Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha

Chapter 29: Blood Ties

Stopping once they reached the mouth of the cave, Sesshomaru scanned the child, checking for injuries. He was finding it hard to believe that she had escaped unscathed considering that last time it had nearly killed her. Satisfied that she was indeed whole, he set her on the ground before proceeding into the forest.

The trees grew denser as they traveled deeper into the woods. The sky was just starting to darken when they came across a clearing. Looking up at the brilliant red and orange sky the demon lord indicated they were to stop,

"We will camp here for the night." The demon announced arrogantly, settling himself against the trunk of a large tree.

Rin set about gathering fire wood. It was autumn and the evenings tended to be cool. She remained silent as she carefully placed small twigs and leaves in a pile for kindling. Making sure the larger sticks were within easy reach, she set about starting the camp fire. Concentrating on her kindling, Rin tried to ignore her three companions who were watching her thoughtfully. She needed to tell them what she had learned, yet she hesitated; it was likely that what she had to tell them would not be welcome. Rocking back on her heels as the fire finally caught, she stole a glance at her lord as she placed a few larger sticks on the fire.

The demon lord's pale figure leaned negligently against the large tree, watching as she set up camp. He hadn't asked anything yet, but she knew he was waiting. Turning her attention back to the small fire, she squeaked in surprise, jumping back. Kephren crouched on the opposite side of the fire, his sliver eyes reflecting the cheery flames. Rin took a deep breath as she moved back to the fire. He moved so quietly!

"You know something." Kephren stated, breaking the silence.

Rin stared into the flames, not sure if what she had seen was real or a dream.

"Tell me." the Talisian commanded.

Meeting his silver gaze over the dancing flames, she hesitated, "I'm not sure if what I saw was a dream or not."

Kephren regarded her curiously, "You saw something while you were unconscious?"

Rin nodded. "What did you see?" Kephren prompted.

The three sat in silence as Rin slowly told them what she had seen while held in the embrace of the vines. She glanced up as she finished her tale to find three incredulous pairs of eyes staring back at her. Rin swallowed uneasily, she had a feeling they weren't going to like this.

"Preposterous!" Kephren exclaimed, rising to his feet.

Sesshomaru, while no less shocked, remained far quieter about it as he regarded her out of narrowed eyes. What disturbed the demon was that he had heard of Nexus. Pushing aside the uneasiness that was settling over him, he asked, "The one called Nexus. What manner of demon was he?"

Rin's eyes darted over to her lord, "He was a falcon, my lord." she said nervously.

Sesshomaru did not reply as he tried to recall what he had heard of Nexus. The demon's eyes narrowed as he remembered some of the old tales; without exception every story about the demon concerned his desire for vengeance, his cruelty, and his hatred of all living things. Nexus had killed indiscriminately; human or demon, it had made no difference. In the stories Nexus had been so powerful that the humans and demons had combined forces in hopes of killing of him, but when they failed they resorted to imprisoning him instead. If the stories were correct, many had died in the process. Sesshomaru turned his attention back the small child sitting in front of the camp fire. The demon he knew of couldn't possibly be the same one that Rin had spoken of, could he?

"If what you saw was not just a dream, that would mean that the blood of the ancients exist in both demons and us." Thryss said, speaking up for the first time.

Kephren moved to stand in front of Thryss, "Then you believe that we are an engineered race?" he asked incredulously.

"Her story does not sound like a dream." Thryss explained.

"I am notan abomination." Kephren declared indignantly.

Rin hung her head, "That's what Nexus called himself, an abomination." she said quietly, drawing his attention.

Kephren shook his head, his long silver hair catching the firelight, "If what you saw is true, then the demons are engineered, but from what I understand they procreate like everything else on this world." The Talisian paced back and forth revealing his agitation, "The people of Talis engineer, but it is merely for the sake of optimal genetics. The engineering that you speak of is not possible here on this world. The demons don't have that kind of technology." he concluded.

It wasn't Rin, but Thryss that disagreed, "Even if what she saw was merely a dream, how do you explain the citadel?" she challenged.

