Ok, first, I want to apologize about how late this update was. I know, it's inexcusable. I've had a crazy time of it, a lot of things have changed, a lot has happened. I had work, and a few not so great things happened in my personal life. But I'm going to try to get back to updating somewhat regularly. Again, I'm sorry. If you have any issues with how long it took, I again am sorry, but sometimes your personal life needs more attention, especially when bad things happen. Ok, sorry to rant. Here we go :D

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my characters and the idea of this fic. :)

*I get a little graphic with gore details here… sorry about that, but it is a zombie apocalypse fic so… :P*

**Very special Thank You to Mic Mov, for giving me advice, inspiration, determination, and always being there for me :D Thanks a lot bud :D You'll never know how much our friendship means to me (ok, getting cheesy now :P)**

The two walked down the street, weapons at the ready, at top alert. The man looked at the young girl and felt a shiver run down his spine as he saw the powerful gun in her hand. She caught his gaze for a second. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just thinking." He replied quietly. He looked carefully around the corner. There was a small cluster of Infected by the entrance of the hotel, and a few random ones stumbling around.

"Ok, not many, but there are a few." He reported back. She nodded. "Ready?" She asked. He nodded, and they ran out onto the street, quickly removing the threat. Once all the Infected were dead, he went to go check the lobby; she guarded the door outside, picking off Infected on the rooftops.

"It's clear."

"Let's go check out the rest." In the first room, there was a man hanging from the ceiling, his eyes extended and bulging. His blue tongue was seen through his last gasp for air. Flies buzzed as loud as a jet engine it seemed, maggots crawling in his skin, in and out of his nose and ears, through his cheeks. The smell instantly overpowered her, and she ducked into the bathroom with a gag. He covered his nose and shot the rope, sending the man to the bed with a sick thud. The flies stayed in mid-air for a split second, still in the shape of a man before finding the body once more. He went in the bathroom after her.

"You alright Marilyn?" He asked quietly. She nodded slowly, her brown curls bouncing.

"I'm fine. Just…didn't expect that…" He nodded and led her out into the hallway. They continued checking rooms, collecting whatever supplies they could. They found an empty room and began stripping the room of blankets, towels, and robes.

"Anything to keep us warm." She said quietly, ripping the curtains off. She could see out onto the street, the hundreds of thousands of Infected that had taken over the city. He came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder, turning her away. "Do you want first watch?" She asked as they descended the stairs. He nodded and began barricading the steel door. "You get some sleep Marilyn."

"Alright." She laid down, but didn't close her eyes. "Do you think that things will ever go back to normal?" He stopped and turned to face her. "I think that this is the new normal."

Marilyn nodded slowly and curled up into a ball.

"Sleep child. You'll need your strength for the morning."

"Goodnight Barton." He heard the faint whisper through the dark. He smiled to himself. "Goodnight Marilyn."

Inuyasha looked around the dark room, hearing talking outside of the room. The window opened and Kagura landed in the room quietly.

"Well well well… I'm surprised he left you alive."

"Kagura." He sneered. "I'm sure he needs something from me, or else he wouldn't have." She couldn't help but smirk.

"Truth be told… I can't think of what he would want from you."

Inuyasha tested his bonds once more. "So, he sent you in here to torture me."

"No. He doesn't know I'm in here." She admitted. He looked at her in confusion.

"The Band of Seven is here."

"What?"

"Naraku found them when they were reincarnated, and recruited them to his side. They've been looting the city. I don't know his plan, but I know they all have different parts."

He was silent for a moment. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I know how Naraku thinks." She said coldly. "As soon as he doesn't need me anymore, I'm gone. I'm on thin ice right now."

"Then why are you risking talking to me?"

Kagura went over to the door and waved her fan in front of it. It glowed brightly for a moment before dimming back to normal. She went over to the window. "Because I want to see Naraku's empire come crashing down on top of him. I want to see him destroyed." She came over to him. "While you've been in hiding, or wherever you've been, there's been a rebellion group. You need to find them if you want to destroy Naraku."

"A rebellion group?"

