A Delayed Dawn

Disclaimer: I don't think I will be owning Inuyasha anytime soon. Ever.

Warning: This story is posted in the mature section for good reasons. If ideas such as vulgar language, descriptive violence, and sexual situations such as rape disturb you, then you are warned now.

Chapter Twenty A Prophecy Heard by More Than One

Inuyasha took a tight hold of Kagome and escorted her quickly out towards the exit to the cave. Kagome tried her best to keep with his enhanced speed. Sango followed closely behind the two to provide coverage of the rear.

They could hear the awakening of the demons fading behind them as they neared the entrance of the cave. Inuyasha was hoping that they would be kept trapped inside the cave due to the barrier; that going in was just as difficult as coming out. None of them looked back as the exit came into view.

Once through the barrier and back outside, Inuyasha let go of Kagome, but she kept moving forward from the momentum and she fell onto her hands and knees panting. Sango too was out of breath, but hid it well. Inuyasha remained unaffected by the exercise. Inuyasha turned to glare at Kagome. "What the fuck did you do? You never said anything about waking up some damn demons."

Kagome dug her nails deep into the rich mountain soil. And it had been going so well too. Everything was her fault, according to him. She could never do anything right. Glaring up at him, her eyes narrowed and darkened.

Inuyasha could see wisps of her miko aura crackling around her. He wanted to take a step back, but didn't want to show anyone, even himself, that he was afraid of the little girl with the incredible power. Kagome took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She didn't need to draw any more unwanted attention to herself like that day at the shrine.

Standing up, she wiped the dirt off of her knees, still not verbally acknowledging him. She didn't want to have to explain herself to him. And she knew that there was no reason she should. There was no difference in what she said, for she knew that he would react to it just the same.

Damn, Kagome thought to herself. There was just no way to win with this guy. Instead, she just chose to ignore him. It saved herself from trying to find something to say to please him. If that were even possible. He seemed to be one of those people who was never satisfied with anything.

"Duck!" Sango yelled as she came running towards them. Inuyasha lept forward at Kagome and covered her with his body only to feel a powerful wind blow over them. Inuyasha swiveled his sensitive ears forward and picked up on the sound of something getting cut just beyond the open field.

Kagome and Inuyasha both stood up. "Are you both all right?" Sango asked. She then hurried out in front of them. "Whoops," she said as she grabbed the object that she didn't want to hit either of her friends. For a moment, she forgot how those things actually worked.

"Hiraikotsu," Kagome whispered. The bone boomerang that was much too heavy for even strong human men to lift and yet she just watched as Sango threw it which grace and ease. It was amazing to watch it in action.

Kagome's imagination had not done it any justice when she had wrote out her analysis on the weapon. Sango looked like the strongest of the Amazon warriors she had learned about once in a class. Strong and fierce, Sango and Midoriko were both women who knew how to fight, and still keep their femininity in tact. Even when surrounded by mostly males.

"Wha. . . this thing?" Sango asked referring to the object in her hand. She eyed it quickly with a smile. "I found it in the cave. I thought it was something for you."

Kagome shook her head. "Oh no. I, I can't lift that." Kagome walked up to Sango. "It belongs to you. I should've realized it. Your ancestors, they are from this village." Sango nodded in agreement. "This is yours."

Sango smiled as she examined the object she held onto once again, never getting enough of just how right it felt. "I guess it is. It feels natural."

Inuyasha pulled out his sword which immediately transformed as he joined Sango by her side. "Enough talk. That thing is still out there."

"Kagome, perhaps you should stay back," Sango suggested knowing that the girl was without weapons to defend herself or help in their fight. "I'm not sure how accurate I can be with this."

Kagome nodded with a large grin as she suddenly pictured Sango accidentally hitting Inuyasha with it. Just to get him back for being such a meanie. Then she chastised herself for thinking bad things. Now she was the meanie.

