It was quiet. My breathing was weak and shallow, and my head throbbed continuously as exhaustion weighed my body down. Day after day, painful and constant, never leaving me alone. Sleep was my main companion now, haunting me no matter how hard I tried to remain awake.

Death was close- far too close. I could feel it; in my chest, in my bones, in my soul. My very being seemed to be whispering that I was nearing my end, the spirits connected to me flitting about anxiously within. I found it strange how I could feel them now. After all this time of praying and asking and begging them to help, I was only just now able to fully sense them within me. I wonder why that was. Is it because I was so close to death? Am I able to sense the spirits because I'm close to becoming one myself? What exactly happened after death? All I know is that when I die, the spirits will leave to find another summoner to serve.

And yet… it's a little sad. It almost felt like I was being abandoned by them.

I mean, I couldn't blame them; they weren't the reason my body was like this. I had been sickly for a long time- years, in fact- before I found out about them. Before I came to this time period. The Shikigami were incredibly powerful forces of nature, and I… just couldn't keep up with them. They did their best to help me, again and again, even when I didn't ask and was simply overwhelmed by my emotions.

They saved my friends more times than I can count.

But… it hurts. All of this hurts. I don't want to die.

"Irene…"

I grimaced, slowly waking, shifting on the spot of grass where I was laying. Rolling onto my back with a small gasp, I groaned and brought my hands up to my face- yawning and stretching out my short legs. How long have I been asleep now? How many days has it been since we left Lord Kuranosukei's castle? I'm not sure anymore.

Gods, everything hurts. My lungs feel like they're burning and being crushed, my skull won't stop throbbing. My limbs felt weak- and it took every ounce of strength I had to even move. Eyelids heavy on my face as I looked up, I blinked; my tired brown eyes gazing up in surprise at a blinding yet beautiful clear blue sky.

This is… a dream, right? I have to be dreaming. I can hear the sound of the tree leaves rustling, and rushing water flowing calmly from behind me. I couldn't figure out where or when I would have been here before, but it all felt so familiar. How long ago was it when I last had such a peaceful dream?

Oh… wait a minute.

I struggled to sit up, watching as an eagle of blue-and-green flames dove through the sky, flapping its majestic wings and soaring through the wind. The sounds of the rushing water seemed to grow louder, and turning my head I saw the river stream flowing nearby- just a few feet away from where my head had been laying, two familiar blue koi fish swimming and watching me from their places in the stream. Judging, calculating. Observing. Beautiful blue butterflies drifted throughout the forest, radiant and ethereal.

And then I heard a roar, one so loud it almost seemed to shake the earth, and though it hurt I found myself letting out a frightened screech when a fiery red-and-blue dragon came crashing down in front of me, it's long snake-like body coiling around me. I was just about to fall over when it's tail pressed against my back, keeping me upright, and I stiffened- frozen as its intense eyes bore deep into mine.

It did nothing, simply staring at me, and I wondered what it could possibly have wanted me to do. Then I reached up, hesitant and scared, carefully touching the side of the dragon's face with my fingers. It was both cool and warm, and through the flames I could feel scales, and as I brought my other hand up to cup its face I realized something.

These creatures… they were the Shikigami. The spirits who've helped me from the very moment I arrived in this place.

"This… isn't a dream, right?" I stammered, a bit startled by everything. "How are… you here? Where… is here? Is this-?"

I looked around, eyebrows furrowing.

"Is this… where you all stay when not… summoned?"

"Master!" Someone shouted, and I barely turned my head in time to see a very cute dog leap over the dragon's body, falling down onto the ground, and then picking himself back up to bound towards me. The red flames that encased him flickered in the sunlight and he barked, taking a spot next to my lap. "You have arrived! I missed you!"

Ah… yep. That's my dog familiar, alright. It's been a while since I've seen him. It's a bit weird- okay, very weird- that he could talk all of a sudden, but I'm not going to question it. Too much weird stuff has happened recently. Feudal era magic is magic, and that's that. He actually talks like how I imagined a dog would, honestly. Though… that really only makes it kind of weirder.

"Where've you been, boy?" I reached out and scratched behind his ears, watching in amusement as he leaned into the touch and began to kick one of his feet against the ground, the dog panting happily in response to the affection.

"Waiting! Roh has been waiting for Master to summon him!"

"Roh…?"

"Me!" He beamed, grinning as wide as he possibly could with his doggy face. "I am Roh! Roh is me! Master likes Roh, yes? Roh likes Master, too!"

Oh my gods. He's so cute.

"You've been here before." The dragon spoke, changing the subject. Its voice was deeper than the dog's, ancient and full of authority. Shifting my legs and sitting awkwardly as the dog plopped himself halfway onto my lap, I looked up at the dragon- running a hand along the dog's back to pet him. I listened intently to what was being said, seeking answers to the confusion I currently felt. "Several times, in fact. This… is the inside of your soul."

So… I was half right, then. They're attached to my soul until the moment of my death, where they go out to seek a new master, so it's the inside of my soul where they remain until they're summoned. That's why the panthers wanted me so much; if they could get my soul, they could get the spirits attached to it. We're a package deal.

