A Tempting Fate

Chapter 8: The Memory

By Kaguya's Chaos

Miroku and Sango stood on the dock of the bay area, silently observing the small crew they had hired to man the boat they were taking to find their beloved sister. It was rather huge...more like a Yacht then an actual boat. Beside Miroku and Sango stood a very proud Ayame, beaming at all the hard work she had done and how it was all going to pay off in the end. 'I wonder what kind of person this Miss Higurashi is to have so many people intent on finding her...' She thought absently as she looked over at the giddy couple beside her.

Myoga and Jaken were arguing, as usual, as they made their way down the docks to their own "little" boat. Miroku and Sango had offered that they go together, but Jaken had said he would rather float in a bathtub to Sesshoumaru-sama then go with them. Myoga had quickly rammed the toads head into the building beside them and said he would also have to disagree.

For one, they didn't know how long it would take to reach the island and food would be a major factor. Second, there wasn't enough room for them and Jaken's overly large ego. Third, they had no idea what state the survivors might be in and, with both boats going, it insured that there would be more first aid and supplies at the ready.

Miroku and Sango turned to wave at Myoga, as the two old youkai boarded, and went to board themselves. They watched with slight amusement as two wolf youkai also trudged along after the elder youkai, carrying what looked to be a weeks worth of luggage. 'Those poor boys.' Sango thought sparingly as she walked the deck of the boat and listened as the captain of their vessel hollered out that they were ready to leave.

No one seemed to notice a third "boat" at the end of the pier also being readied for launch. Hojo, Kikyou and Onigumo stood on the deck of their own private ship and watched as the Shikon Inc ship left the harbor, quickly followed by the Taisho Industries ship and then their own. They followed at a more sedate pace, trying to be stealthy. It wouldn't last long, the three knew, but just enough to where the two they were following wouldn't have time to loose them.

Hojo smirked at his own cleverness and grabbed a hold of Kikyou. "What say you and me go and celebrate?" He asked as he turned his gaze to the woman next to him. Kikyou smirked and followed the man down into the cabin under the deck. Onigumo scowled at their backs, more then a little angry at not getting invited. 'Ah well, there are a few days ahead of us...I'm sure something of interest will happen.' He thought darkly and settled into a chair watching the full moon rise.

'Ah...the sea breeze at night sure is relaxing...what with the full moon...!' Onigumo sat up straight as he realized what exactly that full moon meant, especially at this time of the year. 'Oh shit! It's mating season! And we're heading off onto a deserted island full of hormone induced youkai!' His mind whirled at what that obviously meant and slowly relaxed. 'Ain't no way in hell I'm getting off this boat! Masaru is gonna have one tough time with getting his woman back. Three possessive youkai and one woman...too bad I'm gonna miss the beginning of the show!'

He reclined in his chair as he thought about what the young woman would possibly be going through. Perverted thoughts chased around the image of the business woman he had once seen in a magazine. 'Heh...poor girl.'

:lets jump ships...shall we:

Miroku watched from behind the captain as he revved the engine and put it in full. They had enough gas and power to make it to Africa and back, if that's what it took. Beside the captains small table, pinned to the corkboard, was the map the lab tech had given them, showing the approximate location of the island the survivors had crashed on. But it was rather surprising that no islands were charted there.

'How strange.' Miroku thought as he stared at the map in puzzlement. 'I have this strange urge not to go there, as if something is telling me that nothing is there...' He scrunched his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest. 'Could it be a concealing spell? Made to make people not want to approach the island? If so, that is indeed ancient and powerful magic...could something dangerous be there? Is Kagome in more danger then we thought?' This last thought brought up more questions. 'Kagome's plane was attacked by a youkai...could this all have been planned?'

Miroku was knocked out of his inner musings when Sango came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his chest. She placed her head on his back and sighed, listening to her husband's heartbeat. "We'll find her soon, Miroku. I know we will." Sango stated forcefully as she tried to keep the guilt and the worry out of her voice.

Miroku turned around and grabbed her hand. Without saying a word, the two went out onto the deck behind the captain's cabin and settled into a chair. Sango settled into Miroku's lap and both stared up at the full moon, deep in thought.

"It's not your fault, you know." Miroku whispered and Sango let out a shaky sigh. "You just wanted your best friend to go out and have a nice, relaxing vacation. You had no idea that this would happen."

"But, Miroku! I knew something bad would happen! I just wanted so much for her to go out and have a good time, doing stuff that didn't include the office or paperwork. I wanted her to relax on a beach and have a love-affair with some native named Hernando!" Miroku's eyebrow went up at this and a perverted gleam entered his eye. "I wanted her to come back without that pained grin she always has now. I never wanted for her to fall out of the sky and possibly wind up hurt! Or trapped on a remote island with YOUKAI during MATING SEASON!"

Sango's voice got steadily louder and more hysterical as she ranted on. Miroku let her go, knowing that she needed to get these emotions out, and after word he would calm her down. "Is it too much to ask that Kagome just relax and enjoy life! She's in her early twenties for crying out loud! And look at what she's already been through! Her mother died when she was twelve! She's had to live with YOU for six years!" At this Miroku scowled and pushed her away slightly. Sango continued, oblivious to his reactions "She works at her office more then any sane person alive! She was jilted at the alter by the love of her life! Now she's stranded on an island and all because I wanted her to go and have a nice time!"

At the end of her tirade, she sagged against Miroku with defeat and stared down at the wooden planks before her. Miroku sighed and tugged the woman back against his chest. "Sango, you are not to blame for this. What ever caused the crash...or rather who ever caused the crash, is the one responsible for all this. Besides, I'm pretty sure Kagome was grateful to know that you cared enough to send her on this trip to relax."

"Yeah, but she's all alone!" Sango sobbed out and Miroku sighed again.

"I'm positive that the Taisho brothers and the strange Wolf guy will protect Kagome from anything that might happen." Miroku stated trying to calm her down. Sango shifted and looked up at the hentai as if he were insane.

"Miroku...isn't it this mating season time, thing!" She whispered hoarsely and Miroku flinched. "Oh...yeah...right." He stumbled over his words as Sango let out a dangerous growl.

"MIROKU!"

