giggles inspiration hit and I am on a role! However, this is so not going in the direction I had planned out! Some serious remodeling on future chapters may be in order! And I will be gone on vacation as of next monday for about TWO weeks. I hope to do some writing while I am away, but no promises.... I really appreciate the encouragement and all the nice reviews! It always inspires me when people make suggestions that get me thinking! I may have one more chapter out before I leave but it depends on how the next chapter of The Strongest Ties works out...

One other thing, those of you waiting to find out what happened to Kagome...It will be a LONG LONG time before that is revealed. Kagome is a mystery to the tentais and in many ways, to the readers...you learn about her and what happened as they do....so, frustrating as it may be, that is the way this fic is going to develope...so, enjoy!

Sylvannastar

Chapter 6

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Kagome grimaced as she felt herself being pulled from the first peaceful sleep she had since falling into this miserable place. She wasn't certain what was disturbing her, but she felt a need to wake up and confront...something. There was a thrill of power snaking across her spine and sending tremors through out her body. A warning. A threat. And all from a source outside of the shield wrapped tightly around her own aura.

She snapped her eyed open as soon as she felt a familiar pulse of energy thrum through her body. Her smoky eyes met and caught a slightly familiar set of burning eyes that had only a fraction of a moment to widen in shocked surprise before the sword under his hands reacted. Kagome found herself blinded and she flinched at the release of youki that rebounded several times around the cave that she could see surrounding her, before it found release through the mouth of the cavern. She was unable to contain her gasp and instantly regretted the action as the dust and debris shaken from the walls and ceiling choked the air. Her hacking cough bent her body double as her wounds were forced to endure her pain filled breathing and the tensing of injured muscles.

Kagome cleared her vision enough to reduce the dark haze into a grey screen of dust and the blurred edges of jagged rocks. Across from her, pressed against the cavern wall, was the twisted form of a man that she seemed to recognize. She shook her head to clear the unearthly buzzing that was ringing in her ears. Confusion reigned in her mind as she tried unsuccessfully to identify her surroundings and the dark haired man slumped unconscious against the wall. Her fever raged under her flushed skin as she shook her head repeatedly and forced herself to try to concentrate.

"Who?.." she clenched her eyes shut as another cough seized her lungs and made her feel as if she had swallowed glass. She centered her blurred vision on the body flung, what seemed to be to her slurred thoughts, such a great distance away. She had a vague recollection of a young man wrapping her in comforting and strangely protective energy and that his presence had banished the dark nightmares for a short time. She remembered that she was supposed to be in hell. "Great," she hissed through her teeth. "I think Tetsuseiga just fried my guardian angel..." She twisted her swollen mouth into a parody of a wry grin and wheezed out a weak chuckle that held no humor. "Figures...."

Kagome didn't even try to reason out why the sword would attack an angel and simply accepted it as one of those things. Magic spells and barriers were picky about how they interpreted what was permitted and what wasn't and Tetsuseiga and had already made of point of being difficult about choosing its owner. Even then, it still was a bit erratic in its master's hands... claws... whatever. She briefly wondered if a half angel could touch it. After all if there were half demons, why not half angels? She frowned when she vaguely recalled a short conversation in which her companion had denied his obvious role. Who else would you find in hell but spirits and devils and angels? And he was definitely not evil. She could sense it. She shrugged it off then she sneered at her own irrelevant idea and tried to remember what had sent her thoughts spinning in that direction. A quick glance around served to remind her of her position and the uncomfortable sprawl of the man that had been with her when she first awoke.

She hung her head in typical defeated motion before she worked up the courage to move again. The man was a stranger, she knew that. But he was also familiar on a whole other level. She could FEEL that she knew him even if her mind didn't recognize him. Her eyes crossed uncomfortably as she attempted to bring his face into focus. She failed, but was comforted by the faint outline of his wings spread behind him. The soft waves of energy let her know that he was still alive and she was relieved to know she hadn't involuntarily killed the poor guy. I mean seriously, if he had been sent to watch over her, he had his job cut out for him as it is...Kagome grimaced and decided that despite her own hurt, she had to return the gesture and take care of him as well. As much as she could anyway. Besides, she wanted to help him.

