Infuriation

8:88:888:88:8

Katana snapped his head to the side as she stared at the wall. He narrowed his eyes as an unusual pulsing began in his chest. Stumbling a bit as he stood up, he grabbed the wall and began walking to the door frantically, his nails digging into the wall as the pain became too much to bear.

Shuffling his way out the door, he goes next door just as the door closes and he bangs on the door. Sora quickly opens the door, looking quite confused as he shoved him back and stepped into the doorway, slamming the door behind him. Sora flinched as he stared at his father in his bloodshot eyes. He backed away from him a few steps, but Katana took a big swing and caught him in his jaw. Sora cried out as he fell to the floor and he gasped as the jewel rolled out of his pocket. The pink mist began swirling erractically as it turned to a crimson purplewith every beat of Sora's heart.

Katana looked completely crazy. His mouth began drooling as his eyes turned a darker red. He stared at his son with disbelief as he lunged for the jewel. Sora, who had an impulse, suddenly leapt for the jewel just before Katana grabbed it, causing the old man to crash into the floor and lay there for a couple of seconds longer. Something inside of Sora told him to run, and just as he gathered his sense, Katana wrapped his hands around his son's throat and held him against the wall. "Just where did you get that jewel?" He growled.

Sora flinched and grabbed his father's wrists, pulling and digging his nails into them frantically. "I . . .I won't tell!" He screamed.

Katana laughed evilly and tightened his grip. "You will tell me," He laughed again, saliva streaming down his chin. "You will tell me or you shall die."

Sora coughed as little black dots danced in his vision. Just as he opened his mouth to scream, just as he was ready to close his eyes and pass out, a figure burst through the windows, and gave Katana a good one to his gut. The man flew back into the nearest wall, and Sora fell to the ground, grabbing his throat and coughing horribly. The mysterious person hunkered down to his side and patted his back. "Are you alright kid?"

Sora looked into the man's eyes. They were familar. But Sora was too far gone to think about just who it was that was saving him. Sora watched as Katana stood up, and the man screamed for him to run. Just as Sora stood up, the man dodged the blows Katana threw at him. The man peered over his shoulder. "Run, dammit!" He bellowed.

Sora took off out of the room, down the hallway and down the stairs. Just as he hit the bottom of the stairs, the mysterious man came crashing out of the window, and landed neatly beside Sora. Sora stumbled as his head began pounding and he steadied himself on the wall. "Who are you?" He questioned.

The man shook his head and pointed down the street towards the large park. "You have to run Kitohoshi. Run, and don't look back."

Sora flinched as he began to run, but stopped suddenly as the jewel began pulsing again in his grasp. "Where do I go? What's wrong with my father?"

"This . . . this isn't your father." The man shoved Kitohoshi towards the direction he pointed to as Katana stormed out of the front doors. "Now, go!"

"Where do I go?"

The man just simply smiled. "Go where your heart leads you."

Sora turned and let off down the street. He crossed the street, and ran through the shopping center. He remembered seeing the shocked faces of people around him before he took off into the forest. Stopping at the base of a very large and old tree, Sora sat down and sighed. He was tired . . . so very tired . . .

8:88:888:88:8

Taji stared out the window as a familiar pulsing began to rumble in her chest. She doubled over and bit her lip as her aunt pulled over and turned in the seat to stare at her, nervousness brightening her gaze. "What's the matter?"

Taji gritted her teeth together as she looked at her aunt in the eyes. She looked out the window. A pink-purple barrier had erected, and she could already smell the fear and panic of the nearby humans. She shuddered as she scrambled out of the car. Her aunt took her arm just before she sprinted off into the park. "Is it Sora? Is something wrong with Sora?"

Taji shrugged as she looked off into the distance. "I don't know . . . but we have to hurry!"

Tsukiko looked a little unsure, but in turn she followed Taji as she began running through the forest. Along the way, Taji stopped suddenly as an attack similar to InuYasha's Blades of Blood landed just above her feet. A lynx youkai hopped out of the security of the trees, hissing and laughing as he rounded on the two.

