Pakkun sniffed the clearing, his little legs carrying him from one end of the tree line to the other.

"Souta was definitely here, so was Kagome and… Sauske."

"Sauske was here? Where did he go?" Naruto asked perking up at the pug's report.

Pakkun pointed next to them, "he went that way, it's old. Maybe a day or so."

"And Kagome and Souta?" Kakashi prompted.

Pakkun put his nose to the ground and took a few steps before lifting his head, "both went this way."

Naruto bit his lip and eyed the space next to them where Sauske disappeared, he had been trying to bring him back for so long and to have him this close felt like he was slipping through his fingers.

"Naruto, we can't worry about him now; he's not our mission." Kakashi stated.

He didn't have to look at the blonde youth to know what he was thinking.

"I know but…"

"We press on, lead the way Pakkun." Kakashi commanded.

The pug nodded and walked ahead, pausing as he passed through bushes and sniffed the air.

"Naruto?"

Naruto turned his blue eyes to his pink haired companion; her green eyes held excitement and unease at the unexpected news.

"He was right here." Naruto grumbled.

"We can't, I want to find him just as much as you but we're on a recovery mission for Kagome and Souta." Sakura sighed.

Kakashi shot a look over his shoulder, "get up here you two."

"Souta recently ran through, only a few hours. Kagome's scent isn't as old as Sauske's and… Inuyasha's mingles with hers."

Kakashi closed his eye tight; the one thing he hoped to avoid had come to pass.

"Ninja Art Summoning: Earth Style Fang Pursuit Jutsu."

The three ninja followed the broken earth as the hounds hunted down the source of the scent.


Souta grimaced as he moved to his forearms, Kagome stirring slightly on the ground behind him as he stood.

"Give up yet kid?" Inuyasha grinned.

Souta fisted his hands and slid his legs wider, "you know, you obviously can't handle the human body. You relied way too much on your demon speed and shit to get the job done."

Silver hair fell over a red clad shoulder as he bent to pick up the discarded knife on the ground.

Kagome staggered to her feet and moved to stand next to her brother, snaking her hand into the pouch on his waist before flipping the blade to press against her wrist.

"You're not dead yet? Good,"

Black hair flipped over as she straightened, "one thing Kikyo didn't have, a will to live. She probably thought death was better than being around you in any state."

Inuyasha launched forward, the glint of his blade catching the sun as he swiped for the siblings. Kagome grunted and shoved her shoulder into Souta, grabbing Inuyasha's exposed wrist and stepping into him, her kunai drawn as she sliced upwards against his face.

Souta's fingers reached into a pouch on his thigh and flicked his wrist forward, the ninja stars flying forward and tearing through the sleeve of his kimono.

Inuyasha wiped the blood from his face and sneered.

Kagome stepped back, Souta bolting forward and slamming his fist into the man's nose.

With a roar, Inuyasha lunged forward and shoved Souta to the ground, running Kagome down and sending her sprawled on her back in the dirt.

The youngest Higurashi scrambled to his feet, freezing as Kagome struggled against Inuyasha's hold.

"Take the those nifty bags off your body."

Souta grit his teeth as Inuyasha pressed the knife into Kagome's throat.

A look of pain crossed Kagome's face as Inuyasha yanked her arm further behind her back, her body arching in an attempt to release some of the pain shooting through her body.

"Souta." Inuyasha warned.

"Alright, fuck off!" The teen exclaimed.

His hands shook as he worked the bag of kunai off his hip and the bag of stars off his thigh.

Tossing them to the ground he nudged them to the side with his foot and held his hands up in a defensive position, "let her go."

Inuyasha buried his face in her neck, his grip on the knife tightening. "You put up a really good fight, I'm just sorry I never got to have more fun with you before Souta showed up."

"You should have killed me when you had the chance." Kagome hissed.

The grip on her arm tightened as he smirked against her skin, lightly kissing her at the nape of her neck. "Does kissing you here still drive you wild?"

"Not when you do it, it feels like I'm being slobbered on." She mumbled as a look of disgust crossed her face.

Inuyasha 'tcked' and pressed the blade into her throat, she could feel the blood trickle down her skin and meld in with the caked on dirt, sweat, and dried blood from earlier.

Souta moved forward before freezing, a smirk crossing his face as his gaze moved past the pair.

"Get wrecked, bitch."

Kagome closed her eyes, she needed to have a chat about talking during a fight with him.

Inuyasha froze as growling behind him, drawing close quickly.

Turning slowly, a dog jumped at him as arms wrapped around Kagome and pulled her back towards Souta.

"What the hell is this?" Inuyasha asked, eight pairs of jaws clamping onto him and holding him still.

Kakashi's hands slowly slipped from Kagome's waist as he stepped forward, Sakura moving in to take his place. Her face paled at the new injuries, her eyes roaming over the dark haired woman before taking in Souta's abused form.

"You shouldn't have grabbed her, you probably could have lived longer. Now, you've made me mad." The jōnin announced.

Inuyasha grinned, "I'm just sorry I couldn't put my dick in her again."

Kakashi moved forward, Naruto moving to stand with Souta.

A glint shot past his eye, embedding itself in the man's chest. Kakashi's dark gaze turned, following Kagome as she moved forward and dug the kunai deeper into his chest.

"Take comfort, since you're not in our world there's no way you'll be reunited with Kikyo in the afterlife." She hissed.

Inuyasha attempted to grab her, the hounds holding him in place as she yanked the metal from his chest and dropped it to the ground, watching slowly as the life drained from his eyes.

"I wanted to kill him." Souta pouted with a huff.