Chapter Thirty

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"Raining demon body parts, was it? How odd." Miroku frowns as we stand in the courtyard of the local Lord. Inuyasha had smelt the bloodshed miles out, and it had led us straight to this village. It had been a couple weeks since our time with Jinenjin, and things had been suspiciously uneventful.

Until now, that was.

"It was awful." One of the men beside their Lord states, clearly still traumatized by the unnatural event.

'I mean, can't blame the guy. Don't know if I would be anywhere near to okay if I had witnessed something so horrific.' I can't help thinking, running my fingers absently through Shippo's hair as he sat on my lap while I sat on the deck beside Inuyasha. He was standing beside me with his arms crossed over his chest, eyes sharp as he listened to the story.

"Our fields were ruined as well." Another man speaks up, clearly a farmer.

"Would that it were only the fields. The old, the young, the weak, so many of them have become sickened."

"I should think so." Miroku states seriously, frowning. "I am detecting an evil presence in this area." I blink, looking to him as Sango did as well. That wasn't the usual tone he used when lying about ominous clouds over taverns or villages. Sango gaze rises over the monk's head and locks on my own, both of us sharing the same knowing look.

The sly monk wasn't lying this time.

"Leave it to me." Miroku promises with a firm voice and steady nod. The men all thanked him profusely, bowing as they exited until just the Lord was left to negotiate with. Miroku negotiated the payment for his services, and we left soon after in the direction that the monk led us. The clouds above us were dark and ominous, though rain never fell from them.

'Maybe it's just me, but everything around us seems less vibrant…more dull.' I can't help thinking as I look at the grass and spare few wildflowers that bloomed. The further we traveled down the road, the heavier my chest became. It wasn't a painful feeling, but it also wasn't comfortable. Every now and then shudders would run down my spine, and when one in particular wracked me hard I felt Inuyasha's warm hand on my lower back, bringing me some silent comfort. The feeling of safety under the deceptively protective touch wrapped around me like a warm blanket. As if able to sense the calm he brought me, Inuyasha's hand remained in place for a while longer, before hesitantly falling away. I bit back a plea to put his hand back, his proclamation from weeks ago echoing in my mind.

"But your first time shouldn't be in the middle of a forest like this. And…and it should be with someone who, without any doubts whatsoever, loves you."

To say I hadn't been craving his touch since that day would be a blatant lie on my part. Something new and entirely unsettling and even begun to develop.

I started to have dreams…about him…about what might have happened had he not stopped.

Every time the scene would play out in my dream exactly as it had in real life, and every time his touch would string me high and tighten me in the most deliciously torturous ways. Instead of stopping, however, his hand would move to where his knee had been at the apex of my thighs, the throbbing echoing throughout my body even in my dream. As if my mind could remember the feeling of my own fingers when I used to pleasure myself, it would then transfer over that feeling into my fantasy of having Inuyasha's fingers there doing the same things.

And every time I got so close to cumming, his hushed whispers in my ear begging me to do so, I would wake.

Every. Fucking. Time.

And it wasn't like I could slink off into the night and relieve myself. Not with Inuyasha's ever present guard and his annoyingly sensitive ears and nose. He would hear me leave, hear me during the entire ordeal, and smell it on me when I got back.

Talk about mortifying.

'Then again, is it any less mortifying knowing he can smell your arousal after your dreams? God forbid you might even be moaning his name out loud in the night for him to hear.' I think to myself, inwardly groaning. As if he didn't already know I was mad for him despite him obviously not feeling the same way.

Well not entirely at least.

Our most recent private encounter showed me that he desired me, and that he also cared enough about me to stop from taking advantage of my feelings for him. Despite the hurt at him admitting he didn't love me, it made me fall for him more knowing he respected me enough to stop me from making a decision I would regret. And I would have regretted it, especially if he eventually comes to the conclusion he won't ever share my feelings.

'Then again, the kind of sex we could have might be worth it.' I can't help arguing with myself dryly. The way he had pinned me to the ground…uttered those words of promise to show me exactly what I'm feeling and what to do about it…

"So, here we come to save the day again." Inuyasha's annoyed voice thankfully brings me out of the wormhole of thoughts I had been lost in. "Do we have time for this?" He demands to no one in particular, looking about the area with boredom. "What about Naraku, huh? Or does he not matter any more?"

"Nobody has forgotten about Naraku." Miroku speaks up calmly, and I can't help agreeing with him as I think back to the last time we fought him.

"Yua?! What the hell are you doing?!" Inuyasha shouts, clearly unaware of the situation, and unaware of Naraku. His senses were no doubt dulled due to the poisonous gasses, and the only reason I even knew Naraku was there myself was because of feeling the jewel shards. I close my eyes in concentration, before flinging my arms outwards, palms facing away from my body. As if I was parting the sea, the miasma blew away from in front of me, revealing Naraku in his sans his usually baboon pelt attire. I hardly take the time to reflect on his new physical appearance, decidedly human in nature with his long black hair and regrettably handsome face. My aura continued to eat away at the miasma, purifying the air once more before I landed on the ground, creating my signature bow and arrow made up purely of my own energy. Glancing towards Sango as she knelt before her brother, thinking of what he had just tried to make her do, I feel my rage pulse and overflow into my aura. As a result the usual light purple suddenly turned a deep shade a red, something I had never had happen before.

