The Color of Hope: Chapter 25: Alliance

Inuyasha pulled his sword free of it's sheath. Its transformation was instantaneous, surrounded in a reddish haze mirroring the crimson now staining his narrowed gaze.

Jagged amethyst stripes appeared on his cheeks, darkening as he shifted forward.

Shielding Kagome and the children, Inuyasha bared his fangs furiously.

"You ain't takin' what's mine!" he threatened viciously.

Kagome moved forward, pressing close to Inuyasha's side.

Ryutakami watched the transition of Inuyasha's appearance, could feel the difference when his youki exploded, hidden well beneath his hanyou facade.

Inuyasha protects Kagome as a demon male would his mate, but they aren't a mated pair. Ryutakami noted silently. She openly accepts his protection, but is Inuyasha strong enough to keep Kagome and Kibou from me?

Inuyasha pulled Tetsusaiga's sheath from his obi, tossing it to Sango. "Take Rei and the kids and get the hell outta here."

Ignoring the rush of commotion as Sango and the firecat did as they were bid, Ryutakami stood, his own youki rising to the surface in preparation of an imminent battle, eyes now focused on Kagome.

The crest on her shoulder shimmered in the dim lighting. Fascinated, he watched as his brother's mark began to spread, down Kagome's arm, along her hands, to finger tips gleaning now with a dragoness' serrated claws.

The marking continued to spread as Kagome's hair lengthened, taking on a bluish-green sheen, eyes shifting from brown to silver instantaneously, though neither she or Inuyasha noticed.

"I won't leave my family. I won't leave Inuyasha!" Kagome swore, unknowingly exposing newly formed fangs that glistened in the sparkle of her power as it swirled around them, forming a barrier strikingly similar to his own, yet somehow very different.

"Ryutakashi's youki won't hurt me", Ryutakami stated, still transfixed by the miko's transformation.

Kagome was no longer the human priestess she had been before Ryutakashi's power had fused with hers. Now, it seemed, she was transitioning into something much more demonic in nature. However, despite the change, she still maintained her purification abilities. Ryutakami knew because he could feel the burn of it from where he stood.

Miroku stepped forward once Rei and the children were loaded onto Kirara's back. "Go Sango," Miroku called. "I'll follow shortly."

When Sango, and the others with her, were gone, Miroku's eyes shifted past the remaining trio, searching instead for the tiniest trace of youkai he sensed maneuvering at meteoric speed toward their location.

3...2...1.

The darkness lifted momentarily, what was left of the night's fire snuffed out by the sudden rise in youkai that had nothing to do with Inuyasha's wrath.

"Ryutakami," a familiar voice rumbled.

The Dragon's attention shifted to the new arrival, one who carried enough power to easily challenge his own.

"Lord Sesshoumaru," Ryutakami greeted respectfully.

He instantly recognized the scent that once belonged to Inu no Taisho, the long-dead Dog General of the West, and also Lord Sesshoumaru's father.

A scent Inuyasha also shared.

Brothers, Ryutakami surmised, which meant an allegiance not even he could challenge.

A/N:

I wanted to get another chapter/drabble posted as I go in for same day surgery this Wednesday?Thursday (I can't remember, lol- I'll need to call and check what day it is, but I know it's one of the two, lol), and then another one 2 weeks after this one. I have several more procedures coming after these- but I'll explain all of this *hopefully* in the next few days on my profile page.

I'm still planning to continue writing, despite these new procedures, so no worries, lol.

I'm too damn stubborn to give up my writing, and already have multiple chapters for 'Color' and 'De Sidere' ready to post, as well as at least 5 more chapters between them, both outlined and ready to start on.

HUGS

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews on 'De Sidere' as well as for 'Color' and the many other stories you've been kind enough to review for me. I loved them all! Thank you for taking the time to let me know what you think of them-

it means the world to me, and never fails to brighten my days.

Neisha