And I know Anastasia wants my spirits, too. She said that my soul would continue to exist within her, that inside of her we would all thrive. But… I can't see how that would be a good outcome for any of us. Why would the Shikigami wish to serve someone who took them by force, rather than a master they chose by themselves?

Oh. I blinked, an understanding dawning on me. That's why they help all the time.

They chose me. I have the ability to use them, so they put their trust in me and declared me their new master. But, if I betray that trust, they can just as easily attack me and destroy my soul in vengeance. I… haven't done anything to hurt them as of yet, though I do feel like I have come pretty close to it at times- what with all these people aiming to steal the very soul they reside in.

But… I don't get it. Something still doesn't make sense.

"Why…" I really hope this doesn't come off as rude. "Why do you guys… trust me so much?"

The eagle swooped down, resting upon the dragon's long body, tucking its wings to its side, and it shared a look with all the other animals, a fiery red rhinoceros even wandering over and sitting down to join the conversation. It almost felt like a banquet of animals, a strange not-quite gathering of not-really-zodiac creatures. Just the Shikigami and their mortal priestess.

"Because," The eagle spoke, sitting tall with a light air of haughtiness around it, "you have saved us."

Hah?

"When we were within the darkness, wandering aimlessly after our previous master was lost, we discovered a light." The dragon lowered its head, humming low to itself. "Yet it was not a pleasant light. It was a false one- determined to take back what had been lost. Fierce and cold and white as death; our master tried to reclaim us."

The eagle turned its beak towards the sky, speaking with a tone of melancholy and… lament. "But they were… different. Not the same as they once were. They were empty now, devoid of compassion and empathy. They were not the master we had once loved."

"We had no choice but to return to them." One of the koi fish said, voice as cold as their gaze. "And we would have been trapped within them for eternity…"

"…if not for you." The other koi finished.

"Wh… What?" My brows furrowed. "What did I do?"

The rhinoceros bowed its large head. "You were born. That gave us an escape, a new summoner to serve, but... despite this chance at freedom we could not reach you."

The dragon nodded at the creature's words. "Spirits are… different from beings bound by time; we exist everywhere, anywhere, and all at once. We are similar to gods in that sense, yet unlike us who simply serve humanity, they observe the course of time. But time itself had been altered due to a foolish god's mistake."

"We were left to wait." The eagle stated. "Trapped in this era due to that mistake, we could not go to you. We could only resist the calling of our previous master who had returned to a false life, unable to fight them, to battle for our freedom, for they were not truly living. They were merely an imitation of the one we once served, and as such we could only watch as they sought desperately for a way to be made real."

"They believed it was the only way we would return to them." The first koi explained. "That they would be able to regain the love that they had lost. And then…"

"The spell was cast." The second koi continued. "You, who had the ability to use the Shikigami power, yet lacked the spirits to do so. It was not until you touched the summoning stone that we were able to transfer to you- into your light- and hide ourselves within your soul."

"That's when I saved you!" Roh piped up, barking happily. I jolted, looking down at him with wide eyes. "I was looking for Master a long time when I felt your soul finally appear! But then that evil snake spirit tried to snuff it out! I wasn't going to let that happen; so I took you to where I sensed a friend nearby! Though you wandered in the opposite direction of him…"

Roh pouted at me, in a way that only a dog could, flashing me big sad eyes. I tilted my head, looking at the red fire spirit that was on my lap, something about his story ringing a few bells. "You mean… Inuyasha? You took me to Inuyasha?"

Roh barked. "Yes! Him! He's a dog, too! Very strong. He could keep Master safe until you unlocked the power to properly use us! And he did! I was right."

Um. Okay. This officially takes the cake on the level of feudal era weirdness. I mean, I've already long-since figured out that he saved me and brought me close to Kaede's village because of Inuyasha, but all that other stuff was brand new.

I wasn't even sure where to start picking it all apart to begin understanding it. It was nice to have some confirmation on my theory though.

Eyebrows raised, I pressed my fingers to my forehead, head throbbing even worse than before. "So… wait. Okay. Um, the previous Shikigami user… the one before me… died, but then they came back to life? Am I understanding that right? They were, like, resuscitated or something? Or were they, like, straight up revived from the dead like the panther demon's master?"

The spirits all lowered their heads, but it was the dragon who spoke. "That was the mistake that had been made. A long time ago, one of the gods had been tricked by humanity- and bestowed upon one of them a secret. That secret is what eventually led to our previous master's revival and caused the flow of time to become distorted- easily twisted by the actions of others. Every action you take changes the future, Irene, and those changes are permanent."

There are gods now? The time travelling actually has consequences?

"That's why she was able to bring you here," The dragon explained, "someone that was never meant to come to this era. The gods could foresee this, but they could not take the secret back- so they cursed the god who gave the knowledge instead."

There was so much to unpack here. "Hold... Hold up. S-So I'm a mistake? Because some god goofed up? And- she? Your master was a woman?"

That was a super important detail to just leave out! God damn. But… a female onmyōji priestess? They were rare, although… they weren't unheard of. I do remember Shiori's mom saying something before about a wandering Shikigami user. There's a possibility they're the same person.

