b Hey everybody. I am finally, FINALLY, back. I feel so bad for neglecting this story for so long. I decided to write this chapter because I just read a new update to one of my favorite stories. (yay!) Yeah, so I really hope that you're not gonna kill me. Oh yea one more thing. Sorry about the spelling errors in the last chapter. I sorta forgot about speelchecking. (thato one was on purpose) Hehee.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters, but I am the proud owner of a webter's vest pocket dictionary (just so I don't die by homicidal lawyers, I don't own the company or anything) ((boy, aren't I a dork)) (((hehee…triple parenthesis)))/b

Chapter 8, I believe…

Sukashi glanced up at the tall dog demon, who was staring intently at her mother. He seemed to figure out whatever he was thinking about, and took the unconscious miko in his arms.

"This Kaede, do you two know where she is?"

"Yes!" Shippou said urgently, grateful to be useful. Sukashi never took her eyes off Sesshoumaru. The way he held on to her mother was quite odd. It seemed very uncharacteristic for this cold demon. She jumped when Sesshoumaru met her gaze coldly.

"We better be leaving then." He said curtly.

"Yes." Sukashi said. She grabbed Shippou and put him on her back. The five-year-old was larger than the older kitsune, despite her age. She was also faster, so it made the most sense to her to carry him, despite his protests. She looked back at Sesshoumaru and nodded slightly.

"You will only be holding me back if you travel as you are. Get on my back." He said even more coldly.

Sukashi blushed and jumped on the dog demon's back, shifting Shippou off her back. Shippou grumbled but took his place next to her.

"I don't think we should trust Sesshoumaru." Shippou whispered into Sukashi's ear. "He's tried to kill Kagome and I before... This might another plan to kidnap Kagome or something."

"My mom isn't stupid or anything." Sukashi whispered back. "She trusts him, so I trust him."

Shippou furrowed his eyebrows but said nothing more. He looked at the scenery whizzing past and went back to worrying about Kagome.

Sukashi also said nothing more, but her thoughts lingered on Sesshoumaru. iSo this demon tried to kill my mom before, yet my mom said that he was "her friend". It seemed that there was a lot that Sukashi didn't know about her mother's past. /i

Sesshoumaru looked down at his Kagome. She had mentioned something about Naraku before she had blacked out. So her illness did have something to do with the evil hanyou. Damn him. He had separated him from her for five years, and when they finally found each other again, he struck her with illness. His thoughts were interrupted with a strong putrid smell reaching his nose. He halted as a giant demon rose before him. The demon was weak compared to him, but he did not have the time to fight it. He was startled suddenly as the demon stumbled backwards. He looked over his shoulder. Sure enough, the pup was gone from her perch on his back. He looked back at the demon. The five year hanyou child was striking the demon with her claws.

"Sukashi! What are you doing?!" Shippou yelled out from Sesshoumaru's back.

"I'm fighting the demon, baka, so that Sesshoumaru can take my mommy to Kaede-sama! And you'd better get down here and help me!"

Shippou trembled. "WHAT?!" He yelled "WHY DO YOU NEED ME?! YOU SEEM TO BE DOING—" Shippou yelled Sesshoumaru started moving again. He lost his grip and fell, hitting the ground with a solid "oof!"

Sesshoumaru continued past the demon in the direction of his original goal, Kaede's village. He looked back down at Kagome. Her eyes fluttered open, much to his surprise. He stopped moving.

"You...can't just leave them to fight that demon." She rasped.

"Human, I can and I will. They will be fine. The hanyou pup is very strong, and even if she is killed, I can always revive her with the Tenseiga. Trust me as your daughter says that you do."

~~

Sukashi dodged one of the demon's claws as she made her way to Shippou, who was still trying to recover with his pleasant rendezvous with the ground.

"Shippou, I know you're fine. This beast is weak, so we should be able to defeat it very easily. But if you don't get up soon, were gonna waste more time." Sukashi said calmly to the kitsune lying on the ground staring dazedly up at her.

Shippou stood up with a scowl. "Yea yea." He brushed himself off quickly and turned again to face Sukashi. But she no longer stood in the spot he last saw her in. She was not in sight. Shippou worriedly searched for Sukashi, but was calmed as he saw her. A small blur with her little cream colored kimono and smooth black hair flying about in the wind. It soon became clear to Shippou that he would not need to be doing any fighting at all as Sukashi tore her way around the beast, who was just to slow and large to even attempt to keep up.

"Man, she can really fight!" Shippou said to himself. "I never really noticed it before. We really haven't been doing a lot of fighting, and Kagome doesn't train her at all. She must be training herself. But where does she get so much power? It must be in her bloodlines, and it can't be from Kagome, because Kagome only uses pure magic attacks. Whoever her father is, he must be really really strong. I wonder who he is." Shippou settled back in his mind to work his little brain as hard as he could, racking his memory for anyone Kagome might have met and mated with in their adventures. But his deep thought was interrupted by a yell from Sukashi that was directed at him.

"Shippou, you idiot! Dodge!!" Was Sukashi's strangled call.

Shippou looked up. One of the beast's claws was proceeding in the exact direction of which he was standing.

