InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Walk of Destiny ❯ Doll Eyes ( Chapter 14 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

~ No, I haven't been drinking--er--I don't own Inuyasha. ~

Walk of Destiny

By angelwings1

Edited by Kelli G

Chapter 14 ~ Doll Eyes

"Be careful not to put too many of the jasmines in the bowl, or the smell will attract demons instead of repelling them."

Kagome nodded, pressing the petals into a fine powder.

Kaede carefully poured a finished batch into a small black bowl. "The dess powder burns slowly, so you need only change it once every morning."

Looking up from her bowl, the time traveler watched the priestess reach for a pair of smooth, black stones. Her wrinkled hands struck the pair together, unconsciously flowing through the motion. Sparks crashed onto the grayish pile, which flew up instantly into burning flames.

The old woman hurried to cover the bowl with a mirrored top, protecting her work from the wind entering through the window. The bitter smell slowly filled the room, drifting out from the holes in the round cover.

The lazy curls of smoke danced before her eyes, intricate as flower petals. Tenderly, Kagome reached out and plucked the blossom from the tree branch nearest her, her thumb rubbing against the pearl velvet.

Looking up at Kaede, the young woman held out the flower. "It's very pretty."

Silently, the old woman stared at the bud, her hand reaching out to pet the delicate petals. "It is quite pretty, yes."

Kagome smiled, enjoying the quiet setting of the forest surrounding them.

"Do you hear the flower?" the elder whispered.

She looked to her grandmother. "Hear it?"

The elder nodded, her eyes twinkling merrily. "As a priestess, you will find your senses growing more acute. We are attuned to the powers of the spirit. The entire realm beyond the physical is a dream we can almost touch. If you concentrate, you can hear the spirits speak."

Kagome stared back at her palm. "But a flower?"

"The spirit realm is endless, but invisible to our weak eyes. A priestess wields the power of her spirit, thus recognizing the world beyond mortal vision. Anyone can feel the power within our bodies. When people suddenly experience a bad feeling, it is usually because they faintly sense darkness in the spirit world. Fighters and monks are taught to tune into such things, falling back on what their instincts tells them. In actuality, they are relying on what the spirits tell them. As priestesses, we are more susceptible to feeling the spirits. It's like an ocean flowing all around us. As you grow stronger, you will grow a sense of the spiritual life around you.” Kaede paused. "You'll be able to almost touch it."

The small petals curled dark, fluttering dead from her fingertips. Soon the wrinkled remnants became heavy black pebbles, splashing into a small stream. The clear water rippled, a reflection of the sky smoothing on the surface. Kaede was smiling in the glassy mirror, looking much like a schoolgirl again.

With a whip of her wrist, another pebble skipped down the long brook.

"Listen to the splashes, Kagome. Everywhere there lies a connection between worlds. We need only concentrate on something to hear it."

Kagome turned. "Is it so easy?"

Kaede smiled proudly. "Yes, it's very simple to listen. What is hard to understand is what you hear."

Kagome pouted, staring at the rippling water. "Understand it?"

The breaking ripples tinkled like glass in her ears. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the soft sound. She waited.

In her mind, she wondered what her ears had always been deaf to; maybe a small voice too low for others?

"Listen."

Her teacher's small command seemed so unreachable in silence. There came no voice, no sound on which to follow. She could hear the leaves crinkle and a bird cry, but was she supposed to listen to that?

"Listen beyond the sounds of the forest."

The miko bit her lip in frustration.

But that left nothing to hear. Kagome opened her eyes and looked for her teacher, but found only a darkening grove of trees. Seeing sudden movement from the corner of her eye, she gasped, and whipped around.

Draped in a faded white robe, Destiny stared back at the miko, her form ghostly. Kagome drew back, startled. "Destiny?"

A single blink of the eye threw away the image, leaving Kagome hunched over a thick book. Her brown eyes darted over the fine print, realizing the volume dealt with written history on the Feudal Era.

"Kagome!"

She looked up, seeing another student coming down one of the aisles in the university's library. The American transfer student smiled brightly. "Are you reading that book again? No matter how many times you come to the library, you always read this book, Kagome. What's the big deal with this one?"

Kagome grinned innocently. "I just like to read up about this specific time in my country. It's quite fascinating, really; the culture back then was in such disarray because of the feuding states, not to mention the strong belief in demons. This book shows everything from that era: rituals, religion, village life, superstition, everything! It's something I've loved to read about since high school."

The girl smiled and headed on her way, saying something about a final she needed to study for. Kagome nodded and returned to her favorite subject.

But suddenly the book was no longer beneath her fingers. Instead, she was leaning over a worn table, covered in handwritten sheets of papers. Kagome glanced over the ancient text, quickly translating the words in her head. Some of the writing was identical to what she had read in the university's history book.

"These are some of the more common rituals and spells, but if you ever need more, there are plenty in the chest in my room."

Kagome quickly thanked her elder, eagerly looking over the papers. "This is quite a lot of information, Kaede. Did you memorize all of this?"

The old priestess shook her head. "No one can ever memorize an entire book word for word, but I know what is there is available to me. If I need something, I can just look it up. It took me quite a few years to memorize just a few spells."

Kagome nodded, turning back around. Her eyes froze atop the table, realizing a familiar object had appeared before her. "Inuyasha's prayer beads."

The woman quickly picked up the necklace, flipping it over in her hands. "How'd these get here?"

She couldn't even remember the last time she had seen the beads so lonely. Her thumb ran over the curves and grooves, idly thinking back to the first day she had met Inuyasha.

A small hand quietly reached out and broke her contemplation. Kagome calmly followed the hand, not even caring that the necklace was being taken from her. She blinked as she saw Destiny clutching the bracelet close to her chest.

The miko glanced down at the beads, then back at her young face. Why did she hold it so protectively? And why was she crying?

The small girl shook her head frantically, her hair stretching into wide black ribbons and merging with the shadows. The room was swallowed in mere seconds leaving only her and Destiny as the girl sob echoed. "I didn't know!"

Kagome pulled back, totally surprised. "Didn't know? What didn't you know, Destiny?"

"I didn't want you to suffer."

"How could you not know?" Kagome insisted in disbelief. "You control fate!"

Guilt rose in the child's green eyes, frightening the miko. Kagome felt her heart skip as she fearfully whispered: "Don't you?"

Destiny began to sob again, covering her face. With each cry, the child drew further away from her. Kagome stretched out her arm, vainly hoping to keep the girl`s attention. Was she even listening?

Destiny quietly lifted her eyes back to the time traveler's face, her tears drying on her flushed cheeks. The miko smiled as the child's hand stretched to meet hers. Kagome was only dimly aware that the prayer beads were being held out to her before they burst into flames. Gold and orange swirled around her, blocking out Destiny's face. The heat began to rise, and Kagome screamed in panic.

