Legal: If you don't know, where have you been?
Chapter 15: The Ties That Bind
"Where should I start?" Momiji asked quietly, her eyes thoughtful.
"The beginning is always best." Taomaru said, his eye bronze, as the ghost woman nodded.
"You all know that the Dark Army has taken over the Southern Kingdom, correct?" Everyone nodded grimly. "It is the first time it has been able to do that in history- their prey always was the Dog Clan and both times we pushed them back down the hole they crawled out of."
"It sounds as if their leadership has changed." Miroku remarked. Kouga snorted.
"Instead of a full out frontal attack, they're being sneaky. It was luck that the Dog Clan survived the first attacks at all what with the heavy casualties your clan took every time." Kouga snarled at Taomaru and Momiji. "Your fucking clan was supposed to protect all the wolf tribes in the Western Lands- that's what the alliance meant! Instead, you got our princess killed and left us to die!"
"Taomaru!" Shippo asked urgently. "What's he talking about?"
The wolf dog sighed heavily, the bronze of his multicolored eye becoming red tinged. "Perhaps I should take over for a few minutes." He looked at his ancestress who nodded in agreement. "When the Dark Army attacked initially, the Dog Clan was almost destroyed. Thousands of years ago, our clan was disorganized, selfish and powerful. We lost many, many people to the assault and as Kouga pointed out, we were lucky to have survived at all. Princess Momiji became our salvation and used her power to control the environment around her. She turned the whole castle grounds against the army; fire, water, earth, air- every damn element attacked the soldiers and very nearly eradicated the Dark Army from the face of this earth."
"I didn't get them all unfortunately." The ghost princess grumbled darkly. "My power diminished greatly toward the end and I had to leave the remainder to my brother and the rest of the clan."
"But," Taomaru blinked. "At the time, no one understood what was going on- only Prince Lukin had any idea what was going on. When all was over, he searched the castle for you, finally finding you in that room you had carved out, in the Guardian's chambers."
"If he found you, why are you dead?" Sango asked, eyeing the tattered and bloody clothing Momiji wore. "The ware and tear on your clothing indicates a battle."
The ghost smiled sadly. "These are from the fight against our allies inside the castle. The Dark Army had not been alone in the attack- they had bought, or otherwise turned, our allies' loyalties against us. While the battle erupted outside the castle walls, inside skirmishes began because our allies attacked us. A two pronged attack, so to speak." She sighed then her gaze settled on Kouga heavily for a heartbeat. She resumed the story. "The kind of power I unleashed had a high price and I paid in full."
"You died?" Shippo and Rin asked together. Momiji nodded, face blank.
"Not initially," Her lips twisted into a harsh smile. "After tasting my power, it seems the Western Lands were unwilling to let me go; I tried to leave the chamber and was sealed by the very power I had let out. From that day onward, for thousands of years, I was trapped down there. Lukin tried everything to free me but nothing worked. Slowly my power was drained from me until even the most basic of my youkai powers could no longer keep me among the living." There was a somber moment of sadness and surprise before the discussion resumed.
"The term for her became Guardian." Taomaru said quietly, his eye becoming brown.
"I've heard that before," Kouga said. "If anyone brought up attacking the Dog Clans an elder would always talk about rousing 'the wrath of the Guardian.' No one knew what the Guardian was except from stories- one of which was about Princess Momiji." He nodded at the ghost.
"But, as a ghost you still shouldn't be able to affect reality like you do." Miroku said.
Taomaru sighed and nodded. "Normally, yes; a ghost should not be able to manipulate things as Momiji can. Guardians do not…err… pass on after their service, after they finally die. Because we are bound so closely into the very environment, our spirits are unable to leave the area. Since her death, Momiji and every Guardian who followed after her have watched their descendants and protected them- even though she's a spirit, she can still derive power from the Dog Clan members and castle."
"Unable to pass on?" Sango asked. "Forever stuck here?" The possibility made her shutter.
Shippo's eyes were wide. "Taomaru, you said 'we'- you're a Guardian too?"
