A/N: Thank you for all these lovely reviews. I adore them. To answer a few questions to my guest reader, I can't reply to you personally (I'm sorry);

Yes, the farmers turned on her immediately. I find people are usually the most hostile to things/people they fear. I'm not entirely sure if Sesshomaru is content (he isn't easily content, but well, he's somewhat demanding, isn't he?).

To another guest: yes, her powers are changing (corrupting if you will). I remember vaguely that humans could willingly (by the strength of evil thoughts) become yōkai, so I thought it made sense if a yōkai could turn somewhat yōkaish as well.

Anyway, enjoy the next chapter and please leave a review^^

Chapter Seven, Senses
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

\bhe sun scattered through the thick canopy of leaves. Chiharu felt her mind buzzing and she felt strangely unsettled. It was only mid-afternoon and she glanced up at the sun. Leaves Inuyasha dragged his group, two new added scents she didn't know, up towards the East. Their scent had grown much stronger and she knew they must be very close.

"Inuyasha! Osuwari!"

Closer than she'd initially thought…

The sound of someone crashing against the forest-floor echoed through the bright morning and Chiharu exhaled gratefully. Finally! Kagome Higurashi stormed away from the clearing, her face pale with anger and her mouth pressed into a thin line.

When she noticed her younger sister, hovering at the forest edge she stopped, eyes widening. "Chiharu?"

"Yeah,"

"I don't understand, why, how?"

"The village ceased being save for me." She answered.

"Are you all right?" her older sister asked slowly. "I mean when we were at Kaede's you were still hurt."

Chiharu nodded. "I was, I still am, but I'm feeling better." She told her simply. "Why did you sit him?"

"Because he is an arse."

She chuckled, eyes flitting over the trees. He must have gotten up from his crater and jumped into a tree. She noticed his red-clad form sitting high in a large oak tree. Clenching her fists she glanced around the rest of their camp. A small Yōkai, youki not matured even in the slightest, with large green eyes and auburn hair. He had paws for feet, a cream-coloured, fluffy tail and wore a blue Sashinuki Hakama and a turquoise Happi coat, patterned with leaves, covered by a warm tan fur vest. His eyes widened when e noticed her looking at him and hid behind a large yellow backpack.

"This is my baby-sister, Shippō-chan!" Kagome explained. Whatever escape she'd had made long forgotten and she led Chiharu to the centre of the clearing.

"Oh, hi?" he squeaked and Chiharu felt bad she scared him.

"What are you doing here?" Inuyasha barked from his place high in the tree. She rolled her eyes, her excitement overpowering almost all of her aches and pains.

"It's so nice to see you again too." Chiharu dryly remarked. "I ran into a bit of trouble at the village."

Inuyasha jumped from the tree down to the ground. Chiharu didn't even blink when his face was suddenly only a few centimetres away from her. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration as if he could read her thought if he stared hard enough. "Did the bastard sent you?"

"Yes, because I'm his puppet, of course." She answered sarcastically, although slightly horrified he had picked up on the obvious so easily.

"I know what it represents." The Hanyō muttered.

"That's great," she remarked sarcastically. She glanced at the sword at his hip and kicked some pebbles into the water of the river. "Why don't you enlighten me?"

His face turned a dark red and he muttered something about stupid girls before jumping back into his tree. Shippō slowly inched closer. His nose twitched and his eyes were wide. "You smell weird." He muttered and Kagome sighed.

"Men in this area have no manners."

"I agree with that sentiment," Chiharu admitted before crouching down. "Why do I smell weird?"

The small racoon yōkai pursed his lips. He sniffed again, eyebrows scrunched and cheeks flushed with what she thought must be excitement for being asked his opinion. "Your scent is mixed with that of a human, yet…" He sniffed again, the frown between his eyebrows deepening. "Very strong aura swirls around what I think is your normal scent. "

"Hm, seems correct." She admitted. "I ran into Inuyasha's brother. He's a bit of a jerk."

"Can't be more of a jerk than Inuyasha himself," Shippō answered glancing darkly up at the tree where Inuyasha was in. Chiharu chuckled and slowly got to her feet again.

"You've found more Shikon shards, have you not?" She said, glancing at the slight twinkle around her older sister's neck and Kagome smiled.

"Yes," Kagome answered, peering down at Shippō for a moment. "Yes, five shards, still nowhere close to make it whole, but a small step closer to the completion of the Shikon-No-Tama."

