Disclaimer: InuYasha…I don't own him

Current Time and Date: January 8, 2005 10:03

To My Reviewers: Well there was several comments on my Dormant Demon Spiders were awfully disturbing. –smiles- Good. I was hoping you guys would love 'em to death. Well you have supported me this far and I greatly appreciate it. I also appreciate my Beta reader. Beta readers need more credit than they are given.

Derhellerman is wonderful! I can't thank him enough for the corrections and suggestions he gives me. We should all thank him!

As I continue to write this story more new people begin to read it, which pleases me so much. I love the reviews. I love you guys. Some of you guys actually personally thank me and compliment me through aim, I have no problem with that. –winks- That's wonderful that you do that.

And…I do believe people older than me are reading this?

Well I have a new goal for reviews. I remember it was a hundred last time, now I'm up to almost 400 as I write this to you. I hope for a thousand! But I know that it's not going to happen until a really, really long time. So I'm hoping for 500.

Thank you so much you guys. You keep me writing. I feel happy so I'm going to reply to some reviewers!

InuBunny- Thanks. I'm glad you like my story. I appreciate it a lot that you reviewed.

TiA aRiEl- ehehe...yeah I usually do that. I'm sorry. I should make some mental notes or jot down the appearances in the story so I don't forget. Thanks for letting me know. I am so sorry.

eX Driver Liz- Yes the cat thing was hilarious, but the real thing in real life was sad for my friend. I don't like cats so I couldn't give a hoot to her...sounds harsh, but its true.

lia200304- Demon spiders were scary. I'm glad that they had that effect on some people. Perhaps Kagome will, perhaps she won't. I don't know for sure. This story writes by itself sometimes.

spice lily- Man...if you want I can just email the story to you so you can read it when its convenient. You can come and review whenever you want. –shrugs- not a hassle for me.

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Chapter 24: Hunt Never Ends

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Kagome's consciousness were growing longer and longer each time she came to. She was well aware of Naraku returning, the spiders, as well as InuYasha hunting Naraku along with Miroku and Sango.

Kagome lay on the bed staring at the ceiling, her daughter beside her. Kagome only wished that she could be of assistance, rather than staying in a bed surrounded with every safety spell in the book. Kagome was given a bow and a large supply of arrows in her defense in case Naraku came by.

At times during her coma she could feel Naraku pry and try to tear up her mind. She fought as hard and long as she could before she could force herself to wake up. When awake, she was well aware of Naraku and could easily fight him.

Her coma state was weak.

Kagome stroked Chii's soft, silver baby hair absent-mindedly as she continued to think. The candle flames around her flickered with a softness and the sutras rustled gently every time a draft entered and each time a person opened a door somewhere in the house.

"Child?" A voice entered and Kagome turned her head to see Kaede standing there. "Have ye fed the baby?"

Kagome nodded. "Yes, I have. Have you heard anything from InuYasha yet?"

Kaede shook her head. "He has not called. I think his phone is dead."

Kagome sighed, thinking the worst. "Naraku is never going to die. I realize that now. He's just going to keep coming back."

Kaede didn't reply, instead she peered out the window. "The spiders, they are everywhere now. Though they cannot come through these walls they still bid their time. They still wait for the spell to let up."

"Is that possible?" Kagome asked, her heart jolting in fear.

Kaede shook her head. "No, the spell is sealed with help from the sorceress, Sango, the monk, the hanyou, and two priestesses, including the single silver strand from love itself. It is much too powerful to let up."

"Single silver strand of love?" Kagome asked, not knowing what that was.

"The baby's hair, child," Kaede nodded towards the baby, who was sound asleep. "She is pure love. Between you and InuYasha. There are very few babies born from pure love. So much divorce, so much hate, and so much betrayal between two people who once loved each other."

Kagome nodded. "I guess that makes me lucky."

"Lucky?" Kaede looked at Kagome. "Lucky is an understatement, Kagome. You are gifted and privileged to have such love between you and InuYasha to create such a beautiful baby."

"But we didn't create Chiisuchina together," Kagome objected.

"Not the way ye might have wanted," Kaede said, ignoring Kagome's blush. "But ye did have a say in her birth. Without that kiss-"

"I wasn't even aware of it!" Kagome interrupted.

Kaede held up a hand. "Do ye regret that he kissed ye?"

"No."

"Then there ye go," Kaede said. "Ye took part. Ye even gave life to this baby, thanks to the Shikon Jewel embedded in your body."