He nodded. "Correct. I have been Guardian for nearly two millennia. I have watched over my brother and his decendents since I was sealed. Oddly, it wasn't until I met Kagome that I've been able to move around. I've been in that room for so long." A shadow crossed his features, making his eye a bleak grey and, for a moment, the vibrancy of Taomaru's personality drained away like the sun sinking below the horizon just when you needed light the most.
"Kagome's power is waking up the ghosts of the castle again- she's waking up the whole damn Western Lands!" Momiji said. "As those three-" She nodded at the door to Sesshomaru's den. "Continue to share and build power, the energy awakens the spirits here and gives them power. That's why I can affect things now when I couldn't before. If we ghosts pool our power, we can shift doorways and move objects to protect our charges." Momiji looked pained for a second and spoke her next thought softly, as if forgetting she had an audience. "That's how we used to protect Sesshomaru."
"Protect Sesshomaru?" Sango asked, ready to follow that thought. Kouga had other ideas.
"So who are you?" He thrust out his chin at Taomaru petulantly. "We know who she is now and why she can do as she does, but who the hell are you?"
"Ah!" Taomaru made a fist and hit it lightly in his palm, his eye becoming lavender before changing to bronze again. "I'd forgotten I hadn't explained to you. I am Lord Momaru's brother- or was." Sadness flickered in his eye, making it turn grey again. "I am Sesshomaru's and Inu Yasha's uncle as well as the current Guardian."
"But," Rin said. "You don't look like them at all!"
"You guys are as different as night and day." Shippo said flatly. The wolf dog arched his eyebrows, widening his now lavender eye and smiling slightly.
"Oh? You really think so?" Taomaru laughed.
"Well, you're so dark." Sango said.
"And they are very pale in coloring." Miroku said.
"You're not as stupid as Inu Yasha." Kouga added and Taomaru frowned at him. The elder youkai hit the younger with his tail in annoyance. Kouga caught the appendage and looked at it, his eyes narrowing. He flicked his own tail into view, comparing the two. "The Dog Clan has longer, fluffier tails. How come yours is more like mine?"
Taomaru rested his chin in his hand, looking amused. "Yes, how could that be possible?" Now that attention had been called to it, everyone was looking at the two furry lengths and coming to a conclusion.
"You're part wolf tribe!" Rin said happily and laughed when Taomaru ruffled her hair.
"Very good, Rin! Sesshomaru will be pleased with your powers of observation."
"So you are wolf and dog; what's the point?" Kouga frowned and Taomaru whipped his tail from the younger youkai's grasp and slapped him with it again.
"Prince or not," Taomaru frowned, his eye becoming red tinged. "You are extremely stupid." He snorted in disgust and turned back to the others. "Our father was roped into two marriages- one with a female from our clan and one from the wolf tribe- to tie the two together. After the first defeat of the Dark Army, the Dog Clan underwent a massive reorganizing- no one could marry who they wanted; everything had to be toward the greater good of the clan. Along with that, we had to find a way to insure that our allies would not turn against us again."
"By mixing blood, you all had to stay loyal." Shippo said, nodding to himself.
"Fucking Dog Clan didn't think so." Kouga snarled, standing as he glared at Taomaru. "Think you're so high and mighty? My tribe and your clan have been at odds since you let our princess get killed back then, letting her pup die." Momiji frowned at him.
"Her pup did not die and her death was a great tragedy." Taomaru said, his voice low and tight- as if what he really wanted to do was beat the hell out of Kouga instead of talk to him. The red tint to his eye became more pronounced as he continued to speak. "She bore a pup at the same time as the Dog Clan wife. Both pups grew up well and strong and got along perfectly. Though they went their separate ways at times, both brothers still fought any enemy in defense of the other. One brother was pale with amber gold eyes. His name was Momaru." Taomaru paused, looking up at Kouga steadily. "The other brother was dark in color like his mother with the same ever shifting eyes as hers. His name was Taomaru and I am he."
