((WARNING))((This chapter contains Inu Yasha spoilers))

. : Muichimotsu : .

: . By Akikazu . :

. : Chapter Twenty Six : .

"Alright, all you have to do is wander over there. The people there will take you to a lady that can help you," the silky voice soothed the woman's frazzled nerves.

"She can tell me who I am?" She clutched the overly large haori to her otherwise naked frame.

"Yes, Sango. Just find the red head."

A firm push sent her stumbling onto the battlefield. Her bare feet sliding over the blood slickened grass.

He hung back and watched the revived woman make her way haltingly across the gore-littered battlegrounds. Demons approaching her received a commanding glare that drove them away. He had too many plans to let Sango be massacred at this juncture.

M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M .

Souji watched Naraku covertly, hiding his examining looks beneath his heavy eyelashes. The demon seemed not to notice as he continued on eating the meal that had been laid out before him. The master spy shot a quick look at Hijikata, who sat next to him. The general seemed unconcerned, but periodical sent openly probing looks to the former enemy.

"It may not be my place to ask but would you please tell me what's on your minds instead of sending me such looks? You're putting off my appetite," Naraku set his fork aside and looked at the two men as he spoke.

Hijikata continued on as if the youkai (demon) had said nothing. Souji was unable to do the same. His elbow came to lean on the table top and he balanced the side of his jaw bone on his fist. Another calculating look was sent to the demon from a pair of violet eyes.

"Something isn't adding up," Hijikata announced at last.

"How so?" Naraku pressed for a more detailed answer.

"You've appeared approximately five hundred and one year since you died. As a hanyou (half demon) you wouldn't have lived this long, even if you hadn't really died. If you had been a youkai you would have come after Kagome-sama sooner," Hijikata replied, his eyes growing clouded with heavy thoughts.

"So let's pretend that when Naraku turned into a youkai he erased his memory," Souji said. "How's that idea float?"

"Sunk. He would have had to have lost his memory about two hundred years ago. Even if your network hadn't heard of him people would have noticed the absence of aging." A flick of Hijikata's hand sent his napkin flying above his plate.

"I suppose." Souji leaned into the back of his chair, tilting it back a bit till he could comfortable gaze at the ceiling. "I don't really know what I expect form Naraku anymore. The removal of his heart and forming of Akago and later Hakudoushi has removed any comfort I had with predicting his movements."

Hijikata's brow rose and strung on the new line of thought, slow he voice his ideas. "Perhaps the removal of his heart had some long term effects on him. It could be that Naraku removed his memory by the same methods for some unknown reasons."

Naraku looked confused, having lost all track of the conversation. The two men seemed as if they had no intention of explaining, so lost were they in their conversation. This left his with a snatch of time to wonder over the names they mentioned. Akago? Hakudoushi? Neither rang a bell. But the subtle lifting of his hand to his chest revealed that a heart beat strongly there.

"We're grasping at straws. I'm certain that Naraku died. I saw Kagome purify him to dust. Miroku-sama's wind tunnel was gone. That could only happed with Naraku's death, he could never twist the base of that curse," Souji glanced at the clock above the doors that lead from the dinning room to the kitchen. "I'm off. There's an appointment I have to attend to."

Hijikata nodded, "very well. I'll stay with Naraku."

Souji rose gracefully and made for the exit. As he passed Naraku he briefly laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry yourself. You are not what you once were, I can hear you heart beating in your chest."

And he was gone. This left Naraku with only the stuffy Hijikata to gain information from.

"Who are Akago and Hakudoushi?" He questioned.

"Centuries past you, or the hanyou that you had been, attempted to become full youkai and rid yourself of Onigumo's love for the cursed priestess Kikyo. This was to be done by extracting your human heart. Onigumo made it so your feelings for Kikyo remained and now your life depended on the life of another of your incarnations. This incarnation briefly possessed Kagome but was then sliced into two. One half became Akago the heart of who both your and the second half's life depended, he took the form of an infant. The other half was Hakudoushi whom appeared as a young child. Of all your incarnations Hakudoushi was the most cared for," Hijikata narrated.

