He smelled something, something that couldn't possibly be but it wouldn't stop him from seeking it out. Blood but more importantly, he knew that scent. His heart pounded in his chest as he raced towards it, running faster than he ever remembered doing before, a mere blur in the sea of white blurs sweeping past him. The trees parted into a large clearing where the snow had formed a white blanket across it but now a red tint marred its pristine surface. At the edge of the clearing, lay a girl slumped over with her back to him. She was bleeding all over but her main wound in her leg seeped blood around her form. Her ebony hair covered her face entirely like a shroud around her. Her clothes were in a ripped disarray, hanging off her quite literally as her wounds dyed them slowly crimson.

None of this mattered to Inuyasha though as he sprang towards the creature he had been seeking. But a low growl soon met his ears, a set of them flipping forward then back in irritation. Inuyasha checked his leap in mid-air to land to the side of this creature, crouching down on haunches, this was definitely not right at all even though his nose was telling him otherwise.

Another growl and the sound of the form shifting to face the new voice that met his ears as he heard Shippo yelling, "Kagome!" in the distance, apparently he wasn't the only one who thought so. The little kitsune stopped at the edge of the clearing with the sound of another growl, Kagome didn't growl like that. But why did he smell her? Well not quite her, the scent was off just a little.

Inuyasha was thinking the same, the scent reminded of how Kagome's had smelled to him at first, mostly like Kikyo but a little different, it had confused him back then too, his nose wasn't supposed to lie to him. The scent so teasing his nose, he wanted it so badly to be her and not the form before him, why did she have to leave him?

The creature on the other hand continued to growl louder and louder, claws digging into the earth as its tail lashed behind it. Its head raised and a reddened face came into view to yell at the intruders.

"For the last time, you can't have it!"

The group looked shocked at the outburst and her meaning was quite unclear to say the least. Miroku was first to speak, his voice low to appear friendly to the stranger.

"We mean you no harm, I think our friend just had a case of mistaken identity is all….'

'That would be the understatement of the year'

Inuyasha thought to himself as he looked her over, he had never thought he would see one again since this breed tended to keep to themselves and hidden from all others. What was a neko youkai doing here all alone and injured? Her kind didn't usually fight unless they needed to, preferring to disappear into the shadows instead. But here was this girl, all torn up and yelling nonsense. Had battling and the loss of blood also torn away her sanity?

Her stance still remained tensed as it had since the furball had pounced, she didn't believe a word, they all said that and then the fights started. She looked down at the little pouch hanging around her neck, all this for something so small seemed ridiculous but it happened all the same. No matter what their words, she wasn't letting down her guard one bit as she kept her teeth and claws and bared, ready for anything if they came close at all, especially the unclean mutt of a boy that was too close for her liking.

"I know what you want, they all want it but you can't have it unless you rip it from my corpse!"

She yelled before swiping at the dog demon with her razor sharp claws since he had inched a little closer for a better smell of her scent. He dodged a little to avoid it but not far enough, earning him four slashes on his cheek, still he didn't move any further away.

He just had to know, why did this neko smell like his Kagome? She definitely wasn't her despite how much he had wanted her to be and Kagome couldn't have been reincarnated into a new body since this creature was far too old for that. Well not, that old, she had to be around 50 he guessed in his own years but that was beside the point. Her scent just seemed to taunt him, so like Kagome's but not which caused his heart to sink again into his grief. He shook it off though when anger took its place with her words that didn't make any sense.

"What the hell are you talking about!"

He blurted out, sounding like himself for the first time since her death but he just had to know and it overrided any other thoughts he had.

Her head turned his direction, baring her teeth as she snarled and swished her tail back and forth behind her. How dare he speak to her like that, the filthy half-breed demon made her cat-like body react with loathing towards him immediately. She snarled once more then yelled towards him.

"You can't have the shard, bakemono whelp!"

His own teeth bared at the outburst, ears flattening back as his claws dug into the ground. Sango's voice broke the tension though.

"Do you mean you have a Shikon jewel shard?" She asked while her hand tensed on her oversized boomerang, ready to take the youkai when the time was right but first, questions had to be answered.

"Oh course the damn jewel shard! That's why you're here isn't it?"

"Why do you have one of those, bitch?" Came Inu's voice from beside her, his tone sounding more and more menacing as the seconds passed, eyes narrowed now almost to slits as the questions he wondered were maddening him.

"To protect it from people like you!"

The neko demon shot back, hair seeming to stand on end all over, even on her tail as her ears flattened completely back to her head. But after that outburst, she shook and then fell limp to the ground. It seemed she had wasted all the energy she had left to her after her battles. Instead of a menacing form, she now looked weak and helpless all prone on the snow and her features had calmed to reveal the pretty face that had been hidden under her mask of rage.

Inu started to move forward, still bristling but Miroku stopped him by standing in front of him with his arms out.

"We have to help her, if not, we'll never see what she means so calm down!"

He said even though he didn't like dealing with Inu like this especially without Kagome's sit to bring the demon under control, there was no telling what he would do now.

"Keh…"

Was Inu's only reply before he shook a little and stood back up, eying the cat over the priest's shoulder.

"You'll have to pick her up, Inuyasha, she probably weighs a ton like you so we could never lift her." At the demon's lack of attention on him, he tried again, "She needs Kaede's herbs and care if she's going to be able to live through the night…"

The word live snapped Inu out of his stupor, nodded before shoving past the priest, the word echoing in his head over and over, he wasn't going to let another girl die because of him, not again. He scooped up the girl and tossed her over his shoulder somewhat roughly before sprinting off in the direction of the old woman's hut without waiting for the others yet again.