"I thought so." Sango said. "You know too many things and are too familiar with Inu Yasha and Sesshomaru not to be." Taomaru smiled at her, his eye bronze green.
"Ah, Sango." Momiji said. "You are a very clever girl." The ghost laughed and then frowned, looking upward at the stone ceiling. "Hmm… excuse me a second." She promptly disappeared. The others blinked at her vacated spot then returned to the conversation.
"But, how did you get sealed and Momaru become king?" Shippo asked.
"As I said, the two of us got along like the best of friends right up until I got engaged." Taomaru noticed their shocked faces. "What? I was of marriageable age and found to be quite attractive!" He stuck his chin out and frowned.
"Rin thinks you are cute." Rin said, tugging on his sleeve. Taomaru's eyes became lavender green and he thanked the small child.
"Getting back to the point, all was well within the Dog Clan home. I traveled here and there in my teenage years and when I came back I met a wonderful woman." He smiled, his eye briefly falling to half-mast as he remembered his fiancé fondly. He shook himself, snapping back to the present. "Anyway, Momaru, Kiroti and I had a close relationship, constant companions in almost everything. Though she was to wed me, she had a very friendly relationship with my brother as well. Being that we were brothers, I felt no jealousy or anger in that fact- I encouraged their relationship when I was busy elsewhere."
"What was she like?" Miroku asked, always ready to hear the tale of a lovely lady. His hand wandered toward Sango and the exterminator slapped him before he touched her body. As a further deterrent, she slapped him hard again and then sat back to hear the story.
"She was very pretty, like Sesshomaru, but defiantly female. She had a gentle spirit, but a fiery temper that was down right hell to deal with. Kitori was… wonderful." He sighed quietly, falling silent, his eye first becoming grey then all color draining from the orb completely, making him look blind. "When the Dark Army attacked," he began, his tone as empty of emotion as his now unexpressive eye. "There came a point where, despite all our efforts, we were being massacred. It came down to a handful of wolf and dog youkai trying to beat an army of hundreds. Kitori, Momaru, me; we were all going to die that day. I knew of the Guardian role, of the power the person could wield and also the price they paid. To protect her, to protect my brother and our home, I became Guardian and have been so ever since, imprisoned and alone."
"But Kagome woke you up again." Miroku said. "When she called out for help."
Taomaru nodded silently, his features still empty. From the lack of response, everyone came to the same conclusion: it would be pointless to get anything else out of him for a while.
"When did she call for help?" Kouga asked, one eye still watching the wolf dog. "Dog turd couldn't protect her?" He snorted in disgust. "I knew he'd meet someone besides me who'd kick his ass."
The others frowned at him. "This was not something that could be solved by using your fists." Miroku said, frowning darkly.
"That's probably why Inu Yasha became a target." Shippo said absently. The kitsune jumped when Kouga began pounding on the door to Sesshomaru's den. "Are you insane?" Shippo screeched and ducked behind Taomaru.
"Come out dog turd!" Kouga yelled. "I challenge your claim! Now get out here and face me!" He started kicking the door as well.
"If you didn't want to help, why did you come?" Miroku asked angrily. The monk stood, readying to strike with his staff. Sango rose also and around the two, the wolves climbed to their feet.
Duchess and Socrates stood, growling and snapping at the wolves and at Kouga. The pair moved in sync opposite each other as they circled Sango and Miroku protectively. The wolf youkai stopped his attempts to break the door and frowned. "That's why." Kouga said, pointing at the two white dogs.
"My wolves found these two and told me about trouble to the south. When any trouble appears in a territory- especially one as great as the Western Lands and the Southern Kingdom- word gets out." Again he gestured to Duchess and Socrates. "These two told me that they had come with a girl who matched Kagome's description." He frowned and the wolves backed away from everyone. Duchess and Socrates however, did not.
"They could have come from anyone and seen Kagome." Sango snorted.
Kouga shook his head. "No, the dogs had Kagome's scent as well as Inu Yasha's and your scents too." He tapped his nose. "But more than that, when a fight is brewing and the message has to be delivered, it's usually through a matching animal."
