Disclaimer: Inu Yasha is Takahashi's, Jena and Zurich are mine, and this story will continue till I can't think of anything (or I can complete it, whichever comes first) Please review and give opponent suggestions. Hell, I haven't even thought of what the new bad guy is going to be, but I know one of his powers.

Last time: The curse of Jena's sword is reviled as she is subdued by Zirik (at the cost of his sword being snapped) and Kagome changes into a hanyou as an aftereffect of using it. The entire team now is journeying to Totosai to repair Zirik's weapon, the Tetsuban, possibly make something for Kagome to keep her blood in check, and to see if he can possibly strip the Junseishin of its terrible curse.

Chapter 7: Enter Kouga and the Dead Demon

The group left for Totosai's lair as soon as Jena was able to move her feet again. Miroku and Sango led the group, much to her displeasure for she had seen Miroku try and stop that right hand of his from groping her. It was only a matter of time before it does so, and her katana was waiting. Shippo slept on Kirara, who maintained her battle form in case of any more hostilities. The four hanyou stayed a little to the rear, most of them using their keen hearing to detect possible hostiles. Kagome was just walking in her clothing, which were still singed from when her body created that flame aura. She was carrying her bike, considering they weren't going that fast. Even if they did need to move quickly, her new body was very much able to outdo it in every way. "Guess I'll need to bring this home, then," she thought. "I won't be needing it very much here, as long as I'm like this."

She kept quiet throughout the trip since her transformation, trying to learn to keep her emotions under control. That was because she knew of the curse thanks to Myoga speaking about it. She knew that the last person to use the Junseishin was transformed into a hanyou herself, eventually going all out demon when she got angered and killed everyone in sight until a demon slayer took her out. If she let any rage get the better of her, she could kiss her life good-bye.

Inu Yasha was walking alongside her, having failed to get Kagome to speak to him, let alone give one of her caring smiles to him. It was really getting irritating to him. "Why won't she speak," he started to think to himself. "Is it because of what happened to her? Sure, maybe she's still in a state of shock or something. At least, that's how she would phrase it." He glanced at her through the corner of his eye. "But she sure is pretty. Now that she's a hanyou, she looks even prettier than she was before. Of course she was pretty to begin with, but....ACK." He looked forward and hit his head. "Why the hell am I thinking about that at a time like this? I may have liked Kagome for the past few years, but why am I starting to be like this now? Besides," he looked back at Kagome from the corner of his eye, his expression showing slight sadness. "how am I suppose to know if she has the same feelings for me as well?" He snapped out of it when he noticed she was looking back at him in the same way, their eyes locking at the same spot before he started looking ahead again.

"Inu Yasha," she whispered, so that only he could her , "why were you looking at me like that?" Her eyes told him that she was getting a little annoyed that he was glancing at her like that.

"Oh, shit!!! What do I say, what do I say, WHAT DO I SAY????" His mind was racing with various responses, but he knew that she would see right through most of them. "Dammit, she looks like she's going to say 'IT' if I don't respond. And if I lie, and she doesn't believe me, she'll say 'IT' anyway. SHITSHITSHITSHITSHIT!!!! But, the truth...." He noticed her lips get ready to move, and he knew what was coming. "I was just wondering what you were thinking, that's all." He said it without another thought before hand. "Well, at least that's half of it, actually, but that's all she needs to know right now."

Kagome relaxed when she heard him say that. Good thing too, her anger was rising waiting for him to respond. "Oh," she whispered. "If you must know though, I'm just annoyed about what happened. This shouldn't have happened, yet it did anyway. And I have to control my emotions for once, otherwise I could end up killing us all." "Actually," she thought, "I'm also unsure as to how your taking it. Did you really start to like me after all this time? And if you did, have your feelings for me change?"