:with poor Hakkaku and Ginta:

Ginta groaned and leaned against the bag he had been carrying around since they had gotten on the boat. Hakkaku sagged beside him huffing and puffing over the work he himself had been subjected to. "Who knew working for Myojin would be so hard?" He growled out as he tried to stand up straight.

Ginta looked at his brother and sighed as well. "Let's not think of that right now. Remember that we are on our way to where Kouga is." He said as he ordered his tired limbs to support his weight as he stood. Hakkaku sighed and seemed to deflate right before his eyes. "Lets just rest a bit. Please, Ginta?" He whimpered as he slid down the wall of the storage room and stretched his feet out in front of him.

Nodding in assent, Ginta slid to the floor as well and soon both were off in their own little dream lands, thinking about how things used to be before this whole crash thing happened. Ginta frowned as he remembered fighting with Kouga over taking the case that would send him to Hawaii for a while. He hadn't felt right about it, and now he knew why.

:With Myoga and Jaken:

Jaken huffed as he sat his squat form down on the little chair inside the cabin he was sharing with that damnable Myojin. His large yellow eyes looked even more eerie now that he had taken off his concealing spell. His large mouth was shaped like a beak, making him look more like a frog then anything else.

Myoga looked over at the toad and rolled his eyes. He kept his concealing spell on, rather preferring the height added to him then the short little speck he actually was. Both youkai reclined in their furnished surroundings and thought over the uneasy feeling they had had when Sesshoumaru-sama had announced that he and his brother were going to Hawaii due to a business transaction that they needed to oversee.

Sesshoumaru had been so adamant about going that neither of the underlings had said anything. Now they both regretted not warning the lord that this trip felt like a bad idea to them. 'Maybe if we had said something, they wouldn't have gone and had not been in that crash.' Jaken snorted at that thought and shook his head.

"Sesshoumaru-sama would have gone anyway." He said out loud and without asking what the toad meant, Myoga agreed.

:Onto the island:

Kagome stood there staring at the males before her, trying to keep her thoughts innocent. She took in details about her companions looks now that they were not covered by glamour spells. The first one to catch her attention was Sesshoumaru, naturally.

And whooo boy was he HOTT! His long silver hair had an unnatural sheen to it that sucked in the light from around it and shown with its own brilliance. His finely sculpted face had tattooed markings over the cheeks and on his forehead. The maroon stripes and purple-like crescent moon screamed out at her erotically and caused her heart to pick up speed. 'Who knew that face markings would be a turn on for me...' She thought and her eyes were distracted by a movement just by the Taiyoukai's shoulder. A long silver tail ,or that's what she thought it was, was draped over his shoulder, begging to be stroked and Kagome felt her hands twitch at the thought of running her hands through the fine hair.

Tearing her eyes away from the godly sight, Kagome's eyes rested on Kouga's own taut form. He didn't have the markings that Sesshoumaru did, but his sheer aura screamed out animalistic traits. His ice-like eyes were intense and focused solely on her, causing tremors of excitement to race up her spine.

Kagome moved her eyes over to Inuyasha and tried to keep her hands at her sides and not reaching out to tweak the doggy ears atop his head. His silver hair wasn't as long as his brothers, but it was just as shiny, belying his youkai blood. Kagome thought for a second that there were purple-ish shadows on his cheeks, but shook her head and thought it was merely due to the moon light.

Her eyes then turned to examine the two unknown youkai and her heart picked up speed once again. They rivaled Sesshoumaru in beauty, especially the silver haired one. The darker haired youkai had a more rugged beauty, much like Inuyasha and Kouga. The silver haired youkai had the most gorgeous wings she had ever seen, spread out behind him, giving the illusion of a guardian angel, ready to fight. The darker haired one had beautiful wings as well, although one of them looked like it had been bent the wrong way at some point.

'Oh...Lord...' Kagome thought, gulping down the sudden arousal that was rising within her at the sight of the five youkai. 'Stop it, Kagome! You're gonna cause a whole world of trouble with these thoughts! Hang on to your anger!' She thought desperately as she licked her lips nervously. 'Maybe jumping out hadn't been the best of ideas...'

Kagome's thoughts drifted off as she backed up and put her hands up. "Uh...you know what? Never mind! Ignore me!" She said as she put a hand behind her head and grinned, her other hand still nervously waving in front of her. She cracked open an eye and almost "eep"-ed at the red eyed stares she was receiving. 'Oh man!' She shrieked mentally and swiftly turned around. Without a thought to how stupid this was going to be, she instantly ran at top speed away from the now pursuing men, or rather youkai, behind her.

Kagome felt herself pick up speed at the thought of one of the males behind her either killing her and then eating her, or eating her while she still lived, or maybe they wouldn't eat her...just hurt her really badly and then laugh at her. The insanely stupid image of Sesshoumaru standing over her with one foot on her back and his hands on his hips, looking at nothing with a triumphant grin plastered over his face, passed over her minds eye and Kagome almost tripped over a root, trying not to laugh.

She let out a slight scream when something smashed into her, only to bounce away from her. Instead of falling, as her pursuers hoped, Kagome stumbled a bit and picked up more speed. 'CRAP!' She mentally shouted and felt her legs tense up in protest at her speed. 'Shut up legs and keep running!' She mentally commanded as she tried to find some place to hide or something to defend herself with.

'Where are bows and arrows when you needed them!' She asked herself and didn't ponder over the fact that she had asked for a BOW and some ARROWS when she had never even held one in her life.

Behind her, all five youkai were watching her run with amusement and further arousal, while trying to take out their competition at the same time. Kouga had an elbow in Gabriel's face and Gabriel had a wing in front of Inuyasha. Michael had an arm wrapped around Inuyasha's neck and one of his feet constantly in front of Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru had his tail unraveled and sneaking up on the bunch that consisted of Gabriel, Kouga and Inuyasha.

With absolutely no warning, the three unknowing victims were swept backward and smashed into various foliage. Michael briefly glanced behind him, this was a big mistake on his part. A random branch appeared out of nowhere and, as the cliché goes, just as he turned around, he smacked right into it.

Unfortunately for our favorite Taiyoukai, as he came crashing down, Michael's hand was firmly planted into the side of Sesshoumaru's pants. In a morbidly slow motion, Michael felt himself fall and in the process brought a certain article of clothing with him. Sesshoumaru glanced down in horror as he heard a faint ripping noise and realized that the front of his pants was tearing.

