A/N: The second half of the Tetsusaiga myth is here…I got a fish from my boyfriend this weekend, just one of many gifts he sends with me. Others include massagers shaped and painted like mice, a giant teddy bear that I call my love slave, a little beanie baby husky, and some noise putty that I know my dad will love. The betta fish however, is the best. Beautiful and distracting. My boyfriend was fascinated by it in the short time he and I were jointly responsible for it and constantly thought the fish looked "pissed." I've had numerous fishtanks in my lifetime and to me he looks "excited" or "happy." A big, red, beautiful betta that he took to simply calling "Mr. Fish." So as I write this, Mr. Fish sits in his little bowl above me, blowing bubbles and nosing around the colorful marbles at the bottom. Yes…life is good…

And then there was the tragedy at Virginia Tech. I go to a very small college, but it has struck fear in me as well. When Columbine came and made history and was broadcast far and wide by the news media, it wasn't even a month before there were copycats. I wonder whether there is someone deranged enough on my campus to do the same thing. I pray there isn't, and I also pray the wounded recover, the scarred heal, and the grieving families can come to terms with their loss. Also, I feel anger that their campus wasn't closed. The administration should be punished, there are no excuses. Two people died, the other 30 didn't have to. Virginia Tech's administrators have the blood of 30 people on their hands; I hope they are punished accordingly.

Disclaimer: not mine…nooo not mine.

Last Chapter: Shinku seemed to get cold feet while talking with Mrs. H. Mrs. H is wondering if WWII killed Kagome. Miroku and Sango had a moment of tenderness that I thoroughly enjoyed. Shippo and Kilala tracked Kagome and IY down and forced them to come back to Kaede's hut. IY made Kagome promise not to terminate her pregnancy. During a meal a little lizard disturbed things…

Decoy

Inudoushi and the Shikon Jewel

The battle for the destruction of Naraku drew nearer with each day, yet Inudoushi remained silent as the weeks passed, refusing to think, let alone speak to the human woman who had professed to loving him. Demons are creatures of war and bloodshed; they live long lives filled with it. A human woman was no wife, no mate, for a creature such as Inudoushi. As a mortal, Chikara would die many years before his time on the earth ended, and their offspring would be scorned and outcast. He refused to consider her words, refused to let them touch his own emotions.

Despite her distress at having professed such emotions and being ignored by her companion, Chikara persisted at his side, though now she burned cold as the blizzards in winter. She hid her heart, struggled to look upon the dog demon she traveled beside with no emotion at all.

The fall came. Red leaves dripped from the maples, like blood from a wound. Naraku massacred the people, haunted the honor of the demons that wished for his death. He was a monster of incomprehensible strength—when injured, even torn to shreds by his enemies, he could feign death only to resurrect himself into a whole being moments later. This power was supplied and amplified by Naraku's secret weapon: the Shkion Jewel. Even when he was too weak to survive the Jewel was able to boost his strength and return him to normal. It was in this way that Naraku easily survived the many attempts on his life…and there was only one being capable of stopping him: Chikara.

Inudoushi and Chikara caught up with Naraku, defeated or dismissed the demons that he kept in his service, and began the Final Battle. It was no easy task: a day and a night passed before at last Naraku's secret was exposed. It was only with Chikara's great spiritual strength that the Shikon Jewel was exposed and retrieved. Inudoushi immediately possessed the gem, hoping to deal the final blow to Naraku with the aide of the Jewel's strength.

But Chikara had been unable to purify the Shikon Jewel before Inudoushi took control of it. Without her purity the Jewel was tainted and full of Naraku's evil malice. That destructive aura aided Inudoushi's strength, but destroyed his soul. The dog demon went on a rampage, searching for the fleeing Naraku. He attacked those that were innocent; he wielded his power like a young child plays with a weapon.

Frightened and sick at heart, Chikara pursued the dog demon she loved, and with every last ounce of her soul, she cleansed Inudoushi and the Shikon Jewel. She slipped into Death's grip, weary and heartbroken, but fulfilled that she had saved the demon she had loved, and so enabled him to have the strength and the sanity to destroy Naraku on his own…

But when sanity returned to Inudoushi, he saw the human woman that he had refused to love, refused to think of as anything more than a weaker, mortal companion, crumpled at his feet. A pain unlike any other he had ever known entered his heart, as he realized that she had sacrificed her entire heart and soul for him.

A fierce love for the dead mortal woman filled him, and Inudoushi wept at her loss, prayed in desperation that she would return to him from the Land of the Dead…

Naraku's Death and Chikara's Fate

Inudoushi pursued Naraku with the Shikon Jewel's purified power, swearing to avenge Chikara's death. The dog demon easily found the weakened Naraku and the last battle began. Naraku, evil until the last breath, taunted Inudoushi's guilty heart.

"The human woman died for you, Dog, to let you kill me. Yet though you destroy me you shall feel no rest, no peace, and no victory. Your very soul is hollowed out by her loss. I die at your hands knowing that my legacy of suffering endures even within the heart of my murderer!" and so it was that even as Inudoushi tore his longtime nemesis apart and finally sent him to the bowels of the Underworld, where the beast belonged, he felt no joy, no accomplishment.

With Naraku dead Inudoushi returned to where he had left Chikara's body but refused to mourn her. He wanted nothing but to have her walking beside him once more, to have her living and breathing. Desperately he dressed the mortal woman in her best robes and took her from temple to temple, from spiritual spot to holy place. In each sacred place he begged and pleaded with the ancient gods that demons worshipped, praying that she be restored to him as a dog demon so that he could wed her. Each time he was answered with silence, and Chikara never sprung back to life.

Finally Inudoushi returned to the great and ancient tree whose roots he'd been resting on when Chikara had appeared to him. He planned to bury her beside it, and vowed never to forget her, never to give his heart to another, whether she was demon or human. But when the time came to be parted even from her corpse he found that he could not.

So it was that Inudoushi spent the night amidst the ancient tree's branches, his heart and soul troubled at the sight of the lifeless human woman at the foot of the old tree's roots. And in the deep darkness of that night a voice spoke within his dreams.

