Finally, chapter three of Far From Over is here my readers! This was by far the most frustrating chapter for me to write if I'm being honest. For one thing, every time I wrote a particular scene, I had to rewrite it numerous times because it didn't feel right to me. Then there was real life getting in the way whenever I had inspiration. Naturally, said inspiration vanishes like a ghost when I do find the time to write it. Anyway, enough of my chatter, on with the chapter!

Chapter Three: Danger That Lurks Beneath the Water's Surface

Three days have passed and Inuhiko is sitting on the shore of a lake, lambasting himself for losing the jewel while throwing rocks in the water. Kaede told him that everyone makes mistakes and that he only wanted to help Miroku and Sango. Though the words were reassuring, it doesn't change the fact he screwed up. He watched as his reflection became distorted from the ripples made on the water's surface. When the water settled, Inuhiko threw another rock to cause ripples once again.

"Why does my luck suck so much?" Inuhiko muttered, not really expecting an answer as juggled a couple rocks in his hand. "I'm 500 years in the past, got attacked by demons, and found out I'm half demon."

He tossed one rock and watched it kipped along the water's surface four times before sinking. He threw another rock that skipped two times before a bird swooped down and snatched it. Inuhiko stared blankly as he watched the bird fly away with the rock before promptly dropping it. He sighed before reaching down to pick up another rock. He repeated tossing and catching the rock a few times before winding his arm back.

Inuhiko thought back to a conversation he had with Kaede after he informed her what happened to the jewel. It was then that she told him of the Sacred Jewel of Four Souls, its origins, and what abilities it held within it if in the wrong hands. She told Inuhiko the story of Kagome and Inuyasha, and what they went through. From the jewel shattering into shards, meeting their friends, defeating a demon named Naraku, all the way to erasing the jewels' existence. The fact the jewel Inuhiko had may be more powerful than the Sacred Jewel made him feel even worse about losing it.

"On top of that, I lost the jewel not once, but twice." Inuhiko threw the rock and watched it not skip along the water's surface. Instead, the rock flew across the lake and into the treeline, spooking a few birds. "To make matters worse, two demons already went after it."

He brought a hand to his chest and tightly clenched his uniform and clenched his teeth at a sudden spasm of pain. He fell to his knees and took deep breaths to alleviate the pain with little result. His body felt like it was burning and tearing itself apart from the inside. He became engulfed in an ethereal blue glow for a moment before it vanished and the pain slowly ebbed away. Once the pain fully disappeared, Inuhiko got to his feet and released his grip on his chest.

"That pain again, what is it?" Inuhiko muttered, completely confused, rubbing his chest where the pain first started. The spasms seem to start at the chest, where the jewel once was, before spreading throughout his body. "I'm fully healed, so why am I still feeling pain?"

"Is something the matter child?" Kaede asked, approaching the teenage half-demon from behind.

"Oh, lady Kaede." Inuhiko looked over his shoulder to greet the elderly priestess before turning to face her. He had a look of uncertainty as he removed his hand from his chest to adjust his cap. "I don't know why, but I still feel spasms of pain every once in a while."

"That is strange." Kaede raised a perplexed eyebrow, taking note that Inuhiko looked as healthy as can be. She noticed that he looked out of breath and drenched in sweat. "Perhaps we should return to the village and have a look at ye."

"I think that's a good idea." Inuhiko nodded in agreement, walking over to the elderly priestess when he felt another spasm of pain. He sucked in a deep breath through his clenched teeth and gripped his chest. "I really want this pain to stop."

"Then let us hurry." Kaede quickly moved to Inuhiko's side to support him as they slowly made their way back to the village.

As they left, they were unaware that at the bottom of the lake was the jewel. A snake slithered into the lake and dove down to find its lunch. As the snake dove deep into the lake, it found the jewel and proceeded to swallow it. The snake's body began to pulsate and wriggle uncontrollably before slowly growing in size.