"Die, Naraku!" I shout loudly, all the anger I felt towards him poured into that one shot. I watch the look of shock on his face, his blood red eyes widening in disbelief as my arrow meets it's mark. He's helpless to stop it, my aura burning away at his chest and the rest of his body before he manages to swipe it away. With only his head left in tack, the air around us suddenly rushes, sucking us towards him, and just like that he's gone even as the wind continues. The buildings in front of us start to disintegrate into the void Naraku had created in his escape.

"Yua's arrow, it really did him some damage." Miroku goes on, bringing me out from the memory. I could feel my energy sparking at the tips of my fingers, emotions still running high as I think about what that bastard had done to Kohaku and Sango that day. I glance towards the Demon Slayer, the frown on her face and sadness in her eyes telling me that she was thinking about the same thing. About her brother. "Even Naraku would be down for a while after something like that." Miroku pauses, before looking down at the string of coins he now held between his hands, his eyebrows furrowed. "Besides, we've already accepted payment."

"I still don't understand why the guy paid you when we haven't done anything yet." Inuyasha grumbles, and I can't help agreeing with him. Either people in this era were very trusting on each other's words, or this Lord in particular was an idiot with his money.

"If you wait you'll get cheated on the tip." Miroku replies, raising his nose with superiority in the air, and hiding the coins back in the sleeve of his robe. I can't help a small laugh at that, before turning to look towards Sango once more, frowning when she wasn't in the spot I last saw her. Looking around as Inuyasha once again went on his honorable tirade with the monk, I finally see the Demon Slayer ahead of us, staring at a mountain in the distance.

A very ominous mountain surrounded by dark clouds, lightening streaking and thunder booming in the background.

I frown as I walk up behind her, placing my hand on her shoulder gently. It was like she had been in a trance, jumping at the touch and looking towards me with wide brown eyes. "The miasma, I think it's at the base of that mountain." Sango states, looking back towards said mountain. I frown, looking as well, my aura swirling inside of me much like the storm we saw overhead. She turns back towards Inuyasha with a pointed look. "I wonder if anyone other than Naraku is capable of producing such poison?" Inuyasha's face drops from irritation at the monk, to something decidedly more serious as he considers what Sango just said.

I, meanwhile, felt like I was going to throw up.

'Am I ready to face Naraku again? What if what happened last time happens again, and I lose control?' I can't help thinking as I look down at my hands, holding them slightly in front of me. I could remember vividly the red that had taken over my purple aura, and the pure rage that fueled it. It was the type of anger that made me believe I would stop at nothing to satiate it, and that scared the living crap out of me. Squeezing my hands tightly into fists, I frown as I look towards Inuyasha.

"Maybe we should check it out then." Inuyasha decides, stepping forward past Sango and I to take the lead. Swallowing thickly, I glance towards the Demon Slayer as she shares the same wary look with me.

Each step forward from then on felt like it weighed more than the first.


"The poison even killed the grass." Shippo observes with horrified amazement as we trekked up the side of the mountain. I had long ago created a barrier to surround our group, my aura purifying the air it touched as we continued forward. It was true, looking around there didn't seem to be a single living thing left as far as the eye could see.

'Naraku is the only one with a signature powerful enough to create this level of devastation.' Mayumi murmurs lowly to me, and I can't help but agree with her.

"This is looking more and more like it might be Naraku's doing, wouldn't you say?" I ask quietly, Miroku turning to look over his shoulder at me, nodding solemnly.

"I would have to agree with you there, Yua." He murmurs lowly, before turning his gaze forward once more. "And as such we should be ready."

"I'm always ready to kick his ass." Inuyasha scoffs from the lead, not as worn down as the rest of us trailing up the steep incline. Shippo and Sango had long since jumped onto Kirara's back, and I had to admit that I felt foolish having declined earlier.

I just felt so bad for the poor cat demon if she had to bear my weight as well.

"We're almost there." Inuyasha informs us moments later. "And whatever is going on here, Naraku or not, I don't like the feeling of." He adds lowly, his admission sending a chill down my spine. The ground finally begins to flatten out as we come around a bend in the path, an opening to what looked to be an abandoned mine in the side of the mountain slowly appearing in front of us through the thick miasma. Sango jumped down from Kirara with Shippo, the fox demon running over towards me and leaping onto my shoulder as he gazed nervously at the opening.

"Inuyasha?" I frown, noticing how stiff he had gotten. It seems to snap him out of whatever daze he is in, and he turns towards the group with a serious frown on his face and determination in his amber eyes.

"That's where the miasma is coming from." Inuyasha informs us, his voice eerily calm. "Yua, Sango, Shippo, you guys stay here." My head shoots up in confusion hearing him.

"You need me to keep the air pure enough to breath." I insist, confusion clear in my voice. Why would he want me to stay here?

"I will go with Inuyasha." Miroku speaks up, looking towards me now as well. "Sango will need your help more than Inuyasha and I to breathe. I've had rigorous training to help me in these conditions." He explains, and Sango's mouth tightens into a firm line, her own brown eyes filled with disagreement.

"So far it's only a demon-hunt. There is no sense dragging everyone along." Inuyasha adds, cracking the knuckles of his hands.

