Disclaimer: I do not own Rumiko Takahashi's InuYasha.

Previously...

"Were you... worried about me?" Kagome asked with a small smile on her face. He looked away, choosing not to answer. He duly noted that the nurse conveniently left for a coffee break, perhaps to convince herself that all she had witnessed was a dream.

"Thanks for caring Sesshoumaru." Kagome said, capturing his attention again. He nodded at the figure in front of him, who was shining with happiness, before using a finger to wipe the tear that was threatening to fall from her eye. She leaned forward and hugged him in reply.

----~~~----

Chapter 8 – Dread

"So what the hell are we supposed to do in the meantime?" A rude voice asked. The messenger just shrugged.

"And why am I the last one to hear anything?" The rude voice whined. The messenger didn't reply either.

"Can you say something other than 'it is time'?" The voice asked, tiring of the one-sidedness of the conversation. The messenger began to stalk away, apparently eager to make his last stop.

"To think that we used to travel together and massacre all that stood in our way... I barely recognize him. He's become more... taciturn." He mused, playing with the torches he had in his hands.

I can't wait to be able to kill freely again... He thought before practicing his juggling act for tomorrow.

----~~~----

"Yo, Bank..." Kouga started to say in his cell phone before he got hung up on.

"Yo..." Kouga called again, only to be cut off again. Angered, he decided to just storm in the house. He rang the doorbell furiously multiple times before throwing his weight against the door as the person inside was opening it.

"Dude, what's the big idea?" The man who opened the door asked as he found himself being tackled onto the ground.

"Why did you hang up on me?" Kouga yelled furiously into the man's ear.

"... I didn't want to talk to you. I didn't want to see you. And I still don't." He said rudely as he wrestled Kouga off him and stood up, dusting himself off in the process.

"Well I just called to tell you that I was coming. To throw this piece of junk back in your face." Kouga emphasized the last part of his sentence while taking off the vial necklace and hurling it towards the man, who caught it in midair.

"Hey don't you dare call it a piece of junk. It was one of my proudest inventions!" He yelled, affronted.

"Well I'm calling it a piece of junk because it is a piece of junk. Kagome's soul didn't get sucked in." Kouga angrily said.

"And now I'm going back to Naraku empty handed. Thanks a lot, Bank." He said in a milder tone. Bank stared at him before examining the necklace.

"There's nothing wrong with it... It should've worked. Why didn't it?" Bank said after a moment of inspection.

"I don't know... Kagome's soul came from outside the window and not from her body, for one. Which begs the question, how did her soul get separated from her body in the first place?" Kouga asked as he seated himself on a chair in the living room.

"Did you try to retrieve her soul before?" Bank inquired, curious.

"Yeah, once. But I got interrupted. The necklace glowed, but I had to leave before the soul could be absorbed."

"Hm... interesting. I must look into this. It appears that the necklace's capabilities are not limitless, as we had hoped. We know that it works with human and demon souls, so what makes this one so special? Is it because the first absorption didn't go to completion?" Bank muttered under his breath, already thinking up solutions.

"Yo, call me up when you find the solution." Kouga said, ready to leave.

"Will do. By the way, here." Bank said as he threw another vial necklace to Kouga.

"He won't ask questions that way." Was all he said before Kouga walked out the door, leaving Bank to his work.

----~~~----

"Izayoi... can we talk about this?" Onigumo pleaded through the phone.

"It's not talking if you keep insulting him every other sentence." She replied, her patience already beginning to wear thin.

"But he is a son of a..." He heard a click on the other side of the phone. She hung up on him again. He threw his cell phone across the room where it landed against the wall and broke. For good measure, he kicked the edge of his bed.

She knew Onigumo meant well, but his anger always got the better of him. Izayoi played around with the stuffed bear that Touga gave her.

She held the bear in her embrace for a bit, already feeling better after the awful phone call with Onigumo.

"He doesn't understand Touga like I do..." The teddy bear looked at her blankly. Izayoi smiled softly as she played with the bear's hands and made the bear wave.

"Don't be sad" she imagined the bear saying. She hugged it again in reply.

Her cell phone rang again. She picked up after a few rings.

"Izayoi?" A masculine voice asked from the other end.

"Touga!" She chirped happily in reply.