I ran my hand down my face, bringing it to my chin, and I nibbled worriedly on my bottom lip. "A snake spirit…"

Some of this sounds so familiar, while other pieces of it made absolutely no sense.

If it was the wandering priestess I had been told about, then she would have had to have been an old lady by now- if not dead completely. That would check out with their story of the previous master dying, yet how she was revived is a completely different story that they didn't even know the specifics to. Only that it was some kind of secret that twisted time itself. It also sort of checks in with what the mysterious talking cat said before.

Urgh... think, Irene- there's something we're missing.

They called her an imitation, right? So maybe it wasn't a complete revival- something went wrong. Their master had been searching desperately for a way to be made real, so that she could get back all that she had loved. That would mean the spirits and… maybe something or someone else?

The only spirit that remained with her was a snake, so… oh.

Oh, no.

My head shot up, eyes wide and nearly bulging out of my skull as I choked on air. "Your master wasn't… She wasn't Anastasia, right?"

They said nothing, merely looking at each other and lowering their heads. Holy frick. This would mean that… she wasn't a demon. She was a human priestess working with Naraku, killing hundreds of innocent people and even getting demons involved. Only… she wasn't quite human- not anymore.

Something was wrong with her.

Anastasia's voice… sounded so young, though. She couldn't be older than my eldest sister, and she was nearly thirty. Inuyasha wasn't able to pick up a human scent from her, either, so maybe she doesn't even age anymore. Maybe Anastasia died so young that when she was revived, so much of her was missing and so much time had passed that she became nothing more than a vengeful being wandering around in search of a way to become properly human again.

"That's why she wants me." I realized.

I clamped both hands over my mouth, horrified and disturbed and actually upset by this sudden understanding. Back in the hut where I was trapped- she tried to convince me to give up. To surrender to her. She said that she knew what it was like to be ill.

She knew because it was how she died. "She wants… my soul, so that she can get you all back and so… she can have a soul of her own."

That has to be it. The reason why she went from Maria to me was because of the Shikigami that I possessed. They used to be hers.

And she was going to stop at nothing until she had them again.

"She can only obtain us if she manages to steal your soul while you are alive." The rhinoceros warned. "If you die beforehand, then she will have to wait once more and search for our next master. However, if you can stop her within your remaining days…"

"But I'm…" I lowered my hands to my chest, digging my fingers into my shirt, looking up at the spirits with teary eyes. I choked as a lump formed painfully in my throat. "I'm not going to live. Not for long. I-I'm… going to die soon. My body won't… i-it won't…"

"Master…" Roh let out a small whimper, pushing himself up onto his hindlegs and nuzzling his face against my cheek. "It'll be okay, Master. We'll be with you. You're not alone."

The dragon sighed heavily, eyes opening and staring at me, expression deep and sorrowful. "I'm sorry, Irene. At the rate you are going, you won't make it past the next three days. We called you here today because… we wanted you to know the reason behind it all. It's nearly time for our departure, and time for your eternal rest."

"She might not even last until then…" One of the koi muttered, sinking deeper into the water. They seemed to be deep in thought, almost regretful in a way. "Her body is even weaker in the waking world."

"Agreed." The second fish said. "As much as we owe and as much as we had been waiting for her, there's nothing that can be done. She'll die like this, just as our previous master had. She's pathetic."

Hooves pounding against the ground, the rhinoceros unleashed an angry roar. "How could you say such a thing!? She saved us from the darkness! We could have been trapped alongside our snake brethren, forever wandering within a stolen soul!"

"The snake is a traitor." The first koi snapped. "They would rather remain with the dead than the living."

"Silence!" The dragon raged. "We do not have time for this! The human we have bonded with now is fading! Cease your foolish bickering and focus."

I… I don't understand. "I only… have three days?"

I wasn't expecting such little time. I thought I would have a month at most. I didn't- no. No, no, no. My last conversation with Maria didn't even end that well. There was so much more I needed to say to her. I can't just leave like that. Like this. I-

The skies around us began to darken, the beautiful blue contorting into something gloomy and sinister. The spirits paused and glanced around, observing the changes in weather, before turning their gazes to me. My fingers dug harder into my chest, the back of my right hand pressed against my mouth as my lips curled back and I choked.

My stomach was twisting and churning, the dread I had been feeling strengthening and tearing the hole that had long since formed inside my chest into something immeasurably large. Cold, empty, gaping. There was no escape from this.

Three days.

I have three days to live, assuming something or someone doesn't kill me before then. As much as I knew my death was coming, I wasn't anywhere near as ready for it as I thought I was. I'm so scared of it. Terrified. I want to see Maria one more time at least- get one last hug from her. I don't… want to die, but I especially don't want to die before I remind her of how important she was to me.

It's cold. It's so cold.

My chest… hurts. It's suffocating me. I'm so afraid. I can't tell anyone about this, they would just get upset. They would try to postpone it and it would just lower our chances of stopping Naraku.

Their chances of stopping him.

The dragon let out a small sigh. He leaned forward, and I choked- snapping out of my dark thoughts when he bumped his large forehead against mine. His eyes bore into me, deep and foreboding and concerned, the spirit… seeming heartbroken at the knowledge of my impending demise.