'I hate it when he does that!' I can't help wincing at the sound, though it continues to go unnoticed by him. "I don't like the idea of splitting up." I argue, frowning deeply at Inuyasha. 'I don't like the idea of being separated from you, not with this feeling I have deep in my stomach.' I add to myself. Inuyasha approaches me, and in a very rare public display, he slowly leans his forehead to rest against my own as his hand cups the back of my neck.

"We'll be alright, Yua." He murmurs calmly to me, like he was soothing a startled animal. "I'll be back before you know it, and we can get out of this place." I swallow thickly, warmth spreading through me at the promise in his words as I find myself reluctantly nodding against his forehead. Inuyasha combs his fingers through my hair soothingly once, before stepping back and turning towards the entrance of the cave, he and Miroku soon disappearing inside.

"Soooo." Sango's sly voice comes from behind me moments later. By back stiffens, going ramrod straight as a blush warms up my neck and onto my cheeks. I chew on my lower lip, turning slowly towards the Demon Slayer to see a smirk on her face that could rival the perverted monk's. "When are you guys going to just get down to it and do the dirty?"

"Sango!" I exclaim, my mouth dropping open in horrified shock at her very uncharacteristic statement. My face went even redder then as she giggles, before finding a boulder to sit down on, leaning back easily with that same shit-eating grin on her face.

"Adults are so weird." I hear Shippo mutter on my shoulder, before he leaps down to sit next to Kirara. I groan, raising my hand and dragging it down slowly over my blushing face, mentally thanking every deity I knew that Shippo didn't ask for an explanation of what Sango had meant.

I was not about to have that conversation on the side of a mountain, surrounded by a deadly poison mist.


Inuyasha's POV

I had no idea what had possessed me to do that in front of everyone, and the stupid grin on the monk's face only made me question myself even more. She had looked so worried at the prospect of being separated from me in that moment, that I had to do something. That had been the only thing I could think of to try and bring her some comfort and security. I had no regrets about that part of it, because it worked. I just wished I could pummel the monk's face in and permanently remove that shit-eating grin on his face, but I knew he might come in handy here soon.

Regretfully.

'Yua…she looked at me with such hope when I had pulled her close like I had.' I think with guilt, swallowing thickly. 'It's clear as day that she loves me. Why can't I love her back?' I growl inwardly in frustration, the answer once again alluding me.

That question had been plaguing me since our passionate encounter in the woods, where I had nearly taken her right there on the forest floor. I had been so close to touching her, showing her just exactly what kind of pleasure her body was capable of, what pleasure her body could give me…

But I was too fucking noble for my own good, apparently.

I knew I was right to stop, right to not take advantage of her clear feelings for me to satiate my decades old lust that had been building up inside of me since our first kiss. I cared about her too much to ruin her like that. She was too kind, too loyal…

Too perfect to ruin.

Kikyo had been almost constantly on my mind since her resurrection, and since discovering that she had been tricked into her actions against Mayumi and I. I would never be able to forgive the priestess for what she did to Mayumi, but I wouldn't wish this existence she now lived on her either. Unsure of what it would take to bring Kikyo to peace, I didn't want to drag Yua down with me.

Apparently it was already too late for that, though.

I'm not in love with Kikyo anymore, not by a long shot, but I also wasn't sure what my feelings were towards Yua just yet. Were my feelings for her just an extension of my feelings I had for Mayumi? It was clear that my demon side felt a need to claim her, felt possessive of her. The mere idea of another man touching her nearly threw me into a frenzy each and every time.

Even with being human she was mate material, there was no two ways about it. She was resilient, intelligent, and brave. Her body was made to bear pups, my pups, her hips wide and strong. All these qualities the demon side of me craved when it came to thinking with my basic instinct. Had she and I been demons, my claim on her would have already been made.

But we weren't. She was human and I was part human, so things were a little more complicated than the simple act of dominance and taking possession. Messy human emotions were involved on both of our ends.

'Things were so much simpler when I was under that spell.' I can't help thinking dryly, before frowning as I look to Miroku, seeing he was starting to struggle in the miasma. He coughs, hunching over as it wracks his frame.

"Come on, we're nearly there." I comment, face pulled into an irritated frown as I look towards the monk. Though, in reality I was worried. He didn't look good at all, and the miasma was only going to get thicker and stronger as we got closer to the source. He falls to his knees beside me wordlessly, and I catch his sleeve in my hand out of reflex, the other still holding the torch we had made just after entering. "Come on, suck it up! You said you could handle it! What's wrong?" I gripe, partially frustrated but still more so worried. I had to remember that despite his unusual abilities, Miroku really was only human.

"I can and I will." Miroku insists, raising his head with a pained expression. "It's just that I have to go a bit slower. Without my training I wouldn't be able to do it at all."

'Well, he's right about that much. Any normal human would have been a goner by now.' I have to begrudgingly admit, helping him back up to his feet.

Suddenly a dull thundering noise can be heard ahead of us, both Miroku and I looking towards what appeared to be an opening in the cave onto some sort of cavern.

The strong scent of fresh blood washes over me heavily like a tidal wave.

'It smells like we're heading into some sort of war zone.' I think as I gaze at the opening. 'It's a good thing I told Yua to say behind where it's relatively safe.' "There is something up ahead, let's go." I murmur to the monk, not bothering to face him as I lead the way at a slower pace, consciously taking Miroku's health into consideration.