Zirik and Jena were eavesdropping on the conversation. Inu Yasha and Kagome may have been whispering, yet they forgot that there were four hanyous with sensitive ears. They had also chanced a look back there as well, noticing how their faces were slightly turning red. A little too slight for human eyes, yet good enough for demon eyes. These two, at least knew better than to speak with such good ears right behind them, but they had their own method of communication. Seems your friend has a crush on dog boy.

Jena nodded her head. I could say the same for dog boy, if we were really speaking.

Zirik mentally laughed. Guess your right, but thought speech is definitely better for a private conversation. Wouldn't you agree?

Jena smiled. True, but it's your blood that enables it. Besides, didn't you notice how they avoided saying their feelings for each other? Its as if they are afraid of what the other may think.

Just like a certain former human, whose been hiding her true feelings from me? Jena blushed. You know that we can't hide our true feelings because of this link. Of course, we are left in the dust when we aren't.

She concentrated on something she was wondering, and got an answer from one of Zirik's memories. So that's what you were thinking when you battled me. Afraid you would lose me forever, didn't you? It was Zirik's turn to go red. No matter. We can handle our love affairs in a more PRIVATE place. Right now, how about we play match-maker.

Zirik looked confused. What the hell's a matchmaker?

Before she could reply, they heard Kagome speak again. "Inu Yasha, did you hear something?"

He looked back confused. "No, not a thing." They noticed that Kagome was looking their direction. They turned their eyes forward, both of them blushing brightly.

You don't think she heard our plan, do you?

A new thought talker entered the fray. So, this is why you two were so quiet. Both hanyou jumped in their skin as they recognized the speaker. How about you just drop your plan, whatever it may be. Unless you two were going to tell me about it right about now.

Seems Kagome can listen in on us as well. I thought it was because of our blood we could communicate to ourselves.

Maybe it is, Kagome stated mentally, considering that the sword did make me a hanyou similar to Jena. Jena turned beet red, for she had forgotten that the Junseishin took all of the demon abilities of the victim and sent them into the sword's user at the time, and thought speech with Zirik was one of those abilities. I'll leave you be for now, you could see why. They both look back and saw that Inu Yasha was giving an odd look, for it looked like Kagome was a little mischievous about something to those that couldn't speak like they could. But remember that I'll keep an eye on any unusual speeches, you little sneaks. They sensed her presence in the chat disappear.

Jena gave a near inaudible sigh. Guess we'll need to see if we can get a private channel.

I HEARD THAT! Jena and Zirik sweat dropped (a.n.: sweat dropped is referring to how some anime and mangas have characters showing a sweat drop when something humiliating or embarrassing has occurred).

Inu Yasha's nose picked up a scent, a scent he thought had given up. He growled, getting everyone's attention unintentionally. When Kagome looked at him, he practically knew what she was about to ask. "An old friend of yours is coming." He looks behind and sees the incoming tornado. Everyone gets a chance to see it (excluding a sleeping Shippo) before Kouga emerges. Kagome couldn't sense him coming with her shard sense, because he had given up his shards when Naraku was defeated. She had a rather bad feeling why he ran all the way out here, and she didn't want to try and stop it in her condition.

"Where's my woman, mutt face?"

"Nice greeting wolf boy," Inu Yasha said with a note of anger.

Kouga rolled his eyes. "Nice to see you too, dog turd. Now where's Kagome?"

"This nimrod doesn't even realize Kagome's changed, even with her clothes." Inu Yasha smirked, thinking he can try and rile him up. "Who wants to know?"

Kouga growled at him in warning. "Don't fool with me, low life dog. I smelled her with you, NOW WHERE IS SHE?"

"Feh, take a hike and sniff her out then, like the carnivorous wolf you are (I actually like some of those 'frases' Kagome mentioned)."

"I asked you nicely THREE TIMES, dog shit, so now," he charges at Inu Yasha and grabs Inu Yasha's haori by the neck, lifting up the hanyou. He draws his one hand back and prepares to punch Inu Yasha in the face. Lucky for Inu Yasha (If you can call this luck), Kagome intervened.