She galanty fought the spasms of pain twisting knots into her abused body and shoved herself onto her elbows so that she could squint at the fallen figure without her face pressed against the gritty floor of the cave. It took more effort then she had estimated to turn herself over and get her scraped knees under her. Kagome panted through the newest wave of pain but refused to wait until it passed before attempting to crawl toward the only other person in this gloomy hole.

The closer she got to him, the more she couldn't shake the feeling that he was hurt more then she had first thought. The thought didn't surprise her that much considering the amount of power that had just knocked him into the rock wall. He still had not moved and she was not in any condition to be nursing anyone herself. She clenched her teeth together and put some of her weight on her injured arm since the other fist was still clutching the sword in an unbreakable grip.

She made it across the ragged floor till she was only feet away from her fallen angel when a new burst of energy came speeding in her direction. She glared at the mouth of the tunnel and pushed herself to her knees in an attempt to face the danger she could feel coming. She could feel several aura's with their energy levels jumping to threatening heights. With a burst of adrenalin, Kagome ignored the screaming of her body and placed herself between danger and her silent companion. She felt the swelling over one eye start to throb as her heart rate increased and she cursed her condition and everything that had driven her to this point. She knew she wasn't very threatening, but just maybe, she could intimidate whatever was coming long enough for the man at her back to recover. With her resolve focused on protecting the dark haired figure behind her, she faced the opening with a look of fierce determination on her torn features.

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Kurama ignored the boulders that had fallen into the path and simply leapt over the rubble as he ran. The closer he got to the mouth of the cavern, the greater the destruction seemed to be. He had a sick feeling in his gut that something was terribly wrong and out of place. He jumped over the next rock without slowing and felt Yusuke power up behind him in an effort to keep up.

Yusuke's demon side quickly took over his weaker human blood and the second wave of youki spread before them. Kurama knew that any chance that the enemy did not know they were coming was spoiled the moment that his hair had started to silver at the roots. Yusuke's boost of power was the first and the last warning to whatever was waiting for them inside that cave. If Hiei was hurt, Kurama had no intentions of giving mercy to his attacker. Just as suddenly as the blast had appeared, the strange youki was now gone. And Hiei's energy was weaker then normal.

"What was that?" Yusuke yelled from beside him.

Kurama flashed a fang at the other man and spat out, "I don't know. But Hiei is in there. I won't lose another partner," he growled.

Yusuke nodded his head sharply in understanding and sprinted that last little distance right behind the silver fox. He dashed through the remains of the hole in the cliff that they had spent the night in and saw a whole new cavern.

Kurama ignored his surroundings and immediately sought out Hiei and found him tucked behind the alert and tense figure of the girl they had rescued not twenty four hours before. She was leaning slightly on her injured side, but had her hands tightly around that damn sword as is she was preparing to draw it. Just as their eyes met, a soft sound behind her back made the girl flick her eyes away. He snarled and moved before she could even focus on his face and threw her several feet away with one off-hand push.

Kagome found herself sprawled on her side and gasping for air as the demon knocked the wind out of her abused lungs. She raised her head and hissed at the stranger touching the man she had already failed to protect. She sobbed lightly and tried desperately to focus her powers and rescue her new friend but was unable to do more then watch as the tall demon pounced on her angel. All her efforts met with that same wall of protection that sealed her powers inside. As another small sound tickled her ears, she realized that the man was waking up.

