InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Midnight Blood ❯ Looming ( Chapter 30 )

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

By: ji-an

A/N

Hellooo! Now what’s this? I’ve updating the next month and not in like three months? I know, crazy right? The good news is that I had more time to write this month since my hours got cut, the bad news is, my job still kinda sucks. But hey! At least I can make a few people happy with a fresh chapter! I hope you like it.

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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.

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REVIEWERS:

@REVIEWERGODDESS: Glad you enjoyed the last chapter! I really didn’t want to go back and switch it around, mostly because I want to go forward. And you’re completely right! Copy pasting is SO much better for formatting, thank you mediaminer. Don’t worry, you’ll get your explanation about midnight blood…eventually. And yes, Lucy is THAT old. You know, every time your write “LOL” in your reviews, I always wonder if it was the story that made you laugh or just the thoughts associated with it, but either way, I hope the scene in this chapter makes you laugh! Thank you so much, I always look forward to your reviews! Enjoy!

Part Thirty: Looming

Lilliana got out of the forest, her eyes finally adjusting to the light. Every howl of wind, every snap of the grass beneath her feet put her on edge. The last time she was alone, she had been snapped up by ice nightwalkers and frozen. If there was one place she wished to avoid, it would have to be the mountains, but going into the desert was not an option, not with that thing after her.

After hunting and killing some rabbits, Lilliana felt fully rejuvenated. The only issue was getting out of the meadow. Wondering for a while, Lilliana sat down and thought about her options. She needed to know what happened to Inuyasha and Kagome. The last time she saw them she had been in the Spirit Woods right after it had been attacked by giant spiders. Lilliana had just wondered through the empty town on her way back to the meadow. Either the people there hadn’t recovered from the assault she remembered, or they had been threatened again recently.

Time felt like an endless loop in the nightwalker world, Lilliana didn’t know how long she wondered in the Inifinity Meadow. Yet, when she did finally see people in the distance, Lilliana wasn’t quite sure to be relieved or wary. At that point in time, she reminded herself, everyone in that world may as well have been her enemy. Nevertheless, she made her way to them, all the while keeping her guard up. She was no less then a mile away when she felt them coming closer. Lilliana prepared for attack. Several nightwalkers stopped in front of her, waiting. The energy for combat vibrated in the air like static shock waiting to snap at the nearest touch.

“Hold.”

The nightwalkers relaxed. Lilliana recognized the voice and it wasn’t long before she saw a flash of silver hair and Yoko Kurama came forward. Though he was bruise free, his white clothes were covered in blood stains. Either that, or whatever he had been fighting had not left their battle unscathed. The thought unnerved Lilliana a little.

The nightwalkers parted for Kurama to come near. These must be his people, Lilliana realized. Like Yoko, many of them had animalistic traits like ears, tails, or horns.

Yoko Kurama looked at her without any change in his facial muscles. Lilliana was reminded of Sesshoumaru. Never had she met a man that had a poker face like he did until Yoko Kurama came along. There was the barest of upward movement in the corner of lips a moment before Yoko spoke, the closest he’d ever get to a smile.

“So you’re alive and well it seems.”

Lilliana kept her temper in check. Before she had arrived at that thing’s palace, before her memory was a blur of anguish, she knew what Yoko and his friend, Hiei, had done. Though being locked in ice, she had been aware, and she knew perfectly well that Kurama had been there, when the ice nightwalkers and their leader had been moving her to the desert. Letting out her fury at him when his people were by his side was a bad idea. But if there was one thing she had learned from Narek, it was to use one’s enemies to their benefit.

“It seems as though,” Lilliana swallowed, hating the taste of the name on her lips, “Naraku attacked your city.”

The plants around her seemed to hiss, and the beast nightwalkers tensed, but there was no trace of emotion on Yoko’s lips.

“He has.”

“Might I ask why?”

Yoko put the tips of his fingers together. “Interesting. From the way that your blood-father reacts, I had expected for you to be just as irritable.”

Lilliana replayed his words. Blood father. Inuyasha. She always had had her suspicions, but never really cared to ask. As far as she was concerned, Rukiya was her true nightwalker parent. Still, it explained Inuyasha’s overprotective behavior. Had this been revealed to her before she came to Zenith, Lilliana would have been more excited, but none of that truly mattered as much as getting her bearings.

“He and I don’t necessarily share the same personality traits,” Lilliana answered. “You never answered my question

The beast nightwalkers glared.

