Author's Notes: Hey there! I'm trying to stay on schedule with my two stories, getting an update out every week for both, and so far it's working...for the most part. 'Soldiers in a Timeless Battle' is winding down, but I'm already working on my next story (I swear, my mind is like the energizer bunny sometimes) so I feel like, when I'm not out doing physical therapy or other activities, all I'm doing is writing. Not that I mind.

Oh, before I forget, if anyone's wanting to see a picture of me (yeah, I know, something you're all desperate for, right?) the Bach Festival has posted the pictures from this year's festival, and they happened to take a picture at the YCA concert while I was out with my quartet doing a solo from our Mozart Mass, so you can see me (not up close, but still, good enough). The link's on my profile page (since it won't let me put the dumb address on here for some reason), it's the top picture on the left, and just so you all know, I'm the girl with BROWN hair...in other words, I'm NOT the blonde on the end, but the next one in, beside the tenor, got it? I'll shut up and just let you check it out, if you want to.

This chapter has the first bit of action between Naraku (well, sort of) and Inuyasha, and the others. There's a lot of issues that are going to start coming to the surface, so be prepared for a lot of questions that will start to be answered in the upcoming chapters. And, for all you Sesshoumaru fans, he's going to be making his appearance as well very shortly, so stay tuned for that.

And my other announcement is that they're still having the People's Choice polls at the site where my story, 'Soul Therapy', has been nominated for an award. You're allowed to vote once every day, so if you've already voted for a story and feel like voting again for it, go right ahead, as always, the link is still on my profile. And just so everyone is clear, this is NOT me plugging my story, I truly want you all to pick the story you like the best. This is a new awards site that's trying to become more well known, like Elimination, so I'm just trying to give it some advertisement!

Other then that, all I can say is thanks for the reviews, as usual. I love hearing all of your opinions, and I'm just now starting to tackle all of your stories that you've asked me to read, so be patient, I haven't forgotten about you. Enjoy!

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IceSugarHigh: Not to give anything away, but...in response to your review I just want to say that I think you'll be pleased with some of the upcoming events of the story. Thanks for reviewing!

FrameofMind: Way to catch that, yeah, I forgot. I checked my hardcopy for her mother's name, forgetting that I changed it after uploading it to Oops. Hopefully not too many people noticed. And as for your other comment, I hadn't thought about it, but yeah, Kagome's appearance is kind of a Scarlet O'Hara thing, isn't it? That's not intentional, but it's still kind of cool. I love Gone With The Wind too.

Miko Sakura-sama: I'm supposed to be completely recovered by December or January, and able to start swimming (hopefully) in November. So...keep your fingers crossed that I can maintain a positive attitude, because it's definitely not an easy thing to do with something like this. Just grin and bear it, right?

Inuficcrzy: Hm...what pain killers? Lets see...percocet at night (the doctor says narcotics for three months minimum after a shoulder surgery...yikes!), vicodin after physical therapy, when it really hurts but I don't want to be totally knocked out, and darvon at all other times when I need it, though mostly I just need stuff right after therapy and before I go to bed, because I still have this habit of rolling into uncomfortable positions that hurt. Hope that answers your question, and I like your theory about typing being an exercise!

Pippin-kun: Actually, I'm basing this in a fictional place, with the dress and traditions of the times fitting something along the lines of France just before the revolution. I didn't want the women wearing hoop-skirts (that was an English thing first), but at the same time I wanted them wearing dresses. But you'll notice I still have Inuyasha in his red attire...I just couldn't bear to part him from his red coat, you know? Thanks for the review!


Title: Impossible Dreams

Author: dolphingirl0113

Chapter: Eleven

Rating: PG-13 (rated for language, violence, and implied sexual situations)

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.


DEDICATION: For Ted Dorsey, the greatest coach I will ever have, the most wonderful and patient mentor I will ever know, and the best friend I could have asked for. Thank you for everything you did for me in my life.


The day was surprisingly warm, considering the fact that the weather had been unusually overcast for the summer over the past two weeks. In fact, the sun even seemed to be attempting to make an appearance to brighten the days of the weary travelers lining the dirt road below.