Hiei managed to raise his hands so that he could cradle his aching head. "Kuso," he hissed between clenched teeth. He forced his crimson eyes open and found two concerned golden eyes that flickered green several time before crinkling up in a smile of relief. "Hn," Hiei shook his head slowly to test the extent of his injuries. He was slightly burnt and charred across his chest and there would be several bruises decorating his flesh until his more potent demon healing kicked in, but there was no serious injury to be concerned about. He had only gotten a small amount of backlash from the energy and Hiei had been able to tell that he had been deliberately warned...not killed. He frowned up at the hovering fox when he heard the soft voice of the girl gasping something at them.

"Get away," she panted, "from him!" Kagome pressed the limits of her strength and got to her knees again before she felt herself being lifted off the ground until her toes dangled inches off the floor.

His ruby eyes widened as Yusuke leapt on her and dragged the injured girl to her feet and shake her violently. "Yusuke," he hissed and sat up so abruptly that his head spun and throbbed and he had to rely on Kurama's strength to hold him up momentarily.

Kagome found herself in the grip of a stranger with livid honey colored eyes and a snarl that revealed two pointed fangs that were currently barred at her. She was gripped tightly around both upper arms and hauled off her feet until she was dangling painfully from the hold of a vicious looking man surrounded by raging energy. Kagome screamed in pain and tried to release her powers to make the stranger release his biting hold on her and defend herself from the creature.

"What did you do to him!?" the man shook her angrily.

Kagome felt her head snap back and forth but couldn't find the strength to break his hold. She smacked him across the back with the sheathed katana several times in a useless attempt to give him a fight. He released her good arm and slapped her hard across her injured cheek. Kagome felt a shock wave of pain explode in her mind and she saw bright circles of light blinking on the edges of her vision. Her already split lip ripped open again along with the two vertical scratches decorating her left cheek. Her blood was slick and warm against her skin and she could taste the bitter sweet coppery taste of it in her mouth. Kagome had just enough time left in her conscious state to breath deep and spit in the face of her attacker before her eyes rolled back in her head and she went limp.

"Yusuke!" Hiei finally managed to say loud enough to catch the other man's attention. "Let her go." He glared at the spirit detective and shoved Kurama away from him so that he could get to his feet. Hiei pulled himself up and wavered slightly before he could catch his balance. Kurama instantly had a hand at his shoulder, but Hiei shrugged it off with another snarl.

Yusuke let her drop to the floor with out even trying to keep her from further injury and the back of her head met with the rough stone of the cave with a solid thud. Yusuke ignored the girl at his feet and studied the fire demon carefully. "You okay, Hiei?"

"Hn." Hiei blinked several times but didn't say more. He glared at everything for several moments before his scowl fell on the unconscious woman again. That girl had caused him nothing but trouble and a splitting head ache since they had picked her up out of the snow. But somehow, seeing her facing off against Yusuke and losing had made him want to run the tentai through with his sword. He glared for several silent moments at the still figure and struggled against the temptation to check her and make sure that Yusuke hadn't caused her any more damage. Instead, he turned his anger on the detective himself.

Yusuke jerked back at the murderous look in Hiei's eyes and stared in wide eyed surprise as the jagonashi slowly advanced several paces in his direction. "What?!" he shouted and watched carefully as Hiei narrowed those blood colored eyes and developed a slight twitch."What did she do to you?" Yusuke frowned and shoved his hand through his hair in a nervous gesture. When his fingers got tangled in the now long locks, he sighed and cursed at the dark strands.

"She did not do anything," Hiei sneered at the cocky detective. "It was the sword."

"The sword?" He gaped. "That rusted old thing?!"

"Hn." Hiei agreed and stalked closer.

"Are you certain, Hiei?" Kurama asked, now looking at the girl with an intrigued expression.

Yusuke got very still and then crouched down beside her crumpled figure and peered carefully at her. Feeling slightly guilty, Yusuke reached out to turn her head to that he could see just how badly he may have hurt her. Before his fingers came in contact with the girl, Hiei was standing between them.

"You have done enough," Hiei said softly.

