Authors Note:

My internet connection had been taken away so it took me longer to post up my new chapter. I hope you guys can forgive and forget -smiles nervously-

Last Chapter…

"Hoshiko, I said go back to sleep!" he raised an eyebrow at her, he was confused at how she didn't react. "Hoshiko!" He stood up to shake her softly. Still nothing. "This isn't funny, go back to sleep now! You can explore the forest in the morning."

She thrusted her hand into his chest, clawed his stomach. He gasped for air and stared into her eyes. They glowed blood red.

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Inuyasha stumbled backwards and gripped his stomach tightly as the warm blood leaked from his open wound. As his fingers touched the ripped flesh, it stung badly. With small and quick breaths he managed to stand upright. He wanted to stare at her eyes once more.

Her fangs now glared at him with such anger that it frightened him. Her eyes glowed a red so deep, they glistened with the smallest bit of light from the moon.

A small rustle came from the sleeping two-tailed kitten as she awoke. Hoshiko growled at Kirara coldly. The kitten transformed and growled back. As the two glared in fury, the other members of the camp began to wake up. "Inuyasha?" Kagome said with a yawn.

"Stay back everyone! Something is wrong with Hoshiko!" screamed Inuyasha, waving a nervous hand at them.

He stepped closer to Hoshiko, as far as he dared, then whispered "Hoshiko, snap out of it! This isn't you." She responded with a menacing growl. "What are you talking about Inuyasha? She's not dangerous at all." replied Miroku then walked up to her and rested his arm over her shoulders. "See?"

Hoshiko gripped him tight enough to sink her claws into his arm. She then flipped Miroku backwards. He shrieked in astonishment then crawled away from Hoshiko before her blood stained claws pierced his chest. She dug out her fingers from the dirt and raced towards the monk.

Miroku's eyes widened as Hoshiko's blade-like fingernail swiped inches away from his nose. "Miroku! Watch out!" yelled Sango.

Inuyasha quickly ran to Hoshiko before she could disfigure the scared monk. Sango helped him up. They walked away as Inuyasha wrapped both arms around the tiny hanyou. They struggled for a while until Hoshiko stepped on Inuyasha's bare foot with great intensity. He soften his grip as he moaned from the pain. Seeing this, Kagome screamed out Inuyasha's name. Then shouted, "Hoshiko! What's the matter w-" Kagome gasped in horror, how could she not see it before? Wedged deep in Hoshiko's spine was a Shikon shard. "Inuyasha! Hoshiko has a shard in her back!"

It was clear now. Naraku had placed a Shikon shard into Hoshiko's back as he fled in the forest. Horror spread over every face. Her fate had become the same as Kohaku's. Sango remembered the night when Kohaku killed the other demon slayers and it pained her so much that it brought a tear to her eyes.

"Damn that Naraku! I won't let him do this to my daughter!" Inuyasha bellowed. His teeth clenched. Hoshiko stood in front of him, eyes focused on only one target…the destruction of Kagome. Hoshiko eyes fell upon the miko then lunged an attack against her.

Kagome screamed as Hoshiko's small claws sinked into her right shoulder. When they departed, Kagome's arm fell useless to her side. Inuyasha shouted her name hopelessly. She couldn't escape the many blows thrown at her. One scratched her face and then her left arm as she tried blocking the hanyou. Finally defeated, Kagome fell to her knees, gasping for her last breaths.

"Finish her…" Abruptly, a meek voice rang deep in Hoshiko's mind. As she raised her hand once more, Inuyasha screamed out the miko's name. He hoped that his efforts wouldn't fail as he ran towards Kagome's side. But he did. Hoshiko's hand fell hard and quick…

"Kagome!"

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Water rushed rapidly in the stream as it illustrated the distorted reflection of the moon. Flowing in it were pieces of broken twigs and ruptured leaves. In an instant, the water parted and splashed to the sides. A small foot had fallen into the stream with great speed that a blinking eye could never see.

