Inuyasha and Sango had walked for miles, and there was still no sign of the cave.

"You think he's leading us on?" Sango asked Inuyasha, shifting her boomerang.

"Yes. But the least we can do is check for…" he stopped as a tall, big demon popped out of seemingly nowhere.

"What business have ye here?" It asked, looking down on them.

"We seek the amulet of Io." Sango replied boldly.

"You may not pass." The demon rumbled. "Only she who needs the amulet may take it!"

"That's why we're here!" Inuyasha retorted. "Sakuya is sick and crippled, and to speed up the healing process we need her demon blood!"

"How do I know ye really know Sakuya?" The demon demanded, glaring at them with its pig eyes.

Sango whipped out Sakuya's fan and unfolded it. "It this enough proof?"

The demon knelt and looked at it. "You pass." He stepped aside.

"Hey—WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?" Inuyasha asked.

Sango's mind flashed back to when she knelt by Sakuya in the last chapter. "I took it from Sakuya, just in case."

"She'll kill you!"

"I know…"

Inuyasha pointed ahead. "Looks, I think that's the cave. Wow, ugly thing, wonder why people missed it before."

"I don't see any cave."

Inuyasha looked at Sango, then back at the gaping cave before them. Could only he see it? Maybe it had a human barrier…

He took another step forward, into the cave. So did Sango, where she gasped. "I see it now…"

"It's a human barrier." Inuyasha said. "But… It might be a demon barrier too, a cloak. I guess being a half demon cancels it out, or something…"

"No, it is definitely a human shield." Sango confirmed. "There are demons in here, right?"

"I guess so…"

"Obviously. No human or demon could harness the power of Sakuya's demon blood. It's only natural some are chosen to guard it. Sakuya's family was powerful, even as a demon slayer, her grandparents were the wise elders of our village."

"So two old codgers made her family famous, huh, big deal." Inuyasha crossed his arms behind his head as they ventured further into the cave.

"Do not disrespect them." Sango warned. "Her father was one of the leaders of our tribe. Her mother died early, so she had to grow up rough, with three brothers, one of which was Kohaku's friend."

"I see, I see. Buncha warriors, three brothers… I can see how she can be skilled." He looked over as Sango burst into a fit of coughs. "Something wrong?"

"You mean you can't smell that…?" She whipped out her gas mask and fastened it on her face.

"Hm. Maybe it's a gas that only affects humans." Inuyasha suggested. "I don't smell anything…"

"They don't think highly of humans here, do they…?" Sango coughed again and pulled off her mask. "It gets in the mask… I don't know if it's deadly or not… I have to go back. Good luck with the demons, Inuyasha…" She turned around and ran out. I'll go back to Miroku, Kagome, Sakuya, and Shippo. She said, looking at Kirara on her shoulder. She too was unfazed by the gas. "Go with Inuyasha." She instructed. Kirara mewed and took off into the cave again.


"It's all too easy."

Slain demons lay all around Inuyasha, victims to his claws. Inuyasha wiped his claws on his kimono and shook his head. "Haven't seen a decent demon in a while, unless you count Sakuya…"

He advanced into the next room, where his foot was nearly snared in a miniature bear trap. "Ugh... Traps."

He picked up a rock and airily tossed it into the long hallway. It landed and…

BOOM.

…was instantly blown to bits.

"Okay, I got to make this quick…" And so he sprang into action.

Inuyasha took a running jump, and threw himself at a wall. He landed and ran along it, avoiding arrows, spears, bombs, et cetera. His toe got caught in a hole in the wall, making him stop long enough to get skimmed by an arrow. He dove the last few steps and landed roughly, tumbling over himself.

"They must REALLY hate humans…" Inuyasha muttered. "No human could have gotten past that… Hey! Kirara!"

Kirara mewed from the other side of the room and burned to her big form. She flew across and landed next to him, turning back into a cuddly kitten, mewing again.

"Oh so I could have done that. How kind of you to tell me."

Mew.


Sango ran into camp just a minute later.

"Sango!" Kagome looked up. "Where's Inuyasha?"

"He's still back there…" Sango sat down by the newly kindled fire. "There was a gas poisonous only to humans. Kirara is with him. I wasn't sure if the gas was deadly or not."

Sakuya's eyes lifted. "Of course… I still have at least a drop of demon blood… So I would have been able to get past the gas… They've personalized everything so I could be able to pass. I'm not sure what happens next… Maybe demons, or traps, or whatever…"

Kagome had taken the bandages off her wound and was beginning to stitch it up. Miroku had a red mark on his cheek, which Sango amusingly assumed was a slap from Kagome or Sakuya. Shippou had fallen asleep listening to Sakuya's stories, and was now cuddled up next to her, the wind gently ruffling his tail fur.

"I see. It seeped into my gas mask, too…" Sango sat down. "I do hope Inuyasha gets out unharmed."


Inuyasha ventured into the next room. It was quiet, and dark, because there was absolutely no windows, openings, et cetera from here on. He took a step forward, and everything was illuminated with an eerie, greenish glow. The glow came from an amulet, drooped gracefully around a stone pinnacle on a small, stone table. Another step forward, and the light changed to blue. Another step, yellow. And the last step, it turned into a bright white.

Inuyasha reached forward and picked up the amulet. It was thin, and made of gold. It was rather round, with a strange serpent on it, that was eating its own tail. (A/N: A Fullmetal Alchemist freak I am XD) Its eye was made of a strange blue gem.

"This must be it…" Inuyasha wrapped the chain around his hand and took off, flying on Kirara to get past the traps. But that seemed too easy.

(I know this one was short X.X But it had… A little action, and they got the amulet. SO HAH! This will be another transition, I guess… The next bit with be actiony. Mesa swears!)