AN: Shorter chapter, sorry. The third test will begin in this one, but main focus is with Inuyasha's group this time. Thanks for the reviews! BTW, my first language is Finnish. Just for you to know... And I finally learned how to use rulers... yay!

DISCLAIMER: Shira and Sheiji, and any other original characters are mine. Inuyasha characters are not.

Now, enjoy! Oh, and beware of spoilers from recent manga.

Friendships Last Forever

Chapter 11

Inuyasha is getting impatient. "What is taking so long? What if something happened to her?"

Miroku glares at him. "Stop that, Inuyasha. They will be back soon."

Inuyasha growls loudly, before suddenly quieting and sniffing the air.

"What is it, Inuyasha?" Shippou asks from his shoulder.

Inuyasha doesn't say a thing; instead he looks at the female youkai. "Can you smell that?"

She nods. "Naraku, but not Naraku."

"His detachment, Kagura." He can barely finish his sentence when he jumps aside, barely dodging her wind blades.

They look up to see Kagura on her feather. "Hello, Inuyasha. Playing with dragons now, are we?"

Inuyasha growls at her while drawing the Tessaiga, which immediately transform in to its bigger form. "Kagura! This time you won't survive! Wind Scar!"

The taiyoukai and the miko continue their way towards the third test. The path they walk is straight and lit with torches.

The two walk in silence until Kagome suddenly stops. When Sesshoumaru no longer can hear her footsteps he stops as well and turn around, to see a very pale miko. "What is wrong, miko?"

She looks at him, terror in her eyes. "I don't know… It's the same tainted purity I sensed. But-"

"But what, human?"

"It's something else too… Like-eep!" Suddenly she jumps and rushes to hide behind Sesshoumaru as the path's floor, on which she had just stood, crumbles leaving a hole in its place.

Sesshoumaru looks over his shoulder at her. "I will investigate, you stay here."

He approaches the hole, Kagome following right behind him. "Girl, I told you to stay put, did I not?"

"Umm, not in those words."

A sigh. "It is not safe."

"No, it's not. Don't you think we shouldn't investigate this, but move on instead?"

"Are you worried for this Sesshoumaru?"

"Yes!" Sesshoumaru raises one brow, and Kagome blushes as she realises what she just said. "I mean, no. I know I won't get out of here safely alone. Besides, I don't want that little girl to be left alone with that toad. I know you're strong and all, but my mom always says that 'better safe than sorry'."

"Save your worry, human. Did you really think that I would die that easily?"

"Of course not. There's one more reason too why I don't want you to risk your life and die."

"Oh?"

"Inuyasha. You're the only family he's got left. And he's the only family you've got."

"That is not true."

"Huh?"

"My mother still lives."

"I didn't know that. I presumed that she was dead, you know, for Inuyasha ever even existing. I thought inuyoukai's companionships last for life."

He growls. "Be silent, girl. My family is not any of your business."

"Inuyasha is."

"He is an exception."

Kagome is about to say something else, when the path suddenly collapses, taking the two with it.

A ghostly miko observes the two from her lover's chamber. "So, they have entered the final test."

She strokes her lover's cold cheek gently. "I knew your friend would know which ones to allow this far. A taiyoukai and a powerful, albeit untrained, miko."

She sighs silently before kneeling next to his body. "Now, all we have to do is to wait for their arrival."

Kagura keeps attacking the group with her wind blades, and they fight back with Inuyasha's Wind Scar, Miroku's Wind Tunnel, and Sango's Hiraikotsu. Kirara stays with Shippou, while the youkai in blue observes the battle.

As Naraku's insects arrive at the scene, Miroku is forced to seal his Wind Tunnel, and move to use his staff against the insects and Kagura's wind.

The female youkai keeps observing until she senses a very familiar youkai, and she readies her claws as she growls at the woods in one side of the road. "Sheiji! Get in here you coward!"

A male youkai clad in black gi steps to the road. His hair is black, as are his eyes. He's got one dark blue stripe over each cheek, and his forehead is adorned by a golden sphere, similar to hers. "Well, well big sister. I would have never guessed that you would even accept the company of a hanyou or a human."

"Naraku's scent is on you. He's a hanyou, little brother. Have you forgotten that?"

"It matters not. He will soon enough become a full youkai, Shira. Soon enough."

"You are betraying the family!" She growls again, unbeknownst that the battle have ceased around them. Everyone is looking at the two, even Kagura. She didn't know he had a sister.

He smirks and attacks her with unbelievable speed, which reminds the others of Sesshoumaru. She simply dodges, unwilling to fight her own brother.

The others look at the two combatants, seeing only a blur of black, dark blue and gold.

Inside the blur Sheiji attacks again and again, only to be dodged by Shira, who doesn't even strike. However she knows quite well she has to do something and she suddenly stops, grabbing his clawed hands to her own.

He looks at her confused. What could his sister be up to now? He'll find out soon enough when she whispers that she's sorry.

"Sorry for what?" Sheiji is really confused. And by the looks on the spectators' faces, he is not the only one.

"This." As soon as she's said this, she moves both of his hands to her left hand, moving her right hand to his throat. Now he knows what she's up to, and he fights back as hard as he can, but she is slightly stronger.

Then, without a warning, she presses her claws to his neck, releasing a dose of her poison. Very soon he is out, and she lowers him gently to the ground, before turning to look at Kagura, still crouching.

"Go back to your master. I defeated him and you are no stronger than he. Go before I kill you." Her voice is threatening, but quiet. Kagura knows immediately that she means every word, so she leaves as fast as she can with her feather, leaving the ones staring at her retreating back in confusion.

Shira rises to her feet, her younger brother in her arms, growling. "So, this Naraku decided to use my brother. A hanyou using one of us. A disgusting idea." Then she looks at Inuyasha. "No offence."

"No problem. So, what are you going to do with him?" He sheathes Tessaiga as soon as it's back in its smaller form.

"I'm going to question him. You wish to know what he knows of Naraku, yes?"

"He's alive?"

"Use those furry ears, hanyou and listen to his heartbeat. I wouldn't kill my brother. I might not like what this hot head does sometimes, but we share the blood. That's something you should learn with your brother. Yes, I used my poison on him, but my poison is not lethal, but acts as a tranquiliser. Sleeping poison, if you wish to see it that way."

"After we get the information, what then?"

"I'll take him to our parents. Then, it's up to them what happens."

Sesshoumaru lands nicely on his two feet. Unfortunately for Kagome, she doesn't. Instead, she ends up on her back on the cool rock. "Oww!"

Sesshoumaru snorts. "Get up, girl."

"Fine." She groans and stands up, realising that she can't see much outside the place the two are right now. "Which way?"

Sesshoumaru points at somewhere in the darkness. "There's the only path. The one behind you ends up in a wall."

He takes a step at that direction, before realising that she's not following. "What is it now, miko?"

"I don't like this." He can smell that her scent is laced with fear.

"You can't see."

"Damn right I can't. But that's not the only reason. There's something in there."

"It does not matter. I am going and I suggest you to follow." With this he begins to walk down the path again, stopping only for a second, when he feels Kagome's hand grabbing his sleeve once again.