Disclaimer:

Me: I own Inuyasha.

Al: No you don't.

Me: Yes I do.

Al: No you don't.

Me: Yes I do.

Al: NO! You don't!

Me: YES! I do!

Al: Do not!

Me: Do to!

Al: Do not!

Me: Do to!

Al: lift's giant gavel Okay. Let's go through this one more time. You. Do. Not. Own. Inuyasha.

Me…can I have an Albatross?

Al…What flavor?

Me: Chocolate?

Al: Sure!

Me: Yay!

Well, there you have it folks. I don't own Inuyasha.

Inuyasha: I…I can't tell you...tell you how much this means to me…it…I…I feel so free…so liberated…

Me: Okay, I might not own you, but I can still take pity on Koga and let him have Kagome!

Inuyasha: Noooo!

If At First You Don't Succeed Try Again!

The next morning dawned bright and early, the morning sunshine pouring through the cracks in the walls of the wooden hut and the straw roof. The little beams danced over the faces of the sleeping I habitants of said hut, waking them up slowly.

Kagome awoke with a groan and she looked around her, smiling. She saw Inuyasha poking Miroku in an effort to awaken the sleeping monk, who, in turn, was swatting at Inuyasha with one hand and groping around outside his little blanketed corner for his staff with the other. Sango was petting Kirara and yawning as she slowly allowed her mind to catch up with her, and Shippo was now watching Miroku try to hit Inuyasha over the head with his staff without looking. Kaede was bustling around quietly and preparing to make that morning's breakfast. The sight of everyone going about such every day and miscellaneous activities put a warm feeling in the pit of Kagome's stomach, like she had just swallowed a cup of hot tea and was now snuggling into a huge comfy chair with some hot dinner in front of a fire place in the middle of winter. And so, like any other girl in her place would have done when she was in such a good mood when she should have been livid, Kagome started to giggle. Which, like a domino effect, made Shippo start to giggle as he scampered over to sit in her lap while everyone else stared questioningly at the giggling pair.

"Um…Kagome-chan?" Sango said slowly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine! It's just a beautiful day!" Said Kagome. "Good morning everyone!" She said.

"Kagome! Look, I didn't really kill Koga or anything yesterday!" Inuyasha said. Kagome giggled again and waved her hand at him, brushing away his hurried attempts at a sort of cryptic apology with practiced ease.

"It's okay." She said. "As long as you didn't kill him it's not like it's anything out of the ordinary!" She said. "I'm not pleased that you went and hurt him after you told me you wouldn't, but I'll forgive you this time." Kagome smiled up at him before picking Shippo up and putting him on the floor. Rising herself she hurried over to Kaede who was lighting a fire in the fire pit. "Her Kaede let me help!" Said Kagome, taking out a small box of matches from the smaller bag near the fire pit that held such things from her time.

"In a fair mood ye are this morning, child." Kaede commented, raising a single brow. "Why?" The old woman asked, voicing the question that everyone else was wondering.

"I don't know! I'm just really happy!" Kagome said cheerfully. Kaede shrugged and Sango went back to petting Kirara, Shippo went back to watching Miroku and Inuyasha, and Inuyasha was about to comment on Kagome's improved mood, except that at the moment Miroku got a lucky hit and Inuyasha's attention was once again focused on the monk and, growling, Inuyasha continued his epic quest to arouse Miroku from his sleep fit for the dead.

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Inuyasha stretched his arms up to the sky and gave a jaw-cracking yawn. They were all about to leave, and it seemed that last night's…escapade had been forgiven and forgotten, with no mere amount of gratitude on his part. Truthfully he was feeling on top of the world, it was a beautiful day, Kagome wasn't mad at him, they were going to go back to shard hunting for the first time in what seemed like forever. And, knowing Naraku as he did, the evil blackguard was bound to show up soon to laugh and attack Inuyasha and his pack. Which meant, in a slightly twisted way, that Inuyasha would get another attempt at the cretin's life. Yep, he was definitely in a good mood today.

"Hey! Inuyasha!" Shippo shouted as he landed on top of said hanyou's head. "Why aren't you nagging all of us to get going like a pompous jerk? Are you feeling okay? Sure you didn't overexert yourself last night with all that hard-core fighting?"