The flare of fire plowed into her throat, ripping out her voice as she spun. Her hands flung out, pushing against the hot walls. She wanted out of this nightmare.

Her voice might have been gone, but somehow the screeching grew louder, even as the air cooled. It grew so loud, and then her voice twisted into an annoying pitch...

Kagome snapped her eyes open and sleepily dragged her hands over her ears. "Darn rooster."

The sun quickly raced into her eyes, forcing her to block it with her arm. Once the crow faded, Kagome slowly rose from her old sleeping bag.

Fragments of her dream still cluttered her mind as she glanced out the window. Most had been pieces of recent memories, but the images of Destiny, Inuyasha's prayer beads, and the fire. What had that been?

Had Destiny physically walked into her dreams? Had she been trying to tell her something?

'It was just a dream.'

She had dreams all the time. This was no different.

Yet, she could not dismiss the sickening feeling in her stomach. She didn't remember any other dream with such acute detail. She could still remember the sound of the water splashing, and the roundness of the prayer beads. If she concentrated, she could remember the whole of her dream, from start to finish.

This didn't feel ordinary to her.

It felt more like some dark cloud hovering over her head. As if a surprise were about to come up from behind her.

Kagome ran her fingers through her tangled hair. The dream left her worried, and a bit frightened.

Every scene replayed in her head, her thoughts lingering on certain focal points: Destiny, the scrolls, Inuyasha's prayer beads, the foreign student...

Why had she seen these things?

She had taken a psychology class in college. She knew images were important. There had to be some subconscious meaning in what she had dreamt.

Kagome leaned forward, cupping her chin in both hands. 'Surely there is some logic in it.'

The girl frantically sifted through her dim memories of her school book. If she at least could understand why she had dreamt these things she might not feel so bad of ignoring the images.

But as she'd feared, the textbook pages were too fuzzy to remember. She inwardly cursed herself for ignoring the hours of lectures she had attended for the class.

Frustrated and shaken, the young woman scrambled out of her sleeping bag and crossed the room. As she strode towards the small table, the miko winced at the sight of the room.

This wasn't hers.

'Is now.'

Her hands awkwardly began to refill the jars of dess powder. It was a chore she had quickly picked up since Kaede's death. Though it reminded her daily that she had lost her teacher and grandmother, Kagome could not allow the jars to go cold. If she was to be a serious priestess, she couldn't avoid her responsibilities.

They needed her to be strong.

'How am I supposed to be strong when I'm just winging this?'

Kagome wrinkled her nose at the bitter scent of dess powder, and quickly set the jars back on their tall pedestals. She waited several moments, watching the smoke curl up to the ceiling, before she moved again. The young woman knelt next to the fire, not even caring that she was still in her pajamas, and prayed.

As she whispered to the heavens, she didn't hold back anything she felt.

'I'm scared. I can't do this.'

Most people understood prayer. They knew prayer harmonized with their spirit. Their words reflected what was truly in their hearts. However, lashing out, or confessing fears, even to empty rooms, revealed too many secrets. It showed the true colors.

The lack of faith and control one could see was frightening. It could make a person believe they were jelly amongst statues.

So they would whisper half-truths. They would proclaim their faith a million times over, claiming there was never fear in their hearts. They would forgive their oppressors, saying there was no malice in their attitudes. Mirrors no longer pointed towards their flaws, but instead began to pump their egos. What was meant to make them stronger in spirituality began to make them weak in reality.

But Kagome Higurashi was not a person who hid from what she really was. She was willing to rise to the challenge, the truth about herself.

Sadly, the reality was, she didn't think she could handle this life.

'I need to be strong for them. I'm their leader. I'm supposed to take care of them.'

'Maybe Sango should do this. She's had more experience with leadership. After all, her father was the leader of her village, and she was his oldest child.'

Kagome's shoulders dropped heavily as her body shook. 'If I had realized sooner that Rashu couldn't be trusted, then Inuyasha wouldn't have left. I wasn't worth it!'

And it was all for her.

He had given up his pride, the thing he protected most in his heart, for her.

'I wasn't worth it then... I'm not worth it now...'

For once, she had no strength left to challenge the flaws she found in the mirror. There was too much for her young heart to handle. Both her hands came over her face, vainly trying to block out her own vicious emotions.

It was at times like these, that a person could always pull out, cry away their problems. Some could run from them; others found it impossible, and from there, would spiral down into dangerous depths. During some point, in every life, this pinnacle comes, when you are alone with your mirror, staring deep into your soul. Now, it was her turn. And she was falling faster and faster.

"Kagome, are you alright?"

The woman snapped upright, hands jumping into her lap. Chin held high, she answered with a voice that hardly hinted at tears. "Yes, I'm fine, Kohaku."

With her face purposely pointed towards the other side of the room, she wasn't sure if he believed her, but she prayed he did. She didn't want to explain herself.

"May I speak with you?"

'NO!'

She bit her lip, knowing this was a rare request of the quiet slayer. If he stayed, she would cry out everything. He would see she was not meant to be their leader. She didn't want to believe she couldn't do this.

But...

To turn him away...when this might be the one chance she had to help the boy?

"Please, come in, Kohaku," she replied energetically. "I would be happy to listen to you."

The floorboards creaked behind her, and she quickly wiped her face. Kohaku knelt at her side, his eyes staring at the orange flames in front of him. Daring a peek, Kagome tentatively checked the boy's face. Expecting to find a mask, the woman was shocked to see the slayer's eyes bright and sparkling, no longer containing the look of defeat she had seen a few days before.

'I wonder what happened...?'

Kagome instantly shied as Kohaku turned to her. His intense brown eyes darted over her face. He didn't seem surprised to find her disheveled and flushed. "You're upset."

She shifted nervously. 'Straight to the point.'

Kagome half-nodded, hiding her eyes. "I am."

For a few moments he didn't answer, as if he were collecting his thoughts together first. "Would you like to tell me about it?"

She quickly looked up, never expecting him to ask that.

"Huh?" she mumbled like an idiot.

Surprisingly, his cheeks blushed; the childish response had never graced his face before. He shyly smiled at her. "It might help to talk about what's bothering you."

The miko continued to stare incredulously at him, wondering if a second Kohaku would walk through the door and wake her up from this dream. 'Talk about it?'

When his eyes shyly looked away, Kagome instantly relaxed. He was serious. Her eyes quickly checked over his features, looking for something wrong. Surely this wasn't the same boy who had moped around the village, refusing to speak more than two words.

He looked up at her timidly, and Kagome realized he was waiting for her to speak.

"I-It's nothing really, Kohaku," she stammered quickly, feeling somewhat awkward talking to the boy. She had always tried to comfort him, not the other way around. "It's just been hard this past week, especially since we haven't heard from Inuyasha in three days."

