Disclaimers Notice: The only thing I own is the way in which I chose to use the characters and setting (oh, and a few of my own creations…)

Authors Beginning Note: My update is a bit early (I know-you all are just hating me for it too) but I wouldn't have been able to update any other time. Next week I may not be able to update-just to let you all know ahead of time. If I do, nothin to it, if not you have been warned.

Shout it outs!

B/c I am so short on time, I can't do them this week. I'm very srry! Look at it this way, update now w/o shout out, or update in 2 weeks w shout out.

I do thank you all for reviewing! I love the support and hearing your ideas!

Chapter 64

Panther's Fury and the First Attack.

"What's the matter bestest best friend?" Shurran looked down and then quickly back up. She looked back at camp. It's funny how she didn't realize how far away they were.

"Gertty, I want you to run your fastest to the most powerful demon in camp."

"Why?"

"Because it's a new game. The first one there wins." Shurran smiled.

"Ready…set…go!" Shurran raced, expecting the little girl to be slower, but she found that it was she who was lagging behind. Her foot caught and it wasn't untilGerttywas half way to the camp that she stopped to look back.

"What's wrong?" She yelled.

"Nothing. Just keep running!"

"But you're stuck. I will help." She began running back.

"No! You have to keep running!" Gertty stopped.

"Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?"

"You silly girl! Run!"

"What did I do? You're my bestest best friend." Shurran heard something behind her and knew with a sickening realization what it was. Nearly tearing off her ankle, Shurran leapt up and with a speed that she did not know she could poses, she ran to the little girl who didn't have a clue what was happening.

Shurran was too late.

Gertty fell to the ground with a sword driven through her chest.

Shurran screamed and fell to her knees to meet the little girl.

"Gertty?"

"I am sorry. I did not mean to make my bestest friend mad. I didn't know you were going to fall. Honest." Gertty was crying, but didn't seem to notice the sword in her, so great was her distress at possibly disappointing Shurran.

"I wasn't mad." Shurran pulled the ugly sword out and the little girl screamed. Blood flowed freely and Shurran tried her best to stop it. It was pointless. Gertty's heart slowed adn her body began to slowly become limp. She whimpered a little but made no further noise.

"I am sorry." She whispered softly.

"Don't be sorry!" Shurran hugged the little girl as her last breaths were becoming evident.

"Gertty. I have another surprise, just for you." Arrows fell off course and barely missed the two.

"Really? You have so many things for me. I am sorry all I could give you was Gumbo."

"Gumbo is the best gift I have ever gotten in my whole life."

"Really?" Her eyes were hopeful adn widely innocent.

"Really.Now close your eyes." Gertty's lips formed a small smile and closed her tiny eyes. Shurran concentrated really hard and made the image that Gertty saw, the last image the little girl saw, the best one she had ever seen in her whole life.

A dream of a field filled with wild flowers and butterflies. With trees and trickling streams. Of a sunny bright day. But most of all, with thousands of friends with dolls like her, wanting to be her bestest best friends. Shurran cried.

"Shurran!" Shurran snapped out of her silent stasis as she looked around her. A battle was being fought and she felt herself shake. It was a miracle she hadn't been stomped on yet.

"Blazing blades!" A small rain storm of fireboomerangs wizzed over her head and killed a Yukai. Shurran stood up with the dead girl in her arms, adn looked lost.

"Shurran!" Shurran looked and spotted her older brother in the distance. She stood there and waited for him to come and protect her.

"Shurran! Move! Or else you'll be killed!" Shunraun began to rumble with a demon who moved in his way.

"Who's fault is this?" Shurran looked down at the small corpse.

"Who killed her! I demand to know!" Tears dripped down.

"Who killed this girl! Who killed an innocent girl who's only want in life was a friend! To be accepted! Who killed her!" Shurran screamed.

"If you need someone to blame, blame Naraku." Shurran looked up at the cat Hanyou.

"Naraku?" The Hanyou gutted a man and let him drop.

"Yah. Who else?" She disappeared into the crowd of warriors.