“What concern is it of yours?”

A challenge if Lilliana ever heard one. She was sure that Kurama was just waiting for a moment to sick his goons on her. He had been right. Why should she care about what happened to his people, especially after she had been treated like an object to trade for the lives of others. A fresh sense of anger rose up in Lilliana’s stomach, threatening to bubble over and make her lash out at the nearest living thing. She pushed the urge back down into a deep chasm and forced herself to think rationally.

“If you are questioning why I should care about what happened to your people, I understand your mistrust. But it’s not concern that makes me ask, it’s a desire for knowledge.”

“Why should I give you such knowledge?”

“I will join you in your fight against Naraku in exchange. I have a score to settle.”

Several of the beast nightwalkers laughed. Mumblings in the crowd told Lilliana exactly what they thought of her proclamation, but she ignored them, waiting for Kurama to speak.

“My people aren’t as welcoming as you would believe. My daughter has disappeared and my mate has been taken. The wariness of strangers runs high. I will not protect you from their ire.”

Lilliana licked her lips. “I relish the challenge,” she bluffed, hoping no hesitation crossed her face. “No finer way to test my skills.”

Yoko stood silently for a moment. His eyes passed over her before they traveled over the landscape. Finally, he snapped his fingers. A boy came forward from the crowd. His red hair and tail reminded her of a little fox. He looked at Lilliana and then covered his face, giving Yoko a pleading look.

“What?” Lilliana couldn’t help asking, slightly peeved at what she thought was a rejection.

The boy uncovered his face. A blush crossed his cheeks. “Curly black hair and green eyes. Are you Lilliana?”

“Yes.”

“Inuyasha was right. You are very pretty.”

On the verge of demanding if he knew where her friends were, Lilliana bit her tongue, looking back to Yoko Kurama. He had called the boy for a reason.

“Shippo,” Yoko pointed to the boy, “will watch after you. Direct your questions at him. The rest of us are moving toward the mountains to ally with Hiei’s people.” He paused. “A war is starting. If you do not have the will to destroy, then don’t bother joining us.” Without another word, Yoko nodded at his people and they wordlessly began to follow.

Lilliana walked with them silently until sometime later when the crowd set up camp. She sat down near a fire, ignoring the obvious gossip from the female nightwalkers nearby, who were clearly talking loud enough for her to hear. Lilliana warmed her hands by the flames, keeping her senses open for any malicious intent, and looking at the little redhead sitting silently by her side.

Throughout the entire journey, Shippo wasn’t far behind her. He kept sneaking peaks at her whenever he could, his face never changing from its pink hue. Lilliana wasn’t quite sure how to deal with him. She hadn’t been around real children in so long. When Sesshoumaru and Kagura had Taiki, Lilliana had been present for the birth, helping Rukiya, Claire and Natalia care for Kugura during her labor. But afterward, everyone else took turns caring for him and sometimes bickering for his attention until Taiki choose Albier as his favorite relative. While she cared for him, Lilliana had spent the least amount of time with the child, and he was the only little boy she had truly interacted with since she had become a nightwalker.

“You’re nothing like how I pictured.” Shippo looked away from her the moment he spoke.

“How so?”

“I thought you’d be more like Kagome. You know, easy going, but you’re so serious. And you remind me of someone.”

“Who?”

Shippo bit his lip. “I don’t know what happened to your friends. I saw them fall and then a huge hole opened up and they were gone, along with Sayo. After that, I went to look for Lord Yoko, but someone found me while I was looking. A man.”

“Let me guess, this man looked a lot like me?”

Shippo nodded. “Is he your brother?”

“No. He didn’t hurt you did he?”

Shippo blinked. “Why? Is he dangerous or something? And if you’re not related, then why do you look alike?”

“When I was human, my hair and eyes were brown. My coloring changed to resemble his when I turned.”

Shippo wrinkled his nose. “I don’t know if I believe in the human world.”

“Why?”

“Inuyasha and Kagome talked about it a lot.” He shuddered. “I don’t want to believe in the human world. If it does exist then-”

“Humans are nothing to be afraid of. They’re easy to deal with, predictable.”

“It’s not humans I’m afraid of.”

Intrigued, Lilliana leaned closer, but whatever Shippo had to say, he suddenly decided to keep it to himself with a shake of his head.

“If we win the war, then I don’t have to worry about it.”

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“God damn it!”