Kagome nodded. "You're right, Lady Kaede. I shouldn't be so ignorant."

"Ye are not ignorant," Kaede replied, closing the curtains as spiders covered the windows. "InuYasha is. It balances well."

Kagome's eyes shone with amusement as she smiled.

Kaede closed the door and walked down the stairs.

Myouga was bouncing at her heels. "Lady Kaede! Lady Kaede!"

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InuYasha slashed at more spiders. "Damn, would they just go away?" he asked in annoyance. He jumped back, landing behind Miroku on Kirara. "There's too many of them going in different directions."

"I know," Miroku said. "We can't follow them. They're not leading us anywhere."

"No," InuYasha said stiffly. "We need to split up. Miroku, you need Hachi. Think you can get him?"

Miroku took out his cell and smiled shrewdly, "Of course."

"Then we pick a spider and stick with it without killing it," InuYasha yelled. "Hear that, Sango?"

"Loud and clear InuYasha, but you might want to speak up more. I don't think the spiders heard you," Sango yelled back sarcastically.

InuYasha rolled his eyes. "See you both later."

"Hey! Before you leave, I think you should call Kaede to let her know you're safe!" Miroku suggested.

His nose wrinkled. "Why should I tell the hag how I'm doing?"

"In case Kagome wants to know," Miroku shrugged. "She might wake up and fret over your whereabouts."

"Yeah, yeah," he said. "Fine." With that last word he jumped and landed on the ground. He dashed off towards a cluster of spiders.

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Kohaku, Shippo, and Souta entered Kagome's house. Shippo was clutching tightly to Kohaku's head. "Those spider demons are sca-a-a-ry!"

Kaede greeted them. "You made it here safely. Good."

"Yeah, but we had to kill a lot of spiders," Souta said. "I couldn't really…help…"

Kaede looked at Kohaku. "I'm sure Kohaku was of great help."

"He practically did all the work," Souta mumbled.

"Hey!" Shippo shouted. "I helped too you know! You didn't help any!"

"That's because I'm not a demon or a demon exterminator!" Souta yelled back.

"Souta?" Kaede interrupted.

"What?" Souta looked at Kaede.

"How would ye like to learn how to protect people?" Kaede asked, handing him a priest outfit.

Souta made a face. "My Grandpa's a priest. He isn't the greatest one in the world. I'm surprised he made the spiders flee our house when Mom called to see if I was okay."

"So your mother and grandfather are alright?" Kaede asked and Souta nodded. "Your grandfather must be a good priest then. I shall call him and give him tips on how to get the fortress of spells to become stronger. That is, after I teach you a few defending spells."

"No attacking?" Souta looked at her as he put the outfit over his clothes.

"Just one," Kaede answered.

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Hachi was floating above the ground. A look of terror was written all across his face. "A-are you sure they won't eat me?"

"Hachi," Miroku sighed. "You've been drenched in the water twice. They will not bite you. Come near you, yes. Crawl on you, yes. Bite you, no."

Hachi whimpered in fear as he looked at the spiders crawling frantically below his belly. "Which one are we following?"

Miroku got out a small cloth bag and threw it at the group of spiders. The bag exploded and white covered one spider. "The one covered in flour."

He sucked up all the spiders around the white one. "There, that should make it easier to follow."

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Sango was having a harder time following just one spider. She didn't think about covering one with flour, or anything for that matter. She just kept her eye on one and directed Kirara.

"I need something to make one spider stand out above the rest…" Sango looked around. "But I don't have anything…"

Sango searched through her bags and pockets. She found some spearmint gum. "Hmm…" Sango put it in her mouth and chewed.

After a few minutes of chewing the gum she spat it towards a group of spiders and it stuck to one of them. "There," she smiled in satisfaction. "That's our target, Kirara."

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InuYasha dodged cars on the interstate. He jumped from vehicle to vehicle as the spiders moved swiftly under and over the speeding cars. InuYasha landed on a sports car that was being attacked by spiders. He grabbed one and did the one thing he could think of.

He pulled down his pants and peed on it.

Several people in the other cars near the sports car stared, wide-eyed as InuYasha pulled his pants up.

InuYasha scowled at the people staring at him and they instantly looked away. InuYasha set the spider down and killed the rest attacking the car.

The pee-infested spider was racing away from InuYasha, but he bounded on after it, taking out his cell phone.

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Souta was in a room along with Kohaku and Shippo, practicing his new learned spells; meanwhile, Kaede was in the kitchen, making more Medicinal bags when the phone rang.

