A/N: I am soooo sorry, mina-san! would let me update::mumbles: baka :gets on knees and begs: Please don't hate me!

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Chapter Eleven: Maten's Demise

Kagome stared at the taijiya a bit nervously, after all, their job was to destroy youkai's and Kagome was half neko youkai.

But she didn't have time to think of anything else as the youkai exterminator yelled, "Look out!" And launched herself at the neko hanyou and the small kitsune, pushing them out of the way just as a lightening bolt struck right where Kagome had been standing.

Kagome stared at the scorching spot in shock. "Th- thanks," She stammered, slightly shaken by what had just happened.

The taijiya got up. "Don't thank me yet, we have to save your friends," She replied and rushed over to the stone wall behind them, picking up a hirakotsu, rushing to join the other members of the rescue party in the battle against the Thunder Brothers.

Kagome shook her head, quickly regaining her senses and joining the others in the battle.

The neko hanyou went running at the turned back of Hiten, planning to tackle him from behind, but Maten jumped in her path, striking out at the neko with a pointed staff. "We have unfinished business, wench," he grumbled as a smirk took over his pointed face, taking another swing at her with his staff.

Kagome jumped into the air, landing on the end of the staff and running up it and jumping up and over Maten's head. "Rose Bits!" She cried, wrapping her arms around her body and then flinging them back out to throw thousands of brightly glowing read roses at the thunder youkai. As soon as the glowing roses touched the youkai, they exploded, making bright flashes and causing great damage.

When the smoke from the Rose Bits attack cleared, Maten was laying on the ground, bloody and bruised.

The noise from the attack caused Hiten to stop his battle with Inuyasha, Miroku, and Isamu. He turned towards the neko and when his eyes landed on his still younger brother, his eyes widened. "Maten!" He cried, rushing over and kneeling at his brothers side.

Maten looked a mess. His pointed face was covered with blood, his right eye was bruised, his left arm was pointed at an odd position. But that wasn't what was causing the Thunder Brother so much pain. Sticking out of his chest, where his heart was, was a singled stemmed red rose.

Kagome took a step back and covered her mouth. "I didn't mean to hurt him that badly," She whispered as her eyes welled with tears of remorse.

Hiten ignored the neko hanyou's words as he stared down at his younger sibling. "Maten, you'll be alright," He said, lifting his brother's wrecked body into a sitting position.

Maten's beady black eyes fluttered open and focused on his eldest sibling. "Hiten, my brother," He rasped out and then coughed.

Hiten leaned closer to his brother so he could hear what he was saying. "My brother," Maten rasped again once he had stopped coughing. "I wish ti not fight any longer," he whispered.

Hiten grasped his brothers shoulder firmly. "You don't have to fight any more, I'll fight for you," He replied, fighting to keep his emotions in check.

Maten slowly shook his head. "I don't want you to fight for me either, I don't want you to die along with me," he coughed out, more weakly this time.

Hiten's face hardened. "I will get revenge for you, my brother. I will make that hanyou pay!"

Maten shook his head again. "I don't want you to die along with me," He repeated his words.

Hiten growled in his throat. "You aren't going to die!" He lashed out angerily.

Maten smiled for his brother. "Don't worry about me, brother. Perhaps I will be re-incarnated into something with lots of hair. Maybe a fuzzy caterpiler, or perhaps a furry cat," he finished with a cough before he uttered his last words. "I am proud that I got to be your brother, Hiten," and then his struggled breathing stopped and his head head dropped as his eyes closed for the last time.

Hiten lowered his head, "Sleep well, my brother Maten," he said as he let the tears fall that he had been fighting back since he saw that his brother had been injured.

Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Isamu, and Shippo were all standing on thte side line each in a sttacking stance, waiting for Hiten to snap out of what ever he was in and ccontinue his attack on them. But he didn't.

Kagome's heart went out to the Thunder Brother, Hiten. Even though he and Maten had captured her and threw her in that dark pit, she still felt no hate for them, just sorrow that she had caused pain and had taken the life of someone. She stepped towards the sing Thunder Brother, reaching out a hand to place on his shoulder. "Hiten, I'm so sorry, I never meant to- meant to-" Hiten cut her off, moving swiftly towards his brother.

He reached out a hand and pulled something out of his dead brother's forehead, and then reached out to his own, yanking something out, causing his forehead to bleed slightly. He turned to Kagome with a deadly glare, standing and taking a step towards her, "Here," he all but growled out at the neko hanyou and held out a hand.

Kagome hesitated slightly, but then held out her hand, palm up.

Hiten dropped tow, slightly, purple Shikon shards into her hand. "I will honor my brothers wishes and not fight you," he said, turning and walking out of the cave, the others in the cave parting to let him leave, all watching him like hawks. He stopped at the cave entrance though, turning to glare at Kagome once more, his eyes screaming threats at her. "But if you ever cross my path again, I promise you I won't be so generous next time," He growled, turning and disappearing from sight.

Kagome glanced down at the glowing Shikon shards, and then back at where Hiten had disappeared. I'm sorry I caused you pain, She thought as a few crystal line tears traveled down her pale cheeks.