Tsukiko stepped in front of Taji and pushed her forward slightly. "I'll be alright, just go!"

Taji watched as her aunt parried an attack directly from the youkai, and Taji shouted a thanks before she took off inthe direction of the barrier. When she approached the barrier, she placed her hand on it, ignoring the agonizing burn as she closed her eyes and concentrated the energy. Smiling as the barrier dissipitated, she hurried on, only to find Sora laying safly at the the base of a trunk.

Sighing sadly as she hunkered down beside him, she shook him softly, her eyes darkening with concern as he murmured words in his sleep. "Dad . . . gone . . ." Taji frowned sadly as the scent of her aunt's blood, not serious, but still bleeding drifted into her nostrils. With a grunt of disgust, she carefully put Sora on her back, and began sprinting back to her aunt as the scent of the lynx began to fade away.

Tsukiko took a good look at Sora's pail, limp figure, frowned, and instructed Taji to go to her house, not home. Taji looked a little confused, but followed her aunt's directions, following the scent of her uncle, and surprisingly, Shippou. When she landed in the driveway, she watched as Shippou growled and bared his fangs to another youkai. Taji gasped as she placed a hand on Shippou's chest, willing him to calm down. Shippou gave her a questioning glance, but growled as the inu-youkai smiled at her, then frowned at Sora. "What happened?"

She stepped back casually, but looked over her shoulder as he stirred. "Katana . . .it's not him. Where's his father?"

The inu-youkai growled as he shrugged, shooting Shippou a smug look when his snarl went up a notch."I can explain it all if you allow me inside."

Taji looked like she didn't want to agree, but hearing Sora's mumbling plea, she gestured for him to follow her inside. Using his claw to enter the house, Shippou led them to one of the guest rooms, and waited outside the door for Sesshomaru as Taji and the mysterious man placed the young boy on the bed. Sora's eyes had opened, but they were unfocused and blurry. He closed them back and fell asleep. Taji sighed. "Just in time."

The mysterious youkai peeled off his coat, revealing a pair of jeans and white shirt. She regarded him for a moment, before narrowing her eyes. "And you are?"

"Detective Nakabashi Hiroyima. I've been in touch with this young boy, 'protecting' him since his birth."

"Protecting him?"

The detective nodded. "Sure, his mother came to me in a dream, and instructed for me to meet her on the roof of the daycare just outside of Kyoto. When I saw her, she was about six months pregnant, and looked pail and thin. She told me all about what she had seen in a dream she said. Then, I was assigned to protect him. I've been with him ever since. But he only knows me from when his mother was murdered."

Taji looked impressed. "So, is there anything you can tell me?"

"There is no background of his mother, except there are a few beliefs that she is the reincarnate of a young girl that was around with the legendary InuYasha 500 years ago. She gave birth to a baby boy, who would later in his life save the world. I was assigned to be his guardian, which I have been doing for 14 years."

Taji didn't comment as she stared at his sleeping form. Frowning as she reached forward and brushed his bangs out of his eyes, she reverted her gaze back to Nakabashi, who was eyeing her with interest. "So, you are the daughter of InuYasha No Taisho."

She nodded slowly. "I am."

"You know, the kid talks about you alot." Nakabashi said, perching near the window. "A whole lot."

"He does . . . . I'm glad." Taji said, a flush rising up on her cheeks as she refused to lock gazes with the youkai.

"I don't think I've ever seen him this happy since she died. It's glad to see him smile again."

Taji opened her mouth to reply, but Sesshomaru walked into the room, and scowled at Nakabashi for a moment. Nakabashi, who stood respectfully, scowled back in return. "How dare you invade that of the tai-youkai's domain?" Sesshomaru thundered, shocking Taji.

Nakabashi held his ground. "I am fulfilling a promise I've made to a friend a long time ago. The kid is my responsibility."