The walk to the village was slow, and the pain in Inuhiko's chest got worse with each step taken. It started in the chest, but slowly progressed to his arms followed by his legs. The pain in his legs were too much for Inuhiko to handle and he had trouble walking straight. Each step he took felt like thousands of needles were piercing his flesh causing his legs to buckle. Inuhiko stumbled forward and would have fallen if not for Kaede supporting him.

Kaede frowned when she saw Inuhiko's face grimace as the pain intensified throughout his body. She saw that his body was giving off an ethereal blue glow that vanished a moment later. Her frown deepened when she took a closer look at the teenage half-demon's condition. He was looking a little pale compared to three days ago and it was a bit concerning.

'What could possibly cause this child so much pain?' Kaede wondered, adjusting her hold on Inuhiko. She looked forward to seeing the village within eyesight and could barely make out the villagers working in the fields. 'Perhaps I will have answers soon.'

"Lady Kaede." A village woman greeted the elderly priestess as she walked by with a bow. She then noticed Inuhiko and the condition he was in and gave him a look of worry. "Oh my, is something wrong with that boy?"

"I am not sure yet." Kaede replied, looking over Inuhiko to see was still contorted in pain and clutching at his chest. "We are on our way to examine him."

"I hope that it is not something too bad." The woman looked over Inuhiko with concern when she noticed his school uniform. "That state of dress, it is similar to what lady Kagome wore before."

"Aye." Kaede nodded, adjusting Inuhiko when she felt him slipping slightly from her hold on him. "That is because he dwells in the same land as Kagome."

"I see." The woman murmured, taking in Inuhiko's features for a moment before gasping and bowing. "My apologies, I am holding you longer than I intended."

"No harm done." Kaede said reassuringly before continuing to walk through the village towards her hut.

Once they reached her hut, Kaede gently had Inuhiko sit on a futon that was already laid down. She then instructed him to remove his uniform jacket and shirt which he obliged. Kaede gently applied pressure on Inuhiko's arms and shoulders, asking if he felt any pain or discomfort. When Inuhiko responded that he felt fine in those areas, Kaede continued with the examination.

"Tell me, child." Kaede said as she looked for any form of injury on Inuhiko's body that she might have missed. "When and where did ye suddenly feel pain?"

"Um, around here I think." Inuhiko replied, pointing to the center of his chest, which he noted was where the jewel was before its removal. "The first time was when that Tachigumo character took the jewel."

"Did ye notice anything during these spasms of pain?" Kaede inquired, removing Inuhiko's cap to inspect his ears.

"Nothing comes to mind." Inuhiko said thoughtfully, his ears twitching whenever Kaede touched them. Whenever the spasms happened, the only thing that registered in his mind was intense pain. "It felt like I was burning and being torn apart at the same time." He thought back to when he first felt the pain during his fight with the spider demons. "I might have been imagining it, but it felt like there was a war going on inside me, if that makes any sense."

"Anything else?" Kaede frowned, choosing not to mention the ethereal glow the teenager was emitting earlier.

"Other than that, no." Inuhiko shook his head when he couldn't think of anything else that was worth mentioning. His eyebrows furrowed worriedly when a sudden thought crossed his mind. "Well, I noticed the pain is getting worse and spreading throughout my body as time passes."

Kaede hummed thoughtfully when she heard that as she concluded her examination. Once she was finished, Inuhiko put his shirt and jacket back on, but didn't put his cap on to stare at it. His ears twitched as they took in the surrounding sounds before he put the cap back on. Kaede moved to sit in front of the teenager and the two sat in silence as she gathered her thoughts.

"I believe I now know what is wrong, child." Kaede finally said and Inuhiko tensed as he anxiously waited. She gestured for Inuhiko to remove his cap and he obliged, freeing his ears. "As ye are already aware, ye are a half-demon."

"Yeah." Inuhiko nodded, still feeling uncomfortable about that revelation whenever it's mentioned. He gave the elderly priestess a look of confusion as he shifted nervously where he sat. "Is that what's going on with me?"

"Aye." Kaede nodded, adjusting her robes as she thought of how to explain the next part to Inuhiko. "But that is only part of the reason."

