Chapter Eleven:

It felt as if they had been running for hours. Even as Kagome clung to Inuyasha's back, and even as the miles fell behind them, she could still feel the burning heat from the fire and could still hear the screams of the villagers as their lives were ended. She buried her face in the crook of Inuyasha's neck, her nose against his neck as she tried to block out the memories.

"How much farther are we going?" Inuyasha huffed, turning his gaze to Miroku's daughter. Every time he looked at her he was amazed at the similarity. It felt like he was looking at a much younger Sango than the one he had met all those years ago.

"There's a safe house just up the road." She spoke, running her fingers through Kirara's hair. The neko-youkai gave a grateful purr as she carried both Michiko and Miroku through the air. Sachio had been forced to ride with Shippo who had transformed into his typical pink shape.

"A safe house?" He asked, his voice gruff. Sango and Miroku's daughter or not, he still hadn't decided if he trusted her or not. Her arrival during the massacre of the village had been too much of a coincidence.

"He won't be happy to see us all." Sachio sighed.

"You'd be surprised. He's rather fond of Lady Kagome." Miroku offered, giving a kind smile back in Inuyasha and Kagome's direction.

"Who's safe house are we going to?" Kagome asked, her voice muffled by a mixture of Inuyasha's hair and his bright red haori.

"Kohaku lives in a village of demon slayers not too far ahead." Miroku offered.

"A whole village of demon slayers?" Inuyasha asked, his voice incredulous. When he had left twenty-years ago there was nothing. Almost this entire regions demon slayer population had been extinguished. Only Sango and Kohaku had remained.

"They're not very experienced demon slayers but they're learning." Miroku explained, sensing Inuyasha's confusion. "There's nothing to be afraid of, they only hunt demons who cause trouble."

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief, her breath tickling against Inuyasha's neck in a calming way. Her closeness soothed him. "I'm glad Kohaku is okay."

The large walls of the demon slayers village were raising in the distance, the familiarity growing the closer they got. This was not just any demon slayer village; it was the demon slayer village. It was the same place where Sango and Kohaku had been raised, and the same place where her family had been laid to rest. Inuyasha was filled with a sense of nostalgia when he saw it; this had been all Sango had ever hoped for and it was what her quest to kill Naraku had been aimed at restoring.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha breathed, his grip upon her legs tightening slightly as he tried to pull her attention towards the rising landscape. "Look."

Slowly she pulled her face away from the safety of his neck, her eyes rising to see the tall and lanky man standing before the gates of the demon slayers village. Kohaku stood, dressed in a larger version of his old slayers uniform, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked impassive, so much more mature than he had the last time she had seen him. Time had done him well.

"Kohaku!" She smiled, jumping from the safety of Inuyasha's back and practically sprinting up the rest of the way to the gates.

A light smile pulled on the edges of his lips as Kagome practically fell into his arms, holding onto him as tightly as she could. "Lady Kagome?" He asked, his eyes widening as he gazed down upon the smiling girl. "

"You've grown!" She laughed, the sound a welcome relief to the hanyou boy who followed closely behind her, stopping with his hands tucked into the sleeves of his haori. Kagome was in no danger here. "You look so old," she teased. She had always been younger than Sango and Miroku but with the time that had lapsed since her disappearance, Kohaku had easily doubled her age. He was easily now in his thirties.

"You haven't." He teased her, crossing his arms over his chest and surveying the group before them. His attention turned serious as he looked towards Michiko. "Did you make it in time?" He asked, stepping closer to the girl who solemnly shook her head. "How many have died?"

Michiko let out a breath that sounded half way between a sigh and a groan. "I can't be sure. The damage looked extensive and I think… I would be amazed if anyone else survived."

"Hey, brat!" Inuyasha huffed. "What the hell is going on here?"

Kohaku took an exaggerated breath. "Let's talk inside. We have much to catch up on."

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha stepped forward and placed a hand gently upon the small of Kagome's back. He guided her forward as she leaned against him. Her body seemed cold, though he knew it was probably because of the fear. Her laughter a moment before had been purely from relief. It was obvious to anyone who knew her well that Kagome was still rather upset about the night before.

"It's Kohaku." She breathed, a ghost of a smile still pressed over her lips.

"I can see, stupid." Inuyasha spoke with a harsher tone than he had meant to.

"I'm so glad he's okay." She repeated, lifting her head so she could look into his eyes, her voice dropping to a barely audible whisper she knew only he would be able to hear. "When she first came out of the night… I thought it was Sango."

Inuyasha huffed. The truth was that he had also confused Michiko for Sango. The resemblance was striking.

"Who do you think could have done this?" She could feel the tears welling behind her eyes, her heart hammering in her chest at the overbearing sadness. That village had always been like home to her and now it was gone. Everything she had cared about had changed or died. Only Inuyasha remained, she gripped onto his haori tighter as they entered a large hut in the center of the village.

"Please, sit." Kohaku spoke, gesturing to spaces around a blinding fire. Their private conversation would have to wait until later.

Miroku spent a moment worrying over his small daughter, speaking in hushed tones that Kagome couldn't quite hear before they all took seats around the fire. "What's happening here?" Kagome finally asked, ripping through the silence that had settled over them.

"There's a new threat." Kohaku spoke, rubbing his temples as he began.

"I wouldn't call them a threat, more of an annoyance." Michiko huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and rolling her eyes.

"A threat," Kohaku interrupted, throwing Michiko an aggravated glance. "Villages all over the region are being targeted and the villagers are being sacrificed to a demon."

"A demon?" Kagome whispered, holding her breath. None of this seemed right. Ridding the world of the Sacred Jewel was supposed to have vanquished their worst enemy. I wished we didn't have to have any trouble anymore. Shippo's wish should have prevented destruction like this.

"She surfaced a few years ago as a lower level demon. We passed her over without a second glance. If we had ever imagined she would grow to have such power…" Kohaku trailed off.

"Her name is Erai." Michiko explained. "She's a scorpion demon, or was the first time we ran against her… but something has changed. Something made her stronger and now she's striking out against the human villages for spiritual power."

"We think she was after Kaya but Michiko and her constituents were able to get Kaya out of the village before Erai's attack." Kohaku explained.

"You were there before the attack?" Kagome asked, her brow furrowing. "And you didn't warn anyone?"

"My job was to save the priestess." Michiko spoke, shooting Kagome an angry glare. "I wasn't there to save the entire village. You're lucky you were at my father's or I would have left you there, too."

"Michiko!" Miroku chastised.

"What's your problem?" Inuyasha growled.

"You're my problem." Michiko answered honestly. "You disappear for twenty years when you were supposed to be the valiant protector of the village. If anyone is to blame for what happened last night… Its you."

"That's not true, Michiko." Miroku spoke sadly. "Inuyasha could not have known what would happen when he traveled through the well."

Kagome could feel the ache in her heart. Of course Inuyasha was not to blame. She was. He had only left the Feudal Era unprotected because he wanted to get back to her. "Why is Erai doing this? Her demonic aura was… suffocating."

"We don't know."