"You love this human woman called Chikara?" the soft voice whispered to Inudoushi.

The dog demon spoke to the dream-haunting presence not with his own voice but with the call of his soul: I do.

And the whispering voice responded: "You wish her to live again?"

I do.

"When you wake," the voice murmured, "You must use the Shikon Jewel to restore her life…but there will be a price to pay."

I care nothing about a price, as long as I am allowed to be with her.

The voice bid him farewell, for it was satisfied. "Live long Inudoushi, and be happy. Name your children Tetsuseiga."

When Inudoushi woke with dawn's first light after the mysterious voice had left him, he ripped the Shikon Jewel from where it hung about his neck. He prayed and pleaded that it would restore Chikara to the land of the living once again, no matter what price was needed in exchange. A spell of dizziness overtook the dog demon and he fell into a deep sleep.

The next time Inudoushi opened his eyes he found that the sun was setting. At the foot of the ancient tree Chikara was wakening as well, rubbing her eyes as if she had merely been sleeping for a long, long time. Inudoushi took the human woman in his arms in a desperate embrace, and pledged his love for her, swearing never to leave her or to let any harm befall her ever again…

Yet when Inudoushi withdrew and looked Chikara in the eye he saw her confusion. The young woman said to him, "Who are you, sir?"

Though his heart cried out with pain, Inudoushi answered her calmly, "I am Inudoushi. You are Chikara. I have brought you back from the dead. I have slain Naraku. Now I am here to make you my bride because I love you."

And Chikara laughed at him, saying, "But I know Inudoushi—he is a demon, you are only a man."

It was then that Inudoushi realized the Shikon Jewel's price: his demon heritage…

The Family Tetsusaiga

Brought back to life, Chikara had no memories of the time she had missed while away from the Land of the Living. She asked the man who claimed to be the dog demon Inudoushi what she had missed, and if they had succeeded in the quest to destroy the evil demon Naraku.

And when Inudoushi answered her he was filled with a profound relief. "Yes, Chikara, I killed Naraku—but it would've been an impossible task if you hadn't sacrificed yourself for me so bravely. I am forever in your debt, and you must know that I am in love with you."

Chikara was stunned to hear this, and when she looked him in the eye she found that she could see the resemblance that this mere man bore to Inudoushi, and she began to believe him. But his proclamation of love she was uncertain of. "Inudoushi," she asked, "Is this a new thing? As a demon you never spoke with me about my confession, of my love for you. I thought you didn't or couldn't love me. Is it only because you are human now that you love me?"

Inudoushi laughed and embraced her. "I was always lying to myself, Chikara. I wanted to believe that I wasn't in love with you even though I did. I've loved you for a long, long time now, though it made no sense to me, I could not stop myself."

But still Chikara was confused. "Why would you not wish to love me? Why would you lie to yourself?"

And Inudoushi answered her: "For the fear of losing you. If I admitted my love for you even to myself then the thought of losing you in battle would've killed me long ago. It was only after I'd lost you that I realized how wrong, what a complete fool I'd been…"

When the mortal woman gazed into his eyes she knew that he spoke the truth and she praised the heavens for allowing her another chance with the man she loved. They married not long after and took the surname Tetsusaiga, as the spirit of the ancient tree had instructed Inudoushi to do.

From their loins the Tetsusaiga family arose, proudly calling themselves the demon-descended family. Legend says that the family's strange features (Amber/gold eyes, abnormal strength, athletic ability, and fair hair) are Inudoushi's latent dog demon influence. From Chikara's powerful soul come such abilities as prophetic dreams, intuition, and, strangest of all, it is said that every woman born to the Tetsusaiga family has a tiny shard of the legendary Shikon Jewel inside her where her spiritual powers are stored.

So it is that the strength and prowess of the dog demon and the mortal woman that together destroyed the evil Naraku lives on within their descendants throughout the ages.

Shinku showed me to his guest room. It was messy, piled high with papers. I saw magazines, newspapers, and reels and reels of Internet webpages printed out. Some were highlighted, some had holes burned into them. I saw a massive poster on the world of the world. Nations sprawled over it, divided in places by oceans. Unlike most of the images of the world I saw on a daily basis, this one had Russia more prominently placed, over others like the Americas or Japan. The city names over Russia were in Russian, I couldn't read them.

The window was open, allowing me to hear a siren blaring down below on the city streets. I could see the rolling hills of Tokyo, the lights leading away over the countryside. The bed he provided was small. I stared at it, uncomfortable, unsure of what I should do or of what was proper.

"Make yourself at home." Shinku ordered, making me jump with how close he was to my ear. I stumbled away, blinking at him. "Did you get a good look at those Tetsusaigas?"

I was still holding the photo album, close, against my chest. "Can I take it with me?"

Shinku scowled. "It's family records…"

"I am family."

Shinku opened his mouth and looked as if he were about to start arguing rather vehemently with me, but then he snapped it shut and I noticed a new look of cunning entering his eyes. "Lady Higurashi. Have you, perchance, heard the Tragedy of Oedipus?"

I felt my face changing shape, scowling. "Ed-ee-pus?" I repeated, slowly, carefully.

"Yes. It's a Greek myth from the city of Thebes. It makes an excellent example of mankind. I collect human myths from around the world." He cocked his head, smirking, "I find them entertaining. I believe that perhaps you could learn from Oedipus's disaster."

His tone was beginning to offend me. I believed he was trying to insult me in some way. "If you're going to waste my—"

"Oh I assure you, it's not a waste. You remember how you believed World War two had nothing to do with your own situation? Humans often make this mistake. You believe in the small scale, the personal effects something will have. You don't see how things are interrelated, how one life touches a thousand others and more. And…" he gestured at me, "You cannot accept fate. Even when it's staring you in the face."

"Stop your riddles." I turned my back on him, staring out the window instead. The curtains had been yellowed by Shinku's smoking. They fluttered with a chilly breeze, but I didn't mind. With Shinku's accusations and horror stories I welcomed the chill, a reminder that I was alone and somewhere outside of this apartment the world was still going on, unchanged.

"You asked for them." Shinku laughed, mirthlessly. "And now whether you like it or not you're going to hear about Oedipus and his stupidity."