"I see," a small frown formed on his face. "I was a really horrible person wasn't I?"

"I don't think anyone would disagree with that."

M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M .

Kurama was the first the spot the barely clad woman making her way across the field, as the attacking youkai parted ranks to let her through. His first thought had been that she was apart of the attacking group, but that didn't make any sense because she was human and he sensed no tinge of blood in her scent. But then she could not have anything to do with them either for they had not even made the slightest move to attack her, even though here presence screamed ningen (human).

It was at this moment that a rather large serpent youkai blocked the area between the woman and him. It appeared that the serpent was about to attack the woman.

Without thinking Kurama sent his rose whip flying forward. The thorns hissed through the air but had not even been able to scratch the serpent before it disintegrated without warning. The red head was horrified to find that his whip had an unobstructed path at the woman.

The whip jarred and Kurama was surprised to find the cloaked figure in front of the woman. The long thorns dung deeply into the flesh of a pale wrist, gouging rips in the skin that soon overflowed with red blood.

The figure was unmoving and Kurama called the whip back. He moved forward and studied the markings it left on the unknown person's wrist. The thorns had dragged in the skin slightly, and the vine itself had left an impression giving the wound a look of a bracelet.

"Are you and the woman alright," Kurama asked concerned, knowing very well the damage his weapon could do.

I will tend my wound later. I will leave you and your comrades to finish here, I must take this woman to the mansion. She's known there.

"Does she work there?" Kurama inquired.

The figure turned and grasped the woman's arm. Kurama took note that their mystery detective was shorter than her. A startled look crossed her classically structured face and Kurama knew that the figure was speaking to her.

Briefly the figure turned back to Kurama before beginning to lead the woman away.

She's known there. She's a comrade whom has been dead for five hundred years.

Questions poured for his mind but before he had time to voice one the two where gone. With a frustrated sighed Kurama hefted his weapon and went back to work.

He could always ask Kagome later.

M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M .

Sango, at least that was what the man that had been there when she had awoken had called her, followed the shrouded figure off of the battlefield.

It wasn't whom she had been told to find but Sango had the feeling that she was better off following this person.

Her eyes went to the edge of the battlefield and she saw the person whom had helped her. Smiling, she waved.

A smirk settled on the man's features and he turned away. She watched till she could no longer see his white hair.

M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M .

Itsuki found Kagome in the private kitchen with another woman that he didn't recognize. Almost immediately he noticed the bandage that covered her left wrist. He frowned.

"Hello, again Itsuki-kun. Are you finished in the library or have you just come down for a snack?" Kagome tossed him a brief smile.

"I was actually looking for you. Koenma is on the phone." He tossed the cordless phone from the study to her. "How were you injured?"

Kagome sighed, "despite all my training with daggers and the sort, I'm still clumsy with knives." She set a plate down in front of the woman. "Have you met Sango?"

"I haven't."

"Sango this is Itsuki. Give him some onigiri (rice balls) if he wants any."

Itsuki lifted one rice ball off of the plate and took a seat observing the women. Sango was looking about slightly confused and Kagome was hovering over her. He decided that it really want any of his business and turned to his own thoughts.

At this juncture in time there were several choices he could make for his future. He could return to Sensui's side as part of him longed to do. He could remain were he was and wait for news. Or he could leave and search for Keiko himself. There were a variety of other options but after the third they declined further in hopeless obscurity.

As much as he loathed to admit it, the second was what he was leaning toward. The first placed him running back to Sensui like a dog to its abusive master, and though he might have done so in the past he would no long play the part of the minion. The third was foolish to a minor extreme. Though it would have helped to be doing something he was not so stupid to think that he had better chances of finding her than the Reikai (Spirit World). If he did run off, Koenma might decide to halt his search for Keiko and though it pained him to act submissive to the brat, he had to do so for Keiko's sake.

"Itsuki-kun?" The voice broke into his concentration.

Kagome was standing near him, her eye were worried but held a new light. She held the phone out to him.