"When Kouga has a message to spread, he does it through his wolves." Taomaru explained, shaking himself slightly and becoming more his usual self. "If Shippo had to send a message, he would ask other foxes."
"And because both dogs are white," Rin said. "You thought they came from Sesshomaru-sama."
"Let it never be said that the Wolf Tribes disobey treaty." Kouga said grimly. "On the way here we ran into those weird soldiers and were attacked. One of my legs got ripped up and I couldn't immediately chase down Inu Yasha when we arrived."
"Well, that explains that." Miroku said and smiled at the two white dogs' affectionately. "Kouga came because he'd been summoned by the lord of the Western Lands, not realizing at the time that Sesshomaru and Inu Yasha are brothers. Puts a new spin on things, does it not?" He arched a brow at Kouga.
"What do you mean?" Rin asked as she petted Duchess. The question had been aimed at Miroku, but Taomaru cut in before the monk could supply an answer.
"From what I understand, both from listening to you and from in here," the wolf dog tapped his skull, indicating his links to the three behind the shut door. "Kouga is one of Kagome's… suitors. Now, Sesshomaru and Inu Yasha are both in that category. The latter two are brothers- mess with one, you mess with the other- and Sesshomaru is the ruler of the Western Lands."
"Which means he is one of, if not the, strongest of all the youkai in the area." Sango said.
Miroku finished her thought. "Even with your Shikon fragments, if it comes down to sheer power Kouga, you are outclassed."
"Rumor says that neither brother is fond of the other." Kouga said, frowning at his losing position in the face of everyone's logic. Though he was a bit pissed with everyone, the wolf youkai glared hatefully at Taomaru the most.
"In a way you are correct; Sesshomaru and Inu Yasha lost love for one another a very long time ago." The wolf dog explained. "They even had a fight a few hours ago right here. But," the youkai held up a finger. "The point is that they are brothers- in the Dog Clan we do not challenge family without cause and we defend each other at all costs."
Kouga looked lost and Taomaru sighed, happy that he had no link to the mentally slow youngster. Sango spared him the task of explaining again. "He means that even though Sesshomaru and Inu Yasha fight between each other, that doesn't mean that you can attack Inu Yasha without also having to face Sesshomaru or vise versa."
The wolf youkai turned back to the door and began hammering on it again, yelling louder than before. Everyone else sighed and wondered how long the poor door would last under his assault.
"I wonder how Kagome's doing." Shippo said quietly.
I was in agony! I couldn't stop shaking, couldn't do anything about the wild spasming of my muscles. I knew that I had been changed, now wearing soft cloth instead of my pj bottoms, and I also knew I was being held. I even knew that it was Sesshomaru holding me, calling me mentally. What I didn't know was what to do. I convulsed repeatedly, the sharp motions racking my body painfully, worse than the fever raging through my frame. I felt like I was burning inside and being tenderized at the same time- I would never eat steak again after this.
Throughout it all I was aware, unmercifully aware, of the presence pacing inside me and of the movements of the two people nearby outside my skin. I heard the two brothers moving about but didn't understand what they were doing. Pain and heat swamped my senses, and I was barely functioning enough to sense who I was touching or what I was hearing. I could see- that was a good sign- but my vision was blurry and spotty. I felt exhausted and sick and Inu Yasha's power took that moment to badger me. It didn't so much as speak or form clear thoughts, but the meaning of the messages somehow was still clear.
'What hurts you so?' It asked. 'What enemy is present? Let me out and we shall kill it together.' Images accompanied the questions, pictures of Sesshomaru, of Kouga, of just about every enemy we had ever faced. I answered Inu Yasha's power in the same way that it talked to me- it would insure an understanding and it took less effort; all my energy was going into trying to control the convulsions.
'Nothing can be solved by killing.' I told it absently, preoccupied with suppressing a particularly violent fit. 'No one outside my body is hurting me- you are.'
