By: ThE rAvEn

"Stop!" Miroku yelled. Everyone stopped and looked at him. His forehead was drenched in sweat and his limbs were starting to shake. Everyone, except the two in the back came running over to him.

"Miroku! What's wrong!" Shippou yelled.

Miroku stood there, frozen. "I dare not go any further...there is a dark presence here.... "

"That never stopped you before...what's wrong!" Inuyasha said.

"You don't understand...we must turn back, NOW!"

Kagome was getting scared just listening to Miroku, and she involuntarily backed up into Inuyasha. He didn't seem to notice, nor care that she was practically smashed into him.

"He's right." Sesshoumaru said from behind. "I don't like what I'm feeling from this place."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow and looked over at Sango who was looking off into the horizon. She then looked back at the group with sorrowful eyes and said, "There's a village down there."

"Miroku...do you think we could go to that village?"

Miroku's eyes seemed to automatically go to Kagome's, "No." He snapped. "We must leave this place before they come." He whispered.

"Alright...but..." Kagome started.

"Kagome!" Kagome turned around, hearing her name being called by someone very dear. She turned around and looked down at the village. Her eyes widened and all the color drained from her face, "Fa-ther...?"

"What?" Inuyasha said. "What do you see?" He asked curiously.

Kagome stood there as Inuyasha was trying to see what she was looking at. But no matter how hard he tried, Inuyasha couldn't see what she was staring at.

"Hey! Kagome!" Inuyasha shook her shoulders and she shook her head, looking up at him.

"Did you see that?"

"See what?"

"Father...you saw him, didn't you?" She urgently asked.

"Father?" Inuyasha was confused, then he remembered, "But he's dead...what?!"

"He was just down there-"

"They know we're here." Miroku said.

"They?" Kotote asked.

Miroku turned back to her, "Yes...they."

Kagome was starting to get rather scared, "I want to go." Inuyasha looked down at her. He agreed, he was starting to feel what Miroku and Sesshoumaru were feeling. It was a sickening feeling...imagine ice cold spiders crawling under your skin and multiply that by a fifty and you could barely imagine what they were feeling.

Inuyasha grabbed Kagome's hand and started to walk back the way that they had just come. Everyone quickly followed them, ready to sprint if needed.

Kagome hugged her knees when she sat close to the campfire, with the presence of all of her friends around her. Kotote handed her a cup of hot tea and Kagome took it rather slowly. She forced a smile and Kotote gave her a brilliant white smile and twinkling blue eyes in return. Kotote then returned to sitting down next to Sesshoumaru.

Kagome didn't have many memories of her dad...after all he died when she was seven. But whatever memories of him that she did have, were all blurry and mixed up. Some of them had Sota in them...he was only two and he even said himself that if he passed his dad on the street, he wouldn't know it and keep on walking. She bit her lip and looked across the fire.

Miroku was meditating on a rock, Sango was busy playing with Kirara, Shippou was dancing around with Rin chanting "Duh-duh-duh-duh!" Around Jaken. Sesshoumaru was silent as the dead, and Kotote looked like she was in another world (her usual look). And last but not least, Inuyasha was sitting right behind Kagome, keeping a very close watch on her.

Kotote turned to Sesshoumaru, "What do you figure is in that village?"

Sesshoumaru didn't answer for awhile and Kotote wasn't sure whether he had heard her or not. Then he spoke but one word, "Ghosts."

"Ghosts?! Come on Sesshoumaru, you don't believe in ghosts now do you?" Kotote said, with a hint of nervousness. Sesshoumaru turned his head to Kotote and stared at her expressionless. "Ghosts..." He continued, "Shape shifters...an assortment of the supernatural, no doubt."

"How could they be ghosts? Kagome had said it was her father that she saw...but she was the only one who saw him. And then there is that factor that she isn't from this time."

Sesshoumaru put his elbow on his knee and thought for a moment. "Perhaps...it was a demon."

"A demon...but how many demons can become invisible to all but one person?"

"I'll get back to you on that....but for now, we need to make sure that whatever is down in that village...stays down there." He got up and faced the direction of the village.