Kephren stopped, turning to meet her gaze, confusion creeping into his silver eyes, "A citadel being here is illogical. A world with a citadel would never be targeted."

"Yet the citadel exists." Thryss said.

"Why is the citadel significant?" Sesshomaru queried, entering back into the conversation.

Thryss sighed, resting her chin on her palm, the light of the fire playing across her face, "A citadel indicates that the ancients took an interest in this world; invested time and resources. They would not build a citadel on a world that was in decline."

"Yet this world was targeted." the demon prompted.

"Yes, but it doesn't make any sense." Thyrss said, puzzled. She stared thoughtfully into the fire before turning her gaze to her dark world companion, "Keff, how is a world determined to be in decline?"

"There is a signal sent by the ancients." He answered absently.

"A signal?" Thryss frowned at Kephren, she had never know this.

The Talsian nodded, "Like us, the ancients were destroyers. We follow the same directive as they did; to eradicate all life from worlds that have a poisoned atmosphere, have been ravaged by an incurable sickness, or are unable to properly support life. The ancients scouted for these worlds; leaving an encoded signal to indicate if the world was in decline or under protection."

"There are protected worlds?" Thryss asked in surprise.

Kephren nodded affirmatively, "The ancients took interest in certain worlds. The signal from these planets were encoded, placing them under their protection."

"Wouldn't the existence of the citadel indicate this is a protected world?" she speculated.

"It stands to reason." he agreed

Thryss fell silent, considering what she had been told. Glancing up, she asked, "Where do the signals originate from?"

"I do not know." Kephren said, meeting her eyes.

"What about the citadel?" Thyrss suggested. "It would be capable of sending out a signal."

Kephren gave her a horrified look, "The Foremost of the Imperial Guard herself interprets the signals. Are you suggesting that she would ignore our directives?"

Thryss met his gaze squarely, "What if she didn't know about the citadel? If she found the signal, but not the citadel, it is possible she might misinterpret it." she insisted.

Kephren ran a dark hand through his long silver hair, not liking where this was going.

Thyrss continued ruthlessly, "The citadel on this world is obviously not self-sufficient any longer. If the signal originated from the citadel; considering its state of disrepair, it stands to reason that the signal may have become distorted, perhaps losing some or all of the protective encoding."

"Which would mean the Foremost has been mistakenly targeting protected worlds." Kephren finished grimly.

Sesshomaru listened in growing horror to what they were suggesting, "Then you are saying that this world has been targeted in error?"

"Yes." It was Kephren that answered, his silver eyes devoid of all their normal humor. "We must stop this. We must find a way stop Astarte."

"Stop Astarte? How? She is the strongest of our kind!" Thryss erupted to her feet, staring at him in disbelief."

"I will challenge her." Kephren decided.

So great was Thryss anger that the demon had a fleeting hope she actually might hurt the creature. Unfortunately all she did was yell at him; still it lasted for quite some time, resulting in Kephren leaving in what could only be called a huff.

Thryss growled in frustration as she watched Kephren's departing back. Spinning on her heel, she took off in the opposite direction. She needed some time to think.

Sesshomaru pushed himself away from the tree as he rose to his feet.

"My lord." Rin's small voice came out of the darkness.

"Yes, what is it?" The demon lord inquired, looking in the direction that Thryss had taken.

"I'm sorry." her small sad voice was barely a whisper.

Sesshomaru transferred his golden gaze to her expectantly.

"I made everybody angry. Thryss yelled at Kephren. She never does that." Rin studied the ground with seeming fascination, "Was I wrong in telling about what I saw?" she finished miserably.

"You were not wrong. Do not concern yourself with such foolish thoughts." the demon answered as he turned his back on her, and headed into the woods after Thryss.

Thryss stalked through the forest, grumbling to herself about her stupidly arrogant companion, who was going to get himself killed. It wasn't a very Talisian-like thing to think, but she couldn't imagine life without him. Her conceited companion would neveradmit to himself that he might be incapable of defeating Astarte. Thryss sighed in exasperation. She had to do something, but what? She had lost Sesshomaru once before, and might possibly lose him again if they could not stop the attack. The thought of losing Kephren also, was simply too much for her to bear.