Kagome smiled as she felt a rather warm ray of light hit her face, causing a shiver of warmth to rush through her body. She threw her arms up over her head and spun around once. "I love the sun!" She announced to no one in particular, and in response Sango giggled while Shippou jumped up onto the ebony-haired woman's shoulder.

"I like it too, Kagome," He replied with an equally bright smile.

Miroku, who was walking suspiciously close behind Kagome and Sango, nodded and looked up at the blue sky, the first to appear in a long time. "It is a beautiful day. Perhaps we should stop for a while and enjoy it."

Inuyasha, who was, as always leading the group, whirled around and glared at the former monk in disdain. "Don't even think about it, Miroku. You're not turning lazy on me now. If you are, then you shouldn't have come."

The black-haired man just shrugged his shoulders. "As I recall, Inuyasha, you are the one who insisted I come along."

That had the hanyou turning around, with one more deadly glare, muttering about incompetent humans and their weak bodies. Kagome heard him, and bristled slightly, though she kept a smile on her face.

"What was that, Inuyasha?" She asked in a sugary sweet voice.

He grunted. "Keh, I said you humans are all the same...weak."

"It's not our fault we were born that way," she retorted. "And besides, we may not have the strongest bodies, but we can be equally as strong in the mind as any demon," She grinned, "If not more so."

"What was that?" Inuyasha slowed down so that he was now walking at her side, practically yelling in her ear. "Are you calling me stupid, wench?"

Kagome just looked like they were having a normal conversation. "For the last time, my name's Kagome, and no, I said some demons, Inuyasha, not all. Besides, you're a hanyou, not a demon...so you don't know that I was referring to you."

He stiffened as she reminded him that he wasn't a full demon, and marched back in the front again, leaving Kagome puzzled. She glanced over her shoulder at Miroku questioningly, and he sighed. "You have to understand, Kagome, that it's a very sensitive issue...the fact that Inuyasha's a hanyou. Hanyous are forever targeted by full-blooded demons, and outcasts in the realm of humans. If not for his birthright, he would have had a very miserable life."

"I can hear you, monk," the man in question growled.

"I know, Inuyasha. I'm merely saying to Kagome what you don't have the courage to say yourself."

"So now you're calling me cowardly?"

"No, I'm saying you have the usual amount of nervousness any man adopts when talking to a woman he fancies."

"What!?" Both Kagome and Inuyasha sputtered, practically spitting, as though they had tasted something vile. And they weren't the only ones who were upset by the implication, as was proven by Kouga whacking Miroku across the back of the neck.

"What did you mean by that, Miroku?" The wolf prince demanded, and the poor monk found himself surrounded by five pairs of questioning eyes. He laughed and tried to wave the comment aside.

"Nothing, nothing at all...just an observation, that's all."

Kouga seemed to relax, as did Kagome, but Inuyasha only seemed more upset. "Keh, you never say anything you don't mean, so come on, spit it out. What did you mean?"

He shrugged, his face still the perfect picture of innocence. "Just what I've been observing, Inuyasha, nothing more. We all know you risked your life to save Kagome's when the mansion was burning down..."

"I tried to save her too!" Kouga interrupted, but Miroku just seemed to ignore him.

"As I was saying, you saved her life then, at great risk to your own, something I've never seen you do for anyone, including myself. You were very worried about her all the time she was missing..."

"I was not!" This time it was Inuyasha who interrupted, hating the way Kagome was watching him with sudden fascination, as though trying to read between the lines of his answers. It was making him very uncomfortable.

But Miroku ignored him as well, continuing to speak. "And once you found her, Inuyasha, you defended her against the former slaves again." He shrugged again. "I'm just pointing out the obvious. After all, I was in training to be a holy man before all this happened, and was taught how to observe people discretely."

"Keh," Inuyasha folded his arms. "Well this time you're wrong. I feel nothing for Kagome."

"Then why did you ask her to come along?" It was Sango who spoke this time.

"Yeah, Inuyasha," Shippou chimed in, "You're the one who insisted Kagome be safe from the mob of slaves, and then insisted she come with us to find Naraku. Why?"

Inuyasha felt an unfamiliar wave of panic overcome his sense of logic and propriety. He didn't want these people thinking he had a weakness. He, a noble-born prince, was not so easily reduced to his knees by a simple woman. Love was for weaklings. No, he did not fancy Kagome...right?