After all, there would be one pissed off Demon Slayer waiting for me if I didn't bring the idiot back alive.

As we get to the mouth of the cave we're greeted with a sight that even I wasn't prepared for. Below us was something that could only be described as a lake of blood, the dismembered parts of demons floating on the surface.

"Pieces of demons…" Miroku murmurs with disgust clear in his voice, the thickness of the miasma no doubt hitting him full force as he leans against the nearby wall for balance.

'This is the source of the miasma alright.' I think grimly, brows furrowed with disgust. 'It was like they all were trying to eat each other alive…'

Suddenly two great demons emerge from the depths of the bloody lake with giant roars. I grab onto Miroku's shoulder, guiding him down to crouch with me as we both watch on in amazement and horror. The one demon was lizard-like in appearance, standing at least fifty feet tall with sharp spines littering it's back. It stretched it's long neck out, biting into the arm of it's rival, which towered over it by another twenty feet. This demon's opponent looked more ogre like, with horns decorating it's head above beady blood red eyes.

"Why are they fighting each other?" I can't help questioning in disbelief, though I realized that Miroku wouldn't know the answer any more than I did. The massive lizard-like demon grabbed a hold of the ogre demon's arm, blood spewing forth as he bit deep. In an attempt to break free, the ogre demon pressed it's giant clawed hand to it's head, pushing it away. In the process the less-than-intelligent demon ended up losing it's arm. Hardly deterred the ogre demon rounds on it's opponent, biting down into the jugular and taking the lizard-like demon down into the depths of the blood filled lake.

"There must have been a battle. Hundreds of them fighting, killing, dying. The losers bodies must have been thrown into here, what's left of their bodies that is." Miroku murmurs beside me, and not for the first time I was thankful once again that Yua wasn't here to see this. The two demon's emerge, the ogre holding his opponent in a neck lock.

"There's got to be a reason." I reply, disbelief clear in my voice. Why would demons come together to slaughter one and other over nothing? It just didn't make sense. Demons didn't exert their energy like this unless it benefited them in some way.

Like over the jewel shards.

'Yua didn't say she sensed any near, and neither has Sango or Miroku.' I frown at that, my right hand instinctively going to the hilt of Tessaiga and gripping it. The large ogre demon brutally rips the head off of the lizard-like demon, tossing it away. It slams into the wall next to us, before it and the body falls lifelessly into the lake of blood below.

And then things got even weirder.

'What the hell?!' My eyes widen as the large demon left alive suddenly starts to glow, the bodies in the bloodied water being sucked towards him as if caught in a wind tunnel, much like Miroku's. One by one all the demon body parts disappeared into the monster before us, becoming a part of it.

It all made sense now.

"So the last one standing…" Miroku tails off.

"Gets to keep all the parts." I finish grimly. Even I was sickened by the sight of this.

"I'm still here!" The newly empowered demon roars as he tilts his head back towards the ceiling of the cave. Looking up I can see an opening, though who he could possibly be talking to was still a mystery to me. "You promised that the winner would leave this place alive! Why have I not yet moved on?!" He calls out, my jaw dropping slightly in shock.

Someone had actually orchestrated all of this?

Suddenly the ogre seems to sense us, his red eyes flashing as he turns his head towards Miroku and I still crouching at the mouth of the cave. My gaze sharpens as I grit my teeth, seeing the toothy smirk on it's face growing.

"Unless I am not yet the winner." He murmurs lowly, clearly insinuating that I was to be his next opponent. I snarl at him, my fangs digging slightly into my lower lip.

"Not yet you're not." I confirm, grip tightening around Tessaiga's hilt as I lean forward to jump into the pit. 'As if this great lug could beat me.' I scoff inwardly.

"Inuyasha, wait." Miroku pleads, his hand coming to rest on my shoulder, pulling me back. I turn towards him in annoyance, not appreciative of the fact he was trying to stop me. It was like he thought I couldn't handle myself.

"Let go of me." I snap at him, glaring at the monk. Miroku remains calm as ever as he frowns in return.

"We should return to the others! Get out of here while we have the chance to a more open playing field." Miroku insists. I shake my head, ripping myself away from him, turning and swiftly leaping from the mouth of the cave towards the monster.

There was no way in hell I was going to let this thing anywhere near Yua.

With that thought echoing in my mind, I draw Tessaiga up over my head, feeling the blade pulse as it transforms. "You fight me!" I proclaim, confident even as the monster in front of me foams at the mouth, looking crazed.


Yua's POV

"Something doesn't feel right." I murmur with a frown, my stomach twisting and turning painfully as the moments went on with no sight of the men returning. Sango frowns, nodding in agreement.

"We should go find them. They may need our help." She states lowly, and I nod in agreement before looking down towards Shippo. Kneeling down to his eye level I settle him with a serious look.

"I want you to stay close to Kirara, alright? If something happens and things go south, you and her book it out of there. Are we clear?" I gently order, the boy looking uneasy even as he nodded in agreement. I ruffle his hair before standing, sharing one last worried look with Sango before we all entered the cave together under the safety of my barrier. My aura cast enough light that we could see well ahead of ourselves, and soon enough I could hear the distinct sounds of Inuyasha's shouts of effort and the answering roars that clearly belonged to his opponent.

