AUTHOR'S NOTES: Again running late! Well, I had a good excuse this time, with my folks down for the weekend. In any case, here you go.

I owe a big debt, once more, to Katherine Batey and the other authors on It was one of them over there that first postulated why Kagome's mother is so willing to send her daughter to a very dangerous period in Japanese history to fight with demons...and why they seem so accepting of Inuyasha. So this chapter was inspired by some of the stories posted there (and here).

Kouga's scene may seem a little rushed here, but I'm thinking it wouldn't take much to convince him to go kick ronin ass, especially if said ronin are working for Naraku. If Naraku's forgotten what Kagura did to his pack, you can bet Kouga hasn't.

Finally, one last thing on Kikyo. I don't see how someone made of clay would need to eat or drink, or even be capable of doing so, so she only pretends to sip Arashikaze's tea.

REVIEWER'S CORNER:

Ganheim: Too much to say from all of your kind reviews, but I'll try to answer some of your questions. Crucifixion had indeed reached Japan by this time; it was not just used by the Romans, but also the Mongols, who introduced it to Japan. There are references made to crucifixion (using ropes, not nails; the finishing blows were done with spears shoved into the chest) in the 1500s, and it was already existant by the time the Jesuits reached Japan in the 1540s.

For some reason, won't allow me to put in extra spaces, so I'll put in dashed lines to indicate changes in point of view.

The title "The Killers and the Killed" is actually taken from an episode of the old documentary, Victory at Sea. It's stuck in my head ever since, and after "Kill or Be Killed" it seemed to be a logical follow-on title.

No one to my knowledge has ever said what happened to Kagome's father, so I'm just assuming that he's dead; the car crash seemed to be the most mundane thing I could think of. It would be funny if Naraku turned out to be Kagome's dad..."No, Kagome...I am your father!"

It's inferred that Inuyasha was orphaned at an early age. While he certainly knows basic kanji and probably can read and write, he wouldn't know as much as Miroku (who is educated, being a monk) and Kagome. He'd be even more lost in Kagome's world, since modern usage of kana is different post World War II. Inuyasha isn't stupid, just ignorant.

Thanks for your reviews and I will get to your stories ASAP.

Grimtash: St. Elmo's Fire? Nani? (But Winona Ryder would make a good Kagome, though she's not exactly Japanese.)

Darkless Vasion: Yeah, it did get a little more graphic than is probably safe for PG-13, which is why I had the disclaimer. That's probably going to be it for love scenes like that (unless I ever write a Not Safe for version).

Cowboy Beboper: Yeah, I think the Higurashi family doesn't get enough air time either, but the series is called "Inu-Yasha."

MUSIC DEPARTMENT: Clannad's "Broken Pieces" and, surprisingly, Rush's "Subdivisions" were big inspirations for Inuyasha. Kouga's tribe could use "We Are Growing" from the Shaka Zulu soundtrack, while "The King of the Golden Hall" works for Arashikaze.

CHAPTER EIGHT: TIES THAT BIND

Look into the eye of the storm

Look out for the force without form

Look around at the sight and sound

Look in, look the storm in the eye

Look out to the sea and the sky

Look around at the sight and sound

Look in, look out, look around.

–Rush, "Force Ten"

After cutting a swath through the garbage cans of Tokyo to work off frustration, Inuyasha arrived back at the Higurashi Shrine. The sun was turning the eastern horizon pink and he had been awake for some time, but Inuyasha was not tired. Instead, he climbed into the branches of the Goshimboku, taking up the position he normally kept back in the Sengoku Jidai.

Gods, what was I thinking? What was she thinking? Inuyasha thought. He wanted to be angry at Kagome for starting something she had no intention of finishing, but he could not bring himself to do so. Things had happened so quickly that he was still trying to figure them out himself. He had long known that he and Kagome were something more than friends, but lovers was something else entirely. Am I so ready to forget Kikyo? Hell, half the time all Kagome and me do is fight! Is that what I want in a mate? Inuyasha smiled derisively. Of course, half the time Kikyo and I fought, too–real fights, not just yelling at each other like Kagome and I do. When the hell did I fall in love with Kikyo for that matter, so much that we were willing to put it all on one throw of the dice with the Shikon no Tama?

