Disclaimer: I don't own Inu... I don't own Yasha... pretty much I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters that have to do with the anime.

With that, he walked through the conjoining bathroom, into his own room, and shut the door. She then heard it automatically lock and sighed to release much of her tension. Tomorrow was another day... right? Until then, she was going to get some sleep.

Chapter 4: Slaughter

A beeping noise sounded throughout the room and Kagome who was sprawled out on the bed jumped up from the sudden noise. All the locks in the room automatically unlocked and Inuyasha came sauntering through the bathroom door. Kagome was disheveled and her hair frizzed up every which way. A slight smirk only crossed Inuyasha's features but as he stared at her drooping eyes and swaying head, his smirk grew and the laughter was forcing its way out.

Kagome started to wake up more fully and a glare made its way to the half vampire. When the glare went unnoticed, a pillow was thrown at his face. He didn't sense it coming until it was about to hit him in the face so the only action he could think of to dodge the flying object was to lean backwards. Even though high agility and balance comes with what he is, the swift movement caused him to fall backwards flat onto his butt.

Smiling triumphantly at what she had done to Inuyasha, Kagome dragged herself off the bed and went to the bathroom. Inuyasha on the other hand got up and dusted himself off. He then walked to where the table and chairs were set and sat down. After ten minutes of waiting, the half vampire started to get impatient. He glared at the door as if to burn a hole into it so he could drag his partner out, but alas it did nothing. Neither did it help in getting Kagome to get ready any faster. After sitting for another five minutes he got up and started to bang on the door with his fist.

"Are you done yet? We don't have all day you know!" he yelled at the door.

"Shut up! You are just going to have to wait and be patient if you want me to finish!" she screamed back from the other side.

Inuyasha's eyebrow started to twitch, but there was nothing he could do... the door was steel and electronically locked... for all he knew, she could have been committing suicide right there and he wouldn't be able to do anything about it. Breathing deeply a few times, he turned around to control his impatience and started to pace. In the middle of his pacing the phone rang.

When he picked it up, he heard the voice of one of the secretaries from the ground floor. "Inuyasha... why haven't you been down yet to get your assignment today? You're running late."

"Yeah, yeah..." he replied, "I got a new partner."

"Really? They finally laid it down in black and white on you... I'm guessing from your annoyed tone of voice and your lateness that you got a girl. So tell me... is she cute?" the secretary asked.

"Will you shut up? One, she is not cute and two, she is getting me very annoyed!"

"Lighten up! I was only asking..." giving up on small talk, the secretary continued on with business. "Anyways, your assignment is at the Fujiwa border. Be careful in that area... there is a human vampire hunter village not to far from where your going. You might actually meet someone from there if you're not careful. Besides that, your assignment is routine, so seek any free roaming vampires and take them down."

"Got it." And with that, Inuyasha put the receiver to the phone down just in time to see Kagome come through the bathroom door.

"What took you so long?" he questioned her.

"Do you want me to explain to you my morning routine or would you like to just forget you even asked?"

Inuyasha thought about it for a few seconds but furiously shook his head to show that he did not want to hear any part of a women's morning routine.

Almost forgetting the phone call he just received, Inuyasha quickly said what he had been told. "We are going to go on a routine hunt tonight. Get ready because we're leaving in ten minutes."

Kagome sighed with exhaustion and frustration. "I'll never get used to being awake during most of the night... I usually slept at night thank you..."

Inuyasha just cocked an eyebrow in her direction and continued to strap on his sword and put on his coat. When done, he stood there and watched as Kagome sluggishly walked around to put on various things all the while mumbling to herself. Once ready, the duo walked out of their living quarters and made their way to the elevator and from there to the lobby.

The doors were pushed open and both emerged, one ready for a night of hunting, the other ready to flee at any moment. Kagome had no idea what to do so she turned to Inuyasha expecting him to point her in the right direction, only to find him steadily walking away.

She growled with frustration and took off after him. His pace was brisk and she had trouble keeping up with it, but soon enough, they arrived at their destination. The city had long disappeared and now the night was filled with trees and smaller houses and buildings.

Inuyasha then turned to Kagome, "You have to jump on my back now... it's a long walk from here."

"What do you mean? Where are we going? Would you care to inform me on this matter?"

Inuyasha started to mumble something under his breath which Kagome couldn't make out.

"If you're trying to tell me something the least you could do is speak up. If you have something to say then just say it!"

The half vampire whirled around to face his annoying partner, his expression showing just how annoyed he was. "If you want to just stay here and get killed then that's fine with me, but if you don't want to die then just get on my back and shut up!"

Kagome looked at him and blinked a few times after the outburst. Giving off a long sigh, she reluctantly walked to where he stood. Inuyasha bent down so she could climb on. When all was well, Inuyasha ran with great speed towards a house and jumped. From rooftop to rooftop they traveled using the night as cover. It seemed like they had traveled miles upon miles to get out of the city and into the more wooded areas of the outskirts. The rest of the traveling was done on foot as Inuyasha sprinted through the groups of trees and underbrush.

While traveling though, Kagome became suddenly alert when she felt a vampire's aura. "Inuyasha... stop," she commanded him. "I feel it... one's near."