"You think all humans are stupid, don't you? You've grown to hate us, haven't you?"

I couldn't see his face but I could hear his voice, light and scoffing. "On the contrary, you can be a fun, fascinating species. But you can also be devils…" he snorted at himself, "And to think—your people called my people demons, devils. You know in some countries the local youkai were eradicated, right alongside the wolves and the mammoths."

"I'm sorry to hear that—" I closed my eyes, frustrated, angry. Shinku interrupted me, as usual.

"You think none of it has relevance. I know. All right then, onto Oedipus." Shinku walked forward, grabbing my shoulder and spinning me round to face him. I stared into his bluish eyes and the fair skin, the red hair, as he talked. "Once there was a king. He went to the oracle to learn his fate. The oracle told him he would have a son and that son would kill him and marry his mother. The king looked at his young wife and decided to avoid sleeping with her. He got drunk one night and had sex with her anyway. She conceived and gave birth to a son, as the oracle had predicted. The king refused again to accept his fate. He took his own son out into the forest and abandoned him there. Tell me the king's faults, Lady Higurashi."

"He tried to kill his own son." I frowned, trying to push Shinku's hands away from my shoulders. "Let go…"

Shinku ignored me. "No, his fault was that he fought his fate. The oracle knew that he would." After a short breath he launched again into the tale. "A shepherd found the baby and turned it over to another wealthy couple who raised the boy, Oedipus, in a different city. When Oedipus came of age he went to oracle to learn his future. The oracle told him that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus fought the oracle—he didn't know he'd been adopted. He left his adoptive parents behind and on the road ran into the king. Through a misunderstanding they fight and Oedipus killed the king, his real father. When he entered the city he—"

"He married his mother." I shook my head, "Why are you telling me this? Are you saying I'm trying to fight fate? What fate?"

Shinku sighed and pursed his lips. "Your daughter was allowed to travel through time, that's never been done before. She had a fate, a destiny—and it wasn't in this time. You need to accept that." When I turned my face away, Shinku reached out and grabbed my chin, forcing me to look back at him directly. "When I talk to you, when you look at her in that photo album, I can see you still mourning her. I can tell—you still think maybe, somehow, you'll get her back. You have to accept, Lady Higurashi, your daughter had a destiny. And just like Oedipus, no matter what she—or you—do to try and fight it, you're never going to escape it."

"This isn't ancient Greece." I clutched the photo album tightly to my chest, folding into myself, trying to escape. "If Kagome had a fate, then what was it? There's no oracle for me to ask."

"You're holding part of it." Shinku murmured in a deep, fatigued voice. "I'm going to bed. Sleep well, Mrs. Higurashi."

I heard the door slam behind me and I jumped at it, startled. The chilly air from the window was beginning to bother me. I could feel the skin on my forearms prickling with gooseflesh. The photo album was still crushed against my chest. I stroked it, as if it were a cat, or perhaps one of my babies so many years ago, while I thought about Shinku's words.

The Tetsusaigas were Kagome's fate…?

Kagome was deep in dreaming. After the night meal, which she'd struggled to stomach, sleep had taken her easily, thick and powerful. Her limbs were like concrete, and her dreams were vivid and surreal, the kind that leave only haunting ghosts within the conscious mind when the morning comes.

She saw Inuyasha dressed in Miroku's robes and with his same violet eyes, but having the hanyou's fair hair and notorious dog ears. She saw Sango treating Shippo cruelly, pulling on the kit's tail, tossing him across the room as if she were Inuyasha.

The stairs of the Higurashi shrine appeared before her. She saw the stone of the steps, cracked and scoured by time and the elements. Her mother was there, at the top of the shrine, waiting for her. She was disappointed; Kagome had disgraced her and the family. Though she had not spoken to her mother yet, she knew this as if they were connected in spirit, as if it were like the emotional link she shared with Inuyasha. A conversation without spoken words, without real words at all.

She saw her mother in the shadows of the gate, colored bright, dazzling red. It contrasted sharply with the black shadow beneath it that hid away Kagome's mother. The stairs stretched up and up, the gate and her mother never seemed to come any closer. Then—abruptly—she reached it and found herself staring not at her mother, but at old Kaede instead. The old woman frowned; pinching her thin lips together in a wrinkled mess that reminded Kagome of mud after the puddle had evaporated, leaving the murky bottom exposed to harsh sunlight.

"You disappoint me, child." she said.

"I'm sorry…" Kagome felt tears well up in her eyes, burning and stinging. Her throat was developing a lump, large and painful and impossible to swallow. "I didn't mean to Lady Kaede…"

And then it was her mother in front of her and Kagome fought fresh pain as well as confusion at the instant transformation. Her mother's eyes were wet with tears, grief ringed her eyes, making them look forlorn and haunted. When she spoke it was thickly, through staggered, sobbing breaths. She held out her arms wide, as if calling Kagome into a bear hug. "My baby—why did you leave me?"

"Mama…" Kagome rushed forward, arms outstretched. She met with a solid presence, warm and comforting. Arms wrapped around her, fingers stroking her.

"Kagome…" Kagome.

The voice was her mother's and someone else, someone who hadn't spoken aloud.

The arms around her became Inuyasha's. The bright, powerful red of the gate above them seemed to leap into the hanyou's haori sleeves. Kagome…

She fought the heavy dream world, trying to come awake. The voice was Inuyasha's, she wanted to answer it but moving was so hard, her limbs were so heavy. Her eyelids drooped and suddenly she was aware that she couldn't open her eyes. The landscape of the dream world vanished, gradually working her into a place of warmth and darkness. There were arms around her—Inuyasha's, but he was asleep.

The hanyou had settled in for the night a short distance from her when the group had decided at last to rest for the night. Sometime during the night he'd slipped into the sleeping bag beside her and wrapped his arms around her, comfortingly.

Kagome struggled to move her arms, to drag herself from her thick, sleepy fog. Her fingers twitched, coming alive. She blinked and squinted her eyes, trying to see the waking world around her—and found herself staring at a beady-eyed lizard. Shock made her freeze at first, and then surprise made her gasps and move backward, bumping roughly into Inuyasha.

