Aivsy: Thank you everyone for all your reviews. I got a few question though, like Where is Kirara? Where is Sesshoumaru? What happened to Jaken? And such. Ha! Did you think I forgot that? Actually to tell the truth I forgot about Jaken, (Only Jaken!) but… Anyway I'll make up for it! Also I'll bet you're dying to know what happened to Kayori and the others. Oh yeah and one more thing if you're still there… Kagura, none of you were expecting her to actually be a good guy, ha!

Chapter 23: Juuroumaru and Kageroumaru Return

'"If you follow the tunnel to the end and then tap the wall three times than you'll find a way out!"' Kagura's words rang through Miroku's head as he and Sango neared the end of what seemed like a never-ending tunnel. To an ordinary person it would have looked like a dead end but they knew otherwise.

Sango reached out rapped her knuckles against the hard wall. Three times. They waited and nothing happened. She stretched out to tap the wall again but her husband stopped her.

It was then that the wall slowly moved aside revealing the scenery beyond. Leafless trees stretched their knarled roots over the almost invisible path below them.

Miroku slowly took Sango's hand and they stepped cautiously on the path. The wall slowly moved shut behind them. They were free! Unfortunately they had to move quickly before could realize they were gone.

"What about Kagome and Inuyasha?" Sango asked quickly as they moved swiftly down the path.

"Kagura said they were to heavily guarded, and we don't have enough strength for another run in with Naraku," Miroku said, although he was just as worried.

Sango remained silent as they ran down the path hoping that there weren't that many demons that occupied the woods. They quickly reached the end of the woods only to come to an even more depressing atmosphere. It was the site of a battle that must have taken place recently.

"I have a bad feeling about this place Miroku. We get out of here as quickly as possible," Sango said pulling her sleeve over her mouth to stop the smell of rotting corpses.

Miroku nodded in agreement, then unexpectedly kneeled before her.

"Huh?" Sango raised her eyebrows in question.

"You must be tired dear. Here you can ride on my back and rest for awhile," Miroku smiled as Sango slowly crawled onto his back.

Suddenly she felt two hands on her rear and her face fell. 'Great! We've been married for nearly seventeen years and he's still trying to grab my ass. I'm going to have some real problems with him when all of this is over.' She thought with despair.

"Wait Koji! Kayori!" Ryku yelled as he watched his friends disappear into the trees. He quickly grabbed the Hiraikoutsu. "Kirara!" he yelled for his new feline companion. The fire cat transformed and hurried to Ryku. But as soon as he'd seated himself something shot through his left shoulder.

"Ryku!" Shippo yelled and was quickly at his friend's side.

"What was it!" Somaru yelled desperately trying to find the weapon, which had completely pierced Ryku's shoulder and shot into a nearby shrub. "I can't smell it!"

Ryku was too shocked speak or move. Kirara growled at the bush where Somaru searched.

Suddenly something flew into the treetops above. No one moved as they waited breathlessly for the attacker to make their next move.

Somaru's eyes widened as she noticed where Taimiko was standing. "Taimiko!" she hissed.

The small wolf child looked up into the trees and her eyes grew wide. She screeched and ran to safety behind Somaru. Just in time too, as the monster flew straight into the ground where Taimiko had stood only seconds before.

"What is that thing!" Ryku yelped after recovering from his shock.

"Oh no!" Shippo gulped in fear.

Kayori felt cold breath against the back of her neck as who or what ever was behind her slowly crept closer. 'Don't panic and Don't show your fear! Keep a level head!' Kayori thought back to when she was a little kid and her father was teaching her to fight.

-Flash Back-

Kayori made a fist of her small hand and taking proper stance. A determined look was plastered to her face. Gathering all her strength she threw her fist forward hitting it's mark squarely in the palm of her father's hand.

Inuyasha smiled, "That's it. You're getting stronger everyday," he said. Kayori's 'fighting face' disappeared as she smiled a somewhat tooth-less smile. (She lost about three baby teeth that month)

"Just remember when you do find yourself in a situation where you have no choice but to fight 'Don't Panic and Don't show your fear! Keep a level head!'" Kayori nodded.

"Or you could do what Inuyasha always did… Charge into battle without a strategy, and hope you hit something!" Shippo said happily.

A vein popped in the half demons head, and he clinched his fists. "Shippo, would you please come with me for a minute?" Inuyasha said with his eyebrow twitching.

"Sure!" Shippo smiled. Inuyasha smirked and lead Shippo far away from Kayori and Kagome's careful watch.

-End Flash Back-

'Or that!' Kayori thought, and completed a full spin kick, hitting her attacker in the side of the face.

