Author-chan's notes: KONNICHI WA, MINNA-SAN!!!! I'm up with chapter 23!!! ^_^

Oh, and much thanks to Lupus and Des for pointing out that I mixed up the number systems when I named Ichi, Futatsu, and Mittsu. Apparently "Ichi" belongs to a different numbering system than "Futatsu" and "Mittsu". *blushes* Yare, yare, I can't go back and change it anymore, so Ichi is going to have to stay Ichi despite the fact it would have made more sense to call Ichi "Hitotsu" according to Lupus. Thanks again you two for pointing out my mistake! I hope this doesn't bother anyone too much. *grumbles under breath* See, this is the problem with picking names from a Japanese pocket-dictionary.

Well, enjoy chapter 23!

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Twenty-three: To Enter the Darkness)

Back with Miho, Kumo, Kagome, Sango, Shippo, and Miroku

It had been half an hour since their encounter with the demonic ghost bear, and the two groups had decided to camp together rather than go their separate ways. Kagome had pulled out a couple of cups of instant ramen and several bags of chips for everyone to munch on. Kumo and Miho were still very red from their little "incident" at the hot spring though everyone could tell neither one of them really minded what happened. They were more embarrassed that everyone saw. Shippo had gotten a fire started using his fox magic, and Sango was polishing her weapons. Miroku was lying to one side, unmoving.

"Hentai," Sango grumbled, glaring at Miroku. The monk was sporting several round lumps from his encounter with the Hiraikotsu at the hot spring as well as a more recent bright red handprint on his cheek. Apparently the monk decided to feel Sango up again and had received a loud sounding smack in return. Miroku laughed apologetically to the demon huntress.

"You have some odd friends, koishii," Kumo whispered to Miho.

"Are they any odder than anyone else we know?" Miho asked.

"True," the spider youkai sighed.

"Kagome-san?" Miho said loudly, catching the attention of the miko from the future.

"Hai?" Kagome blinked.

"You said you were heading towards my village, correct?" Miho asked, as Kagome nodded, "Would you like it if Kumo and I would guide you there? It would be easier for you than stumbling through the dark."

"That's perfect!" Kagome cried happily, "Thank you for everything Miho-san!"

"That's good!" Shippo chirped, "Soon we'll have Inuy—"

"That's right, you'll be able to see Shiro-chan again," Miho interrupted, clamping a hand over the fox kit's mouth.

"Shiro?" Kumo blinked, "What about him?"

"These people seem to have known Shiro before he lost his memory," Miho explained quickly, still holding Shippo's mouth closed, "We should take them to the village."

"What about hunting down In—" Kumo began before Miho slapped her other hand over his mouth.

"We can do that later, anata," Miho hissed nervously, "In the meantime, there are some questions I want to ask Shiro-chan."

"Miho-san?" Sango blinked, "Are you alright?"

"Peachy!" Miho chirped with false gusto.

"Then why are you holding Shippo-chan's and Kumo-san's mouths shut?" Kagome asked, just as confused as Sango.

"It's nothing!" Miho said, a little bit too quickly, letting go of the two demons' mouths.

"If you say so, Miho-san," Kagome sighed, "Let's go to sleep. We have a long walk tomorrow." The others nodded in agreement.

"Anou, Miho-san?" Miroku began, before they all lay down, "May I ask you something important?"

"Of course, houshi-sama," Miho answered, smiling kindly. Miroku took her hand in his, and looked soulfully into her eyes.

"Will you please bear my child?" Miroku asked, using his favorite pick-up line.

"NANI?!!!" Kumo snarled, looking murderous.

"He did it again," Shippo sighed, clamping a hand to his face.

"HOUSHI-SAMA!!!" Sango yelled, looking even more dangerous than Kumo.

"Hai, Sango?" Miroku asked innocently. Sango growled, and smashed the Hiraikotsu over Miroku's head, knocking him out.

"Go to sleep, you hentai," she spat, anger radiating from her body.

"Never mess with Sango," Shippo commented. The others nodded in agreement, wisely keeping out of Hiraikotsu hitting range.

***

Back at Aki's hut

Yumeko sighed as she rolled over in her futon. She and the others had decided to call it a day and everyone was asleep. Except her of course. As the dream youkai lay on her side looking at the simple unadorned walls of Aki's hut, she couldn't help but worry. She hadn't mentioned it to any of the others, but Shiro had begun to emit a slight demonic aura a few hours ago. She knew Masato and Kimiko would be oblivious to it, but she wondered if Aki had noticed. If he had noticed then he wasn't talking. Yumeko shivered despite herself. Although the youkai aura was only faint –barely noticeable in fact –it still unnerved her. It felt as if it was struggling against something –a restraint of some kind. The small dark aura brushed against her skin, as gentle as a caress but as harsh as claws ripping apart her body. Rolling over, Yumeko faced Shiro's prone body. The child remained motionless as he had for the last couple of hours. Yumeko wondered briefly if Yugata was trying to control Shiro as he had tried to control Masato. That idea was quickly pushed aside as the dream youkai remembered Shiro's stubborn nature. A strong-willed mind like that won't be easy to control!