"Breathe, Irene. Awaken and continue on… until the time comes for us to part."

But I don't… want that. I don't…

Something soft tickled my face and I grimaced, groggily opening my eyes and flinching at the bright daylight that burned through my eyelids. My entire body ached, head throbbing.

Blinking a few times, I lifted my head and looked to see what was tickling me- and I was surprised to see that it was long silver hair instead of familiar yellow fur. "Inu...yasha?"

"Hah? Oh, you're awake." The half-demon shifted, lifting me farther up on his back, carrying me as he ran through the woods. "It's about time you woke up."

"What's… where is-" Ah, there they are. Miroku and Sango were both on Kirara's back, while Shippō was lounging in Kagome's bike basket while she pedaled as fast as her legs would let her. I guess they wanted to get as much ground as they could in a day, considering how far behind we already were in our search. "...oh."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at me, before shaking his head and continuing to bound through the forest at incredible speed. I leaned my head back down on his back, closing my eyes and thinking deep. The dread in my stomach was strong, and I could only think about how little progress we might make in the next three days.

I remembered my dream well. I don't think I've ever remembered a meeting within my soul before, so I was a little surprised I could now. Sadly, I had a feeling it was because I was so close to death. If not for that, the memory would have already faded.

Three days… that's not enough time for anything. I'm going to die without being of any use, without having accomplished anything.

I won't even get to see my sister before then.

Suddenly, the half-demon came to a stop, nearly dropping me as he stumbled sideways and let out a huge groan of disgust. "Ugh-! What is that smell!? It's disgusting!" Inuyasha hunched over, keeping one hand on my leg so I wouldn't fall, and placing the other over his mouth as he tried not to throw up. His face had turned several shades of green.

Kagome braked her bike hard, her and Shippō nearly going flying with the way the back lifted up, and Kirara flew to a stop, Miroku and Sango turning to look at the boy, everyone concerned by what was happening.

I sat up a little, grabbing onto his shoulders, giving him a weird look. My voice was a bit raspy from sleep, but overall everyone could still hear me. "What… What smell? What are you talking about?"

"Nothing, there's just…" Inuyasha gagged a little, hiding his nose behind his kimono sleeve. His ears twitched, and he lifted a foot up- gesturing wildly towards the nearby village. "There's just a terrible smell coming from over there."

Sango furrowed her brows, leaning forward and trying to catch a whiff of what he was talking about. "I can't smell anything."

I sniffled- but overall didn't smell anything either. I shared a confused look with the others and shook my head, shrugging. Miroku frowned.

"Inuyasha's sense of smell is superior to a human's." He commented. He then flashed a grin, waving his staff and gesturing for Kirara to let him down onto the ground. "Why don't we venture forth and find out what exactly that smell is? It's on the way, so it can't hurt to check it out."

"Wait, are we…" I tilted my head, squinting and looking into the distance. "Are we already at Ayame Village?"

"Seems like it." Kagome said. Pedaling forward, she rolled her eyes at Inuyasha and lightly bopped him on the arm with her fist. "Come on, you big baby. You can do it!"

Inuyasha groaned, hunching over even farther. "Ya'll are trying to kill me. Eugh… it just gets worse and worse… urk…"

"Hey now." Sango climbed off Kirara, and she and the cat demon wandered over to me and the half-demon. "Why don't you give me Irene for the time being? That way you don't drop her or push yourself too far with that bad smell."

I blinked at her outstretched arms, and was a little amused to find that Inuyasha didn't argue with the slayer at all- the boy eagerly handing me over to her. Sango helped me get up on Kirara, and together the gang made their way through the forest and deeper into the mountains towards the distant village.

Scratching Kirara behind the ear, I let out a small yawn and coughed as we moved onwards. A part of me wondered if we would encounter a certain demon lord at all, but I brushed the thought off and focused on the task at hand.

Approaching the village, I was a bit relieved that it didn't seem too much different from the others we've encountered. I just hoped none would try attacking me this time. I was a little sick of it, honestly. Though dazed, I observed the rice fields and the rather quiet marketplace, and as we walked deeper into the village a strong scent began to reach my nose- something heady and pungent, and close to making my eyes water.

This smell…

"That is awful." It made me want to throw up. I waved a hand towards Kagome and she moved closer with a tiny laugh, walking beside her bike now that we were inside a town. She let me rummage weakly through her backpack to pull out the gas mask Sango had made me, and quickly holding that up to my face I let out a breath of relief- the disgusting smell effectively blocked. "Much better."

Miroku led the way towards the nasty smell, Inuyasha's stumbling getting worse the closer we got, and we soon discovered that it was coming from several strings of hanging garlic that a man put out in front of his house. Shippō gagged from his spot inside the basket. "I feel like puking."

The man with the garlic just laughed. "But of course! Garlic is super stinky, despite its nutritional value. Do you guys wanna take one with you? I don't mind."

Kagome flashed him a weak smile, not wanting to seem rude. "Uh, not today, thanks. Maybe next time."

