L.A. Here!

I am Baack! Haha... for a little bit, at least. Sorry for the lack of updates... but you all know why. Moving blows... /Sigh/

Anyway... this chapter explains a bit more about Lysi. Her past and all. But, for some reason, some of you may come out of this chapter hating Lysi even more... heh heh.

Here we go!

Chapter 19 (got rid of the three A/N.): Twisted Devotion

Disclaimer: I only own Lysi... The damn Bitch.

Koga sighed as he made his way through the dense forest into which he had been summoned. It had been awhile since they had seen each other, and he couldn't help but wonder why she was needing him now. She seemed to have been doing quite well on her own, once she had gotten over the initial shock of her family history. Koga remembered the darkness that he had seen settle over the young girl's soul at his words, and couldn't help but feel a small tinge of guilt, even though he had spoke only the truth.

After that fateful day, she had never been the same. Her soul had no longer been carefree, or filled with love. It, instead, harbored dark hate and a need for vengeance. Unfortunately for her, her offenders were long dead, and had left no descendants to wreck havoc upon. So, by a wicked twist of fate, the poor girl was left alone in the world, her past, and future, ripped away from her. Her good intentions suddenly no longer mattered, no longer held any merit in her mind. All she had now was an empty promise to fulfill. So, in hopes that maybe she could find a way to fill the emptiness in her soul, she had set off on her journey. Koga hadn't had the heart to tell her that it was in vain; that her chances were fruitless and less than slim.

He sighed and looked around, shaking himself from his thoughts. He was close to her, he could feel it even before her scent reached him. The darkness that surrounded her soul reached out to him, and he trudged forward.

Lysi watched the outskirts of the group's new camp intensely. She knew that he would never refuse her summon, but couldn't help but feel a little anxious. Suddenly, she saw a small movement at the right, and quickly glanced over to see a very familiar figure standing at the edge of the camp, a small smirk upon his handsome features. Lysi grinned and went to him.

"Hello, Koga..."

InuYasha sighed as he stared down at the giggling pair beneath his tree. He could never bring himself to understand why Kagome seemed to love the little runt so much. He grunted in annoyance as Shippo let out a high pitched squeal, and folded his sensitive ears back against his head protectively.

Sango sighed as she sauntered through the woods, her hands playing casually in her wet locks. She was finally making her way back to camp, after a long, relaxing soak in a nearby hot spring. She had felt the need to take advantage of her flirtatious monk's short absence while he was at the nearby village, stocking up for the continuance of their journey. Not having to worry about his prying eyes had been nice, and she felt fully rejuvenated. She smiled for the first time in months, but it quickly faded as she came upon the camp. She could hear whispered voices, and one sounded suspiciously like a certain wolf demon. Following her instincts, she hid herself downwind from the pair, and listened.

"I need to get rid of her, Koga!" The desperate inuyoukai snapped at her stoic companion. Koga merely sighed and shook his head.

"I don't see how, Lysi... Those two are literally inseparable. Believe me, I've tried."

At this Lysi smirked knowingly. "Ah, but that's where you're wrong, dear Koga. You see, I have already started to wedge myself between the two. All I have to do is play my cards right, and he's mine..."

Koga stared at her incredibly. "How-" Was all he was able to get out. He couldn't believe that she had managed to do, in a week, what he had tried to do for months.

"Oh, please Koga! Have you already forgotten the Lysi you first met? The innocent, sweet, pure little pup?" Lysi chuckled as she watched it dawn on the wolf. "That's right... don't think that I've forgotten how to act that way. Actually, I think you could say that I've mastered it." She sighed and casually strolled over to the fire, where there was still a tiny flame trying desperately to stay alight. "InuYasha trusts me... All I need to do is make his pretty little miko less than perfect in his eyes..." A evil smile played across her face. "And he's mine!"

Koga watched the young, cold, dog demon walk over to the dying fire with calm evil in her step. Her words echoed in his mind, and he frowned. It was depressing to see how much she had changed in the past year.