"Find their leader. His name is… Shippoden." She waved her hand, and he fell to the ground. She turned and went back to the window. They heard someone turning the door handle, but the door refused to open. Her eyes grew wide in the dark.

"If you leave now, Naraku won't be able to catch you. I'll distract him."

He went over to the window, but stopped. "Why are you helping me?"

"KAGURA!" They heard Naraku scream. She pushed him towards the window. He could smell her fear.

"Because, I may have been created from Naraku, but I'm not anything like him. I want to be free." He met her gaze and she nodded. He leapt from the window onto a nearby roof just as Naraku burst into the room.

"Kagura!" He came over to her, his hand tightening around her throat. "Where is the half-breed?"

She choked, clawing at his hand. After a full minute of watching her struggle, he dropped her, and she fell into a heap at his feet, gasping.

"He overpowered me. I don't know how, but he broke free of the miasma. I think-"

"You pathetic liar." He growled. She stood up slowly. "You keep forgetting that I hold your life in my hands."

"No," She said, backing up, "I hold my own life." With that, she turned and leapt from the window. He watched as she fell to the street below. His lip curled as the Infected converged on her body and left the room. Kanna was sitting in the hall, her eyes wide. He strode past her without a word and went into one of the conference rooms, where the remaining members of the Band of Seven were waiting. "Find Inuyasha." He ordered furiously. "Bring him to me. Dead, or alive."

"We've gotta find him!" Kagome cried out, fighting Rochelle, trying to get to the door.

"We don't know where he went!" The woman shoved the teen back so she fell onto the sofa. "Until we do there's not much we can do."

"I bet Naraku's behind this." Miroku said quietly. Sango turned to him, puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

"Well think about it; if we're here, what happens back in the Feudal Era?"

"Nothing until we go-" Kagome froze mid sentence, running out the back door. Souta followed close behind, moving debris. He moved the fallen shed out of the way, but the well was gone. "What?" She whispered in horror. She could see the shaft, but it was filled with debris. "Can we move all of this?"

"I don't think we can." Sango said, joining her. "I don't know how Miroku and I came through, but there was one of those things over there… if we clear the well, it might only cause more to be able to get through."

"What about Shippo? Kaede? Naraku?" Kagome asked angrily. "Kagome, we have a bigger problem on our hands right now." Miroku said gently, putting his hands on her shoulders. "We have to find Inuyasha before we do anything. Alright?" She nodded slowly and let out a deep breath. Souta crouched next to her, nuzzling her leg with his head like a cat. "Where should we go?" Coach asked from the door of the house. Kagome sighed to her self and took one last look at the well.

"North." She turned to Miroku and Sango. "I sense a Sacred Jewel shard. A large one."

They looked at her in horror. "You think that Naraku's here?" Sango asked.

"I hope not…"

He watched the group leave the ruined house from a rooftop, knowing that he couldn't be spotted. He slowly returned his weapon to his sheath and turned to the street that the group was heading down. He closed his eyes, and suddenly, all the Infected below were on fire. He grinned and turned back to watch the group. He noticed with concern that Inuyasha wasn't with the group. He could sense the hanyou's aura nearby, however, and knew that he was safe. He reluctantly turned back to the larger group, his eyes glued on Kagome, Miroku, and Sango. His heart pounded harder in his chest. He heard a bellowing a few streets over, and saw a very large, and very angry Tank smashing a semi. He jumped over to a closer rooftop and grabbed his weapon. He held it out for a moment, and it glowed blue with energy. He slashed it sideways, and the Tank fell over, dead. He smirked to himself as the gang turned onto that same street, not giving the dead Tank a second look. He stood up and looked down on them.

"Be safe guys." He whispered

Inuyasha skidded to a stop on top of a building that he recognized; Kagome's school. He saw two people carefully making their way down the street. An older man, maybe in his 40s, was with a young girl, who couldn't be more than 18. He simply watched, knowing that they'd shoot first, and ask questions later. They turned onto a side street nearly devoid of Infected. Just as they went down a side street, Kagome and the others came into view. He grinned and jumped down from the rooftop. "Kagome!" He called.