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The group, now encluding Sango, traveled out of the cave, leaving the body of Maten to lie inside the cave.

Shippo jumped on his father's shoulder. "What do we do now, Papa?" the kitsune asked

Isamu smiled ovingly at his son. "I have a duty to hold," he walked over to Kagome and bowed at his waist.

Kagome was baffled. Never before had a full youkai ever shown any form of respect towards the neko hanyou.

"Kagome, I offer you my services to help you in your journy," He offered as he straightened back into a standing position. He watched in amused silence as Kagome's blue flecked forest green eyes shone with couriosity and confusion.

"I don't understand, Isamu," She finally uttered out.

Before Isamu could open his mouth to explain, Inuyasha decided to do it for him, "Feh, how stupid can you be, wench? You helped him win a battle so it's the youkai way to offer their services to the one who helped him win the battle," He grumbled out as Miroku stared at him in shock.

"Inuyasha, when did you learn so much about the youkai culture? You haven't even been in this era that long!" He said, almost sounding exasperated.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "Baka monk, did you forget that I have a full youkai brother?" He spat out crossing his arms over his chest with another grunt.

Kagome turned her head back to Isame, slowly shaking her head. "Isamu, thank you for your offer, but I can't accept it. I don't want to drag anyone into my battle,"

This time, it was Isamu that shook his head. "Please, it would be no trouble. And besides, those Thunder Brother destroyed our home, we would be traveling anyway to find a new one, and some more fox youkai's as well."

"Well, alright," Kagome finally accepted his offer reluctantly.

Miroku glanced around at how big there once three person group had grown, and then his eyes landed on Sango. She was the most breath taking person that the Modern Day monk had ever seen! Long chocolate hair pulled into a high pony-tail, soft, creamy looking skin, and dark soulful eyes that sparkled with an inner fire that only a warrior could hold. He decided to introduce himself to the Feudal era beauty.

He walked over, putting on his most charming smile and held out his hand. "Hello, I am Miroku, a monk, and you are, miss?"

Sango grabbed his hand in a firm grasp, her soft hands fitting perfectly into his. "Sango, a taijiya." She introduced herself.

Miroku's charming smile turned into a smirk and pulled his hand back towards himself, pulling Sango along with it and causing her to fall against her chest. "Miss Sango, you are most beautiful," he said as he stared down at the taijiya's brightly blushing face as he reached around her and grasped her rear, causing her face to reddened even more. "Would you bear my child?"

Sango closed her eyes, and then reached behind her, wrapping her hand around her hirakotsu, slinging it over her shoulder and hitting the perverted monk on his head with a loud crack. "You hentai!" She fumed as she watched the monk crumble to the ground, clutching at the growing bump that was on his head and then stormed over to join the other's.

"Ah, it was worth the pain," He said as a stupid grin spread across his face as he watched the beautiful taijiya storm off.

At hearing the crack Kagome turned and saw Sango walking towards her. The taijiya stopped in front of the neko hanyou and smiled kindly. "I want to thank you for getting me out of that hole," she said.

Kagome returned the smilw with a fanged grin of her own. "It was no problem." She replied. "What do you plan to do now that you're out of there?" She questioned.

Sango reached behind her and adjusted hirakotsu on her back before she answered. "I shall travel back to my village. My family is sure to be worried about me." She replied and glanced towards the other side of the mountain.

Kagome nodded her head. "Yes, they probably are. How far is your village from here?"

"About a days travel, if I keep going and don't stop I should be there by early tomorrow morning." She replied.

Kagome got an idea. It would benifit all of the people in her group. 'Sango, would you mind if we traveled with you?" She asked hopefully. See, if they did travel with Sango to her village, they would do a days wirth of travel, have a place to rest at Sango's village and Kagome would have a female companion whom she could talk to.

Inuyasha stepped forward with a grunt. "Now wiat just one freaking minute! We are not gonna go to some baka village! It'll be out of the way of searchiong for those baka Shikon shards!" He growled out.

Before Kagome could retort though, Sango spoke up. "The Shikon shards?" She questioned, "My village possess one of the shards from the Shikon no Tama." She replied.

Kagome gave Inuyasha a look that said, Ha! We're going to the village anyway!

Isame gave Miroku a questioning look. "Do those two always have such lively conversations?" He asked.

Mirouku gave a sigh and continued to rub his bruised head. "Yeah, they haven't even gotten started yet, though," He replied and Shippo, who had jumped to the Modern Day monks shoulder, shook his head as well.

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Are you guys happy? Please say yes! REVIEW REPLIES!

Chaos NekoInu Hanyou: Good guess! Nope, Isamu is gonna be in later chapters, thanks for reviewing! Chaos NekoInu Hanyou: Naw, hardly anything gets on my nerves! Lol. And Kikyo is not gonna be after Inuyasha, but she will have a purpose with the group though, I just can't tell you yet, lol. Ikimono Joufu: Sorry it took me so long to update! Inu Youkai Gurl: Glad you likey! And as for the ramen::thinks: hmmm, I love both! But I'll go with chicken this time! And gomen about the extremly late update!

Hope this chapter made up for the lateness of the updating! Ja ne, mina-san! Nobody's Angel 196