"I never told you, Lysi..." He called out softly. "But I'm sorry about your brothers..."

Koga's words struck deep in Lysi's soul, and she froze as the layers of ice that had built up around her heart during the last year suddenly cracked. Her vision swam as tears clouded her vision, and the harsh memories of the day her life was shattered started playing in her mind. It was like a movie, and she watched herself from outside her body.

BEGIN FLASHBACK

A small, skittish inuyoukai could be seen sullenly walking through what seemed to be a dusty battlefield. Confusion graced the lovely features of the small creature as she looked around herself wildly. Shock suddenly appeared in the lines of the young dog-demon's face as she realized that it was, in reality, her home. She hugged her baggy robes tighter against her frail body, and let out a sorrowful whimper. She had left her peaceful home fifty years ago, only to return to a graveyard.

Yet, she knew not what had happened here. To her knowledge, her once thriving village could have simply moved. She swallowed the knot in her throat, and decided to venture out into the surrounding forest, to see if anyone would know the history of her home.

A few days later, the innocent girl stumbled across a pack of wolves. Seeing that she was alone and afraid, and nearly starved to death, the leader of the pack had graciously allowed her stay. Thus, she, unknowingly, sealed her fate.

Once she had replenished her energy, and was once again feeling like she belonged in the world of the living, she had explained her plight to the wolf prince. Recognition had sprung to his face at the mention of her village, and hope had filled her heart. However, once he began to tell his tale, this fleeting hope was instantly replaced by utter remorse, and a pain so deep she believed she would die.

"Yes, I remember that village. It's at the edge of this forest, correct?" The calm, serious wolf questioned.

"Yes! Right beside the mouth of the stream that runs through this valley!" Came the excited answer.

"And you wish to know of its way of demise?" He spoke the words harshly, still in the dark about her connection to the place.

The inuyoukai beside him blinked a little, but then nodded. "Yes, it's of much importance that I know." The answer came in a soft, calculating voice.

The wolf sighed, and leaned back on his elbows. "Alright, I will tell you what I know..."

And then he had spun a tale of a beautiful, inuyoukai whom, fifty years ago, had sealed herself away for unknown reasons. Her two older brothers, whom had loved her with all their hearts, had been crushed by this turn of events. They believed that they were at fault for her sudden disappearance; that they had somehow disappointed her. Unable to deal with the heavy guilt and pain that these thoughts bestowed upon them, they became mad. Driven by the sudden hate that they developed for themselves, they turned it outward, onto anyone and anything in their paths.

One night, not too long after their dear sister's vanishing, they had unleashed their rage upon their home. Transforming into their full demon forms, they had ravaged the village, leaving few people alive in their wake. About half way through the town, the 'peace keepers' finally caught and subdued the wild and crazy brothers. They were kept in a cell over night, and had then been hung immediately the next morning, for their terrible crimes.

Then, the remaining members of the Shyti Family had been confronted and blamed for their son's actions. For punishment, they had been stripped of their family honor and prestige, and forever banished. Afterward, the rest of the damaged village had relocated, to escape the horror of that night. Not even ten years later, all descendants of that village were deceased, leaving only scarred ground and rumors to tell their story.

The look of complete and total shock and denial once again filled the young inuyoukai's face, and her companion watched as her innocence and pureness were corrupted, and the hate and pain that blackened so many souls slowly took up residence is her once loving, warm heart.

He had ruined her, and would forever feel this quilt. Without even having to ask, he knew that she was the lost, forgotten princess that had sealed herself away so many years ago.

FINISH FLASHBACK

Lysi shook herself from these thoughts, and with a harsh growl, suddenly reached out and crushed the puny little flame with a sudden burst of ice from her fingertips. She chuckled as a small wisp of smoke rose from the extinguished flame, the only sign that it ever existed.