The lizard dashed forward abruptly, straight for her, like an arrow from an archer's bow. It leapt at her face.

Kagome screamed and batted at her face frantically.

The entire room around her erupted into noise. Sango and Miroku awoke at once, although blearily. They reached for their weapons, though Hiraikotsu was far too big to be used inside and Sango's sleepy muscles were still unprepared to lift the heavy boomerang. Shippo and Kilala squeaked and cried out, instantly at attention.

Inuyasha's hands fell on Kagome's shoulders, restraining her. "What the hell…!"

Kagome continued to flail and struggle, but through the dark only Inuyasha, Kilala, and Shippo could see what was attacking her—clamped onto her face with tiny, suction cupped feet and claws.

Shippo gasped, "The lizard!"

Kilala rushed forward, acting as any cat, youkai or not. She hovered just outside of Kagome's flailing limbs, waiting for the lizard to make one fatal move.

Inuyasha growled and tried to keep Kagome still. "Hold on! Stop moving!"

"What's going on?" Sango demanded, the grogginess in her voice was fast vanishing to be replaced with alarm.

Miroku had moved toward the fire hearth. Using the end of his staff he stirred up the embers, trying to bring them back to life. Firelight flickered through the small room, dimly allowing Sango and Miroku to see the shadow of the lizard plastered against Kagome's face.

Kagome was making sounds of fear, half-opening her mouth, which was a bad move. When she exposed her mouth the lizard risked life and limb, trying to burrow a tail or a foot into her mouth. It had clamped its tiny claws into her nostrils, digging deep. The scent of blood reached the hanyou and the two small youkai in the room, increasing their desperation.

"She's bleeding! What is that thing? Inuyasha!" Shippo was bouncing around nervously, leaping cautiously onto Inuyasha or Kagome to get close, as if meaning to help, but then losing courage because Kagome was struggling in panic.

At last Inuyasha grabbed the lizard's body firmly between the fingers of one hand and pulled it free. Kagome gave a last, choked cry, and then curled into a fetal position, shuddering and holding her hands to her bleeding face.

The lizard bit Inuyasha's fingers—hard enough that the hanyou hissed with pain and, as a reflex, tossed the lizard away, towards the fire. Kilala rushed after it, leaping in midair to snatch the lizard up with her mouth. Its vertebrae snapped audibly in her small jaws, it squawked and struggled, whipping its tail to try and poke out Kilala's eyes. The fire cat kept her lids closed, preventing any damage. She shook the lizard furiously, snapping his spinal cord. The lizard fell limp in her mouth and she held it there tightly, gazing around the room with her sharp, cat eyes, waiting for the others to tell her what to do with its body.

Sango and Miroku had moved in to surround Kagome now as well, trying to comfort her. "What happened? What was it?" Sango asked.

"That damned lizard from earlier." Inuyasha snarled.

"It couldn't have been simply a lizard." Miroku had turned his attention to Kilala, seeing the shadowy, long-tailed reptile hanging from Kilala's jaws. "Lizards do not attack people like that. Its actions seemed…calculated. This is the second time it's come so close to Kagome."

Kagome had recovered somewhat, sitting upright and holding her hands to her nose, trying to control the blood flow. "It was a demon." She was beginning to shake, "I felt its aura."

Shippo raced away to where Kaede was sleeping and stole a small white cloth that was used for drying one's hands. He rushed it to Kagome and offered it to her. "Here—Kagome, take this for your nose." He was being brave, but his small voice held a clear whimper in it.

Inuyasha snatched the cloth away from Shippo, and for once the kit didn't fight him on it. The hanyou forced his way in, trying to mop up the blood, the tears.

"Kilala caught it." Miroku murmured, cautiously. "It won't be troubling you again, Kagome."

Kilala took his words as a sign that she was free to dispose of the corpse. Sitting back on her haunches, she began chewing it, gnawing away, until the corpse had folded in on itself and she could swallow the thing down, mostly whole. Her tails twitched and she made a very human face of disgust for a moment, but then she appeared sedate once more, watching the humans, Shippo, and Inuyasha recover from the strange attack.

Miroku stirred the fire up brightly so that Kagome's wounds could bee revealed clearly. The lizard had left her with numerous tiny scratches that looked worse than they were. The most damage was in her nose and mouth. The claws had dug into her nose particularly, causing a lot of bleeding and pain. In her mouth the thing had scratched at her gums, but that was overall less painful than her nose. The Shard hunters stayed awake while Kagome kept the cloth pressed against her nose, waiting for the blood to stop flowing.

"Why would it attack like that?" Sango asked, shaking her head, baffled.

"Perhaps it was after the Shards." Miroku offered, though as his violet eyes roved over the others he saw a lot of doubt in their features.

"If that were true," Inuyasha grumbled, "It could've made off with them without us knowing—if it hadn't attacked her."

Kagome started speaking, but her words were muffled with injury and by the cloth. The others strained to understand her. "Maybe I woke up and saw it before it could."

"That's possible." Miroku dipped his chin to his chest, appearing pensive and contemplative.

Sango was shaking her head. "If it was after the Shards it should've gone for them—not for your face, Kagome. Even if you did wake up before it could make its move, attacking you like that doesn't make sense. It was exposed, it was small."

Kagome was slumped forward, her hands dropped away from her face and then, spastically, lifted again and pressed the cloth to her face. Her eyes drifted shut and then flickered back open. Inuyasha watched her with critical, hawk-like golden eyes. "Kagome…?"

The young miko stiffened abruptly and blinked, as if she'd only just woken up. She stared at the bloodied cloth in her hands and sniffled pathetically. "I'm so tired…"

"Go to sleep." Inuyasha ordered, simply. He reached out to her and shifted, bringing her body closer to his own, allowing her to nod off against him. Without words it promised comfort, security, and protection. It took only seconds for Kagome to halfway collapse onto his shoulder, fast asleep.

"I'm worried about her." Sango muttered, quietly. In her lap now and washing her face daintily, Kilala mewed in agreement.