Needless to say, the pants were torn down, leaving Sesshoumaru in his black, silk boxers. Not only was he half nude, well, more so now, but his clothes had "conveniently" pooled and stuck around his ankles. Leaving our poor Taiyoukai crashed on the jungle floor, with his pants down. Slightly behind him, still clutching the inu-youkai's pants, lay a face-planted Michael. Both were knocked into a daze-like sleep.

Kagome heard the crashes behind her but kept going, not slowing down for anything. 'Hide, hide, hide, hide, hide.' Repeated in her mind, over and over again. Her sapphire eyes flashed around the immediate area, searching, in case you didn't know, for a place to hide. The hairs on the back of her neck slowly fell and she knew that she had somehow lost her pursuers. 'What ever works...'

'Take a left.'

Kagome nearly stopped at the strange voice in her head. 'What the...'

'No time to explain, little miko. You must hurry. If they catch you now, it would be disastrous. No time for explanations!'

Without thinking twice, Kagome followed the voices instruction, turning left and then a right. Leaping over various things in her set path, Kagome kept her eyes out for anything spectacular.

'Quickly! Behind the bush with the orange flowers!'

Kagome turned and looked for the orange flowers. As she spotted them, she noticed it was next to a cliff. 'What the hell! You trying to get me to fall to my death!' She mentally screamed at the voice, even as she approached the bush rapidly.

'Trust me, as you trust Midoriko.'

Kagome let out a sigh and did as the voice asked. 'I'll just close my eyes as I fall.' She thought self-pityingly and ran around the bush. As she did so, she realized a few key things. One: Her eyes would not shut, no matter how she willed them too. Two: The cliff didn't just drop out of sight, although it looked like it did. Three: There was a small ledge that she was running down instead. Four: There was a cave in front of her. And Five: There was a horrendous stench coming off of those deceptive weeds trying to pass off as orange flowers.

Sliding to stop once she reached the cave, Kagome took in her surroundings with an air of awe. She was in a cave that was on the cliff-side of the island, overlooking an ominously dark sea. The full moon was now high in the sky and Kagome allowed her eyes to dilate to take in as much light as she could.

She turned around to stare into the cave she had unwillingly entered. It was deep. She knew this due to the fact that the moon's light could not reach the back of the cave. Taking a deep breath, Kagome crossed her arms as the wind picked up around her scantily clad figure. ((remember folks, she's in cut off shorts and a tie-in-the-front shirt.)) Gathering up her courage, she slowly started her "adventurous trek" into the depths of the cave. 'Adventurous...ha! I've had all the adventure for a life time!'

Kagome placed a hand on the wall of the cave and followed its curves into the dark. As the light from the moon faded from her vision and the dark closed in, Kagome began to realize the walls farther in were glowing of their own accord. Her eyes widened slightly as she realized there were small crystals in the walls of the cave that were emitting their own light.

She glanced behind her to see a small pinprick of light and realized she had been steadily turning a slight corner and half of the mouth of the cave was already gone from her view. She faced the back of the cave again and continued. Her curiosity and excitement grew as she watched as the glowing crystals grew bigger and more in abundance. She turned a sharp corner, thinking of the weird crystals, her hand no longer on the wall of the cave. Just as she came around the corner, her breath was stolen from her as she stared at the gorgeous sight before her.

"Oh Kami..." She breathed out as she walked toward the blue shimmering water in front of her. The small cavern in which she now stood, looked like someone's private underground swimming pool. The water seemed to be lit by large blue and pink crystals from the bottom, refracting the light and causing strange patterns to dance over the walls of the chamber. It was indeed a lovely sight.

'It would be even more perfect if it were a heated, fresh-water spring!' Kagome thought as she approached the water and knelt down at the edge. Her hand hovered over the surface for a second, her hesitation stilling her motion. With a determined look, she dipped her hand in and let out a squeal of delight.

The water was not as hot as the hot-springs she loved to sit in, but it was a pleasant, lukewarm temperature. She brought her wet finger to her mouth and tasted the water with trepidation. It was fresh water! She grinned in relief and felt the aches in her body at that moment. Her legs failed her and her arms felt like they were going to fall off.

'I am so going to relax in this water.' She thought, tiredly, and slipped her clothes off, not thinking of how she was going to dry herself or if the guys were going to find her while she bathed. The only thought on her mind was the calm warm water before her and the possibility that her aches would go away. 'I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.' She decided and slid into the relaxing water.

Without meaning too, Kagome's eyes slid shut and the poor girl slipped into a deep sleep, her arms over the side of the deep pool and her head resting on her arms.

:Inside Kagome's "dream":

Kagome once again found herself sitting in a luscious meadow. Above her were perfect blue skies, without a cloud in sight. Surrounding the meadow were tall dark green trees, speaking of a deeper, darker, magic farther in the woods. Letting out a sigh, Kagome fell back and lay staring up at the sky, waiting for the miko to appear.

She did not wait long. For someone came alright, but this person was definitely not Midoriko.

"M-mother!" Kagome gasped as she sat upright and faced the slight figure that was her mother. The woman's soft brown eyes twinkled for a moment before she opened her mouth to greet her only daughter and surviving child.

"Hello, Kagome."

Kagome rushed to her feet and straight into the woman who had been there for half of her life. "Mama!" Kagome shrieked out, not caring how childish she sounded or that she was crying as she clung to the semi-real form of her long dead mother. "But, how! Why!" She asked as she tried to stifle the sobs wracking her small form.

Mrs. H. (as I will call her.) looked down on her daughter's kneeling figure and ran her fingers through her raven hair. "I was granted a small boon. I have come to refresh your memory." She whispered knowing the next few minutes would hurt, but they needed to be done.

Kagome looked up, her eyes still watering and gave her mother a confused look. "R-remember what?" She asked a little afraid of what the answer would be. Mrs. H. smiled and sat down beside her daughter, still cradling her head. She placed Kagome's head in her lap and looked out over the meadow, trying not to show much emotion.

"Your brother's death."

:XD:

KC: Wouldn't you just be PISSED if I ended it there?

:sigh: I'm too nice, so I won't.