Her face slowly drifted downwards, her thoughts stopping on the hanyou. "I've been thinking about a lot. That's all."

"Like what?" he asked softly, sounding almost afraid to persist on something she obviously didn't want to reveal.

Kagome winced. He shouldn't be afraid to ask her anything. He should never be afraid to talk to anyone. She glanced at him, saw his worried eyes, and suddenly didn't care anymore.

"I just don't think I should be the priestess of this village," she answered quietly. She quickly swiveled on her rear, turning her back to him. Her arms wrapped around her knees as she hunched over in a ball. "I'm sure your sister told you that I don't belong here. I came to your time by accident. A stupid centipede demon dragged me into the well and brought me into the past."

Tears pricked her eyes as she spoke the words she hadn't been given the chance to speak earlier. "My being here ruined everything. I brought the Shikon Jewel back to your time, shattered it, and brought a dead priestess back to life, when she was meant to rest in peace."

Her breath locked in her throat as a sudden horrendous thought came to mind.

"If it hadn't been for me coming to your time," she murmured, "Naraku would never have gotten the shards and ruined so many lives."

'If I had just gone to school that day, your family would still be alive.'

Feeling utterly guilty, the miko whirled around to face him, fully expecting to see the young warrior back to his usually depressed self. The pained apology died in her mouth, however, when she saw him staring back at her with warmth and understanding. She froze under his gaze, seeing a small shadow of pain swimming in his big, brown eyes.

Her tears came in a whole new wave then. How could he just sit there and not want to shout at her? He must have snapped!

"Kohaku," she sobbed, shaking his arm slightly to wake him up. "Don't you get it? I was the one who killed your family, your whole village! If I hadn't come to the past, Inuyasha wouldn't have been revived, and Naraku wouldn't have used your family and village as a pawn to kill him!"

Her passionate cries didn't seem to reach his ears, though. Even when she continued to hold onto his arm, the only response she got from him was a blink and a sideways glance.

Kagome's stomach dropped inside of her as she curled away from him. 'I've even ruined you, Kohaku. You've lost all sense of reality now.'

With shoulders shaking, Kagome began to cry loudly, no longer seeing the use in restraining herself. "Kaede should be here, not me. She would have known what to do. She always did. I always thought I knew what was right, but how can that be true, when I've made such a mess of things?!"

With eyes twisted shut, the miko punched the floor with a tight fist. The dull ache that resulted, however, never reached her mind as she slumped forward. "Inuyasha's in the thick of this war, Rashu's determined to kill him and all other demons, and all I can do is watch! I'm no priestess!"

Every ounce of dignity slipped from her as the final choked sob left her lips. "I-I can't even get a stupid wish to come out right..."

Her purity, her one strength, hadn't been enough to shift the Shikon Jewel's power towards good, and allow her wish to bring happiness instead of the Jewel's usual misfortune.

She couldn't deny any longer what she really was... useless.

Feeling empty and weak, the young woman tossed her hair back and sniffed. She was certain she looked a mess. "I think it would be best if your sister, or even Miroku, decided what was to be done from now on."

She pulled herself to her feet, exhausted. She glanced back at Kohaku's quiet form. His face was hidden from her, but she assumed from his hunched form that he was deaf to her. She had ranted and sobbed only inches away from him, and he had been still as stone.

'All I ever wanted to do was help everyone.'

New tears flooded her eyes, but she quickly pushed them back. She was too tired to go through another emotional meltdown. Attempting a strained smile, the miko headed to the door, full of new purpose. If she truly wanted to help, then she should renounce her leadership immediately to Sango.

"No one ever thought you were responsible."

Kagome's heart hammered in her ears, her feet stopping at the door.

"You say you're no priestess, but Kaede believed in you enough to leave her people in your hands."

The time traveler slowly turned, Kohaku's teary eyes staring intently into her own sparkling wet ones. Maybe she was wrong about him.

The young slayer took in a shuddering breath, looking down at his feet. His shoulders shook as he looked back up into her face. "We both thought we were responsible for so much heartache. But neither of us could have stopped anything from happening."

Kagome shook her head, believing in his innocence, but not her own. "No, I could have…"

"What?" he persisted, glaring at her now. "Gone back home and stayed there? You tried that, but Inuyasha brought you back. You were destined to come to this time, Kagome."

"But what about all that's happened?" she moaned. "What about Naraku, Kikyo, Inuyasha, your family?"

She hung her head, her bangs blocking him from her view. "No, Kohaku. If it was destiny, then life is screwed up."

Destiny's tears flashed again in her mind.

With a sigh of defeat, Kagome whispered, "I don't believe in destiny anymore."

She could hear him sigh in defeat as well, and for a moment she was glad he'd given up. He was the best one to understand the situation she was in. She was such a hypocrite, to be sobbing and feeling guilty after trying to convince him of his own innocence.

She didn't want to fight with him. She just wanted it to be over.

Unfortunately, he wasn't as finished as she believed him to be.

"Destiny or not, don't do what I did and sit there feeling miserable," he grumbled, more cursing at himself than at her. "People need you to be there for them, whether your day's been good or bad."

'He makes it sound like it's easy to just smile at disaster.'

Gradually, she turned to look back at him, wanting to hear him say something she could actually believe. When she looked at him, she noticed the gleam in his smile, beyond the lines of stress and grief. For half a second, she actually thought she glimpsed happiness.

"Don't abandon them when they still trust you," he continued gently, his voice soothing the brittleness in her nerves. "You can't change what happened, or where you are. All you can do is keep going, and trust in yourself."

She had no words to respond with. Everything he said was true, but she still couldn't bring herself to believe that she was needed.

He glanced to the side again, obviously uncertain of what to say, but knowing something else was needed. "The other day, when the demon army attacked, I had to protect a pair of kids from getting hurt. No one else took any notice of them, and I was the only one nearby. If I hadn't done something, they would be dead today."

Kagome's eyes widened, and she suddenly realized why Kohaku seemed so different. Seeing her response, he nodded. "It still hurts, but I see now more than ever that doing nothing helps no one. My father would never have wanted me to feel responsible for his death, and he wouldn't want me to just give up on my life. He would want me to live on, in his memory."

His small smile stretched wider, his face glowing with his new resolution. His hand gently took hers, giving the miko a small squeeze of encouragement. "If you think it is best to give up leadership to my sister, then do so. But don't forget, Kagome, with all that has happened, you can still be needed when the time comes."

Slowly, she lifted her eyes to his, and there saw the truth warming within them: you had to trust in yourself, or nothing at all.

It was a hard truth to accept, but she realized there was no other way to live. Kagome nodded slightly, dazed. The weight on her shoulders seemed suddenly ten times heavier than before. She couldn't stop trying to help, but she didn't trust her decisions anymore.