The girl met his gaze. "Inuyasha!" She cried, running to him. She flung her arms around him. He held her close as the others ran to meet him. "You're alright…" She cried softly into his chest. He held her tighter.

"Keh, you don't need to cry over me." He replied, but he couldn't help the faint blush that spread on his cheeks. She nestled closer against him.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku called, joining the two. "You escaped!"

"Sort of… Kagura let me go."

"What?" Sango asked, shocked. Kagome stepped back, sharing a glance with Miroku. "Why?"

"She said she just wanted to see Naraku fall." He said quietly. The four digested this new information.

Ellis cleared his throat. "Guys? I hate to break up this reunion, but we should probably keep moving." Inuyasha froze when he heard the young man's voice and turned to face him, his fury building. "You." He whispered. Everyone else took a small step away from both the hanyou and the confused man except Francis. "And you."

"What did we do?" Ellis asked, a little scared. "You work for Naraku." Inuyasha replied, whipping out Tetsusaiga. Everyone gasped. "Francis? What the hell?"

"Ellis how could you?"

"Man you're a traitor?"

"I knew we couldn't trust you!"

"Hang on a minute!" Francis interjected. "We don't work for anybody!"

"He might've been lying Inuyasha." Kagome said quietly. He glared hard at them."You're half demons." He said lowly. Miroku looked at the two carefully. "I sense no demonic aura coming from them Inuyasha. Are you sure?"

Ellis looked at Francis for a moment, before sighing. "Ok ok, I don't know about him, but I am."

"Me too." Francis agreed.

"But that doesn't mean that we're working for the guy that tried to kill us!" He continued.

"Inuyasha, you always get mad when someone alienates you because you're a half demon." Sango said slowly. He looked at her, then back to the two.

"Alright. But I'm watching you two." He put his sword away. "And you might as well use your powers to help us out now."

Ellis grinned. "We will when we need to."

Inuyasha nodded, and the group began walking again. Zoey and Francis were talking in hushed tones, and Ellis was being interrogated by Bill. Kagome squeezed Inuyasha's hand lightly. He looked down at the girl and squeezed her hand back, refusing to let go.

"Does the name Shippoden mean anything to either of you two then?" He asked suddenly. The two shared a look. "Why?"

"A rebel alliance. Under some guy named Shippoden." Inuyasha turned to face them. "If you know anything, I suggest you spill now."

Francis groaned. "I hate stories." He lead the group inside of the school. They all sat down in a classroom. Ellis and Francis stood in the front. Souta jumped on top of the light of the room, stretching out like a cat.

"Now class, we're going to talk about the Feudal Era today…" Ellis said in a high pitched voice. Francis glared at him, and rolled his eyes.

"About 500 years ago, Naraku gained a lot of power really fast. A lot of demons joined him, afraid to be against him. They all wanted the power he had. A demon named Shippoden began to oppose him, attacking him whenever he was vulnerable. Soon, the half demons began to joining Shippoden. The demon world was divided."

"They battled for years. If one would die, the other would control the world until the other was reincarnated, and it would start all over again." Ellis started. "When Shippoden was killed, there'd be huge wars, genocides, riots and depressions. The world would be in chaos. When Naraku was killed, there'd be peace, prosperity. The demons would stop fighting. The humans would be happy. Shippoden was killed about 20 years ago."

"Has he been reincarnated?" Kagome asked. Francis nodded.

"If he survived the Infection."

"Wait a minute…" Miroku said, standing up. "Dr. Irving Rector… he started the virus, correct?"

"Yes." "DIRector? Director?" They looked at him in shock. "Shippoden told us that the Director was the one controlling the Infected… he could create more out of nothing, give supplies to Survivors, cause hordes of Infected to attack… he controlled everything." "Naraku is the Director!" Sango shouted. "We need to find Shippoden." Inuyasha said firmly. They all nodded. "Where do you think he'd be?"

"Hard to say…" Ellis said with a shrug. "Last time I saw him was before I met up with Ro, Nick and Coach in Louisiana."

"So he might not even be in the city?" Kagome said, leaning back in her seat. Francis shrugged. "Who knows."