:XD:

Kouga growled as he tried to shift. A blinding pain in his right temple screamed that movement would not be a very good idea. He opened his eyes and they quickly adjusted to the dark setting he was currently in. His mouth formed a frown as he tried to decide just where exactly he WAS. All around him looked to be giant birds nests or something. He was in the tree tops, or close to it...whatever, the point was he was not on the ground.

'What happened? Where am I?' He asked as he slowly sat up. A shifty noise drew his attention to behind him and he turned his head, blinking in slight horror at the sight. A rather large black monkey was staring at him intently, it's hands slowly reaching for him. Kouga's mouth dropped open in terror and as he went to stand, large black blobs dropped from the sky.

Twenty or so monkeys rose from their crouches and stared at him with a strange gleam in their eyes. Kouga backed up a few steps and let out a scream. "NOT AGAIN!" And another sort of "courtship" began.

:XP:

Inuyasha rolled over and he smacked his lips together, trying to get rid of the strange grainy taste in his mouth. His eyes slowly lifted and he stared at what was in front of him in sleepy disinterest until he registered what it was that he was staring at. His head whipped up and his body scooted as far away from the thing as possible.

His back hit the bark of a tree and his hand sunk into a puddle of goo by his side. Inuyasha shrieked and stood up abruptly. All around him were small ponds of, yep, you guessed it! Quicksand.

'Ohshitohshitohshitohshit!' He thought as he whirled around, trying to find a safe spot to cross. A slight gurgling/sucking sound reached his ears and Inuyasha shrieked again, thinking he was going to sink into the stuff once more. He calmed down a bit when he realized he had not moved an inch.

His panicked amber eyes glanced around him as slight confused/curiosity covered his top layer of emotions. He saw a flash of movement from his right side and turned to it. His face went from panic to amused as he took in the sight of the winged youkai, Gabriel, neck deep in the stuff that shouldn't have been there in the first place.

"Well, well, well. What HAVE we here?" He asked, mockingly, as he slowly made his way to the growling Gabriel.

"Help me out of here, half-breed!" Gabriel demanded as he tried to keep his hands and head above the killer trap. Inuyasha smirked and knelt down to the youkai's level.

"Why the hell should I?" He asked and flashed his teeth. Gabriel stared at the inu-hanyou for a while before an idea struck him. He smirked as well and Inuyasha felt slight trepidation creep up his spine. 'Walk away, dumb-ass!' His mind shouted, but as all ego's go, his told him to watch the youkai sink.

"If you don't get me out of here, I'll tell your brother-"

"Half-brother!" Inuyasha interrupted, snarling.

"Half-brother, just what you were doing while trying to find Naraku." Gabriel finished and Inuyasha froze. His mind didn't even think of the fact that if the youkai was left he would sink and couldn't tell anyway. No, he didn't even think of that fact.

So, with a scowl, the hanyou reached in and easily pulled the gunk-covered youkai out of the ooze. Gabriel scowled down at the mess on his person and his drooping wings, also saturated in the junk. Inuyasha also stared down at his own clothes and grimaced. The icky stuff was also all over him, and he had a sinking feeling that the gritty stuff in his mouth was the same as that on his clothes.

"Come on, the small stream is over this way." Inuyasha sighed as he lead the way to the water that would clean him off. Just as he and Gabriel had reached the water, they both remembered what exactly it was they were doing before they had woken up in the marsh.

"That bastard cheated!" Both said out loud, thinking of a certain Taiyoukai.

Cleaning as fast as they could, they began their hunt for the female they both wanted and the youkai that had taken them off the scent.

:FGS:

Michael groaned as he sat up and let go of the cloth he had held with a death-grip. He rubbed the side of his face and looked down. His eyes widened and he shot to his feet, disgusted to see the ass of the Taiyoukai staring back at him. Albeit a clothed ass, but still pointed directly at him. He also noticed the cloth he had been gripping was the pants of the Taiyoukai. 'What the fuck happened!' He screamed in his head as he watched the inu raise himself up, just as groggily.

Sesshoumaru felt a slight breeze on his legs and realized that that wasn't supposed to happen. He swiftly looked down and his jaw dropped. 'Why the hell are my pants...' His thought trailed off as he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked over into the horrified eyes of the winged youkai and jumped up, only to fall back down.

"What the fuck happened!" Both shouted at the same time and glared at the other. Michael stood up and scowled at Sesshoumaru.

"Why don't you tell me, Sesshoumaru! YOU are the one with your pants down!"

Sesshoumaru jerked his pants back into place and stood up just as swiftly. "YOU pulled them down when you fell, baka!" He snarled back and Michael's self-righteous posture deflated as the memory came back to him.

"Oh." He said simply and Sesshoumaru ignored him. He held his pants together with one hand as he raised his nose in the air, searching for a certain scent. It was very faint, but Sesshoumaru caught Kagome's distinct scent. Without a word to the other youkai, Sesshoumaru shot off in the direction the woman had taken.

Michael blinked as he realized the youkai had departed and quickly shot after him. As he ran he remembered why he had been running in the first place and he slowed down a bit. Now that his beast wasn't in control anymore, he realized he didn't really want the woman. He took a deep breath and his eyes turned red. 'The human's scent is very persuasive.' He concluded as he raced after the Taiyoukai with renewed strength.

:Lets go back to Kouga, shall we:

Kouga let out a desperate whimper as he crashed through underbrush and trees, without a care for what was in front of him. The only thing that consumed his attention and thoughts was the rampaging horde of insane monkeys behind him.

Kouga squeaked out in terror as he felt a hand ghost across his shirt. 'Why the fuck are these damn monkeys so fast anyway!' He thought in frustration as he crashed into a small clearing. His breath whooshed out in relief as he saw two familiar figures ahead, also running. Not as fast as him and his monkey lovers, though.

Inuyasha's ears twitched as he heard a peculiar sound nearing him from behind. He and Gabriel both glanced back and nearly tripped over the sight that was fast approaching. Inuyasha and Gabriel sped up, stark terror mirrored their faces as they took in the fact that a crying Kouga was about to pull up to them with a gaggle of crazy monkeys behind him.

Gabriel nearly moaned when Kouga suddenly popped up next to him and the hanyou. The monkeys hollering behind them. "Go the fuck away, Kouga!" Inuyasha shouted as he took a swipe at the wolf. Kouga dodged it and sped up even more. Both youkai sighed in relief, only to have their eyes widen in horror as a pair of monkeys jumped them, grabbing holds of their hair and arms.