"That's too bad. Well, it just means more for me! Haha!"

Inuyasha choked, cheeks puffing out as the stench became too strong for him. "I-I can't… urgh…" He fell back, collapsing onto his rear before completely falling over. Sango sighed.

"The smell got to him."

Miroku chuckled, wandering over and kneeling down- poking the near unconscious half-demon with the end of his staff. "It must be tough having such a strong sense of smell, huh, Inuyasha?"

"H… Help me…"

Poor guy. The smell was suffocating and disgusting, but my senses were nowhere near as strong as his. I felt so bad for him. Taking a deep breath, I slowly slid off of Kirara and staggered over to him, squatting down and holding the mask out for him. Inuyasha didn't waste a second in snatching it out of my grasp and using it for himself, breathing heavily and wheezing as the object filtered out the air.

Shakily standing, he stumbled and Kagome yelped- barely catching him in time. She then laughed, amused by his behavior as she helped support him. I didn't move for a few moments, waiting for the sudden bout of dizziness that hit me to pass, and then I tried to stand- too tired to even let a yelp escape my lips when I started to fall backwards from a misplaced step.

"Whoa!" Miroku quickly reached out to catch me, and he would have succeeded if Sango did rush by him- the woman grabbing me by the waist. "O-Okay then… Nice catch, Sango!"

"I know. Thanks." She easily hoisted me up into her arms, carrying me back over to Kirara, and watched as I slumped over and collapsed against the cat demon. Sango rested a hand on my head, gently brushing my bangs out of my face. She frowned deeply. "Irene… are you really sure you're okay?"

A weak thumbs up. There was no way I could tell her the truth. "S'fine. Smell is just… really strong."

"Let's hurry and get out of here." Shippō groaned, tiny hands clamped over his nose. "This garlic really stinks."

"There, there." Kagome said, patting both Inuyasha on the back as he tried to recover from what just happened. "Come on, let's get going."

"Blegh…" Was Inuyasha's only retort. He ended up passing the mask back to me, which I breathed into as we made our way through the village, but we soon stopped when a market stall caught a certain monk's attention.

"These are… snow shoes, correct?" Miroku asked, peering over the stall to look at a pair of very large straw boots. They were quite ridiculous looking, though I think that had more to do with the time period and resources more than anything else. "Huh."

The market man looked up with excitement, pleased by the observation. "You've got a good eye to pick that out from everything else!"

"A good eye?" Shippō was confused. "What does that mean?"

Inuyasha scowled, practically draped over Kagome as he clung to her for balance. "Is this guy tryin' to pick a fight?"

Kagome looked at him, exasperated, ready to scold him if he dared attempt anything. "No! He's saying Miroku chose well."

"Oh!" Shippō stood up from within the basket, tiny hands gripping the edges as he leaned over to get a look at the boots. He still seemed confused. "These… big shoes?"

The man laughed. "They're called "snowshoes". With these, you can walk as much as you want, anywhere you want, on snow and not have to worry about sinking! So, how about it? You want them now, don't you? If you buy them now, I'll give you a good deal!" He grinned, selling us his best marketing pitch.

Inuyasha turned his nose up at the man. "We don't need them."

Miroku nodded, raising a hand up to his chin. "It doesn't even snow around here. I was surprised to see them, which is why I stopped in the first place."

A woman about the man's age walked up from the back of the store, smacking him on the arm. "See? I told you not to buy those from the peddler! They're just in the way now. You wasted our money yet again!"

The man sighed, rubbing his now bruising arm. "I'm no good at this…"

I frowned a little, feeling a bit bad for them, but didn't say anything and simply closed my eyes- resting against Kirara once more. Staying awake was so hard to do. It made me think once more about how when I die, if it would be in my sleep.

"Do you all know where you're going to rest tonight?" The older woman asked. "There aren't any more inns past here. If you need a place to stay, you can come to our inn. It's not much, but you'll be very welcomed. It's just next door."

"I'm sorry," Sango apologized, resting a hand on my back gently, rubbing circles as if to comfort me, "but we really need to get going. We can't afford any more delays."

"Oh, that's too bad." The woman sighed. "My husband isn't very good at his work, which is why I have to run the inn. If you all ever need to rest, just come back here and let us know, alright? I'll set things up for you. My name is Ichi, by the way, and this fool over here is Ryuuzo. We'll be waiting."

Feeling Kirara start to walk again let me know that the conversation had ended, Kagome thanking the couple as we headed off. Unsurprisingly, I fell fast asleep shortly after, and woke up only when Kirara came to an abrupt halt. I blinked groggily, sitting up with a few coughs, and looked over to see Inuyasha scowling in the distance, muscles tensing. "I can smell wolves."

Wolves? As in, like, demon wolves or normal wolves?

I watched him sniff the air again, fingers flexing as though he was preparing to fight. "Blood, too." He growled, voice deepening, amber eyes narrowed as they searched the area for any immediate threat. His ears were twitching, moving rapidly as they listened for any suspicious sounds. "Lots of wolf blood."

"Wait, but isn't this place…" Kagome faltered, looking around nervously, a hand curled to her chest. "...close to Kōga's mountain?"

