A/N: Hello all! I'm currently rewatching this series because my loving husband downloaded every episode for me! I'm also catching little things here and there that I seem to have forgotten and had related to the going-ons in this little story of mine, so things will vary a little from the original story. It wont be any thing major, but it's things I want to change.

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Disclaimer: I do not own "InuYasha". I did create the story line and a character seen in later chapters, Sherue.

'Italics' represents thoughts

Blocks of italics are dream sequences

*Chapter Four*

With heaving breaths, the small demon continued his journey to the village he knew his master would be residing in. The stories that had reached his current place of hiding did not bode well for the son of the great Inutaisho, and he had spent his time before his trip to learn what he could of demonic blood. What he learned was nothing to bring even a trace of a smile upon his face. He had not taken the liberty of a rest, for he was never more than half a day's trip from his lord, and only hoped that, on this particular evening, the charge would find his master…

The sun was just falling behind the horizon as Miroku started a fire on the outskirts of the Bone Eater's Well. The monk and demon slayer waited for their friend to return from the other side, knowing the schoolgirl would not be leaving Inuyasha to face the moonless night alone. So together, with darkness falling and the warm spring wind playing in the trees, Miroku and Sango waited. They knew their now human companion would return soon enough, having never traveled too far during his transformations.

Sango turned to eye Miroku as she heard the unmistakable echo of palm on skin, having slapped the lecherous houishi several times the past three years. He had one eye closed and a hand covering that particular side of his face. "Miroku-sama?"

He let the flattened flea demon fall from his cheek. "Miroku-sama!" came the small squeak from Myoga, now laying half-conscience upon the houshi's knee, bathed in the fire light. "How long it has been… and what a delicious reunion!"

Sango bent a little lower from her spot beside Miroku so she could see the youkai properly. "Myoga! What do we owe the pleasure of being bitten?"

"Do not judge so quickly, my lady! I needed a small refreshment from my journey!"

"And why have you graced us with your presence?"

Myoga took a deep breath and sat, crossing his two pairs of arms across his tiny chest. "Rumors have reached me about my lord. Where is Master Inuyasha?"

Miroku prodded the fire. "He has been missing since early this morning. We believe he is passing time until Lady Kagome returns from beyond the well. He hasn't been fond of anyone's company since waking yesterday morning from a nightmare." This seemed to entice the flea.

"A nightmare?"

"Yes," the young woman responded, looking off to the well, which was disappearing in the fading light. "During an encounter with a youkai a few days ago, Inuyasha transformed into his full demon state. I think that is what his nightmare was triggered by." She sighed heavily, looking back at Myoga. "He never remembers what happens when he is changed, and this time seemed to really affect him."

"We have never experienced Inuyasha in a state as he was when he woke from that dream." The houshi ran his clothed hand through his bangs, remembering the fear that had radiated off of the hanyou that morning.

"This does nothing but confirm what I have heard…" Myoga looked up at the two humans. "Something had changed that caused many small youkai in the area to vacate their homes… And upon hearing that a demonic aura was steadily growing stronger in this particular area, I was intrigued. I knew that this was the place you travelers made a base, and the thought of danger growing steadily worse near here made me uneasy. I heard of a hanyou with silver hair… and knew it was none other than my lord."

"But what does it all mean, Myoga?" Sango asked.

"I found out some information before beginning my trek here today. It was difficult to locate Bokusen-Oh…"

"Bokusen-Oh?"

"Yes. He is the 2000 magnolia tree that the sheath of Tetsusaiga was created from. And the only one who could possibly give me an idea of everything the sword controlled in Inuyasha…"

He continued on, explaining that, as a half demon, Inuyasha was forced to control the youkai within. From urges, to strength, even to his anger (which, to the small group that had traveled along side him for three years, seemed laughable… they had all experienced the flaring, irrational anger that flooded their friend from time to time), Inuyasha was constantly needing to keep himself in check. And when he becomes overwhelmed, that small amount of resistance he puts in place around him slips, and things like his transformations happen.

"It is too much for his hanyou body to handle the more it occurs. There is much power and intensity in every aspect of being a demon. The core of Inuyasha's heart beats that of human accord… I'm afraid that with each transformation, my lord loses a little of his humanity. As a hanyou, his humanity is essential to his existence. It is almost certain that, if he were to continue losing himself to his demonic blood, Master Inuyasha will leave this world."

They sat in silence for a moment as a breeze rippled through the area. "What can we do to save him?" Miroku whispered.

"It is not so much us as it is her…"

"Kagome?"

With only a slight nod in confirmation, Myoga continued. "Only love can save my lord… Love he has been denied for so long; first with the loss of his mother and then when he lost Lady Kikyo. There have been many years where I know he has felt nothing but abandonment and shame. I have seen him travel along side you for a long while now… I can tell there are things he still doesn't admit, even to himself, about his companion." Miroku nodded, having realized this long ago and conversed with Sango about it. "I fear if he does not allow himself to admit and accept the budding relationship between himself and Lady Kagome, there will be no hope left for my master."

Sango looked at her hands, voicing aloud the rhetorical question swimming through her mind. "But how long will it take?"


High in the sky, her feather soared above a mass of demons as they traveled. She could hear the excited growls and snarls of those below her, eager to reach their destination so they could fight and devour the victims. Naraku insisted she bring them along to distract the humans while she took down the hanyou, but was it all really necessary? Surely she would be able to just take care of it all? With a frustrated sigh, she brought her fan to her lips.