And yet, he still stammered with his reply, his voice tense, his eyes flittering all over the place, refusing to meet the eyes of the woman in question, though he could feel her dark orbs piercing into him. "Be-because...because I need her to release the other demons from the diamond shards." There, he'd given an answer. Feeling better, he crossed his arms. "And I saved her because she's no use to me dead."

Because of his pride, it took a few minutes for him to realize that he was suddenly walking alone, in silence, but once he did, he turned around to see that the others had dropped back and were currently speaking to Kagome in hushed tones, though his sensitive ears could pick up every word.

"He didn't mean it, Kagome," Sango muttered, touching her friend's shoulder.

"That's right, Kagome, you have to forgive Inuyasha," Miroku offered, his hand on her back, Sango's watchful eyes preventing it from going any lower. "He's never been very good with personal issues."

"Yeah, he's just a jerk, Kagome," Shippou continued, pointedly glaring at Inuyasha, and it was only then that the hanyou really stopped to think on what he had said, and how it must have sounded to Kagome.

Purposefully looking at her, he nearly fell backward as he saw the sadness in her eyes...the hurt. It looked familiar, just like his own eyes had when he was young whenever he overheard, with his sensitive hanyou ears, one of the palace servants insulting him for being a hanyou. He had sworn then he would never make another being feel so low, but he had just broken that oath, and he felt like a prize idiot that was lower then dirt.

Damn it, already, he couldn't stand her looking like that. She wore sadness like a hideous, scaled mask. He wanted to see her smile again. "Look, Kagome..."

She looked up, surprised to hear his voice, and their eyes met as they both stopped walking, her waiting for him to continue, and he trying to figure out what to say. His mouth had gone dry looking into her eyes, so full of intelligence, and he realized he didn't have a clue what to do. Miroku was the one with all the womanly experience.

Desperate for a distraction, he glanced down at the diamond shard still around her wrist, noting that it was slightly larger then before. It was the mystery they had been trying to solve now for nearly five days: why the diamond shards, when purified and put together, merged into one piece? She had freed the four other demons in their group of travelers, and all four shards had merged with the two she had already collected from Kouga and himself. Now, the piece glowed bright pink, looking enticingly beautiful, and Inuyasha found himself almost hypnotized by it.

"Inuyasha?" He blinked several times and looked up to find Kagome staring at him questioningly. He blushed for having looked like such an idiot.

"Oh, um," he was feeling even more embarrassed now, and didn't think he could continue. But there was such hope in her eyes; how could he refuse that? "Kagome, I..."

Suddenly his head whipped around, along with Kouga's, and the two demons growled almost in unison. Miroku stopped and went rigid, and Sango instinctively went into a fighter's stance, reminding Kagome that she had been, once, a demon exterminator.

Being the only one, apparently, without fighting experience, Kagome felt suddenly very useless, and stepped back slightly, unknowingly moving behind Inuyasha for protection, which he didn't seem to have a problem with since he moved closer to her as he instinctively reached for something at his waist, only to have his fingers clutch air. What had he been reaching for, she wondered?

"What is it?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper, but when Inuyasha didn't reply, she turned to Kouga, who had a rigid stance, his nose in the air, sniffing. He glanced at her momentarily.

"There's a strange scent on the air. It smells like..." He crinkled his nose slightly and seemed unsure of how to describe whatever it was he smelled.

"It smells like death and blood," Inuyasha offered, his voice no more then a feral growl.

"Death and blood?" Kagome was confused. How could anything smell like that, unless it was a dead something? But this thing clearly wasn't dead, as it was moving closer. She could hear the trees nearby rustling.

Suddenly a large gust of wind blew everyone standing to their knees, and everyone reached for something to hold onto; in Sango's case it was Miroku's arm, in Shippou's case it was Kouga's hair (which was apparent by the wolf's cry of pain), and in Kagome's case it was Inuyasha's waist. A large amount of dust was rustled off the ground, making it difficult to see, but a shadowy figure could be seen approaching.

It was a woman, Kagome could tell by her curvy figure and the way she walked, her hips swaying from side to side in the seductive way only a woman could master. But as the dust cleared, all thought of analyzing this new enemy faded as she realized who it was, her eyes barely believing what they were seeing, her lungs heaving in a sharp gasp, her heart suddenly racing.