Sesshomaru followed the small human female from a distance, curious to see what she up to. She appeared to be deep in thought, but whatever she was thinking was not evident in her expression. She walked purposefully through the trees, her face an emotionless mask, that he knew from experience hid whatever turmoil she was feeling.

"The palace is in the opposite direction." The demon said, circling around to stand in front of her.

Thryss glared up at him angrily. He should be used to it by now, but that utter lack of fear never failed to irk him. Sesshomaru continued to block her path as he waited for an answer.

"I was not returning to your palace." She said shortly, starting to go around him.

"Then you desired a walk? I will accompany you." he decided, falling into step beside her.

"I have no need of your companionship." Thryss said sharply.

"Never the less, you shall have it." he remarked implacably.

Thryss just about skidded to halt as she turned on him, "What do you want?" she demanded.

"If the creature wishes to challenge the one you call Astarte, why do you interfere? I was led to believe that such an interference was insulting." he inquired, arching a pale eyebrow.

"Whomever Kephren chooses to challenge, makes no difference to me." she said coldly.

"Will he survive the challenge?"

Thryss' anger evaporated as she raked a hand through her dark hair, "It is unlikely."

"Then why challenge her? There must be another option." he suggested.

Thryss glanced up, her dark eyes full of distress, "That's just it. A formal challenge will stop the attack until the outcome has been decided. With a challenge, it is a one-on-one fight. The only other option is to meet the armies of Talis head-on. We cannot hope to win against the armies, which is why he will challenge her. It is the only way."

"Why do you care?" the demon asked, unknowingly echoing the same question that Kephren had put to her concerning him.

Thryss laughed softly at the irony, "Kephren is my family. He is all I have." she said simply.

"This is your world, not Talis." Sesshomaru reminded her.

Thryss sighed, an expression of despair flitting across her face, "I am no human. I may have human blood, but I will never be one of them."

"I don't believe I suggested you remain with other humans." the demon said dryly.

Thryss started to reply then stopped short staring at him, "You want me to remain with you?"

"Providing the creature can be persuaded to go home."

"Kephren?" Thryss couldn't hide her amusement.

"Is there another one I should be aware of?" he asked dead-pan.

"Kephren is not enough, all by himself?" she said trying not to laugh.

Sesshomaru scowled at her in displeasure, "It would be an unparalleled cruelty to subject the world to more than one of him."

Thryss grinned, "The strange thing is, I suspect he is fond of you."

The look of abject horror crossing the demon's face caused her to laugh out loud.

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Kagome watched as InuYasha gobbled up the instant noodles she had brought for him. They had been following Sesshomaru for several days now and were no closer to figuring out what was going on. Her thoughts drifted to the exotic person that now traveled with the demon lord. What exactly was he? The school girl stared morosely into the campfire. Why couldn't she get him out of him mind? It was just a kiss. One simple little kiss. There was no reason for her to get so worked up about it.

"Whatcha thinking about?" The boy asked, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

"What?" Kagome blurted, startled out of her thoughts.

InuYasha leapt across the fire, crouching in front of her, "What gives? You've haven't said a word all night." unusual behavior for his normally talkative friend.

The school girl hastily waved a hand in denial, "Oh its nothing, I was just wondering what you brother is doing traveling with a human woman." she lied. Her thoughts had actually been on the other new addition to Sesshomaru's group, but she wasn't about to tell him that.

"There is something going on, I can feel it. My brother isn't exactly the social type. So why would he traveling with another human?" he wondered.

Kagome fidgeted irritably; maybe a walk would help. Having made up her mind, she stood up, brushing bits of leaves and twigs from her uniform.

Seeing InuYasha's questioning look, she told him, "I am going for a walk."

"Now?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah now." she said in exasperation.

"Are you crazy? You can't go walking around the woods at night, all by yourself." He sighed in resignation, "If you really want to, I guess I'll have to go with ya."

"No thanks." Kagome huffed, feeling put out by his self-sacrificing attitude, "I will be perfectly fine, and besides, I want to be alone."

InuYasha held up a placating hand, "Just wait a minute, would ya." he said, trotting along beside her as she made her way purposefully toward the trees.