She turned and hurried over to the mountain wall, finding a large boulder to hide behind. A week of silence for a night of battle. She knew this was something she couldn't get used to. Watching Inuyasha and Sango prepare themselves for battle was one thing. Watching them actually fight was something else. She had tried to be strong and have courage, but knew that it just wasn't her.

Inuyasha looked over at Sango. She stared straight ahead, keeping her eyes open, but trying to heighten her other senses as well. "Think you can fight with that thing?" He asked in a mocking, but friendly voice.

Sango laughed, but didn't visually acknowledge him as she was trained to keep her eyes on the enemy at all times. "No more than you are with that sword of yours."

Inuyasha was about say something in his defense when they heard a rustle in the thick trees. Something was out there watching them, waiting for its moment to attack. Inuyasha tightened and then loosened his grip on the Tessaiga. He could smell something out there, waiting and sizing them up, looking for the right time to pounce. Inuyasha didn't like this. Normally demons were stupid and just jumped out right, eager for the attack. This one was patient; patience meant intelligence.

It was there. She knew it. And she couldn't wait for it anymore. It was in the trees. Which tree, she couldn't know for sure, but that didn't matter. "Hiraikotsu!" Sango yelled as she threw her bone boomerang into the trees. Inuyasha waited, ready for the attack. He liked Sango's idea, hoping to draw the beastly thing out, to provoke it to attack them.

The boomerang flew into the darkness of the trees. They could only wait for either the demon to come rushing out, or for the boomerang to make its way back without even touching the damned thing. The trees moved, branches broke, trunks cracked. Inuyasha was ready. He could tell that the boomerang hit the thing. It was angry as its aura flared like a newly lit flame. He loved making them angry. Inuyasha wanted to fight.

"Here it comes," Sango said as she readied herself for the demon and the return of her boomerang. Sango raised her hand and her boomerang found itself back to its rightful owner just in time for the demon to show itself.

The demon didn't seem scary or tough at all. Dressed in a furry white pelt, the thing was no taller than Inuyasha himself. Its face was shadowed by darkness from the mask, if it even had a face at all. The demon flawlessly floated towards Inuyasha and Sango, into the open field of where the taijiya village once proudly stood.

Inuyasha had to laugh at its weak appearance. He lifted his sword up, ready for the ultimate attack. Piece of cake, he thought. Sango noticed it. "Inuyasha!" She yelled out, holding her boomerang in front of her as a shield, running to her commander. But she didn't make it in time.

The baboon demon zipped quickly toward Inuyasha. From underneath its pelt, a dark brown tentacle shot out, piercing Inuyasha square in the center of his stomach exiting out through his back. "Ugh. Fuck!" He cried out as Sango used her boomerang to cut the tentacle, freeing Inuyasha from more damage.

When the cut tentacle slithered back, Sango found a stance and threw, with all of her strength, the boomerang at the white pelt baboon. She watched as it spun toward its target, her lips silently praying that it would hit. Inuyasha fell to the ground, clutching his stomach, his blood pooling in his hands, cursing under his breath at both the pain and at the demon.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried as she came running out from behind the boulder.

Inuyasha could sense her approach. "Fuck. Get the fuck back!" He yelled out.

Kagome dropped to her knees and moved his hand away from his stomach, examining his wounds. "You're hurt," she noted. Not just because she saw the injury, but she could tell that he was in a considerable amount of pain.

"No shit," he gritted out, hissing when Kagome peeled away some of his clothing to get a better view of his wound.

Sango stood in front of her injured leader and the scientist, hoping to protect both of them while defending all of them against the opponent that had just proved itself of a formidable fighter. Her boomerang hit the target in the correct spot. Sango smiled. She knew that it was a puppet. Hiraikotsu came back and she grabbed it, watching as the puppet disappeared into the night breeze.

"Fuck. That hurts," he cried out as Kagome poked at his injury in order to examine it as well as she could.

"Well, I know that. But I've got to stop the bleeding and bandage it up," Kagome told him. She was worried for the hanyou. It was an extremely serious injury. The type of injury that she wasn't sure that she could cure without proper medical equipment, medicine and a pile of bandages.