Inuyasha was not so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he did not notice Mrs. Higurashi coming out of the house. Almost grateful for being distracted, he watched as she walked slowly towards the well house, still dressed in her bedclothes with a coat thrown over her shoulders. She walked into the well house, leaving the door open. Curious, Inuyasha leapt out of the tree and followed her. He peered around the corner, not wanting to interrupt anything.

Mrs. Higurashi was looking into the well. Except for the occasional noise coming from the city as Tokyo slowly woke up, the silence stretched into minutes as the older woman simply stood there, staring. Her shoulders shook and Inuyasha nearly stepped forward, thinking Kagome's mother was cold, but then he realized she was crying. Her hands gripped the sides of the well to keep herself upright. "I shouldn't have allowed her to keep going," she whispered aloud. "How could I be so stupid? It's so dangerous there...just because the legends said that Kagome would be safe doesn't mean the bards and scribes couldn't have been wrong! Why? Why? Why did it have to be my baby?" Then her strength gave out and she sank to her knees, her hands coming up to cover her face. "She...she didn't have to fall in love, either...it says nothing about that!"

Inuyasha had figured out as much that Kagome probably loved him, but to hear someone else say it still hit like a thunderbolt. His mouth fell open and he must have gasped, because Mrs. Higurashi whirled around. "Who's there?" she demanded. No point in hiding, Inuyasha thought, and stepped into the doorway sheepishly. "How long have you been eavesdropping on me?" she exclaimed angrily.

"I'm sorry," he said with swiftness that surprised himself. "I didn't mean to. I saw you go in here, and I thought maybe you were looking for me." Because he couldn't help himself, he added, "What legends?"

Mrs. Higurashi stared at him for a very long minute. Her face became composed and calm, and she rose to her feet. "Inuyasha," she asked, "what will you do if you can never return to the Sengoku Jidai?"

"I...I haven't given it any thought." Which wasn't quite true. Inuyasha had given it some thought, and wondered if he could ever survive in Kagome's strange and frankly terrifying world.

"Do you want to return?"

"Yes, of course! We have to find the rest of the Shikon no Tama and defeat Naraku."

Mrs. Higurashi clasped her arms around herself, and not from the cool air. She did not look up, leaning against the well. Another long few minutes passed as she seemed to come to some sort of a decision. "Inuyasha...what would you do if I told you I know for certain that the Shikon Jewel will be restored?"

Inuyasha wondered if his jaw had become unhinged permanently, because it felt as if it was on the floor of the well house. "How?" he asked when he found his voice.

"A lot of it has been lost to history," Mrs. Higurashi began, "but my husband's father–Grandfather–has told stories of the Shikon no Tama as long as I've known him."

Inuyasha held up a hand. "Wait a minute, hold on. You mean Jii-sama knows the entire story? And you know it too?!"

"As I said, he knows a great deal of it," Mrs. Higurashi replied with a hint of irritation. Inuyasha decided he'd better be quiet. "Inuyasha, I knew the moment my daughter came back through the well what had happened. My father-in-law told me that Kagome could be the one mentioned in the tale of Inuyasha Who Seeks the Shikon no Tama on the day she was born. I admit I doubted it at first, but when you arrived...I knew the legend must be true."

"I don't understand."

Mrs. Higurashi smiled sadly. "I know. For us, Inuyasha, here in the modern world, your whole story is just a fairy tale, just like The Tale of Genji and Susanno. No one believes it actually happened. But it did happen, of course–and it's happening right now."

"Then...you know what's going to happen to me, Kagome, and the others?" Inuyasha asked ecstatically. Mrs. Higurashi hesitated, then nodded. "Is the Shikon restored, then?"

"Yes."

"Naraku defeated?"

"Yes."

Inuyasha threw back his head and laughed heartily. "Ha! I knew we'd win it! That bastard's gonna get what's coming to him!"