He came abruptly to a stop and looked around in the wooded area. He then asked her, "How strong does it feel?"

"It's very powerful. It sent a shock up my spine... or that's what it felt like. And it was sudden too... not a gradual gaining in strength."

'That means there's a bunch of them...' Inuyasha thought to himself. "Ok... Kagome... do you know which direction?"

She was unsure really how to tell which direction the vampire was, but once she concentrated on the aura, she could feel a slight pull coming towards their right. Pointing her partner in the right direction they took off once again. Suddenly they saw houses and a cleared out area free of trees. Taking more caution, Inuyasha put Kagome down and led the way to look around. Walking towards the houses, Kagome jumped when she heard someone moan. Inuyasha sniffed the air for any queer scents, but once he took his first breath of air, he immediately lowered his head with eyes quickly scanning the area.

Kagome, curious as to why he became alert all of a sudden asked him, "Inuyasha... what's wrong?"

"I smell blood... human blood..." Inuyasha let a growl emit from the back of his throat. "Kagome... do you feel any auras nearby?"

"Yes... I do... it's very near actually," she replied.

Inuyasha looked back at her. "Stay close... this might be a trap," and with that he wrapped his hand around the handle of his sword and slowly made his way around the corner of one of the houses. The sight they came across was not one that they would have ever expected. Inuyasha tried to stop Kagome from seeing the gore, but was too late when he heard a gasp directly behind him. She saw it over his shoulder and was now shaking with sickness and fear.

Across the ground and wherever they looked were bodies. Most had blank white expressions upon their faces while others had missing limbs and slashed throats. Many lay in a pool of their own blood while others had no blood near them. Weapons of every kind were scattered about, some marred with blood and the rest were across the ground, unattended.

"A battle occurred here." Inuyasha stated rather calmly. "This is the vampire hunters' village I was told about, but what happened?"

As Inuyasha pondered to himself, Kagome looked at her surroundings frantically and started tugging her partners sleeve to get his attention. "There's still a vampire here. The aura didn't fade."

Once Kagome stopped talking, a figure that was crouched on the roof of a house jumped and leapt towards Kagome. Inuyasha spotted him quickly and ripped his sword from its sheath while shoving Kagome out of the way. The figure flew down upon the two with a spear in his hands. With deft movements, Inuyasha blocked the attack and flung the attacker to the side. Landing onto the earth, the vampire glared at Inuyasha and smiled cynically. Inuyasha's face tightened as he clenched his teeth. Something was wrong... he could feel it. Without a word or command, more vampires, at least seven, had jumped from various places around them and were now charging down upon the duo.

Kagome backed towards Inuyasha in fear, but Inuyasha welcomed the battle. His grip on his sword tightened. As they stood there, Kagome noticed that the blade was starting to glow. The intensity grew and when the vampires confronted him, he told Kagome to get down. With blade raised, he started to pivot in a circle slowly. Seeing that the vampires were in close enough range, he used all his strength to force the sword in a swift, sudden circle around his body. The sword glowed with so much intensity that the vampires stopped in their tracks to shield their eyes, leaving them open for attack. Not only did the sword glow, but it made a slice of energy drive through the air. A few vampires that were caught unaware became dust once the energy hit them while others had managed to escape. The survivors took one look at Inuyasha and ran.

The area was free of any roaming vampires and it was safe for Kagome to get up. Inuyasha smiled triumphantly and sheathed his sword whilst his partner heaved a sigh of relief.

Watching the fleeing vampires, Kagome looked to him and asked, "Aren't we going after them?"

"Nah. We did our job tonight. I'm happy enough that we scared them away and killed a few along with it. Let's just get back to headquarters."

Kagome looked at the carnage once more before shivering and nodding to her partner. She wouldn't argue with him... for all she knew, no one was left alive and trying to catch up with the fleeing vampires would be futile. Both walked out of the village and back into the woods. Inuyasha and Kagome headed back on foot knowing that there wasn't much left to do. Both thought their night was done, but neither knew what was to come.

~*~*~

The woods were a dangerous place at night for anyone who might dare to go within their shade, but one girl welcomed the darkness. She traveled on quick feet with eyes keen to the darkness and ears sharpened to the slightest of sounds. Her weapons sat in plain sight while others were hidden and tucked away. The largest of them all was hard to miss for it was bigger than herself. The giant boomerang, which she always carried around, might have seemed like a horrible, heavy, clunky weapon to carry around in such a crowded place such as the forest, but she carried it behind her, never showing any signs of fatigue. This girl was a vampire hunter named Sango.

Her village was in the middle of the woods where no one really knew they existed. Within the small village, nearly everyone knew how to kill vampires. Her father was one of the best hunters they had, but had died during a battle when he was injured and his friend ran instead of aiding him. Both of them were largely outnumbered and her father had fought till the very end. He never made it back alive. Sango's mother was devastated after her father's death and forbid her children to hunt. Kohaku, Sango's younger brother, refused to listen and kept pursuing vampires with Sango. Though Sango and Kohaku were excellent hunters, the village felt vulnerable to attack once their best hunters journeyed into the woods at night. Nothing had happened since then, and that was four years ago.

