Thank you those who reviewed. Has anyone noticed this story seems to drag on? Anyway, at this point I can't say whether it will end before Christmas as I sort of promised. Speaking of promises, this story will still end happy...Of course you defination of 'happy' maybe different than mine, but not everyone is going to die.ok?

Disclaimer: Me: I don't own Inuyasha...butIown a gun and a liscense to kill! (glares at the lawyers who persist on barging in on me withtheir legal crap...)

Lawyers: (sweatdrop)

Chapter Sixteen: Healing Tears

"Kai! Wake up!" Kiyoshi urged shaking her limp body. Kai was cold but he didn't seem to notice. "Damn it!" He snarled and glared at Naraku with pure loathing. But he didn't have the power to strike fear in his heart like Kai could. Naraku simply shrugged off his menacing look.

"I can see you don't want to kill her now." He remarked slyly. "Kai was seriously wounded when she came here. From the looks of things you were desperate to finish her off."

"What the hell are you talking about?" He asked genuinely confused. He had only slammed with the flat of his blade when she had confirmed his worst nightmares, when she had say those horrid words. She on the other hand drove a dagger through his shoulder.

"What I like most about dumbasses like you, is they are so gullible," Naraku explained as if Kiyoshi were an ignorant child. "For example, I can play with their minds and hearts and they will kill the ones they love. Love is useless, it can be turned to hate, like snapping a twig. Trust can be shattered. See how fragile your trust for Kai was?"

Kiyoshi had been thinking. Was this all a setup? So Kai didn't say those things. She doesn't want me dead, he thought. The pieces seemed to fit too easily and he began to wonder how he jumped so quickly to conclusions. A deep sinking feeling replaced his bitter hatred. He didn't trust Kai, and now she was dying. Or already dead…

He closed his eyes and tears formed into the corners. Slowly, one pearly drop fell gracefully down his cheek onto Kai, whose head was in his lap. It landed on her bloodstained lips like a soft kiss. The light in the room dimmed for second and the shadows from the fire danced across Kai's face. Through the trick of light her face appeared to have flinched. Kiyoshi looked down, only to see her still as death.

Naraku felt like gloating his superior intelligence but he sensed Inuyasha closing in. He turned his back on Kiyoshi sobbing over Kai's limp body. Naraku's plan wasn't as rock hard as it seemed in the earlier stages. As far as he was concerned, Kai was dead, Inuyasha couldn't fight as effective, and the Jewel was completely his. He would kill Kiyoshi with one swing and move onto Inuyasha's friends. Then nobody could oppose him. But the reality of the situation put him on edge. The Jewel was rejecting him. The power of it appeared to have drained itself. The Jewel was almost no more, and all he could do was watch the Jewel slip from his fingers. What was wrong with it?

Kiyoshi continued to cry. With each tear that dropped on Kai's face color was restored, but she still wasn't breathing. Kiyoshi then knew what he had to do. He would use the blood magic of his demon clan to bring her back to life. Sure the procedure would kill him in the process but he was willing to make that sacrifice for her. Always for her.

Unseen by Naraku, Kiyoshi drew the same dagger the fake Kai had used against him and held it to his wrist. Slowly he murmured enchantments he memorized as a young child. Then he violently drew the blade across slashing his skin, spraying Kai's clothes with blood. Quickly, he found one of her open gashes and pressed his wrist against it, wound to wound. He prayed to anyone listening. Please let this work, he pleaded silently. She doesn't deserve to die. One last task remained; he leaned over and placed his other hand on her cheek tenderly brushing her hair aside. He lowered his face until it was inches above hers. Gently he kissed her, sealing the spell. Kiyoshi slumped over, feeling the warmth of life leaving his body.

"Kai," he slurred. "I love you."

Suddenly a faded image of a tall queenly woman appeared before him. "Kiyoshi," she said, her voice wise despite her young appearance. "Are you see you wish from this woman to live? Aren't you aware of the hell she can cause?"

"Yes. But there is a good side to her. She will return to normal." He said rather defensive.