Inuyasha bristled at her words—not for the sentiment, but for what he believed she was suggesting beneath it. Sango was trying to get into the "taboo" subject of Kagome's pregnancy. Since Inuyasha had returned with Kagome in his arms earlier in the day, no one had dared speak of it. It was a fact, and eventually they would have to confront it, but currently Inuyasha was possessive and short-tempered. No one could discuss the pup growing within his mate, not even him.

"She's fine." He rumbled, warningly.

"Perhaps we should all follow Kagome's example and get some sleep." Miroku interjected, struggling to diffuse the hostility he sensed growing between Inuyasha and Sango.

"You said it, Miroku!" Shippo piped, yawningly. He moved to settle somewhere onto Kagome's lap, but Inuyasha flicked him away, snarling. The kit leapt away and then glared bitterly. "Inuyasha!"

"Get lost, runt."

And so it was that the attack was gradually buried by dreams. One by one the Shard hunters let sleep take them. Kilala was first, though her sleep was light, always ready to spring wide awake. Shippo was next, at Kagome's side in spite of Inuyasha's grumbling. Miroku and Sango squabbled a little before bedding down. The pervert kept moving closer to Sango, into a zone that she felt was too close for comfort. At last they too settled in, Sango first, and then Miroku after he'd scooted closer to her again, within groping distance.

Inuyasha lingered for some time, listening, watching. He strained his mind, searching for the link that he and Kagome shared. When he concentrated, he thought she was there, deadened and muted, but still present. But as time wore on even this dim sense of her failed. While Kagome had slept earlier, Inuyasha had tried the same tactic with very positive results. For a moment he'd touched her mind, felt her dreams. The thickness of tragedy in her mind still haunted him. He wanted to walk through her dreams with her, to make sure she was never alone long enough to remember being stranded…

It was like covering up a stain. Even if it was no longer visible, Inuyasha would always know it was there. Kagome missed her family, her era. She feared the future here, in what she continually thought of as the past.

The shadows moved over the walls as the white, opaque light of the moon passed overhead. Its light passed through the thatched roof, thick and rich even when it was muffled by the roof.

Eventually, at long last, Inuyasha too succumbed.

High noon came the next day and Kagome had yet to wake. Breakfast was eaten in near-silence as the others tried to avoid waking the young miko. Inuyasha hovered nearby, refusing food and company. He booted the worried Shippo away from his sleeping mate incessantly until at last Miroku took it upon himself to keep Shippo away before he got to the grumpy hanyou.

Eventually the warmth and the sunshine of the new day drew Shippo, Kilala, Miroku, and Sango outside of Kaede's hut. The old woman herself left them early in the morning to make her rounds in the village, visiting the people and operating as the resident healer and priestess. Inuyasha remained inside the stuffy, dark hut, obstinately guarding Kagome. Watching over Kagome while she slept in this way wasn't new to him and didn't disturb him very much.

He was, however, beginning to worry when the hut grew rather hot in the afternoon sun and still Kagome showed now sign of waking. It was dark and humid inside, stifling for the hanyou even after he shed his outer haori jacket. Kagome was still wrapped underneath her blanket, she had to be blistering. Tentatively, as his concern began to mount, Inuyasha brushed her hair, then her forehead.

His fingers stopped mid-motion as he touched her skin.

She was cold, like autumn frost over the earth.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha shook her shoulder slightly. Kagome's face showed no signs of wakefulness, not even a ripple of reaction to his touch or his voice. He tried again anyway: "Kagome!"

Shippo, with an ear always turned toward his adoptive mother, heard Inuyasha's cries and abandoned his game with Kilala. The kit rushed over the grass, panting.

His mad dash caught Miroku's attention. Since breakfast the monk had helped Sango outside, escaping the stifling atmosphere of the hut in favor of the Indian summer outside. Now she lied on one side, curled away from him—not because of anything he'd done, but because of her internal injuries from Inuyasha's rampage the day before. She'd dozed off peacefully at his side. Miroku considered getting up and following Shippo to investigate, but a quick glance at Sango's beautiful, curvaceous hips and waist—turned so conveniently toward him—made the monk hesitate.

His hand twitched, but Miroku restrained it, reminding himself that she was injured. A touch might startle her and hurt her more. Sighing, he laid his head back on the grass and closed his eyes, letting his mind wander to other places, other uninjured women. (A/N: hey, he might love Sango, but I doubt anyone can argue, that's what he'd do…)

Then—ripping through his sexual fantasies—Miroku heard Kilala let out a shrieking howl. He lifted his head, blinkingly. "Kilala?"

The fire cat flew past him, skidding along the ground and catching herself with her powerful claws. The green earth was shredded below her. She growled, ears lying flat, and charged forward again, her twin tails lashing. The entire action had taken place in the space of an eye blink. Miroku, bleary from the sun and his fantasies, at last realized what was happening as he turned his eyes toward the tree line across the field where, moments before, Shippo and Kilala had been playing innocently.

There was a long-bodied creature in the field now. It was snake-like, but had many, many legs. Its body was brownish, ugly like dead and rotting flesh. The legs moved together, dragging the enormous body out of the trees. Miroku lost sight of the rest of it as it twisted back into the trees. The demon reared up, folding back on its long length until its head was ten feet from the ground. It gnashed two pairs of huge, mandible pincers together. Frothy saliva oozed from its mouth.

Kilala rushed at it again, roaring. She slashed at it with her claws and feinted, trying to keep it at bay. The demon, still reared into its upright, battling position, twisted around and rammed its midsection into the fire cat. Kilala was body slammed away from it, hurled toward the tree line this time, away from her protective position guarding Sango and Miroku.

Miroku fumbled for his staff and shouted: "Inuyasha!" the staff found its way comfortably into his palm and the monk leapt to his feet. He clutched the prayer beads around the cursed hand and gritted his teeth, preparing to use it if he had to. He threw out the usual, obligatory warning. "Stay back, demon!"

The slithering beast remained upright after dislodging Kilala's attack. It paused, examining Miroku with its large, glowing red eyes. The uncountable little legs along its body wriggled like worms. The underside of its belly was a pale, marbled gray, like a corpse. Miroku choked a little as he realized that this demon stank as if it were dead. He raised one arm, shielding his nose from it while maintaining his battle stance.