They had been traveling from Naraku's castle since midday, and Kagura was beginning to wonder where this small village really was. Could Inuyasha be as difficult to find as Naraku? 'Foolish thought,' she closed her eyes. 'No one is more difficult to locate than that demon. How I despise him…'

The sun had completely set by the time the caravan of demons came upon the clearing. Kagura could smell Inuyasha's now mortal scent, remembering, suddenly, that she had come across the moonless night. 'That's right…' She thought of how she had kept this secret from Naraku, having known for a long time that Inuyasha became human on the night of the new moon. Watching the dark haired man among his comrades, she spread the fan open and felt the wind pick up dangerously.

"Inuyasha!" Kagura called as she jumped from her feather to land in front of the demons she brought with her.

Miroku and Sango were on their feet first. They slipped into protective stances just beyond the fire, staring across the darkened field to the wind sorceress. Inuyasha stood behind them, gripping his useless sword at his hip. He was suddenly relieved Shippo was still at Keade's, knowing he wouldn't have been able to protect the poor kitsune from Kagura's wind attacks. Sango gripped the end of her Hiraikotsu, which was wrapped together in the middle where it was still broken. 'Can I keep Kagura at bay with a broken boomerang?'

"Kagura!" Miroku gripped his staff, scowling. "What a surprise, Naraku sending his incarnations to do his dirty work!"

"Hm, and how convenient that all I have to battle are humans," she smirked, watching the saimyosho gather around the clearing. "Without any supernatural aids…"

Miroku cursed, clenching his clothed fist. Inuyasha moved before his comrades, running towards Kagura. "You think you can just come in here and attack? Think again!" He swung back his fist and jumped at the wind demon. With the slightest of movements, Kagura flicked her wand at the long haired man. He was thrown backwards by the blades of wind, his clothes and skin tearing from their impact. With a scream, Inuyasha landed on the ground at his friends' feet.

"Inuyasha!" Sango yelled, preparing to throw Hiraikotsu. "You need to get to safety! You cannot fight like this!" Kagura raised her fan above her head.

"Just hand over the shards, you three, before I send these demons to take them from you!"

"What a wasted trip," Inuyasha grunted, pushing himself up from the ground with his arms. "The shards aren't here, Kagura!" Behind his shield of dark hair, he gave the enemy an evil smile. "They've gone with Kagome! Your master sure won't be happy now!"

Kagura scowled. 'Gone?'

"Inuyasha, this is no time to chat!" Miroku took a moment to look at the hanyou-turned-human sitting on the ground. The green grass was growing darker in the night with the blood flowing from Inuyasha's wounds. A pained expression painted his face as he sat, watching Kagura. "You need to escape to safety!"

"Keh! I can take this incarnation, even without my demonic power!" He whipped his face towards the monk. "I don't need to be a coward and run!"

As he tried to pull himself up to his feet, Inuyasha stumbled. He hissed as he grabbed at his wounds, trying desperately to cease the bleeding. For a brief moment, his eyes flickered towards the old well, where the only possible escape could be. But how could he leave his friends to deal with all these demons?

"Hiraikotsu!"

Sango's massive boomerang flew through the air, wobbling slightly due to it's break. Several demons vanished as it sliced through their bodies. Kagura watched the group of friends before her. Could the jewel shards really be gone? That girl, Kagome, was missing… Could the hanyou have been telling the truth? She scowled. 'This is stupid if she isn't here,' Kagura thought as she reached into her hair and pulled out a single feather.

"I take my leave, Inuyasha. But be ware. When Kagome is back, I'll be back to collect my dues!" With a gust of wind, she flew upwards into the sky, her pack of demons following close behind her.

The soft sound of blood dripping onto the grass caught everyone's attention when the wind had died. Inuyasha fell to one knee, cursing the moonless night. Miroku and Sango knelt by his side.

"Inuyasha, you must go to Kagome," Sango's voice was abnormally soft. "She can help heal you until your strength returns…"

"Yes, that would be the best plan of action for you," Miroku helped him to his feet. "The well isn't too far away."

After a moment, Inuyasha was leaning over the decaying wood with his bloodied hands gripping the lip. He flinched as a small breeze hit his open wounds. With a heavy sigh, almost sounding gratuitous, he worked to get his legs over the well. "I won't be gone long," he whispered through his teeth. The two nodded and turned their backs to him, slowly making their way back towards their dwindling fire. Inuyasha looked into the darkness of the well and let himself slide down into it.

The blue haze that surrounded him began to make his head spin by the time he landed on the soft ground of Kagome's well-house. A grunt of pain escaped his lips as he stayed still on his hands and knees. "Damn it…" Pushing himself back onto his heels, Inuyasha gripped a tear at his ribs, trying to cease the bleeding. 'Kagome…'He rose to his feet and ran his hands along the walls of the well, searching for the old ladder Kagome had always hung over the side.

As he began to climb, each rung of the ladder became sodden with the blood on his hands, making it difficult to climb. After a few slips, Inuyasha finally pulled himself out of the well, pausing for a moment and leaning against it. His breathing was heavy as he closed his eyes. "K-Kagome," his voice was soft in the empty house. Another moment of movement, and he was up the stairs, leaning on the now open doorframe leading to the Shrine grounds.

"Kagome…" Using the frame as leverage, Inuyasha began moving towards the lights of Kagome's home. Halfway across the dimly lit path forward, he fell to his knees. Using every last bit of strength he had before blacking out, Inuyasha called her name, in hopes that someone would be able to free him from his misery.

"Kagome!"

*End Chapter*

A/N: This chapter took me a while. I'm finished with the first 167 episodes of the anime HA!

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