"Then what's the other reason?" Inuhiko grew nervous the more Kaede dragged the conversation.

"The other reason is that you also possess spiritual power." Kaede explained, placing her hands on her lap. She frowned as she thought over everything they knew so far. "I believe that your demon and spiritual powers are rejecting each other."

"Rejecting each other?" Inuhiko had a sense of dread as he began to understand the situation he was in. He raised a hand and stared as it quivered and his nails elongated into claws. "What does that mean?"

"It means that they are trying to destroy the other." Kaede said, her head lowered in deep thought. She looked up to see that Inuhiko seemed to begin having difficulty breathing. "I believe the pain ye are feeling is a result of your powers clashing."

"Seriously?" Inuhiko said breathlessly, willing his claws to retract into normal nails before clenching it into a fist. He looked at Kaede helplessly, his eyes looking lost and scared as he didn't know what to do. "I don't get it, then why was I fine until now?"

"A good question." Kaede hummed thoughtfully as she too didn't know how to answer Inuhiko's question. She then had a thought when she remembered what the teenager told her. "Perhaps it is the jewel."

"The jewel?" Inuhiko's ears perked up at the mention of the jewel as he looked at Kaede in confusion.

"Think about it for a moment, child." Kaede said patiently, pointing to the center of Inuhiko's chest. "Ye said you felt pain here after the jewel was taken, correct?" At Inuhiko's nod, Kaede lowered her arm to her lap. "Perhaps the jewel was what kept your powers from clashing."

"If that's true, what's gonna happen to me now?" Inuhiko asked worriedly, his ears twitching erratically as numerous outcomes crossed his mind. "Will I die if this keeps up?"

"Perhaps." Kaede lowered her head solemnly before reaching into the folds of her robes. "Although, I might have a solution albeit temporary." She pulled out a necklace of black beads with a single green magatama and held it out to Inuhiko. "Put this on, child."

"A necklace?" Inuhiko eyed the bead necklace skeptically, not understanding how a bead necklace was supposed to help. He gave Kaede a small confused frown and pointed at the offered necklace. "I hate to break it to ya, but I don't wear jewelry."

"This be no ordinary necklace." Kaede explained, taking Inuhiko's hand into her left with the palm facing up. She placed the necklace into the teenager's hand and curled his fingers around it. "It will suppress your demon energy, stopping the pain until we find a permanent solution."

"Supress my demon energy." Inuhiko muttered, looking at the bead necklace lying innocently in his hand. He looked at Kaede in confusion when he had a sudden thought. "But wouldn't my spiritual power take advantage of that?"

"Fear not, child." Kaede said reassuringly, placing a hand on Inuhiko's shoulder and giving it a light squeeze. "If the demon energy is suppressed, your spiritual power will not have a reason to act on its own."

"You really think so?" Inuhiko gave the necklace another look, still doubtful that it would help. When Inuhiko felt another spasm of pain in his chest, he quickly put the necklace on.

Inuhiko closed his eyes tightly and waited with bated breath for the pain to spread throughout his body. After waiting for a tense minute and feeling nothing, Inuhiko cautiously opened one eye. He opened his other eye and was astonished that he felt no pain whatsoever. In fact, he felt completely fine, almost like he always was before losing the jewel. He turned his attention to Kaede to see she was nodding her head in approval.

"It appears to have worked." Kaede inspected the necklace around Inuhiko's neck to see the magatama glow for a moment. "And there do not seem to be any side effects."

"It worked?" Inuhiko asked in disbelief, standing up before doing a few stretches and felt no discomfort at all. He held a hand against his chest and let out a small laugh. "I can't believe it."

"Keep in mind, child, this is only temporary." Kaede warned, giving the teenager a stern look as she got to her feet. "Keep it on at all times until we find a more permanent solution."

"Right." Inuhiko nodded, clutching the bead necklace before walking towards the door.

"Where are ye going?" Kaede asked curiously, watching Inuhiko place his cap back on and adjusting it.