Kotote narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, "And how do you expect we do that?"

Sesshoumaru turned back to her with a slight smirk, "Why...we go down there of course."

Kotote stared at Sesshoumaru, face bearing no expression or feeling. Then she unfolded her arms and got up, "What's this we stuff?"

"Tell me again...why I am here with you?" Kotote asked, practically clinging to Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru walked slowly into the village, aware that the sprits around him were restless. "I need your help. You're the only one who can read peoples minds...maybe you can read the ghosts too."

"But why would I want to do that!" She whined. "They're dead! I don't wanna read a dead dudes mind! Who knows what ugly things hide in their minds! SO, I will ask again! WHY WOULD I WANT TO READ A DEAD DUDES MIND?!"

"Then maybe you can find out why they are still among the living and we can find out .0-how to sent their souls to peace. We are totally out of harms way as long as we don't look aggressive or do anything threatening."

"His masters words are such a comfort..."

Sesshoumaru looked down at her and she seemed to completely ignore him. At that very moment Kotote them squeezed his arm...tighter.

"Woman! Would you stop that! I only have one arm! Don't make me look anymore handy capped than I already am!"

Kotote barley loosened her grip, "I want to go home!"

"You don't have a home." He said monotone.

"Don't remind me!" Just then a cold gust of wind came from the east and both of them looked in that direction. Sesshoumaru smiled.

"Once there was a dog named..." Then he started to head towards the huge castle that the wind had just come from.

"Bingo? Er-was it Sesshoumaru? Wait!" Kotote was strong enough to pull him back by his arm. "We're not going in there? Are we?"

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow and titled his head, "Why wouldn't we?"

"Well I-"

"Come on." Sesshoumaru then jolted his arm back and Kotote reluctantly followed.

Once the two got all the way to the castle, Sesshoumaru studied the door with the utmost concentration. He put his hand up against the door, barley pressed on it and it opened automatically. Kotote's eyes widened and Sesshoumaru just stood there with a slight smirk.

"Oh...look...the door opened by itself, Kotote."

"NO IT DIDN'T! You pushed it!"

"No, I didn't...let's go." Sesshoumaru took one step under the doors, then looked back to see Kotote's eyes glowing neon blue. He instantly got nervous when he looked at her.

"Yes you did." She sheathed. A special warm wind started to blow from her and Sesshoumaru's eyebrows were knotted in confusion and nervousness.

"Okay...so I did.... Now can we go inside?"

"No." She simply said, her eyes going back to their normal...odd blue.

"Uh-huh. Stop fooling around and lets go!" Sesshoumaru picked Kotote up by the waist and ignored her violent kicks and screams as he slung her over his shoulder. Sesshoumaru sighed as he walked with her, regretting that he ever said yes to coming with her to see Inuyasha.

Once Sesshoumaru was well into the house he set Kotote down right in front of him. She looked at him for a long time, then, without warning she raised her foot and brought it right down on his foot.

She looked it his face, unsatisfied that it did not show any signs of that hurting. Sesshoumaru cocked an eyebrow. "Oh...was I supposed to say ouch? Ouch."

Kotote growled, "Damn you!"

Sesshoumaru shrugged, "Nothing new." Kotote gapped at him and when he started to walk away she screamed,

"You aren't going to leave me here alone!? Are you?"

Sesshoumaru turned around, "You can stay there if you want...but-I wouldn't recommend it." Kotote narrowed her eyes and quickly followed behind Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru was walking in front of Kotote sense he could partly see in the dark, and he wasn't as afraid as she was. His head swung to the side as he came to a strange looking door. Kotote stopped.

"What is it?"

"That door..."

"What about 'the door'?" She said, mockingly.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at her, then looked back at the door. He opened it and said,

"Ladies first."

"HA! You go first! I'm not going in!"

"But I insist..."

"Well...I insist that you stop insisting that I go in first!"

Sesshoumaru yawned, "Come on! I'm trying to be a gentleman here!"

"Have you ever spelled the word gentleman? You're neither."

"Just go!"

"NO!"