"I knew something wasn't right." I murmur, worry gripping me as we come closer.

"Something feels like it's pulling me in." Shippo voices nervously from behind us, his hand resting on Kirara's back as she walked beside him in her smaller form. "It's feels so strange, and cold." I frown at that, glancing towards the little boy before looking to Sango. She nods in clear understanding, turning to Kirara.

"Kirara, take Shippo out of this place. Head back for the village. We'll meet you there when we're done here." Sango instructs, Kirara transforming without hesitation.

"What?! No! I want to stay!" Shippo argues, glaring up at me as his tiny hands balled into fists at his side. Kirara simply picks him up in her mouth by the back of his clothes, holding on even as the boy threw what I could only describe as a temper tantrum.

"Shippo!" I snap at the boy, inwardly feeling awful as he looks up at me, big blue eyes filled with hurt and uncertainty. "We'll come for you soon." I murmur much more softly, Shippo huffing and crossing his arms over his chest as Kirara turns away, bounding back down the cave with the fire surrounding her paws to light her way. I frown deeply, knowing that Shippo wasn't going to so easily forgive me for this one.

"You did what was right." Sango murmurs quietly from beside me. "Now let's go and help Miroku and Inuyasha." Even though she is still in her civilian clothing, she holds her weapon at the ready on her back as we both turn around and head for the sounds of battle. We can see Miroku ahead, kneeling down weakly. Sango rushes up to him, kneeling down beside him with her hands on his shoulders.

"Miroku? Are you alright?" She asks, watching as his breathing lightens up as soon as my aura washes over him. I, meanwhile, couldn't find it in me to look at the ailing monk.

My eyes were locked on Inuyasha in horror as he went up against an eighty-foot beast.

It took a minute for my shock to wear off enough to register the overwhelming smell of decay, my gaze falling to a lake of blood at the bottom of the pit where demon body parts floated. Stomach rolling, I force my eyes upwards once more, Inuyasha slashing at the monster with Tessaiga.

Though it hardly looked like he was doing much damage.

"The wound is closing up." I gasp, watching as the gaping slice he had just left in the monster's shoulder seemed to lace itself together after absorbing one of the body parts below it. The monster had two heads, one that looked like it must be it's natural head on his shoulders, the other looking less natural at it's midsection. The ogre looking demon's back was littered with deadly spikes, green skin looking tough as leather.

"It morphed into this thing once it had consumed the bodies of it's dead victims." Miroku explains, standing slowly with Sango's help. He frowns deeply, hand tightening around his staff in worry. "It appears that the strongest demon left gets to leave this hell hole. This has all been orchestrated by someone." He murmurs, his voice sounding more ominous by the moment.

"And who do we know that consumes demon bodies to enhance his own?" Sango mutters lowly, her voice cold. My eyes widen in realization.

Naraku.

'He must have pitted all these demons against one and other, allowed them to ingest each other until there was only the strongest left. He won't be setting this demon free, he'll be absorbing it himself to form a new body.' Mayumi states, her voice filled with urgency. 'We have to make sure this demon doesn't escape!'

A shock hits me hard from behind, the signature now too familiar to miss as the hair on my arms and back of my neck rose on end.

Kikyo…what was she doing here?

Sure enough, when I turn around, she is almost directly behind me and gazing at the scene with cold eyes. I whip around my bow, notching an arrow and pointing it directly at her, hands and arms shaking with rage. The last time I had seen this woman she had tried to drag Inuyasha unwilling to Hell with her.

She had tried to take him away from me.

"What the fuck do you want?!" I snarl at her, my voice cold and distant.

"Stay your arrow, little girl." Kikyo replies calmly, her voice snide as she steps forward with a cocky air about her. "None of you have any idea what you are dealing with here." She goes on, Sango and Miroku both stilling as they watch her intently. It hits me that neither of them had ever set eyes on Kikyo before.

"Who is this woman, Yua?" Sango asks, clear curiosity and wariness in her voice. My reaction must have clued her into the fact that I didn't trust, nor even liked, the priestess in front of us.

"Kikyo?" Miroku murmurs knowingly. "You were the one stealing the souls of those women, the one that Inuyasha pursued." I can't stop wincing at that as hurt spikes through me at the reminder. Catching it, Kikyo allows a self-satisfied smirk to spread across her face.

"The very same." She murmurs softly. "You should tell Inuyasha to stop attacking. He's only going to make the situation worse."

"It is as I thought then." Miroku murmurs, before turning sharply to look over the edge at Inuyasha. I meanwhile, refused to lower my bow and arrow, keeping my aim directly over her non-existent heart. "Inuyasha! Stay your sword! Don't fight!"

"Don't be stupid!" Inuyasha looks over his shoulder to snarl at Miroku. "I have to! If I don't I be killed! What kind of idiotic advise is-" Inuyasha freezes in his tirade, his mouth dropping on in blatant shock as he sees exactly who was standing in front of my arrow. "K-Kikyo?" I feel my stomach lurch at the soft tone of his voice as he nearly whispers her name, as if in reverence to her.

"Listen!" Miroku urgently takes advantage of his speechlessness. "This is similar to a technique called Fuko! It's how you make a creature called Kodoku!"