'Me?' It was surprised. 'I could not hurt you. I love you; you are mate.' It told me and the images I received were little snippets of times spent between Inu Yasha- the complete hanyou- and myself. I saw pictures from different moments; the time when I hadn't slept for days and then had come back to see everyone, inadvertently falling asleep while Inu Yasha was talking to me. I saw myself while I was sleeping when I'd been sick and Inu Yasha had been taking care of me. Little scraps of memories of when Inu Yasha was thinking of me or feeling affectionate toward me.
'You hurt me.' I repeated, spasming. I felt my power flare and the presence inside me became alarmed. I felt myself beginning to slip away, going to some place I did not know. 'Your power hurts me.'
'Mate? Mate!' It cried. 'Don't go!' More images, memories on fast-forward from Inu Yasha's life- moments when he had been lonely, felt betrayed, felt deserted. And then I saw myself in the images, smiling or laughing, chasing away those awful feelings. The memories faded with his memory of marking me while I was sick, of looking after me in reality after my collapse in my kitchen at home. I felt how distressed he had been back then as he watched me keel over, knowing that I was in desperate need of help and not knowing how to aid me.
Now I was confused. It was showing me memories from times in reality, but around or at that time I had been threatened by the Inu Yasha in the dream mesh- the part of him that wasn't waking up for whatever reason. 'If you were the one in reality, who attacked me in the dream mesh? Who attacked me at Keade's?' I had been under the assumption that any violent acts were derived from Inu Yasha's demon powers, from that half of his personality. 'Which one of you did I make love to?' God, this was confusing.
'Me.' It responded, showing different images from the dream mesh again.
'For what part?' I asked annoyed. I gasped, inside and out, as I rode another wave of pain. It was as if every muscle in my body was trying to get up and leave, as if I was being ripped apart! 'I can't... I can't live like this.' I whispered to Inu Yasha's power, to the beast that was the source of my misery.
'I was the one in reality and the one who marked you. I was the one who protected you, who made love to you.' It said quietly and for the first time I felt a light caress inside instead of sharp poking. The touch continued, settling the muscles in its path.
'Don't… understand.' I shuttered. I didn't know what it was doing, but slowly my body was calming down.
'Inu Yasha is a hanyou; two sides, two natures.' It answered, more memories accompanying the thoughts. 'I sleep inside Inu Yasha and come when called, when the danger is too great, because I am the more destructive of the two. I house the power but that doesn't mean I am the more violent of us.'
'But you're his demon side.' I was slowly relaxing, lying limp in Sesshomaru's arms. I blinked and the room came into view. I could see Sesshomaru, could feel his cool skin against my warm body. I pressed myself against his chest. For a brief blessed moment I found coolness and felt my temperature slip a notch. But then Sesshomaru pulled away and I wrapped my fingers tightly into the cloth of his clothing. "Don't." I whispered, my throat hurting. "Don't leav-" My body began to spasm again and again, one right after another.
'Mate?' Inu Yasha's power shifted inside me, spreading out through my system. I felt panicky as I sensed it doing this- it didn't hurt but the feeling was disconcerting. My power responded, flowing through me and over Inu Yasha's. I felt Sesshomaru's mental call hit the barrier, the shield I had erected in my head to keep everything contained. The last thing everyone needed was demon Inu Yasha running around loose in either brother's head.
I was fighting a loosing battle- not necessarily with Inu Yasha's power, but with myself, with my body. This was a totally new experience unto itself: I'd fought demons, been attacked, dealt with strange situations but I had never had a presence inside me, making itself a home among my internal organs. I had just gotten used to putting up with three other voices in my head- I couldn't handle a forth, especially in this intimate a relationship. At least Sesshomaru, Taomaru and… whatever was left of the hanyou Inu Yasha were outside my body. Oh yah; this was very different.
My lungs burned, as did the muscles in my arms and legs; they weren't getting enough oxygen for this kind of activity and neither was the rest of me. Distantly I felt my stomach heave, not only from a touch of nausea, but from the fact I hadn't eaten in a while. Not enough air, no food in my stomach, and nausea- nothing like it in the misery department. The convulsions racking my body intensified, jerking me so much that I thought I'd break into a million pieces. A million pieces, just like the Shikon Jewel when I'd broken it with my arrow long ago. Some how, it seemed fitting in the similarity.