" I promise Gertty, your life will be avenged. I will make sure that Naraku pays dearly for this!" She set the dead girl upon a boulder.

A deep feeling of pain and rage swelled up in her chest as she looked at all of the bastards who had dared intrude on them like this. She lost herself as she lost her form and a sleek dangerous pink panther stormed through the crowd. Not a single one who had tried to bring her down accomplished it. She raced and speed as if fleeing from her very mind and acted insane. Her sleek coat became matted with blood as it dried faster than the rain could wash it off. Five strong Yukai bearing the disgusting far off smell of Naraku were slain in a perilous fight against the panther. Many died having her rip into their gut and drag out their intestines. They died screaming.

She killed, and killed, and killed. Only her rage drove her on. When her fury couldn't sustain her panther body, using the last of her strength in her normal form, she sent a hail wave of illusionary nightmares killing a portion of Naraku's men, who all died of insanity.

Shurran collapsed where she was and didn't get up.

Kagome sat up.

"Inuyasha?" She whispered. He sniffed the air. They weren't the only ones up. The camp was soon in a rush of madness.

"They're coming."

"Right." Kagome whipped off her sleeping bag. She was fully clothed in her fire rat kimono Inuyasha had gotten her and the soft but strong shoes. She laced them tightly. Gathering her things, she packed them tightly in a knot hole inside a tree. With any luck, that tree would survive most damage and she could return to get back her possessions. She strapped her leather strap across her chest and filled the pockets with flint, ofudas, salt, stones, and of course extra string just for her bow. She firmly placed her quiver comfortably on her shoulder. She tied her hair back into ahigh ponytail and grabbed her bow. Kagome was ready.

Inuyasha, Shippo, and Kirara were all prepared and agitated. Their instincts going a little crazy.

Sango finished tying her gas mask across her face and strapping Hiraikotsu over her back.

Miroku made sure he had a sufficient amount of ofudas, that his staff was sharp and his shoes tightly laced.

The generals and Kanjaku Yoshibaki were organizing their large mass of fighters into an orderly manner.

Keio slid over and almost naturally walked with the Taijiya, monk, Hanyou, 2 Youkai's, and Miko.

"I have a special task I want you all to consider."

"Oh really. And what would that be?" Inuyasha looked sidelong at Keio in a foul mood. The fact that Keio looked calm adn seemed as friendly as always disturbed him.

"I want you to go to the end of the ranks."

"What?" He looked sheepishly at them all.

"Not only that, I want you to fly around Naraku's armyand attack from behind."

"You've got to be kidding." Sango said looking almost insulted.

"All on our own?" Shippo seemed suddenly unsure of his bravery.

"You mind explaining the madness behind the madness."

"I believe that saying is 'reason behind the madness'"

"Like you have proper reasoning." Inuyasha said wittily. Keio shook his head in admiration. The Hanyou seemed to never cease to amaze him.

"Is not your main reasoning for being here, to defeat Naraku? Well, this is the only way. Naraku won't stick around long enough for his death. By the time you reach him fighting straight through, he will have abandoned his castle, his army, and his incarnates. That could be more dangerous for us if he were to do so."

"So you're sending us alone to defeat Naraku?"

"Exactly. Your group is the only one who has come close to ever defeating Naraku, so it seems almost logical."

"You're hiding something, aren't you?" Sango asked, sensing a few not so much lies, but hidden truths. He blushed.

"I must admit, there are a few things that I'm not telling you, but I promise that they are not consequential to your quest. There are some key events played by each of you, but if I were to tell you what they were, you may mess them up. Trust me, you don't want them messed up. So, if you are up to the excursion, than all you need to do is wait at the very back of everyone else, until things start to heat up and your missing presence won't be noticed." Keio slipped away to talk to the generals.

"What do you think? Should we do as he suggests?"

"Well, it does seem logical." Miroku said ponderingly.

"And it will get us to Naraku faster." Shippo said pretending to be all sage like.

"Feh. What more do we need. We were practically given a directions to Naraku's back door."

"Well, lets go." Without second thoughts and further convincing, they made their way to the very back.