'What if I do the wrong thing?'

Kagome went stiff at the next thought: 'Isn't any decision a risk? We never know the consequences, but we need to be prepared for them as best we can.'

Her hesitant steps made a path towards the window, her sight gazing out at the houses sheltered in the purplish-sphere of the barrier. Her face went hard as she saw the villagers attending to their homes and injured. 'I knew being a leader wouldn't be easy. Now I want to run when I should be pushing myself harder.'

Kohaku was quiet behind her, his eyes burrowing deep into her back. Her eyes squeezed shut, her heart lurching in her throat. 'I'm stronger than this. I know I am.'

Suddenly her inner voice was silenced, as a cold hand gripped her heart. The woman's eyes shot open. 'That's not guilt I'm feeling.' Her stomach dropped like a stone. 'What's wrong with me?'

"Kagome! Kagome!"

The woman swayed where she stood as the other slayer burst into the room, her face red. The miko swallowed quickly, fighting down the needle-like pricks in her skull.

"What is it?" the miko half-gasped, still dazed. "What's wrong?"

Sango quickly strode forward, eyes flashing. "There's a demon attacking Miroku's barrier."

Kagome stiffened and Kohaku hurried to his sister's side. Sango nodded, still panting slightly from the run. "There doesn't seem to be any other demons, but this one keeps charging the barrier, and it doesn't appear to be letting up."

Kagome's stomach twisted violently when she heard this. 'God, what now?'

"Kagome," the boy slayer called gently, seeing her turn pale. She looked to him, and saw his look of warm encouragement. Kagome sighed and gave a curt nod. Sango just stared at them, totally lost.

"Did I miss something?" she asked.

Kagome quickly shook her head as she threw her priestess robes over her pajamas. "Don't worry about it."

Sango glanced at her brother curiously as they waited. Tying her robe shut in a few hurried seconds, Kagome lifted her face and glared at the door. Taking a deep breath, she marched forward. "Come on."

Kohaku quickly followed, but his sister lingered, her thoughts worried over her close friend. Later she would have to ask her if she was all right.

Flinging back the door, the young miko strode out onto the hill, her face angry, as if to scare away whatever dared to attack her home. It wasn't hard to spot the beast; almost the entire village had turned out to guard the spot he was near, in case he should somehow penetrate the shield. Even with the crowd facing the spectacle, Sango jutted her arm forward and growled out, "There!"

It was too far to see much, but it was obvious the demon was large, about the size of a hut, and a brilliant white. She could hear the roars of the monster's frustration, and the frightened gasps of the villagers each time it propelled itself against the purplish wall. Her arms tingled with goose bumps as the shield crackled blue under the demon's heavy blows.

Kagome had already cleared the long descent down the stairs before she realized her feet were moving. By that point, she began to panic. 'What should I do? I forgot my arrows. Maybe I can send Kohaku to get them. But why is this demon here? What does it want?'

Now she was passing through the onlookers, her eyes fixed on the white form that appeared larger with each step she took. Fear began to tingle up her spine as she reached the other side of the mass. She could no longer see the demon with all the heads in the way, even with the people parting for her.

Finally, her view became clear, with only Miroku's back standing between her and the demon. For a moment, the woman idly wondered where Shippo and Rin had disappeared to, only to remind her that Rin was probably still watching over Shippo and Kilala's wounds back at the house.

Miroku turned around, his face breaking into a relieved grin. Kagome inwardly winced at it.

"Thank goodness," the monk called over his shoulder. "I was worried I was going to be on my own when this demon broke through."

"Broke through?" Kagome's mouth went dry. "I thought this barrier would keep the demons out."

The monk's face slipped into a guilty frown. "Well, yes, but only the less powerful demons. This one seems to possess quite a lot of power, unfortunately for us."

She instantly looked to the demon, and froze when she saw the giant dog digging viciously alongside the barrier. Its eyes were a vibrant, terrifying red that made her tremble. It appeared to be closely related to one of Kouga's wolf brothers, except this demon had white, neater fur. Its ears did resemble a wolf's, long and standing upright on its head. Its tail was a bit short for a wolf's, however, and bone straight, with no gentle welcome in it. Its red tongue flopped out over its sharp canines as the demon stopped and stared at her. She had gotten its attention easily enough.

She swallowed nervously, waiting for its next response.

The demon's ears turned towards her fully, and his tongue snapped back into his menacing jaws. Its satanic-looking eyes narrowed on her, sending a new wave of fear into her heart as she watched the monster. It appeared to dislike her. A faint growl rumbled from its chest as the beast lowered its head and rolled its shoulders.

It was only after its head had dropped that she was finally able to see the woman in white atop the dog demon's back. Kagome's guard dropped, and she stared in amazement at the woman's delicate beauty and elf-like, pointed ears. With her armor and ponytail, the woman was dressed like a samurai, but the purple stripes on her cheeks and circle on her forehead cried 'demon'.

'She looks vaguely familiar,' the miko thought, watching the woman dismount, 'but I know I've never seen her before.'

Tensing up in anticipation, the miko gravely watched the woman saunter over to the purple wall. Stopping a foot away from the dangerous spell, the woman lazily lifted her hand and hit the wall hard three times, leaving her fist to rest on it.

Her thin eyebrow arched as she grinned, revealing pointed fangs. With a haughty chuckle she called out, "Knock, knock!"

Kagome frowned. 'She's teasing us!'

Well, she could play, too. Kagome glared vehemently at the demon woman and snapped, "Who's there?"

The woman in white's grin lifted higher with amusement. "Sakura."

Behind her the villagers whispered in wonder as Kagome easily replied, "Sakura who?"

Her gold eyes sparkled. "Sakura, Lady of the South, who brings a message to the Priestess Kagome."

"That's one of the Blood Four," Sango gasped beside her. "From what I know, she's the worst of them."

Kagome quickly put that knowledge into her memory banks as she stepped forward. With, what she hoped was, strength in her voice, she answered the mistress. "I am Kagome."

Her words came out loud and powerful, hinting at not even a silver of her pounding fear towards the white demon and his dark mistress before her. "What is it that you want?"

The woman's gold eyes narrowed, her smile slipping to an aggravated line. With her demon mount still glaring hard at the human, the mistress carefully treaded the line of the barrier, coming to stand directly in front of the time traveler. Her gaze delicately ran over the small human before her. Her hard scowl immediately told the miko that the demon mistress was not impressed with what she saw.

Her eyebrows lifted slowly. "You?"

The time traveler ignored the insult behind her tone, and lifted her chin a little higher.

"What do you want?" the miko repeated louder.

The mistress's brows pinched together, and she haughtily tossed her long white bangs over her shoulders. "Open the way to me."

Now Kagome's face twisted. "You think I'm stupid?"