The tiny sound of footsteps echoed in the forest. As they reached a cliff they halted suddenly. The figure stayed still for a minute. When the gusts of wind finally reached the figure's body, it's black hair swirled viciously across it's face, displaying two amber eyes. A sharp growl escaped it's mouth as a low purple glow emerged from it's back.

When the pain disappeared, it lunged itself over the cliff. It leaped from one boulder to the next rapidly until it landed delicately onto the ground. Then began walking slowly towards a dingy town that rested just below the cliff.

A harsh growl grew louder and louder in her mind with every step, 'How dare you disobey me? You will finish what you started whether you want to or not! The miko must die!'

She fell to the floor in agony. With every word he spoke, her head ache increased. Her small hands gripped her bright red kimono until the pain subsided again. Even though she could control her body now, she knew that Naraku would manipulate her for his evil purposes once more. Cold droplets fell from her chin. She hoped that when she faced Kagome another time, she would be able to forgive her.

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Inuyasha lay on the floor, dumbfounded. He stared at Kagome. She rested beyond the camp where Sango was placing a bandage over a cut on her cheek. Kagome smiled sweetly to Sango and thanked her.

Miroku came to sit next to Inuyasha. He patted the dog demon on the back, never leaving his sight from Sango and Kagome. Shippo was now with them. He had scurried into a decayed log to escape the battle outside and had now emerged to greet them.

"How" whispered the monk, "are you feeling, Inuyasha?" Without moving a single muscle, Miroku looked down at him. He knew that the answer was not easy so he didn't press it when Inuyasha never responded. "I understand your pain." he said after a few minutes.

"Oh, do you?" He said, sarcastically. Inuyasha hid his eyes below his silvery bangs to escape his view of his friends. "Feh, you don't know anything"

"So be it, my friend." He sighed, "But if you decide to answer my question, I'll be here to listen." With that, Miroku stood up and walked towards the girls.

Inuyasha bit his lip, trying to retain his urge to cry. It had only been a few weeks since he had first met Hoshiko however, he felt something deep for the girl that he hadn't felt for many years. A sense of connection to someone pure and loving.

The young hanyou had never shown any sense of betrayal or distrust, she believed in him. She looked up to him in a way that surprised him, he knew she wanted to surpass him one day as he did with his father. She showed him what care and devotion had once done for him. It had loved him and taken care of him all his life, until it was ripped apart. It now lay deep in a grave for which he longed to forget and in that girl. Now that was being ripped apart as well.

She was one thing that he had desperately wanted… A daughter. With his parents gone, she was the only family left for him. In his brother, Sesshomaru, he had only found an unbeatable foe. So for Inuyasha, he saw family in her caring words and love with each embrace. He would never let go of something as valuable to him as this!

His thoughts were broken away as Kagome came to sit next to him, "Inuyasha…" she began. Her eyes rested on the blood stained floor.

"Let me guess… you want to know how I am?" he looked away to make sure she wouldn't see the slight twinkle coming from a droplet in his eyes, "Feh! I'll be fine!"

She leaned in towards him, "I don't believe you. Let me at least check your wound." When she reached out to touch his stomach, a growl escaped him as a warning to stay away. She recoiled her fingers for a while before trying again. He flinched as her warm fingers caressed his shoulder.

"Leave me alone!" he shouted desperately as she tried to turn him towards her. Her fingers left his shoulder and she frowned. She stood up then said, "I'm just trying to help!" before storming off with Shippo, Kirara, Sango and Miroku.

Inuyasha flipped his head farther away from her view. A small 'humph' emerged from his chest. 'I don't need your help! No one can help me anyways. All I can do now is try to save her.. What good will that do me if she's in his control though?'

He looked up slightly towards the trees. He could still see her, standing over Kagome and snarling. It had frightened him. He thought Kagome was a goner! But before her hand touched her, Hoshiko placed her other hand in front, blocking her own attack. Her whole body got thrusted backwards as she struggled to regain control over it. After a while, Hoshiko's eyes went back to normal.

He could see her, struggling. And still heard her soft voice cry out to him, "Father…"

He growled deeply then dug his fist into the moist ground. Kagome gasped as she saw him, "Inuyasha…" tears swelled up in her eyes, "Hm," she wiped them away and gave him a determined smile, "we'll get her back, I promise!"

