Chapter 5

The weather had only gotten worse as the day had gone on. The wind now blew, causing the trees to sway and groan. Rain was coming; both Inuyasha and I had smelled this earlier. Kagome was wearing what she called a 'sweater' and Shippo was tucked into it as well, his head just under her chin. Sango was walking a bit closer to Miroku than usual, but the monk's hands were tucked in his robe. Inuyasha and I didn't feel the cold as much so we simply walked ahead.

"I don't like the smell of this." Inuyasha murmured, quiet enough that only I could hear.

My mind was full of murmurs, and I had to silence my magic to dull the noise. "The dead are wary as well. They are talking so much." I whispered, knowing that he could hear me.

Kagome's hand suddenly landed on my shoulder and I turned to look at her. "What is it Kagome?"

Her face looked scared, and Shippo was hiding in her 'sweater.' "We heard something guys."

Instantly both Inuyasha and I were alert, turning to walk back to Sango and Miroku. I sniffed, but no scent came to me. Inuyasha glanced at me. "You getting anything?"

I shook my head, and then my mind erupted in the shouts of them. /THERE/

"Inuyasha, look out!" I screamed. He whirled and barely jumped out of the way. A huge snake youkai was there, and it continued to chase him. He had no time to pull out Tetsusaiga, only enough to dodge as the youkai lunged again.

/Now Kyla! Protect my son/ Izayoi's voice rang in my head and I wrenched Hitokiri from it's sheath. I stopped dead as I heard the one sound I had hoped I would never hear. Inuyasha's blood-chilling scream of pain, the one from my dream, no, my premonition.

"INUYASHA!" I screamed, diving for him. The snake youkai's voice stopped me.

"Come any closer and I will kill the halfling," it hissed, narrowing blood red eyes.

I just about sobbed. One of the youkai's fangs was through Inuyasha's stomach, and the other had pierced his shoulder. He was trying frantically to beat the snake off, but it held on anyway. It tightened its hold and Inuyasha screamed, digging his claws into the youkai's skin.

"Release him." I snarled, clenching Hitokiri's hilt. "And I may make your death quick."

I heard a poisonous chuckle from the creature. "He will not live even if you kill me. I've injected enough poison into his system to kill 30 humans."

I watched as Inuyasha's eyes drained of color, the poison beginning to take effect. I snarled, baring my fangs viciously. Hitokiri was forgotten as red clouded my senses. My claws lengthened, my fangs grew sharper, and then I knew no more.


(Kagome)

I watched as Kyla dropped Hitokiri and lunged at the youkai so fast I could hardly see her. She had had demon-like speed before she had transformed, now it was almost god-like. The snake youkai barely had time to react before she was latched onto its head, tearing at its eyes with her claws. With a roar of pain it dropped Inuyasha, who landed with a dull thud in the dirt. Kyla's snarls and furious growls were all I could hear, along with the cries from the snake. I watched horrified as the girl tore the youkai apart, literally. When she finally finished there wasn't much left.

Inuyasha still lay where he had fallen, still as death. Kyla went to him immediately and I slowly moved closer to her. When I stood close enough for her to notice me she raised her head and snarled at me, clutching Inuyasha's limp body to her. I was scared; I was dealing with a youkai. Kyla's eyes were blood-red, her pupils bottomless pools of black. Two jagged black streaks marked her cheeks beneath her eyes, similar to Inuyasha's when he transformed. In her eyes I was threatening Inuyasha.

"Kyla, please." I murmured. "I want to help him. We're your friends Kyla."

At the sound of her name her black ears pricked, but she still seemed wary. With a whine she licked Inuyasha's face, though her eyes didn't leave me.

"I can help you Kyla." I said soothing. "Remember me."

She watched me for a moment more, and then the red slowly faded from her eyes.


My eyes cleared and I saw Kagome standing before me, relief and worry in her eyes. "Kagome?" I murmured. "What happened?"

"Not now Kyla. We've got to help Inuyasha," she replied, running forward to kneel beside me I looked down at the unconscious hanyou in my arms, and then what had happened to him came flooding back. There was a snake youkai, it had been holding him. He'd been injected with poison, and then there was a big blank. Nothing.

Kagome was waving Sango and Kirara over as the big cat transformed. I stopped her. "Wait, I think I can help." I transferred Inuyasha's head to my lap. His normally golden eyes were an expanse of white, his body convulsing as the venom worked its way through him. I closed my eyes and placed one hand over his head. I searched, looking for it. There! His aura, not the demonic aura, but the one that made him Inuyasha. It was holed and fading fast and I frantically reached for my magic. I began to knit the light back together, healing his wounds. Blood was remade, skin repaired and muscle re-crafted. His wounds were gone, but still the venom plagued him.

"One last thing." I murmured. I put a nail in my mouth and made a cut, tasting my own blood. Leaning over I kissed him deeply, pouring both blood and magic into him. My blood enhanced the magic, and slowly the venom was purged from his system.

I knitted my own wound back together, but continued putting magic into him. For a long agonizing moment I felt nothing but quiet from his aura, then his hands pulled my head closer to him and he deepened the kiss. The kiss had originally been so I could heal him, but it had turned into something more. He slowly released me and I pulled away, breathless. "Inuyasha, why did you do that?"

He smiled, golden eyes sparkling. "You said my mom told me to follow my heart. It was telling me to kiss you."

I blushed, and then he sat up, pulling me to him in a tight hug. "You saved me Kyla, and I am thanking you with a gift." He smiled at me again. "I'm giving myself to you."