"A small step for a man a big step for mankind." She nodded and Kagome winced.

"What?"

"We've missed three important tests." She whispered awkwardly. "How will we be able to enrol in any good High school if we miss so much?"

"There are special rules when a student misses a lot due to sickness," Chiharu answered slowly. "Don't know if that would apply to us, though… What is jii-chan telling to school?"

"Yes," Kagome admitted, "he told the headmaster we were both infected with the bird flu."

"Come again?"

"Yeah…"

The bushes behind the two siblings ruffled and soft footfalls came closer to Inuyasha's little campsite. Shippō the child-Yōkai twisted his nose muttering something about 'the Hentai-Hōshi is back' and jumped up on Kagome's shoulder. A man with black hair tied back in a small ponytail and dark blue eyes stepped into the clearing. He was handsome enough with sun-tanned skin and high cheekbones. He smiled at her, his Shakujō staff tinkled as he leaned down onto it. Chiharu recognised him to be a monk. She furrowed her brows and cocked her head. He wore golden earrings and quite extravagant and expensive robes for a monk.

"Oh," the man smiled again, pushing a lock of hair out of his face with his right hand. A string of beads, a rosary, was bound around his wrist and Chiharu pushed her hands inside of her sleeves. "You must be Kagome-Sama's sister. I've heard what happened to you!"

"Yes," Chiharu nodded slowly, "I wish I knew who you were but I seem to have no idea."

"I'm Mirōku," the man continued, suddenly clasping her hands in his. "I was cursed by the hideous Naraku, would you do me the honour of bearing me, my children?" He asked her seriously and Chiharu felt her eyes widen.

"What?"

One hand left hers and she noticed his hand go towards her outer thigh. She caught it before he could do what he wanted to do and squeezed it until he winced. The smile on Mirōku's face was wiped clean off and she only let him go when Kagome urgently started to tug at her sleeve.

"All right, Chiharu-chan, drop his hand, he can't help it, he's a Hentai."

"He does this— often?"

"Almost every time we run into a beautiful woman he asks them to bear his children," Kagome answered and Chiharu dropped his wrist.

"I see,"

She slowly backed away and shook her tingling fingers. Kagome pursed her lips thoughtfully before grabbing hold of her younger sister's wrist and proceeded in dragging her away. Shippō the racoon jumped on the older Higurashi's shoulder and Chiharu frowned.

"Where are we going?"

"Looking for herbs," Kagome announced and Chiharu glanced first at her older sister and then at Shippō. The conclusion: an ambush.

"Oh, are we?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I had no idea you could tell them apart."

"I can't," Kagome admitted, "but I need to speak to you without Inuyasha lording over me."

"Okay?"

"Chiharu-chan, I've never seen you move that fast," Kagome whispered. "I mean, when he brought his hand to your— erm— behind, you caught it with as much trouble as you would catch a volleyball at the gym."

"I can't really explain that Onee-chan…" she answered, flopping back onto a fallen tree. "It's like when I ignore the tingles and aches, which I think I'm almost getting accustomed to, my senses have been enchanted. I don't know as if my instincts have advanced to a level that matches—" his Youki.

"That's not normal, Chiharu-chan," Kagome answered sternly and Chiharu gave her a blank look. Did she seriously think any of this was normal? Till now everyone she had spoken to blanched at the mere idea of her mark and she was actually carrying it. She expected it had changed her whole essence. Finally acknowledging that made her shoulders sag. If it had— if it had actually changed her genetics, then that might not be easy to restore.

She squeezed her eyes shut and ground her jaws together. "I know, but I think this is my normal now."

"I'm so happy you're feeling better though," Kagome whispered before hugging her again. "Please come with me to see mum and Jii-chan."

"I promise,"

They arrived at camp when the sun started to descent. Mirōku glanced at their empty hands with a frown and Shippō, small and bubbly, explained that they couldn't find the right herbs. Inuyasha snorted and with a small smile, Chiharu settled next to her sister as she started dinner. After they all had a bowl of ramen — something Inuyasha seemed to justify murder for — they settled in for bed.

Shippō leaned his cheek on her lap and she absentmindedly ran her fingers through his sandy hair. He drifted into a peaceful sleep.

"Chiharu-chan, I've brought my spare sleeping-bag." Her older sister said while holding a red sleeping-bag up for her to see.