His voice returned. "What did the brat have to say?"

"He's coming over later. Don't worry too much Itsuki-kun. If he had bad news he wouldn't come in person," she said with a slight smile.

He nodded knowing it was the truth. Inside him, hope flared with a new brightness.

M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M .

After another hour of exhausting battle Kurama, Hiei, Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Ayame head back towards the mansion. Yusuke's body was weak from the strain and he had to be supported by Kuwabara, but nonetheless the group had been victorious.

Kurama found Kagome waiting for them at the front door. She looked over them carefully, examining them from head to toe for injury. Satisfied there was no life threatening wounds she nodded and opened the door to allow them inside. Her left arm remained hidden from them but Kurama caught a flash of the bandage.

Eyes narrowing Kurama let the others go inside before crowding Kagome against the door. Her eyes grew large as the polite young man invaded her personal space.

"Kagome?" His voice was seductive, darkly smooth.

"Y-yes?"

His arm reached around her and he pulled her left arm out from behind her. She looked at the bandage and looked away guiltily.

"How did this happen?"

"I was cooking and the knife slipped," she squeaked trying to push herself further back into the door.

She was lying but he decided not to press further. Kurama stepped back and changed the topic to another matter that was pressing on his mind.

"Kagome did a cloaked figure come by to drop off a young lady?"

"You mean Sango-chan? She's asleep."

"I see. The person who brought her here said that she had been dead?" He prodded.

Kagome closed the door as they entered the house. Kurama never took his eyes off her face and watched her emotions flicker across her face.

"Yes. Sango is…was a taijya (demon slayer) in the Sengoku Jidai (Feudal Era). Inu Yasha killed her shortly before I retuned to this present."

"I see. A assume it is much like the matter with Naraku?"

Kagome nodded.

"Anything else happen while we were out?"

"Koenma will be coming over later."

"He's found Keiko?" Kurama guessed, his eye glowing sharply.

"I hope so. And Kurama?"

"Yes?"

Kagome grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Welcome home."

M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M .

Yukina clutch the heated stones to her stomach. The stones had been a gift from Hiei, apparently Shizuru had told him that it help menstrual cramps and should therefore help the pains that were a result of Yukina's fertile period. The heat was never ending, imbedded by Hiei fire powers.

Shizuru herself was hovering over her, especially since she learned about what was going on. Yukina would be forever grateful for her help.

"Yukina a maid brought dinner for us," Shizuru carried a tray over to the bed.

The koorime (ice maiden) smiled gently and made room so her friend could sit with her. Shizuru unfolded the legs under the tray and set it up across Yukina's lap. Then she settled across from her.

"How have you been feeling Yukina?"

"Better, the stones Hiei gave me help a lot."

Shizuru passed Yukina a small loaf of bread.

"How do you feel about all of this, Yukina? Your life will never be the same after this, you'll have a daughter if everything goes according to plan."

"It's not something I really think about. It's just a part of life to me. Like the coming and going of the seasons, I just take it as a part of my life," Yukina shrugged and took a bite out of the bread.

"I don't think I could take it that easily, having no choice about having a child."

"For as long as I can remember I've known that I would become pregnant once I reached a century's age. Until I left Glacier Country I never thought that there was a species that procreated differently."

"Still…"

"Don't worry Shizuru. I know what's happening. Everything will be fine, and even if thing do not go according to plan I have friends that will stand by me."

Another soft smile hid her uncertainties.

M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M .

Keiko fidgeted nervously as she waited for Koenma. As soon as he was ready they were going to leave for the Ningenkai. They were going to a mansion where girl the Spirit Detectives' were protecting, for their next mission, lived. Koenma said that Itsuki was residing for the meantime. She had been pleasantly surprised to hear that Itsuki had gone to Koenma in order to locate her.

She was happy to be returning to her home realm but she was nervous about seeing Yusuke again. She was also nervous about seeing Itsuki, but that feeling was overwhelmed by anxiousness to see if he was alright. She had formed an attachment to the kaminade (demon the can cross dimensions).

