InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Midnight Blood ❯ Fire ( Chapter 32 )

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

Author’s Notes
Next chapter, next week, on Saturday.  

There will be four more chapters. For those of you that are only here for InuyKag fluff/smut and nothing else, then read the first half of this chapter, the second half of the next one, all of the third one, and the last section of the final chapter. I will indicate where there the is fluff and the *ahem* other things.

DISCLAIMER: I don’t own Inuyasha, nor do I take credit for Rumiko Takahashi’s story and characters.
=====================================================================

REVIEWERS:

@Splendent Goddess: Thank your for sticking with me all this time. Thank you for always giving me encouragement and reviews. I will always appreciate your words. I want you to know, that the upcoming romantic scenes, the *wink* best ones are only here, because of you.

@Wherrstheinukag: I had a long response planned out for when I read your review way back when, going into detail to explain and answer your questions. But if I were honest, most of your criticisms are valid. And it isn’t because I have a preference toward my original characters, as you may think. Narek and Lilliana were more a vehicle to show how Kagome and Inuyasha’s relationship is slowly improving. One relationship is getting more toxic, while the other is healing. My real problem is that, over time, my interest in Inuyasha, the show, the fandom, the couples, faded. I got burned out. Also life happened. And, I’m not someone that shoves romance in every scene. I like subtle moments here and there, showing how the characters interact, think, solve problems together, and then a big payoff after all that. But I find myself caring less and less. I’m not who I was when I started writing these; it’s really hard to be passionate about a project when you’re over the couple/show that’s at the center of it. I appreciate your review. I truly do. All I can say is that I hope you find a better fanfic, one written by an author that loves their work, one that gives you fulfillment.

@Angel-Up-Above-Heaven 2: I’m glad that you enjoyed this story. If just one person got something out of it, then I’m happy. I’m sorry I kept you waiting so long. It took me a long time to get back to this and I only did it because I didn’t want to leave the story incomplete, at least for the people that are still invested after all this time. I hope you enjoy these last four chapters.

@Is this an Inuyasha Fanfic or an Original Story/INUfan4ev: I’m sorry the story disappointed you. I had a point, for everything, but now I just want to finish this. Most of what I originally planned will be ignored. The story was never about why Kagome is so special. It was about breaking down the presences InuKag had about their relationship and building them back up with something more honest. The original characters were supposed reflect a darker version of their relationship, but those scenes are being cut. The focus will remain on InuKag, to end their original storyline.
=====================================================================


Chapter 32: Fire
=====================================================================
Puddles of blood decorated the floor. To anyone other then the person watching, such a sight would have been sickening, but to the man standing over the miniature lake he had created, the crimson surface was the most beautiful thing in that world. He couldn’t wait to fill the next world with the same red hue. The surface of the water was smooth, crystal clear, reflecting the sky above. The man leaned over, looking into the blood, smiling.

“She thinks she can keep me here. She think’s she’s closed all the gates?”

Naraku laughed. There was no one around that could hear his cruel voice. At least, no one alive. Behind him stood mountains of dead nightwalkers. Those that had been foolish enough to attack his home in the desert. Those that had, by some miracle, reached his inner sanctum, the throne room at the bottom of his abyss. What a wasted effort.

“Doesn’t matter.”

He swept his hand, and the image on the blood shifted. The young girl with short, black hair, and eyes that revealed her ancient age, vanished from the puddle. Instead, another girl appeared. The one that looked like that mysterious young man, the one with the green eyes.

“I’ll find a way through. I’ve broken through the divide before. What’s another ten or twenty years. Right? Lucy?”

 

*************************************FLUFF**********************************
Kagome sat on the bed in her room, staring out the window, her mind rushing over what had happened over the past month. A month. She repeated in her thoughts. Though everything she had been doing had become one big blur, she remembered one thing. It had been thirty, horrible, stressed filled days.

All the work, she, Rukiya, and the family had done, was for nothing. Lucy had indeed found all the gates, using their efforts against them, shutting them tight the second they were found, and having Xander and Chase find and kill all the Zenith nightwalkers. There were no more gates, and no sword to open them either. And Lucy was gone.

As far as Sesshoumaru was concerned, that had solved the problem. When his brother had gotten angry, reminding him that Lilliana was still on the other side, in Zenith, Sesshoumaru had dismissed him.

“I will tell all nightwalkers in the city and surrounding area to be alert for any openings to Zenith, but there’s nothing we can do, other then search for Lucy and demand she returns the sword.”