"Fine...." Sesshoumaru walked in first, and was the first one to see what was inside of the room. He stopped as soon as he got five feet within the door way.

"What's wrong, Sesshoumaru? Scared?"

Sesshoumaru didn't say anything and Kotote came in, curious to see what he was looking at.

Kotote's eyes widened and she involuntarily covered her hand over her mouth, ready to regurgitate. The hairs on both their necks stood on end as they looked at the horrifying scene in front of them.

In front of them were two skinless bodies...hanging from the ceiling. There was a soaking blood puddle on the floor and the flies were having a field day. Kotote ran out of the room and threw up out side, right by the door. Sesshoumaru soon walked out of the room, close behind Kotote.

Sesshoumaru looked down at the mess that Kotote had made and he scrunched up his nose, "Disgusting..."

Kotote's face was porcelain white when she looked up at Sesshoumaru, her eyebrows arched down in furry. "I'm going home."

"Do you know how to get out of here?"

"No...but you do know that you are going to show me...do you not?" Kotote's eyes burned neon blue and Sesshoumaru knew what she was trying to do.

"It won't work, Kotote."

"It must."

"But it won't." Sesshoumaru shut his eyes, avoiding the "hypnotism" rays coming from her eyes.

"Argh! Look at me damnit!" Kotote shouted. Then she looked away, hearing the strange noise of water.

Sesshoumaru looked to another door that was not there before. He looked at it lopsidedly, he then grabbed the collar of Kotote's yukata and dragged her to the door, careful to shut the other door behind him.

Sesshoumaru kicked open the door and was bombarded with the strangest sight possible.

"What the-" Kotote suddenly asked. She wiggled her way out of Sesshoumaru's grasp and was now standing slightly ahead of him.

"Indeed..." Said Sesshoumaru. Kotote tried to make her body so that it was upside down to see an upside down waterfall.

The waterfall was coming from the floor and was making ripples in the wood as if it were water. They tried to see where it was going, but that proved useless sense there was a thick fog around the top of the ceiling.

Kotote smiled to herself, "Perfect."

"Huh? Arg-"Just when Kotote had said perfect she levitated some water from the waterfall and splashed it right on top of his head. He slowly opened his eyes to see Kotote laughing right in front of his face. "You think that this is funny? Do you?"

Kotote couldn't respond, she was laughing to hard. All she could do was nod her head. Sesshoumaru was now pissed, so he took what water he had in his hair and wrung it out on top of Kotote.

"Ahhh! COLD!" Screamed Kotote.

"Come on..." Sesshoumaru then grabbed Kotote's yukata again and started to drag her to the next door...that appeared out of no where.

"I can walk you know." Said Kotote.

"Yes, but you keep walking the wrong way."

"Yeah! Away from the scariness!"

Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes and focused on the door ahead of them.

"I want to go home!" She yelled at the top of her lungs.

Sesshoumaru cringed, "Woman!!!! I told you that you don't have a fucking home!"

Kotote looked up at him with big, puppy dog eyes, "Do you have a home."

"Yes."

"Can I stay with-"

"No."

"Damn you!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes flattened, "What would you do if you did stay with me?"

Kotote thought for a second, "Well...lets see...hmm...I don't know."

"Exactly...so...lets never find out, shall we?"

"We shall!"

"Not."

"Fuck you!"

"No thanks."

Kotote had a disgusted look on her face, "Ewww...I didn't mean it like that you ass fuck." Sesshoumaru slowly looked down at her and she cringed again, "Gross! Don't have mental images of things anymore!"

"I never asked you to read my mind."

Kotote was silent and she crossed her arms just as Sesshoumaru dragged her to the door, which, was open. He stepped though and threw Kotote in slightly ahead of him.

"Sesshoumaru...there's something on the wall...it's..."

"Blood." Sesshoumaru whispered.

Kotote's eyes widened and she got so close to the wall that she was about a centimeter from it. "The wall...it's bleeding." Kotote took her finger and scoped up some blood from the wall. Sesshoumaru looked at the little bit that was on her finger, then back at the wall.

Kotote knew that he was planning something. Then he said something that no one would expect of him, "What did you do? Have a leak?"