"That's all right," she said but took it from the other girl either way. She carefully lifted the little child-yōkai and placed him in the sleeping bag. He let out a content sigh before snuggling into the red material and Chiharu gazed into the burning embers of the fire. She was quite content, sitting there with the warmth of the fire cocooning her when she suddenly felt it.

That eerie feeling you would get when you were being watched. A prickle ran up her spine and she slowly flitted her eyes through the clearing until they rested on a tree. Moving carefully to her knees, she straightened up and gazed intently at the dark shadow between the leaves.

"What's wrong?" Her sister asked.

"I—" She started, slowly getting to her feet. "I'm not sure—"

I-I. ⌡. Γ┐

For what seemed like hours, Sesshōmaru studied the little Miko through the leaves of a tall tree. She looked tired, her face pale and her eyes fixed on the crackling fire. He felt the heavy magic burn beneath her skin, press against him. Her blood was constantly burning and her emotions were difficult. She was a tool though, and a very useful one. How easy humans were to manipulate. He only had to show himself once to the villagers and they were out for the child's blood.

His features darkened when he felt her fight the partial bond. Her body would fight it until he let her accept it. She was not strong enough, not nearly strong enough, to overpower him, but she was fighting admirably. He glanced at her as she fingered the feathers of her arrows and leant back against the bark of a tree. She was getting better at archery. When he met her, bumbling and happy, she was careless in battle. He had encountered more capable Mikos and Hōshis, yet she wasn't weak. The fact that she lived through the first phase was enough proof of that.

Sesshōmaru sighed. It would be far easier to just slit her throat and he was considering doing just that. There were other ways to get the Tetsusaiga, yet, she was the easy way. That and seeing her try and beg was amusing. Or at least it was amusing when she was still sulking in the village. She seemed to fare much better now that she was around her friends and family. He needed to push her fast. He needed to—

She suddenly looked up, glancing in his direction. She couldn't see him, there was no way she could have sensed him either. He had concealed his Youki perfectly. Yet her eyebrows furrowed in question and her head tilted slightly.

"What's wrong?" the other human girl asked, face similar to her little Miko sister, yet they were so different.

"I—" she started.

Flexing his clawed fingers, he pressed against their bond and she whimpered, falling to her knees, pressing her forehead against the forest floor. How easy he could hurt her. Watching her fingers curl into fists and grounding her jaws together, he turned away leaving the girl gasping for air.

"Chiharu?"

He slowly walked away, his footsteps not audible on the forest floor. She thought she could win against him, still unsure if she should betray the foolish half-breed. Humans and their foolish emotions, she wouldn't hold on. He would make sure of it.

Chiharu Higurashi gasped pressing her forehead against the forest-floor until the tremors and aches dulled. Her breathing loud in the shocked silence around her and she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Chiharu-Sama?"

"If you touch my butt, you'll lose your hand, Mirōku!" she gasped, sensing him inching closer towards her.

"I would never," he huffed, yet she saw him hold his wrist to his chest. Pushing herself up she pressed her back against the rough bark of a tree again and tried concentrate. Tried to find that place of calm inside her. To find that place where her own magic blazed and flowed to push up against his Youki and forced it to settle. To ebb within her until the prickles calmed and she exhaled loudly.

"Impressive," that was Mirōku, eyes wide and voice awed, "you're strong."

She almost snorted. That little trick had taken her five weeks to master — only two days ago — but she would admit that it helped. "I don't know about that." She muttered and starting to run her fingers through Shippō's hair again and, looking up at her with bleary eyes, he fell asleep in seconds.

"It's still bad, isn't it?" Kagome peered at her with worried eyes and Chiharu had the smashed the part that wanted to curl under a stone and hide for the rest of her life.

"Sometimes, but when I concentrate like that, it becomes bearable."

"It isn't the concentration," Inuyasha said, settling down onto the forest floor next to Mirōku. He looked at her as if she was an enigma. "Youkai can take more than one mate. It's like—"

"A human engagement." Mirōku finished.

"Yes," Inuyasha admitted. "Your body is accepting the change but as long as it isn't completed he will be able to hurt you."

"Complete?" Kagome asked and Chiharu shifted closer to the fire and peered intently at Inuyasha's face.

"Feh," he muttered, face flushing, "it's why it hurts. I think Myoga-jijii would know more about it. He was after all quite obsessed with my old man."

"Did your Okaa-san have something like this too?"

"Shut up, will ya!" Inuyasha's icy look was a clear warning to not go down that road. She wasn't very good at heeding warnings, or at least rather ignored them and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well?"