The noble didn't falter, only shouting her command a second time. "Open the way to me!"

The time traveler glared back in answer, her friends offering the same nasty look to the demons. It was quite clear the barrier would not come down unless her claws tore it down. Still, even though Sakura snorted in disgust and shouted a few dirty words, she didn't leave. Not that anyone had assumed she would run away with her tail between her legs.

"I demand you let me in!" she screeched, her eyes going to a brilliant red. Kagome ignored the woman's cry, fully content to stay within their bubble's safety. She stared hard at the woman's snarling face and slowly counted the throbs in the blood vessel above her left eye. Firmly, the miko turned her back to the demon woman, and quietly said: "Go away."

Sakura immediately went still, her eyes changing to a hollow, dangerous black. Her body twitched slightly with the underlying desire to charge the miko's unguarded back. Sango, Miroku, and Kohaku watched Kagome walk by, their eyes falling back to the visibly angry demon standing at the village's front door.

"You will hear me, miko!" she yelled, each word swelling with disgust. "If I have to scrap this village and kill every human here, you will hear me!"

Miroku quickly whirled around, urgently grasping the miko's arm. "I don't think it's wise to anger her, Kagome."

Feet stopping on command, the miko quietly waited for the monk to continue. He swallowed upon seeing her worried gaze.

"If we refuse her, I believe the barrier will not hold against her," he murmured softly. Kagome's eyes sparked with fear, but he didn't notice as he snuck a glance at the demon woman. "I was worried before you came that the barrier would buckle, and that was only from her minion. If she attacks, the barrier will surely fall."

Kagome bit her lip, bruising the delicate flesh. 'Darn it, Kagome! Can't you do something right for once?!'

The ground seemed to sway beneath her sandals as the miko dragged herself back towards the demon woman, Miroku's hand dropping from her shoulder as she did. Every step was heavy as she took it, but what was worse was the sharp whispers of the crowd around her.

She couldn't understand what they were saying. It probably wasn't even about her, but their watchful gazes were uncomfortable on her back. The young woman pressed forward even as the whispers turned to shouts. Sango's eyes narrowed quizzically as the miko turned an unhealthy color.

"Something's wrong," she mumbled, half to her brother and half to herself.

Kohaku nodded slightly to her, too placid for a boy of his age. "Don't worry, Sango. Kagome can handle this."

She scowled at her brother's calm mood, her thoughts racing back to the moment she had burst into the miko's room and found the two in deep conversation. His eyes caught hers in moments, inwardly knowing what she was thinking. Conversing without the need for words, the two siblings started as a cry exploded behind them.

"Kagome!" Miroku broke from the crowd. Sango's heart jumped into her throat at the fear laced in her love's voice. Immediately, she swung around, her thoughts racing wildly.

Upon sighting the young priestess, she nearly cried out herself. Kagome had privately decided to open the gate and walk out into the unguarded spot outside the barrier. The blank hole in the purple wall was slowly closing behind her, leaving the entire village imprisoned, unable to help her.

Kagome kept her shoulders stiff, even as she heard them desperately pleading for her to come back. She would send these demons on their way as soon as she could, and the best way to do that was to speak quickly with the noble, and not endanger anyone else. Seeing the sly satisfaction in the white woman's dark eyes, the miko inwardly wondered how foolish it had been to divide herself from her people.

Cautiously, she stepped even closer to Sakura, daring to come dramatically close to her aggressor. Kagome believed the move would only amuse the powerful demon--a weak human confident enough to put themselves nose to nose with immediate danger--but instead of chuckling at her stupid arrogance, the mistress frowned and took a modest step backwards. Watching the demon woman hunch slightly forward, Kagome recognized the stance from her lessons with Sango. It was subtle, and most people wouldn't have noticed the small, backward move of her foot unless they had been specially trained in the fighting arts. Kagome probably only recognized it because it was the simplest defensive posture Sango had taught her. Wait a minute, defensive posture?

The way the demon had withdrawn her right foot and bent her right elbow were like red lights in her head. Why would such a powerful demon be afraid of her?

She glanced at the giant canine to her left, his snarling fangs and raised hackles telling her that he wasn't afraid. Kagome looked back at the woman, her posture unchanged, her face twisted in a nasty scowl.

Word must have gotten out to the demons that she had killed Naraku. That might explain why the woman was a little tense around her. 'I wonder if they consider Naraku to be more powerful than the Blood Four?'

She no longer heard the cries of her friends behind her. They had realized nothing could be said now to stop her. It made Kagome feel that much more alone. Even if this member of the Blood Four was afraid of her by some small measure, it didn't erase just how strong Sakura actually was in comparison to her. Not knowing who was stronger made her heart drum even faster.

"Talk," the miko commanded, with all the force her trembling body could muster, her voice coming out deadly soft. She couldn't allow the woman to frighten the wits from her. 'Stay on your toes, Kagome.'

Sakura glanced beyond the miko, convincing herself that the miko could not be rescued if she attacked. Yet when her eyes returned to the young girl, the demon mistress could not charge. The priestess stood there, needing only a bow to go with her wrapping, but Sakura knew the miko was stronger than she appeared.

'She is the one who killed Naraku,' Sakura's mind whispered as she looked the little girl over once more. `Who knows exactly what she can do? There were no witnesses at the battle.'

It was best to wait and find out, before she plunged head-first into a fight with a stranger.

"You are not to step foot upon the fields," the demon thundered, projecting her voice to try and scare the miko.

Kagome didn't even flinch. She had faced demons five times her height, who could blow down mountains with their voices. The noble's booming howl barely rang in her ears compared to them.

"Stay out of the fields?" the time traveler replied, her composure steady. "Why?"

Sakura's lips pressed into a thin line. "I know your hanyou friend."

The demon lady's limbs twitched as she saw the girl's eyes widen. "How do you know Inuyasha?"

Sakura's tongue brushed over her fangs unconsciously, her nose flaring at the scent radiating off the child. The potent aroma was fragrant, and deliciously cleaner than that of most humans, prime flesh for any hungry stomach. Ignoring the twist in her stomach at the smell, Sakura smiled sweetly. "He came to me, wanting me to help him control his demon half."

Kagome`s stomach felt as if it had dropped down to her toes, and she swallowed hard. 'She's the one he was talking about?'

He just had to go and make a deal with one of the most powerful demons in the world.

Kagome's blood rushed to her face as a wave of anger rolled over her. The woman would not be here unless she was using Inuyasha as a pawn. It was a trap!

"Where is he?!" Kagome shouted furiously, her anger mounting with the rise in the demon woman's smile. "What did you do to him?!"

Kagome's tight fists slowly loosened as she followed the noble's pointed gaze to the white dog demon snarling beside them. Her mouth grew even drier, and her gaze dropped to the evidence of the horrible truth: the red prayer beads tight around his left front paw.