Kotote's eyes grew to the size of gulf balls, then the quickly changed to a deadly red mixed with blue color. Sesshoumaru looked at her, she had her head sunk down into her shoulders and was giving him one of the most menacing glares he had ever seen her give. Then Kotote stuck out her hand and pushed him into the bleeding wall.

"Argh!" Sesshoumaru backed away from the wall after being pushed into it. He looked down at his now blood soaked clothes, "Damn you woman!"

Kotote smiled mockingly, "Aww...what did you do Sesshoumaru? Have a fucking leak?! I come all the way to this God for Saken village to help you...and what do I get in return?! Insulted! Criticized! And mocked!"

Sesshoumaru looked down at his clothes again, then back at her, "You do know that you are cleaning this."

"Na-uh!"

"Ya-huh."

"There is no fucking way that I am cleaning wall blood off of you!"

"Alright...then clean it off yourself!" Sesshoumaru put his hand in the blood soaked wall and walked over to Kotote.

"You wouldn't dare."

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow, then smeared the blood across Kotote's chest. She jumped back, but obviously not in time. She looked down at her chest with wide eyes, "Okay! That's it! Prepare to die Sesshou-" Kotote was in mid jump when she heard her voice from behind her.

"Kotote...come back." She turned around, and there she was. By the blood soaked window. Kotote was looking at herself...like a reflection...only this reflection was the evil part of her.

"What is it, Kotote? Do you see some one?"

Kotote backed up, horror written all over her face as the other her started to walk towards her.

"Kotote?" Sesshoumaru was very concerned for her. Kotote was walking backwards, and in doing so she stumbled into Sesshoumaru. He looked down at her, and when she looked up at him she was shivering.

"Run." She hissed. Sesshoumaru hesitated...he had never run from anything in his life...and he wasn't about to start until Kotote knew that he wasn't going to budge.

She quickly levitated him off the ground and ran with him flying steadily next to her. Sesshoumaru was confused...what was she running from?

Kotote looked back and saw the other her running equally, if not faster than they were. Kotote could feel tears start to come to her eyes and she started to scream.

Sesshoumaru looked behind him...there was nothing there...just a few old paintings that were sitting on the floor and the occasional broken chandelier here and there.

Kotote took a sharp turn to the right and Sesshoumaru almost smacked into the wall if it wasn't for him pushing off of it with his legs. Then she made another sharp turn, but into what Sesshoumaru thought to be a ball room. Kotote slammed the door behind her, and at the same moment the door was slammed Sesshoumaru fell to the floor.

Sesshoumaru quickly got up, making sure that she didn't see him on the floor. Kotote was breathing heavily and Sesshoumaru was still very confused.

He walked over to Kotote who was still at the door. He put his hand on her shoulder and she quickly spun around, still breathing rapidly. He pulled his hand back, seeing the expression on her face.

The expression was as cold and afraid as ever. Her normal neon blue eyes were dilated to almost nothing, and her lips were parted slightly and white. Sesshoumaru could see cold sweat running down the sides of her cheek.

"What did you see?" He asked harshly.

Kotote opened her mouth to say something, she did that over and over, but nothing came out. Then finally she got something out, "I'm scared of her." She slid down the door, onto the floor crying softly.

Sesshoumaru looked at his friend in pity. He wasn't going to ask her what she had seen, or at least not now.

He looked away from her and looked around, there were five giant maroon curtains, no doubt covering windows. The ceiling was carved with gold with once huge vine that was wrapping around the whole room, with littler veins descending from it. There was a crystal chandelier in the middle of the room, now covered in cobwebs. Then he saw a small red draidel in the corner of the room. Sesshoumaru made a move to it, but Kotote stopped him by reaching out for his gi sleeve and pulling on it.

He looked down at her and her eyes were glazed over with a blue mist. "They're coming...now."

Sesshoumaru got shivers down his back, then the whole room started to shake. He almost fell again, but caught his balance just in time to see Kotote get up and flick her right hand to the right, making the maroon curtains slide back, revealing what little night time that they had left.