Yusuke winced but pulled his hand away. "I thought she hurt you," Yusuke said in an attempt to defend himself.

"You did not stop to be certain," Kurama pointed out form behind them. Hiei watched as Yusuke winced when that remark hit home. The silver fox confidently crossed his arms over his chest and proceeded to lecture the cringing detective in front of them. "Blindly attacking an unknown opponent will only result in unnecessary injury. In this case, hers."

Yusuke grimaced again and rubbed at the back of his head. "Yeah, I know," he admitted.

"In fact," Kurama tipped his head to the side and watched mournfully as his transformation began to wear off and his tail started to shorten. "If I saw things correctly, she was attempting to defend our friend."

Hiei widened his eyes in surprise and stared at the slowly changing fox. Defending him? The idea was absurd and entirely new to the fire demon. That the injured woman would place herself in danger for a youkai that she didn't even know was too perplexing of a thought that went against all the rules of self preservation that he knew. He turned his back on the others and took to staring at her again. "Why?" he asked more to himself then the others but Kurama moved beside him and answered.

"Perhaps she simply saw us as a threat...was she awake before this?" he asked and crouched down to tend to the seeping wounds on her arms and face.

"A bit," he admitted and shifted to the left to keep himself between Yusuke and the strange human with a unconscious move.

"Did she say anything? Her name? Where she came from?" Yusuke huffed in annoyance when Hiei continued to block him from the girl.

"No." Hiei answered shortly and scowled. He had no desire to tell them that she had proclaimed him as her angel and then recognized the pain in his soul as a mirror of her own experience.

"Did she do anything?" Yusuke persisted and tried again to get around the temperamental Jaganashi.

"No," Hiei answered tonelessly.

"Well, she must have done something," Yusuke said sulkily. "She still has the sword in her hands so I can only assume that she did something to attack you with it."

"She did not do it," Hiei said again.

"What? The sword did it on its own?" Yusuke frowned and sat back on his heals.

"Hn."

"We can't let her keep it," Kurama agreed and moved to stand beside the crouching team leader.

Hiei tilted his head to one side and watched the other two without comment. When transformed, they both held a presence far different form their normal forms and Hiei took in the changes with wary eyes. He relaxed only when Yusuke moved back a bit and gave him enough space to turn around and glare down on the pale features of the girl once more. "Hn."

That blade was dangerous. Where it came from and how extensive its powers could prove to be was unknown. How the human had managed to get her hands on such a demon blade was just another mystery. Hiei was cautious about approaching the battered metal again, but the others were right. It did not belong in the human woman's grasp. With narrowed eyes and the slightest twitch of his lips, Hiei stepped aside. "Then I suggest one of you try to take it from her," he said.

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((co-authored section))

Kagome scowled in anger at the empty swirl of colors that again surrounded her and kicked her feet at the emptiness. If only there were something! Anything! She needed some sort of stability to keep her sane...she fell to her knees again and bowed her head. "A dream," she sobbed. "Its just a dream...a memory..." She sat there thinking about the strangers she had seen and tried to convince herself that it was all a part of her feverish imagination. The sword didn't really just attack...she didn't really just get shaken like a rag doll by some strange youkai...she looked up as the landscape around her shifted into the features of a time and place she didn't want to remember as another memory teased through her senses. "Oh," she whispered brokenly, "not this..please..." She raised her eyes and gave in to the memory determined to be replayed and sagged in defeat. She let the magic of her memory suck her in. She could not escape her role in past events...or the repercussions. And her mind only seemed to offer her the torture of reenacting what had already been...

Kagome clenched her fingers into fists at her sides. The insistent throbbing of her accelerated heart beat and the pulse of the uncontrolled youki from several meters in front of her were matched perfectly. Her mind was reeling with the constant procession of terrifying possibilities linked to the unexpected turn of events playing out before her eyes. Her eyes rested in disbelief on the rusted metal gleaming in the fading light of the blood colored sunset. The wink of light on the seemingly innocent blade snapped her back to reality. Slowly, she raised her panic stricken eyes to meet the slightly amused but wild gaze of the blade's owner.