A heavy oak door swung open and Keiko straightened. Koenma came through the door and looked up at her.

"Are you ready Keiko?"

She nodded and stood. A portal opened before and Koenma motioned for Keiko to step through first. The portal deposited them on the front porch of a mansion. The doors opened nearly immediately and an aged man looked down at them imperiously.

"Can I help you?" The butler asked.

"Kagome-sama is expecting us," Koenma replied promptly.

The butler's face showed no change his head ducked back and Keiko could barely hear his next words.

"There are two people at the door, Kagome-sama. Are you at home?"

Keiko giggled at the serious tone of the question. The butler opened the doors wider to allow them inside, apparently "Kagome-sama" had chosen to be home. A maid greeted them with a deep curtsey.

"Everyone is dinning, I'll lead you there," she said demurely.

Koenma's wrist flicked and the maid straightened and began down a hallway. Koenma walked behind the maid, his short legs pumping to keep up. Keiko followed behind, not entirely comfortable in the rich setting.

The maid opened a large set of double doors and light flooded the somewhat dim hallway.

"Keiko, wait here till I call you in," Koenma ordered.

She nodded, needing the time to prepare herself. Koenma strode into the dinning room without another glance in her direction.

"Good afternoon, Kagome-sama," Keiko could hear Koenma from her station.

"Koenma, welcome. Will you dine with us?"

"Yes, but first I have another person who will be staying till things settle down. You can come in now."

Keiko crept forward till she was a foot in the doorway. Her eyes immediately found Itsuki and she took in the sight of him. He looked to be in good health, she had thought she would have found him half dead.

"Keiko?"

She flinched and her eyes moved to Yusuke. He was half out of his seat, his eyes wide with disbelief. Keiko looked away quickly. Her eyes rested on a young woman who sat at the seat farthest from Yusuke. Her skin was pale contrasting dramatically with her dark hair. Next to her sat the equally dramatic colored Kurama. The young woman rose and came towards her.

"Hello, I'm Higurashi Kagome. The Reikai Tantei are here guarding me by order of my brother. This is his home, but you're welcome to stay here, Keiko."

"I-I don't-" Keiko stuttered.

Kagome came closer and whispered, "I'll arrange for your bed to be near Shizuru and Yukina, though you won't see much of the later." Kagome squeezed the nervous woman's wrist, "Itsuki-kun was worried about you." She backed away but still held her wrist, "come you can sit by me and tell me about your stay in Makai."

Kagome directed Keiko to a seat between Itsuki and a red headed woman and across from herself. The woman looked at her curiously, her green eyes glittering strangely.

"You smell like Koga," she declared tactlessly.

Keiko blinked but responded anyway, "Koga-sama bought me off the slave market after Sensui handed me off." Her eyes widened as she recalled something, she swung her eyes towards Kagome. "You're that Kagome?"

Kagome meet her eyes quizzically, her head tilting slightly, "if Koga said it, then it probably was me."

"Not at first. It was a tall youkai, with silver hair and gold eyes. He had a crescent moon on his forehead," Keiko traced her fingers over her forehead.

"Oh, Sesshomaru-ani (older brother). It was defiantly me then," she tapped her fork on the edge of her plate. "Did he seem okay?"

"I couldn't really tell. He was kind of…"

"Definitely Sesshomaru-sama," the red head woman giggled. "I'm Ayame, by the way."

Small talk continued weaved about bites of food. Under the table Keiko grabbed onto Itsuki's hand, a small blush colored her face and Itsuki squeezed her hand slightly.

M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M .

With everyone settled for the night Kagome and Kurama made there way to their rooms.

"Keiko's a nice girl," Kagome commented as they turned into the wing.

"She is, I believe she has changed Itsuki."

"She has. I can already tell the difference."

"Yusuke won't like that at all."

Kagome nodded in agreement to Kurama's observation. She glanced out a window as they passed and saw a glitter of white, a flash of purple, and a malevolent smirk. Kagome stopped dead in her tracks and went back, looking out into the inky darkness of night. He was there sitting in a tree, his hand raised, his pointer finger and thumb stretched as if he was going to perform the Rei Gun (Spirit Gun). Kagome blinked and he was gone.