Inuyasha stared at her until the first ray of light caught his eye. He stood upright and returned her smile. "Hm" he nodded.

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Hoshiko walked towards the village, trying to hide her blood stained fingers from the nearby villagers. As she looked into their eyes, she saw fear. It made her cringe for she had seen their gazes before.

The memories soon came flooding in…

Once, when she was very small, Inuyasha had asked her to go to the nearest town and buy fruit. The nearby trees had been ambushed by larks, leaving nothing but rotting fruit on the ground. Furious, Inuyasha tried killing every single bird that rested on the tree, and after screaming for 10 long minutes atop the tree he decided to come down.

"Hoshiko, do you think you can walk to the nearest town and buy us some fruit? Can you do that for me?" she remembered the exact words he had said that day as if it had only been a few minutes ago, "Sure, father!" she had smiled greatly.

Inuyasha gave her directions then watched her disappear beyond the hills. As she walked away from her house, she felt panic growing inside her. It had been the first time she walked out of the house without him.

When she reached the village, the villagers had given her the same look of fear that she was now seeing. She still felt the sharp pain of every rock that had damaged her small body as if they barely struck her.

Yet she had been merely five years old when the nightmare happened. The villagers grew outraged that a demon had walked so gracefully into their markets that they began bombarding her with rocks of all sizes. They struck her harshly. She had yelped when the raged edges of the hardened sand touched her flesh.

After thoughts of death rained upon her, Inuyasha leaped in front of her. Hoshiko had never seen him so angry! He glared at them carefully. She believed that he wanted to remember the look of their terrified faces before he slaughtered them.

Afterwards, the cries of the villagers began to rise. In her memories, the screams of pain had grown every time she thought of them. She knew that Inuyasha had never wanted to disturb her so she didn't blame him for those horrible memories. He was only trying to protect her. She blamed the villagers instead, for upsetting him in such a way.

Hoshiko walked with a lowered head. Their stares began to weigh down her senses. She walked slowly to see if anyone would be kind enough to help her. She doubted it though. One woman emerged from the shadows and greeted her warmly. Has she seen my demon ears yet? She asked herself.

"What is your name, child?" the old woman asked, faintly. Her eyes were covered by wrinkles as well as her small mouth. Yellow, murky teeth shown through her smile as she looked up at her. "Hoshiko" she whispered back.

"Ah, what a fine name it is! Come, come, you must be hungry!" she led her into a humble house with bamboo shades. Inside Hoshiko was offered tea and some rice balls, which she delightfully ate in silence. "Tisk, tisk.. What you gotten yourself into, my child?" the woman asked, staring at Hoshiko's blood stained kimono and hands.

Before Hoshiko could begin her elaborate lie, the woman proclaimed, "We must wash that right out!" Then took hold of her and walked outside. Hoshiko stood beside the house, patiently, until the old woman returned with a wash basin filled with pure water. She muttered a gentle "thank you" and began washing her face and fingers.

"Why" began Hoshiko, then swallowed the bits of rice ball that tickled her throat, "have you been so kind to a mere demon child such as myself?"

The old woman stopped to turn to look at her. She looked into the child's eyes in disbelief, "Why? Are you not a child in need of help? For if you don't want it, you can leave!" she shouted.

Hoshiko gasped at the response, 'Could I have offended her?'

"I apologize for the question. You see, I don't find such sympathetic villagers for the lack of human ears." She took hold her black dog ears with both hands and pulled them down, "Who would be so kind as you when they realize I carry demon blood?" She looked down, almost ashamed, then recoiled underneath her blankets.

'Inuyasha…' she cringed underneath her bedding, shivers began to haunt her body when she thought of him. 'Father... Please forgive me! I didn't intend to hurt you! I will get rid of this curse and once more regain the warmth of your embrace. But for now, I mustn't let you find me!'

Golden rays emerged through the bamboo shades. They shone onto Hoshiko's face, making her eyes shimmer like stars embedded in the night sky. Before another thought arose through her mind, her eyes closed and she fell asleep.