"It's been a while, so I'm going for a jog around the village." Inuhiko replied, looking over his shoulder to look Kaede in the eye. "I'll also be stopping somewhere for a small break before coming back."

"Alright, be careful out there." Kaede nodded, moving further into the hut and returned with something wrapped in bamboo leaves. "Take this in case ye get hungry."

"Thank you." Inuhiko said gratefully, taking the bamboo package before walking out of the hut. "See you later."

On the outskirts of the village, Inuyasha knelt down so his passenger could climb off him. His passenger being a beautiful and slender yet curvaceous young woman with somewhat pale skin, brown eyes, and long, wavy black hair. She wore the same traditional red priestess outfit as Kaede of a white hakui with red sode-kukuri, bright red hakama, tabi socks, and straw sandals. On her back is a quiver filled with arrows and a red bow.

Once they entered the village, they were greeted by the villagers as they made their way to their home. The young woman looked around curiously when she noticed the villagers were talking amongst themselves. Inuyasha, who had better hearing, could clearly hear what they were talking about. He could hear them talking about how a teenage half-demon helped rebuild their houses after the centipede demon attack. He could also hear them talk about the same teenage half-demon defeating a giant spider demon.

"Probably talking about that kid." Inuyasha muttered, frowning at the fact that Inuhiko was attacked again and can probably guess why. There was only one reason the teenager would be attacked, the jewel. "It really is the sacred jewel all over again."

"What kid?" The young woman gave Inuyasha a curious look as she tried to piece together what she heard. "What are you talking about, Inuyasha?"

"Oh, right, you weren't there." Inuyasha turned his attention to his companion as they continued their trek through the village. He stuffed his hands in his sleeves as he thought of how to explain Inuhiko. "That old hag Kaede thinks we're about to have a repeat of three years ago."

"You really need to stop calling her that." The woman scolded, smacking Inuyasha's arm before redusting her quiver. "So, how is it a repeat of three years ago?"

"Someone else came through the well, Kagome." Inuyasha said, a serious look on his face as he remembered his first encounter with Inuhiko.

"What?!" The villagers jumped at the sudden exclamation and saw their priestess in training, Kagome, gripping Inuyasha's shoulders. "What do you mean someone else came through the well?!" She then began to viciously shake the half-demon before he could respond. "I thought it stopped working after I passed through!"

"I thought so too." Inuyasha said through the shaking, feeling disoriented the more the priestess in training shook him. He soon freed himself from the shaking and waited for the dizziness to subside. "But it seems we were wrong."

"How is this possible?" Kagome held her chin with her thumb and index finger, looking down in deep thought. "Oh yeah, sit boy!" Inuyasha panicked as the beads around his neck glowed and brought him slamming to the ground. Kagome placed her hands on her hips and frowned down at the twitching half-demon. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"We were busy with a demon, remember?" Inuyasha pointed out, looking up at Kagome with a look of annoyance. "Not exactly the time for a chat."

"I know that." Kagome said as Inuyasha got to his feet and dusted himself off as he tugged lightly at the beads. "I meant on our way back to the village." She adjusted her bow when she felt it was slipping off her shoulder. "We had plenty of time then."

"Oh yeah, and how exactly do I bring something like that up?" Inuyasha countered, stuffing his hand into his sleeves as the two continued their trek through the village. "Hell, even I don't know what's going on."

"I should talk to them." Kagome decided, getting a knowing side glance from Inuyasha. "They must be scared and confused, I know I was."

"I guess you of all people would know what he's going through." Inuyasha admitted, thinking back how they first met and what they've been through. "Chances are he'll want to talk to you too."

"So it's a boy?" Kagome asked, getting a nod in response from the half-demon.

"He's most likely staying with Kaede." Inuyasha surmised, seeing the home of the person in question coming into view.

"Let's stop there then." Kagome said, picking up her pace to walk ahead of Inuyasha and towards the hut. Once she reached the hut, Kagome went inside to see Kaede grinding a few herbs. "We're back."

"Ah, Kagome." Kaede greeted, a smile on her face upon seeing Kagome enter with Inuyasha behind her. "How did everything go?"