"And then what, Inuyasha?" Mrs. Higurashi whispered.

"Then? Oh, hell, I don't know, Mrs. Higurashi. You tell me!" he cackled. Inuyasha felt as if he had just been given the world on a silver platter. He could finally quit worrying about what was going to happen. Someone was going to show him the way, someone to choose. If Kagome's mother could tell him that he was going to find a way to strike a balance between Kikyo and Kagome, then everything would be perfect.

"That's the problem, Inuyasha," Mrs. Higurashi said. "I don't know anymore."

Inuyasha stopped capering around the well house's entrance and the smile on his face froze. "Huh?" he asked with a quizzical expression. "But you just said you did know!"

"Inuyasha, Grandfather and I have been talking about this ever since you brought my daughter back. Nowhere in the legends does it say that the legendary miko Kagome would ever be injured. In fact, it is quite explicit that she is not!"

His smile faded. "But–but that's crazy! Kagome's been hurt a couple of times. She's bumped her head; hell, Kohaku once laid her arm open!" Too late, Inuyasha realized that perhaps Kagome had kept that piece of knowledge from her mother. Yet the fearful expression on Mrs. Higurashi's face had not changed.

"I know, Inuyasha. Kagome told me. It's true, the legends never mentioned that. They're not very forthcoming when it comes to Sango's brother." She brushed away a tear. "Inuyasha, the miko in the legend is not almost killed. Without modern medicine, Kagome would have died."

"Sure, but–"

"An attack on the village upon which this shrine is built is very important, neh? From what you have told me, this is a crisis you've never faced before. Yet there is nothing mentioned about it in the legends."

Inuyasha's mind was whirling. Finally, he sat down, hands on his knees as he crossed his legs at the top of the stairs. "I'm so confused."

Mrs. Higurashi walked up the stairs and sat down next to him, putting a motherly arm around his shoulder. "So am I. The only explanations Grandfather and I can come up with is that there are parts of the legends missing, or purposely distorted...or never accurate to begin with."

Inuyasha shot to his feet. He nearly yelled at Mrs. Higurashi, but just managed to keep his temper. "Dammit!" he finally said in frustration. Then maybe we don't defeat Naraku? And I bet she doesn't even know who I'm supposed to choose! I might as well be chasing my tail!

"There's something else you should know, Inuyasha," Mrs. Higurashi said, her eyes misting.

"What?"

She noticeably forced herself to look him in the eyes, brown meeting yellow. "Inuyasha, at the end of the legend...you die."

"That mutt! I'll kill him!" Kouga shouted. "How dare he let Kagome get hurt!"

Miroku sighed and prayed for the patience of Buddha. He had known dealing with Kouga would be a task, one of the reasons he had initially been against seeking the help of the demon wolves. Still, as Sango said, there had been little choice. To have any chance against Arashikaze's ronin army, they needed either sheer power or numbers, and Kouga had both at his beck and call. Moreover, they could be reasonably assured that Kouga would help, given his infatuation with Kagome. Everyone else was either unreliable, such as Toutousai, or unlikely to help, such as Sesshoumaru. And there are only so many devils whom I want to deal with, Miroku sighed inwardly.

It actually had not been as hard as he and Sango had thought it would be. While the wolf tribe had been standoffish to say the least, they remembered that Inuyasha's band had helped them destroy the ironically-named Birds of Paradise. Whatever the rivalry between Kouga and Inuyasha for Kagome's hand, the demon wolves were not ones to forget a debt. Once they had given Kouga a quick synopsis of the battle and the situation, he had shown them to an open area near the waterfall that covered the wolf den, even providing some much-needed nourishment. It had been mostly raw deer meat, but it went down easily to the hungry Miroku, Sango, Kilala, and Shippo.

"Kouga-sama," Sango pleaded, "please calm down. Inuyasha was helping us get back to the village."

Kouga sat down on his furs, assuming a very hanyou-like pose. "It only shows that Kagome belongs with me, not with the halfbreed." Sango noticed a red-haired female sitting some distance behind Kouga getting progressively agitated, trying not to show it, and failing badly. She returned her attention to the wolf chief, who looked to her with a surprisingly worried expression. "So how bad was she hurt?"