"What is it with you and your sister not respecting anyone's privacy? Ofukuro wasn't strong enough to wear something like that." He answered stiffly and Chiharu nodded.

"I see,"

Inuyasha crossed her is arms over his chest and jumped back into his tree. He didn't trust her. He didn't have to and Chiharu curled up on her sleeping bag. The child snuggled against her arm and as his essence floated over her, she felt her eyes droop as well.

I-I. ⌡. Γ┐

"Wench, wake up!" Someone screamed suddenly and Chiharu bolted upright. Shippō jumped from his place on the sleeping-bag on her lap and they both stared at their Hanyō companion as he jostled Kagome in her sleeping bag.

"Get your arse out of bed, right now!" Inuyasha snapped and Chiharu rolled her stiff shoulders. Kagome's face had scrunched up in what she could only describe as anger and it was only a matter of time before Inuyasha found himself reacquainted with the forest floor.

"Is this normal?" Chiharu asked and Shippō shrugged and jumped to the shore of the river. The water was running merrily and looked somewhat inviting. She glanced at her sister again. The older girl was sitting up straight, rubbing her fists against bleary eyes before glaring at Inuyasha.

"Osuwari!"

Chiharu winced when the sound of someone crashing into the ground echoed through the silent morning. "You bitch!"

"Erm Inuyasha," Chiharu asked, hoping to mediate an argument before it started. "Do you think you could get us some firewood?"

"Whatever for?" he asked indecorously.

She rolled her eyes. Except so that he could leave and not be sat again, "To prepare breakfast?"

He mauled that over before nodding. Kagome was on her feet slipping onto her black loafers dragged her backpack closer to the fire, taking out four instant cups of ramen out. Chiharu was somewhat worried how much the older girl carried with her in that yellow monster.

"I'm going home," she suddenly announced and Inuyasha's cheeks turned a bright red.

"The hell you are!"

"But I have important mock exams." She countered. Chiharu exhaled. How she missed worrying about things like mock exams. "Please just three days, I need to study as well."

"Do you actually like these 'tests' that much?" Inuyasha snapped and Kagome flushed a deep red.

"No, of course, I don't like them!"

Mirōku had hiked up his robes and was now standing in the water, ignoring the quarrel that was to come. He and Shippō were both looking for fish. Chiharu eyed the water and kicked her slippers off. Asking Inuyasha to get some firewood had only been to get him away as the fire was still going strong. She blew a lock of hair out of her face pushed the legs of her hakama up past her knees. Shippō squealed as she splashed him a bit and Mirōku went face-first into the cold water when he sneaked up behind her. Their laughter was soon the only thing audible in the small clearing and after some urging from Mirōku, who had taken shelter on the rocky shore, they caught some fish as well.

The sun was already appearing in the East and Chiharu straightened her Haori before dropping the fish on the rocks. She shook her feet free of the excess of water and slipped into her slippers again. From the corners of her eyes, she noticed something red flashing by and watched Inuyasha settle on one of the branches. He wasn't moving anymore, just observing.

"Hn," Shippō suddenly jumped on her shoulder and she reflectively caught him, "What are those?"

She scrunched her nose up as the slight scent of men came to her and she cocked her head when she followed Shippō's pointing finger. Something was floating down the river and she gasped when she realised multiple human heads caused a sudden change in scent.

"Oh Kami," she whispered softly as Shippō pressed his small face in the crook of her neck. After the last two or three months, she still wasn't very used to all the death and violence she'd seen. Mirōku crouched down at the river bank and, Chiharu shuddered, picked one of the heads out of the water.

"A battle upstream, no doubt." He said and she carefully inched closer, peeking at the peaceful expression the man wore in death. "We must put these poor souls to rest and—"

"What's wrong?" Kagome had cautiously come closer.

"These heads, there are no marks, no cuts."

"That's not possible," Chiharu muttered. "They smell human and I'm pretty sure humans normally have torso's and limbs attached to the heads."

"Okay," Kagome suddenly said, clapping her hands together. "Let's go and investigate."

"Did you fall on your head?" Chiharu asked her older sister. "We don't know what's doing this."

"And weren't you going home?" Inuyasha cut in.

"He's got a point there," Chiharu added.

"You two can't be serious!" Kagome huffed. "I can't study like this. Besides, it has to be the work of a Youkai. We can't let it just keep killing innocent people."