Sesshomaru looked like he wanted to argue, but Hanako waltzed in the room, scowling at her father, silencing him as she shuffled to the bed. Taji looked utterly surprised, she didn't know her cousin was in town. She watched as Hanako held her hands out in front of her in a circular shape, and muttered something under her breath. A pure white flower appeared in front of her, and she took on of the petals and placed on on his forehead. As soon as she plucked it, another one grew in his place, and she pushed her hands towards his chest, sending the flower into his chest. It slowly sunk in his skin, causing him to rise up slightly before falling right back down. "What did you do?" Taji asked, only remember seeing her cousin use this method once before.

Hanako took a deep breath. "It's just nothing but a healing flower that temporarily keeps him immune from fever, hallucination and hypnotism. It helps him regan sixty-percent of his health back almost as soon as he's up and moving, so I guess you can call it a reviver."

Taji looked relieved, until Shippou and Sesshomaru began growling at Nakabashi at the same time. He snarled back in return, his eyes pulsing red as he dug his nails into the hard wood of the windowsill. Taji flattened her ears and whistled, making all in the room grimace. "I wish you would all calm down! Now please, everybody out!" Taji had a pretty peeved look on her face, so they all obeyed her, and winced as she closed the door behind the last person who shuffled out.

8:88:888:88:8

Kazuki smiled as Akemi giggled and continued to sprint along side at the break of dawn that morning. Sighing as the wind rippled through his silver hair, he stopped just above he went plummeting over the edge and falling into the ice cold water beneath him. Laying his elbows on the cold hard metal and placing his chin on his palms, he took a deep breath as the wave of fresh air from the salty sea water calmed his nerves.

Akemi stopped beside him, huffing anf puffing as she bent over and slapped her knees with laughter. She patted him on the back, her golden eyes sparkling with a hint of amusement before her head snapped to the side and she sniffed eagerly. "You smell that big brother?" She whispered quietly.

"Do I smell what?" He said, looking at her from the corner of his eyes and sniffing just to see what she was talking about.

He wrinkled his nose as her ears perked up with interest and she began to trail away. "Big brother . . . I think . . . I think it's . . . "

Kazuki nearly stumbled over the edge as his sister dropped to all fours, forgetting completely that they were in the presence of humans. Lifting her up by the scruff of her collar, he placed her hand in the small of her back and pushed her away until they were alone. Placing his hands on his hips, he gave his sister a questioning stare as she blushed and pointed to the top of a large hill that owned to the Taisho's. "What about it?"

"I sense an energy. My blood is compelled to it."

Kazuki frowned as he looked at his hands. Was this is? Was this the source of why he felt as if something was constantly tugging at his heart, blood and soul? Was this why he had grown restless, and on several accounts had fine his eyes pulsing red? Was this the reason that all youkai were advised to stay home with an excuse for work of school? He looked to the top of the hill, frowning as the maddening tugging seemed to grown stronger and urgent. He took Akemi by the hand and began to lead her away despite her whining. "But . . .Aka's up there!"

He stopped suddenly. If Aka was there, and he felt a tug towards his youkai blood, there was a possibility that all of the family, youkai or hanyou were there in that building right now, which meant Taji was there, and he would never give up the chance to see her beautiful face . . .

But now was not the time. Shaking his head as he began pulling Akemi again, whens he began whining, he growled, silencing her protests as he stomped all of the way home.

8:88:888:88:8

Sesshomaru watched as Taji took the jewel from Sora's hands and inspected it. Sora, who had a swollen lip and a severed shoulder, winced as she handed it back, dropping it into the palm of his hand. Kagome, who sat nearby, smiled warmly at him when he nodded respectfully, and he looked a little confused when he looked at Detective Nakabashi, who had two stripes on his face. He could see one just above each of his wrists, and could barely see them through his white shirt.

Though he was a little frightened, he wasn't scared, and he continued to stare at him as Kagome took the jewel out of his hands and used her claw to draw a little hold right on the top of it. Smiling, she allowed a fang to fall down the string, then a bead, and then the jewel. Then she dropped a bead, then another fang, and she tied the ends in a knot. She slipped it over his head and smiled as it stopped swirling and calmed a little.