"I did only what I promised," Sakura said, her wicked words sounding sickeningly innocent, as if the hanyou's state were no cause for concern.

But it was a cause for concern! Now half the size of his brother's demon form, the hanyou she secretly loved was angrily growling at her. The world became cold and distant as Kagome quietly wondered how life could be so screwed up.

The pearl-white beast hunched further to the ground, his snout twitching with his snarl. Even with his aggression, the miko could not resist the thought of the hanyou, still alive behind those angry red eyes. Powerless to stop herself, the time traveler stepped forward, staring straight into the eyes of the giant beast.

The miko never saw the noble's smile falter.

Kagome froze as his ear flicked backwards and his paw shifted forward. With heart hammering, the girl waited for the beast to go still again. 'Inuyasha?'

The giant snapped at the air, drool slithering down from his massive jaws and onto the grass. Suddenly, she wasn't sure where Inuyasha had gone. The rosary was there, along with his triangular ears, but his heart appeared to have vanished.

Was it even him anymore?

Had Sakura somehow repressed him inside the demon body?

"Inuyasha," she whispered, fingers fearfully reaching towards his black nose. If he was there, he would know her. He had to... for both their sakes.

'Please, Inuyasha.'

Sakura was white as a sheet by this point, watching as the girl got dangerously close to her new servant.

A smile slowly came to the miko's face as the beast's growling grew quiet. It was him. It felt like him.

He was still hunched forward, ears drawn back, but she felt strangely unafraid. She even dared to push her hand past his snout and reach for his ear.

For a moment, it was as if the world turned in her palm, and all life seemed to still. The village refused to breath, and Sakura couldn't will herself to stop the girl's hand from reaching him.

Eyes of fire became soft water, and sound became a passing dream. There was only the silence of the thick air, as her fingertips grazed the tiniest of pearl hairs. In that short breath, however, their perfect world exploded, and her hand flung backwards.

Panting loudly, Kagome clutched her now-bare arm possessively to her chest. A smile had returned to the noble's face once she had witnessed the dog demon's fangs snapping down on the miko's robes. The white sleeve was clamped in his fangs, the shreds dangling lifelessly towards the ground. It was even harder for Kagome to look at the sleeve of her pink pajama shirt peeking out from behind the white robe.

She looked down at her arm, assessing the gash she`d received. She was lucky she had seen his intent and jerked back in time, or else her entire arm would have been in his powerful jaws, and she would have more to worry about than a shallow bite mark.

The beast appeared to be less than concerned that his prey had escaped him. He was too busy ripping apart his stringy prize. Growling and barking, he stamped his paw onto the fabric and reared his head back. Kagome watched in distress as the cloth ripped in two.

Sakura grinned happily at the sudden turn of events. "See. It is him."

"That's not Inuyasha!" Kagome whirled around angrily. "What did you do to him?!"

"It is him," the woman drawled. "I helped him in what way I could."

She cocked her head to the side, and mocked a confused look. “But for some reason, he can't transform back to the way he was before."

The miko's hands slowly curled at her sides. "You knew this would happen."

Sakura's face twitched with half-restrained laughter. Kagome stomped a few steps forward.

"You knew!" she whispered, her rage overpowering her.

"Of course," the noble sneered, her lips barely rising into a smile. "You think I would help my dead mate's bastard son be free? By law, his blood is mine."

Kagome's eyebrow rose. "What law? I've never heard of demons breaking a law."

The white mistress glared at the girl. "That's because it is not a law written in some book, mindless child, but it is still well-known."

Her riddle brought an instant frown to the young miko. "I don't understand what you're talking about."

The next words the demon spoke tore right through the girl's frail heart. "How would a human understand a demon?"

She could see his face from that night clearly. His eyes had been brilliant gold, his face pulled down in anger. "And I'm a demon!"

Was it always going to come back to this? The wedge between them just grew stronger, no matter how hard they tried to pull it out.

Demon...

Curse it. Curse it for all the heartache it gave them.

Kagome lifted her face, pushing back the tears as she saw the woman scrutinizing her. The slight grin was beginning to grow on the demon's elegant, pale face. Pulling up her chin, Kagome leveled a heated glare at her. 'I'm not going to let you push me around.'

"Hurry up and do whatever it is you came for!" the miko yelled loudly.

With the white beast growling beside her, the dark mistress stood, taken off-balance by the girl's fast recovery.

Sakura quietly brought her sharp claws to the dog's ear, earning a content growl from the demon. Kagome's heart squeezed at the sight of the intimate touch being stolen from her.

"Stay out of the fight," Sakura commanded coldly, her brow pinched. "If you come into this war between demons and humans, then I'll make certain that you will have to fight Inuyasha."

Crap.

Kagome's eyes darted to the white beast. She desperately wanted to go to him again, even with her arm still stinging, a reminder of what would happen if she tried.

It was unfair.

The time traveler suddenly wanted to lash out at the woman's little smirk of triumph. She and Inuyasha had been played with.

'I'm smarter than this. I should have stopped him from going to her.'

Her anger slowly grew cold, sinking painfully into the very bottom of her stomach. 'It's my fault he's in this mess. I should have convinced him to stay.'

The guilt bulged, overpowering her surroundings with blackness. 'My fault...'

The gnawing feeling was teasing her, tempting her to dark waters. If her thoughts continued to fall deeper into doubt, she would surely drown, but her thoughts raced faster than she could keep up with. The inner voice whined and scratched in her mind, too loud to ignore. She could deny nothing it said.

It was her fault.

Always was, no matter what Kohaku said. The truth was clearer than ever.

It was her fault.

Her brown eyes snapped onto the noble, fire scorching her nerves. On reflex, Sakura's hand reached for her hidden dagger. She had been taken by surprise by how the tables had turned so fast, and against her favor, so suddenly. Only seconds ago, the human girl had been distant and cold, but just when Sakura believed she had cornered her prey right into position, unmeasured heat sprang from the child, slamming into the demon's face like prickling acid.

Her claws stopped on her bosom, inches from the fold of her kimono, where her protection hid. The hot air became thicker, suffocating her skin. 'This is your power? Is this it?'

The silent girl glared back at her as a private wind threw her ebony mane into a tangling whirl.

'I'm not going to just let you destroy him.'

"Turn him back to the way he was!" Kagome shouted, her voice sounding slightly detached in her ears. "You did this, so you can reverse it."

Sakura's empty hand gradually fell down to her side when she realized the human was just trying to frighten her. The noble's grin returned to her angelic face, and she executed an exaggerated bow that darkened the miko's face. Looking up through her lashes as she rose, the demon woman eyed the human hungrily. "Now you must understand, little girl, that this spell is permanent. I cannot undo something so ancient, no matter how powerful I am."

The human didn't appear to believe her. "He will not go with you, then. He will stay here in the village."