Sango was awake and trying to get up. "Miroku…" her voice was tight, filled with pain and desperation.

The monk turned to look back at her—seeing her clenched, troubled face—and then he heard the demon hiss warningly.

"It's poison!" Sango gasped behind him; snatching up hiraikotsu where it was resting against the tree they'd been napping under. She limped heavily, but with remarkable speed, Sango joined Miroku, stepping in front of him and raising hiraikotsu over them like a shield.

As she predicted, the demon spat a green-white sludge at them. It splattered over hiraikotsu, missing the monk and the slayer as they sheltered underneath it. Where the gunk landed on the grass around them poisonous steam arose, thick and noxious.

"Cover your nose!" Sango ordered, choking.

Miroku nodded and struggled not to gag.

Kilala roared then, leaping into the battle again while the demon was distracted, spitting up on Miroku and Sango.

Inuyasha's voice reached through the din of noise at last: "What the hell?"

Sango gave a small, whimpering noise, and then her body began to sag, going limp. Miroku grabbed at her, trying to support her. He realized that, as long as she held hiraikotsu, she hadn't been able to cover her nose and mouth properly. The poison had reached her. Desperate, he brought his arm down from sheltering his own nose from the fumes, and tried to pry her fingers away from supporting hiraikotsu. "I've got it, Sango, please!"

Her grip was hard, as if she were less living flesh and more like solid, carved stone.

"Miroku! Sango! Get out of there!" Inuyasha was shouting. The sound of his Tetsusaiga transforming could be heard clearly, a bright, loud, ripping sound.

Miroku wrapped his arms around Sango's waist and dragged her backwards. The slayer's grip brought hiraikotsu with them, still angled upward as if it were a shield. Miroku oculd hear the demon hissing, preparing to spit at them again. Kilala was howling somewhere, though whether it was with rage or pain wasn't clear.

"Windscar!" the hanyou shouted.

Bright light streaked forward, ripping into the demon and tearing it to bits. As the brightness passed, grisly chunks of moist, gray flesh splattered the innocent grass. The stench of decay made everyone gag and cover their faces with a free arm if they had one. Kilala wheeled away from the heaps of flesh, snarling and swatting at her nose.

"What the hell?" Inuyasha repeated; his ears swung to and fro. After a quick glance around to be certain that there weren't any other demons like it waiting to attack, Inuyasha sheathed the Tetsusaiga and bounded over the distance between himself and Miroku and Sango. Kilala followed him, still in her larger incarnation and snarling bitterly at the stink in the air.

He stood over Miroku and offered a hand down to help him up. "Does it stink like that cuz it's dead?" (A/N: Has anyone seen the movie Tremors? Yeah, go Kevin Bacon!)

Kilala took a spot next to Sango and emitted a low, calming rumble. Sango moaned, weakly reaching up to grasp Kilala's mane. "Inuyasha…"

Miroku and Inuyasha moved as one to reach for Sango, trying to help her up, but she pulled away from them. When she looked up at them her usually warm brown eyes were ringed red with irritation. Her voice was raspy and hoarse, sounding more like Kaede's than Sango's soft, gentle soprano. "It's a centipede demon." She rasped, "Watch its parts—it could come back…" she pawed at her throat with one hand wincing.

Miroku swallowed and felt that the back of his throat was raw as well. "Sango, can you stand?"

She gestured back toward the field with the stinking lumps of gray flesh. "Watch it…"

Inuyasha twisted around and stared back at the field with narrowed, golden eyes. "I'm not seeing…" he paused, catching sight of a small motion. A lump of flesh rolled over the grass, colliding with another in a moist, popping sound. They molded together, slurping, and formed a larger clump of disgusting, gray flesh.

"Dammit." Inuyasha cursed, "Sango! How do we kill it? For real this time."

Miroku had pulled Sango to her feet. She had one arm slung over him and was leaning heavily on him. Her other hand was already holding hiraikotsu. "Kagome could do it, or Houshi-sama…"

At Kagome's name, Inuyasha's ears flicked backward, worriedly. She was inside, cold as stones at the bottom of a riverbed. She breathed as if she were peacefully, deeply slumbering, but in reality something was wrong, Inuyasha knew it in his bones. He touched the spot where their link should've been and felt nothing but that chill, like the wintertime breeze off the sea, like Kagome's skin under his fingers in Kaede's hot, stifling hut. Shippo had come in, mortified at the thought of Kagome being sick or suffering in any way. The kit had tried to wake her, shaking her shoulder, hopping onto her, even going so far as to pull her hair. None of it had brought so much as a wince from Kagome. She simply slept onward.

Miroku was already springing into action. He knelt, helping Sango grasp Kilala's back and fur, then he stood at his full height, drawing in a deep breath. He reached inside his robes for the sutras there. As he started to walk forward, Sango snatched his robe. They stared at one another for a moment, exchanging something that had no words. Inuyasha turned away from it, feeling a tightness in his chest that he didn't like at the sight.

The lumps of centipede demon flesh were coalescing. There were three larger pieces now, rolling and sloshing, wriggling as they searched for one another. When they met there was a wet, slurping sound, like noodles being sucked out of a soup, and then the centipede demon began to take on detail and definition. Legs formed, hundreds of them, wriggling and pawing at the ground. The eyes took shape, two round, huge balls at the top of its flat head. They burned brightly red, even against the full power of the afternoon sunlight.

Sango smiled up at Miroku, "Be careful Houshi-sama."

"For you, Lady Sango," he smirked, "I would do anything."

"I'll believe that when I see it." Sango pulled herself mostly upright on Kilala's back and nudged her sides, giving the fire cat the sign she needed to leap forward, growling and ready to fight again. Hiraikotsu she hefted onto her back with a grimace and held on tightly.

"Sango! What do you want me to do?" Inuyasha demanded, growing irritable. His hand was closed around his sword, ready and eager to draw it again at a moment's notice. The centipede demon was fast recovering its mobility. The stink from it, however, had not diminished at all.