Sora held it between his fingers, looking at it from all angles. Taji sighed and brushed some hair out of his face, causing him to turn a deep red and send chuckles all around the room. Inuakamori growled as he pushed through his father and uncle, followed by his brother. "How you feeling?" He said a little gruffer than intended.

Inukuromori rolled his eyes and pushed past his brother. "Well, I guess for now on you're staying with us."

Sora looked at Taji, who nodded slowly as she glared at her brothers with suspicion. "I live with you guys now? What about my father---"

"Kid," Nakabashi cut in quite rudely. "That's not your father."

"What do you mean?"

"We . . .we lost him a long time ago."

" 'We'? Who is 'we'?"

Nakabashi shook his head as he spared Sora and glanced and shuffled out of the room. Sesshomaru, who looked utterly annoyed, followed him, accompanied by InuYasha and Kagome. Now, all who stayed in the room was Shippou, the twins, Taji and Nyoko. "Do you know what happened, exactly?" Nyoko asked.

Sora shrugged. "I was going into my room, like I do every night, when he just went ballistic and tried to knock me out. Then Hiroyima came and saved me, twice, and I ran to the forest. It felt like somebody was watching me, and then I just had a burst of energy, and then it just left my body all at once, and I felt really tired and passed out."

Nyoko didn't comment as she looked at the jewel with pure interest before she shrugged indifferently and crossed her arms over her chest. Her narrowed golden eyes raked over his whoel figure, and he felt goosebumps rise on his skin as she began growling. Taji, who gave a sharp growl at her, rubbed Sora's arms and he began shuddering. "It's okay, that was your natural barrier. It was the first time you've ever used it, so it's completely normal."

Sora still didn't look like he believed her, but he took a look into her eyes and saw the truth there. With a sigh, he forced a small smile as his eyelids began to feel heavy again. Shaking his head as if to shake the sleepiness off of his small figure, he smiled with embarrassment as Taji grinned warmly. Standing up, she tweaked her cousins ear, playfully kicked her brothers, and waved her hands at Shippou as Sora laid down. She looked over her shoulder just before she closed the door. He held up his hand respectfully, smiling slightly. She smiled back and waved before his eyesclosed and she closed the door softly. Turning and jumping slightly at all the narrowed eyes, she chuckled nervously and softly as she waved her hands in front of her chest. "He's sleep . . . I just thought maybe the best thing to do is let him get as much rest as he could since he's going to be staying with us for a while."

Nyoko frowned. "It wouldn't be logical if he stays with us. We are not home too frequently for it to possibly be safe for him to come here, even with the fact the tai-youkai lives here; that scares away half the competition."

Taji sighed and rubbed her forehead with her fingers. Looking at the door, she frowned deeply; until Aka laid a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry baby girl. We'll babysit the little runt if it means that much to you."

Taji beamed and hugged her brother. Jumping forward and hooking her arm around Kuro's neck, she hugged them tight and kissed each of their ears playfully, flattening her own for protection. "I'm so proud of you guys!"

Kuro shrugged as he flexed his claws. "It's been a while since I've had a decent fight. Now that the Shikon No Tama has been resurrected, that means I can sharpen my claws on youkai who are as to so foolish to challenge us."

Aka snorted and cracked his knuckles. "Oh, and that reminds me. Kuro, it's your turn to take care of the crap next time we hunt. Remember last time when it was your turn and I nearly got my head cut off because you wanted to drink so much damn sake?"

Kuro flushed and reached over, flicking his brother's ears. "Yea . . . I remember a little bit too well. Come on everybody, let's go get something to eat."

Taji stared at Kuro with interest. 'He's hiding something.'

'Yeah . . . I know . . . '

'What do you think it is? He has enjoyed hunting a little too much lately---'

'You're not saying---'

'I'm not saying anything. It was just a thought.' She began following after the crowd that was her family heading to the kitchen. She stifled a whine and pressed her ears to her head. 'Just a thought . . . right.'