Inuyasha heard Kagome's sharp intake of breath, and could smell her sudden fear, causing him to turn slightly so he could look at her face. "Kagome, what is it?"

But Kagome, for once, didn't hear him, so focused was she on the woman before them, now coming into plain sight.

It couldn't be, her mind insisted. And yet, here she was, once more standing before Kagome with that familiar smirk on her face, her red eyes full of malice, her black hair pulled back behind her head in a thick bun, her skin pale, dressed in that despicable kimono of purple, earrings dangling from her lobes, dancing slightly in the wind.

But the woman wasn't looking at Kagome, she was looking at the hanyou in front of her, her cruel, thin lips pressed into a seductive smirk. "So Inuyasha, at last we meet." She cocked her head slightly. "Or should I call you 'your highness'?" She bowed sarcastically.

Inuyasha growled. "Who the hell are you?"

"Now, now," the woman replied, "Didn't your mother teach you not to swear?"

It all happened in a flash as Inuyasha launched himself at the woman, but was repelled by some invisible force. A barrier; it had to be. He was panting as he sat back up, wiping his mouth where a thin line of blood had begun to trickle down his chin. "Bitch, don't you ever speak of my mother," He hissed. "Now answer my question: who the hell are you?"

"Kagura..." Everyone turned, including the mysterious woman, to stare at Kagome, who had spat the word out as though it were poison. Her body was trembling in rage, and her fists were clenched tightly at her sides.

"Kagome?" Sango had a puzzled look on her face.

But Kagome was far away from any of them at that moment, not hearing, seeing, or sensing any of their presences. All she saw was Kagura, and memories; horrible, nightmarish memories.

"You think you can just ignore the demands of Naraku?" A voice, dark and cruel, cackled, and Kagome peered around her mother's dress further so that now she was looking at a tall woman with black hair pulled into a bun. She held a fan over the lower half of her face, and her skin was pale, as though it never saw the light of the sun. But more then that, she had red eyes, and Kagome shuddered at the cruelty within their depths.

"You won't touch my daughter," Kagome heard her mother reply, the usually kind voice hard and full of determination.

"If you come with Naraku, you can be saved."

"I will never do such a thing, and neither will Kagome!"

"Then you shall die." The woman lifted her fan, but at the last instant a hand grabbed her wrist, stopping her, and Kagome saw that the owner was her father.

"No, don't...wait..." He turned pleading eyes to his wife. "Izumi, please, don't do this. Think of our daughter..."

"Kagome would rather die then be cowardly enough to surrender her morals and her soul," Mrs. Higurashi replied, her voice harsh. But then it softened slightly as she looked at her husband. "Don't worry, all will be right...in the end."

"The end of what?" He cried out desperately, still holding the red-eyed woman's wrist so she couldn't flick her fan.

"Who ever knows what the end means?" Mrs. Higurashi replied, and then hardened her voice once more. "I will not align myself with Naraku, and neither will my daughter."

"Then you both shall die," the woman with the fan replied, freeing herself of Mr. Higurashi's restraining hand and flicking her fan down, sending several pointed beams of light at the mother and daughter.

Kagome felt her small body being smashed to the floor, her mother's full weight pushing her into the ground. But more then that, she suddenly felt something warm and sticky dripping onto her hand and, looking up, she saw that her mother was bleeding from her shoulders, her stomach, and...her heart.

"Mama!" Kagome cried in horror, seeing her mother's face go pale, her usually beautiful face marred by an expression of pain.

"Don't cry, child," she replied, her voice just as calm and soothing as it had ever been. Her eyes remained bright and defiant to the last as she reached out a hand and touched her daughter's cheek, though her skin was fast going cold. "I love you, my beautiful Kagome...I love you...I love you..."

"Mama!" Kagome felt the scream rip from her throat before she even knew what she was doing, and she launched herself at Kagura in fury. "You monster, I'll kill you for what you did!"

Kagura simply stood her ground and smirked, but her expression instantly changed when Kagome was not repelled by the barrier, but rather, went right through it, her hands headed for her throat.

"What..." She barely had time to think as she instinctively grabbed the younger woman's wrists in a vice-like grip, barely keeping her cat-like swipes away from her face. How could such a weak girl pierce the barrier? Who was she?