"No. It'll heal by itself. Just let me be." He tried swatting at her probing hands, but he couldn't even lift his hand up. He had already lost that much blood.

"I won't!" She screamed at him, doing what she could to stop the bleeding. "And it won't heal by itself." Kagome was worried about his wound catching some kind of infection. Even demons were susceptible to bacteria. There were even youkai bacteria.

Sango hurried over to her friends. "How is he?" Sango looked at Inuyasha's injury and winced. It was almost as if she could feel his pain, but then again, she didn't to experience anything like that. It was the worst injury she'd ever seen Inuyasha have.

Kagome sighed and her mind raced with the things she needed to do to help the injured hanyou. "We've got to move him to the shrine. I have bandages and ointments for him if he would just sit still and take it like a man," she added that to keep him quiet. Some things about Inuyasha were easy to figure it out. If challenged, he would automatically accept, no matter how hard, or stupid it was. Kagome had just challenged him.

Sango giggled. "Of course. Let's put him on the boomerang and slide him over since neither of us has demon strength to carry him."

Kagome nodded. "Sounds good. Dragging him will only tear open the wound more."

Sango set her boomerang down close to Inuyasha. Kagome rolled him onto his side as Sango slide the giant bone underneath him. The two girls heaved the injured hanyou over to the shrine. It was decided that they would stay outside as Inuyasha didn't want Sango outside patrolling on her own and he didn't trust Kagome enough to be alone with her.

Kagome opened her backpack and took out the medical supplies she took from the shelter a week ago. Carefully lifting his shirt up, Kagome used a rag she had found to wipe away the blood. "Sango, is there a water source nearby?"

Sango looked over her shoulder. "I think there's a stream just beyond that curve. I'll hurry back with some." Sango grabbed all of the water containers they had and hurried to the stream she'd noticed on their way up the mountain.

Inuyasha couldn't look at Kagome as she tended to his wounds. He didn't want to think of her as being kind and warm. Kikyou wasn't like that and anyone who looked liked Kikyou should act similar to Kikyou. At least, that is what he thought. Perhaps it wasn't that they should act like her, but more of that they would act like her.

"This ointment isn't going to be enough," Kagome told herself out loud, ignoring any sounds of protest that Inuyasha was making. Kagome closed her eyes and concentrated on her hands. Inuyasha looked over and saw her hands glowing a pure white color.

Scooting away, he looked up at her face. "What the fuck are you trying to do, purify my ass?" During his time at the miko compound, he became paranoid enough to believe that they were going to come in and attack him.

Kagome opened her eyes. She stood up, ignoring the grouchy hanyou and walked over to an area by the shrine. Using the miko powers in her hands, she was able to detect powerful healing herbs. She let the power go and started the gather as many as the herbs as she could.

Kneeling back down next to Inuyasha, she took out a plate she kept stored in her bag and set the herbs down. Grabbing a rock, she smashed and mashed and mixed the herbs as finely as she could, converting the leafy material into a gooey substance.

"Here's the water Kagome," Sango said as she returned handing the girl a bottle.

Kagome took the water and poured a bit into the herb paste she was creating. "Could you use the rest of the water to wash the dried blood away?" Sango complied and used what rags she could find the wipe the blood away. The bleeding had stopped for now, but any movement on Inuyasha's part and he would lose a lot more than just blood.

"What are you making?" Sango asked as she watched Kagome prepare something. She'd seen the mikos at Kikyou's compound work on similar concoctions.

"These are herbs that are used to accelerate the healing processes," Kagome explained as she finished the paste. Scooping it up into her fingers, Kagome carefully covered Inuyasha's wounds with the green stuff. "A wound like this is dangerous, even to demons because demons rely on their blood for their rapid healing abilities. He hasn't lost too much, just enough, but it will take him the whole night to heal up good enough to walk without tearing the wound."

