He simply gestured to the side of the freeway, and she followed. Once they were out of human sight, he faced her. Behind him, his family members lined up. Lucy raised her brows as a particularly colorful girl glared at her.
‘‘I am giving you the aid of my family to find these anomalies you spoke of.’’  
‘‘How generous. What made you decide to help me?’’
‘‘We’ve no time to waste on stupid questions. The sooner we get these holes closed, the sooner you will answer our questions, correct?’’ Sesshoumaru’s mate’s red eyes could rival Lucy’s own. The woman looked at Lucy as though willing her gaze to burn a hole through Lucy’s head. It seemed reasonable, considering that Lucy had used her for kidnapping and blackmail.
‘‘Yes,’’ Lucy told Kagura, ‘‘I will offer you my knowledge but time is of the essence.’’  
 The girl in the colorful outfit rolled her eyes. ‘‘Obviously. What are we looking for?Ó  
Lucy gave them the same instructions she had given to Chase and Xander. The family was off within minutes. Relief washed over Lucy like a soothing shower, but it was gone just as quickly as it had come. There was a real terror now. If Narek had not killed Inuyasha, Kagome and Lilliana like she had told him to, there was a chance that-
No, Lucy thought. She had no energy to spend worrying, she needed to save her strength to close all those gates. Once all those portals were closed, then it wouldn’t mater if Narek and the others were trapped there. The being that those three could create would remain in its twisted realm forever. She would have to worry about explaining herself to the nightwalker king later. After all, it’s not like Lucy was not an outcast before.      

`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~ `~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~ ` ~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~ ` ~ `~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~` ~` ~` ~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~ `~` ~`~ `~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~