Inuyasha wrung his hands with so much intensity that Kagome did not dare move away from the door. One thing she’d learned since going to Xenith was not to be in his way whenever he was angry. She looked around the empty room with him, reminding him again and again that she had placed the Tessaiga next to his bed. He practically tore the room apart before he froze, taking in a deep whiff.

“That bitch! She took the sword.”

He leapt out of the window and into the forest. Kagome sprinted after him. The sunlight burned her skin, but she had no time to hop from one shady area to the next as Inuyasha raced through the forest with a speed that she was struggling to keep up with. She called out his name but the sound was more like a whisper as her gasps burned her throat. Normally, they could reach a speed fast enough to cross water, but it took time to build up the momentum, and her mate seemed to be cutting the time in half.

Up ahead, there was a sudden cloud of dust, and, to Kagome’s complete shock, Inuyasha rounded back, picked her up and tore through the trees and into the city, jumping from roof to roof.

“It has to be here somewhere,” he said evenly.

“What has?” Kagome huffed, still trying to bring air into her muscles.

“The penthouse. There!”

He stopped on another tall building, putting Kagome down. But when she turned to look at the place that used to be their prison, Kagome grew just as silent as Inuyasha did. The building was missing half of it as though a giant had reached down and torn a chunk clean off. Steel and wire hung down from each floor from the healthy half of the building.

“When we went to Zenith, I remember falling. Do you think we did that on our way down?”

Inuyasha didn’t answer his question. He paced. “Damn it. If she isn’t here, just have to talk to her flunkies.”

Kagome grabbed onto his sleeve. “I doubt they will talk.”

“Damn it.” Inuyasha sat down at the edge of the building.

Kagome hissed. If there was one thing she liked about Zenith, it was that the sun never rose. The light was beginning to scorch her skin, and while she knew that they wouldn’t combust into flames, the pain from the summer sun would soon be enough to cripple her. She nudged Inuyasha.

“Can we get out of the light?”

He blinked. “Oh, right.”

“It doesn’t bother you?”

“It burns, but I’m worried about something else now.”

“Well, it’s killing me!”

He reached out, grabbed her arm and pulled her close, covering her head and shoulders with his shirt, giving Kagome a very clear view of his chest and abs.

“Come on. I’ll get us down.”

Under his shirt, Kagome covered her face, wondering what was with her moron half mate. He was so absorbed in whatever he was thinking that propriety not to be a word in his dictionary. Not to mention that being back in the human world meant being thrown back into the dead of summer. She peaked at his chest from between her fingers and then had to swallow the need to press her palms against him. Stupid heat.

“You’re a natural born nightwalker. Shouldn’t the sun be worse for you then me?”

Kagome felt the sensation of falling, and moment later, her feet touched the asphalt. She wriggled out from under his shirt before her lost her self control broke and she put a finger to his heart. Once untangled from him, she turned her face away from him to catch her breathe and hide the redness in her cheeks.

Inuyasha shrugged. “It doesn’t burn nearly as much as when my body does right before I’m about to change forms. Guess I’m getting used to pain, but none of that matters now. We need to track down Lucy and get that sword back. We’ll figure out how to get back to Zenith then.”

“‘Figure out?’ You don’t remember what you did to get us back here, do you?”

Inuyasha leaned his shoulder against the tree. “I was kind of preoccupied with not dying at the time.” He closed his eyes. “All I can remember is trying to come up with anything that would keep Yura from slicing my head off.” He pulled his hair away from his neck. “This heat is making it hard for me to remember.”

Kagome looked around the street. Humans were merrily walking down the busy roads without a care, not knowing that a single hour for them was a fortnight of planning for demons in another dimension. Never had the phrase “time is of the essence” bothered Kagome so much.

“Even if we could find the sword, there would be no point if you can’t remember how to use it. Maybe, there’s something I can do. Come on.”

She raced away from the city until she found a private spot, near the mountains, far off from any hiking trails and people. Sitting, Kagome patted the ground before her and waited until Inuyasha sat down. When she held out her hands, he took them without hesitation, waiting.

“If I can see other people’s memories, maybe I can help people see into their own. Concentrate back on that moment, maybe I can isolate it for you.”

Inuyasha closed his eyes. Kagome steeled herself, breathing in deep. Going to that memory meant relieving all the terror associated with it. She kept reminding herself that it was just a memory, already in the past, and focusing on what could happen if they failed to learn how Inuyasha had managed to use the Tessiaga. With those thoughts in place, she found the memory and, much like she had done when she had healed Inuyasha, she forced her power onto him.