Inuyasha just lied there and listened to the two girls talk. He was amazed that even though he treated Kagome like shit, she still took the time to care for his wounds. No one had done that before, except for the nurses, but it was their job to. Kagome had no reason to help him, and yet she was. He felt kind of bad for it.

Sango built a fire and Kagome had finished with Inuyasha's wounds. By the number of stars in the sky, it was getting late. Kagome slipped an herb in Inuyasha's tea to make him drowsy, forcing him to sleep. She knew that just by telling him that sleep would make him heal faster wouldn't work; she would just have to force it upon him. If she didn't say a word about it, he'd never know.

"So, the demons in the cave were a trap to lure us out. Did you find anything useful?" Sango whispered, making sure she didn't wake the now sleeping hanyou. Sango didn't know that Kagome had drugged the half dog demon.

Kagome nodded. She pulled out her notebook and opened it up to the page where she wrote down the scratched inscription. "It says: From a broken soul, her death was not in vain, for it shall be resurrected again, piece by piece of each generation. . . "

Sango shook her head. "Wow that can mean so many things. Or nothing at all."

Kagome nodded. "I know. It has to refer to the jewel." She stared at the words long and hard. Perhaps one of the symbols had a slightly different translation that she wasn't aware of. That could change the whole meaning of it and give her a better clue of what it meant.

The girls just shrugged. Kagome was sleepy, but had to keep an eye on Inuyasha, and Sango was staying up to watch for demons and other attacks. Both girls were too tired and exhausted to sense another presence nearby. It had heard enough for it disappeared into the darkness, leaving no trace of its presence.

New Tokyo, The War Dogs Compound

Rin lied comfortably in a hospital bed in the best and very private room. Sesshoumaru was in the corner of the room sitting in a semi-comfortable chair with stacks of files that he read and worked on. She opened her eyes and slowly sat up, somewhat unsure of what was going on. Sesshoumaru sensed her awakening and looked up form his papers. Rin saw him and smiled.

Standing up, he walked over to her bedside, examining her with his eyes and his aura to get a reading on her health status.

"I am not sure who did this to me Sesshoumaru-sama," Rin spoke for the first time since she was admitted to the hospital. So her ability to speak wasn't some fluke from the sword, she was truly healed.

Sesshoumaru was surprised, but did not show it, would not show it. He barely even nodded. But she noticed something from him to let her know that she should continue.

"Somehow, they knew I was coming. There were too many to count. Their leader however was the only one in human form; the rest could not assume such a shape." She continued reliving that moment in her mind one more time. Once she shared her memories on the matter, it would be the last time she would have to dwell on them. Never would Sesshoumaru make her retell her horror.

She dropped her head down, her black hair falling down, hiding her face. The tiny fingers of her hand fiddled with the blankets as she wrestled with whether or not she should say what she wanted to say next. Would he even answer her back?

"I apologize for being weak and causing you problems Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Why do you feel that you must apologize?" He quietly asked. The question surprised both of them. It was a question that he had asked himself in his mind, but it slipped out accidentally. He had to wonder what compelled him to actually voice his thoughts.

"The leader says I was the key to your undoing. And it would result in the fall of The War Dogs. Sesshoumaru-sama, I would have accepted my death knowing that you and your gang would be safe."

Sesshoumaru didn't say a word. He just turned and left, sensing a visitor outside of her door. Rin brightly smiled her crooked grin. She didn't need Sesshoumaru to say a word to her. Somehow, she knew. She lied back down and got comfortable again in the hospital bed. Things were going to be okay, that she knew for sure.

Sesshoumaru closed the door to Rin's room. "What brings you here, monk?" He asked in his usual business tone. Miroku had arrived at the perfect time. He had heard enough from Rin and would not question her on the subject again. There were people who worked for him that would deal with the minor details.

"What has happened, sir?" Miroku asked, hoping to have gotten a peek into the room.

"Rin was attack, yet she is unharmed," he answered, not wanting to divulge anything to anybody at the moment. "Where is the draftee, Higurashi-sensei?"