I felt Inu Yasha's power stir, felt it begin to pace inside me. 'Mate, stop fighting me!' It yelled, trying to get my attention over the pain its presence caused.
'Leave.' I whispered and then realized what I was saying- it couldn't leave; I was holding it inside. Damn- all this pain was self-inflicted; metaphysically speaking that is. I felt my breath hitch, felt my back arching as if someone were picking me up or trying to hold me down while my body still tried to shake. Inu Yasha's power poured through me, trying to take over for what purpose I did not know.
"No!" I shrieked, hardly aware that I was speaking out loud. "No!" My body spasmed and my power screamed for help, drawing on Sesshomaru's and Taomaru's. I felt my power funnel theirs into itself as it tugged something- as if reeling in something attached to a string. It pulled on whatever it was reaching for and gave an unrelenting command that had to be obeyed.
Inu Yasha's demon side didn't panic, didn't attack, like I thought it would. I guess I had expected it to claw its way back to Inu Yasha, but what it had said nagged at me. I am the more destructive of the two. I house the power but that doesn't mean I am the more violent of us. What did it mean? It was his demon side- didn't that automatically make it his more violent side? And what was this about this side being more caring than his human side? Too many questions, too few answers. I flashed on the dream I had had before all this craziness started, when everyone and I were still traipsing around the woods, the one about being back in my bedroom with him outside the window. As I remembered, his power must have seen the show as well.
'That dream,' it said cuddling my chest from the inside. 'I remember that dream. Are you afraid of me?' Inu Yasha's power made no move to defend itself from my wrath, waiting for my decision to use the power at my disposal to destroy it or let it go.
'I can't let you out- not like you were before.' I replied, ignoring the question and feeling sleepy. I could feel myself again, could feel strong hands entwined with mine, a muscled body pinning me down. I opened my eye and stared into concerned amber. I tried to speak, but my tongue stuck to the top of my mouth. I swallowed thickly and tried again with little success. The youkai was glowing and I wanted to ask why- not that it was really important, mind you, just that it takes a bit to get him to do his lightning bug routine. Sesshomaru's head moved and I could see anxious violet eyes framed by black hair starring down at me. Human Inu Yasha didn't touch me, but he wanted to- I could tell from his face. I blinked slowly and could sense the hanyou's demon side looking out through my eyes at himself.
'It is human nature to destroy.' Inu Yasha's power whispered in my head, the murmur a cool caress calming my body. 'It is not possible for hanyous to be one side or the other- when separated, the chosen side will become darker without it's counterpart to balance it.'
I looked up into the human Inu Yasha's violet eyes before I passed out. Though I could hardly believe what his demon side was telling me, I knew it wasn't lying; if Inu Yasha ever turned completely human, he would be more dangerous than any demon we had ever seen.
Sesshomaru had used his heavier frame to stop Kagome from thrashing. To say he was relieved when she finally looked up at him would have been an understatement. He knew he was glowing, the other point of light besides Kagome, because all the candles had blown out somehow during the fiasco. The Demon Lord straightened, gathering Kagome into his arms in the process and glared hatefully at his human brother. Sesshomaru snarled, his eyes bleeding red as Inu Yasha backed away from the furious youkai. The human was spared Sesshomaru's wrath by the door being smashed in.
"Is everyone all right?" Taomaru asked, stepping through the hole he had made in the door and looking for damage. He was glowing, his power casting a greenish tinge as he walked inside and over those behind him: a pack of wolves, the two dogs, and Kouga. Sango and Miroku trailed after them, Shippo and Rin right behind the two.
"Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin yelled, running around Miroku's legs to cross the remaining floor to the bed. "Rin is glad to see you!" She climbed up and sat beside her wonderful protector.