"You bitch!" Kagome continued to assault the woman, though it was a feeble attempt as Kagura had weapons and was trained in defense, whereas she, the daughter of a nobleman, was not. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"

Inuyasha and the others could only stare in shock at a side to Kagome they had never seen before. Since when had she been the violent type?

Kagura continued to barely hold the girl at bay, wrestling with her arms, unable to reach her fan, which had fallen to the ground, when she suddenly met the young woman's eyes and felt a shock of memory run through her mind like a bolt of lightening. It couldn't be...

Kagura found herself smirking at the woman's body, now on the ground slowly bleeding away her life, listening as the pathetic little girl underneath her wailed in anguish, desperately pushing and pulling at her mother's body for some sign of life.

"I love you, my beautiful Kagome," the woman whispered, her lips barely moving. "I love you...I love you..." Then her hand fell to the ground, limp with death, and the girl wailed even louder, causing Kagura to feel extremely irritated.

Raising her fan, she prepared to strike the girl down as well, only to watch as the man, obviously the father, jumped in front of her, pulling the child out from underneath the dead woman and placing her protectively behind him, her tiny face peering out from around his waist.

"Don't touch her!" He begged. "We align ourselves, I swear my loyalty. Please, just don't hurt my daughter!"

Kagura felt a smirk come to her face. Men were so weak, so cowardly when faced with death. Even though his wife had just died nobly, which, Kagura had to admit, was honorable, he was now willing to dishonor her memory by doing exactly what she had died to prevent. Oh well, she decided, it wasn't her problem.

"Mama..." The little girl whimpered again, jerking Kagura out of her thoughts and causing her to look at the child more closely, trying to discern whether or not she was a threat, before looking at the man again.

"Very well, you will be held to your promise. And to test your loyalty, you will become master to those who do not swear their loyalty to Naraku." She flicked her fan across her face and watched, with pleasure, as understanding dawned on the man's face.

"But...but you killed my wife?" He asked, his voice pathetically weak. "Why did you kill her?"

Kagura shrugged, as though it were obvious. "She would have rebelled," she replied simply. A shiver ran down her spine, however, as she spoke, drawing her eyes toward the girl once more, feeling a jolt at the passion...the hate...within her childlike eyes. She could prove to be trouble. Should she remain alive?

"She had fire in her eyes, as does the little brat," Kagura heard herself muttering, still locked in a staring match. How could the little whelp have such a presence? She barely reached her own waist.

Finally, allowing her arrogance to win over, she made her decision, placing her fan at her side and motioning for the demons that had attacked the home to follow her. "Watch yourself, man," was all she said as a verbal answer before pulling a feather out of her right ear and flying away, though she couldn't quite rid herself of the doubt now plaguing her mind as the child's eyes continued to bore into her soul.

"So it is you," she whispered as she looked at the now grown girl...what had they called her? Kagome...that was it, the mother had called her Kagome.

Kagome ignored her and continued to try and punch and kick, as though to move right through the sorceress. Kagura'd had enough, and grabbed the girl's wrist, wrenching it above her head, satisfied as she heard a cry of pain. But the smirk faded as she caught a flash of pink, and turned to find one of the diamond shards sparkling daintily as it hung from the girl's wrist.

"Where did you get this?" She whispered, suddenly feeling very unsure of herself. Only demons wore such shards, and only someone with immense power could purify and remove them. She instantly let go of Kagome's wrist as though it were a hot coal, causing the girl to fall to her knees as she lost her balance.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha and Kouga rushed over to make sure she was alright, once they had broken out of their stunned stupor.

Without thinking, Inuyasha pulled the woman into his arms, holding her tightly as though to squeeze some of his strength into her. But she was breathing, and seemed relatively fine, just tired from the previous exertion. "Inuyasha..." She breathed, pointing at Kagura, "She...she..."

Whatever it was, whatever the sorceress was, was hard for Kagome to say, so he lowered his voice and, surprising himself, spoke to her kindly, almost gently. "What, Kagome? What is it you want to tell me?"

Kagome's eyes hardened and her hands balled once more into fists. "She killed my mother."