Sango gasped at the demon's words. "I don't believe it!" She whispered. She watched as Koga left, and Lysi made her way to Kagome. She knew that she couldn't make it to her friend before the inuyoukai did, so she did the next best thing. She went after Miroku.

"He'll believe me!" She quickly turned and ran toward the village, hoping to meet him on his way back.

Once Lysi had dismissed Koga, she proceeded to track down her victim. After only a few minutes of searching, she discovered the young miko at the edge of the camp, playing with the small kitsune.

"It's dangerous playing so far from the others." She commented, stopping a few feet from the giggling pair.

"Oh, no worries!" Was Kagome's reply as she sat back on her haunches, smiling down at the gasping fox at her feet. She tickled him a few more times for good measure, then stood and looked at Lysi. "InuYasha is so close that I could s-i-t him if I felt the need. We are perfectly fine."

"Well, that's a relief." The female inuyoukai replied, her words tingled with light sarcasm. It was wasted, however, as the other turned away, obviously still intent to play with her kit. "Say, may I speak to you for a moment, Kagome? Alone, I mean..."

Kagome gave her a slightly confused look, but gently dismissed the small fox demon all the same. A short rustling of leaves was heard overhead as InuYasha apparently felt it necessary to honor her wishes also.

"So..." Lysi started once they were alone. She seated herself on a soft patch of moss beside a tree, and made herself comfortable before continuing. "I've been wondering about a few things, and were hoping that you could help me, miko."

Kagome, oddly, blushed at the mention of her powers, and knelt down a little ways across from her companion. "Alright." She answered after a few moments of pondering. "I will try my best to help you. What is it?"

"Well, it's the jewel really... I mean, how does it work?"

"You mean the Shikon Jewel, right?"

"Of course." Lysi loved this; all she had to do was feign curious innocence, and they fell right into her hands.

"Well, you know that even a small shard of it can lend tremendous power to its host, right? That is the reason why we are hunting for them so feverishly."

"Well, aren't you also the one that broke it?" Lysi made sure to keep an innocent tone, and watched the reaction of the little miko.

Kagome bit her lip and hung her head a bit in renewed shame. "Yes, I am." She admitted quietly. "Which is why I vowed that I wouldn't stop hunting for them until I made it whole once again."

"And then what?" The dark youkai asked bluntly.

Kagome blinked a little, and tilted her head. "You mean, after its complete again?"

"Yes," Lysi answered, "How are you planing on 'ridding the world' of its evil? I mean, that is your plan, right?"

"Yes, that is what needs to happen. That way, it can never bring about such evil again, nor ever again full such a villain as Naraku."

Lysi cocked her head, vividly watching the face of the girl who sat across from her. "How?" She asked softly.

"Well, I'm sure that there are a few ways, but the one way that I, and the others, are aware of is through InuYasha." Kagome shifted a bit, her gaze turning to the ground. "To be able to banish the Shikon Jewel from existence, he would have to wish to become a human."

Lysi smirked, and quickly pounced upon her opening. "Oh, so you wish for him to become human?"

"Yes, but only for the purpose of purifying the jewel..."

"Or so you say... you're a tricky little miko, aren't you?" Lysi suddenly taunted.

"W-what do you mean?" Kagome questioned, flustered by the dog demon's sudden aggressiveness.

"Oh, please Kagome.. don't play coy with me. I know that, deep down, you only want InuYasha to become human so he can stay with you. So that he can rid you of the burden of the jewel, and give you your life back!"

"No! I only wish for him to be happy, and to make the right choice! I want him to rid the world of the corruption that the jewel makes bountiful! This had nothing to do with me! It never has!" Kagome's heart clenched as she spoke the painful words, but somehow knew that it was the utter truth.

"Kagome, Kagome.. my, my. It seems that the world isn't the only thing the jewel has corrupted." Lysi continued to berate the girl, inwardly enjoying her agony.

"What! How dare you say that! W-why, you-" Kagome couldn't finish her sentence, as rage entered her vision. 'How dare she speak to me in such a way!'