"Who the hell are you, Shiro-chan?" Yumeko whispered quietly.

"So you're awake as well, Yumeko-san," another voice in the shadowed room whispered gently. Yumeko looked over Shiro's unmoving body to Aki, who was lying on the other side of the child. Masato was sprawled out on the floor in a distant corner, while Yumeko was curled up next to the wall behind Aki. Both were asleep. Yumeko smiled tiredly at the only awake soul in the hut.

"Hai, Aki-san," Yumeko murmured, keeping her voice low so that the others would not be disturbed.

"Did you feel it as well, Yumeko-san?" Aki asked, the golden sparks in his dark eyes glowing faintly in the dark. Yumeko was impressed. Even when he wasn't using his magic, Aki could be so captivating with those eyes of his. It was almost as if those shifting orbs pinned your soul down and looked into your deepest secrets.

"Shiro-chan's aura?" Yumeko questioned as Aki nodded, "Hai. I felt it."

"Do you think…" Aki began.

"Iie," Yumeko whispered, cutting Aki off, "I don't think Yugata-onii-san is doing anything to Shiro."

"That wasn't what I was asking," Aki whispered back, "Do you remember when you mentioned it could be possible that Shiro has some youkai blood in him?"

"Yes," Yumeko answered, "But why would his demon aura start manifesting itself now?"

"I have no idea," Aki said quietly, "But if he really is part demon, then he should be able to withstand having your youki in him as well as other demons' youki, right?"

"In theory at least," Yumeko nodded.

"Then Shiro-chan should be able to survive having my magic in him as well, don't you think?" Aki continued.

"That's true," Yumeko murmured, thinking it over, "So would you like to accompany me instead of Masato-san?"

"Hai," Aki nodded, "You said your brother won't attack us until tomorrow because of dream youkai protocol. However, you want to wait for tomorrow so that we can be sure that Masato isn't being controlled. What if Yugata attacks while you're inside Shiro-chan's mind tomorrow? You'll be helpless."

"So what do you suggest?" Yumeko asked, "Go now? Together?"

"That's precisely what I'm suggesting," Aki said calmly.

"Without telling the others?" Yumeko hissed.

"We can leave them a note," Aki replied.

"Are you sure Masato can read?" Yumeko asked.

"No," Aki answered, "But I know Kimi-chan can."

"Are you sure you want to go now?" Yumeko asked, still slightly skeptical.

"Of course."

"Then prepare yourself," Yumeko sighed. She was having an odd feeling about this, and it sickened her. Grabbing Aki's hand and putting her other hand on Shiro's forehead, the dream demon chanted a brief spell. The couple was surrounded by a soft light and then the pair disappeared into Shiro's dreams.

Whether it was due to darkness, or their own conversation distracting them, neither Yumeko nor Aki noticed the cracks appearing on the silver bracelet Shiro always wore. If they had paid any attention to the trinket they would have seen the cracks were giving off black light. And if Yumeko had seen the dark light, she, being a dream demon well versed in reading bad omens, would have known it was a bad sign. A very bad sign…

***

Back inside Shiro/Inuyasha's dreamscape

"Do you fear death, Ningen?" Youkai Inuyasha asked his human counterpart, smirking at the thought of blood.

"Oi!" Hanyou Inuyasha snarled, placing himself defensively in front of Shiro, "Leave the kid out of this!"

"Inuyasha," Shiro began, "I can take care of myself."

"Baka," Hanyou Inuyasha hissed, "I am yourself! I can take care of you. So shut up, and let me protect you!"

"Hanyou," Youkai Inuyasha smirked, "Still trying to protect humans? Keh! Baka. That is not your purpose. Don't you remember Inuyasha? The joy, the intense pleasure, of slaughtering humans? Of having blood covering your claws?"

"SHUT UP!!!" Hanyou Inuyasha yelled, clutching his head in his hands as he fell to his knees. Blood soaked memories were eating at the edges of his mind, and the emotional pain was worse than any sword wound.

"Inuyasha!" Shiro cried out, surprised at seeing his normally confident other-self writhing in pain.

"Hanyou, do you know why you never remember what happens when I am in control of our body?" Youkai Inuyasha asked, "It's because the ningen over there won't let you!"

"Nani?" Shiro hissed.

"Do you want to remember, Hanyou?" Youkai Inuyasha asked, his voice sounding seductive, "Do you want to remember true joy? You do know that the only time we ever truly smiled was when we were me, when our youkai blood took over our body?"