There we go. Good-bye smooth sailing, hello stormy seas.

"What did you say, runt?" Inuyasha growled. He reached up and plucked Shippo off his head by the little boy's fluffy tail, holding him out in front of his face.

"Hey! Put me down!" Shippo shouted, struggling and trying to break out of Inuyasha's iron grip. "I don't want to smell your disgusting dog breath!"

"All the better." Inuyasha snapped. "Listen closely runt, 'cause I'm only going to say this once today. You listening?" Inuyasha asked Shippo, peering down at him. Shippo nodded fervently. As he had said once ago, it was better to just apologize, even if you didn't mean it. Inuyasha glared at Shippo some more before speaking. "Right. You annoy me one more time today I'm gonna pound you so many times that you won't have to wait till it's dark to see the stars. Got it?" Shippo nodded vehemently again, he wasn't to keen about the picture that Inuyasha was describing. "Good. Now let's head out." Inuyasha said and dropped Shippo before getting up and walking east, opposite from the rising sun. As if he was going to race it. Everyone just threw him withering glances as they began to follow. As she walked Kagome began to hum a little bit. She just felt really happy. 'Maybe it'll be a good day.' She thought.

Yeah Kagome. Think whatever you like. It'll be a good day and you want to know what else? The suns going to turn a strange green color as well! And Britney Spears is going to announce that she's actually a man!

"Kanna…show me the hanyou." Said a cold voice into the darkness. The little girl stepped forward, though a shudder of disgust ran threw her she hid the emotion with practiced ease behind her iron mask. She lifted her mirror in front of her and looked into it. It glowed a little bit first and then an image of the hanyou appeared. She lowered it so that her creator could see; though she herself did less then barely glance at it. In all honestly she held no interest in Naraku's doings like her sister Kagura did. She wasn't really involved at all, since it was impossible for her to disobey she didn't get punished, and since she was useless against the hanyou and his pack Naraku never sent her out to fight them.

"What?" Naraku gasped. But his calm mask returned in an instant. "Heh. How interesting. I wonder how they broke your spell. Did you feel it break Kanna?" He asked the white girl of nothingness.

"No." She said in her quiet, gentle voice. Inside Naraku shuddered. He didn't understand why Kanna's voice was like that, but he hated it. It could have sounded gentle…if she hadn't been a creature of the void that is. She always remained as nothing, like a little speck of limbo among the chaos of the world of the living. And that, rather then Naraku's possession of her heart, was what bound her to him. She would never be accepted, could never be accepted, because that would belie her very existence. If someone were to accept the ghostly youkai before him she would become something, no longer nothing. And even he had no idea about what would happen should that occur. But he had more important things to think about at the moment…more pressing matters.

"So…" Naraku pondered aloud. "What being would be powerful enough to break a spell without its creator noticing? It would have to be most powerful…and what would its motives be? To re-open the time slip one would have to be aware of it. Time is a tricky thing…many dream of stopping it, controlling it, but the illusion that one does is merely another example of how wilily the element truly is. What being with a power so great have I not heard of? And why does it sympathize with Inuyasha? I thought for sure that this time I would win. Today I was expecting to see the broken filth that the cur is supposed to be…but instead I see that he is happy…more joyous then I have seen in a long time. What creature thwarted my plans so thoroughly?" Naraku, who had been staring at the single glowing candle in the otherwise dark room, turned his head back to face Kanna. His eyes now glittered with steely intent and purpose. "Kanna. You will show me the creature that did this. The person who broke the spell." Kanna nodded at the order. She had long since learned that Naraku would never ask her to do a deed. He would tell her and she would do it. It was actually quite simple.

She looked down into her mirror and focused her mind into it…one could never really explain the experimental process of scrying. It was something that one could or could not do. It was not a matter of the number of books you read or the amount of knowledge you gained nor the hours of training you spent. It was a talent that you would take from before the womb to beyond the grave. If forced to describe what it felt like some seers have been known to say this…

"In your mind there is a flame glowing in the dark abyss of your thoughts. To scry you need to take that flame and put it into your orb or mirror or stone or whatever you are using for a tool…this tool will seem like water and what you need to do is immerse the flame without dousing it's brightness. If normal people tried to do this they would die instantly."