"The demon got away." Inuyasha muttered irritably, looking around the hut to see that no one else was inside. "Turned into a snake and escaped." He frowned for a moment before directing his attention to the elderly priestess. "Where's the kid?"

"He said he was going out for a jog." Kaede replied, setting the herbs aside and standing up with her hands behind her back. "He said he was going to stop somewhere and head straight back."

"Did he say where he was stopping?" Kagome asked curiously, wondering why someone would go out jogging when there's no telling when a demon might appear.

"He did not." Kaede shook her head, looking out a window with a look of contemplation. "Although, I may have an idea."

"What can you tell me about him, Lady Kaede?" Kagome asked, wanting to know more about the person who came from the well like she did.

"His name is Inuhiko." Kaede replied, casting her eyes towards Inuyasha before returning them to Kagome. "And he greatly resembles Inuyasha if he were human."

"Seriously?" Kagome blinked, eyes slightly wide in surprise as she too turned her eyes to Inuyasha.

"Yeah, it was freaky." Inuyasha confirmed, scratching the back of his head as he remembered how similarly the teenager looked like him. "Just picture me with short hair, in my human form, but keeping my dog ears."

"Wow, there's that many similarities?" Kagome looked closely at Inuyasha, trying to picture how the half-demon described Inuhiko.

"He was also confused when he first arrived." Kaede's voice brought Kagome's attention back to her. The high priestess moved to sit down and gestured for the two to do the same. "He was also attacked by a centipede demon shortly after."

"Talk about deja vu." Kagome said softly, rubbing her side at the mention of a centipede demon and remembered her own encounter with one.

"Aye, it would seem history is repeating itself." Kaede nodded to Kagome's statement, thinking back to everything that transpired.

Kaede regaled Kagome with everything she knew about Inuhiko, from his name all the way to everything he's experienced. She also informed the priestess in training about the jewel that Inuhiko had. Kaede continued explaining that Inuhiko had both demon and spiritual powers, which were conflicting with each other. Kagome was worried to learn that the teenage boy's own powers may kill him until Kaede mentioned the necklace he now wore.

After Kaede finished her analysis of Inuhiko, Kagome told her about the demon that got away. The demon in question had the upper torso of a man and the lower body of a snake. It was terrorizing the nearby village, devouring children whenever it could. When they arrived, half the village was already destroyed and only a small number of villagers survived. They quickly went to work in finding the demon and managed to severely wound it. Unfortunately, the demon transformed into a snake and escaped underground.

"I managed to catch its scent heading this way." Inuyasha said, finishing their tale, running his hand through his hair in frustration. "Unfortunately, I lost it shortly before we got back."

"That is a problem." Kaede frowned, not liking that a demon was able to escape the two in front of her. She heaved a sigh as she thought over what they should do at the present time. "For now, we should gather the children here, as the demon seems to be targeting them."

"I agree." Kagome nodded in agreement, determined to not let any more young lives be taken.

Meanwhile, Inuhiko was jogging at a leisurely pace through the woods, deciding to extend his jog outside the village. His ears twitched with every sound that was heard from the rustling leaves to the chirping birds. Ever since he arrived in Kaede's village, Inuhiko decided to keep his cap on for as long as he stayed there. Halfway through his jog, however, he removed his cap. He saw that he was closing in on the sacred tree and decided to stop there for lunch. After seating himself at the base of the tree, Inuhiko undid the bamboo leaf package to see three rice balls and yellow pickled radishes.

"Thanks for the food." Inuhiko muttered, clapping his hands together, before picking up a rice ball and proceeded to eat it. He also ate the pickled radish and could taste it was pickled to perfection.

As he ate, Inuhiko thought over everything that's happened to him ever since he arrived in this era. He was attacked by demons, which he thought were nothing but myths, and learned he was half-demon. Inuhiko rolled his eyes at that, finding it slightly ironic he was half of something he didn't believe until recently. Although, it did explain why he has dog ears instead of normal human ones. It also explained the other unnatural things he could do growing up.