"Destroy it. Miroku will purify the remains." Sango gripped hiraikotsu with one hand and Kilala tightly with the other. Her face was set in a grim scowl of pain. "Take us up, Kilala."

The cat obeyed, leaping into the air and circling overhead. Below them Inuyasha pulled out the Tetsusaiga, transforming the sword instantly and leveling it with the centipede demon. "Get ready to die!" he snarled, ears folding backward.

Sango sent her boomerang flying. "Hiraikotsu!"

The weapon whipped, spinning, through the air and slashed through the reformed centipede's midsection. The demon howled and fell in on itself, losing the delicate balance it had regained after being torn to pieces. Miasma gushed out of its body now, a secondary defense. It hung low over the ground, green grass wilted as it floated over. Miroku and Inuyasha took a step backward, their bodies tensing.

Sango reclaimed hiraikotsu and circled Kilala away, out of Inuyasha's way. At once the impatient hanyou slashed the air and the ground with the windscar. The centipede screeched, high pitched and desperate, but then it flew to pieces all over again. As the light of the windscar diminished, so too did the miasma of the centipede. The stinking hunks of centipede flesh were left in the wake, and everywhere surrounding the carcass the once lush, healthy grass was browned and dying, shriveling away from the negative energies of the demon and the ferocious power of the windscar.

Inuyasha pushed Tetsusaiga into the ground, letting it transform back into its rusty, dull normal state. "Now, Miroku."

The monk was already moving, slapping sutras over the chunks of the carcass with one hand and covering his nose and mouth with the other. He paused several times, fighting back the rise of bile in his throat. After each sutra was placed, and the brief incantation spell uttered to activate it, Miroku slapped the disgusting lumps of lard and they vanished, turning into dust.

Midway through he stopped, leaning on his staff, and tried to avoid the inevitable…too late. He vomited to one side and then resumed quickly, trying to ignore the heat over his face that most certainly meant he was blushing for all he was worth. Luckily no one was really watching him. Sango was searching the area overhead with Kilala, and Inuyasha had already vanished, no doubt going to look after Kagome again…

And Shippo was…?

He thrust his staff into the last of the lumps of centipede flesh and, as it dissolved into dust, realized that aside from Kagome, Shippo had also been missing from the group…

And then, from the hut: "Kagome!"

It was Inuyasha's voice, and he was panicked.

Miroku sighed, feeling weakness gathering in his knees and a fresh bout of nausea in his gut. He wiped his mouth, spat to get rid of the taste of vomit, and looked up toward the sky. It was cheery and blue, a perfect early autumn day. Evening was descending swiftly on the earth, spreading peace it seemed to everyone else but the Shard hunters. Fresh air lifted the invisible weight of worry from Miroku's shoulders ever so slightly.

A slash of brilliant orange-red fire drew his attention. Kilala was coming in to land in the ruined field. Her face was pale and strained, but otherwise untroubled. Miroku felt a small relief. Her strength, her beauty, her endurance…she would make an excellent wife and mother. Nothing would stop her, she'd made that clear time and time again.

For the briefest of moments Miroku allowed himself to think of her and her alone, fondly. The warmth of his emotion for her—dare it be called love?—swarmed over him and filled him with calm and comfort. He thought of embracing her, of sneaking the quick feel and getting the accompanying slap…

And then Inuyasha burst out of Kaede's hut, carrying an unconscious Shippo in one arm and Kagome's blankets and sleeping bag in the other. "Kagome!!"

Kilala landed then but remained in her large form, letting Sango use her as transportation. The demon slayer and Kilala stared with growing worry at the hanyou, but it was Miroku that spoke for them in his own raspy, injured voice. "What's wrong?"

"She's gone, fucking gone!" Inuyasha was screeching. His golden eyes were wide, like a dog with its foot caught in a trap; the whites of his eyes were visible. He hefted up Kagome's blankets and sleeping bag, "I found these—and—" he tossed the blankets onto the grass and lifted Shippo for them to see. The kit was limp, looking more like a stuffed fox doll now than a real, living creature. One cheek was bright red and puffy with swelling.

Sango, Miroku, and Kilala blinked, shocked and confused. "What…?"

Inuyasha pushed the unconscious kit at Miroku and turned his back on them, bounding away without another word.

"Wait—Inuyasha!" but the hanyou wasn't going to waste time talking. The scent was still fresh, and he would follow it to the death if he had to, like a bloodhound.

When Inuyasha had left Kagome sleeping to fight the centipede demon, Shippo was left with his adoptive mother. Frantic to wake her, the kit pushed on her shoulder, pulled her hair, even bit her enough to perhaps leave a bruise. Nothing drew a response. The sounds from outside the hut were growing louder as time passed, more intense. Shippo contemplated leaving Kagome to join the battle, but decided against it. If the others failed he would need to protect Kagome because she couldn't protect herself.

He tried to rouse her one last time. Guiltily, checking the door to make sure Inuyasha wasn't able to see, Shippo nipped Kagome's arm, clamping on and letting his canines nick her delicate, chilled skin. This time there was success—Kagome's muscles moved under his tiny teeth, she made a small noise in her throat. Instantly he let go and grinned, "Kagome! You're a—"

Her fist slammed into his face, knocking him backward. The kit screeched—but the sounds of his cries were lost in the noises of battle outside. He shook his head, blinking dazedly, and lifted his stunned green eyes upward.

Kagome had gotten to her feet. She was stiff, like stone, but she struck with the speed and cruelty of a viper. With one foot she lashed out, kicking him in the face. Shippo tried to move away from her, crying helplessly and spluttering, but the door was too far away, Kagome was too fast. The shock of her blows, and the power in them, blew Shippo away. Darkness closed over him.

When Kagome woke and opened her eyes from her deep, death-like sleep, the world was a hazy place. Her first sensation had been one of pain, a set of little needles poking into her arm. When her eyes had revealed the world to her, dark and blurry and unbelievably hot, she saw the tiny lizard demon that had attacked her the night before.

Anger rose within her, fierce and hot, stronger than almost any she'd known before. She snarled at it as Inuyasha might've and hit it. The motions were unclear in her mind and in her body. Sensations were wrong. Instead of the cold, clammy skin of a lizard, the creature she hit had warm, soft skin. She ignored this false input and pushed herself to her feet.