All nights were the same for Sango. She went out hunting, sometimes with her brother, and mostly came back satisfied from a kill or two. This night was starting to look the same. She had found a vampire, but it led her to frustration in the end. She had spotted it, but it seemed to have seen her first and made a run for it. The chase lasted for over a mile that led deeper into the woods but ultimately ended with the vampire on Sango's blade. She was glad she hadn't let it escape. Though it took some time to catch, it was dead and that's all that mattered.

The sky started to show colors of the sunrise and Sango decided to start walking back towards the village since vampires wouldn't dare be out in the sun. As she walked though, something didn't feel right. A chill ran down her spine as the thought progressed through her mind. The vampire she had chased didn't seem like it was fleeing in fear and it looked as though it were waited... almost as if it were waiting for her, knowing she would come. But why had it waited if it knew it would probably be killed?

Her pace quickened dramatically both in her heart and feet. Something was not right at all. As she neared closer to the cluster of houses, she could see no activity. Everything was silent and an unnatural smell drifted in the breeze. Sango sprinted towards the village and when she looked upon the destruction, she became struck with disbelief. Her hand flew to her mouth as her head shook from side to side. Bodies were scattered everywhere, all of people she once knew. Faces were blank and expressionless, many still clutching weapons. The ground had long soaked up the pools of blood, but the grass was left discolored. No one stirred and everything was silent except for Sango's struggled breathing.

But amidst the carnage, a body twitched and moved slightly. Catching this, Sango rushed to the being sprawled out upon the ground. The woman's face was smeared with blood, her clothing torn, and hair matted with blood and dirt.

"Mother!" Sango fell to her knees beside the woman and searched for more signs of life. Her mother's eyes twitched slightly and slowly opened. The sight of Sango made her try and sit up, but the loss of blood made her lay back down, trying to regain focus in her eyesight.

"Sango..." her voice was rasp and weak. "You must leave here."

"No... I won't. You'll be safe now. You're going to be ok. Just ple..."

"Listen to me Sango," her mother interrupted. "I have no time left here. It is my time to go and join your father, but you must listen to me."

"Please don't die... you can't leave me."

"Listen to me!" Though she was weak, her face became serious and her voice scolding. "A group of vampires attacked us. It didn't make sense... they just killed with normal weapons and let blood be spilled. Certain people they did drink from, but others were left to bleed. They hunted us for fun. I'm lucky to be alive Sango... but they... they..."

Sango's mother was nearly breaking into tears so she pushed her mother to say what she wanted to say, "They what?"

"They took Kohaku!"

Sango looked at her mother in shock. "What do you mean they took Kohaku?!"

"He was knocked out during the fight and handed to another vampire. I tried to stop them because the vampire started to run off with him, but I ended up with a dagger in my side." Suddenly, as if the thought of the injury made it feel like a fresh wound, Sango's mother started to cough up blood.

"Don't speak any more... save your strength!"

Sango's order was seemingly unheard for her mother spoke again. "I need to tell you one last thing Sango... I fell unconscious... but I did see someone who stood out from the rest. He had a sword, a girl was with him, and he had long silvery white hair. He is all I saw... he was the only one that remained with their group. They couldn't have gotten far... Sango... you must..."

"But what about you?" she interrupted.

"Leave me! I can feel my life slipping as we speak... you must get Kohaku. He still has to be alive. Please... don't dwell on the past Sango. Get your brother and be happy. Let me rest peacefully and be with your father. Please..."

Sango let her tears fall freely from her eyes. No words could express the pain she was experiencing again. Her father's death left damage and all the healed emotional wounds reopened. Her mother's hand reached up shakily from the ground to Sango's face which Sango grasped and held against her cheek.

"I love you... my daughter..." the words faded from pale lips and all her limbs went limp. With dilated eyes, the loving expression of a mother was left upon her face. Sango fell into sobs as she called out to her mother, but found nothing would bring her back. Tears were wiped away from her eyes and Sango looked upon her mother's face once more. Reaching for her blood stained face, she gently touched her eyelids and brought her hand down, thus closing her mother's eyes forever. Quivering lips were lowered and brushed the soft skin of her forehead.

Slowly, Sango lifted herself off the ground and looked back towards the forest. She promised herself that she would come back and give proper burials to all in the village, but first she had to hunt down the vampires that killed all the people she had ever known and loved and find her brother once again. With all tears and remorse pushed away, Sango collected her weapons from where she had dropped them upon seeing the village, and sprinted off into the forest. To say the least, her mind was set on revenge on a certain silver haired vampire.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Opps... I haven't written in a while... lets try months... Yeah... I thought the whole story was thought out... my friend and I were at a big writer's block though. Plus we've been busy by going to Florida and school... lots of make up work. Plus we are in a performance... rehearsal is everyday. But now the performance is over so I got a chance to write. I'm so sorry for making everyone wait so long! I just had to get this chapter out or I felt that I would never get it posted. Thanks for the reviews! Please keep reviewing! Suggestions are welcome and so is critiquing! Thanks!