"Just wait until Rin, dad, and Saika hear about this." Inuhiko mused, an amused smile on his face as he imagined what their reactions would be.

His smile soon turned into a frown as the thought that he might never return home crossed his mind. He's been stuck in the feudal era for a while now, and he hasn't been able to think of a way to get home. Considering how long he's been gone, Inuhiko imagined he was reported missing by now. He can practically picture exactly how everyone would react since he knows them so well.

Rin would be running throughout the city, shouting his name in a desperate attempt to find him. His dad would do the same, but much more frantic and getting his co-workers to do the same. Then there was Saika, his little sister, just the thought of how she would react breaks his heart. He can see her, trying and failing to be brave, only to cry as loud as her little lungs would allow her.

"I need to get home." Inuhiko finished the last of his rice balls and radishes before getting up to his feet.

He then proceeded to run, but not in the direction of the village, as fast as his legs would allow. He continued to run, not stopping for anything as he was resolved to get back to his own era. He brushed aside branches and shrubbery, jumped over exposed roots, and dodged oncoming animals as his destination came into view. Inuhiko slowed to a stop in front of the well and looked down. Inside the well was dark, so dark that the teen couldn't see the bottom.

"This well brought me here." Inuhiko muttered, placing a foot on the edge of the well and leaned forward slightly. "So it should be able to send me back, right?"

Inuhiko moved to jump in, only to hesitate for a moment, looking back in the direction of the village. He contemplated going back to say goodbye, but thought against it as he didn't know for sure if the well could really send him back. With that thought, Inuhiko jumped into the well, hoping with all his might he would be brought back. Once his feet touched the bottom, He looked around the inside of the well before proceeding to climb out. Once he got out, Inuhiko was disappointed to see that he was still in the feudal era.

Inuhiko let out a sigh, pulling himself out of the well before jogging back towards the village. He was lost in his thoughts as he jogged through the woods. He couldn't understand why the well didn't work since it was the reason he was in the feudal era. It stands to reason the well can also send him back, but it didn't, and he doesn't know why. Inuhiko ponders that maybe it was a one way trip, but chooses not to let his thoughts go there.

Inuhiko was brought out of his thoughts once he realized he was back at the lake and decided to take a small break. He picked up a few rocks, bouncing them in his hand, before taking one and throwing it into the lake. He watched as the rock sank into the bottom of the lake and pictured it as his hopes of getting home. Once the ripples have settled. Inuhiko threw another rock, this time throwing it as hard as he could. The moment the rock hit the water's surface, it created a big splash.

"What should I do now?" Inuhiko wondered, taking a rock that was flat and smooth before throwing it. He watched as it skipped along the surface six times before sinking. "What if I really am stuck here for good?"

As he wound his arm back to throw another rock, the lake's surface started to quiver uncontrollably. Inhiko lowered his arm, watching on in confusion as he hadn't thrown a rock yet. The ground began to quake, causing Inuhiko to lose his balance and fall on his behind. Inuhiko was starting to feel scared as the water at the center of the lake began to rise. The water dispersed, revealing something the teen's never seen before outside of myths.

In front of him was a creature that had the upper torso of a man with short dark blue hair, red eyes, and pointed ears. His lower body appeared to be that of a snake with black scales and a white underbelly. From previous experiences, Inuhiko knew right away that it was a demon and it was staring down at him.

"What the hell?!"

Back in the village, Inuyasha's ears twitched as he heard what he assumed was Inuhiko's voice. He frowned when he made out the tone of panic in the teen's voice. The half-demon felt the start of a headache as he had enough on his plate. He was in the middle of evacuating the village children into Kaede's hut while the high priestess erected a barrier. Sango helped with the evacuation shortly after making sure her own children were safe. Kagome stood beside him, her bow held tightly in her hands.

"Inuyasha." The dog half-demon looked to see Miroku approaching him with a serious look on his face. Inuyasha knew when he saw that look on the monk's face that he wasn't going to like what he had to say. "I just sensed a demon nearby."