Inuyasha stood up. "Alright, I know where Naraku is. Let's go take him on."

"Inuyasha," Kagome started. "Naraku's had 500 years to grow stronger. Do you think we could take him on?""Plus he controls all the zombies!" Rochelle added.

"It's out only option. Its better for us to attack him than for him to find us."

"We'd need more help. Maybe Kagura would help us?" Kagome tried. "She's dead." A voice replied. The women screamed, and the men raised their guns. Souta leapt down from the light fixture and growled, crouching protectively in front of the group. "Who are you?" Bill asked angrily. The man raised his hands.

"Easy friend, I mean no harm." Francis went over to Bill and pushed his gun away.

"Chill old man." He turned to Inuyasha. "Well, we found him."

"Shippoden?" Sango asked. The man stepped into the dim light. "It's good to see you guys again. It's been a long time."

The man was tall, almost as tall as Inuyasha, and heavily built. He had on a simple white tunic and a pair of black pants. He had two swords crossing across his back, and another sword in a sheath on his left hip. He had four grenades on the strap of his sword across his chest, and another weapon. Kagome stared at it for a long moment before looking up slowly. She gasped when she saw the head of bright orange hair. "A top?" She asked slowly. He nodded, his eyes twinkling.

"It was my first weapon… along with acorns and mushrooms."

"Shippoden…." She stepped forward slowly. "Shippo?"

His face split into a grin. "You haven't changed a bit Kagome." She gasped. He pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, opening one arm to let Miroku and Sango join. He looked up to meet Inuyasha's gaze after he released the three.

"Well runt, it looks like you became a pretty powerful demon after all. Who would've thought." He said with a grin. Shippo laughed. "I missed you too Yash." Ellis stepped forward. "Shippoden, it's an honor to see you again sir." He gushed. Francis nodded.

"Thanks you two. And thank you for keeping my friends safe. All of you."

"So, you've been in charge of this rebellion."

"Yes, but we've lost a lot of half demons due to this Infection." He sighed heavily. "Naraku knew what he was doing when he created this Infection."

"Why did he do this?" Coach asked.

"Probably as revenge for what we did to his colonies in Japan…Wiped out two major cities where his top researchers and weapon developers lived a few decades ago."

"Oh yeah…" Francis' eyes grew wide. "I forgot about that."

"This would be the perfect way for him to fight back; something that we can't pin on a certain someone. He's a coward."

"But Shippo, what are we going to do?" Kagome asked. The fox demon sighed.

"I'm not sure yet Kagome… we need to round up the others first thing." He looked to Francis and Ellis, who nodded. "Once we have more help, then we can come up with a plan to destroy him."

"Once and for all." Inuyasha said quietly. Kagome placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Alright. We need to get out of the city first." Shippo continued. He strode over to the window and pointed north. "There's a bridge over there. If we can make it there and get out of the city, then it'll be a clear shot to headquarters."

"So we're going to the bridge?" Coach repeated. "They blew that up! They pulled us off of it on a helicopter before they blew it up! The chopper crashed, we barely made it out before it hit the ground…but that bridge is gone."

"There are other ways to get across the bridge." Shippo said with a sly grin. The group looked at each other in confusion. "What do you mean?" Kichi asked quietly. Shippo looked at Kagome's mother for a long moment before responding.

"While many have been killed, there are still many half demons out there. If we can communicate with them, and get them to our side-"

"Naraku won't stand a chance." Inuyasha finished. Shippo nodded.

"It will be risky…." He said hesitantly. Sango shook her head. "I'm in."

"As am I." Miroku agreed.

"Man you know I'm in." Ellis whooped.

"I'm with the idiot." Francis agreed.

Rochelle looked around at the others, who all nodded their heads. "We're all in."

He smiled. "Alright. Let's head to the bridge."

Again, I apologize that it took so freaking long, and that it was a little short. But, a new chapter won't take that long. I don't think that life could screw me over as bad as it did this summer… Please, even if you're mad at me, review. No flames though, really. No flames. I love you all, please, take me back? :P