The woman smirked. "Have no idea what her nature is do you?" when he didn't answer she continued. "I have watched and nobody has the faintest clue, the only one who is close was the raven girl. After she healed Kai and looked into her eyes she saw a glimpse of her nature. You cannot even begin to imagine how unique Kai is. Her spiritual energy exceeds that of even the most powerful of mikos. Although I credit Kagome Higurashi, the majority of her powers weren't inherited."

"What do you mean?"

"Kaiaya is a reincarnation of a powerful priestess, but her soul is still divided in two." The woman's cryptic words rolled off her tongue easily, but bounced off of Kiyoshi's ears. His numbed brain couldn't comprehend the new knowledge.

Kiyoshi soon passed out from the blood loss. He landed to the side of Kai splashing in the collected pool of blood. Kiyoshi used the last of his strength to heal Kai. The effects of it were slowly circulating through her bloodstream.

Ba-bump.

Her heart had started with a jolt. Her eyes flickered, but didn't open. Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Her heartbeat grew stronger, and she rolled away from the edge of dead. Slowly she was being revived, but she had yet to regain conscience. Ba-bump. If she ever did again...

Kasumi's back hit the wall. Chandra was advancing swiftly, her size aiding her. Kasumi had struck with her miko powers and Chandra doubled over in pain. Kasumi jumped backwards of the Ice Pendant fell out from underneath her kimono. Chandra eyed, somewhat greedily. Kasumi swiped it and put it on her waist, still the plain sight. She was taunting Chandra, luring her into her reach.

Chandra sighed. With the pendant, could she finally become what she was born to be? She wondered. Her mind was forced out of its fog, when Kasumi slammed her in the gut. She curled over in pain and the raven witch rushed into kicking while she was just down.

With each blow she felt old memories, long since forgotten, returning. It was like a glimpse at a former life, but it wasn't. It was her life before her clan was slaughtered until she was the only one left, before she came to live in the Northern Lands with Queen Shinsora. The pain of remembering was worst than the pain of her beating. Her eyes flashed dangerously and Kasumi stopped. Chandra sat up and spit a mouthful of blood at her feet and stared up at the girl. Her face was turning white as fresh snow. Her eyes glinting with malice, turned into a paler shade, as if her fuchsia eyes were covered with a light frost.

Kasumi drew back frightened. Chandra slowly rose to her feet. There were now two jagged cerulean blue streaks on either side of her face. She was transforming into her true form. Her hair grew longer and lost its original frizzyness (is that a word?), instead it flowed in long red-gold twisted curls. The tips of her hair were a shiny pale blue. She lifted up a slim arm it tuck a stray frosty tendril of hair behind her pointed ear. Stripes similar to the ones on her face were all over her body.

Chandra was crouched like the cat ready to pounce on its prey. Her kimono had changed from the modest peasant girl rags to a blue elegant silk with silver snowflake pattern. Her sash was the same color of her eyes contrasting with her outfit. She stared at her open hand as her bitten nails grew into long dark metallic blue claws. A long whip-like white striped tail twitched without her control.

But the eeriest part of Chandra's transformation was the age she appeared. Stunned Kasumi noticed by the gentle slope of her kimono against her body and her face, Chandra wasn't a child. She looked to be nearly full-grown, but definitely a teenager by human standards. Her child form was a disguise.

"What the-." Kasumi stared breathlessly. Chandra blinked and turned her attention to her opponent.

Smirking she said. "I am a snow tiger demon. I am the last of my clan." Now at her full height was equal to Kasumi.

"How old are you?" She blurted out bluntly. Kasumi had no tactful way of asking what was on her mind. Chandra smirked again, knowing that question would be asked.

"My age in demon years is the equivalent of," She paused calculating. "Sixteen in human years."

"But that doesn't make any sense!"

Chandra smirked. "This is my true form. All this time I have been hiding who I am to save myself but I am not afraid anymore. I wanted to hide from the reality of a world that desired the death of my clan. So I disguised my self as a child and changed my name to Chandra."

"What was your name before?" Kasumi asked curious. All thoughts of continuing to fight fled her mind.

"Saiyha." Their some a power that resonated in her voice when her name was spoken. It bored a sense of importance that almost forced someone to listen to her. 'Saiyha' sounded like royalty. "Are you going to abandon this fight then?" She asked mockingly.