"So it finally reared its ugly head." Inuyasha lifted his head up and sniffed the air before scrunching his eyebrows. "Why can't I smell it?"

"You can figure that out later." Kagome said, climbing onto Inuyasha's back as she adjusted the arrows in her quiver. "We need to take out that demon before it reaches the village."

"Wait, where's Inuhiko?" Sango asked, having just now noticed the absence of the teen in her haste.

"I don't know." Miroku shook his head, his grip on his staff tightening slightly. "I haven't sensed him anywhere near the village."

Back at the lake, Inuhiko jumped back as a giant tail slammed where he was standing. The teen paled at the sheer force the impact had on the ground. If he hadn't jumped back when he did, he would've been flatter than a pancake. The snake man lifted up his tail before swiping it down towards Inuhiko once more. Seeing this, Inuhiko rolled to the side before attempting to run into the woods. Before he could escape into the cover of trees, the tail looped around in front of him, blocking him from going any further.

"Crap." Inuhiko backed away from the tail, trying to get as much distance from it as possible. He felt something flickering against the back of his neck that sent a chill down his spine. "He's behind me, isn't he?"

Without thinking, Inuhiko ducked down just as the snake man lunged forward and slammed into the ground. Seeing his chance, Inuhiko ran along the length of the snake man's body, using his head as a springboard to jump over the tail. Once his feet touched the ground, Inuhiko ran into the woods. The teen could feel his heart hammering away at his ribcage as both fear and adrenaline coursed through his body. Three demons, that's how many attacked him so far. THREE. DAMN. DEMONS!

"I just can't catch a break!" Inuhiko shouted at the top of his lungs, resting his back against a tree as he tried to catch his breath. "Why me, what did I do to deserve this?"

A loud crash made him jump before peeking around the tree and regretted it soon after. The snake man was after him again, destroying all the trees that were in his way. The snake man took a deep breath before releasing a purple gas from his mouth. Inuhiko's eyes widened in both shock and fear as the trees and bushes withered away. Not wanting to be exposed to the gas, Inuhiko climbed up the tree before jumping from one tree branch to another.

If he wasn't being chased by a demon and trying not to die, Inuhiko would have found it cool that he was tree hoping like a pro despite never doing it before. However, he was being chased, and right now the only thoughts in his head is to get away and not inhale any of the gas. The snake man spat out a green liquid that struck the branch Inuhiko jumped on, causing it to melt and the teen to slip. The teen fell to the ground, groaning in pain as he pushed himself up. He winced and held his left ankle to see he twisted it.

"Come on, not now!" Inuhiko panicked as he saw the snake man approach him as a spasm of pain caused him to clench a hand over his chest. He looked down and panicked even more when he saw that the bead necklace was missing.

The snake man moved to swallow Inuhiko whole, causing him to scream and try to run. He immediately fell when he felt pain in his ankle. When the snake was about to devour him, Inuhiko rolled to the side. Inuhiko felt the pain in his chest getting worse and saw the bead necklace Kaede gave him nearby. He immediately reached for it and put it on, feeling relieved when the pain slowly ebbed away. As the giant snake moved to attack again, a sacred arrow flew in front of it. Inuhiko looked in the direction the arrow came from, and saw Kagome notching another arrow as Inuyasha unsheathed Tessaiga.

"Looks like we made it in time." Inuyasha said, resting Tessaiga against his shoulder as Kagome notched another arrow and aimed.

"Inuyasha!" Inuhiko called out, feeling relieved upon seeing the half-demon before turning his attention to Kagome. 'Who's that?'

The snake man glared at Inuyasha and Kagome before thrusting his tail towards them. Kagome released her arrow, watching as it pierced through and purified the tail. The snake man screeched in pain at the loss of his tail before releasing the purple gas. Kagome fired another arrow to purify the gas. The snake man glared at Kagome only to notice that Inuyasha was missing.

"Over here, idiot!" The snake man turned around to see Inuyasha standing in front of Inuhiko. He had Tessaiga reeled back as the blade became diamond-like and shimmered in the sunlight. "Adamant Barrage!"