And indeed, if Kanna were forced to explain how it felt to use her Sight she would say much the same thing. Maybe not word for word, but she would mean the same thing.

But then…there was something strange now…Kanna gasped, her eyes sliding out of focus and then turning completely black. Naraku frowned at first, but then he just moved back a little ways and watched the child-like youkai with bored curiosity.

Vision Sequence

There was something there…Kanna could barely see it through the pressing darkness around her. But the darkness didn't feel foreboding. Instead it just felt powerful. And that scared Kanna more then Naraku ever had. Then that something threw the darkness became more defined. It was a tall woman…or a girl, Kanna couldn't really tell. She looked as if she could have passed for any age except for an old woman and a young child. Her chestnut hair that burned with a dull light was in the breeze…a breeze that Kanna could not feel against her cold, white skin. The lady's dress, made of what looked like grey satin, fluttered in the breeze like her hair. Her arms were crossed and her fists were folded beneath her chin, she looked as if she was thinking hard.

"And then…one day…he shall die and he shall live…the prophecy…what could it mean…?" Kanna heard the woman's voice in the place around her. Kanna saw that there were a couple people around her as well, but none of their faces were discernable. Then one approached her. It was a teenage girl, her eyes were framed in some sort of glass, and her clothes were loose and strange, they looked like men's garments. Her eyes glittered with something like wry amusement and sarcasm. Her hair was only to her shoulders, and it was brown and slightly stringy. Then the girl spoke.

"Kanna…do not try to find her. She will show herself soon enough. But for now it is time for you to go home, child." Said this girl. And for some reason she gave off a more powerful aura then the lady, who still seemed oblivious to her surroundings.

"I don't…I don't…" Kanna tried to say. The girl smiled kindly.

"And you never will." She said. "Now go." And then Kanna felt like she was falling through the darkness that was behind her, and then…suddenly…

And then suddenly Kanna was back in the dark room with the single candle and the demonic blackguard. Kanna was still staring down at her mirror, and then she noticed that it was turning black. Kanna gasped and her eyes opened in horror as her mirror began to fog. Then she heard a voice in her ear.

"Don't listen to that kid, Kanna. She's all weird, that's all. Sorry about this, but it has to happen. Don't worry though, I'm releasing you. You may now leave Naraku any time you want, though I wouldn't do it quite yet." It was the voice of the lady from her vision!

Kanna gasped again.

"What is it Kanna?" Naraku asked in a bored turn. Kanna turned toward him and showed him her mirror, not meeting his eyes. Naraku grunted, and then looked off into the distance.

"Go find your younger sister, Kagura. And Kohaku, find him as well. Tell both of them that we leave as soon as possible. It is time to end this once and for all." Naraku instructed the White One. She bowed and turned to leave. "…Kanna." Naraku said. Kanna turned back to face him. "What did you see?" He asked. Kanna paused, thinking it over. The voice had said that she was free…and surely she was…there was something in her hand, something she had never felt before, but she had never felt anything before.

"Nothing. I saw nothing."

And so ends chapter 26. Sigh. Chapter 26…amazing. So much writing for only 26 chapters and 26 chapters for only so much writing. It's kind of strange if you think about it. Eh-hem…review responses have, apparently, been outlawed. Sometimes I might just accidentally forget that, but for now I'll do this. Heh heh. Please, no one report me. I don't think that this is valid ground's to report me and I think that review responses were a good thing. It was the authors way of saying than you more then they did if they responded. Having someone respond to your comment makes you feel as if your comment was valued. Please know that I will always value you comments, that is…well, Al's are just getting annoying. And NO! If my spelling hasn't improved by now then what makes you think it's going to! Grr…and to (a-hem) those of you who love Monty Python may I recommend a certain sketch of theirs called Self-Defense Against Fresh Fruit. A wonderful two-minute read, I assure you.

Yeah, well…review! Review! Please review!

Until next time

Pwalefriend. 

Quote Of Hilarity, To Brighten This Slightly Darker Chapter

Sgt.: Right, now don't rush me this time. Stalk me. Do it properly. Stalk me. I'll turn me back. Stalk up behind me, close behind me, then in with the redcurrants! Right? O.K. start moving. Now the first thing to do when you're being stalked by an ugly mob with redcurrants is to --release the tiger!