"Bravo, monk." Kikyo comments dryly, before looking impatiently back towards me. "Now lower your arrow, or we'll all die here in this disgusting cave." She waves her hand in front of her, and I gasp as the arrow that had been notched in my bow simply disintegrates in my hold, turning to dust that floats to the ground. I look from the pile of dust towards the resurrected priestess with wide eyed disbelief.

She was even more powerful now than before.

"Fuko? Kodoku? What the hell are you talking about?!" Inuyasha snaps at the monk then, gripping onto Tessaiga tightly.

"It's a type of sorcery." Kikyo speaks up smoothly as she steps around me to stand next to Sango and Miroku at the mouth of the cave. "You put together lizards, poisonous worms, or any other imaginable evil creature. Then, after they work through killing one and other, the one that is left absorbs all these foul creatures into itself and becomes the creature known as Kodoku." She explains, her voice soft but carrying across the cavern. Inuyasha's amber gaze is locked on her, as if he was hanging onto every last word that she said. I feel so incredibly awkward standing there in the background, like the one that didn't belong.

"What's your point, Kikyo?" Inuyasha asks, his tone surprisingly sharp as he addresses her. It seems to even catch Kikyo off guard as her brown eyes widen ever so slightly, and she clearly hesitates.

"You're the only one left." The monster takes the opportunity to speak up as he steps closer to Inuyasha. I frown, moving towards the edge now as well as I thread my bow over my shoulders. "Once I devour you, I will be the winner!" I throw my hands out in front of me, heels of my hands touching as I start to focus my energy together.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" I shout out, ignoring Miroku's shout to stop. 'If Kikyo won't help, I will.'

'Yua, stop! That's your pride talking! Remember what the monk said!' Mayumi shouts at me, but I stubbornly block her out. I could handle this! After all, I had nearly killed Naraku and he was ten times more powerful than this demon standing here. The energy gathers to the highest level I had created yet, the orb shining brightly as it nearly blinds even me. With a shout I let it go, the entire cavern shaking with the power of it as the ogre looks up just in time to see it coming for him. With a roar my aura overtakes the demon, enveloping it in it's light. I smirk, even as my barrier flickers around us from the diversion of my powers.

My smirk quickly falls however, when a low chuckle echoes over the walls.

'H-he's enveloping my energy!' I think in shock as I watch wide eyed while the ogre demon slowly ingested the light into his mid-section, his large arms guiding it in. My mouth falls open, stomach sinking when the light fully disappears inside of him. The ogre-like demon's red eyes turn towards me, a toothy smile on his face as his chuckling slowly fades off.

"Thanks for the energy boost, sweetheart." The monster mutters, and I feel like a bucket of ice had been dumped over me. Suddenly the monster opens it's mouth, my purple aura filling it.

"Foolish girl! You'll be the death of us all!" Kikyo snaps, raising her hands up in front of her as I quickly do the same, hardly having the time to argue with her.

Especially knowing that she was right.

With a great bellow the demon shoots my energy straight back at us, and I can hear Inuyasha shouting in the distance, though what he was shouting I could hardly tell over the roar as the demon's attack clashes with the barrier Kikyo and I have created together to protect us and the others. The force of the hit sends me sliding back a few inches, my arms shaking with the weight of the power as it washes over my part of the barrier. I could feel myself draining quickly, legs feeling like lead by the time the light finally dissipated. I can't even bring myself to look at Inuyasha, shame filling me from being so stupid as to let my ego get the best of me.

"KIKYO!" Inuyasha's voice shouts out in distress, and I snap my head around in time to see Kikyo glowing, the souls slowly leaving her body to be enveloped by the monster much like my aura had been. I try to reach for her, to stop her from falling over the cliff, but I'm too slow. She seems to float down to the rocks below, her body easing onto the cavern floor. "Kikyo!" He shouts again, worry clear in his voice as he abandons his guard and runs for her, hand outreached.

"Inuyasha! Behind you!" I drop to my knees weakly as I see the large clawed hand coming for him in his distraction, and there is nothing I can do to stop it. My powers were spent. It takes him out, Inuyasha shouting in pain as he is thrown down, clearly struggling to rebound from the attack as he sits up slowly. I can hear him whispering her name again, my throat closing with emotion.

It was my fault she was weakened to the point of losing her souls. It was my fault she had fallen into the cavern.

Would Inuyasha ever forgive me if something happened to her?

That thought hit me hard enough to nearly make me sick. No, he wouldn't forgive me, how could he? With that thought I move to stand on my shaking legs, turning towards Sango who was doubled over with the poison of the miasma, my barrier now gone. Even I was starting to feel the affects of it, my chest heavy. "Miroku, get Sango out of here." I frown at the monk, Miroku looking at me with concern.

"What about you?" He asks, already placing his arms around Sango to help support her as she gave a hacking cough that rocked her whole body.

"Don't worry about me." I reply firmly, before finding my footing to climb down from the mouth of the cave. The monster turns his gaze towards me once again as I land in front of Kikyo, quickly grabbing my bow and notching an arrow.

"Both women, they aren't human." The monster grumbles, Inuyasha stiffening in front of me. He turns, looking towards me with wide amber eyes then.

"Yua?! What the hell do you think you're doing?! Get the fuck out of here!" Inuyasha shouts angrily.

"I'm not leaving without you!" I shout back in argument, coughing towards the end as the miasma grows even thicker.