"Kagome?" Kurama's voice finally reached her ears.

"I thought I saw…" Her voice trailed off and she searched for any sign of the familiar man whom had been hanging about in front of the window.

She neither saw nor found a trace of him.

"Never mind. I'm probably seeing things." She turned away.

Without warning Kurama tackled her to the ground. A split second later the window shattered. Glass shards burst around them, and Kurama crouched on his hands and knees above her reclining form. His eyes were riveted on the wall opposite of the window.

There was a hole in the wall.

A sleep-mussed wolf princess peered out of her room.

"Kagome, what's-?" Her eyes caught the scene in the hall. "Kami (god) are you two okay?"

Kurama helped Kagome up, keeping his body between her and the broken window. Kagome clutched his hand for comfort. Her breaths came in form raking pants. Kurama's arm went around her and rubbed her back, in an attempt to calm her down.

"Kagome who did you see outside?" Kurama asked.

Ayame looked out the window and yelped before ducking. Kurama hit the floor again, dragging Kagome down under him. Another blast roared through the destroyed window, enlarging the crater in the wall.

Kurama ushered both woman out of the wing, making sure to keep away from all windows. Finally they took refuge in a room in Northern Wing. Hiei had been waiting for them. Kurama and Kagome sat on the bed, Ayame took up occupation in a chair, and Hiei took near the door.

"Who did you see Kagome?"

"I don't know. I recognized him but he looked different. He had white hair and violet eyes though." She bit her head. "He did this." She mimicked the motions for the Rei Gun. "When I blinked he disappeared."

"The Rei Gun," Hiei said. "The detective hasn't left his room since he retired for the night."

"Raizen had white hair and violet eyes," Kurama suggested.

"Why would Raizen be going after Kagome? He never used the Rei Gun, either," Hiei pointed out.

"He was related to Inu Yasha, maybe he learned when he was in Yusuke's body."

"Who's Raizen?" Ayame demanded.

"Yusuke's ancestor."

"I don't know what he looks like," Kagome interrupted.

"But he's related to Yusuke and Inu Yasha, you saw a family resemblance maybe?" Ayame said, biting her lip.

"Raizen had short hair?" Kagome asked. "The man outside had it just past his shoulders."

"No Raizen had long hair, very wild too," Kurama sighed.

"So we have no idea who this phantom is," Ayame ground out.

"No," Hiei grunted.

"Ayame go to bed, you can use the room next to Sango's, across from here. Kurama will watch over me," Kagome said.

Ayame nodded and reluctantly did as she was told, but not before giving Kurama a warning look. Kagome lean back on the wall and looked at the two detectives. Kurama's hand began to stroke her arm and a yawn pushed past her lips.

"You can sleep Kagome, I'll watch over you tonight," Kurama's voice soothed her mind. "I have to talk with Hiei first."

"You're staying here?" She asked drowsily.

"Yes, I'll sleep on the floor if you want."

"You can sleep with me. I trust you," she murmured.

Strong arms lifted her and settled her more comfortably on the bed, with a pillow beneath her head.

"Good night, Kagome."

"G' night."

She was asleep before his lips touched her forehead.

. : End Chapter : .

: . Author's Note . :

It is Spring Break! Yay!

I didn't go to school today (with my mommy's permission) and worked on this chapter instead. I'm so proud of this chapter. I love it to pieces.

Speaking of pieces there are several that you can pick up from this chapter. Several mysteries are to be solved and this chapter has clues. To that point the creepy dude's identity has been decided and even if I want to I couldn't change it.

Koga wasn't in this chapter and from this point his appearances will be rare at best. Sesshomaru will be reentering soon however as will Shippo.

If you have any pressing questions review and be sure to include that you want an immediate response.

Inazuma is next!

Sayonara.

. : Next Time : .

Revelations

Training

Alive

Zenith

Safety precaution

Perfection

New beginnings

Together

Demons