The lizard was still there, shaking its head, recovering from her slap. It hissed at her. Kagome wanted nothing more than to slaughter it, to step on its head and rub it into the floor, to mush its brains. Viciously she kicked at it, sent it tumbling off to one side.

It made a sound like a child, sending a jolt of alarm through her briefly.

It was trying to get away! The lizard was streaking for the light of the doorway. She lashed out with her foot, knocking it back, and then kicked with everything she had. It was a soccer ball. She was fighting against Kikyo in a world series. The reward was Inuyasha's affection, she she'd be damned if she'd let a dead priestess beat her.

The lizard slammed against the wall on the other side of the room, a solid goal made in her favor. When it fell it remained still this time, unmoving. Oddly, this left Kagome frustrated. She wanted it to rise up again, to attack. It hadn't been punished enough for what it'd done to her. The scratches on her nose, in her mouth, over all of her face, burned and stung sharply as a reminder.

Kagome took a step forward, thinking of violence, of pain—but she stopped herself, uncertain. The memory of the thing's warm, furry body against her hand returned to her, troublingly. The lizard had been cold, clammy. When it had latched itself onto her face, trying—however strange this was—to force its way into her mouth, Kagome had felt its cold, reptilian skin very clearly. There was no way the thing before her now could be the lizard…

She recalled Kilala with the lizard's tail hanging out of her small, slender jaws like a particularly long, juicy noodle.

The lizard is dead.

No, it's not.

Kagome blinked, fighting dizziness and the strange, uncontrollable waves of anger. On some level she knew something was very wrong with her, or perhaps the world. One or the other was wrong, but she couldn't be sure which it was. She held her hands out in front of her, turning them over so she could see both sides, the palms and the knuckles. Her vision was distorted. Her fingers left long, blurry trails, false images of themselves. It was as if her brain was slowed down dramatically and unable to keep up with her physical movement, so she saw multiple, blurred images of her hands as they moved in front of her face.

When she glanced up at the lizard, lying as if dead against the wall on the other side of the hut, Kagome found it strange that the lizard was picture perfect. The rest of her world was blurry beyond belief, but the lizard was clear cut as day and night, white and black.

Disturbed, Kagome turned toward the door, toward the light of the outside world. Her stomach tried to evacuate itself and she fell forward onto her knees, clutching it. Droplets of sweat pooled over her body, her skin flashed hot and cold in waves.

What's wrong with me?

The answer floated to her on a rush of anger. It powered her limbs, calmed her stomach, and steadied her equilibrium.

I'm pregnant. That's what it is…

Sounds reached her from outside, Sango's voice crying: "Hiraikotsu!"

Kagome tensed, realizing there was a battle going on outside. Why was she inside? Had she been injured? Poisoned? She tried to search her memory, but like her vision it was clouded and unclear and painfully slow.

She froze, stunned, as suddenly, deep within her mind; she felt the long-since dormant link with Inuyasha flare to life. It was tender, tiny, but she could feel over it and sense him dimly. She touched it cautiously, sending a thought at it. Inuyasha?

Kagome. The link was like a dam, blocking most of his mind and hiding it from her, but some of it, a tiny shred, reached her. Kagome felt her body relax with relief as she felt his emotion trickling out of the link. You're in danger.

What's going on? She started for the door again, but stopped when she sensed Inuyasha's disapproval. What should I do?

Don't go that way. There's a centipede demon. Miroku and Sango are driving it off.

There was shouting outside. She thought she heard Inuyasha's voice. What do you want me to do? She clung, in spite of her confusion and doubt, to the link that had appeared inside her mind. It sounded like Inuyasha, the occasional emotion she received felt like Inuyasha…

Out the back. Kaede will take you.

Kagome stumbled, trying to follow his instructions. She moved through the darkness of the hut, fighting nausea at the swirls of the blurry world around her. I feel sick, Inuyasha. What happened?

You were poisoned. Kaede has medicine for you.

She felt another spurt of alarm. These instructions were beginning to sound less like her hanyou, also the emotions flowing out of the small, narrow link were fewer and thin, unconvincing. She shook off her uncertainties, telling herself that Inuyasha might've been in the middle of battle while talking with her.

She reached Kaede's room, even darker and muggier than the rest of the hut. Briefly she paused, doubling over and holding her stomach, fighting back the nausea and the growing need to vomit. The strange anger rose within her, giving her its strange strength, but Kagome resisted it. She grabbed hold of her link with Inuyasha and asked, Am I going to die?

There was a pause, which was strange for him considering the question, and then: Hell no!

Somehow, Kagome wasn't convinced.

Light dazzled her then, making her wince and fall to her knees, shielding her eyes. She struggled, squinting; trying to see what was going on. Something had broken through the wall to Kaede's room. Light spilled in, as did dust and a thick stench of death from the outside.

Kagome could hold it no longer. She bent over and gagged, puking onto the floor. Even her vomit was difficult to see. It was nothing but a blur of color against the brown of the wooden floor.

Inuyasha spoke in her head, impatient now: Hurry!

A cold hand grasped her arm. She looked up and saw an old woman's face, shriveled like a prune. Startled, Kagome pulled away, stumbling in her own vomit and gasping. "You're not…" but her vision was so blurred—was it Kaede?

The old woman was about Kaede's height, with the same stooped, hunched posture and white-gray hair. "Come child." she spoke with Kaede's voice, but there was a smell, a sense of wrongness…

Inuyasha was shouting in her brain, she could feel his worry and desperation: Hurry Kagome! The demon's out of control!

She hesitated. I can help…

No! He was rash now, angry, Are you stupid? Go with Kaede! Please, Kagome…for the pup…

She remembered his anger, at the thought that she would abort the baby, she remembered the promise she'd made…

Swallowing thickly, Kagome stepped forward and let the cold, clammy fingers of "Kaede" take hold of her arm. "This way, child."

Kagome followed obediently.

I am done...made it extra long...or tried to anyway...hope you all enjoyed...:-)