No one in the family was happy about it. Especially Inuyasha, Rukiya, Natalia and Claire, but the King’s decisions were final. Kagome didn’t like it either, but, from a leadership standpoint, she understood his reasoning. To say that Inuyasha was in a foul mood would have been an understatement. After finding out that Lucy had closed the gate they worked so hard to find, he had flown into a rage, his inner beast taking over. Kagome wondered, if Lucy hadn’t escaped, vanishing as though she could will herself to be in another space, would Inuyasha have killed her?

Sayo was silent. The family had done everything they could to make her feel welcome, but the poor girl had simply shut down, refusing to speak to anyone, or even eat. Kagome visited her often in the last few days, trying to get her to at least nibble on some meat, but Sayo wouldn’t move from her window. Kagome couldn’t blame her. How horrible it must be, knowing that every day that passes, her family had spent a year on the other side, fighting a war. She couldn’t begin to fathom Sayo’s grief.

She couldn’t even begin to imagine what Lilliana’s life was like. alone, in Zenith, for thirty years. Was it possible she was even alive? Everyday, Kagome, Inuyasha and Rukiya searched the city, hoping to track down Lucy, Chase, or Xander. No luck. For once in her life, Kagome had almost wished that Narek would appear out of thin air. At least then she could ask him directly if Lilliana was still alive. Not that he would tell her the full truth. Slippery asshole.

The door clicked open, making Kagome jump. Turning, she tried to soothe her nervous heart when Inuyasha entered the room. He leaned against the door for a moment, sighing deeply.

“That bad?” asked Kagome, rising off the bed. Behind her, the sun began to rise. Inuyasha had been out all night.

Pushing himself away from the wall, he rubbed his temples. “I went farther out then the city this time, looking for any sign, asking any of the other nightwalkers for anything strange. Nothing. Not even human slaves. Well, not new ones anyway. I’d say that’s good news, means that the nightwalkers are taking care of them, but it doesn’t give me any leads.”

“What do we do now?”

“All we can do is keep searching for Lucy.” His hands dropped, hanging limply at his sides. “I’m so fucking tired.”

Kagome patted the bed. “Come lie down. You’ve been at it for days.”

“I hate sitting still, I feel like I’m giving up.”

“The sun’s coming up. There’s nothing you could do right now anyway, not unless you want to move around outside and let yourself burn.” Kagome shut her mouth before she said the next sentence. She was about to say, “Like you’ve been doing for the past week.” And she pushed down her anger before she could add, “Like a goddamn idiot! Even if you can tolerate the burning, it would eventually drive you mad and then you’ll be no use to anyone.”

But she didn’t say any of those things. He wouldn’t have listened anyway. She’d tried to reason with him before, against searching during the day, against not getting any sleep. It didn’t stop him. Anger wasn’t helping anything. All she could now, was support. They were both tired, from the stress and from the nonstop hunting they had been doing. Searching for Lucy, asking around for leads, failing to find another portal, and killing slaves, it had taken its tole.  

“You’re exhausted,” Kagome said. “You haven’t slept in a month. At least lie down.”
When he moved from the door and threw himself onto the mattress next to her, she let out a tiny breath, tension easing off her chest. There were lines of stress on his face, around his eyes and forehead. His skin was pale, as though he’d just suffered through a cold sweat.

“You haven’t fed in a while.”

It wasn’t a question.

Inuyasha pointed at her. “Don’t even think about it. I’ve got enough on my mind. I don’t need to worry about taking blood from you too.”

Kagome shook her head. “Fine. Stay here, I’ll get you some meat from the fridge.”
She was halfway to the door when she jerked suddenly, stopping in her tracks. Arms wrapped around her shoulders, squeezing her tight. She closed her eyes for one moment, to let out a long, tired breathe. It had been a long month. Carefully, she reached up, putting her hands on Inuyasha’s forearm. He stiffened at the touch of her fingers, as though finally remembering where he was.

“We won’t give up,” Kagome said. “I feel guilty too.”

“I’m not guilty,” he whispered. “I’m angry. Fucked up world isn’t it? Tear open the fabric of time and space to save someone you care about, at the cost of countless human or nightwalker lives. We’ve seen what’s on the other side. There’s no way the Zenith nightwalkers are going to give up. I just,” his voice dipped lower, his inner beast coming through, “feel it.”

“Then let’s get some rest and keep looking, keep trying to mobilize the family for what we both know is coming.” Kagome turned around in his arms. When she looked into his face, she saw that even his golden gaze had dulled. Reaching up, she touched his cheek. “I actually slept yesterday. But you? Stomping around, furious, for an entire week after Lucy closed the gate? Arguing with Sesshoumaru all the time, and when you’re not, you’re out in the town with Rukiya, searching. Even she’s collapsed.” She lifted her other hand, holding his face still, keeping him from turning his gaze away. “Get some rest. Please. For me.”

He let her go, stepping back, his eyes closing as he took a deep breathe. “Okay.”
Kagome reached for the door handle. “I’ll be right back with some water and something to eat.”

Inuyasha nodded before he flopped back down on the bed. As Kagome went down to the kitchen, she passed by family members in the living room and lounge areas. Bill, Albier, and Claire sat across from each other, pouring over maps of the nearby area. Natalia and Cristiano talked about interviewing nearby nightwalkers and even keeping an eye on the human news. Sesshoumaru and Kagura were no where to be seen, probably in their room with their son.

Grabbing some raw steak and a bottle of water, Kagome quietly made her way back up to their room. Inuyasha had the blanket pulled up to his neck. Kagome tilted her head. For as long as she had known him, he had kicked off the sheets during the summer.

When she came close and put down the plate of meat next to his night stand, he turned over and reached for it. That was when she realized he still wearing his shirt. Kagome’s brows came together. He must have been more tired then she first thought. The food and water brought some color back to his pale face, but as soon as he was done, he turned back over and pulled the blanket up to his chin.
Kagome resisted putting a hand on his forehead, reminding herself that nightwalkers don’t get fevers. Yawning, she made her way around to the other side of the bed and was about to lie down when Inuyasha suddenly sat up.

“I can’t sleep!”

He tugged at his shirt, but, rather then pulling it off like Kagome expected him to do, he began to scratch his neck. “It’s so cold.”

“What are you talking about? It’s like, eighty degrees.”

She reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, but he was faster, grabbing her wrist before she could touch him.

Kagome pushed down her rising temper, taking a shaky breath. “If you’re hiding something, just tell me. I can’t help you if you keep me in the dark.”

Inuyasha’s eyes studied her face, darting this way and that, as though trying to read her expression. After a moment, he let her hand go. Then, slowly, he undid the buttons of his shirt. As he pulled the fabric off his shoulders, Kagome’s mouth opened. She reached out and placed her palm on his chest. He hissed. Pulling her hand back, Kagome gaped at his chest.

Black ink had spread over his skin. Right above where his heart would normally be, the dark stain spread out like a splatter of paint. It crept up his neck, and across his side and back. Unable to think of any words to describe what she saw, all she could say was, “When did this happen?”

“Not long after Lucy closed that damned gate we were looking for.”

“Is this why you can just tell that someone is still coming our way?”

He nodded. “It wasn’t this big before. It was nothing more then a tiny dot on my chest. The longer we searched, the worse it got.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want you to worry.”

“Moron,” Kagome sighed. “I worried regardless. What with all the nonstop searching you’d been doing for days.” She paused, pressing her lips together. “Is this a reaction to incoming danger, or a curse? Does it hurt?”

“It’s more cold then anything. Gets worse when I’m stressed. Well. More stressed.”

“I told you that you needed sleep,” Kagome huffed.

“Yeah, well, I’m too shivery to get there.”

Rolling her eyes, Kagome reached down to grab the blanket. Holding it in her fist, she learned forward, using one hand to push Inuyasha back down on the bed. He watched her, wide eyed as she leaned down over him, until she was resting on top of his chest. When her knees settled between his thighs, she pulled the blanket up to her shoulders.

“What are you doing?”

“You said you were too cold to sleep.” Kagome said as she put her cheek on his shoulder. “Plus, this way I can force you to actually relax. And don’t even think about getting up. If you wake me up, I will kill you.”

He smirked. Reaching up, he wrapped one arm across her shoulder blades, while the other one slide down to-

“Are you seriously grabbing my ass right now?”

“You’re the one that got on top of me.”

“I was trying to warm you up, idiot.”

“You succeeded.”

Kagome jerked back, about to get off him when he suddenly groaned. Her palm had pressed down on the skin on his chest. Inuyasha let out a few ragged, short breaths.

“Fuck, that’s cold!”

“Sorry,” said Kagome, laying back down on him, and realizing for the first time that he was shivering. She rose up and down along with his breathing. After ten minutes, it was clear that the pain wasn’t going away. She peeked at his face.

Eyes clothed, teeth clenched, his fangs lengthened in response to the pain, his cheeks reddening as he tried his hardest not to cry out. Kagome put a hand on his chest, feeling absolute ice beneath her fingertips. Inuyasha arched his back, his hands leaving her so that he could claw the pillow under his head. The fabric ripped and he was two seconds away from showering them with feathers when something softer made him still.

Kagome had leaned up, brushing her lips against his. The second he stilled, she had taken her chance, spreading her legs so that she straddled his waist. Caressing his cheeks, she brushed her tongue over his lips. Her touch was hot, her breathe tingled his tongue, and before he knew what he was doing, he flipped them over.
He drowned out her surprise squeak, when he kissed her back, pressing his cold tongue against her burning one. The sensation of hot and cold surprised her, making her press her thighs into his sides. It wasn’t enough, and soon he had pulled her up so that she was crushed against his chest with no way to escape. If Kagome had thought the kiss couldn’t get any deeper, she was so wrong, because when he pulled her up, he rocked back and forth against her, the intensity of his kiss mirroring the pain that had pinned him down a second ago.

For a second she had forgotten why she had started what she had started, getting caught in running her fingers through his hair, and pressing her tongue back against his in earnest.

It wasn’t until they broke apart to breathe that her gaze flicked down. Rather then see the naked body she had expected, she saw his chest, and the sudden rush of relief made her finally relax. Hovering above her, his face flushed, Inuyasha had his eyes closed as he sucked in air.   

“Pleasure is the opposite of pain,” Kagome whispered. 

He blinked at her. “What?”

“Your chest.” She inclined her chin, eyeing his collar bone. “Does it feel better?”

Looking down, Inuyasha pressed a hand to his breastbone. The black injection that had crept up to his neck and torso had shrank, retreating down to become nothing more then an egg sized mark over his heart.

“That’s what the kiss was for?”

Surprised, Kagome gave him a coy look, tilting her head to the side. “You sound disappointed.”

“I’m am disappointed.” He smirked. “I’m also surprised you used my tactic against me.” His eyes flashed red for a moment. “I’m also proud.”

Kagome’s face flashed red, mirroring his eyes for a second. To make him stop grinning at her, she pulled him down, resting her cheek into the crook of his neck. He stilled, his even breathing tingling her ear. Turning them back over, his eyes fluttered closed for a moment. The next second, he was out, all of his mental and physical exhaustion from the past few weeks pulling him into tempting slumber.
Kagome leaned up to look at his face, chuckling. It was nice to exhaust him for once, and not the other way around. She tried not to think about the shit storm that had been their lives recently. Putting her ear to his heart, she quickly drifted off, the pair of them sleeping clothed for the first time since she was human.  ***********************(END FLUFF)********************************
When the sun went down later in the day, Kagome woke up to find that Inuyasha was already gone. No doubt he went out into the city to look for Lilliana. Again. Noise from downstairs made her jump out of bed. Just as she passed the window, she saw a quick flash. Looking through the glass, she saw Claire and Bill run out of the house. Quickly putting on her shoes, she rushed downstairs.

Kagura and Sesshoumaru were standing in the foyer.

“What’s going on?”

Kagura answered. “News. The humans said a large fire is happening in the city.”

“That seems a little,” Sesshoumaru ground his teeth together, “out of the ordinary. I sent the family out to investigate.”

Kagome brushed past the family heads, reaching for the door. Sesshoumaru grabbed her arm.

“You’re staying here.”

“Like hell I am,” Kagome barked as she turned around. “If there are Zenith nightwalkers down there, I’m going to help.”

“No, you’re not.” The nightwalker king loomed over her. “Need I remind you that you’re what the Zenith nightwalkers are after? I couldn’t stop my foolish brother from going out there, but you will remain here, and see to the girl upstairs.”

“Sayo? She’s still here?”

Kagura nodded. “Taiki is watching over her.”

Kagome bit her lip, unsure about how she felt about the fact that her family heads had left their toddler sun to watch over a teenager. Then again, she could think of fewer things that would force someone to remain calm. Most adults pretended everything was alright, no matter how frightened they were, for the sake of keeping the children around them feeling secure. 

Kagura must have seen her concerned look, because then she added, “He seems to like spending time with her.”

Sighing, Kagome brushed past Kagura and Sesshoumaru, heading back upstairs. Still, she had an uneasy feeling swirling in her gut. Even if that fire in the city was nothing more then a human born accident, whatever was coming for her, for Sayo, for Inuyasha, wasn’t going to be stopped by the measly mansion she sat around waiting in.

Upstairs, Sayo was sitting on the window sill with Taiki in her lap. The boy seemed happy, leaning his head back against the girl’s shoulder. Kagome hesitated by the door. Sayo had never done her any harm, and the girl had a good head on her shoulders despite the fact that she should have been the most terrified out of all of them. It was the resemblance that gave Kagome pause. If she had been a few years younger when Narek had turned into a nightwalker ten years ago, would Kagome and Sayo be completely identical? 

Shaking her head, Kagome came near.

Taiki lifted his tiny hand, waving. “Kagome! Sayo was telling me about Ghost Forest and how souls head there to be purified and rest after a long life.”

“Yeah?” asked Kagome, sitting down under the windowsill, by Sayo’s feet.

Taiki nodded. “She was telling me about the silver sona-soma-”

“Silver sonata flowers,” whispered Sayo in Taiki’s ear.

Kagome giggled as the boy proudly repeated the words. “What are those?”
Sayo looked out the window. “There is a place in Ghost Forest where light does reach. None of the forest creatures go there. It’s nearly impossible to find, unless you’re a revenant or super lucky. Silver sonata flowers bloom there, filling the area with light. The legend says that two people, true lovers, after living long and happy, went there and let their souls be free together.”

Try as she might, Kagome couldn’t help but blush, her heart filling with a honey sweet feeling. She couldn’t help thinking about Inuyasha and what he would have thought about this story. She blushed even harder. He’d probably say something snarky, or perverted, and ruin the moment.

“Can we go there?” asked Taiki. “I want to see the flowers.”

Sayo shook her head. “I wish I could take you, but there’s no way to cross over. And besides,” her eyes grew distant as she looked out into the cloudy night sky outside, “my world isn’t safe.”

Taiki’s cheeks puffed as he crossed his arms. “Then I’ll have my Daddy and Mommy take me there. They’re strong. They can handle anything.”
Kagome and Sayo giggled. Sayo tapped Taiki’s nose, opening her mouth to say something, but then her smile morphed into a horrified frown. She slapped her hands over her mouth, her eyes widening, darkening. Taiki crawled off her lap, looking at Kagome, his confused expression quickly changing into fright.

Standing, Kagome put a hand on Sayo’s shoulder. “Are you all right?”

Sayo’s eyes were glassy, her voice muffled as she whispered from behind her hands.

“I feel an insane outpour of souls. Thousands of them! Humans and nightwalkers.”
Taiki wrapped his arms around Kagome’s leg. Kagome picked up her nephew. With her free hand, she pulled Sayo up to her feet. Then she froze. Pounding footsteps reached her ears, and Kagome only seconds to push Sayo down and cover Taiko with her body before the window behind them exploded. Rivers of fire spread over Kagome’s back as shards of glass sliced into her.

Grunting, she tumbled forward, still holding Taiki tightly in her arms. The boy turned over, his wide fearful eyes looking up into hers.

“Everything will be okay,” Kagome whispered.

Next to her, Sayo stood, gasping.

“There are you, revenant,” said a cold voice.

Kagome looked over her shoulder. A nightwalker stood in the window behind them, his eyes bright red, his clothes traditional and old. A Zenith nightwalker, one she had never seen before. But there was no way Kagome would forget that smell. The gut turning stink of the miasma under Naraku’s castle filled her nose. He had sent the nightwalker.

Jumping back, and gritting her teeth to keep herself from screaming as the glass dug further into her skin, Kagome put Taiki down. “Go to your parents.”
The little boy opened the door and ran out. The Zenith nightwalker flashed forward, and Kagome ran, colliding with him before he could sink his teeth and claws into Sayo, who was on the floor, bleeding from the glass that ripped into her leg and neck. Kagome rolled, her world a blur of red and black as the pain from her wounds mixed with the slashing from the nightwalker under her. She sunk her claws into his chest.

Roaring, he kicked her stomach, sending her flying back into the wall. The shards of glass dug into her skin and Kagome fell to the ground.

“Earth nightwalkers are so pathetic,” said a female voice.

Another Zenith nightwalker appeared in the window. She took one step and then froze as though her body were caught in invisible wires. Then she looked at Sayo.

The girl had her hand raised, silvery light gathered around her palm.

“Are you trying to control my soul?” asked the female. With a wicked grin, she took a step forward. “That’s not going to work, revenant. We know how to deal with your tricks. You can thank your mother for that. It took a while for my master to break her spirit, but when he did, finding out how to counteract her powers was easy.”

Sayo’s face reddened. “What did you do her?”

“Oh don’t worry. She’s still alive. At least until my master has everything ready to use her soul. You though, are better off dead.”

Kagome made a move to cover Sayo, but the male nightwalker slammed her back into the wall. Kagome screamed as the glass ripped into her lungs. Blood exploded from her mouth. The nightwalker above her drew his arm back, a deranged smile on his face.

His head flew clean off his shoulders. The body slumped to the side, and Kagome fell forward into Sesshoumaru’s arms. Dizzy and gasping, she could barely lift her head. The female nightwalker, lay on the floor. A hole in her chest. Kagura helped Sayo to her feet.

“No,” Sayo gasped, pushing Kagura away. “Get Taiki and leave! There are more coming!”

Her warning was too late. The floor beneath her exploded as two more Zenith nightwalkers appeared. They grabbed Kagura’s legs, pulling her through the splintered ground. Sesshoumaru, still holding Kagome in his arms, flashed forward to aid his mate, but the other nightwalker charged him, giving him no choice but to jump back before he, and the woman in his arms, took damage.

Bad idea. Sayo was easily outmatched by the nightwalker, as he slashed her across the chest, even as Kagura relentlessly attacked him. It was as though neither man could feel pain as they kept coming toward their targets no matter how much they bled. Sesshoumaru dropped Kagome and she tried to reach into her back, to pull out the glass shards, to fight, but she wasn’t fast enough.
Sesshoumaru ducked, barely avoiding getting his head cut off. Then, something blue, something hot, burst over the enemy nightwalker’s skin. It paused, giving Sesshoumaru enough time to slice off its head. He wasted no time, reaching the nightwalker Kagura had somehow managed to wrestle to the ground. Smashing the creature’s head with his foot, Sesshoumaru stood, looking at the window. Two more nightwalkers came in.

The first burst into the same blue flame as before. As the body fell, a boy stood behind him. He put his hands up in a gesture of peace and Kagome, though her body was still burning, recognized his red hair and green eyes. Though his fox tail was gone, and he was now the same age as Sayo, Kagome recognized his scent.

Before she could call his name, the young boy jumped aside as another Zenith nightwalker tried to attack him. This one went down fast as well. A hand appeared out of the nightwalker’s chest, leaving a black hole where its heart should have been. It wasn’t Sesshoumaru or Kagura’s hand.

Kagome heart and gut twisted, her pain completely forgotten. Lilliana stood behind the crumbling body. Wasting no time, the young woman ran to Kagome, and began pulling out the glass shards from her back.

“Are you all right?”

“What are you doing here?” Kagome grunted as the shards were pulled out one by one. “How? It’s been thirty years! Are you all right?”

“Forget about all that,” Lilliana said breathlessly, pulling out the final glass shard.

“Where’s Inuyasha?”

“I don’t know. He left to investigate some kind of explosion in the town.”

“He’s out there?” Lilliana’s voice trembled, incredulous. “He’s in danger, Kagome!

They’re coming after you, after him, after her,” she pointed at Sayo. “Shippo! Get her out of here! Take her to her father.”

“Right,” said the tall, teenage boy, bending down to pick up a trembling Sayo. 

“My father’s alive? He’s here?”

Shippo groaned, picking Sayo up. The girl squeaked. “Sorry, Highness, I don’t have time to explain.” He flashed toward the window, pausing long enough to say “be careful” to Lilliana before he vanished.

Sesshoumaru grabbed Lilliana’s arm.

“Explain,” he growled.

“I don’t have time.” Lilliana pulled down her shirt, revealing inky, leathery skin underneath. “The black blood has ripened in me, meaning that’s done the same in Inuyasha. Naraku is here and he will coming after us.” 

===================================================

“No.” Lucy’s touched her trembling fingers to her cheeks. “How? I made sure. I took the sword, I closed all the gates. How are they here?”

Someone came to sit by her feet. Chase. He put a hand on her shoulder.

“Calm down. What are you talking about?”

“You, and,” she looked up, finding Xander by the door. “You two must leave. Run as far away as you can. He will come for me.”

Stubborn as ever, Xander simply shrugged his shoulders. “Like hell. You think I’m scared of some Zenith bogeyman.” 

“We’re not leaving you here alone,” Chase seconded.

Lucy shook her head. “You don’t understand! Nothing will stop him. I knew that ten thousand years ago in Zenith and I know it now. Just leave before-”

The room exploded. Ash filled Lucy’s senses as the sonic impact threw her to the ground. A body covered hers, but she didn’t need to hear to know that his heart had stopped beating instantly. A cloud of purple smoke filled the space and Xander let out his final, garbled cry as he too chocked on it. And there was nothing Lucy could do about it. Even if she had been prepared, even if she had gathered all of her energy, years and years of living had robbed her of the strength she had.

Her consciousness blinked in and out as the darkness tried to consume her, as the grief of losing the last two friends she had, ate at her heart. The smoke faded, letting her breathe in a liitle, before a hand clamped down around her neck. She was lifted, her feet dangling in the air, her eyes locking into the empty, dead stare of the monster she had wished never to see again.

“How I’ve missed you,” Naraku sang as he held Lucy in the air like a rag doll.

“Funny,” Lucy coughed, the miasma stinging her throat. “I thought I would at least die before I saw your face in hell.”

“You always were an insolent one.” Naraku’s thumb traced her jaw, almost lovingly.

“Is this how you treat the man that gave you everlasting life?”

“You never gave me from anything! You tore me away from my family, drained me until I was an inch away from death and then turned me into your slave.”

“You make it sound so underhanded. What life would you have had in that ancient human city anyway? I gave you power.”

“And years of terror along with it. Enough talk. Just get it over with. I know you want nothing more then to see me dead.”

Naraku thumb pressed into her jaw. She could already feel the bones cracking. “Oh, believe me, I do want you dead. But I’m in no rush. The other pieces, I need can wait. As for you, I will do as you said, leave you within an inch of death.”

What happened next could have been minutes, but to Lucy they felt like an eternity. When the silence finally came, when Naraku was gone, her crumbled body lay against the wall. She couldn’t move, and each, wet, broken breathe could have been her last. Her world was half red as one eye was lost and the other stared out blearily into what was left of the tiny apartment she and the boys had been hiding in.
The shattering of glass met her ears, but she couldn’t turn her head to find out what was causing the noise. Someone knelt down in front of her. Lucy could barely see the young man’s face, but she recognized his scent, and knew exactly who the luminous green eye in front of her belonged to. He said nothing. He didn’t need to. Even though the pair of them were always at odds, even though he was hard to read, she knew what he was thinking, what he wanted.

She didn’t need to say, “Don’t mourn. This was bound to happen, even though I kept hoping it wouldn’t. I’m just sorry that Xander and Chase were caught in it.”

He didn’t need to say, “I will make him pay.”

She didn’t respond with, “I know.”

All she could do, was use the last of her life force to point to her only remaining eye.

“Take it.” 

Just before she passed on, she opened herself. Just before she forgot everything, walking into the warm darkness that beckoned, she felt him touch her cheek softly, felt everything she once was pass on to him.

Narek didn’t watch Lucy pass on. Instead, he stumbled backward, screaming, holding his false eye. Pain exploded in his scull, as the glass eye fell out, as memories that didn’t belong to him rushed into his head. It was too much, there were far too many! Thousands and thousands of years poured into him, threatening to shatter who he was, to cover his own history, but he grit his teeth, fighting it, and the stabbing pain in his head.

Then, suddenly, everything stopped and Narek blinked, completely in control again. He didn’t look at the dead bodies of his former comrades. Before he left the apartment, he picked up the sword from Lucy’s room. Then he set fire to Lucy’s home, watching as the smoke carried away Lucy, Chase and Xander, scattering them back into the world.

====================================================

The scent of the fire filled the air with an itch. Already in the dead of summer, with nightfall doing little to lower the temperature, the burning in the air only deepened the dread in Inuyasha’s chest. He couldn’t smell anything other then burning plastic, concrete and water as the fire department tried desperately to douse the flames that had engulfed a quarter of the city. The humans were in total panic, the area loud with the sound of sirens and first responders coming to the scene. The night sky was bright orange, come to life as a deadly spectacle from the flames below.
Standing next to him, Christiano and Natalia coughed. On his left, Clare and Bill starred at the rising smoke. Behind him, Albier watched the fire silently.   

“Can’t we help them?” Natalia whispered. “I know they’re just humans, but why can’t we-”

“We can’t,” said Christiano, pulling her close. “You know the rules. We don’t interfere with human affairs.”

“But this is horrible,” said Albier. 

“Screw this.” Claire growled. “Sesshoumaru can punish me all he wants! I’m going down there!”

She was about to jump, but both Bill caught her, keeping her from flying off the building to help the screaming voices below.

“Wait,” said Bill. Then, turning to Inuyasha, he said, “I know the rule. But...Damn it.” 

Inuyasha closed his eyes, opening his senses. From deep within him, his inner beast growled. Something about these fires wasn’t right, and even as the human screams from below blocked out his hearing, he could hear something from the roaring fires. It was faint, but he’d know that sound anywhere. The sound of death.

Opening his eyes, Inuyasha let his inner beast speak. His family members took a step back from him.

“There are enemies down there. I don’t care what my brother wants. The humans can handle the rescue. But us? We go down there, into the fire, and we skill any Zenith nightwalker in our path.”

The family nodded. Jumping into the streets below, they walked passed the panicking humans and the rushing fire fighters, who were all too busy to notice six people walk into a flaming inferno. The air threatened to singe Inuyasha’s lungs when he entered, but it was nothing compared to the mind numbing touch of the sun, and his inner beast roared, ignoring the burning atmosphere and heightening his senses. A little girl was screaming, cowering in a closet on the second floor. He flashed up there in seconds, snapping the neck of the nightwalker that had cornered the child before she even opened her eyes. She was out of the building within the next minute, completely confused as to how she got there.