"She's with Sango and Inuyasha. They are accompanying her on the hunt for the jewel," he explained quickly as he was always afraid of the taiyoukai. Afraid that anything he said would upset Sesshoumaru, he kept his words to a minimum.

"I highly doubt that Inuyasha would agree to such a ludicrous thing."

"Well, he figured that since Naraku was after the jewel, if they went after the jewel, there was a chance they would cross paths, and Inuyasha would have the opportunity to kick some ass."

Sesshoumaru nodded. Now that sounded more like his idiotic brother. "Follow me monk," he ordered calmly. Miroku silently nodded and followed Sesshoumaru down the hallway. On each floor, there was a room that was protected with magic, to keep people and demons from eavesdropping in on discussed matters. Sesshoumaru was the only one with access to these rooms. He opened the door and they both entered, closing the door behind them to reseal the room from prying ears.

"Rin's attack was planned," Sesshoumaru stated. His eyes bore into the monk.

"To get to you?" Miroku asked a bit surprised by his leader's confession. His reply was a nod from Sesshoumaru. "If I may ask, sir, why was Rin outside of the compound. From my understanding, she hasn't left since she was brought here a year ago."

Sesshoumaru trusted Miroku for reasons even he didn't know. Miroku was fiercely loyal to him, unless he did anything to women, especially that Sango woman. Sesshoumaru didn't think it was honorable to attack women. "I received a letter from the museum about something. I don't leave the compound, so I asked Rin to do it on my behalf."

"So the letter was a trap."

Sesshoumaru frowned. "No, I don't believe so. I believe they knew about the letter and knew that I would send Rin to go in my place. What she told me has confirmed this."

Miroku could sense hesitation from the normally stoic Sesshoumaru. "Sir, is there something you're not telling me?"

That was the one question he didn't want to answer. Why? He was not embarrassed, or even ashamed. It was that the answer didn't make sense to him. It still didn't even though he had most of the facts regarding the situation. He decided to answer Miroku. Miroku was a spiritual man and might have a certain perception on the matter that he could not.

"Perhaps. I sensed her danger and went out to her." Sesshoumaru reached for the sword that he had found and kept by his side. "I found this and it called out to me."

"The Tensaiga as mentioned in Kagome's papers. Only one can wield it, same as with the sword Inuyasha has. Someone knew you were meant for this sword. Do you think that was the trap?"

"I do not know that either. However, it is what I want you to find out. I already have another Pack member working on this."

Miroku nodded. "Of course. Kouga came back as well. Inuyasha has asked that he look after his men and if we receive any credible word on Naraku to send Kouga out to him immediately."

"Sounds reasonable. You may go now monk."

Miroku turned and left the protected room. Sango and Kagome would just have to wait a little bit longer for his return. He hoped that Inuyasha would keep both of them safe. However, with Inuyasha's temper, he feared more for Kagome's safety than Sango's. Inuyasha didn't see Sango as the enemy. In Inuyasha's mind, Kagome was just as bad, if not worse, than Kikyou.

Naraku's Compound

Naraku sat in the small tatami mat room, watching the smoke from the incense and tea rise up in a race. Behind the shouji, a man was kneeling and waiting for his boss to speak to him on his recent job.

"Report," Naraku spoke.

"The attack on their doll was a success. He will have found her dead body in the alleyway by now." The man retold his story with pride.

"And my draftee, Higurashi-sensei?"

The man briefly looked up at Naraku, beads of sweat already aligning his brow. "Disappeared at the moment sir. Since the drafting announcement, reports of sightings of her have come my way and my men are looking into them at the moment. I have flooded the surrounding area with my demons. We will have her soon."

Naraku didn't move. "I don't have to tell you to be careful."

The man smiled. "They don't suspect a thing my lord."

Naraku snickered. The type of snicker that he enjoyed. He doubted that the great dog demon didn't suspect a thing. It was foolish thinking, but he wasn't going to warn his lackey. "Dismissed."