Her eyes fell under that unnerving stare and she found herself looking once again at the useless sword. She had little time. A decision had to be reached... and fast...

Kagome licked her lips once and tried to coax her petrified muscles into responding. With the soft words of a quick pray on her lips, Kagome moved. Though her heart was willing, her feet were slow and she stumbled to the ground in a hurried rush. Her head shot back up to take in the slight movement of the figure in red towering over her. There he still stood, a picture of perfected malicious arrogance and now, a smirk twisted his lips in the parody of a true smile.

Kagome swallowed hard and turned quickly to continue on her newly established mission. Dirtied hands groped blindly through the blood-slicked grass as she fought to regain her composure. She focused on nothing but the rusted katana with its point in the dirt. She could afford no distraction nor think of anything other then getting her hands on that lonely piece of metal.

It called to her to return it to its rightful place in the grip of her best friend. The same friend whose glare was currently burning holes in the back of her head. Kagome gasped and scrabbled forward on her hands and knees, hoping for nothing but enough time to reach the tarnished scrap of magic and bone resting so casually in the earth. The rustle of cloth and the whip of wind made her belly flop to the hard packed ground in fear, but instead of an attack, she found the amused stare of the transformed Inuyasha watching her from the other side of the sword.

Gulping loudly, Kagome say up slowly and climbed to her feet. She never once took her eyes away from the burning stare of her companion. She saw the tightening of his mouth where blood from his own fangs had cut into the tender flesh. Where the hanyou's soft gold eyes usually were, now twin pools of hatred and malice made her gut clench.

She had to reach that forgotten weapon before he could do something that he would forever regret. Flicking her eyes back down to the blade and back several time, she weighed her chances of success and knew that odds were definitely stacked against her.

Lazily he taunted er. Rolling each individual joint in his arms and legs, all the while retaining the evil gleam in his eyes that dared her and threatened punishment is she so much as took one step closer to the restricting sword. Inuyasha slowly spread his legs apart and lowered his body into a crouch. She could tell that he was waiting for her to run. He wanted her to run...

But she didn't. Kagome tried to keep one eye on the sword resting so innocently between their motionless bodies, but she now caught so completely in the spell of watching her own death approach. A flash of red and white stalked along the fringes of her vision where she dared not look, not when the greatest threat was standing right in front of her. The steady swishes of Hiraikotsu could be heard in accordance with the screams of an angry taijiya's attempts to defend those closest to her.

Kagome saw the hanyou's eyes move to pace along with the other figure and took her chance. She dove forward with outstretched fingers and whispered frantically, "This is my only shot...Inuyasha, please hold on!"

His body tensed slightly before he catapulted into the air above her, his body twisting in ways that she knew her own frail human form could never come close to mimicking. She was inches away from her goal when a shriek erupted from her bleeding lips and her body was forced harshly to the ground. Claws roughly pierced through tattered uniform and he dug his talons cruelly into the front of her shoulders where he had his hands poised halfway between her shoulder and her neck. He pulled her back and twisted her around so that he could stare his prey directly in the eyes. Blue grey clashed violently with red and blue, and she felt the grind of his nails on her bones as he dug his fingers in deeper to her fragile skin. He laughed when he ripped his claws from her flesh and she cried out.

Kagome's heart pounded loudly in her ears and her mind raced to find some alternative to what seemed to be her inevitable and rather gruesome death. She faced him with every bit of courage that she possessed. I will not die by your hands, Inuyasha, she thought. I won't let you live with that regret all over again...

Dangerously, he held his claws only a whisper away from the edge of her face. "Move," he ordered her with a lethal sneer in his voice. A single drop of her own blood fell from his coated fingers and onto the smooth skin of her cheek.