He yelled as he scrambled out of the way, grasping his heart in surprise. He watched Sukashi as she tore at the beast's arms with her claws, and make a final blow to his heart. The demon's eyes went blank ,and he fell forward, crushing numerous trees with a loud roar. Shippou wiped the sweat off his head and blew out a gust of air.

"Hey Shippou!" Sukashi called to him. "Look at this marky thingy on his back! It looks like a...spider!"

Shippou stood upright immediately and ran to the beast to look for himself. Sure enough, Naraku's mark of the spider resided on it's back.

"Ahh noooo!" He wailed, grabbing his head. "If Naraku is involved, were in trouble!!"

"Na-ra-ku? Isnt that what my mom said before she blacked out?" Sukashi prodded curiously.

"Yea! He's an evil, horrible, repulsive, dreadful, disgusting, terrible, frightful, shameful, shocking, offensive, hideous half-demon!"

"Well, that doesn't matter now. Our main priority is getting back to Kaede's village!" Sukashi said with resolution.

"Yeah! Lets go!" Were nearly there anyway!"

~~

Sesshoumaru walked directly into Kaede's hut. "Old woman, I need you to heal this human."

Kaede shrewdly observed the Taiyoukai standing in front of her.

"Did ye do anything to harm her?"

"Anything that happened to her was of her own and Naraku's bringing."

"Naraku. I have not heard that heard of that name in quite a while." Kaede said, turning to heat some water. "Place her on that mat." She indicated to the mat in the corner with a shriveled finger. Sesshoumaru did what he was told, but did not leave the hut. Kaede knelt before the reincarnation of her dead sister. Placing her hands above the girl, she closed her eyes. Several minutes passed, and Sesshoumaru was beginning to grow impatient.

"She had somehow, when removing a strong spell, acquired a second spell that was hidden inside of that spell. Kikyou would be better suited to remove that second spell, but I doubt she would cooperate. I can no longer trust my former sister. I have enough magic to remove the spell, however, but it will take a considerable amount of time."

"Just do it old hag, I am beginning to grow impatient."

"Sesshoumaru, may I ask ye a question?"

"Yes, but make it quick."

"Why did ye leave Kagome all those years ago?"

"It was not my fault. Apparently, Naraku did not approve of the match, and he sought me out to place a spell on me that would cut me off totally from the my mat --Kagome."

"I see." Was all Kaede said. "You should leave now, but I should warn ye about Inuyahsa. He is here, in the village, and I bet ye he would be very willing to fight ye."

"I do not wish to fight my idiot half-brother. All I care about for now is the health of Kagome."

"One more question...Sesshoumaru."

"What is it, old woman?" He said irritably.

"Where are Shippou and Sukashi; the kitsune child and the hanyou pup?"

"They will be here shortly," was all he said before walking out of the hut, leaving Kaede and the

unconscious Kagome in the stuffy hut.

~~

Sesshoumaru leaned back against the tree trunk of the tree he was sitting in. He sniffed the air, satisfied that he smelled his hanyou pup making her way towards the village. It made no difference to him whether or not the kitsune was with her. He was slightly surprised that the girl could defeat that large demon so quickly. Who had been training her to fight? Surely not Kagome, and he was just as sure that Inuyasha wouldn't train her, considering that he had always bitter towards him and Sukashi. She must be training herself, fighting on pure instinct. Interesting. He opened his eyes as her scent entered the village.

He watched her from the tree, searching for any signs of Kagome or Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru idly picked an acorn off a branch and dropped it on her head, looking for all the world that it was the most boring and normal thing he had ever done.

Sukashi felt something hit her head and instantly looked up. She growled, thrusting her index finger at him "Hey you! That hurt! And why didn't you tell me that you were up there?! In case you havent noticed, Shippou and I have been frantically searching for you!"

Sesshoumaru jumped down from the branch, ignoring the child's rants and raves. He observed her for a second, noticing that she didn't even have a scratch. Before he got deep in thought again, he was interrupted by a most unpleasant smell reaching his nose.

He sighed slightly, boredly saying, "Inuyasha."

Sukashi and Shippou gasped, turning around. Inuyasha was huffing and staring at Sesshoumaru with rage.

"What do you want this time, Sesshoumaru?!" He called.

"I do not wish to fight you this time, little brother."

Sukashi's eyes went wide. She looked from the taiyoukai to the hanyou several times. 'they're brothers?!' She tried to take in the resemblance. She sort of thought they had always looked alike, but there were a lot of demons with silver hair and golden eyes.

"Then what the hell are you doing here?!" Inuyasha yelled, getting red in the face.

"That is none of your concern, Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru replied dryly.

"What do you mean 'none of my bus-'"

"Just shuddup Inuyasha. Leave us alone will you?!" Sukashi said from beside Sesshoumaru.

"What are you doing here, you little brat?!" Inuyasha said bitterly. "Sure, of course you would side with

your fa-"

"Inuyasha, Sit boy." Came a quiet voice from behind him. Inuyasha found himself facefirst in the dirt

suddenly.

He replied in habit, "Whaddid you do that for?!" He looked angrily behind him, before he realized who kissing the dirt was associated with. His face softened. "Kagome..."

~~

bThat was chapter 8 I believe. I hope you enjoyed it. It was pretty long, about 4 pages exactly(without formatting and in 10 type font). (that's pretty long for me.) Anyway...PLEASE review!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (that's a lot of ex. Marks.!)/b