Then, a powerful force slammed into Kagome’s body. She could feel her muscles expanding as though they were ready to pop out of her skin, but something pulled her back down. Looking around, she was stuck in a web of hair, Sayo to her side and Yura coming down at her. Something screamed in Kagome’s head, demanding that she release its power, but something else told her not to, that her body would be destroyed if she tried.

The panic increased and she realized that she did not want to die there, that she had to live, and something pulsed. She grabbed the sword, and sliced. The memory ended. Kagome opened her eyes, confused as to why she was sitting on a rocky mountainside with the sun peeking through the trees above. Then she spotted Inuyasha, and remembered that everything she had just seen had been his memory.

Kagome sucked in hair in huge gulps, asking if Inuyasha saw what she had seen whenever her lungs didn’t burn.

“I saw it. I remember. I wanted to live more then anything else, didn’t want to let that world chose my ending for me, and then the sword reacted.” He looked at his hands. “But I don’t think that was all. Can you put me back? I want to check something.”

Kagome felt like she was underwater. She stared at Inuyasha, and started when she felt his hand on her cheek.

“What’s wrong?” He leaned in closer. “Are you sick?”

“Dizzy.” Her tongue felt heavy. “I’ve never shared memories before. It’s overwhelming.”

“Should I wait until your better to try again?” He put his hand on her shoulder. “Maybe you should lie down for a little while.”

“No.” Kagome took her wooziness and his warm hands off. “Who knows what’s happening to Lilliana back in that world. The sooner we figure this out the better.”

Kagome had to take a moment to remind herself that there was no time for rest, or whatever else her body wanted to do with a certain someone sitting right in front of her. She shuddered, remembering the look on Narek’s face when he had gotten a nice eyeful of Lilliana back at Lucy’s home. Even if Narek did heal Lilliana’s memories like he implied he would, Kagome doubted that Lilliana wouldn’t have some price to pay for his help. She reached out, took Inuyasha’s hand, and went back into Inuyasha’s memories.

“What the hell?” Inuyasha yelled, jumping up.

Kagome swayed slightly, waiting for the world to stop shifting. He had pulled away so fast, that she had to take a moment to remind herself where she was.

“What’s wrong? I didn’t hurt you did I?”

Inuyasha wasn’t paying attention, stomping around, muttering under his breath, and his face was completely red. “How could she? No wonder!” He stopped mid stride. “I’m going to kill her.”

“Who? Lucy?”

“Lilliana.”

Kagome was taken aback. “Why? She’s part of our family.”

“Does that give her the right to strip down naked in front of Narek?”

Kagome felt as though someone had grabbed her heart, stopped it, turned it back on, and put it back in her chest. Her mind was so blank, that all she could say was a weak, “uh.”

Inuyasha’s face was so red that one would think he had gotten sunburn. “So it is true. And you knew about it.”

Kagome shot to her feet despite the fog still in her head. “Yes, it was a crazy plan but it worked! I never would have run into you if she hadn’t-”

“What, parade her goods in front of that shit?” Inuyasha covered his eyes, groaning. “I wish I hadn’t seen that! Why were you thinking about that?”

“I didn’t you could see into my memories!”

“I can’t believe her. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Kagome blundered through her words, stuttering while her face flamed. “A-and what was I going to tell you? Hey, Inuyasha, just a heads up, Narek saw Lilliana naked. Even knowing it, what difference does it make?”

“It makes me pissed that’s what. I saw that look on his face, and the thought of him keeping her there, it,” he shuddered. “Don’t tell Rukiya.”

“I wasn’t planning on it.”

Inuyasha paced. “This makes everything so much worse! That fucking bastard, if he lays a singer finger one her.” He stopped. “I have to get back there and I have to do it alone.”

“Oh, no, don’t you start on your whole, ‘I have to protect you,’ spiel. I’m going to with you.”

“No you’re not, and it’s not to protect you, it’s to keep them from getting a fourth generation nightwalker and I need someone on this side, to make sure that Lucy doesn’t shut the door on my way back.”

“Then tell the family. Sesshoumaru and the others can help us. I have to go back there with you. And what about Sayo, we can’t just leave her here. You know what, I don’t want to argue. Let’s just find that sword.”

“And when were the two of you planning on telling us about your plans?”

Kagome and Inuyasha turned. Rukiya walked up to them from between the trees.