The demon laughed outright at the command, her shoulders shaking with bubbling mirth. Slowly, the whirlwind that had surrounded Kagome began to die down. Kagome shifted onto her other foot, waiting for the woman to catch her breath.

"You would let him loose in your village, after what he just did to you?" she sneered. At the same time, the house-sized dog snapped at the air and clawed up the earth. The wild violence only proved Sakura`s point. His red eyes fixed on the human girl, and, with his fur standing upright, he barked several times.

Kagome barely glanced at the hanyou, angrily throwing down her fists. "I won't let you take him."

"Well, I don't obey you, little girl," the woman laughed. "Remember, I didn't come here at your request. I came to tell you to stay out of my way. I made a deal with this hanyou, and my part has been paid in full. Now he must do as I tell him, and fight in my name."

"You're controlling him!" Kagome shouted frantically, realizing she was losing to the demon woman. "He wouldn't act this way. You... possessed him somehow!"

Sakura chuckled quietly, happy with the human's distress. "I tell you, girl, that his actions are his own. I command, but he willfully follows."

Even when she fully believed otherwise, Kagome couldn't stop a sliver of doubt from invading her mind. His eyes had been dead the last time they had spoken. He could have lost to the spell. It was highly possible, considering the state he'd been in when he had left.

The cold truth gripped her as she looked to her friend and love: she couldn't stop Sakura from taking him.

Taking the girl's silence as surrender, the noble haughtily walked to her steed.

“You may be a miko, little girl, one of great power, but my army is a great force as well. A fight against me will be a lot different than the one you had with Naraku.”

Kagome glared at the woman, wanting so desperately to wipe the smirk off her face. All she needed was one good punch to get all the frustration out.

Sakura winked playfully at the girl, feeling a little giddy from her success of the day. She had been able to herd the human directly out of her path, and with barely a show from either of them. If this human woman had been able to kill Naraku single-handedly, Sakura believed the miko was hiding her true strength. It was energizing to know that she would never have to witness such wicked danger.

Tangling her claws into the hanyou's white coat, Sakura squeezed her knees into the dog's belly, urging him forward. With a final smirk, the noble turned her beast back towards the dark shadows of the forest. “I do believe we shall not meet again.”

Kagome didn't answer, instead turning her back to the noble and walking back to her awaiting village. A residual feeling of uneasiness gnawed at Sakura's belly, causing her gold eyes to narrow on the human's back. Suddenly, her success over the girl did not appear so wonderful. She now wished she had seen the miko's full potential, so she could measure their power difference. Attacking the girl might have even been suicidal on her part.

Snorting, the noble faced the forest once more, ready to push on, but a familiar scent caught her attention. She whirled in her seat, not bothering to stop the hanyou. She instantly determined the source of the scent to be a human child of just twelve years. The child was running out of the crowd and heading towards the miko.

The demon woman's eyes grew wide, shocked by the faint truth she could smell in the air. Her fangs snuck out from behind her rosy lips as she slowly turned to face forward. `I shall kill him.'

With an angry kick to the hanyou's ribs, the two escaped into the forest. Kagome waited until the noble was long out of sight before daring to move from her spot. She almost wanted her to come back and attack her. `Give me a reason to fight you.'

Waving her hand, she parted the barrier, and stepped back into its safety. She needed to figure out a loophole in all of this. There was something she was overlooking. There had to be.

“Kagome!” a shrill cry interrupted. “Kagome, you must hurry!”

The miko, who had been intending to regroup with her friends, immediately turned to respond to the plea. “Yes?”

Kagome was surprised to find the frightened cry had come from none other than Rin, a girl who rarely expressed any fear whatsoever. The small girl was sobbing uncontrollably, clutching her kimono with trembling white hands. The crowd fell back instantly for the child, some exclaiming at the girl's state. She looked as if she had seen a ghost.

Kagome flew to her, kneeling at the girl's bare feet. “Rin, what's wrong?”

“Wolves!” she sobbed, throwing her arms frantically around the miko. “There are hundreds!”

Everyone began shouting at once, exclaiming that the end was near for them, and that the demons had returned to kill them all. Kagome ignored them, allowing Miroku and Sango to calm them as she rubbed Rin's back soothingly. “Where, Rin? Where are the wolves?”

The girl shuddered in her arms, wrapping her small legs around Kagome's waist as the miko rose to her feet.

“Over by the hut,” she whispered, her fingers digging painfully into the back of the woman's neck. “Over by the hut.”

Kagome hugged the girl close, looking towards the hut. Carefully, she stretched out her mind to the eastern border, just beyond the house. There was a distinct tension in that direction, tightening into a painful knot.

Kagome nodded to Sango and Miroku, signaling them to follow as she began running towards the hut. Though eager to help his friends, Kohaku stayed behind to keep the crowd from another panic attack.

She wasn't sure what to think as she raced up the hillside. Even though Kouga passed through her mind, she couldn't believe it was the wolf demon that had been forever obsessed with her. His pack had never had such a high number of wolves, and certainly wouldn't have so now, not after the fight with Naraku only weeks ago.

“Sango!” she cried as the slayer passed her. “Do you think Sakura planned this?”

“I don't know,” the woman exclaimed as she made it to the top. “I don't see why she would pull this when she could have just killed you moments ago.”

“Maybe because she felt like doing it this way,” Miroku grumbled from behind them. No one denied that a demon could be so over-confident as to purposely allow their prey to get away, before chasing them back down and killing them.

Rounding the hut ahead of everyone, Sango was the first to witness the army waiting outside the barrier. She stopped instantly, shocked by the number of demons there. Rin wasn't exaggerating when she had said there were hundreds; she might have even underestimated.

Kagome and Miroku froze alongside her, both of them sucking in a gasp, and Rin began to squeal louder with fright.

“Oh, my God,” Kagome whispered.

The demons quickly stood from their seats under the trees, shaking the dirt off their coats. Most of the wolves were halflings, bearing armor and spears, while a small portion of their pack was composed of lesser demons that appeared to be full-blooded wild dogs. Scarred from old fights, and with dark eyes made sharp from experience, the army was an angry mob, waiting for the signal to strike.

Unable to see familiar faces in the crowd, Kagome quickly dismissed the idea of Kouga, and decided these demons were here on less-than-friendly terms.

Kagome slowly unwrapped Rin's arms from around her neck, whispering comforting words to her as she was handed over to Sango. The large army began to part like a curtain after she turned around, snarling and biting as they bumped into each other. Though the barrier protected her, their angry barks made Kagome even more nervous as she stepped forward.