"Not a chance."

Chandra resumed her original fighting stance and beckoned Kasumi to attack. Chandra blocked her attack and struck her across the face. Her movements were fluid and perfectly in sync with an unheard rhythm. Chandra's arms and legs moved in a quick pattern that surprised Kasumi. She gradually altered the temperature in the room, and before long Kasumi was frozen to her spot. Chandra walked over and snatched the Ice Pendant from her side.

She held it in front of Kasumi who was on her knees in a prison of ice. "This is mine." She said sweetly.

She spun on her heels and disappeared. She was like a completely different person, Kasumi thought.

Sango and Shippo ran into a hall with jail cells.

"Miroku! Kohaku!" She cried hoping they would hear her. Shippo sniffed the air; suddenly he bolted down a different hallway. "Where are you going Shippo?" She called him the retreating demon.

"I smell Kohaku!" He said. Sango felt her heart rejoice, but as fast as it came it subsided. She felt her heart being pinched in with the thought had Miroku was still lost.

"MIROKU!" She cried rather anguished. She heard a rattle of chains in the cell five feet away from her. Two grubby hands clenched the bars and the prisoner sat up.

"Sa-ango?" a cracked whisper replied. She ran to the cell and dropped to the floor. She was at eye-level with a monk with blue eyes that blazed with love.

"Miroku!" She cried. She reached her hands into the cell and pulled his face to hers and kissed him. Sango was so absorbed in the feel him against her lips that she barely noticed the monk's hand reaching out in its own greeting. She stiffened and pulled away glaring into the monk's eyes.

"Oh, Sango," he said sincerely. "I thought you were never coming. I thought I would never see you again!" Tears streamed down his face as he embraced her through the bars.

Sango was crying as well. She believed that if she dead right now, she would die happy. Looking at Miroku she knew he felt the same.

When they finally separated Sango stood up. "Miroku, stay clear of the bars." She warned. She grabbed her boomerang bone and threw it at the iron with all her strength. The metal bars shattered and Miroku stared stunned at the wake of destruction. Miroku came out and embraced Sango one last time before they disappeared to find Kohaku and Shippo.

They didn't have far to go before they met up with their son and his best friend. Sango had noticed an iron shackle on both her husband and son's wrist. She knew Kasumi had the same imprisonment. Suddenly she looked behind her. "Shippo," she said. "Where is Chandra?"

Shippo's eyes grew wide as he looked around for the young demon. He caught her faint scent. It was little different, but still distinctive. Along with her scent he smelt salt and water. Tears. "Sango," He said his voice faint. "You, Miroku, and Kohaku go after Naraku. I must find Chandra."

She looked at the boy's guarded expression and nodded. Miroku, whose arm was around Sango's shoulder to support him, looked at the fox demon. "Don't try anything…improper Shippo." He remarked slyly.

Sango glared at her husband. "Miroku," she breathed warningly. The monk mere smiled and his right hand strayed, searching…

Sango sighed. She was thankful things were back to normal, but this wasn't the time for intimacy. "How can you lecture him on what's improper and what's not, Mr. Virtuous Monk?" She asked mockingly, her voice grating with suppressed anger.

With a grin, he replied. "What's improper? We are married." Sango sighed. She lost. He charm was too much for her. Kohaku stood in a corner rolling his eyes. Shippo had already left.

Shippo reached the room he smelt Chandra in. She was huddled on the floor hugging her knees, her back to Shippo.

"Chandra?" He asked. It was dark, and he couldn't see her new transformation.

"Shippo," She said, her voice haunted. Shippo noticed her voice was different. More mature. "Leave me alone."

"What's wrong?" He asked.

Chandra barely suppressed a growl. She spun around. "Look at me!" she hissed angrily. Shippo's eyes went round as he looked at her beautiful white face half covered with curly hair.

Whatever Shippo was expecting it wasn't this. He was at a loss for words. So, he thought. Is this what she wanted to hide?

Well that's all for now. This is the long awaited romance people wanted, are you happy now? jk

SMR