Kagome's brown eyes looked at the blue, ringing phone. She picked it up on the third ring. "Hello?"

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InuYasha almost stopped dead in his tracks when he heard Kagome's voice answer the phone. "Kagome?"

"InuYasha!" Kagome's voice sounded relieved and happy. "Thank God! Where are you?"

"Kagome, are you okay?" InuYasha asked as he kept up with his spider.

"I'm fine, are you?" Kagome asked. "Are you having fun?"

"Yeah, just dandy," he replied with a hint of sarcasm. "If chasing a spider through all of Tokyo is fun. Kagome…did Naraku try to get to you?"

"Yes," she said quietly. "He does it each time I fall into a coma. I'm weak when I fall into it, so I'm trying to keep awake as much as possible…but with my continuous pattern of falling in and out of consciousness, I should be in a coma in ten minutes."

"Just hang in there Kagome, and fight the bastard," InuYasha growled, leaping over a small house.

"How are the people?"

"Fine, scared as mice, but fine," InuYasha said. "But the stupid ones keep coming out of their houses to hose down a spider. You can't kill a demonic spider that way. So they get bitten."

"InuYasha! You're letting people get bitten?" her voice was surprised and angry.

"Kagome!" he bellowed into the phone. "I can't save every freakin' human I see getting bit by spiders!"

"…" He heard Kagome whimper. "But I'll try, okay?" he gave in. "In fact," he said as he jumped towards a lady who was about to get bitten. "I'm saving a lady as we speak. Blades of Blood!" He shouted as he slashed at the spider, killing it. "Kagome, I've got to go. I'll call you later. When will you get out of a coma?"

"In an hour," Kagome replied. "InuYasha…?"

"What?" he said as he picked the lady off the ground, only to get hit by a purse. "Ow! Damn it, old maid, I'm saving your life!"

"I love you." he barely heard Kagome say, because he was holding the phone away. He put it up to his ear. "I know," was his reply. "I love you too." He hung up and put the cell in his pocket as the lady began to scream.

"Oh what is it now?" he turned around and saw several larger spiders coming towards him. "Oh, hell."

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Miroku had followed the spider up to a large tree. The tree's leaves were blackened and it was emitting a black aura. He took out his cell phone and dialed Sango's number.

"Sango? I think I found Naraku's hiding place. It's over in the heart of Chiba City," Miroku said. "Hey! What did you use to track your spider? Gum? Bright green gum, eh? Guess what I used. No! Not a condom! I used a bag of flour! Yes. Ingenious, I know. I will meet you here. You can't miss it." He hung up and grinned. 'A condom…I should have…just to piss her off.'

He then called InuYasha. "Hey! InuYasha! I found Naraku's place. Yeah. In Chiba City. Not my fault you run. Get a cab or something. What did you use to track your spider? What do you mean you're not telling? Come on! I won't hang up until you do! I won't tell you Naraku's real location then!" A long pause and Miroku was doubled over in laughter. "You pissed on the spider?" He laughed more.

"Sango used gum. Yeah, she chewed it and spat it at a bunch of spiders. I used flour. But piss…man you top us all. Talk about desperate! Or were you simply marking your territory. Aren't you supposed to piss on Kagome then?" Miroku laughed more as he held the phone away with InuYasha's incoherent cussing.

"Well, it's a tree in Chiba that seems peculiar. It's black and it has an evil aura. Real evil. Yeah. You talked to Kagome, didn't you? Good. Glad to hear that she's well."

Hachi dodged a tree as they approached the large, evil willow. Spiders were swarming over it and disappearing.

"See you later. I'll meet you just before the tree. Bye." He hung up and slipped it into a pocket of his robes.

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Kagome felt herself being pulled back into the coma. She fought until Kaede came in.

"Do not fight the coma, Kagome," Kaede said. "Not the time of it, anyway. Or else you'll throw off the pattern and become more vulnerable to Naraku's wrath." Kaede dabbed Kagome's head with salt water.

Kagome closed her eyes and fell into darkness once more.

Kaede sighed and looked at the baby. "I just hope InuYasha can find Naraku in time. Kagome's patterns are falling away very slowly."

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InuYasha had stolen a skateboard from a yard and was skateboarding down the street, jumping over dead spiders and scaling down rails.

"Damn, why does Chiba have to be so far away," InuYasha muttered to himself as he killed his spider. "No need for you."