Both youkai made a fatal error as they stopped and tried to detach the leech-like things. Of course, the monkeys chasing Kouga stopped and jumped the easier prey as well. Inuyasha finally got enough off of him to continue running. Gabriel however, had decided that he had had enough of land and jumped into the sky. He detached monkeys even as his wings pushed him further up into the sky. He then looked down to see Inuyasha and Kouga racing ahead of the monkey tribe and followed them from the safety of the skies.

:With Sesshoumaru and Michael:

Sesshoumaru stopped thirty feet from the cliff, losing Kagome's scent in the horrific stench that wafted up from somewhere. His nose burned and he backed up a few more feet. Beside him, Michael had a hand clamped over his nose. Both stood there for a while, not sure what to do now.

Sesshoumaru let his aura flare up and search for the girl, looking for any miko energies. He came up with nothing and growled. Finding this wench was proving to be a rather tedious challenge. Michael turned to Sesshoumaru, after his own search, and shook his head. "What now, big man?" He asked sarcastically and Sesshoumaru bared his fangs at the fool.

Before he could retort, however, a noise came to their ears, sounding suspiciously like a wail. Both slowly turned and watched with wide eyes as a panting Inuyasha and screaming Kouga came at them. Behind them a stampede of hollering monkeys followed closely. 'What did those morons do this time!' Both thought as they leapt into the air and watched as both mutts disappeared over the cliff with the monkeys following them still, into the dark depths of the sea.

Kouga screamed again as he hit the cold water and swallowed a mouth-full of the icky salty substance. Inuyasha held his breath as he plunged into the depths and looked up, barely seeing the black dots that appeared to be the monkeys. Both males swam farther away from the deeper water and tried to stay close to the cliffs. The undertow dragging at their legs.

Inuyasha smirked in triumph as he and Kouga watched the monkeys get sucked out into the ocean. 'Good riddance!' They both thought as they broke the surface and dragged themselves out of the water and onto the small ledge they had clung too.

Gabriel floated down to where Michael and Sesshoumaru stood, both looked to him, asking a silent question.

"No. Both still live." Gabriel answered shortly and Sesshoumaru and Michael sighed, dejectedly.

Inuyasha looked up the cliff to see his brothers face staring back at him with his usual stoic look. Kouga looked up as well and smirked at the Taiyoukai's expression. "Sorry to disappoint!" He shouted up as he stood on the ledge that wound up the side of the cliff. "But, we're both still alive." He finished and Sesshoumaru had to stifle the urge to snort.

Kouga continued to climb up the trail till he slipped and fell into the water, once again. "Yes, but it appears your mind is still dead." Sesshoumaru murmured as he turned around from the cliff, breathing through his mouth. The horrendous stench was most concentrated at the side of the cliff.

Inuyasha laughed at the wolf struggling to get back up the cliff and started to climb up himself. He made sure to watch where he was going, making sure he didn't wind up looking like Kouga. So, it was with total surprise when Inuyasha found himself staring at the entrance to a cave, with Kagome's scent practically surrounding it.

Kouga walked up to Inuyasha's side and his own mouth dropped open. "Kagome!" He shouted and drew the attentions of the youkai on top of the cliff. Inuyasha turned to the wolf and smacked him. 'What an idiot! If he hadn't of said anything, we could've gotten Kagome and Sesshoumaru would have never known!'

Gabriel, Michael and Sesshoumaru all shot back to the side of the cliff, ignoring the stench and stared down to see Inuyasha and Kouga walk into the side of the cliff. All three youkai leapt down the side and entered the mouth of the cave as well. Kagome's scent was indeed laced throughout the place, and clearly originated from deeper within the cave, signaling she was still inside.

All five males moved to step farther in, but bounced back in confusion. Kouga, already too close to the edge, again fell into the water, taking Inuyasha with him. Sesshoumaru's eyes turned crimson and he let out a menacing snarl. A barrier had been erected around the cave and was keeping him from the female he wanted.

Michael and Gabriel were also similarly enraged. All three began to attack the barrier with their youki and claws. It held firm.

After an hour, and after Inuyasha and Kouga had joined in the effort, all five had decided to wait until she came out. After all, she couldn't stay in there forever.

:back with the drama in Kagome's mind:

Kagome sat up sharply and stared into her mother's solemn eyes. 'My...brother?' She silently asked and Mrs. H. nodded her head. "You don't remember because you blocked it out." She said and Kagome backed up even more from her mother.

Mrs. H. sighed and put a hand over her face, again staring off into the distance. Her tearing eyes swiveled back to Kagome and she took a deep breath. "Kagome, you have to promise to listen to me." She said as he daughter stared at her warily. Kagome briefly nodded her head and sat back down, staring at her mother.

"He was born three days after your fifth birthday, and died a day before your eleventh birthday." Mrs. H. began and Kagome felt a tight coiling in her gut. She had a brief recollection of what this story was. Her heartbeat sped up and Mrs. H. continued.

"We were going shopping for Souta's birthday gifts, since his birthday was so close to your own, and we had already bought yours. We had left him at home with grandpa..."

:flashback:

Kagome smiled up at her mother as she clutched at her hand. Mrs. H. glanced down at her ten year old, soon to be eleven year old, with a gentle smile. Under both of their free arms were wrapped packages and bags of all sorts. Tomorrow it would be her birthday and in four days it would be her little brother's.

Kagome's bright blue eyes shimmered in excitement as she thought of how her brother would react to the soccer ball she had gotten him with her own money. Mrs. H grinned down at Kagome again and thought of all the preparations she would have to take care of tonight. What with cakes to bake, ice cream to see to, guests to accommodate...

Kagome let go of her mothers hand and raced up the shrine steps with the energy only a child could have. When she reached the top, she didn't notice the deadly silent surroundings or the lack of a childish "onee-chan!" screamed in her direction, which she usually got when she came home.

Mrs. H frowned as she reached the top herself and grabbed a hold of Kagome's hand. "Stay here for a moment, ok, sweetie?" Mrs. H softly whispered and Kagome looked up at her mother in confusion. She nodded her head and smiled again. 'Maybe mommy is planning a surprise for me!' She thought in excitement as she sat down on the bench by the steps.