“Before the two of you decide to run off, remember that you have a family back home that deserves some answers.”

Kagome felt the heat drain from her hands and feet, and even the sun hanging directly overhead couldn’t warm her up. “How long exactly were you standing there?”

“Long enough.” Rukiya glared. She turned, her long black braid swinging like a whip with her, tension in her shoulders. “I realize that time if of the essence, so perhaps the two of you won’t run off next time without filling us in. Tracking you down is a waste of time.”

“If you know the extent the danger then-”

“Then what?” Rukiya cut Inuyasha off. “When I found the you two bloodied in that alley, I was amazed that you didn’t die by the time I brought you back to the house. Next time you might not be so lucky. Do you really plan on a rescue mission alone when you can barely survive one expedition in that world?”

“That’s what I’ve been telling him.” Kagome sighed.

Inuyasha glared at her.

“Rukiya,” he began slowly, “we don’t have time to plan. Even if we could come up with something in three hours, a month and a half could pass by in the other world. Think of all the time the people there have to plan, we don’t even know,” Inuyasha swallowed, “if Lilliana would still be alive by then.”

A moment of weakness passed over Rukiya’s features at the mention of such a grim reality but she closed her eyes. With a voice of forced calm, she spoke. “We are stronger together. Come back, tell us everything you know, help us prepare. Sesshoumaru will send out the family members and will mobilize everyone under his power to find Lucy and the sword she took.”

Inuyasha cursed.

“You said, that they have armies there. Whether or not more nightwalkers from that world leak into ours, we have to be ready. At least now, we know what’s coming.”

Lilliana was fully aware of the irony. Having had a century’s worth of fighting a war, she couldn’t even bring herself to laugh as she was caught up in the beginnings of another one. She remembered perfectly well the planning, the sneaking around in the dark, the constant looking over your shoulder, and the reports. Bad news reports, possible ally reports, “we should get there and do this before it’s too late” reports, and all the other necessary but frustrating knowledge updates that came whenever something could and would go wrong.

Still, Lilliana knew that if she were to survive, she would need allies. There was no way to know for certain what had happened to Inuyasha and Kagome. Shippo’s story did not give her much to go on. If Lilliana had to guess, if she couldn’t find Inuyasha and Kagome’s bodies, or run into them elsewhere, then there was a chance they found a way back to the human world.

She had been traveling with Yoko Kurama’s group for a few days. The pace was mind numbingly slow. Any nightwalker in their party could run faster to their destination and back three times over before they moved a quarter of that distance, but Lilliana forced down her complaints. There was no room for irritability with her current crowd, and she understood the need for caution.

The hike up the mountains hadn’t made her cold. Rather, it had made her sweat with anxiety, as she remembered how easily she had been captured by ice nightwalkers. Shippo was a good meter to let her know when she was letting her emotions play out all over her face. He would look at her and ask her if she were all right and Lilliana would smooth out her frown instantly.

They entered the ice nightwalkers’ homestead. Lilliana had been used to getting nasty looks from Kurama’s beast nightwalkers, but it was nothing compared to the looks of near hatred she got from the male ice nightwalkers as they passed through the village. Shippo left her side for a moment when Yoko called for him. The beast nightwalkers scattered, dismissed, but a moment later, Shippo returned.

“Lord Yoko wants you to go with him.”

Lilliana walked behind Yoko as he entered a castle with ice so clear, the building almost looked like it was made of mirrors and glass. He knocked on the wall three times and it melted away, leading him into a white and blue corridor. They exited into a large room, much like a banquet hall. At the end of the hall were two seats. In one them sat a girl whose light blue hair matched the silver robe she wore. Her eyes were gentle and her pale skin like snow, a stark contract to the short man next to her. His black hair and annoyed yet superior gaze spoke of arrogance and pride.

Hiei, Lilliana remembered his name. He had been the one to use her as a bargaining piece. Her palms hurt from digging her claws into them. What she wouldn’t give to slash the bastard across his smug face.

“I’m glad to see your people recuperating. Your nightwalkers must be relieved to have their women back,” Yoko said instead of a greeting.

Shippo hid behind Lilliana’s leg, oddly quiet. When the Hiei rose, Shippo started shivering.

“We didn’t return without casualties. I find your calm irritating. Your mate was taken next and your daughter nowhere to be found. If I were you, my friend, I would be seething.”