He ditched the skateboard and settled for a bike. He pedaled hurriedly down the street, crushing black spiders.

InuYasha skidded to a halt before the enormous black tree. He saw Hachi and Kirara next to each other.

"Hey!" he barked. "Down here!"

Kirara floated down and Sango smiled. "Get on. Miroku and I figured out how the spider demons are disappearing. They get sucked into the tree and then they float into thin air. They must disappear to a different dimension. Naraku isn't on the earth anymore."

InuYasha looked at his watch. Thirty more minutes until Kagome would come out of it again. "Now that we know where he is let's go back to the house and form a plan."

"A plan?" Sango looked shocked. "But InuYasha, we never form a plan. We just go in there and work with what we've got."

"I want to see Kagome one last time before we do this. For this type of thing we need to form a plan; Kagome will die if we don't defeat Naraku," InuYasha looked at Sango. "You okay with that?"

Sango nodded. "I want to see Kohaku one last time. I'll go tell Miroku. We'll meet up with you at the house."

"There's no way I'm biking all the way back," InuYasha growled. Then he jumped on Kirara's back. "Let's go tell him."

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Souta went into Kagome's room and looked at the sleeping Kagome. "What have you gotten yourself into, Kagome?" Souta asked. He noticed that Buyo was tied to the headboard of the bed and shook his head.

"Poor Buyo," Souta stretched out his hand to pet the cat and it 'meowed' in response. He heard a screech.

Souta jumped slightly at the sound and looked towards the curtain covered window. He approached it, pulled back a curtain, and stumbled backwards.

Huge black spiders, bigger than the ones he had seen before, were trying to break the glass of the window. Kaede said that the spiders wouldn't break through into the house, but could the spell be strong enough for these huge ones?

"Lady…Lady Kaede!!!" Souta scrambled up and bolted to the door and down the stairs, shouting his head off.

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"Damn it! Those damn spiders are surrounding the house!" InuYasha growled. "Even the huge ones."

"The big ones are Naraku's strongest spiders," Sango said, getting out her Hiraikutso. "Go! Hiraikotsu!" she shouted as she threw the large boomerang, killing some of the spiders

InuYasha jumped from Kirara's back onto the roof of the house. The roof repelled InuYasha and he came flying towards Kirara again. He landed on her back. "Damn! Kaede has every spell on the house."

"You can break it, can't you?" Sango asked.

"Well yeah," InuYasha said matter of factly, "But if I break it the spiders will be able to pass through. I'll have to find a loophole."

"Or…" Miroku pointed out, "You could just go through the door."

"Shut up, Monk! You think you're so smart," InuYasha growled as they landed on the ground. "Miroku, take care of the spiders. Sango, you can help if you want. I'm going inside to see Kagome."

InuYasha opened the door and closed it, locking it behind him.

"Ah, ye are back, are ye?" Kaede entered and noticed InuYasha standing in the entrance way. She came up to him and ripped a piece of his red haori off. "This shall work perfectly."

"What the hell?" InuYasha looked at the big hole in his sleeve and then up at Kaede. "Whaddya go and do that for?"

Kaede stuck it above the door. "The fur of a fire rat adds more protection to this house. Now all I need is a piece of Miroku's staff and a few hairs off of Kirara's back."

"What about Sango?"

"I got Kohaku to help me with that," Kaede said. "All I needed was some blood from a demon exterminator."

"How are the twerps?"

"They are fine. Souta was a little startled with the spiders outside," Kaede said. "But he'll be fine. He's resting."

"And Kagome?" InuYasha inquired, passing Kaede, and going up the stairs.

"Kagome…" Kaede was hesitant. "Is losing."

"Losing?" he turned and looked at her. "What do you mean by that?"

"You cannot stall any longer with the fight between good and evil. She's been fighting him ever since you left and she has been losing. Her pattern is changing slowly. She is staying in a comatose state for a few minutes longer than just an hour."

InuYasha didn't say anything. He walked faster up the stairs and opened the door to Kagome's room. "Kagome!" he said louder than he intended to. He softened his voice as he sat near her on the bed.

He looked at Kagome. "Kagome," he looked at his watch. "You should be waking up soon. I want to ask you something. So you better wake up or else. Understand?" He kissed the top of her head.

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Crisa Rei: Well end of chapter 24. Only two more chapters until the end. It's been great. I loved writing this story. My stories come first before anything else, besides the internet and school.

Current Time and Date: January 9, 2005 1:22 PM Central