'The amount of miasma in the air only confirms it.' Mayumi states solemnly from within. 'Naraku is at work here.'

"I can't protect both of you!" Inuyasha insists, his voice edging from frustration to worry.

"You don't have to! I can protect her!" I insist, keeping my arrow aimed at the center of the beast's body. Something in his eyes shifts as he frowns at me, before turning sharply back towards the large demon as it speaks once more.

"You foolish girl! Now I shall devour you both!" He shouts out, his large hand reaching for us. I frown, letting my arrow fly directly into the center of it's palm, watching the way that the little energy I had spared burned a hole directly in the middle of it. The energy in the attack had been so little that the ogre had obviously not felt the need to absorb it like my first attempt. It did the trick, however, as the monster pauses and looks at his hand with amusement. He smirks, before reaching for us again, his eyes now planted firmly on Kikyo, as I notch another arrow.

'Mayumi?' I plead, wondering if she had any ideas to get us out of this mess. The silence was enough to tell me that she didn't.

"You keep that filthy hand off of her!" Inuyasha snarls, his voice deadly as he races forward and brings Tessaiga down on the monster's forearm, severing it from it's body and sending it flying into the wall just to the side of Kikyo and I. I blink in surprise at the viciousness of the attack, Inuyasha's face set with such a deadly cold look that it even caused me to feel uncomfortable.

I had never seen him look so murderous before.

The arm grew back, much like how the wound had healed from before. This time the arm elongated, throwing Inuyasha into the air before he lands hard on the ground, his body dragging against the sharp rocks.

"Inuyasha! You need to remain calm!" Miroku's voice suddenly shouts from just above me. My head snaps up towards him in disbelief, Sango kneeling beside him with her hand on his shoulder for support. I feel worry swirling in my stomach as another cough wracks her body hard.

"I told you to get her out of here!" I shout at the monk in frustration and disbelief.

"I will not calm down." Inuyasha states coldly, causing me to freeze as my breath catches in my throat. My attention is effectively diverted as I slowly turn to look at him, his brows furrowed with determination as he faces off against the demon before him. "I will protect Kikyo!"

I do my best not to look as shattered as I felt in that moment.

'What about me?' I can't help thinking selfishly, wondering if this would be the moment Inuyasha would have to make his choice, the monster bearing down on the both of us again.

'You don't need Inuyasha to protect you, Yua. You are strong enough to protect yourself.' I feel a sudden burst of Mayumi's energy from deep within, renewing my own. A bright light shines at the end of my arrow, nearly blinding me as it envelops me in a familiar warmth. Anxiety hits me hard, knowing that Mayumi had very little energy left to give.

'Mayumi?' I call out desperately.

'I'm still here, Yua. Fear not.' She calls back gently to me. 'This won't be the end of me, not by a long shot.'

'Let's do this.' I nod, lips thinning into a tight frown of concentration. This time I aim for the head that rested at the demon's midsection, letting my arrow fly. The ogre is too late to reach, a pained scream filling the cavern as his head disintegrates upon contact with my aura, purifying it into non-existence.

There was no growing back from that.

The monster stumbles back, continuing to roar with pain, before a blinding light suddenly showers us from above, breaking the spell that had clearly been placed over the opening at the top of the cavern. With wide eyes I turn to see Kikyo standing behind me, still poised from her shot as her brown eyes gazed upwards.

Then all hell broke loose.

I gasp as a wind suddenly billows around us, sucking everything in it's path upwards and out of the cavern. There was only so long that I could try and anchor myself to the ground, before I was knocked off balance by a flying body part, hooking around my middle and dragging me upwards with it. I look around frantically for anything I could get a hold of, anything I could use to stop my assent, but there was nothing.

'If you don't get out of this vortex you'll be sucked right into Naraku's hands!' Mayumi cries out urgently. 'Do something!'

'Do what?!' I shout back, trying my best to call forth my aura so I could blast my way out.

"YUA!" Inuyasha's voice could suddenly be heard over the roaring wind. I freeze, before looking around urgently to try and find him. Finally I saw familiar colors of red and silver, Inuyasha tangled in the demon body parts a few yards away and reaching for me, concern clear in his eyes. Forcing my hands backwards I focus my energy into the palm of my hands, pushing forward against the vortex. I grimace as I fight against the roaring wind towards him, reaching out with my own hand and grabbing his as I flew by. The momentum drags us both out of the vortex, Inuyasha pulling me into his chest as we drop to the ground outside of it. I grip onto the front of his kimono, hiding my face in it as I take in the comforting scent of pine, my heart still racing.

'Where is Kikyo?' The suddenly realization that she wasn't there with him hits me, and I lean back to look towards the hill where the body parts were all heading.

There, resting on the crest, was none other than Naraku himself.

The horde of dead demons hits Naraku's damaged form like a freight train, his pelt ripping away to reveal a new body being developed. It glowed brightly, sparkling with energy as the vortex spun around him, causing his long black hair to raise straight up in the air above him. Suddenly the energy from the spell rockets outwards, blinding us both momentarily before his new body is fully revealed.

"He needed a new body for himself, and all those demons killing each combined to make him a new one." Inuyasha frowns above me, his arms tightening around my body protectively.