"Kagome!" Shippo yelled and jumped onto the bed when Sango was in range. Unsure of what would set off the obviously angry youkai, the monk and exterminator stood beside the bed, staring at the dark haired Inu Yasha. Miroku looked over at Kouga, the wolf prince standing nearby, and saw that he was just as surprised as everyone else.
"Dog turd! What happened to you?" The wolf youkai grabbed a handful of Inu Yasha's long hair and pulled roughly, obviously looking for the joke. He sniffed at the new human while the latter pulled at the hand that pulled his hair. Kouga gasped. "Human." He let Inu Yasha go, still staring. "You're human."
"Wimpy wolf! Who let your sorry ass inside the castle?" Inu Yasha demanded angrily, looking like he was about to jump off the bed and hit Kouga.
"Kouga joined us a little while ago." Taomaru explained distractedly, his bronze eye flicking from his nephew to his daughter in law to the angry Sesshomaru. "What happened?"
"I…changed." Inu Yasha said quietly, looking at Kagome with a sad expression.
"You didn't!" Sango looked horrified and jumped on the bed followed by the alarmed monk. Miroku stood over the hanyou, looking positively evil in the light Sesshomaru, Taomaru and Kagome generated. He hit Inu Yasha, so angry that Kagome had been hurt again at the hanyou's hands.
"You hurt her again?" Miroku demanded, punctuating the new question with another punch. "You didn't learn to control yourself the first time so you changed and attacked Kagome when she got in your way? Is that it Inu Yasha?" Taomaru pulled his nephew from harms way before the angry monk could land another hit; Inu Yasha had made no move to defend himself against the onslaught at all.
"Attacked her again?" Kouga's eyes narrowed dangerously at the human boy.
"Right," Taomaru said quickly, eyeing Kagome in Sesshomaru's arms. "We'd better see to Kagome." Sesshomaru stopped glaring at his brother and looked at Taomaru, his eyes bleeding from crimson to amber. The Demon Lord nodded and his uncle crept closer, beginning his examination.
Miroku continued to loom over Inu Yasha, desperately wanting to beat the hell out of the now human hanyou. Sango also couldn't keep the rage from her face as she stared at him, glad that she didn't have her boomerang at the moment- she might've hit Inu Yasha with it and killed him. Kouga hopped on the bed, his pack of wolves and Socrates remaining on the floor while Duchess jumped on the bed and immediately went to Inu Yasha's side, laying down beside and then licking the human boy. Realizing that the canine was now his only ally, Inu Yasha took comfort that he had not been completely deserted.
"What do you mean you changed?" Kouga demanded, plunking down next to Sango.
"As a hanyou, Inu Yasha can change into a human but he can also become the opposite." Miroku intoned.
"He means that Inu Yasha can also turn demon." Shippo explained as Kouga gave the kitsune an incredulous look. "When Inu Yasha's life is threatened and his hanyou body cannot fight the threat, his demon blood takes over and he becomes a killing machine."
Kouga blinked, digesting that bit of information. He stared at Inu Yasha and then glanced over at Kagome and the other two youkai. The wolf youkai arched his brows at the other three, about to speak, and Sango followed his gaze, shrieking in horror.
Notes:
:::crawls out of the land of no internet:: I'm still here! I'm still here just a little out in the middle of nowhere. I'm still trying to fix things but with school now back, posting will resume as close to normal as possible. Please keep reading and thanks to everyone who has been patient enough to stick around and read this story.
On a personal note, special thanks to Nat who's continued support has made me want to continue writing… even though I keep running into snags that are bigger than I am. I'm sorry I haven't written back but I'm gonna keep trying to. Also, Telos, I still live and will begin sending what I have done of Pt. 4. ::scratches her head and laughs faintly:: I think you are really not going to be happy with me.
Hmm… what could possible happen next? It's not what your thinking. Keep an eye out for the next chapter and if you have time, please post on the review page- one of the few pleasures in my life is to read what you guys think. Again, please make sure you have the various plots straight- things are going to get confusing very shortly.
Thank you everyone for reading!!!