Kagome wheeled around, irrationally angry with him, "I don't need your protection. I am only going a little ways into the woods. If I need help, I am sure you will be able to hear me."

The boy put up his hands in defeat, "Sheesh, you don't have to bite my head off." he muttered.

With a lift of her chin, Kagome marched into the forest, a niggling feeling of guilt eating away at her. She didn't mean to be short with him; it was just that she wanted to be alone for a little while. Glancing over her shoulder to make sure he wasn't following, she walked aimlessly though the dark shadows that stretched across the forest floor. Reluctantly deciding to head back, she turned around only to find she didn't recognize anything. Glancing around in something of a panic, she realized she had walked a much further than she had intended to. Mentally kicking herself for her impulsive nature, she decided to follow the water she had been hearing during her walk. If she could find the stream it might give her bearing. Being raised in modern day Japan, Kagome was not at home in the forest; which was evidenced by the inordinate amount of noise she made getting out of the woods. Breaking free of the dense thicket, she stumbled onto the bank of a small stream. Leaning over to brush off her skirt, she rested for minute, trying to calm her nerves. A movement to the side caught the corner of her eye. Gasping in fear, she jerked her head around scanning the area for wild animals. What she saw was most definitely not an animal. A slender dark figure relaxed on a flat rock near the stream, studying the starlight sky. Brilliant silver hair slid across the surface of the bolder as the evening breeze picked up, stirring the long strands.

If he noticed her, he gave no indication. Kagome wrestled with herself. If she had any sense she would be running the opposite direction. Even as her mind screamed at her to get out, she found herself moving forward. Like a moth to the flame, the school girl slowly approached the still figure.

As she neared, he propped himself up one elbow, watching her out those unnatural silver eyes. Kagome stopped a few feet away from his perch, telling herself that she was an idiot. He was dangerous. He had to be if he traveled with InuYasha's murderous brother. Standing at the base of the rock, Kagome tilted her head back, meeting the eerie silver gaze.

Suddenly nervous, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you." she stammered stupidly, bowing in apology.

"Why do you lie?" he asked, his sensuous lips curving up in amusement.

Kagome straightened indignantly, "I wasn't lying! What a rude thing to say!"

Sliding gracefully off the rock, Kephren walked over, watching with interest as she immediately began backing away. "If you desire my company, why do you back away?" he said softly. Reaching out, he caught hold of her, effectively preventing any attempt on her part to escape.

Oh, bad idea, this was such a bad idea, Kagome groaned silently. What had she been thinking? About that pretty silver hair, and those smooth hard muscles, that's what. Feeling his hand slide along her arm, pulling her closer, the school girl froze. Like a deer staring into the headlights of an oncoming car, Kagome stared up, as if hypnotized, into the inhumanly beautiful face.

"Am I truly that frightening?" Kephren murmured in amusement, as she stared at him wide-eyed. His unnatural voice wasn't helping matters.

"Um, well..." she said intelligently.

Using long dark fingers to tilt her head back, he asked, "If you were not seeking me out, what were you doing?"

"I just wanted to think." she babbled nervously, trapped within the circle of his arms.

"Ah."

Kagome narrowed her eyes at his dubious expression. "I certainly wasn't looking for you!" she exclaimed hotly.

Kephrens lips quirked at her indignant expression, "You traveled into the woods merely to think?"

"Yes." she said defensively.

"About what?" he asked curiously.

"Huh?" he noted her mouth had once more fallen open. "You really must work on this most unfortunate habit." Using a finger to gently close her mouth, he elaborated on his earlier inquiry, "What were you thinking about that brought you so far into the woods?"

Kagome stared at him dumbly. Raising a questioning silver brow, "You have forgotten?" he asked.

"Forgotten?" she echoed, staring up at him.

Kephren sighed dramatically, "That is the problem with great beauty. It tends to strike one speechless." he regarded her thoughtfully, tapping his lips with a slender finder. "Come, join me." he said abruptly, picking her up and leaping back onto the surface of the rock.

The unexpected movement jolted Kagome back to reality. Squealing in surprise, she twisted against his hold. "What do think you are doing?" she demanded.