"Yeah." Inuyasha turned his head, glaring in the direction he could smell the scents. "Those scrawny wolves probably ran into some trouble after we split up from that one castle town."

This made me wide awake, a rush of adrenaline flowing through me and allowing me to sit up, leaving me alarmed and mildly panicked. "W-Wait, but… Maria was with them! What if she's hurt, too? Y-You can't smell her, can you?"

I didn't think I'd get to see her at all within these next few days, though I'd rather it not happen due to something like this. I wanted to see her safe, not in danger.

Inuyasha stared at me for a moment, ears twitching. "I don't smell her, but…"

Everyone looked at him, gazes boring deep into his skull, and the half-demon tensed. After a few seconds, Inuyasha sighed- caving in to our desires, all of us looking at him with an intensity he couldn't go against.

"Ugh, fine. Come on; their scent is this way!"

He took off into a run, and Kagome quickly hopped back onto her bike. Sango climbed onto Kirara behind me, and with Miroku running at full speed we followed after the half-demon, making our way through the rest of the village, past civilians, and deep into the mountainous forest.

"Stupid Kōga- he can't even protect himself!"

"I'm sure Maria is fine." Sango said, placing a hand on my waist, the other gripping her hiraikotsu in case it was needed. "Inuyasha said he couldn't smell her, and from what I've seen she's pretty tough!"

"Agreed!" Miroku exclaimed, flashing a quick grin before focusing his attention head. "Believe me; if Maria is anything like you, Irene, then she can handle her own when the going gets tough!"

I felt a small stinging in my eyes and I blinked, looking down and worrying my bottom lip. I didn't think I was that good at handling hard situations, but… if it meant her being okay- I would believe anything right now.

I gave a small nod, grasping the hand Sango offered, and tried to steady my breathing- knowing no good would come out of this if I couldn't at least keep a somewhat clear mind. Having an asthma attack would do us no good in a serious situation. Even if it killed me faster, I would use my Shikigami to protect my sister.

Kagome pedaled her bike faster, glancing at me, before shouting at Inuyasha, "How many wolves do you think there are!?"

"I can't tell; their scents all over the place! All I can really make out is the blood, but it's pretty scattered too!" Then how do we know if we're in the right direction? Kirara roared and followed Inuyasha through some trees, turning a corner and moving deeper into the forest. Suddenly, the half-demon skidded to a stop, sniffing the air and whirling his head around, amber eyes wide. "This way!"

He took off again. When we finally caught up to him, Inuyasha was frozen- staring at the terrible sight before us.

"What the hell…?"

Bodies. Bloodied and shredded and burned; some were even missing limbs, while others had their faces scorched to the point where their identities were near unrecognizable. Even the slash marks looked like they had been burnedinto the bodies, the stench of death so strong I nearly gagged. This couldn't even be described as a battlefield.

This was just… a one-sided massacre. Whatever, whoever, did this was out to kill, and they wouldn't stop until they stripped the life from everything that was in sight.

This… place is…

I swallowed down the bile, watching as Kirara stepped over a few bodies, the cat demon sniffing a few of them and letting out a small noise of concern. Kagome was horrified. "This is… awful. This wasn't Kagura's doing, was it?"

"It wouldn't be the first time." Inuyasha stepped forward, nudging one of the bodies with his foot and observing the corpses, only to shake his head shortly after. "But… no. I don't smell her anywhere. I don't think it was her."

"Then… who?" Sango asked, alarmed. Miroku had his hands up, staff resting against his chest, offering the deceased a prayer. "Who could have done this?"

"Who do you think!?" A voice roared.

We all looked up in alarm to see a tornado spinning towards us from the sky, and everyone hurriedly leapt out of the way- Sango holding onto me to prevent me from falling as Kirara lunged to the side. Debris went flying, dirt and earth going everywhere as a crater formed in the ground where Kōga had punched. The wolf demon slowly stood up, shaking, his blue eyes cold as ice. An aura was surrounding him, deadly and dangerous and demonic, and though last time we had met as allies… I had a bad feeling that was not the case anymore.

Kōga bared his fangs, flexing his claws and pointing directly at me. My eyes went wide. "It was her! That two-faced little monster you call a friend! She killed my comrades!"

"What!?" Kagome's eyes went wide. "Kōga, what are you talking about!? Irene's been with us this whole time!"

"Don't try to stop me, Kagome!" Kōga yelled, taking a step forward. His legs tensed, ready to run towards us if necessary, the wolf demon chief watching intently as everyone except Kagome readied their weapons. His gaze was piercing, accusing, as they bore into me. "I can't let her go after what she did! Just look around us!"

He threw his arm out to the side, gesturing to all the corpses and the bloodied ground.

"She killed them!"

Miroku raised his brows and stepped forward, pointing his staff at the demon. "I don't think he's going to listen to what we have to say."

Inuyasha scoffed, but despite his grin there was anger in his eyes. He held the tetsusaiga out in front of him, fully intent on tearing the demon in half. "Interesting. We'll finally get to see who's stronger-!"