When swung, the Tessaiga fired a barrage of diamond shrapnel towards the snake man. Having seen this, the snake man spewed numerous globs of green liquid, melting the shrapnel and dodging the ones he missed. A shrapnel piece severed the snake man's arm, only for it to reattach itself. The snake man then built up a ball of purple demon energy between his hands.

"I think we should run." Inuhiko said nervously, getting to his feet, being careful not to put too much on his twisted ankle. "Who knows what'll happen if that hits us!"

"Relax, kid." Inuyasha gripped Tessaiga with both hands, keeping his eyes on the snake man. "Just shut up and watch."

The snake man released the ball of energy, firing towards the half-demons in an attempt to completely destroy them. Inuyasha didn't budge while Inuhiko attempted to get away from the attack. He didn't get far as he fell to the ground once again and held his hands protectively over his head. With a shout, Inuyasha swung Tessaiga, releasing his own demon energy to meet the projectile. Looking back, Inuhiko watched as the two energies began to clash with one another, creating tornadoes of great force. The tornadoes then twisted and struck at the snake man from all sides and proceeded to tear the demon to shreds.

Once the tornadoes dispersed, chunks of flesh rained down onto the ground and pulsed erratically. Seeing the flesh gathering to a single point, Kagome quickly made her way to it. What she was a single mound of flesh that was glowing slightly, a glow she was familiar with. Reaching into the flesh, she pulled out a gold jewel as the flesh of the snake man turned to ash.

"What was that?" Inuhiko asked in astonishment, not believing what he just saw as he got back up to his feet and leaned onto a nearby tree for support.

"That would be the Backlash Wave." Inuyasha replied, reverting Tessaiga to its inactive form and sheathing it. He then turned and frowned at the injured teen and crossed his arms. "How many times does this make that someone had to save your ass?"

"Sorry." Inuhiko weakly apologized, rubbing his arm at the scolding he just got.

"Sit boy!" Inuhiko's eyes widened when Inuyasha suddenly slammed into the ground as Kagome approached them. She looked towards Inuhiko and smiled sweetly as she walked past Inuyasha. "Ignore him, are you alright?"

"What was that for, Kagome?" Inuyasha demanded, moving to get back up.

"Sit boy!" Kagome shouted, much to Inuhiko's confusion just as Inuyasha once again slammed into the ground.

Inuhiko's body shook as he watched Kagome continue to shout "Sit!" and Inuyasha was seemingly pulled deeper into the ground. This went on until there was nothing left of Inuyasha except his arms and legs poking out of the ground. Inuhiko gulped nervously and suddenly felt scared of the woman who was now in front of him. If she can do that to someone as strong as Inuyasha, he doesn't want to know what she would do to him.

What made the teen even more scared is that all Kagome did was say one word for Inuyasha to eat dirt. Furthermore, he saw what her arrows can do, which makes her even more deadly to his eyes. He's heard the saying "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned", but he never thought he'd actually witness it. Just the thought of those arrows doing to him like what they did to the snake man's tail was enough to give him nightmares.

Inuhiko's seen Rin mad before, which can be scary if one is not prepared to face her wrath. Growing up, Inuhiko has only seen her truly mad a few times, but it was scary nonetheless. However, this woman had her beat on so many levels in terms of scariness. Where Rin could make someone into a literal pretzel, Kagome could vaporize them into nothing. To make matters worse, Inuhiko's not sure which method is the least painful.

All he does know is that neither woman is to be messed with if what he witnessed was anything to go by. He then thought about Sango and her Hiraikotsu, which was another experience he didn't want to relive. Inuhiko shivered as he imagined what it would be like if he was on the receiving end of all three women's anger.

'Rin, if you can hear me, I think I found people scarier than you.' Inuhiko thought, feeling a chill go down his spine.

Now onto Review Corner, where I rely to your reviews and answer any questions you may have to the best of my abilities.

Alannada: I'm happy to hear you say that you thought my work was fun to read.

With that out of the way, I look forward to seeing you all again in the future.