Inuyasha jerked his head up to observe the woman Kagome had called Kagura more closely, feeling all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. Of course. She had mocked him by referring to him as your highness, a term he hadn't heard since his mother and father died. No one but Miroku and Naraku knew of his origins, and since it wasn't likely she worked for Miroku, logic stated that she was a minion of Naraku.

"So," he gently set Kagome back down before rising to his feet, Kouga at his side, clearly having drawn the same conclusion, "Naraku hasn't forgotten about me."

Kagura quickly recovered from her shock and returned the smirk to her face, picking up her fan and using it to cover half her face. "Of course not," her smirk widened, "But don't flatter yourselves. He merely sent me to deal with you now, so you won't bother him again."

Inuyasha growled and flexed his claws, once again reaching for his sword, which wasn't there, much to his annoyance. "Where is he?"

"Oh come, Inuyasha, don't insult my intelligence," she cooed, her voice deep and seductive. "You know very well where he is. He likes the home of your father...why would he leave?"

Inuyasha somehow managed to smirk, swallowing the hateful bile in the back of his throat. "That's true...he always did seem to like standing on the greatness of others."

Kagura's eyes hardened and, with one swift sweep of her fan, sent four of the people behind Inuyasha sprawling to the ground, dead. He whirled around with unkempt rage in his amber eyes, but the woman just smiled again. "Watch yourself, Inuyasha. Naraku doesn't tolerate such talk."

"I'll talk however the hell I want!" He shouted back, charging madly at her, his claws bared as he slashed at her, the barrier now gone as she had lowered her guard. But she was quick, and soon sent him staggering backward, several cuts in his arms and legs.

"You just got a taste of my cutting wind," she cooed, "And I don't recommend experiencing it too often. It can be quite deadly."

"Bitch," he hissed, rising back to his feet just as Kouga rushed forward, only to be met with the same result.

"Both of you really underestimate me," she continued to tease, causing both men to rise to their feet and charge once more, but this time she had erected the barrier once more, and they slammed into it just as she flicked her fan, causing them to be helpless to her attack.

"Inuyasha! Kouga!" Kagome ran forward as they flew backward, getting knocked down as Inuyasha's body slammed into hers.

Kagura just laughed. "This is just too easy. Without your sword, Inuyasha, you are nothing, and you, wolf prince, are out of shape. You're usually much faster then that."

Both men glared at her, but were helpless to move as they were bleeding in practically every direction. Kagome, in desperation, ripped several strips of material from the hemmed ends of her dress, wrapping them tightly around both of their bleeding wounds. Unfortunately, after tying four tight strips, she realized, in desperation, that there were still dozens of others, and felt tears of frustration in her eyes.

"Inuyasha...Kouga...hold on..."

"Kagome," Inuyasha hissed, clearly in pain, "Don't worry about it. We both have demon blood, these wounds will be nothing by the morning."

She gave him a curious look. "Are you sure? When father would whip demon slaves they would heal as slowly as humans."

"That's because they were wearing the diamond shards," Kouga replied, trying to give her a reassuring look. "Inuyasha's right, even though he's only a hanyou while I'm a pure demon-"

"Watch it, wolf!"

"-We'll both be alright. You just worry about yourself."

"I'd think it best that all of you prepare to die," Kagura called out, chuckling, "Because I've been instructed to destroy all of you and put an end to this futile, and rather annoying, attempt at a rebellion."

Inuyasha tried to sit up, with Kagome's help. "You won't touch any of them, Kagura. They're all just humans...they would have no hope of defending themselves."

"Perhaps they should have thought of that before they chose to follow you on this crusade."

"Don't hurt them, you bitch! Have you got no honor at all? No morals?"

Kagura looked at him sideways, as though trying to see right through him to his inner thoughts and feelings. "I have no soul," she replied simply, "Let alone honor and morals. I will do as I have been commanded, and no one here can stop me, considering the condition you're now in."

"Bitch!" Inuyasha somehow managed to rise to his feet, though he stumbled several times, and Kagome had to catch him against her own body to give him support.

"Inuyasha," she muttered, "Be careful."

"Keh, I'll be fine," he replied, though there was a horrible pain, like hot fire, in his gut. The damn sorceress had managed to cut his abdomen...that would take a while to heal.

But before he could take another step, Miroku ran in front of him, looking determined as he glared at Kagura. "Stay back, Inuyasha, and keep Kagome and Kouga with you."