"SIT!" Inu Yasha and Kouga noticed the beads around his neck glow pink before Kouga lost his grip to a face planted Inu Yasha. Kouga did glance at the source of the sit and saw Kagome and her new form, before he felt a pain from his foot. He looked down and noticed the hanyou's face on his foot.

"Glad you came to your senses, mutt, but GET THE HELL OFF MY FOOT!" Inu Yasha couldn't move even if he wanted to. The spell held him fast into position.

Jena started to chuckle. "This really is a Kodak moment." Kagome got it and started giggling while Jena was laughing, but everyone else sweat dropped. Jena noticed the confused looks and simply said, "We'll tell you later."

"Try now, bitch!" Kouga was pissed. "I don't like being laughed at!" Inu Yasha got up and sat in the tree, knowing full well what was coming.

"If that was an insult, that was rather weak. As for what I said, it meant that was a really good time to capture an image of that scene." Everyone started to understand, with chuckles included. Excluding Inu Yasha and Kouga, of course. Kouga looked back at Kagome for a second, then noticed the changes that had occurred to her. Those ears were an eyesore, those eyes so penetrating, it was like looking at Inu Yasha. Except prettier, feminine, and with black hair with blue highlights. He looked back at Inu Yasha, who hadn't moved from the tree.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY WOMAN, BASTARD?"

"IT WASN'T MY FAULT WHAT HAPPENED TO HER. SOME CURSED SWORD DID THIS."

"DO YOU HONESTLY EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE SOME HALF ASSED...."

"Kouga, he is speaking the truth." Kouga shut up upon hearing Kagome's voice and looked at her. "I used a sword that had a curse that affected humans. If used against a hanyou or demon, the wielder becomes a hanyou of a similar type of demon as the one hit."

"And you hit Inu Yasha, eh." He looks up to said demon. "YOU ARE FUCKIN DEAD."

"Actually," Jena stepped forward and looked Kouga in the eye, "she hit me on accident, trying to save me from tiger demons."

"Tigers??? They don't fight hanyous or anything out of the blue. They are mercinaries that fight for pay." Kouga was giving her a questioning look. "What did you piss off enough for Tigers to start a manhunt for you?"

"Well, Zirik and I did save a few villages from a demon lord that doesn' t own any of the.."

"A DEMON LORD?!?!?!" Kouga looked like he could shit his pants, if he was wearing any. The forest started to sway around them as the wind started to pick up as Kouga asked another question. "What one?"

"Like she was saying," Zirik spoke, "This guy doesn't own any of the four territories, yet he terrorizes the towns near where he resides." The wind picked up even more, just barely moving some twigs.

"What's his name then? TELL ME!"

"We don't know his name all too well, but he..." They were unable to continue speaking, for the wind picked up enough to smash a thick branch into Kouga. Everyone noticed a shadow coming from the forest, one of a female figure. She was approaching them slowly, holding a fan in her hand. Inu Yasha reconized the scent, for it was from someone he had killed a month ago.

"No, it couldn't be." The figure got even closer, most of her characteristics were now visible, especially a pair of red eyes. Kohaku started to sweat in fear, for he had reconized her too. Everyone looked at the figure, and all had some kind of reaction. Kouga was the last to react.

"YOU!!!!!"

She smirked. "So, all of you remember me, do you." She waved her fan, which caused a gust of wind to be emitted in their direction. Everyone braced themselves from the wind, some of them getting cut a little by it. Shippo had a rude awakening as the wind cut his tail, causing some blood to seep into his fur.

"Hey, who's the wise..." He saw the wind elemental demon and practically freaked out. "K-k-k-KAGURAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!"

************************************************************************

another day, another chapter. sorry for the delay, and the next chapter will take a while, for I have some work to do. Read and review, and don't forget to give suggestions. This idea of getting Kagura back was indirectly inspired by my second reviewer. Whoever that was, give a review for reconition. your review was responsible, and this chapter was the start of my apology.