Mrs. H looked back at her daughter, briefly, as she started her trek toward the silent house. She slid open the door and, immediately, the metallic scent of blood reached her nose. Mrs. H kept her mind free of thoughts of what this could mean and slowly walked into the hostile atmosphere that shrouded the house, like a cloak.

She reached the living room and glanced in. She did a double take and her heart, as well as her stomach, bottomed out. Blood, fresh and red, was smeared over the walls in splattered patterns. Grotesquely looking like a preschooler's rendition of art. Mrs. H felt a hot pain in her gut as she surveyed the mess with watering eyes.

Everything was ruined, stained a brick red. Mrs. H stepped into the room in something like a daze. She felt her foot connect with something that shouldn't have been there and she looked down, instantly regretting it. There, in a bloody mass was what used to be a human body. And not just any human's body, but grandpa's. The old man looked like he had been torn and turned inside out. His entrails were strung out around him in a small circle. His skull had been completely smashed to pieces and bits of his bone mixed with what could have passed for brains.

The old man's legs were completely gone, and his arms looked like they had been pulled at till they were almost torn off, but not quite. Mrs. H let out a horrified sob as she tried to control the urge to retch. She quickly backed out of the room, running into the wall behind her. As her back collided with the solid object, she brought out of her daze, slightly.

She looked to her left and saw a faint trail of blood leading up the stairs. Wondering slightly why she hadn't seen it there before she stared at it a minute. Then one thought crashed through her head. Her baby was upstairs, and that's where the blood trail had gone.

The feeling all mothers get when their children are in danger was a hundredfold as she leapt up the stairs, two at a time. She followed the trail to a closed door and a strange noise came to her ears. A sort of tearing slurping noise reached her brain and Mrs. H slammed open the door. The sight she saw would haunt and eventually kill her from the inside out. There, lying on the bright blue carpet of a obviously boy room, was a monster, eating away at her baby's remains. The monster was extremely large, at least 6' 9" with large blood reddened claws and ruby red eyes. Its skin was a bluish black, with spine-y spikes all along its back. It's bone structure looked to be arranged similar to what a were-wolf's would be.

The monster lifted its blood covered face as it swallowed another piece of flesh from the little five year olds chest. Its fangs were bared menacingly, but Mrs. H didn't see it. Her horrified eyes were focused on her child's broken body. His neck was twisted at an odd angle and his chest was torn open, ribs and all. His clothes had been torn from him, leaving him bare as the day he was born.

The monster hissed something unintelligible and leapt at the stock-still woman. Mrs. H barely registered the fact of teeth tearing into her neck, and a strange white hot burning sensation entering her blood system. It appeared as though the beast was poisonous as well. Mrs. H kept her eyes on her dead baby, her thoughts had all but stopped. Her eyes became blank and her body relaxed as she excepted her fate and that of her son's.

A small gasp caught both of their attention, and they looked over to see a terrified Kagome hyperventilating in the hall. Mrs. H felt her nerves scream in pain as she became aware of one thing. She still had one more baby to protect. The monster above the older woman snarled, baring, once again, bloodied fangs and lunged at the little girl.

Kagome let out a scream and threw her hands up in fear. As she did so, a bright blue light filled the room and blasted the monster back. The light died down and both mother and daughter watched as the beast stumbled and fell down on the small bed behind it. Its red eyes gleamed at Kagome and a scary smirk stretched its face.

"You have the Shikon no Tama." Was the last thing it said before it turned to dust, obviously dead.

:End Flashback:

Kagome sat staring at nothing as she finally remembered the horrible truth about her past. She had a little brother that had died before he had even started his life all because of something she had been born with. Her eyes watered and her heart gave a horrible lurch. She remembered that after the attack, they had had to deal with the police and investigators trying to find out what had caused the deaths of the family members. Mrs. H had said that they had gotten home only to see the killer burst passed them, slicing open Mrs. H's neck in the process, and escaping into the city.

After the inquisition was over, Mrs. H and Kagome had sold the shrine and moved out of the small town they lived in and to Tokyo, where Mrs. H's brother and his family lived. There, Kagome had gotten counseling and, during a rather deep session, had a blackout. After the blackout, she remembered nothing about her grandfather or her brother, her mind not able to cope with the truth.

Mrs. H's health deteriorated, due to the poison injected into her being. The doctors could find nothing wrong with her or how to help. So, feeling that her life was running out, she did everything she could to help her remaining child. She researched everyday on what she could find out about this "Shikon no Tama".

A year of search paid off and Mrs. H had found that her daughter had been born with a jewel in her side. She told the doctors to take it out and place the jewel in a special vault. It had been done, and on the day that Mrs. H passed away, she made her daughter swear to keep the cursed thing safe from all youkai.

Kagome stared at her mother before her and let out a small sob. "I forgot about Souta!" She exclaimed as she launched at her equally crying mother. Both consoled each other as they let the memories rest.

Midoriko stood at a distance, her eyes showing her sorrow at the pain the two women had gone through. She thought back on how Subaki had died and quickly shut that door. 'I'll think about it when I get there.' She told herself as she stepped forward and placed a hand on Mrs. Higurashi's shoulder, silently telling her, her time was up.

Kagome looked up into Midoriko's eyes and nodded her head. She looked over at her mother and smiled. "I miss you Mama. I hope you are happy where you are."

"Oh, I am dear. Souta said to tell you he loves you and that he hopes you mate with one of the silver haired boys." Mrs. H answered and Kagome flushed bright red, and started to stutter. "W-what!"

Midoriko chuckled and took her mothers place when Mrs. H completely disappeared, whispering her love to her daughter and chuckling at Kagome's shocked look. Kagome smiled after her mother's ghost and then turned her attention to Midoriko with excitement lacing her features. Midoriko grinned at the look as she realized that Kagome was waiting for the rest of the story.

"Do you remember where we last left off?" She asked and Kagome thought a moment on what she had last heard.

"You, Subaki, Davis and Damien were heading toward another part of the island. After the terrible massacre on the beach by the ship."

:Into the story we go.:

Midoriko woke up in a pair of arms, feeling very comfortable. She slowly cracked open her eyes to stare into a deep emerald green pair of eyes, belonging to none other then Damien. A slow, lazy smirk crossed Damien's face as he looked into Midoriko's confused and flustered expression.