As one would expect, a figure marched towards her, making a dramatic and regal entrance through the division. He was tall, with a great swell of fur falling down off his shoulders in a short cape. His armor was complex, with several panels shifting out over his chest and back when he moved his limbs, but it only covered his torso, in the style of all wolf-demons. Armor on the arms and legs of a wolf demon showed weak courage. Only a rogue wolf-demon would wear too much protection on his body, but any less armor than chest and back plates was a sign of a stupid wolf. Wolves were a proud warrior race, but even they knew how fragile their bodies were.

This demon lord bore the armor well, his broad shoulders and muscular arms pulled back to emphasize the metal's glinting beauty, and a handful of scars marring the visible flesh of his body. A slash crossing from his foggy left eye down to his cheek was proof enough of the countless battles he had survived. At a glance, the miko could see the demon was skilled and confident.

Kagome quickly took a spot in front of her family once the demon reached the barrier. His one gray eye studied them, darting between her and Sango.

“Which of you is Kagome?” the demon barked.

If the miko had intended to hide her identity from the powerful being, Sango's glance towards her had already exposed her.

His eye narrowed. “You?”

Kagome scowled. “What's wrong?”

He snorted, not fazed by her anger. “Kagome was the one who killed Naraku.”

As if they didn't know that. Kagome's shoulders dropped heavily as she sighed. “That's me.”

“But you're a child,” he grunted, hands curling into fists. He looked her up and down, his nose wrinkling at her fine scent. “How could a child kill Naraku?”

Kagome was beginning to think killing Naraku was not as hard as everyone thought it had been.

“What do you want?” she grumbled wearily.

“It's not me who wants something from you,” he growled, turning his back to her.

She grinned at the new approaching figure. “I had hoped it would be you, Kouga.”

The familiar wolf leader grinned wickedly. “I'm touched that you missed me, Kagome. You know my offer is still on the table.”

She rolled her eyes at him in exasperation. “And you know I still won't take it.”

Smirking, he shrugged. “Can't help it. You would make a fine mate.”

“Enough of the sweet talk,” Miroku interrupted. “What's the deal, Kouga? Why are you here, and who are these wolves?”

The demon glared at the man from the other side of the barrier. “I don't think you were involved in the conversation, monk.”

“Now, boys, this is not the time” Sango scolded, struggling to keep the sobbing Rin from flying out of her arms. “There's been enough of this for one day.”

Kouga's eyebrow rose as he quickly snapped his attention back to Kagome. “What's happened? Does it have something to do with the priestess outfit you're wearing, Kagome?”

“A lot's happened,” Kagome interjected quickly, before Miroku or Sango could answer. She really didn't want to go through the trouble of explaining what had transpired during the last week.

Opening a way through the barrier for him, Kagome politely requested, “Why don't you first tell us what's going on with you and these wolves?”

Naturally, the wolf leader did what she suggested and answered her.

“The Four are calling all demons to arms,” he began quietly, his eyes shifting towards the ground. “At first it was only a few messengers skimming the borders for followers. Now whole regimes have surrounded packs and singled out individual demons, almost demanding us to give ourselves to their army.”

Sango clutched the squealing child closer to her chest. “They're scared. They don't think they can win.”

Her words immediately sent a shiver through the group. If a small army of humans frightened the four strongest demons, it meant a lot of power was sitting out in their fields. When she had stood in Rashu's presence, Kagome had known she was dealing with a strong being, but if Rashu could actually rile up the entire community of demons, then that man was more than she had believed him to be.

Maybe he was destined to purge the world of demons.

“It doesn't matter if they`re scared,” Kouga grumbled. “All that matters is that they're calling out favors and making threats just to get us to fight the humans.”

Miroku crossed his arms thoughtfully as he looked over at the wolves pacing outside the barrier. He carefully watched how they kept their distance from the shield's entrance, keeping their eyes fixed on it, as if it were about to explode. Every so often they would taste the air and search the shadows, their muscles twitching in anticipation of some unseen being.

Turning back to the conversation, the monk asked, “Why not just do as the Blood Four ask and fight the humans? Aren't they a threat to demons? Isn't it better to fight together, using every able demon to outweigh the competition? If you don't stop Rashu here, then he'll come after each of you in time, and then you won't have the help of the Blood Four.”

Kouga snorted angrily. “Yeah, like it would help to go along with those stupid idiots. Last time an army of demons went against the humans, not a single body was found.”

“Many years ago, there were other humans like Rashu, so powerful that the Four were in fear for their lives. It wasn't long before the Four decided to attack and kill the humans, afraid their power would grow stronger with time. What was left of their followers was combined into a huge army, and when the humans were preoccupied, the army attacked. Though the humans were killed, the demons were as well.”

“Only one human stopped the strongest army known, and did it in the blink of an eye,” Kouga ground out viciously, his fur standing on end. “They're going to do the same thing they did about sixty years ago! This is a stupid repeat of history!”

Kagome's eyes grew wide as the words repeated in her head. Miroku and Sango became instantly tense beside her. Kouga's face twisted questioningly. “What?”

Kagome glanced at Sango, wondering if the slayer was thinking the same thing. The huntress stared back, her eyes shining with fear. Facing the wolf demon again, Sango slowly asked what was on her mind. “Who was the human, Kouga? What was her name?”

The wolf scowled, surprised the slayer had known the human from the story had been female. He checked Kagome's face again, noticing that she was leaning forward, anxiously anticipating his answer.

“Midoriko,” he answered curtly, carefully watching the trio's faces as they paled. He could easily see the recognition in their expression as they turned to one another. Snapping both his arms across his chest, the wolf demon glared at them. “What am I missing?”

“It couldn't just be a coincidence,” Miroku stated quietly, ignoring the wolf. “We know that from dealings with Kagome and Kikyo.”

“But how does it fit?” Sango whispered, not really wanting Kouga to catch wind about Kagome's true origins. Only their small circle knew about Kagome's connection to the future, and even though the well was sealed, it was not wise to talk about time travel freely.

“I can understand Kikyo's reincarnation,” Sango muttered. “But another war between the same demons against another human? It's not exactly the same thing.”

She was right, and they might have all just stepped back and smiled at the crazy idea if it hadn't been for the ice cube still lodged in their stomachs.

Kagome nodded slightly to the slayer. “Yeah, if the demons had died and been reincarnated it would make sense, but it's the same bad guys going against a totally different person.” She paused. “Even with that said, I can't help but feel this mess has some connection to Midoriko.”

“Maybe there is a connection,” a new voice squeaked excitedly.

Kagome quickly looked over her shoulder to Kouga, thinking perhaps he had been the one to speak. The wolf quickly shook his head at her, puzzling the time traveler.

Only when she heard a yelp of pain and a familiar slap did Kagome realize whom the voice belonged to. The time traveler hurried to lean over Miroku's outstretched hand, and stared down in surprise to see a flattened, round object.

When the gray form twitched with a groan, Kagome reached out and took the flea into her own hand. “Myouga?”