"A-ha!" Lysi spat, standing to glare down at the agitated human. "Why are you getting so defensive, my dear? Afraid that I know the truth? And might tell InuYasha?"

"NO! You can't!" Kagome stuttered, hopelessness suddenly becoming paired with her rage. "C-cause it's not true! I would never wish for InuYasha to do anything against his will, and only to help myself! I'm not like that..."

"You really are good!" Lysi chuckled, leaning back and putting her hands on her hips as she continued to relentlessly taunt the poor girl. She could sense that her resolve was about to crack, and pushed all the more. "You've even been able to fool yourself into believing the lies, haven't you?"

Kagome gasped at the girl's harsh words, and tears suddenly clouded her eyes. 'No! It's not like that! I would never- No, I love him! I wouldn't do such a thing!' She screamed in her head. However, a small voice in the back on her mind suddenly emerged and poured forth some painful thoughts. 'But you wouldn't mind it, would you? Living here, with InuYasha... no more demons attacking you, no more worries, able to live freely!' Kagome burst into tears even more as the innocent truth of those words sank into her skin like poison. 'I am as bad as she says!' She thought wildly, looking up to meet Lysi's scrutinizing gaze.

Lysi sneered at her, and that was it. Kagome let out a heart-broken sob and took of at full speed toward the Bone-Eater's Well, barely able to see through the tears that stung her eyes.

Lysi smirked as she watched the fragile miko literally crumble at her feet. Her handy work paid off finely, and she couldn't help but sneer in satisfaction as the girl looked up at her brokenly. Then, as Kagome ran off into the woods, Lysi finally let out the sadistic, evil laughter that she had been harboring throughout the trip, causing her to miss the small flea that traveled across her shoe and toward the campsite.

'Oh, InuYasha... So our fun begins!'

/Dodges a few rotten tomatoes/ Oh, this is so fun... Lol. Hope you all don't hate Lysi (or me) too much. I promise, it gets better!

Now, on to review responses!

Darkestflare: Thanks for the advice. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Oh, and by the way, I would love to read your story. Let me know the link, if you have it posted anywhere.

TheDarkAngel101: Yeah, thanks for the reassurance. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Aria-wolfstar: Thanks so much for you continued support! Oh, and what do you think of Lysi now? Lol!

P.S. Yes, I know it's your line, but it's just so...'cute'... I couldn't help but borrow it. ;)

Fluffyrachel: Evil 'Kitty?' I hope you're not meaning Lysi, cause she's a dog demon. Lol! But, hey, no hard feelings... I could see her more as a cat, too, and I'm her creator. ;) Hope you continue to enjoy this story!

ILOVEINOS589: To answer your question: Yes, Kikyo does come into this story fairly soon. Actually, she plays a major part in it!

Roses of Chaos: I, again, apologize for the much-delayed update. Moving isn't the easiest thing... But, I am very pleased that you continue to support me. Hope this chapter answered your question! ;)

ShippoCaqilli: Well, your first guess what right. ;) And, he doesn't mean to flirt. Or, I don't mean to make it seem that way... heh heh. Hope your enjoying this!

Snoochie: Yes, I love that aspect of Fanfiction, don't you? Lol. Thanks for your review, much appreciated! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Kira/Sarah: Well, seeing as how you only read to chapter 3, the chapters would seem real short. Lol. Not to worry, though. They do get longer!

koisomeru rein: Thank you, I think so too. I will do my best to update as fast as possible. Promise!

aisu fenikkusu: Wow... you're the first to say that. Lol. Thanks for your 'support.' However, this is, of course, A Kag/Inu fic.

Doodoo: Well, she doesn't die... There will be more Inu/Kag in here soon, and well, the cat fight is already planned... lol. ;)

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, in the past, present and future! . I truly appreciate it!

Alright... Now, this is the last post before my move. Not sure when I'll be able to again. So, I hope this chapter will do you good until then... But, I promise that it won't be too long. Love you all!

Til Next Time!

L.A.