"Izayoi... I'm sorry we weren't able to meet up as scheduled. Something... came up." He said hesitantly.

"It's okay, I know! Family matters, right?" Izayoi said, not caring that they couldn't go out and have dinner the day he gave her the teddy bear.

"Are you free on Saturday?"

"Yep!"

"I'll pick you up at 2 then."

"Okay, I can't wait!"

"Good night koi." He said in an affectionate voice.

"Good night!" She replied, her heart warming up already. She hung up and hugged the teddy bear fiercely.

"He didn't forget about me!" She said happily as she twirled the teddy bear around.

"Ne, I have to give you a name!" She thought long and hard.

"How about... Bear Bear?" The teddy bear nodded under her manipulation.

"Bear Bear!" She giggled as she turned off the light, got into bed and drifted off into sleep.

On the other end of the phone conversation, Touga was sitting in his study, looking thoughtfully out the window.

"Did you forget what's happening on Saturday?" A woman's voice asked in the background.

"A boring adult tea party which I will not be attending." He answered in a bored tone, his mood soured by her appearance.

"A boring adult tea party that you are obligated to attend." She said with a tone of finality before sweeping out the door.

"Do not forget, my son." He didn't reply. He didn't know why his parents wanted to hook him up with that woman so badly. Perhaps it was because her family owns the biggest biotechnology company in the world, and has branches all over the world.

His parents' lust for power and status disgusted him. They owned a company that was responsible for the development of technology that masked the existence of demons in human society. It was also an international corporation, perhaps that was why his family wanted a union with the female's family so badly.

For more power, status and wealth... He mused as his thoughts slowly drifted to Izayoi, the light of his life.

----~~~----

She looks so cute in her kitty pajamas... He cut off that thought before he let it run away from him. He did NOT find the girl cute. Okay, maybe an iota cute. He inwardly sighed before turning to the problem at hand.

"How is it that you are able to embrace this Sesshoumaru before passing right through?" He demanded an answer. Kagome shrugged, looking around at her surroundings. They were at the park in front of the hospital, sitting on a bench facing the sea. The sun has not yet risen, but already the night is not as dark.

"Woman, I asked you a question." He brought a hand to grab her chin and force her to look at him, only to pass through it.

"Look, I don't know. I don't know why we could touch for a brief moment and then it's back to passing through me the next. All I know was that I felt really tingly and happy..." She trailed off, staring off into space again.

"Hn." Was his reply as he too slipped into his thoughts. He thought she was glowing with happiness... literally. For that brief moment, he could swear that he felt a mysterious power that caused his youki to tingle. Clearly, she was not just an average spirit.

"Sesshoumaru?" She asked hesitantly. He looked at her, waiting for her question.

"Why... did you come for me?" She asked, staring straight into his deep amber eyes. He leaned towards her, stopping only when his face was a breath away from hers, all the while keeping eye contact. Kagome felt her cheeks heat up at his proximity.

"Why... indeed." He stated, before pulling back abruptly, snarling.

"Show your face." He stood defensively in front of Kagome. A large green-haired man came out from the darkest shadows of the night.

"Who are you?" Kagome asked inquisitively, peering from behind Sesshoumaru.

"My name... Kyoukotsu." The green-haired man said in a deep gruff voice.

"Kyoukotsu... what are you doing here?" She asked meekly, intimidated by his presence.

"Deliver... message. Deliver... package."

"Message? Package?" Kagome questioned, looking at Sesshoumaru for answers. He looked at her with a stony face and eyes that appear to be saying 'Why the hell would I know'.

"It is time." Kyoukotsu said.

"That's the message?" Kagome asked, thoroughly confused. Kyoukotsu nodded.

"Then what's the package?"

"You." Kagome's eyes widened in surprise.

"How is it that you can see her." Sesshoumaru asked the most obvious question that failed to occur to Kagome.

"She... exist. I... see." Kyoukotsu said before attacking Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru quickly dodged before telling Kagome to hide somewhere safe. Kagome half glided, half ran away from the duo. She was stopped short by Kyoukotsu standing in front of her path.

"Why are you here?" Kagome squeaked.

"Capture... you." Sesshoumaru summoned an acid whip and hit Kyoukotsu with it, his flesh burning upon contact with the whip.