"The mountain mist lured you." Naraku spoke calmly from his place atop the hill. "You took the bait, and I cast my spell." He lets out a cold chuckle as he smirks. "You could have joined me in here, Inuyasha, if only you had the courage." He turns his gaze downwards and to the side, and it's only then that I notice Kikyo's unconscious form laying there on the ground. Inuyasha stiffens against me, pulling me behind him now as he draws Tessaiga, snarling angrily.

"So this is the woman who broke the spell and restored me to life?" Naraku hums in interest as he gazes down at her with a sick sense of admiration. I shudder, knowing that look all too well. "I might not have had this new body at all if not for her." I blink in shock then, having not thought about that.

Had she broken the spell to save Inuyasha? Or was this her intention all along?

Naraku moves, picking up Kikyo in his arms and holding her against his naked body as he looked slyly towards Inuyasha, who was vibrating with rage at this point. "And yet I still know her to be the foolish woman who followed you in death fifty years ago." He openly jabs at Inuyasha, watching with satisfaction as he is given exactly the reaction he was looking for.

"No! Don't you dare!" Inuyasha shouts in rage, hand tightening around Tessaiga as Naraku's tightened against Kikyo. Inuyasha reacts, Tessaiga transforming as he launches towards Naraku with deadly intent. "Don't you touch her with your filthy hands! Not now, not ever!" He threatens, before bringing Tessaiga down on Naraku. He's met with a barrier, miasma exploding from it and throwing him away. I cover my own mouth and nose, rushing up to where Inuyasha lands, Naraku leaping into the sky in a swirl of his poison gas. Inuyasha hardly noticed my presence, glaring up after Naraku's form as he drifted off into the stormy horizon.

Kikyo resting unconsciously in his arms.


Silence hung so heavily over our group that evening back at the village, that it was almost as suffocating as the miasma had been. Sango had fallen asleep on the way back, Miroku having carried her on his back till we reached the village. He wasn't far behind, the effects of the poison having worn him down as well. Nobody except for Shippo and Kirara had eaten anything, and Inuyasha had disappeared almost as soon as we had returned. I knew better than to try and find him, not when he was in the mood he was in.

And I was in the mood I was in.

'He could barely even look at me the rest of the way back.' I can't help thinking as I sit in the bathhouse alone. It was built around a natural hot spring, the rock behind my back warm and soothing to lean on for my tense muscles. 'It hurt so much to hear him go on about protecting Kikyo, maybe even more than he wanted to protect me.' I look down sadly at the water. 'But how childish is it of me to feel that way? Mayumi was right, I was fully capable of protecting myself. Kikyo had been unconscious for the most part.' I absentmindedly swirl my hand over the water. 'Maybe Inuyasha realized that, and that's why he was so focused on her?'

Something deep down, however, made me think otherwise.

The way he had reacted when Naraku had touched her, held her, spoke volumes in terms of his fierce need to protect her. 'But why? She had betrayed him, killed Mayumi, and even tried to kill him only months ago.' I frown deeply, sighing softly and leaning my head back against the rock.

"I'll never get men." I mutter.

"I wouldn't even bother to try." Sango's voice filtered into the bathhouse, and I turn my head sharply to see the woman looking much better than she had this afternoon. She closes the door behind her before dropping her towel and joining me with a soft groan of pleasure as she sinks into the warm water.

"How are you feeling?" I can't help but ask in concern, watching as she slowly wades over to a seat naturally made out of the rocks across from me. When she does the water envelopes her to the collarbones, much like it has me. She closes her brown eyes in bliss.

"Much better. Miroku and I both took some of that antidote you had gathered with our tea and we're feeling almost back to normal." Sango replied easily, opening her eyes then. I huff slightly.

"I told the monk to leave with you. The idiot didn't listen." I mutter, though it was clear I actually wasn't angry at him.

"I was the one that forced him to stay." Sango revealed, and I looked to her with slight shock. "Did you really think I was about to leave you in there?" She asks dubiously, and I blink slightly in surprise. "Sick or not, I was ready to jump in if you needed me."

"Sango…" I trail off, warmth filling my chest as she gives me a comforting smile. It meant more than words could say to me right now, knowing something had my back when the person I needed most didn't. "Thank you." My voice carries only a fraction of the sincerity I wish that it could express. With the way Sango's warm smile spreads, however, I know she knew I meant every word.

"We're family now, Yua. I got your back. You're never alone, not with the rest of us around." Sango replies gently, and I can only just barely hold back the tears that build and burn in my eyes at that.

'So this is was what a real family should feel like.' I think to myself warmly. 'It feels pretty good.'

Sango and I soak in the peaceful quiet for a while longer, and when I went to go to bed Inuyasha had still not returned. As I roll over in my bedroll, I can't help a small smile on my face regardless as I see my friends all laying asleep, Shippo waking just enough to crawl into my bed with me and snuggle into my chest. As I hold him to me, I can't feel the loneliness that I had felt before. All I felt was a sense of belonging, of warmth.

'As long as I have you all, it won't matter who Inuyasha chooses. I won't be alone.' I think resolutely, allowing that thought to comfort me into a well earned rest.


And there ya have it! I hope you guys enjoyed this update :). I shall see everyone on Sunday! Please feel free to leave your thoughts and feelings on this chapter in reviews until then!

T.O.T.