The half-demon dashed forward, swinging the tetsusaiga straight down towards the demon. Kōga jumped out of the way, and I watched in alarm as the two began to fight. I had absolutely no idea as to what was happening; we saw each other just a few days ago! What's going on? Why is he saying I killed these people?

"Don't get in my way!" The wolf demon snapped. "I'm not lettin' her go until I have my revenge!"

"Irene didn't do anything you stupid wolf!" Inuyasha roared, slashing at him sideways, only to let out an angered roar when Kōga dodged and used his blade as a stepping board to aim a kick at the half-demon's face. Inuyasha dodged it, then reached out with a hand to snatch his ankle. "Don't be an idiot!"

Kōga let out a yell, being sent flying, only to quickly do a flip and get his balance back. His feet skidded against the bloodied dirt as he went sailing back, and he dug his heels in to come to a stop. "Hraaaaa!" He started to run, vanishing into a tornado, and Inuyasha held tetsusaiga up to block the repeated kicks that were sent his way. "Take this, you mangy mutt!"

"I can't believe he just tried to hurt her!" Shippō exclaimed, furious, watching as the two battled. "That jerk; I hope Inuyasha gets him good!"

"Yes, that was… quite unlike him." Miroku said, lowering his staff as he let the half-demon take care of Kōga. "I wonder what he was thinking."

"He said Irene was the one who attacked these people." Sango informed, climbing off of Kirara and holding her hiraikotsu out in a protective stance. She frowned deeply. "But Irene was with us the entire time! Besides, she would never hurt someone- nonetheless kill them."

"I agree." Kagome gripped her bow tightly. "Something's iffy here."

"Damn iiiiit!" Kōga growled. "Why don't you just give up already? Hand the woman over to me and I'll leave you be, you little rodent!"

"Rodent!? You're the rodent, ya flea bag!"

I'm so sick of this. I don't even understand what's going on. From the distance, we could hear shouting, and from that shouting emerged a familiar duo of wolf demons and a young woman riding atop an even bigger wolf. My eyes widened, watching as they came into view. "M… Maria?"

"Stop!" She shouted, the wolf she was on sliding to a stop a few feet away from the fighting teens, the woman settling an intense hazel green glare on them. Hakkaku and Ginta panted, struggling to keep up, and were hunched over and collapsed by the time they arrived, trying to catch their breath. "Irene is not the killer! She's innocent!"

"She is not innocent!" Kōga growled, spinning on his heel and leaping away from Inuyasha to glare at her. "You saw her! You saw the face of that woman! It was Irene! She was even using those weird spirits of hers! She's been attacking us every day ever since we got back!"

Maria leapt off of Saun, grasping the handle of her sword, not wanting to use it yet prepared to do so if necessary if it meant keeping me, her little sister, safe. "It was not Irene! Irene… does not hurt people! Or friends! Demons can shapeshift, yes? Maybe it mimics abilities, too!"

"No! I can't… listen to you!" Kōga shook his head, hand pressing against his skull. "It was Irene! It even smelled like her! There's no one else it could have been!"

"Yes, there is!" She argued, desperate and pleading. "Irene did not do it!"

"Shut up!"

"Kōga-"

"Quiet!"

He reeled his arms back and slammed his fist into the ground, the earth erupting from the sudden attack and creating a decent sized crater. I tensed, shivering a little in fear at the thought of that crater being me. He was so angry, so furious- he really wanted to kill me.

He wanted to kill me for something I didn't do. "It was her! It had to have been!"

"Kōga, please…" Kagome begged, stepping forward, hands up in a desperate attempt to calm him down. He hesitantly looked up, gazing at her, before turning his stare to me- his blue eyes locking onto my teary, fearful brown ones. "It really couldn't have been her. I promise you. Irene's done nothing wrong. It's a great big misunderstanding."

"That's…" The wolf demon chief finally faltered.

Inuyasha huffed, standing up and making the decision to sheath his sword- showing he was done fighting with him. "This is just like with Kagura. Remember when you thought I was the one that killed your buddies? It could just be another scheme by Naraku."

A few moments of silence and then another yell, Kōga ramming a fist into the ground again- widening the crater he had already created. "I know what I saw!" Kagome bit her lip, uncertainty flashing across her face, before a determination settled in.

She stepped forward, calling out to him and extending a hand. "Kōga! Let's make a deal, okay?"

"Wh-What?" He looked up at her, a bit shaken. "What kind of deal?"

Taking a few more steps, she knelt down in front of him so they were face-to-face. "Until we can prove that Irene isn't guilty, take me as your hostage instead of hurting her. Okay? I really mean it when I say she didn't do anything, and if that won't make you believe me then… I'm hoping this will."

Inuyasha was alarmed. "Kagome!? What the hell're you thinking?"

She ignored him, and Kōga frowned- staring at her intently, trying to see what she wanted. "Really? And what if she can't prove she's innocent? What am I supposed to do with you then?"

Kagome hesitated, then sighed. "Whatever you want."

His eyes went wide, and then he grinned- expression brightening considerably. "That means I can make you my woman."

"K-Kagome, don't…" I choked, this close to hopping off of Kirara and going over to her. "Don't do this. Please."