"Miroku, what...?" He blinked and realized what his friend intended to do. "You idiot, don't even think about it! You know how dangerous it is to use it!"

The man, once trained to be a monk, turned around and put an encouraging smile on his face. "Unfortunately, my friend, I see no other choice right now. You cannot defeat her, and we need you alive for battles to come."

"But what if it cracks? Gets bigger?" Inuyasha called out desperately, feeling Kagome's confused stare. Clearly she, and the others, had no idea what was going on. But then, Miroku had always purposefully kept his curse a secret from others for fear of scaring them off.

"I'll take that risk." And with that, Miroku turned back to face Kagura, who was smirking cruelly.

"You're just a human," she cooed, "What could you possibly hope to do to me?"

Miroku frowned and said a silent prayer for everything to go alright before reaching down and removing a long band of prayer beads that were wrapped around his wrist and hand, letting forth a piercing cry. "Kazaana!"

The world exploded into a massive wind storm, and Kagome felt herself being pulled in the direction of Miroku, even with Inuyasha's arm securely around her waist. What was going on? What had Miroku just done?

Dust was flying everywhere, and the trees were being bent at their very trunks as they were pulled toward the massive hole in the monk's hand. Kagura felt herself begin to panic, for she was right in the middle of the fray, and frantically called forth her feather to fly away, barely managing to escape the pull of that horrible curse.

"Damn!" She swore as she watched the people on the ground grow smaller and smaller. Naraku would not be happy to know that not only had Inuyasha united with the wolf prince, Kouga, but the monk with the cursed hand was with them as well, and there was also a girl who could free demons of their shards...and the fact that she lived was entirely the sorceress's fault. No indeed, he was not going to be happy at all.

Miroku watched as the woman slowly disappeared from sight into the blue sky before sealing up his cursed hand once more, turning around to find everyone staring at him in shocked silence. Everyone, that is, except Inuyasha, who was glaring at him, clearly not happy that he had risked his life like that.

"M-Miroku," Sango stammered, walking forward a few paces, "What was that?"

He met her warm brown eyes, feeling the now familiar flutter of his heart, before glancing over at Inuyasha, Kouga, and the four dead bodies on the ground. "I'll explain later, Sango, I promise." He moved to help Kouga stand, since Kagome was already with Inuyasha. "But for now, we need to get them to a safe haven to rest."

Sango nodded and glanced back at the goggling group of men, women, and children who had watched the entire exchange in silent fear. "I agree." She looked around as though trying to get her bearings before turning and heading off the main road and across a small field of grass. "Follow me, I know where we can go that is safe."

"Where?"

She smiled sadly. "The ancient training grounds of the demon exterminators. No one but me knows its location any more, and it's completely secure, and luckily, it's also nearby."

Miroku nodded. "Alright." He looked down at Kouga. "Can you walk?"

"Yeah, just a little slower then I'd like."

The monk laughed slightly. "Welcome to the human world, my friend."

Like a flock of birds, the large group of people slowly turned in the direction Sango was walking, Shippou on her shoulder, Kagome, Inuyasha, Kouga, and Miroku bringing up the rear.

The hanyou seemed okay, but his face was pale and beaded with sweat, which meant he was holding whatever pain he had inside. Kagome felt her eyes fill with sympathy. "Inuyasha, are you alright?"

"Keh, I told you already that it takes more then this to put me out of commission."

Kagome smiled slightly at his tough act. "Whatever you say." She frowned again. "Um, Inuyasha, what did Kagura mean when she called you 'your highness'?" She watched as his jaw clenched, going silent, telling her he wasn't going to answer her question.

Fine, she shrugged, figuring he'd have to tell her eventually. She had so many questions these days...more then answers, to be sure. Where did Inuyasha really come from? Why was she able to purify the black diamond shards? Why did they fuse together? And, the latest question, what was that thing on Miroku's hand?

Not for the first time, as she looked around at the other former slaves, and then at Inuyasha, Kouga, and Miroku, Kagome wondered just what exactly she had gotten herself involved with. But, she decided, whatever was going to happen, she was too late to back out now, not that she'd want to, knowing that Kagura was still alive. So instead of dwelling on the matter further, she focused instead on getting her injured hanyou to safety.