"You were shivering during the night so I decided to warm you up. I must have fallen asleep with you in my arms." He drawled, his voice like hot chocolate on a cold day.

Midoriko flushed bright red, but smiled anyway. "Thank you." She whispered and Damien had to repress a moan at the husky sound added to her voice due to just waking up. He released her and stood up, trying not to show just how the woman effected him. Subaki, who had just woken up herself, had noticed however, and didn't like it one bit.

Subaki's eyes flashed and she slowly stretched her muscles, staring at Damien the whole time. Her thinly veiled lust reflected fully in her normally brown, now black, eyes. Damien avoided her as much as possible as he went to wake his still sleeping brother.

Davis opened his eyes and sat up before Damien could reach him and shot to his feet. His eyes were blood-shot and his face expressed his alert senses. Damien backed away from him slightly and frowned. The death of the sailors was affecting his brother more then he previously thought.

"Ah, good morning, Davis-san." Midoriko said as she walked over to where their campfire had been and relit it. Davis turned to the miko and smiled in return. "Good morning to you as well, Midoriko." He whispered out in a low voice and sat down again. Damien frowned at his brother once again and sat down next to the fire as well.

Subaki chose this time to cozy up to the young man she had a crush on. She walked over and sat on his side, throwing her arms around Damien. "Oh, Damien-san! I had the worst dream!" She said as she snuggled closer. Her eyes darkened to black once again as she glanced over to see Midoriko ignoring her advances on Damien.

'That's right. Look away, Midoriko. You have no backbone. This one is mine.' She thought maliciously and squeezed the man's arm again.

Damien sighed in annoyance and looked down at the woman he listened to only because he liked her sister. Davis smirked at his brother and watched in growing amusement as the hair-brained woman went on and on about being lost in the jungle. 'If she didn't draw Damien's attention away from Midoriko, I would leave her in the damn jungle.' He thought as he scooted over to where Midoriko sat.

"How was your night?" He asked, trying to get her attention away from his brother and her sister and towards him.

Midoriko looked over at Davis and smiled grimly. "Not as good as I would hope it to be. How about you, Davis-san?" Her eyebrows scrunched up and her pretty lips formed a slight frown. "you didn't have any nightmares...did you?"

Davis sat back and stared into the fire, contemplating the dreams he had had. They weren't really nightmares, just half formed images and plans in his head. The color red had been a very big part of it all too.

Midoriko saw the strange gleam in Davis' glazed eyes and knew he had had nightmares. 'Great job 'Riko! Remind him of all the people that had died why don't you!' She quickly waved a hand in front of the captain's face and breathed sigh of relief when he looked over at her in surprise. Davis smiled slightly and shook his head. "They weren't really nightmares." He said lamely and Midoriko decided to let it pass.

Damien, finally able to detach the annoying wench beside him, looked over to where Midoriko and Davis were smiling at each other. 'The hell?' He asked himself as he stood up and went to help Midoriko with the fire. He purposely walked between them and stole a glance at Midoriko's face.

Midoriko looked down and hid her blush. Damien frowned and looked over at his scowling brother. Both smirked at each other, issuing a silent challenge. They weren't backing out of this, and the tragedy from before wasn't going to deter them either.

Subaki watched the proceedings with a thoughtful frown. 'So they both like Midoriko.' She stated in her head as she observed the way both men acted around her sister. 'Damien having feelings for her is a minor set-back...but the captain's feelings for her could help...' She grinned as a plan came to mind.

'Now to get the captain and Midoriko alone together. Of course, the alone time with Damien would be appreciated...'

"Hey Midoriko?" Subaki slowly asked as she walked over to her older sister. "I'm really hungry. Could you go get some berries or something for me? I can't find any!" She said as she glanced over at Davis. Their eyes caught and they both instantly understood each other.

Davis came up behind Midoriko and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll go with you. You, know. Keep you safe and all." He smiled down on the flustered miko and ushered her into the surrounding jungle. Damien shot to his feet as they both walked off. He made to follow them, but was pulled up short by a hand on his arm.

Subaki grabbed a hold of one muscular arm and nearly shuddered at the power she felt under her fingertips. 'Holy Hell...he sure does work out!' She briefly thought as she tugged the male back toward her. "Let them go, Damien. I'm sure they want alone time. Just like I want with you!" She purred out seductively and hugged the stiff sailor about his waist.

Damien stared down at the female clinging to him in horror. 'There is something wrong with this girl!' He thought as he began his struggles to be free. Subaki frowned as she hung on to the twisting form.

With a cry of triumph, Damien felt her grasp loosen and quickly pushed her off. "Look. I don't want anything to do with you! I don't like you! At all! So stay the hell away from me!" He bellowed at the stunned Subaki and quickly stalked off in the direction Midoriko and Davis took.

Subaki slowly stood. Her eyes were downcast and blank. Her shoulders slumped and her hair slowly fell into her face. The sound of soft chuckling brought her head up and Subaki's coal black eyes collided with deep crimson ones. She blink a little, not sure that there was actually someone standing in front of her or not.

A person, most likely a man, stood before her in a weird baboon pelt. It looked newly made and very soft. Red eyes glowed brilliantly from behind the mask part of the cloak and a tendril of obsidian hair peeked from the corner, curling slightly. Subaki raised an eyebrow and stood up straight, trying to gather her remaining dignity.

"Don't laugh at me." She said shortly and snorted in anger when the man's chuckles only grew in volume.

"I do not laugh at you, my pet." The man's deep sensuous voice struck a cord within her and she felt a strange drowsiness fill her mind. "I laugh at the fool who rejected something as perfect as yourself." He continued and Subaki put a hand to her head, trying to fight the dizziness filling her being.

The man took a step forward and Subaki took one back. "W-who are you?" She asked in slight fear and apprehension. The man took off the cloak and Subaki drew in a sharp breath. He was absolutely gorgeous. His dark, curly hair swirled around his angular face to trail to the small of his back. His chest was a broad, muscular expanse that Subaki felt the need to explore with her fingers.

