Tesse: I'm back again! Yay chapter 4

Hero: And it's just getting good!

Tesse: And I don't own anything but I can belch the "ABC's"

Inuyasha: Heritage

Chapter 4: Naraku's Return

Kayori stepped out of her parents hut. Her wound hadn't completely healed yet.

It had been a week since the incident with Kagura, Inuyasha had gone off into the woods to find Kagura's body but found nothing. Miroku had said that if Naraku had indeed returned then it was possible that he revived her. But that wasn't the only thing that her parents were worried about. She had tapped into her demon blood and lost control, although Kayori didn't know that.

Now sat under her favorite cherry blossom. She didn't have enough energy to climb up. Ryku was watching her from the village.

'Wow she's really pretty in this light,' He watched her fall asleep and yearn to join her. He also wondered how she was healing.

He started up the hill, and sat next to her sleeping figure. "How you doing?" her golden eyes fluttered open.

"Okay I guess," she answered looking up at the sky, "Where'd Shippo go?"

"He went west with Keade to speak some of your father's allies," Ryku answered. Kayori groaned at the pain in her side, and Ryku leapt up from his seat next to her. "Are you all right? Should I carry you back to your parents hut?"

Kayori glared at him, "I'm not weak, so don't push your luck!" She slowly rose to her feet, and winced in pain but she didn't let Ryku see. She already knew that her own parents thought that she couldn't handle herself.

She headed back to her hut not wanting to be close to anyone at the moment.

But unfortunately when she went looking for a comfortable bed all she found was two brutally honest and concerned parents.

"Kayori-chan, why don't you come and sit for awhile?" with that Inuyasha's face hit the floor, "Inuyasha, I wasn't talking to you, I'm sorry."

Kayori didn't take much notice to her father being sat anymore, and plopped down next to her fallen father.

"Kayori," her father said as soon as he regained composure, "your mother and I have been talking, and we think you should maybe head over to your mother's era for awhile," he said slowly.

Kayori's face changed from incredibly annoyed and tired to completely horrified. "I am not going back there!" She loved her grandmother and uncle Souta very much, but the traumatic school days were enough to keep her away. She never had many friends, she was often fighting with other students, and her grades had never been the best. 'Higarashi, you're incredibly bright, if you would just pay attention and keep your head out of the clouds, you would actually get some where!' She had been part of those conversations countless times; she wasn't about to do it again.

"Kayori, it's safer there and it's only for a little while. It's just until this whole Naraku blows over," Kagome said calmly, using a soft, gentile voice to calm Kayori down. It didn't do much though because Kayori was just getting fired up.

"I DON'T WANT TO GO! NOT NOW, NOT EVER!" Kayori yelled tears running down her face.

"Kayori, it'll be safer for you. If you stay here you could get hurt and Kagura has already wounded you. If Naraku does come back that means Kagura well too! We aren't going to risk losing you!" Inuyasha said sternly. Kayori still had tears pouring down her cheeks.

"But..."

"No buts!"

Kayori knew she had lost, but she didn't want to except it. 'Why me? They know how much I hate it!' she thought angerly as she headed to her tiny room.

It was there she sat on her bed and stared menacingly at the walls until she fell asleep.

THE NEXT MORNING...

Kayori climbed out of the well. She couldn't believe her parents would do something like this to her.

She peered around the well house, nothing had changed since her mother had traveled back and forth between times, thus meeting her father. The same was for the entire shrine. The only things that were different was the fact that Kagome and Souta no longer lived in there and the old man had passed away a year before. So Ms. Higarashi lived all by herself but was blessed with visits from her two children and grandchild.

Kayori stepped out of the well house and let her eyes adapt to the light.

"Kayori-chan, back so soon?"

Kayori immediately knew who it was, and turned to meet her grandmother who was watering the flowers lining the main shrine.

"Yea, I'm back grandma, for a little while at least," Kayori said with some fake enthousism in her voice.

"That's wonderful, and guess what we got your uniform in yesterday." Kayori tried her best to look excited, but failed miserably. "And the archery couch called wandering if you were going to shoot in this years festival, I told her yes, is that all right?" her grandmother continued, Kayori nodded, archery wasn't so bad, the couch reminded her of her mother, she was the best on the team, and it was the only thing that she could do well.

MEANWHILE IN THE FEUDAL ERA...

Inuyasha stepped back from Bone-eater's well. He felt bad about sending Kayori back. He knew she hated it.

'It's what's best for her,' but he usually blamed himself for Kayori's social trouble. She may have been excepted in his era by the people of this village, but that was because he had taken part in protecting that same village from demons and other threats. Kagome also aided Keade with helping injured villagers. The people in turn excepted Kayori, praising her as a future hero, or savior. But in Kagome's era things were different, she was teased for her hair color, her grades were slipping and she didn't get any respect, from both adults and other children.

Then this happened. Kagura had come back, and even if Kayori had cut her to pieces, it wouldn't be the last time they saw her. Not only that Kayori's true demon self had surfaced. And it was his demon blood at fault. Kagome sensing her husband's troubled thought took his arm and laid her head on his shoulder.

"What's wrong Inuyasha?" she asked in a soft voice.

"It's my fault!" he said directing his anger at himself.

Kagome looked up, shocked. 'His fault?!' she knew exactly what he was talking about. "Inuyasha, it's not your fault. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have had Kayori. You and her mean everything to me, I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." She looked up at him, with her big chocolate eyes. That comforted Inuyasha a little bit.

Him and Kagome entered the village only to have a fimilar scent reach his nostrils. Kagome felt him tense up. "What is it?" she asked she had a worried tone of voice.

A look of pure terror crossed his facial features.

"NARAKU!"