“Who is to say that I’m not? Your passion burns to strongly. I prefer to put my energies in revenge. Besides, Kikyo can take care of herself. Otherwise I wouldn’t be alive. It’s Sayo I worry for.”

Hiei stroked the bandana on his forehead. “Can you make contact with her?”

“To a degree.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can hear her voice, but it’s oddly jumbled, as though she’s thinking several thoughts at once.”

A cold snake of fear wound itself over Lilliana’s heart. “I know where she is.”

Sesshoumaru listened to all of what Inuyasha had to say. The gloom that settled over the family had a bitter taste to it. The entire lounge felt like a funeral. Not even Claire had the energy to reduce the tension. Kagura spoke first.

“We have a lot of work to do.”

“Indeed,” Sesshoumaru agreed. “Informing the other families nearby for one, and making sure each head gets the word out to all the other nightwalkers nearby and overseas. Every family in the city must be prepared for unforeseen attack.”

“As if dealing with those human slaves weren’t enough,” Rukiya groaned. “And Lilliana?”

“We’re not going to abandon her in that world, rest assured,” Kagura put her hand on Rukiya’s shoulder. “Once the families are informed, we’ll see what we can do about a rescue party.”

“I’ll keep track of the time,” Christiano volunteered. “If memory serves correctly, the false king in the previous war took nearly a month to get any cohesive plan together. We have two hours, assuming that the people in the other world haven’t already mobilized.”

“You might have more time then you think,” Sayo cut in.

All eyes turned to look at her. She had been sitting quietly next to Sesshoumaru, so that he could keep an eye on her, and since speaking to him, she had settled back down, but now there was a calm fire in her eyes that even Kagome could see from across the room.

“My father won’t hesitate to take Naraku and his desert nightwalkers to war. If he does fight back, they may be stalled for time. I don’t know for how long since everything is faster here, but hopefully enough for you to get the word out to all the other nightwalkers here.”

Kagura stood. “Bill, you have the city. Cristiano and Natalia, spread out to the nearest big cities nearby and have the families spread the word as well.”

Bill, Cristiano and Natalia left immediately.

“Albier and Claire will protect Taiki. Rukiya will join Kagome and Inuyasha and look for a way back into the nightwalker world. Kagura and I will go meet with the other family heads.”

“What about Lucy,” Inuyasha asked.

“Let me go with them,” Sayo stood. “Revenants can sense each other. If this ‘Lucy’ is nearby, I will know.” When Sesshoumaru said nothing, Sayo put her hand over her heart. “You can trust me. All I want is to go home and protect my family just like you do. If you’re anything like my father, then I give you my word, if I break my promise and turn on you, I will await a swift sentence of death.”

Kagura smirked. “We will hold you to that promise.” She looked to Rukiya. “Contact us if you find Lucy.”

Rukiya nodded. “I will.”

The meeting ended. Soon afterward, Kagome stood with Inuyasha, Rukiya and Sayo outside. She spared a glance at the empty house behind her, hoping everyone in the family was safe, that it wouldn’t be too long before she returned to her home. How funny, Kagome thought. She had spent ten years away from the huge manor the family called home, and even when she returned a lifetime ago with Inuyasha, after her time in the human world, she didn’t quite feel right in the place. It had taken being stuck in the monster world for a little while for her to truly feel connected to the house before her.

“Any ideas on where to look first?” Inuyasha sighed.

Rukiya let out a little laugh. “Amazing how things change so quickly. A few days ago, we were looking for you two, and then we were closing black holes, and now we’re trying to find a hole that will lead us back. And to think dealing those ‘slaves’ was less complicated.”

“Have you had any attacks from them recently?” Kagome asked.

“No. Human disappearances seemed to slow down shortly after the two of you were taken to Zenith.”

Sayo cleared her throat. When they looked at her, she was biting her lip. “I’ve never seen a human before. And from what my mother told me, I don’t know if I can control my bloodlust.”

Rukiya went to stand next to her and put a reassuring hand on Sayo’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry, I’ve raised my share of newborns.” She tapped her temple. “And I’m pretty good at sensing that need. I’ll keep an eye on you.”

Sayo put her hand over Rukiya’s. “Thank you.”

“Wait. You’ve never seen a human.” Kagome tapped her finger against her temple.

“She just said that,” Inuyasha deadpanned.

Kagome faced him. “But there were humans in the nightwalker world. Remember? The slaves we saw, in the desert.”

Inuyasha’s eyes widened. “So if we find some more slaves, then we may find a way back to Zenith.”