"Go now before my whip passes through you." He calmly stated before going after Kyoukotsu.

"I'm... trying!" Kagome wailed as she found her path blocked by Kyoukotsu no matter where she attempted to go.

"Ah, to hell with it!" She decided to run through Kyoukotsu to escape. As she ran headlong into Kyoukotsu, she found herself unable to move past him. In fact, it appears that she's stuck in his body.

Mission... accomplished. She heard from Kyoukotsu's mind. She screamed as she looked through Kyoukotsu's eyes, feeling the acid burning into Kyoukotsu's skin as though it was burning through her own.

"Ah, it hurts!" She yelled, hearing Kyoukotsu's voice boom out into the night.

"...Kagome?" Sesshoumaru inquired, curious at the turn of events.

"Sesshoumaru, what's happening?" She asked in a panicked voice.

"You are disappearing." He stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"What?" She looked at Kyoukotsu's hands and body. Indeed, he was disappearing into the night.

"DO SOMETHING!" Kagome yelled out.

There is no way to escape. She heard Kyoukotsu chuckle in his mind. She shuddered at the ominous tone of his voice.

"Sesshoumaru! Help!" She reached out for Sesshoumaru as she felt herself slipping into unconsciousness, Kyoukotsu's consciousness pressing hers into the darkest recesses of his mind.

"Silence... girl..." Kyoukotsu growled out as he fought Kagome for control of his body.

"Release her." Sesshoumaru commanded.

"Over...my... dead...body..." He muttered as he felt a pain-splitting headache. He felt his back burn as the tattoo glowed dark red.

"Stop... fighting... girl..." He doubled over onto the ground, unable to move.

Over my dead body! She yelled in his mind, feeling a sudden rush of power. A bright pink light enveloped Kyoukotsu. Kagome tried her best to block his dying screams from her consciousness, but it was virtually impossible as she was stuck in his body. His parting words chilled her to the bone. This is just the beginning... I have already contacted my brothers. You will not escape.

Sesshoumaru shielded his eyes from the bright light that enveloped Kyoukotsu, his youki protecting him from the waves of power that was emitted from the light. He snarled as he backed away from the light after feeling the light purify the edges of his youki.

What are you... Kagome?

Seconds later, the bright light faded, leaving only Kagome in the place where Kyoukotsu was. Behind her, the sun was beginning to rise.

----~~~----

"Naraku." Kouga bowed deeply as he entered his boss' office.

"Why have you failed again, Kouga?" He asked while sitting on his comfortable chair, whose back was facing Kouga.

Kouga was about to reply before he was interrupted by hurried knocks on the door.

"Enter." Naraku's voice cut through the room. Kagura came in through the door. She closed it after she entered.

"Naraku... you told me that I could see my sister. Where is she?" She demanded. He swivelled his chair so that he was facing his minions.

"After I deal with Kouga. Why have you failed." He said, putting his hands together, propping his elbows in the desk and propping his head on top of his entwined fingers.

"The... vial didn't work." Kouga stated lamely. Naraku bored his deep blood-red eyes into his. He shifted uncomfortably. If looks could kill... he probably wouldn't be alive to finish that thought.

"Kanna is... unavailable for visitors at the moment. Kagura, go with Kouga and ensure that he does not fail this time." He threw a folder on his desk before turning to face the window again.

"See to it that you do not fail me again Kouga... You will find that I will not be as forgiving as this time." He chuckled darkly.

Kagura snarled. "You..."

"Come on Kagura, let's go." Kouga picked up the folder from the desk, grabbed Kagura's wrist and dragged her towards the door. Kagura swallowed her anger, feeling it bubble uncomfortably in her stomach. She slammed the door shut after her.

Naraku smiled. His plan couldn't possibly be going better... Thanks to Kyoukotsu, he now knew for sure that Kagome is the one that he needs. His untimely demise was unfortunate, but he had other minions at his disposal. Now to check up on Kikyou... He dialled Dr. Sui through the phone.

----~~~----

A/N: Thank you to all my reviewers, and I apologize for the delay in the release of this chapter. The plot bunnies have deserted me, I'm afraid =( The next one should be up in a week or two, depending on whether the inspiration decides to return or not.