Inuyasha shifted his weight back and forth. His hand twitched on the swords hilt.

"Relax Inuyasha. Nothings happening yet." Sanog said calmly. Something she had aquired through many battles and much training since childhood. It had saved her life plenty of times.

Kagome flinched.

"They're at our border. I can feel them."

"How much longer are they keeping up the barrier?" Sango asked.

"Not long. We don't want to give them enough time to completely surround us." Shippo shivered. Kirara paced on Sango's shoulder. Kagome blew a stray hair out of her face.

"They're letting down the barrier now." Kagome released her hold on part of the barrier as she felt the others do likewise.

At first everything was silent. Hair prickled on the back of necks and cold sweat beads dripped on the forehead.

Then a bombardment of growls, and bellows reached their ears. Swords rang out as they became unsheathed.Kirara changed in a ball of flame into her lager saber toothed self. Sango hopped on, and Miroku held her around the waist. Shippo jumped onto Miroku's shoulder. Kagome climbed on Inuyasha's back and they all prepaired to take their leave.

A large bear attacked the back ranks form the side and that was their cue.

"Now Kirara!" Sango and them were all air born. Inuyasha took off right below them, and they headed sharply south west.

"You boy, what do you think you are doing?" Kohaku was skinning a rather large hide. His endless knowledge of the woods and hunting was quite helpful. He had already skun three hides. Then salted them, ran them through the dirt, washed them in the rain, and hung them to dry. This one was large enough he would split into two.

"Rin is curious as to what you are doing as well." Kohaku stopped then shrugged. He moved his blade down the hide, cutting off all of the fat and getting as close to the hide as he could without ruining it. He was finished and split it. Doing the same process he had done with the others, he let it sit in the rain and went back to his first three creation and beat them with the chains of his Kusarikama.

"The boy has gone mad!" Jakan wailed. Rin would have argued, but she herself was not sure that he hadn't. Neelah came back to the ogling two with an armload of mushrooms and nuts. She had been collecting food all day and now they had an almost greedy amount.

"Does any one know what he is doing?"

"Rin is not sure."

"The crazy have no reasoning! He is doing nothing but waisting time!" Jakan hopped around the fire like a mad frog. Evening came and the rain slowed to a drizzled. Kohaku got up from wipping his hides and dried the other two by the fire. The other three fell asleep, bored of guessing at what he was trying to accomplish.

Morning came and they slept through, except for Kohaku who was still doing strange things with his animal fur.

Rin was the first to get up and when she did, Kohaku bid her come.

"What is it that you want Rin to do." Kohaku, being forward, but with a blush put a fur cap on her head. Crude, but would none the less be effective. The hide being on the outside so as to keep out the snow and heat in.

Next he had her put on a rather odd dress like coat, that instead of having been sewed, and strips slightly ripped and tied to hold it together. Lastly, he replaced her sandals with furry shoes.

"Ah! Rin sees! You were making us clothes to keep us warm." He nodded.

"Jakan! You must wake up and see Rin!" Jakan slowly rolled over waving his hand.

"Let me rest."

"Jakan! You are to look at Rin right now, or Lord Sesshoumaru will hear of this!" Jakan yawned.

"All right, pesky girl, I…" His eyes grew large and round.

"Demon!" He hoped up and tripped over Neelah.

"What's all this screaming about a…Rin?"

"Kohaku made clothes for all to protect against the winter mountainy cold." Neelah examined her attire in a closer inspection.

"You know, you're quite handy." Kohaku handed each of them an out fit they were to wear when they started traveling through the mountains. A thunderclap rumbled making them all jump. They could hear the rain coming down harshly.

"So much for a nice drizzle." Neelah commented as a single drop plopped on her nose.

Authors Ending Note: The war has startd adn things are definately heating up. Death tolls are rising. Chance of survival decreasing. What obstacles lay ahead?

I guess I'm leaving you all at a bit of a clifie, well...i guess it could be considered one. Anyhoo, I hope you all enjoy your week/weekend.

Feliz de Pascuas! (rouhgly Happy Easter)