He looked at the moon with shaking eyes, then his eyes traveled back to the draidel. It was spinning! "Kotote! What's going on?!"

Her eyes were still glazed over, but then the whole room suddenly stopped shaking.

"They're here." She whispered.

He frowned, then looked back and the draidel that was spinning so fast all you could see was a blur of red. He looked back at Kotote, expecting only one of her.

"Shit! What are you doing here?!" He yelled at the evil Kotote standing next to the real one. Kotote's glazed over look suddenly became normal again. She looked over at Sesshoumaru, wondering what he was staring at. Then she looked up as well.

"YOU!" She shrieked. She ran over to Sesshoumaru who was not taking his eyes off of the evil Kotote.

"Yes me...but I'm not here for you bitch." Evil Kotote looked up to Sesshoumaru, and the moment that they made eye contact, all the demons and humans that he regainized from killing were right behind her.

Sesshoumaru took a step forward, "If it is a fight you are looking for-"

Evil Kotote stopped him, "No. We do not want a fight, we want your life." Just then, before the Kotote could say anything, all the ghosts there huddled around Sesshoumaru knocked Kotote to the other side of the room.

Someone had kicked Kotote in the stomach and got the wind knocked out of her, her vision was starting to go blurry and she saw the evil Kotote lift Sesshoumaru up by the neck. Kotote tried to yell at her, but nothing got past her throat.

Sesshoumaru looked down into her eyes, "What do you want from me?" He whispered, showing no signs that she was hurting him.

She frowned, "Your life.... Come on, beg for your life. I might just kill you quicker."

He smirked, "You cant kill me..."

"Oh? We shall see."

Kotote wheezed, the air filling her lungs again. She got up and with all her remaining will power and shoved the evil Kotote into the wall with her mind, making her pearce a piece of wood sticking out.

The evil Kotote looked down at the wood that just went right threw her, right where her heart was supposed to be. Then looked over at the two of them, "I will be back." And just like that everything, the ghosts, the castle, the village was gone and Kotote and Sesshoumaru were standing in the middle of a deserted plain.

Kotote rubbed her shoulder as they walked back to camp, the sun rising behind them. "You so owe me for this...."

"Really?" He said.

"But you know," Kotote put a finger to her chin, "what would make this whole incident go away?"

"Therapy."

"No, silly! I can come live with you!"

He looked down at her and blinked, "There is no way on God's green earth that you are going to do that."

"Awh...come on! It will be fun!"

"Doesn't one need to be invited to come live with another?"

"Well invite me already!"

"No."

"Come on you ass fuck!" Kotote got a mental image from him again. "STOP IT!!! STOP THINKING THAT! WHERE DO YOU GET THESE SICK THOUGTHS FROM ANY WHO?!"

"You're the one who said it."

"Damn you! Go to hell!"

"Ladies first."

"Argh! Don't start with me young man!"

"Young?" He said, almost...playfully.

"Leave me alone!" Kotote buried herself in her sleeve.

Sesshoumaru looked down at his feet, thinking about what had happened just barely an hour ago. Kotote had seemed to forget about it, washing it away as if it were dirt. He wished that he could do the same...but no matter what, the look that she gave him when she said that she was going to kill him would probably haunt his dreams forever. But he decided it was for the best if he didn't think about it for now.

"Whattcha thinkin' 'bout?" Kotote asked.

He looked at her, "Why don't you just read my mind and find out?"

Kotote shrugged, "To much work...I feel lazy. Will you give me a piggy back ride back to camp?"

"Hell no."

"But why not?" She asked in a small, peevish voice.

"I said no, leave it at that will you?"

"Fine...asswipe."

"What did you say?!"

"Nothing."

"Can I live with you yet?"

"We'll see...but for now...get off of my back!"

"Piggy! Piggy! Piggy! Come on! Giddy up horsy!"

Sesshoumaru sighed and smiled to himself. He grabbed Kotote's legs so that she wasn't able to fall and he said, "You do know that if you ever tell anyone that I gave you a ride...you will die."

Kotote smiled, "I know." Kotote hugged Sesshoumaru's neck with her arms and fell asleep there.