Setting her down beside him, Kephren leaned back, once more resting against the cold surface of the rock. Slanting a look her way, he murmured, "I was thinking, until someone interrupted me."

Kagome's eyes darted away self-consciously. She had secretly hoped to see him again, but why? Giving into temptation, her gaze slid back to him. The school girl swallowed nervously. There was something so hypnotic about him, she couldn't seen to stop from staring. He watched silently as she slowly studied him.

Kagome frowned as she studied skin so black it seemed to absorb the shadows that surrounded them. She had never seen another living creature with his particular degree of darkness. It was unnatural.

"What are you?" she whispered.

Reaching up, he wrapped a shining curl around his finger. Lifting his gaze to meet hers, "You don't know?" he asked in a voice that sounded like rushing wind. Kagome shook her head negatively.

Kephren tilted his head slightly, regarding her out of enigmatic silver eyes, before pulling her down beside him. Kagome squeaked at the sudden movement, stiffening in surprise.

"Your such a prickly little thing." he murmured, threading his dark fingers through her hair. Kagome attempted to twist around to glare at him, only to find she couldn't move. He didn't look all that strong, but his arm might as have been made out of steel.

"Stop squirming." he chided her.

"I can't get up." she complained, wriggling unsuccessfully.

Sighing in resignation Kephren sat up, and leaned over her with a quizzical expression. Tracing her cheek, "It isn't possible." he said as though talking to himself.

"What isn't possible?"

Instead of answering, he leaned down to run his tongue lightly across her lips. "What are you doing?" she blurted, thoroughly flustered.

"You truly don't know?"

Kagome just shook her head.

As she started to struggle again, he raised an inquiring eyebrow, "Are all humans like you?"

"Humans?" she whispered.

"We have established that you are indeed human, correct?" he asked, heaving a long-suffering sigh.

Kagome nodded.

"Ah good, we're making progress." he said in satisfaction, "It stands to reason that there are others of your kind, correct?"

She nodded again.

His lips quirked up at the corner, as he watched her blank expression, "The other humans," he said slowly, "are they like you?"

"What do you mean." she asked, wrinkling her brow.

Kephren shook his head sadly, "It must be quite a sight to watch you humans converse with one another." he mused.

"What!"

Before she could express her outrage, he leaned down once more catching her lips in a soft caress. She stiffened uneasily as he teasingly brushed his tongue across her lips, while slowly exploring her skin with his fingers. Kagome made a soft distressed sound when she felt him slid his hand under her white cotton blouse.

Lifting his head, "Why do you fear being touched?" he asked in a puzzled voice as he felt her begin to tremble.

"I don't do this on a regular basis, you know!"

"You don't play?" he asked in surprise.

"What kind of girl do think I am?" she asked in outrage.

"I believe we determined you were human." he said, mystified by her odd antics.

Kagome growled in frustration, which only made him grin. Examining her thoughtfully, his eyes suddenly widened in understanding. "You lack experience." he breathed, brushing her ear with his lips. Sensuously sliding his tongue along the outer edge, he murmured, "It has been a long time since I have had to teach someone."

Authors note: Whew! I had to put a lot of information into this chapter, hopefully I explained everything well enough. Did you like this chapter? My nerd was working overtime trying to pull everything together.

MissQuigley: The inner-nerd thanks you, and hopes you liked this chapter too. You are right about the demons and the Talisians being related and engineered, I was hoping I made that clear enough in the last chapter. It is always a challenge to get what is in my head onto paper! As for a paradox, well I am not sure I would call it that, but I will explain the Rin/Nexus thing later. :)

Onis-g:Thanks for the compliment! I am glad you liked Rin being central in the last chapter, it is a little chancy when there aren't many of the main characters in the chapter, so I am relieved it worked out well. You liked Nexus? I thought he was kinda cool, although he won't come onto play very much until I start the sequel. :)

ColdHeartedVixen: Kephren is back, and I am having fun. Its too bad for Kagome that she only exists for his entertainment. Oh well. So I managed to surprise you? I was hoping I would be able to have a few surprises pop up along the way. I shall try not to disappoint! :)