Sango decided to be honest. "Very badly, Kouga-sama. That was why Inuyasha had to return to Kagome's time, where they have magic far better than our own. I'm sure she will be all right," she reassured him, and herself at the same time. "But she will not be able to return unless the tree is cleared from the well."

Kouga nodded. "I'll kick that tree to splinters. Is that what you want?"

Miroku bowed deeply. "Yes, Kouga-sama. We would be in your debt."

"Hmpf. Know this, monk: I'm doing this for Kagome. Not for the mutt. He can stay in Kagome's time for all that I care." Miroku nodded. It was the best they could hope for.

"What about this ronin army?" the red-haired woman asked. "Do you want us to take them all on? That's a bit much, even for us, Kouga-sama."

Kouga shrugged. "They're only humans. Besides, Kagome is our pack-sister. You know the law, Ayame. An attack on one of the pack is an attack on all of us." There were growls of agreement around the gathering. "Did you say you saw the wind witch there too, runt?"

"Who're you calling runt?" Shippo snarled back. "I already said Kagura was there, twice."

Kouga stood and faced his pack. "Then it's decided. Rest and eat now, packmates–we go on the hunt tonight. It should take us no more than two days at a lope. When we reach the village, I'll destroy the tree for the Lady Kagome. Then we'll get revenge on the bitch and her master, Naraku!" He punched a fist in the air, a gesture aped by many in the crowd. Kouga's pack began howling and leaping up and down, eager for the fight. Many of their pack had fallen to Kagura's wind magic and her deadly fans; now they had a chance for vengeance. Even Ayame was on her feet, fangs bared.

"That wasn't too hard," Sango whispered to Miroku over the increasing din.

"It was almost too easy," Miroku replied guardedly.

"Well, he does love Kagome," Shippo put in. "And wolves are pretty territorial! My dad tangled with them a few times and was lucky to come away with his fur!"

Miroku shook his head. "I agree, but that's not what I'm worried about." He looked over as Kouga continued to rally his pack to a fever pitch. "Kouga's overconfident. This Lord Arashikaze is no fool, and he outnumbers us two to one. I'm no general, but even with the wolves' abilities and magic–not to mention ourselves, of course–we still face at best even odds. And there's still Kagura, Totoroki, and Naraku to deal with."

Sango nodded. "Still, houshi-sama, we at least have allies. That's more than we had this morning. Besides, if Lord Arashikaze keeps his word, there may not be any ronin left to deal with at Kaede's village."

Miroku smiled wanly. "Do you really believe Naraku will leave so readily?"

Sango sighed. "No, not really."

"Nor do I." Miroku looked up at the darkening sky. "At least we'll have the element of surprise."

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"I am honored by your presence, Lady Kikyo," Takashi Arashikaze said with a deep bow. "Please, take this cushion." He motioned to a rather comfortable cushion laying on a tatami mat across the low table from his own. A retainer held open the tent flap for the miko as she bent to walk in.

"It is I who am honored, Lord Arashikaze," Kikyo replied, returning the bow, slightly deeper in acknowledgement of Arashikaze's status. "Thank you for your hospitality towards a poor miko such as myself. Such a rich cushion is not necessary."

"Nonsense, my Lady. Please sit and share my tea."

Eventually Kikyo gave in, as she was supposed to, and sat. There was another round of first refusing and then accepting a cup of sweet-smelling tea, though she only pretended to sip at it. Kikyo had not needed food or drink since she had been reborn. "Is there anything you need?" Arashikaze asked.

"No, my Lord. Your wounded are healing well. I only wish I could do more for them."

"I will be sure to contribute a few koban before I leave, then." A koban was a gold piece that equaled ten koku, or enough to feed a peasant family for a month. Kikyo bowed, pleasantly surprised at Arashikaze's generosity. It would be needed. There were always more wounded and dying samurai than she could adequately treat.