Koji and Korou gaped at her.

The attacker flew to the side into a tree. But that wasn't nearly enough to keep him down. He slowly stepped up to his full height.

He was tall, with long hair that was almost violet colored. He wore a strange mask over his mouth. Of course Kayori didn't give him time to attack as she hit in the forehead.

What she didn't expect was the fact that she had left herself wide open. That was something that she forgot to consider.

Before she realized it she caught a left hook in the stomach. She froze for a second, completely stunned by the blow. Her vision blurred slightly then went black. She fell forward over the masked man's arm.

"Kayori!" Korou and Koji screamed in unison. The two teenagers lunged forward. Korou reached him first. He punched only to have his fist caught and violently turned until it snapped.

The young wolf demon howled, Koji saw his chance to attack and severed the attackers right arm. Korou leapt back clasping his injured wrist.

Oddly enough the attacker didn't seemed faised by his sudden absence of an arm. He threw Kayori over his shoulder, and leapt backward into the trees.

"Oh no you don't!" Korou yelled following him.

As Korou, the most agile followed him through the trees, Koji stayed on the ground, hoping to attack from below.

"Oh no!" Shippo said shaking. "That's Kageroumaru, he attacked Inuyasha and Kagome a long time ago. He's supposed to be dead!"

"Yeah well so is Naraku!" Somaru snapped.

"But if he's here that means Juurou—" Shippo didn't have time to finish his sentence as something crashed through the trees above.

"YOU BASTARD!" Korou's voice rang through the leaves. Suddenly, Koji burst through the trees behind them.

"He knocked out Kayori and now he's got her!" Koji explained hurriedly as he rushed through the clearing tetsuaiga in hand. All of a sudden he felt a hand on his shoulder holding back.

"That's Juuromaru and his brother Kageroumaru, they are both incarnations of Naraku, you can't just swing and hope you hit something," Shippo said.

"Korou's got a broken wrist and can't do it on his own," Koji shouted at the young kitsune.

"And from the sounds of it Kayori just woke up and isn't very happy!" Sure enough nasty words filled the clearing. Then the sound of two bodies falling, and one hitting the ground hard enough to break bones.

Koji was just about to run off to check on his sister when something whizzed past his leaving a narrow cut along his sensitive black dog-ear. He suddenly growled instinctively in pain.

"Kayori! Are you okay?" She opened her eyes to see Korou looking down at her concerned.

"What happened to him?" she asked referring to the attacker.

"He certainly isn't moving! Hopefully he's dead!"

Kayori noticed that he was holding his arm close to his body, "What happened!" she demanded from the wolf prince, looking at his wrist that was bent at an odd angle.

"It's nothing! Don't touch it!" he said now scrambling as far as he could from the girl.

"Don't be stupid! It's broken! Let me see it!" Kayori said crawling after him until she caught him by the collar. "If you let it heal like that you won't be able to use it properly! You'd be a crippled wolf, and you can't fight Naraku as a cripple!" she snapped and Korou stopped struggling.

He carefully held his injured arm out to Kayori. She gently held his wrist with her right hand and ran her fingers along the wrist with her left. Korou refused to let him self cry in pain so he just bit his lip and let his eyes water. "Okay, this is gonna hurt a little but I have to put the bones back in place properly," she said getting ready to do exactly what she said.

"Have you ever done this before?" Korou asked almost afraid of the answer.

"Nope!" Kayori said, and before Korou could react she braced the arm with both hands and turned it back into its proper position.

The young wolf howled in pain, causing birds to get startled and fly off.

Korous eyes watered as he barked at Kayori who quickly smacked him, "Get a hold of yourself and don't you dare yip at me!" she roared. Korou whined in fear and the pain of his already broken wrist being turned violently. 'Wait a minute! The pain is gone,' sure enough his arm felt slightly numb which was either good or very bad.

"Now let me mend it!" she said ripping a narrow strip of her kimono to make a bandage. He let her wrap his arm up and she made him a make shift sling. "Does it feeling any better?" she asked tenitively.

Korou didn't want to admit it but it did feel better. He nodded sourly.

"Good now which way do we go to get out of here?" she said standing up.

The wolf prince suddenly realized him and Kayori were lost.

"Uhhhhh… Kayori, you're not gonna believe this…"

"WHAT!"

Aivsy: Sorry it took so long for me to update, I hope you liked it. I've just had a lot going on so on top of school, homework, family and all of my other fics… the updates might take awhile. I'm really really really sorry! But I'll try to have a new chapter up every other week. Please bare with me, I love reading all your reviews, and that's what keeps the chapters coming.