The man cocked his lips into a sardonic smile and his eyes glittered with an unknown emotion. "I, my dear, am Naraku." He answered and Subaki felt the need to turn into a puddle of goop at his tone. His blood-red eyes twinkled in amusement as he again approached her, this time she didn't back up.

His pale hands reached up and cupped her face, looking into her dazed expression with glee. The spell was already taking effect. She was completely under his power, whether she knew it or not. A smirk graced his features as he silently commanded her to sleep. Picking her up, bridal style, Naraku turned his head to the direction a rather loud argument was coming from. It seems the other three would be back soon. It was time for him to leave with his prize.

Naraku leapt and floated in the air watching as the three came into their previous campsite and realized Subaki was no where in sight. He watched as the miko, Midoriko, scream out her sisters name and smirked. She was his original objective. Her beautiful chocolate eyes, haunting smile and wonderful scent.

Naraku inhaled deeply and tried to ignore the scent coming form Subaki, instead focusing on his obsessions scent. Thunderstorms and spring-time flowers was what she smelled like. Truly beautiful.

Midoriko had become his obsession since the first time he saw her step off the boat. He had wanted to take her then, to make her his. But, seeing the power in her gaze and sensing her purity, the need had changed slightly. He still wanted her, Kami how he did, but now he wanted to watch that powerful look in her eyes break and her being fill with hopelessness. To know that she knew that she was all alone and that everything would not be fine. He wanted to taint that purity within her, to watch it blacken with sorrow.

To do this, he needed a plan. This plan included the help of an already darkened miko and the two sailors before him. Killing off the others had been a necessity, but he had taken great pleasure in doing so. He hadn't planned on the insanity of the captain, but this too would be a great asset. Now to set the main plan into motion. All the pawns were in place, and he knew he would be victorious.

It was only a matter of time.

:With the guys outside the cave:

Kouga sighed as he stretched out his legs and stared out over the dark waves crashing against the side of the cliff. Beside him sat Michael, occasionally entertaining thoughts about pushing the annoying wolf over the cliff. Gabriel, who sat across from them and next to Sesshoumaru, smirked at hearing these thoughts and agreed that it would be kind of funny.

Inuyasha sat leaning against the barrier, the least affected by it since he was a hanyou. His amber gaze also stared out over the waves as he thought about something he hadn't thought about since he had gotten to the island. 'I wonder what happened with that shipment Sesshoumaru and I were supposed to oversee...'

Sesshoumaru's thoughts, however, were far from business. His eyes were focused on the barrier surrounding the cave entrance. His youki periodically stretched out and poked at it, seeing if it had any weaknesses since the last time he had poked it. No such luck. His eyes flashed slightly red as he tried to force down the frustration growing in the pit of his being. Normally he was a patient being, but this time his inner beast was awake and also frustrated.

'What could she be doing in there? There couldn't be another exit to this cave...could there?'

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened as he thought of this and took in a deep breath, trying to pick up the woman's scent. It was still there and still as strong as it had been when they had first arrived. 'She hasn't moved from where she's at, but there could still be another entrance.' He thought and looked over at the fidgeting wolf. A smirk lifted his lips and he sat up straighter.

Gabriel, Michael and Inuyasha instantly caught his movement and all three knew by the look in the taiyoukai's eyes, that something interesting was about to happen.

"Kouga." Sesshoumaru said into the still air and the wolf turned to look at him with slight wariness. "I have something for you to do."

Kouga narrowed his eyes and sat up straight as well. "Why would I do anything you told me to do?" he asked snidely as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Because if you don't, I'll kill you." Sesshoumaru answered in a cold serious air that slightly frightened Kouga. Kouga frowned and decided that whatever the taiyoukai was up to had to be more interesting then just sitting here.

Seeing that he had Kouga's attention, he turned to Inuyasha and his smirk grew. "This may require you as well, little brother." He said smoothly and Inuyasha wondered what the hell his brother could possibly be thinking.

"There may be another entrance to this cave. Michael, Gabriel and I will stay here and cover this entrance. Why don't you two search out the other entrance?"

Inuyasha held back a bitter laugh and eyed Sesshoumaru incredulously. "Do you think I'm stupid?" he asked and quickly continued when he saw Sesshoumaru's eyebrow lift. "You're gonna get rid of us and the damn barriers going to fall, and then you will have a shot at Kagome!"

Kouga remained quiet as he thought over the taiyoukai's proposition, for once. Although there was a chance that there was no other entrance, Kouga felt that the breeze coming FROM the cave indicated that there was, indeed, another entrance. There was also a chance that this other entrance didn't have a barrier. Kouga's icy blue eyes slid over to the arguing pair and then over to the winged assassins watching with amusement. If he was going to except without causing the other youkai to be tipped off, he needed to do this with finesse and skill.

He slid on a cocky grin and stood up, hands on his hips. "Whatever gets rid of this boredom AND you guys, I'll do it!" He said with his usual boastful voice and Inuyasha turned to him as if he were stupid. Sesshoumaru tried to conceal the smirk on his face and Gabriel and Michael thought the wolf was indeed as stupid as he looked.

Kouga walked out of the cave and up the side of the cliff, silently thinking the acting skills he had needed when he first became a detective. 'Thank you, Ginta!' He exclaimed in his head as he lifted his head and took a deep breath of air. This was a mistake.

The horrible stench coming off of the orange flowers before him caused him to choke and his eyes to water. As he hacked for air, he didn't notice the inu hanyou walking up the cliff behind him, scowling in anger.

"What the hell is wrong with you! Didn't you hear me explain WHY we weren't going to do this! Do you not know that if we leave and the barrier falls while we're gone, they'll get to Kagome first!"

Kouga ran a little away from the bush and took in gulps of air, studying the hanyou before him. He regained his breath and stood up, coming to a decision. He and the hanyou were looked down upon because of their brash nature. So it was natural to pair up in a team of sorts against the other three.

With these thoughts racing through his head, Kouga proceeded to tell Inuyasha just what exactly he was thinking of when he agreed. Inuyasha listened to the wolf and his anger faded as he came up with the same conclusion. There was a perfect chance that they would reach Kagome first after all.

XP:XD:XP

KC: There you go folks! I updated as fast as I could! Its a long chapter too! SO NO COMPLAINING! I would like to think everyone who reviewed and is still reading this fic! I greatly appreciate your support!

THANK YOU! XD