"You are leaving, then?" Kikyo asked, sensing that the preliminaries were likely out of the way and they could get to the heart of the matter.

"Yes, tomorrow morning. We searched your village. There were no weapons other than a few knives and sharpened tools–no threat to samurai." Kikyo noticed that Arashikaze had not mentioned that the search had been efficient but brutal. Several villagers had been injured and many of their huts would need repair; the ronin and their officer, Soryu, had not been gentle. One teenaged girl had been missing for over a day. Still, it was far better than what many villagers recieved at the hands of samurai and ronin, and considering that several ronin were dead, either by arrows or by being sliced apart, it was far more than they had a right to expect. "We will take some rice as recompense, but I will not strip the villagers' larders bare."

"So you do not know who killed the men this morning?"

Arashikaze shook his head. "I am told it was the hanyou Inuyasha."

Kikyo kept her face calm and composed as she set down the teacup. "Inuyasha would not have killed so quietly. He is no coward."

"So I have heard." Arashikaze took a sip of his tea. "You know this Inuyasha?"

"Yes."

"How well?"

"We are friends." Kikyo's face was a mask of indifference.

Arashikaze slowly nodded. "I see. Well, I trust your judgement, Lady Kikyo. A woman's intuition. Still, I would very much like to know who was responsible, though I am convinced that it was not the villagers."

Kikyo pretended to sip at her tea for a moment as her mind raced. She knew exactly who had killed Soryu's men; Kagura's wind attacks left telltale marks for those who knew what to look for. She had seen what it had done to Inuyasha. Now all she had to do was prove it, and she could split an already shaky alliance between Naraku and Arashikaze. Though she doubted that Arashikaze was capable of killing her nemesis, he could at least ensure that Naraku's name–and by extension, that of the fictional Lord Hitomi that was Naraku's human disguise–would be sullied. "I will see if I know any locals who might have seen the attack, Lord Arashikaze."

"I would appreciate that, Lady Kikyo. They might indeed speak to a miko what they would not speak to a ronin." Arashikaze's face lit up in an utterly synthetic look of surprise. "Ah, Lord Naraku! An unexpected surprise. Please, join Lady Kikyo and myself for tea."

Kikyo whipped around as Naraku walked into the tent. He missed a step and then stopped, bowing to her. She stood and bowed back with just enough respect. Naraku then turned to Lord Arashikaze, his features hidden behind the baboon mask. "Forgive me, Lord Arashikaze. I thought you were alone."

"No, I am the one who should apologize, Lord Naraku. I had quite forgotten that I had sent for you. Speaking with Lady Kikyo is very distracting." Arashikaze smiled.

"She has that effect," Naraku smiled as well, but there was little humor in it. "Forgive my lack of manners, Lord Arashikaze, but my Lord Hitomi will want a report before midnight. There was nothing found in the village?"

"Nothing, Lord Naraku. I'm afraid the people he was looking for escaped before we arrived. No weapons were found in the village either."

"Lord Hitomi will not be pleased."

"I know, and I apologize. You will recall, however, that I did say that such an army of mine's size would be unnecessary. I had also advised that a stealthy approach would be best. But what Lord Hitomi orders, I obey. We will march on his command."

Naraku hid his scowl, glancing at Kikyo out of the corner of one eye. He knew she had smuggled the monk and the taijya out of the village before it had been searched. Inuyasha and the miko's escape probably had not been arranged, but he suspected that Kikyo knew more than she was telling about that, as well. "And the men who were killed this morning?"

"The Lady Kikyo has graciously agreed to assist us in finding the culprit. I think we all agree that it was not the villagers–the killer or killers were too skilled. In any case, these are my men–nothing to concern Lord Hitomi about." The last was a veiled warning that Naraku did not miss.

"Then we leave in the morning. Very well, Lord Arashikaze. You have done the best you can, and I will convey that to Lord Hitomi." Naraku bowed to Arashikaze, did the same to Kikyo, and left the tent, seething. Kikyo watched him leave, hating him and unable to keep it from her face.

Behind them, Arashikaze's smile widened.