"No, but can't we at least think of a plan?" she asked her older sister slowly. "You know figure out what we're up against and come up with a plan, with a plan b and a plan c?"

"We just follow the river upstream." Kagome shrugged.

"The youkai might be doing this with the aid of a Shikon shard." Mirōku piped up and Kagome nodded.

"I'm pretty sure we would have known if it was indeed acting under the power of a Shikon shard," Chiharu mumbled, reluctantly following after her elder sister and the questionable Hōshi. Chiharu closed her eyes and sniffed the air, nose pointing upwards towards the sky. There were too many scents to really make out what the human scent was coming from and she exhaled tiredly.

"You have to focus on the scent you're looking for." Shippō piped up from his spot on her shoulder. "What are you focusing on?"

"The human scent…"

"There are a lot of humans. You have to sniff out the difference. You know, how Mirōku and Kagome-chan smell different. That's what you focus on. You try to memorise someone's scent. When you're tracking someone you have to know the differences between people. Else if you focus on human smell, in general, you won't get anywhere."

"Who taught you, skirt?" Inuyasha grumbled.

"My Oji-sama!" Shippō announced proudly and Chiharu rubbed the little boy affectionally behind his ear.

"I'm sure he was a great teacher."

"How would you know?" he whispered softly.

"Because you're a great kid." Chiharu decided on and Shippō beamed. They'd started to climb a mountain and the higher they got the foggier it became. A soft drizzle had started, creating silver puddles and an ominous feeling settled in her stomach. The drops were so ambient falling on her skin with the promise of the coldness of the season ahead. She shivered.

Soft voices came from ahead. Chiharu's sister was the first to get to a small clearing and gasp. When Chiharu reached it she felt her mouth fall open. A large tree in the middle of the clearing, the slope of the mountain on one side and the beginning of the river on the other, dominated her view. That on itself wasn't what shocked her though, and as she noticed the heads growing on the tree she hugged Shippō tightly to her chest.

"What the hell?" she whispered.

"What is this?" Kagome asked horrified.

"It… It's got heads." Shippō announced loudly, small nails digging into Chiharu's arms as the child shuddered.

Mirōku exhaled loudly before approaching the tree. "Tell us, please, what has happened? Who are you?"

The heads slowly started their tale. The disembodied once were part of a normal human body, just as they had expected and when the humans had been tired with their lives as they were, they had moved to the mountain. The mountain where the Sennin lived and what was said to be paradise, but soon they'd learned it wasn't and they only were to be food for the Peach Man, a Sennin who took pupils.

"He says, he's a Sennin," one of the heads corrected.

"He can't be," Chiharu whispered, "He must have been a Youkai looking like a human."

"Bunch of fools," Inuyasha muttered and Chiharu frowned, gazing up at the mountain. She wasn't sure, but she did think she sensed a Shikon fragment now.

"Something's falling—" Inuyasha suddenly piped up. Chiharu heard it too and she took a step back, away from the mountain. They clattered by the roots of the tree. She slowly inched closer and for the umpteenth time, that day gasped.

"They're human bones," Shippō whispered and Chiharu nodded, sniffing the air carefully. The scent of copper was strong.

"They're fresh," Mirōku said and she nodded again.

Rubbing at her neck she watched as the bones were absorbed by the tree roots and a new old grizzled head appeared. "It's the head of the former owner of the bones." One of the heads unnecessarily explained. "We're called the Ninmenka, human-head-fruit. We are the medicine of eternal youth for Tōkajin."

"Call him what you want, he's a nasty yōkai, ain't he?" Inuyasha snapped, leaping up and began bounding up the mountain. "Stay here, if I take you up one-by-one, the day will be over by then."

Chiharu frowned and watched him disappear over the rocks above. "What happens at the end of this day?"

"What?"

"Nee-chan, what is so important at the end of this day that he can't have the delay?"

"It's the night of the new moon," Shippō explained softly, carefully. "At that night, Inuyasha loses his powers."

"Oh," Chiharu whispered, for what else could she say and stared up at the mountain. "Oh— Shit!"

To be continued...

A/N: And here is chapter seven. Not much about Sesshomaru, but there is some action. I remember the episodes and the chapters in the manga about the Sennin really well. I did loosely base this chapter (and the next one) loosely on the InuYasha manga chapter 79. I don't think I copied much of the conversations, although I did try to keep everyone in character. I hope you all enjoyed it. Like always let me know what you think^^

InuYasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi