InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Midnight Blood ❯ Truths ( Chapter 33 )

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

SOME InuKag in this chapter. If you want to read only those moments, look for stars/asterisks.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Inuyasha, nor do I take credit for Rumiko Takahashi’s characters.
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Chapter 33: Truths
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“You assume I would trust you so easily?”

Though Narek was tall, Sesshoumaru towered over him, exerting all his force and authority over the younger man. Any other nightwalker would have cowered below their king, but Narek didn’t even blink. He simply took a step back, not as a way to show fear, but so that he didn’t have to tilt his head too much to look up, with a bored expression, into Sesshoumaru’s fierce eyes. 

With a shrug, Narek said, “I want what you want. Naraku death. And I want the gates between the two worlds sealed forever. And the longer I stand here, trying to convince you, the weaker your brother will become.”

Sesshoumaru didn’t move from his position, his claws flexing in his stiff hand. “Why do you want Kagome and Lilliana?”

Narek sighed. “I neither care, nor have the time to explain. I could just kidnap them.”


“Like hell you will,” Kagome hissed.

Without warning, Sesshoumaru reached out. Before his claws could sink into Narek’s flesh, Narek was on the other side of the room, right between Rukiya and Claire. Both women couldn’t move when Narek raised a knife under their necks. The threat was clear.

Lilliana said nothing. She simply stood and walked passed Sesshoumaru.

“Let’s just get this over with,” she said in a tired voice.

Narek watched as she exited the room, heading toward the door. His eyes narrowed, but, before anyone could wonder what his reaction meant, he turned his attention to Kagome. “You’re not safe no matter where you are. They will come after you next. If you want to save that fool, then coming with me is your only chance.”

“Yeah right! You’ll just use me. And her. Lilliana, come back!”

Leaving the room was exactly what Narek had hoped she would do. His green eyes flashing, he watched as the remaining family members froze before him. Claire and Bill grunted, trying to move. Sesshoumaru’s growls rose, as even he tried to break free of Narek’s control.


“You’ll be able to move once I pass into Zenith. Don’t want you all coming after us.” Narek told them. “If you care about the girls, then you’ll do as I say. Find a safe place to hide out. An army is headed your way. And you,” he said, looking at Sesshoumaru cooly, “do take care of your son. I would truly hate if another child is lost to this war.”

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“What the hell was that, Lilliana?”


Grabbing the girl’s torn jacket, Kagome pulled Lilliana’s face close to hers. 

“What happened to you? The Lilliana I knew would never agree with Narek so easily.”


“The Lilliana you knew is gone.”

Kagome let go of Lilliana, as though the girl had given her a shock. It was the matter of fact way she had spoken, the lack of affect in her tone, and the way her once bright green eyes were dull and empty. Lilliana didn’t bother straightening the jacket Kagome had wrinkled, nor did she push away the wayward hair that had fallen over her face.

“I’m tired, Kagome.” She sighed. “Thirty years. I’ve lived over three times as much, as the last thirty years felt like an inescapable nightmare. You won’t believe what I’ve seen. What I’ve done. Protecting you and Inuyasha. Keeping Naraku from getting what he wants. That’s all I have left.”

Kagome stared into Lilliana’s vacant eyes, searching for some hope, something to prove her words untrue. There was nothing. Slowly, Lilliana lowered the collar of her jacket and that’s when Kagome noticed the mark. Black, leathery skin covered Lilliana’s neck. Kagome lifted her hand, touching the mark. Lilliana didn’t even flinch.

“That’s black blood, isn’t it? Inuyasha had it too, but his skin wasn’t nearly this-” Kagome searched for the right word. Strangely enough, she had a feeling that nothing she said would be delicate enough to describe what she saw. It was like having a skin graft with a alligators’ hide.

“Hideous? Scaly? Hard?” Lilliana said with a wry, sad smile. “He wouldn’t look like this. I’m guessing that what you saw on his skin was new.”

Kagome nodded. “Does it...hurt?”


“All the time. It’s so cold. The more terror I feel, the more pain I’m in, the worse it gets.”

“There’s no cure?” asked Kagome, thinking about Inuyasha.

“For Inuyasha there is. For me, it’s already too late.”

Kagome felt an icy shard of glass pierce her heart. “What do you mean?”

“The black blood will spread, and I will be lost to it, to the pain and terror that it brings.”

“But why is there a cure for Inuyasha and not for you?”

Lilliana smiled weakly. “Because he has you, he has the family. He...” Lilliana pressed her lips together, her eyes scanning the floor. “He hasn’t gone as far as I have. He can still recover.”

Kagome grabbed Lilliana’s hands. “I can’t even begin imagine what you’ve been through but-”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“And I don’t want you to. But you’re Inuyasha’s blood child. He’ll always care about you, no matter what you’ve done. And the family accepted you back, no questions asked. How can you believe you have no one?” Kagome sobbed. “What about me? Am I so easy to give up?”

Lilliana smiled, putting a hand on Kagome’s cheek. “You’ve always been so kind. I can see why he cares about you so much. And it’s not that I don’t trust you. I no longer deserve to be with this family and I don’t want anyone to watch me lose my mind.”

“But-”

“We don’t have time to worry about me, Kagome. We have to save Inuyasha.” She looked over Kagome’s shoulder, her gaze hardening. “Isn’t that right?”

Turning, Kagome grit her teeth as Narek left the house.

“If you two are done with the touching reunion, we better move. I can explain on the way.”

“Who said I’m going anywhere with-” Kagome stopped. She felt Lilliana’s hand on her arm. Turning around, she looked into the girl’s pleading eyes.

“Believe it or not, there are worse things then him.”

Narek clicked his teeth. “My, I’m hurt.”

Ignoring him, Lilliana continued. “I hate to ask for his help, but we can’t face Naraku on our own, and he knows what he’s doing. If you can’t agree with him, then do it for me. Please? I don’t want anyone else in the family to die.”

Kagome turned around, glaring at Narek, and then looking back at Lilliana.

“If he does anything suspicious, I’ll kill him.”

“I would be surprised if you didn’t.”

“I’d love to see you try,” Narek said in a bored tone. “Shall we be off.”

As they ran back toward the city, following Narek, Kagome snuck looks at Lilliana. Zenith had been terrible enough for the short amount of time Kagome had been in it. What could three decades have done to Lilliana?

Kagome didn’t have long to think about it, as they quickly exited the forest and reentered the town. Half the city was covered in a thick blanket of smoke from the fires. In the distance, Kagome could still hear the sounds of screams. She could smell the stink of burning rubber and running water as the fire department rushed to stop the disaster. 

Running past a deserted street and into an abandoned building, Kagome wondered if it had been the Zenith nightwalkers that had started the fire, or if it had been caused by a human trying to defend themselves. 

“There weren’t as many as there could have been,” said Lilliana.

“What?” asked Kagome as she passed through a moldy doorway.

The building they had entered smelled like a wet sock that had been forgotten in a closet. Mildew gathered in the corners of the rooms. Whenever Narek broke through a boarded up doorway, leading them further down the underground floors, Kagome had to cover her nose for a moment.

“The Zenith nightwalkers,” Lilliana continued. “Naraku still has an army of ridiculously loyal cannon fodder, but the number that passed through to the human world was reduced. There are still armies on the other side, fighting him.”

“Do you mean Yoko Kurama?”


“Yes, and Hiei and the ice nightwalkers too. All of their numbers are dwindling, and more and more people seem to have no problem dying for Naraku, but the fight is still going.”

Kagome thought about Shippo and how he had grown. Natural born nightwalkers aged three times as slower then humans. Usually, their bodies stopped aging in the early twenties, unless they were human born. Those nightwalkers stopped aging from the moment they were turned. Thirty years meant that Shippo had only aged about ten years.

“Has Shippo been fighting in the war too?”


“Yes,” said Lilliana. “When he was old enough. I was on a team with him and some other nightwalkers. We were supposed to kill as many Zenith nightwalkers before they crossed over. All Shippo had to do was find Sayo and take her back.”

“What about the rest of the team?”

“Dead. I’m the only one that survived. As I said. I’ve...done things. As soon as I was through the tear between worlds, I ran to find you and Inuyasha.”

Narek suddenly stopped. Jaw clenched tight, he turned around, “He’s nearby. I can feel his stink on my skin.”

Lilliana’s already pale face became thin, making her veins shin through, a layer of sweat glistening on her cheeks. Kagome blinked, noticing the dark skin on Lilliana’s neck pulsing as though the muscles underneath were bulging unnaturally.

“Naraku?”

“Yes.” Narek looked down at his clenched fist. “He’s looking for the two of you.” 

“So what is you’re plan, oh great genius,” Kagome snapped.

Narek knelt down, pulling an old, dusty, bug-infested carpet off the floor. There was a trap door underneath.

“One of you has to stay here and draw his attention, while the other comes with me into Zenith.”

“Why can’t you be the bait while Lilliana and I go after him?”

“Because he won’t be interested in me. And I am the only one that can guide you to your mate.”

Lilliana stepped forward. “I’ll do it. Go with him, Kagome.”


“I don’t like this. I feel like I’m trading one person for another. There has to be a better way.”

“If you can come up with one in the next five minutes, I’d love to hear it,” said Narek dryly. “But he’s caught our scent. He’ll be here soon.”

“I can dodge him,” said Lilliana. “I’ve been doing it for thirty years.” Lilliana glared at Narek. “You should worry about yourself, Kagome. You’re going back into the lion’s den, and you’re bringing a snake with you.”

Narek’s crooked smile widened as he gave Lilliana a once over. “You can relax. I won’t kill her. Naraku needs all of you alive. Dead, and I lose leverage, so do please try not to get yourself killed.”

Without another word, Narek opened the trap door, and walked down the steps. Though it was dark, and smelled of wet earth and rat feces, Kagome could see the outline of an old boiler room below. She looked over her shoulder at Lilliana before she followed.

“Be careful.”

Lilliana nodded, turning around to run up the stairs that led to the higher floors. Kagome watched until Lilliana’s feet disappeared on the stairs above. Then she jumped into the boiler room. It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust, but it wasn’t long before she saw what Narek had been searching for.

On the wall, was the swirling black hole that led back to Zenith. Kagome didn’t waste time to marvel at the tear between dimensions, or wonder how it got there, or how Narek knew exactly where to find it. She simply stepped through and breathed in the cool, clear air on the other side.  

The red sky hung overhead, as did the moon. They stood in the Infinity Meadow, and Narek immediately picked a direction and ran. Soon they had crossed into the familiar darkness of Ghost Forest. Kagome slowed slightly when she entered the pitch black space that even her night vision couldn’t see though. A hand clamped over her wrist, dragging her through the trees. Kagome felt the monsters in the forest shifting around her, heard footsteps coming near, but none of them attacked.

Something shined ahead, breaking through the endless sea of blackness before her eyes. Narek pulled Kagome into the most beautiful clearing she had ever seen. Silver white flowers glowed on the ground. Moonlight dripped down from the sky, shining a red spotlight on the small flower field.

“Silver sonata flowers,” she whispered.

“So you know of them,” said Narek. Letting go of Kagome’s wrist, he walked around the natural flower bed. “This is the place where souls gather. Where the blood of a fourth generation nightwalker, a midnight heart, and a revenant's soul will be sacrificed.”

Kagome bit her lip. “W-what are you talking about? I thought you said Inuyasha was here.”

Narek turned toward her slowly, his eyes glowing. Kagome would have jerked, would have stepped back if her body wasn’t frozen to the spot. He walked toward her, pulling a knife from his pocket. Before Kagome could react, Naek grabbed her arm and cut into her palm. 

Kagome winced, pulling her arm back as her blood dripped onto the flowers. She stared at the cut in her palm, watching it heal and realizing that she could move again. Narek waved the knife, letting her blood drip off it and onto the flowers. As he stared down at the flowers, Kagome took the chance to punch him with all her strength, right in the gut.

“You asshole! What was that for?”

Narek straightened, as though she her punch had been a mere tickle. He pointed downward. Still gritting her teeth, Kagome looked down. The flowers bent at the stem, and she watched her blood trickling down the stems and into the ground. There was a rumble from deep beneath the earth. It vibrated up Kagome’s legs, and she quickly had to spread her feet wide before she lost her balance.

The floor opened up like a gaping mouth. The beautiful flowers spread apart, as the hole spread wider and wider, almost swallowing the whole clearing. Narek didn’t wait for Kagome’s surprise to pass. He simply extended his leg and fell right into the darkness. 

Swallowing, Kagome did the same. Down and down she went, so far she wondered if the pit was bottomless. That was until glowing, red crystals appeared to jut out of the walls. She landed, in what looked like...a tomb? There was a single box in the center of the circular cave. Long, jagged, blood crystals surrounded them. Standing in a circle of gems, Kagome looked down at the floor, at the thin canals that led to the coffin in the center of the room.

Narek moved around her, stopping in front of a crystal that had a shadow inside it. Kagome squinted. The cave was dim, the darkness much like Ghost Forest. Her eyes, though they were able to see through the night, could not pierce through the much of the darkness of that place. She got closer to the glowing crystal Narek stood in front of, her mouth opening in a silent gasp as she realized what the dark spot inside the crystal actually was. A body. And the shape was familiar.

“You mentioned a revenant’s soul. Is that-”

“One of the ingredients, yes.”

The crystal pulsed, brightening and dimming along with her breathing. When the light shined its brightest, Kagome swallowed hard as she looked at Kikyo’s still body inside the crystal. She turned around, unable to keep looking, feeling sick. 

Narek had moved to the other side of the room. He stood before another crystal. Taking a few steps back, Narek stomped his feet hard into the ground. Then he charged. The bone aching sound of shattering glass met Kagome’s ears and she had to bring up her arms to avoid the flying chunks of red crystal. Narek kicked the base of the crystal, while his knife sunk into the center. A crack formed from the lower impact, traveling up to the knife. The crystal burst, and a familiar scent reached Kagome’s nose.

A body flopped on top of Narek. Running, Kagome took Inuyasha from him, growling.

*************(Shipping ahead)*******************

“Don’t you dare touch him!”

Kagome shrieked. The moment she had touched Inuyasha’s skin, her fingers burned. Then ice needled her palms, and Kagome bent her knees, dropping to the floor before she dropped Inuyasha. She felt her hands tingle with pain. Then her fingers numbed one by one, her legs shivering from the ice radiating off Inuyasha’s body.

Wetness slid down her cheeks, but none of the pain she felt was as horrible as the memories that were flashing through her skull. Mixed up torment whirled like a tornado in her thoughts, refusing to give her any peace. She was stuck in the cycle of pain for an eternity before she pulled her arm back, breaking her touch with Inuyasha, remembering where she was and why she was there.

“W-what did they do you?” she whispered to Inuyasha. Then she saw his neck. It was black, leathery, like Lilliana’s skin had been. The black blood, the infection had spread again.

Suddenly, Inuyasha’s eyes opened wide and he let out a loud scream, his arms and legs thrashing. Kagome grabbed him, trying to hold him still. She hissed at Narek when he came near.

“I said don’t touch him!”

Narek’s cold look was full of contempt. “Then use use your blood to heal him or your power over memories to put his mind back together. Just shut him up before I do.”

He ignored the two of them, walking to the crystal that held Kikyou. As he hacked at it, trying to release the person trapped inside, Kagome put her hand on Inuyasha’s chest. Cutting into her palm, she tried to force Inuyasha’s body to obey her will, to pull the black blood from his skin, but he wriggled too much for her to concentrate. Giving up on trying to heal him, she touched his skin, reaching into his memories.

It was like jumping into yet another world. Kagome stood in a hazy plain, watching flashes of war and loss by. She held her head, trying to remind herself that these were not her memories. She ran through the images, searching for some semblance of consciousness, some memory that was sweet and hopeful. Something warm flashed by her and Kagome reached for it, grabbing the memory and holding it close to her chest. It was the memory of yesterday morning, of being comforted by one’s mate. Kagome felt the memory like a soft caress on her skin, felt the rough passion of how Inuyasha’s inner demon had looked at it. She let out a shivery sigh. The golden glow of the memory spread out over the darkness around her. Another memory pulsed, shining gold like a tiny star.

Kagome grabbed it before it could sink into the blackness of pain around her. Images flashed through her mind. Warm relief flowed into her, as she felt the memory wash through her body. She jumped into Inuyasha’s perspective. Half an hour after they returned to the human world. He had been woken up to the sight of her sleeping next to him. He had felt a tingling feather touch of hope when she had thrown herself at him, awe when she told him she had healed his chest. Kagome gasped as Inuyasha’s emotions flowed over her. She held onto the memory, adding it to the last one.

There had to be more. More thoughts of her. If she could make him concentrate on those, make him forget his pain then maybe...another golden memory floated by and Kagome pulled it toward her. All the times they had protected each other in Zenith flashed through Kagome’s thoughts. No matter how angry, how hurt, how much they had bickered, the memories hummed with Inuyasha’s pride. Awe at her strength, at the fact that she always had his back, that she continued to fight no matter how afraid, tired, or angry she had been, filled her with a cool, feeling, as though she were breathing moonlight.

The painful memories around her, fluttered, weakening their hold over Inuyasha’s mind. More orbs of glowing, peaceful memories filled the darkness, which was slowly changing from black to dark grey. Kagome grabbed another memory and had to suppress a blush. The memory was of when they had lured out Tsubaki. Inuyasha’s passion, the way he had watched her moving around in her thin, green dress, filled her with wonderful heat.

Another memory. Kagome giggled as Inuyasha’s embarrassment fluttered through her mind. He hadn’t liked how happy his Zenith dog ears had made her at first, but, over time, he liked seeing her smile, even if it was a little embarrassing.

A cluster of memories floated by and Kagome grabbed them before they could disappear. Ten years of worrying filled her mind. Was Kagome doing well back home? Was she happy to be reunited with her human family? Did she blame him? Did she think about him ever? Would she be happy when she inevitably had to return? Would she blame him for her lost humanity? Could he convince Sesshoumaru to give her another ten years? Each question made Kagome’s heart beat faster. In the ten years she had spent living her life back in Japan, she had never known that he had worried about her so much.

Another memory. Inuyasha saving her from the leech that had attached to her leg. Kagome cringed at the memory but then breathed in deep when Inuyasha’s concern reached her. He had worried so much about how to comfort her, and then his joy at her adorably annoyed expressions right after, made Kagome almost want to cry. Then came the pleasure at seeing her so energetic, when she had challenged him to a fight for making fun of her, and when he, in turn had retaliated by grabbing her leg, holding her upside down and teasing her some more. 

The world around her was growing brighter. She was getting closer to bringing him back. She could feel it. She grabbed another cluster of memories. These were full of Inuyasha’s fears. How much he had worried about his inner beast hurting her. A spicy, tingly taste filled Kagome’s mouth. These were also the memories of his inner demon. He wanted her. Badly. No matter how angry, how hurtful, or annoying she had been. He had always wanted her. For the inner demon, she was his mate, no matter what, no matter why or how they got together in the first place, and his passion, slowly, but surely, started to affect his more rational half. 

Another glowing memory passed by, this one like faceted like a crystal. When Kagome grabbed it, she felt raindrops of pleasure pass through her. Her lips tingled.

“Pain is the opposite of pleasure,” she whispered as she re-experienced this shared memory with Inuyasha. It was back when they had found Tsubaki, when he had watched her slowly change after experiencing Tsubaki’s memories. She felt how terrified he had been that she may lose herself, how he and his inner demon had to work together to ground her, bring her back to the present, how he had wanted the kiss he gave her to be so much more then just a way to push away her confusion.

The world around her brightened with white light. One final memory passed her by, one that glowed blue, like the color of her eyes. When Kagome touched it, a feeling of sadness washed over her. It was the memory of when they had finally, truly talked to each other about their relationship, the memory of when Inuyasha offered to end it. The sorrow pinched her heart. He hadn’t wanted it to end, even after all the terrible things they had said to each other in their fight. He had wanted to try, to fix things, to see if they could make it work, to be better for her. Yet, he hadn’t wanted to force her to stay against her will, had been too afraid that his inner beast might hurt her, had been willing to let her go, so that she could be free, if that was what she had wanted.

The white light around her spread, washing away the memories and everything around her. Kagome blinked and suddenly she was back in the cave. Inuyasha rested his head in her lap, his eyes half open, watching her though a layer of tears.

“Hey,” he said, his voice hoarse.

Kagome traced his nose, his cheeks, his jaw with the pads of her fingers. He closed his eyes. “Do you know who I am?”

He smiled. “How could I forget?”

“Can you stand?”

Pushing with his elbows, Inuyasha tried to raise himself. He grunted, putting a hand on his chest. Carefully pulling out her knees from under his head, Kagome pulled his arm across her shoulders and wrapped her arm around his waist, helping him stand. He leaned on her, his breathing heavy. She leaned her head against his chest, listening to his even heartbeat.

There was no time to be relieved. Inuyasha stiffened when Narek entered his line of sight. He then started growling when he noticed who Narek was holding in his arms. Though dark, Kagome knew it was Kikyo Narek was holding onto.

“What do you plan to do with her?”

“None of your concern. I won’t kill her if that’s what you’re worried about.” Narek looked up, into the hole they had come down earlier. “Head to the Infinity Meadow. I’ll meet with you there.”

When Narek was gone, Inuyasha wobbled a bit, and Kagome had to lean against a nearby red crystal to steady herself.

“Don’t be mad,” she whispered when she felt the rumbling of Inuyasha’s growls.

“Why would I be mad? Because you partnered with him?”

“Yes? What else is there?”

Inuyasha leaned away from her. “I’m not mad. Okay, I’m a little mad.”

“I’m sorry. I had to. And I hated every moment of it. But I had to save you. And I did it for Lilliana too. She put herself in danger to save you.”

Inuyasha stiffened. “She’s alive? You saw her? Is she all right?”

“She’s okay. But she’s,” Kagome swallowed, “different.”

“Thirty years in this hellhole? I’m not surprised. Let’s just get the fuck out of here. You can tell me about it later.”

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As soon as they were back in the human world, Narek left Inuyasha and Kagome, vanishing into the city. Silently, Kagome helped Inuyasha moved away from the fires in the city. Still in pain from the slowly recovering, black wounds on his chest, he could stand, but jumping and running winded him so quickly, that he had to rely on Kagome’s shoulder to get around. She managed to get him out of the town without running into danger.

She hadn’t really picked a direction, and wasn’t sure where they were going. She just kept going until the sea breeze reached her nose. Kagome wasn’t sure how or why she had chosen to go to the sea. She just had a feeling that water would help her clear her thoughts.

When she let him go, Inuyasha sat down in the sand, watching the waves crash onto the shore several feet before him. He rubbed the black mark on his neck. 

Sitting down next to him, Kagome put her hand on his shoulder to get his attention. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Inuyasha sighed, covering his eyes. “Holy shit. That memory prison I was in is another form of hell I never could have imagined. So that’s what Lilliana felt when he saved her from Naraku’s castle.” He leaned back in the sand, looking up at the sky. “When this is over, I’m going to take a vacation.”

“Where do you plan to go?”

“Well, first I planned to sleep for a week, but now I just want to head to the Bahamas. Good call bringing me to a beach. After the firestorm and whatever Naraku did to me, this is nice.” He took a deep breathe. Then, when he looked at her, his expression had hardened. “Tell me what happened.”

*********************(End Shipping)**********************


Kagome explained about the Zenith nightwalker attack, about Lilliana coming back. She paused when she got to Albier, Natalia, and Christiano’s deaths. A shadow of grief passed over Inuyasha’s features. He was quiet for a long time, staring at the waves with shining eyes. Then, after a long breathe, he asked her to continue. She explained about Narek’s plan, how he had known where to look to find a portal between worlds. She explained how she restored Inuyasha’s memories; by making him concentrate on her until he was able to piece himself back together. After she was done, Inuyasha bent forward, hands on his knees, fingers interlaced in front of his lips.

“If I had to guess, Shippo and Narek took Sayo and Kikyo back to their family.”

“You really think that bastard would do something so noble?”

“Not noble at all,” Inuyasha replied. “Most likely, he’s trying to get in Naraku’s way by getting rid of the revenant’s soul he needs. Which means Naraku will be coming after us again.”

“So, we won’t be free until we kill him.”

Inuyasha reached out and put a comforting hand on Kagome’s shoulder. “We need answers first. We should find the family. Then we demand answers.”

“From Narek?”

Inuyasha nodded. “And Lucy. I bet they’re together.”

“Lucy’s dead,” said a voice.

Kagome and Inuyasha shot to their feet, turning around to see Lilliana standing on the beach behind them. She was covered in cuts and bruises, but she did not reject Inuyasha when he threw his arms around her.

“You’re alive,” he gasped. “You’re here. Thank fuck.”

Lilliana patted his back. “I’m glad that you’re okay as well.”

Inuyasha leaned back, opening his mouth to say something, but then his eyes caught sight of the black mark on her neck. “Shit.”

Lilliana shook her head. “Forget about it. It’s not important right now. We need to get moving. Naraku will be on the hunt again soon. Narek can’t distract him forever.”

Kagome came to stand next to Inuyasha, her eyes wide. “Did you really say that Lucy’s dead?”

Lilliana nodded. “And Chase and Xander too. Naraku killed them.” 

Kagome covered her mouth.

Lilliana dipped her head down, her eyes distant. “We should head back to the family. If I know Narek, that bastard will find us once we’re all together.”

Inuyasha grit his teeth. “He’d better talk. I want some fucking answers.”

They traveled back to the family in silence. Lilliana led to the way, out of the city, into the mountains, deep into the forests, where the family had another safe house. When they entered the old, forgotten structure, they found Sesshoumaru, Rukiya, Claire, and Bill in the living room area. Kagura and Taiki were no where to be found. No one needed to ask where they were. No king would demand his mate and young son stay to fight.

Entering the room, Lilliana reunited with Rukiya, hugging the older woman, whispering, “I’m sorry,” over and over. The family sat, absorbed in their grief for an hour as the realization of their loss truly hit them.

Narek came when the tears and anguish had dulled, transforming from a burning cut into am ache that settled deep in the family’s hearts. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha tensed when the young man strolled into the room as though he owned the place. Narek didn’t respond to the obvious distrust. He simply flopped down into the nearest chair, and crossed his legs. His clothes were covered in tears and dried blood, but he didn’t seem tired or injured when he spoke. 

“So, any questions?”

Inuyasha’s hand balled into a fist. “Just start talking.”

Narek leaned his temple against his fist, complete at ease.“Do you know how old Lucy was? At least fifty thousand years old.”

Rukiya gasped. “That’s not possible. No nightwalker can live that long.”

“I suppose Lucy found a way to circumvent our natural limits.”

Narek nodded at Sesshoumaru. “She did. We live long, but we’re not immortal and we’re not gods. But Lucy was a god, at one time in her life.”

“Explain.”

“There is a ritual, one that requires specific ingredients, that can extend a nightwalker’s life beyond the limit.”

Kagome put a hand on her chest. “This has to do with my blood, doesn’t it? And with the black blood that Inuyasha and Lilliana have?”


Narek closed his eyes. “The ingredients for the ritual are fourth generation blood, a revenant’s soul, and a midnight heart.”

Inuyasha scratched the black mark on his chest, feeling as though his skin had tightened, threatening to choke him. “A midnight heart?”

“Only a midnight heart can create midnight blood. It’s rare, and it passes from blood parents to blood children.” Narek leaned his head back, like a cranky professor teaching talentless students. “A midnight heart is pure. The blood it produces is so powerful that, if used correctly, it can give nightwalkers godlike strength. Under normal circumstances, it does not produce midnight blood. You have to darken a midnight heart. You have to make the host suffer. Only then will the heart be ready for consumption.”

Kagome bit her lip, holding her trembling hands close to her chest. “The scattered memories. That’s how they make the host suffer. Both Inuyasha and Lilliana went through the same thing. They were locked in their most painful memories.”

Narek snapped his fingers. “Exactly. A special mixture has to be made with each of the ingredients. Don’t ask me how, I don’t care to explain. Simply put, the drinker must consume the mixture in a specific tomb, and it must be done when an lunar eclipse occurs in the human world.” 


Claire gasped. “Wait. There’s an eclipse in two days.”

Bill looked out the window. “The sun will rise in an hour. We’ll only have half a day to prepare for an attack.”

Narek shook his head. “No. They will wait. You forget that time moves differently here and in the nightwalker world. Even if Naraku were to capture Kagome, Lilliana, or Inuyasha, he would have to wait to cross over. Which means they will track you down, but won’t attack until about an hour before they have to return to their own world.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” said Rukiya. “Why not just capture the three of them, hold them captive until the time comes and then cross over?”

“Because the victims must be alive and healthy for the ritual. Holding them captive requires the use of force and Naraku needs the three of you in good physical health, at least until the time comes for you to die. Besides, I broke all the crystals he can use to keep you in stasis. Now he has no choice.”

It was Kagome who whispered “why,” when no one dared to ask. Narek’s gaze shifted to Lilliana.

“Remember when your memories were jumbled up?”

She shuddered. “What does that have to do with the ritual?”

“Suffering makes midnight blood appear.” Narek paused, not taking his eyes off her. “And the host must give their heart willingly to the drinker. That’s the key to creating the elixir that grants a nightwalker godhood.” 

Inuyasha punched a nearby table, chopping it right down the middle. “Why the fuck would I give my heart to that psycho?”

“You won’t have a choice. He’ll scramble your memories, confuse you, make you suffer until you beg him to make it stop. That’s how he did it the first time, ten thousand years ago. Lucy was the first person to drink the elixir. Naraku used her, as a guinea pig, to see if the potion would work. And it did. Lucy did not die. She was immortal. She was omniscient, could see things from a distance, across dimensions, could open and close dimensions.” Narek pointed to his eye. “She could regenerate others, and had countless other abilities that would make your mind spin.” 

“If she was a god, why didn’t she stop this? And how could she have been killed?” asked Lilliana.

“Because the elixir does not last forever. The drinker has to keep drinking it to maintain their godhood. Without it, the nightwalker weakens over time. And that kind of power takes its toll. Without constantly taking the drug that fuels it, the powers fade, and then vanish. The more Lucy used her abilities, the less power she had, and the weaker her invulnerability became. In the last few years, she was no more then a regular nightwalker, and because she refused to create another elixir, she was dying. Two years, maybe three, that’s all she had left. Why do you think she had me do her dirty work? Why do you think she bothered employing Xander and Chase?”

“I see.” Sesshoumaru crossed his arms. “That explains Lucy’s desperation to keep Naraku out of this world, or at least to ensure that one of his prized ‘ingredients’ was lost to him.”

“That’s not all she did. She also hunted every last nightwalker that knew of the existence of Zenith, of an elixir. She killed every nightwalker that so much as believed in a legend of fairytale that related to the truth. Like your father, for example.”

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. “You’ve never been the type to take orders, not without an ulterior motive. Why did you follow Lucy’s demands?”

Narek smiled then. “How do you think I know all this? Do you really think she would have told me willingly?”

“Knowledge,” Lilliana whispered. “You did all this for her memories, didn’t you? And now, you know every secret she ever did.”

“And I know what can kill Naraku. A risk Lucy would never take.”

Inuyasha took an angry step toward Narek, his eyes flashing. “How the fuck do we know that you don’t plan to use us for an elixir? To make yourself into a god.”

“What’s the fun in life if you can’t be killed?” Narek stood. “The next two days, I will be inspecting the city, closing any gates I can find, to cut off their supply of soldiers. Send word out to anyone you can, bring as many nightwalkers here as possible.”

Sesshoumaru flashed across the room, wrapping his fingers around Narek’s neck, lifting him up.

“You assume I will take orders from you?”

Narek rolled his eyes. He lifted a hand, and suddenly Sesshoumaru let him go, stumbling backward as though he had received an electric shock. Dropping back to his feet, Narek dusted off his jacket.

“Personally, I don’t care if you follow my plan or not. I just want Naraku dead. Any casualty that results in the process is none of my concern.” He gave Sesshoumaru a cold look. “But a King losing family members and countless other nightwalkers because he was too proud to take advice from a traitor? Against a common enemy? Not a good look, is it?”

Sesshoumaru’s eyes reddened, but he said nothing.

“Make up your mind by sundown tomorrow night.”

Narek walked out.

Within seconds, Sesshoumaru told everyone, except for Rukiya, to leave the lounge. Exhausted and reeling from what they had just learned, the family went to their separate rooms. Kagome was about to follow Inuyasha to their room when she noticed that Lilliana went to the front door. 

“Where do you think you are you going?”

Lilliana didn’t turn around to face Kagome. “I’ll see you tomorrow, when it’s time to meet up again.”

“Don’t tell me that you’re going after Narek.”

“I’m not. I’ll never chase him.”
 
“Then, where? It’s not safe out there.”

“They won’t come, not until the eclipse. I only came back to make sure you and Inuyasha weren’t hurt. If you’ve ever cared about me, then let me go.”  

Maybe it was the shock of the last few days. Maybe it was the impending battle. Maybe it was the shock that three of her family members had just died, but regardless of the reason, Kagome didn’t stop Lilliana from leaving.

It rained that night, and it didn’t stop, not even when the sun rose the next morning.

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AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Next chapter, next Saturday. For all you shippers out there, you better tune in for the next one.