"I said, SHUT UP!!!" Hanyou Inuyasha snarled at his darker half still wincing in pain. All those suppressed memories were beginning to surface and the pain was causing Inuyasha's soul to tear even more.

"Keh," Youkai Inuyasha snorted, "Be that way, not that it matters. It's almost over. It's only a little bit longer until this bracelet tears apart our soul." As he said that, the dark memories that were beginning to swirl in Hanyou Inuyasha's mind began to recede. The pain stopped, but Inuyasha's hanyou side was breathing more heavily even in the world of dreams.

"Then you and I will be split into different bodies," Shiro continued on what his youkai self was previously saying, his violet eyes slightly glazed, "And Inuyasha—"

"Will be no more," Youkai Inuyasha finished, insane laughter creeping into his voice, "Then I'll kill you, Ningen. That will be the best murder. I wonder what your blood will taste like?"

"Do you feel that?" Hanyou Inuyasha growled, breaking off his youkai half's gloating. Shiro nodded.

"It's almost like someone else entered our mind," the human side of Inuyasha's soul murmured, looking thoughtful.

"I'll check it out," Hanyou Inuyasha said, "Shiro, stay here."

"With this psycho?!" Shiro yelped, pointing at Youkai Inuyasha.

"He's part of us, remember?" Hanyou Inuyasha pointed out.

"The psycho part!" Shiro snarled back.

"He's tied up!" Hanyou Inuyasha shot back.

"Still, I don't trust him as far as I can throw him," Shiro huffed, "He wants to kill me!"

"So we have suicidal tendencies," Hanyou Inuyasha shrugged, "Don't worry. He can't kill you as long as we're in the dreamscape."

"You better be right, Inuyasha," Shiro sighed, "And I'm not worried!"

"Keh! Whatever," Hanyou Inuyasha snorted as he left his other two selves to investigate who or what was intruding into his mind.

***

Meanwhile with the shadowy figures (Ichi, Futatsu, and Mittsu)

"We are so screwed!!!" Futatsu wailed, "Youkai Inuyasha is going to come out, and we're all going to die!"

"Don't be stupid," Ichi snapped, "We're spirits, remember? Incarnations of Fate itself? We can't die. At least not easily."

"But what about Japan?!" Futatsu cried, "We've watched over her since she first appeared in the oceans and now, now she going to get all torn up!!!"

"But isn't she already torn up?" Mittsu asked thoughtfully, "I mean with all those human daimyo fighting against each other and stuff, Japan is in really bad shape right now. They don't call it the 'Warring States Period' for nothing."

"Shut up, bubble-head," Futatsu snarled, tears still in its shadowy eyes, "I want to mourn over my pretty island country right now in peace."

"Your pretty island country?!" Ichi and Mittsu raised their eyebrows at their "sibling's" words. Futatsu didn't answer, but did sniffle a bit.

"By the way," Mittsu began, "The welcome banner for Youkai Inuyasha is all finished."

"Forget the banner," Ichi growled, "We need to figure out a way to stop Youkai Inuyasha from coming out."

"Why don't we just let him come out?" Mittsu asked, "It's going to happen anyway, so we might as well accept it." Both Ichi and Futatsu looked at their "sibling" as if it had gone insane in the brain.

"Dear kami-sama!" Futatsu sputtered, "You really are a bubble-head!"

"I personally think I'm very smart," Mittsu said haughtily, discarding its usual airhead attitude and actually sounding serious and commanding, "You two are the bubble-heads if you don't understand what I am trying to say."

"I understand perfectly, sibling," Ichi growled, still looking unhappy, "And I for one believe you are a fool, but a smart fool never the less."

***

Back with Aki and Yumeko, inside Shiro/Inuyasha's dreamscape

"So this is what Shiro's mind looks like," Aki mused, looking around at their surroundings. They were standing in the pitch black void of Inuyasha's mind. Although there was no light, the couple was able to see each other perfectly, as well as the tall majestic tree that was growing behind them. Yumeko reached up to touch the deep scar in the bark of the tree trunk, wondering what had caused it.

"Do you think," Yumeko murmured as she stroked the wound that was engraved in the wood of the tall tree, "that Shiro's mind is too dark for a child's?"

"Hai," Aki nodded, "I also feel uneasy. It's as if someone was watching us."

"That's impossible," Yumeko shook her head, frowning slightly, "Nobody should be here but us."

"And me," a voice from high branches of the tree growled. Aki and Yumeko looked up to gaze into the burning glare of someone's smoldering amber eyes…

Author-chan's notes: FINALLY!!! Aki and Yumeko are inside Inuyasha's mind! Yes! Things are moving along! Sorry it took so long to update, but I've been having problems with the chapter.

Please R+R!