Outside Midoriko's Cave

Inuyasha woke up, surprised that he actually fell asleep at all. He preferred to rest with his eyes closed when healing, never falling asleep, especially when sleeping outside, because that would leave him vulnerable to attacks. He sat up to find no pain and his wound completely healed. There were fresh bandages wrapped around his stomach and he could smell that herb paste that was made for him the night before.

Breakfast was already prepared for him, warmed bacon on a plate and a container of ramen sat near his side. He was hungry and poured the hot water into the cup of ramen and munched on warmed bacon while waiting for the three minutes required to soften his favorite noodles. He noticed that he was alone at the campsite and surveyed the surrounding area to find those he traveled with.

Not far off he found Sango practicing with her new toy. He was amazed at how quickly she had picked up on the weapon and was reminded of his sword. The sword, the boomerang, it was all a bit weird, how they ended up with these weapons that were somehow meant for them and only them. He shook off the strange thoughts as his ramen was finished.

Once finished with the bacon and ramen, Inuyasha stood up, sword in hand, and went off to find Kagome. After the attack last night, someone might be back and he didn't want to stick around too long just in case it drew more demons to the area. Sango nodded at him recognizing his presence, but that she was just too busy to talk to him.

Kagome's scent was fresh and she hadn't wandered far from the campsite, so he followed that to find her. He didn't have to go far. Kneeled in front of the barrier of the cave she sat there, eyes closed, head bowed and hands pressed together as she silently prayed. Flowers were scattered in front of the entrance and she had found some weeds to burn as incense in spiritual tribute to the warrior priestess.

Finding a hiding spot behind one of the boulders near the entrance, he spied on her, watching her actions. He still couldn't get over how much she reminded him of Kikyou. Too many similarities for his liking. Yet, watching her, examining the look on her face, he started to notice the many differences. She was feisty, full of emotion, and willing to express those emotions. It was the exact opposite of the Kikyou he knew.

Kagome finished with her prayer and opened her eyes, sighing. She felt relief wash over her and knew that everything inside the cave was just fine. It was almost time to go as the morning sun was already heating up beyond comfortable. Inuyasha would be waking up, yelling and demanding for their immediate departure from this place. She chuckled at herself.

This chuckling caught Inuyasha off guard. Never once had he seen Kikyou chuckle, smile maybe, but chuckle, never. It had a nice sound to it. A sound that he wouldn't mind hearing again, but one he would never ask for.

Watching her stand up, Inuyasha bounded back to the campsite ahead of Kagome. He definitely couldn't let her know that she bothered him so deeply. Kagome's presence made Inuyasha reexamine his relationship with Kikyou, and to endlessly compare the two women against each other.

He noticed Sango was done playing with her toy and made it back to the campsite. He sat down and stayed silent, spacing out as he stared at the dying morning fire. Sango knew Inuyasha, his habits, and said nothing.

Practically skipping back to the campsite, Kagome was all smiles and happiness as she sat down at the campsite. Grabbing the last pieces of bacon, she munched on the meat as she packed away her items. Sango and Inuyasha followed suit, packing what items they had, which wasn't as much as Kagome had packed. But Kagome had opted to carry the food and medical supplies.

"So, Kagome, what's the plan now?" Sango asked. Inuyasha pretended not to listen to what Kagome had to say. One of his ears turned to the directions of the girls so he could hear clearer.

Kagome stood up, slinging the slightly lighter yellow backpack over her shoulders. Looking at Sango, she replied, "South." The smile she had on earlier was gone and the happiness had disappeared. Kagome was suddenly serious. Turning, she faced the direction back down the mountain and started walking, not even waiting for Sango or Inuyasha, knowing that they could easily catch up with her.

"Kagome, wait!" Sango yelled as she hurried to meet up with the girl. "What's the big hurry? What's there in the south?"

Kagome didn't look at Sango, but kept walking steadily along, facing forward at what was to come.

"More."