Inuyasha walked into the fire again, passing by the enemy bodies that his family members had killed, letting them burn. Another Zenith nightwalker came at him on the crumbling fifth floor of the high rise. His inner beast chuckled, pushing him to tear through the nightwalker in one fell swoop. Another came at him, and then another, and they would have overwhelmed him if Claire and Bill hadn’t jumped in, breaking bones while the nightwalkers were focused on Inuyasha.

One by one, building by building, under the cover of smoke and fire, the family obliterated one Zenith nightwalker after another, searching for the hole the monsters were coming from. But it was too easy. The killing didn’t stop, and the enemies went down in moments. Lucy’s words echoed in Inuyasha’s mind. Her terror, her insistence that the gateway be sealed no matter what, filled his thoughts. Memories of Naraku’s palace infected his concentration. As another nightwalker fell at his feet, his skin blackening from the fire, Inuyasha began to choke.

Not on the flames. Not on the smoke, but something else. He pulled down his shirt. The black spot had returned and Christiano, Natalia, and Albier, who happened to be nearby gasped at the sight of it. The marks burned, hotter then the sun, hotter then anything Inuyasha had ever felt before, so much that he wanted to peel off his own skin, then it was cold, and he was on his knees, ignoring his family’s concerned cries and their attempts to lift him up.

His heart screamed. Something was coming and he was too late to warn Albier, Natalia, and Christiano. Purple claws flew threw the air, slicing his family members in two. He was in too much pain to cry out as the dead bodies of his friends hit the floor. He could barely lift his head when a twisted, evil man came to stand over him.

“This was just too easy,” Naraku sang. “Thirty years, I waited for this moment. Thirty years, you and your midnight heart eluded me. I’m a little disappointed. I was hoping that, for a man with an inner beast and a powerful heart, that there would be some challenge.”

A kick connected with Inuyasha’s jaw, throwing him to the floor.

“Oh well. I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. This time has almost come, and you need one more dose of terror before your heart is ready to be eaten.”
A cold finger pressed to Inuyasha’s temple, and then everything he knew, everything he was, broke. A kaleidoscope of insanity entered his mind as his memories scrambled. He screamed, but no sound came. It spiraled painfully, until he lost consciousness.

====================================================

By the time Lilliana and Kagome had reached the burning buildings, it was too late. Horror rolled through Kagome. She couldn’t stand, she couldn’t even hold on to the contents of her stomach. Claire and Bill carried the broken bodies that were once their family members. Wordlessly, Lilliana lifted a broken Kagome off the floor and carried her back to the house. She stayed in Taiki’s room, letting the little boy pat her head over and over and whisper, “everything will be okay.”

Later, Kagura came into the room, taking her son someplace private. Kagome listened when Kagura told her to go downstairs, and she walked, numbly, down the stairs, to listen to the remaining family members plan, but her mind wouldn’t stop turning. Inuyasha. She had to find him. She had to save him. He had to be alive. They needed him. They needed her. They wouldn’t hurt him until they got to her.
Someone entered the room then, someone that made everyone stand and hiss, except Lilliana. With a resigned expression, she looked to the door and when Kagome saw who was standing there, she finally snapped out of her stupor. She ran to him, slamming her fist into his chest. He didn’t move, or attempt to push her back.

“You.” Kagome cried, sinking her claws into his chest. He didn’t even wince as blood pooled from his ribs. “You know something! You always know something! Where is he? Where did they take him! Fucking tell me, damn it!”

Narek clamped his hand around Kagome’s wrist, pushing her back. Kagome glared up into his face. She gasped. A set of brilliant, green eyes met hers. No longer was one of his eyes false and dimmed compared to its mesmerizing twin. The eye he had lost ten years ago had simply grown back. Looking over her shoulder, Kagome spotted Lilliana. The young woman’s matching green eyes were wide.

“How?” was all she could say. Then her expression hardened. “Let her go, Narek.

You’re here for something. Out with it.”

Narek shoved Kagome. She stumbled backward into Bill’s arms. No one moved. Not that they could. A pressure filled the room, pressure from Narek, rooting everyone in their spot. Everyone, except Sesshoumaru, was frozen in place. The king stepped toward Narek, a warning in his red eyes.

“I believe Kagome asked you a question. Do you know where my brother is?”

Narek’s stoic face looked into Sesshoumaru’s. “I do. And I also have the answers to all of your questions. But first,” he pointed to Kagome and Lilliana. “I’m going to need them, if I am to have any chance at saving your brother.”