I'm not worth it. You already went through so much just to try and keep me alive, to save me when I needed the help. I'm just someone who's temporary- who won't be here much longer. Even if Kōga doesn't kill me, I'll still be dying soon anyway. Just… stop it. Don't do this.

We're just wasting more time this way.

I could feel the tears burn my cheeks when they fell, Kagome giving me the most gentle and warm smile she could offer. "Kagome…"

"Who do you think you are?" Inuyasha demanded, amber eyes glaring daggers at the wolf demon chief. He started to pull out tetsusaiga again, stepping forward to attack. "That can't happen! You nasty little- get away from her!"

"Inuyasha…" Kagome began, tone threatening as she turned her attention to him. The half-demon wasn't listening, already tensing his legs to leap into the air. "Sit!"

THWACK!

I flinched as he went falling face-first into the ground, Inuyasha pulling his dirtied face up to look at her in disbelief. Maria blinked, startled by the show. She had no idea Kagome could do that.

"K-Kagome, you…" Inuyasha bit out, feeling a bit betrayed by her decision. "Why…?"

"Fine. It's decided." Kōga stood up, and grabbed a startled Kagome by the arm, pulling her to him. His arm wrapped around her waist, gaining a small squeak from her. "Everyone, retreat!"

He flashed Inuyasha a smug grin.

"See ya later, mutt-face! Kagome's mine for now!"

Hakkaku and Ginta looked up, exhausted, before starting to run after him when he took off. "Wait, Kōga!"

"Slow down!"

"Damn it!" Inuyasha forced himself up onto his knees, collapsing on his bottom as he ground his teeth together. "We need to go after them!"

"Then what's the use of Kagome becoming a hostage?" Miroku demanded.

Inuyasha huffed, starting to stand. "Yes, I know, but…"

Not knowing what else to do, everyone turned to Sango. She looked down at me, who was barely breathing, and then back at the boys. "First, we should search the forest for any other clues. According to Kōga, they've been getting attacked every day. We may be able to find something."

"Speaking of clues," Shippō piped up, "why don't we just ask Maria? She's still here, after all."

Maria… gods, I've never been so happy to see her. The woman hesitated before walking over to us, staring at the corpses with grim eyes, before wandering over and cupping my face with her hands. I tensed, a little surprised, but said nothing- waiting for her to speak. I tried to ignore the pang of guilt and fear, knowing that this would be the last time I ever saw or spoke to her, and as a result I pushed all dark thoughts to the back of my mind- attempting to concentrate on the here and now.

"Irene…" Maria stared at me for a long moment, a shaky and relieved smile spreading across her lips, her eyes oddly misty. "Irene… this- this is you."

"I-It's… me, yeah."

I wasn't quite sure how else to respond. I furrowed my brows, thinking deeply about what just happened.

"Kōga said… He said I… killed them. Why…? Why did he…" My lips curled back and I choked, scared and confused and upset for letting him just take my friend away like that. Kagome should not have been sacrificed for a problem that involved me, especially at a time like this. "Why did he say that?"

Her arms wrapped around me, pulling me into her chest for a hug, and I clung to her, needy and scared, doing my best not to break down sobbing. It was hard, but I managed- despite all the pain and the hurt.

"He said that because…" Maria paused. She took a deep breath and pulled away, gripping me by the shoulders tightly. "…He said that because someone that looked like you… did."

What?

Okay! Busting out the plot and the lore. Phew. Took a hot minute to get here. XD Out from the anime, back into the game! Lol.

Whattya guys think? It's been a while since I typed out a chapter so fast. Hopefully it all makes sense. I reread and reworded the spirit conversation so many times, I'm not even sure anymore.

But to clarify- dead souls are different from living souls. Shikigami can not serve a dead soul and attack them, like they would be able to with a living soul. So if Irene pissed off her Shikigami, they could kill her. But if the Shikigami working for Anastasia got pissed off, they couldn't do anything. Irene's Shikigami basically spent a very long time resisting Anastasia and her orders, and only had "free reign" when Irene was born. They could sense her existence, as they are spirits- nature itself- and exist all throughout time, but because of the "mistake" they had to wait until Anastasia summoned Irene in order to bond themselves to her soul.

The dog Shikigami is a little different, as he was not one of Anastasia's. He wandered about searching for his master, unable to find her, until the summoning spell was put into effect. There he ran as fast as he could, and arrived just in time to save Irene from the rebound of Anastasia's spell. There he guided to the forest of Inuyasha just between Akebi Village and Kaede's Village. Also! Fun fact: "Roh" means "rising sun/red horizon". And because we haven't actually been able to get into yet despite it all, he's an Akita Inu. Which is why he thought Inuyasha was a friendly who could help- they're the same breed. Kind of. Inuyasha has Akita Inu dog ears, so... (coughs awkwardly) ...yeah.

Roh is a very good boi. :3

As always, let me know what you think in the comments and have an absolutely wonderful day/night wherever you are! 💕 This chapter was going to be a little longer, but I felt now would be a good spot to end it. We're gonna be getting into some serious drama and adventure in the next few chapters, and getting some very special visits from some very important (and even a bit terrifying) characters.