With a weak cry, she tilted her head away in an attempt to escape the reminder of her injury at his hands. As soon as her plea ripped from her lips, his hands assaulted her, ripping twin slices across the empty space of that same cheek. Blood began slowly oozing from the scratches and fell unheaded to the dirt under their feet. He tossed her down, fulling intending to pounce again, but Kagome hit the ground and rolled...right into the only thing that could save her now. In one fluid move, she clenched her fingers around the hilt of the sleeping blade just as the weight of the dog demon landed on her back....Then, she felt the blade pulse.....and the memory faded. She was once again wrapped in warmth and comfort. Thankfully, she left herself drift with that current and did not even miss the weight of the katana she given so much to attain...

((end of co-authored section))

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Yusuke confidently edged closer to the girl and reached out a hand. He managed to get within inches of the beat up old blade when it shot out several warning sparks of energy at his outstretched fingers. Yusuke jerked back and frowned a the blade that went quiet again when he removed his hand from its proximity. "Shit," he muttered and rubbed the light sting that set into his knuckles. "I didn't even touch it yet."

"I touched it before," Kurama reminded them and simply reached out to grasp the hilt of the blade as he had done when they had first found her. Once again, the spirit detectives watched as the sword came to life and sizzled its warning into their flesh with tiny streams of concentrated youki. The silver fox frowned and slowly pulled his hand back. "It did not do that before..." Reaching slowly, Youko pursued the testing of the katana's energy. Another larger zap of power traveled the length of the kitsune's arm and Kurama was forced to pull back and cradle the appendage to his chest.

"Hiei?" Yusuke invited.

"Hn," the fire demon snorted. "I have already made my attempt to remove it from her grasp. I have more sense then to attempt that again."

They all looked up when the slap of feet on stone and the tortured breathing of the other member of their team echoed through the cave. "What," Kuwabara gasped and put his hands on his knees to lean over and catch his breath, "happened?"

Yusuke scowled at the figure and shook his head at the human. Suddenly, he got a wicked gleam in his eyes and grinned at the heaving boy. Standing up, he walked over to the other and slapped him on the back in a friendly gesture. "Glad you could make it!" he smirked. "We were just deciding who was going to carry the sword there," he said pointing. "It is a very important artifact and we need to get it and the girl to the Toddler as soon as possible."

"Yusuke!" Kurama admonished, not wanting to see the other boy injured just for Yusuke's amusement. Hiei was smirking slightly and waiting to see the big oaf try to wield that blade...

"I'll carry it," Kuwabara answered and puffed up in pride. "I won't get a single scratch on it!" He looked at the blade cheerfully and ignored the way that it was already so dented and rusted no one would see another scratch anyway and swooped down to get it.

"Wait, Kuwabara!" Kurama jumped up and Hiei quickly moved away to stand beside the sniggering Yusuke.

Kuwabara calmly grabbed the scabbard of the blade and with gentle fingers pried the girls grasp away from the worn wood. He straightened up and swung the blade several times before tucking it under one large arm. With a confused grin, he pointed to the girl who was once again whimpering at his feet. "Do I get to carry her too?"

"How-!?" Yusuke gaped at his friend and then his face fell into a disappointed scowl.

Hiei merely narrowed his eyes and growled a "no" before he reached out and lifted the girl into his arms again. He straightened himself and cradled her against his chest, immediately raising his body temperature to prepare her for the cold of outside again. He took offence at the shocked stares the others were giving him and snorted. "You would have only have forced her on me anyway," he declared and pushed past them into the bright light of day. "Lets get out of here so that I can be rid of this stupid ningen."

Kurama allowed his transformation to completely dissipate and bit back a grin at the fire demon's expense. Yusuke caught his eye and raised a brow. Kurama only shrugged and swept a hand out to allow Yusuke to precede him from the cavern. It was up to Koenma now...