8:88:888:88:8

Kagome and InuYasha exchanged glances as Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at Nakabashi. Hiroyima, who was completely taken with intimidating the tai-youkai, didn't seem to notice Kagome clearing her throat until her youkai spiked and her angry became something that he feared. She took a couple of deep breaths before she began talking. "Detective. . . I don't know if you understand this, but it seems that history has repeated itself, just it took a different approach to rebirth."

He nodded his head and leaned forward a little. InuYasha, who sat in the corner with his hands jammed into the sleeves of his haori, closed his eyes, though his ears twitched and quirked like little radars. Sesshomaru sat at his desk, staring into space silently as he pressed his lips together into a fine line at Kagome's words. "I don't understand. How did the Shikon No Tama become resurrected? What about Yuki; did she have anything to do with this? What happened to Katana?"

InuYasha bit back his retort as he shoved his hands further into his haori. Kagome turned a little pale, and InuYasha, who was sitting to the right of her, opened one of his eyes to peep at her. She gave him a reassuring smile, and with a snort, he closed his eyes again."Well . . .The Shikon No Tama has been around for a very long time. It's just that, we were never able to locate it, it was just a six sense that it was here. Apparently, fate has decided Sora is the new protector of the Shikon No Tama."

"What about his parents?"

Kagome shrugged. "It leads me to believe that his mother's soul was used to create and Shikon No Tama, but I have not been able to conclude that theory. What I do believe, is that . . . never mind."

Nakabashi looked like he wanted to press the subject. But two things stopped him. One, the look on Kagome's face made him think twice about opening his mouth. She was a chalky white color, though he did not know why. Her big brown eyes were glazed over, and she was biting her lips and playing with her hands. If Hiroyima had any experience with women, these things meant that they were deeply troubled by something, and it was best just to wait until they were ready. Two, InuYasha was snarling at him. His golden eyes flashing and his ears laid back, he seemed ready to pounce on him on any minute. Kagome's ears flattened and she winced. Sesshoamru, however, was scowling at him. Now, if Nakabashi knew any better, if he frowned upon you, that meant that he felt like beating you up. But this inhumane scowl full of disgust made the detective shdder, and he clamped his mouth shut until she was ready to speak again. "Mrs.Taisho?"

She waved her hand and blushed. "Kagome is just fine Detective Hiroyima. Anyhow, I have been told that his father has been 'possessed?'"

Nakabashi grimaced. "Yea . . . . we lost him a long time ago. I saw him do it myself . . . ever since then I make sure he doesn't hurt Sora enough to make a scene."

" 'Enough'!" InuYasha bellowed, his eyes flashing as he curled his lips back and growled. " 'Enough'? What happened to not letting harm befall him anyway? There was hundreds of youkai who wanted Kagome, but I didn't go and let them smack her around."

Kagome yelped with surprise as Nakabashi growled back in response, his thoughts of trying to keep his cool now forgotten. "What do you want me to do? Crash in there every time he hits the kid, get arrested and possibly killed by your brother for disturbing the peace of humanity? What then hanyou? Who would protect him then? It was the only thing I could do! Trust me, I felt like crap for years not being able to do anything to help him."

InuYasha fell silent as he closed his eyes and flattened his ears. Kagome sighed. "Anyway, we just need to focus on keeping Katana far away from his son until we can figure out a way to save him."

"Save him? The mans been fone for about 16 years. There's no way we can save him."

Kagome shook her head and looked up at the detective. "That's not true. Whether they are full youkai, hanyou, or have been possessed by a youkai, there's a little bit of humanity in every living thing. And if you have a pure heart, and you know just how fragile that human heart is, you can save that person. A little bit of love can cure anything."

The detective looked around. InuYasha had found his way to Kagome, laying his head on her lap as he sat in front of her. Sesshomaru, who had his face in his palm and was drumming his claws on the table idly with a sly smile on his face as InuYasha began purring because Kagome was stroking his ears. Then, the detective smiled too. These people had something that he lost a long time ago.

They had faith, and he wanted it too.

8:88:888:88:8

A/N

Well, sorry for the delay. Enjoy!