A/N

I apologize once again to those that were reading this story before or had already read what I posted and were waiting for more. I understand your frustrations. My reasoning is that the original plot was weak and the quality was poor as well. Re-reading my work I realized how lame it was. With this revamp not only is the writing improved, but I've added more and new content that I hope you'll appreciate. Also more Sesshomaru.

Sorry again, and thank you. Please enjoy.

Inuyasha led the group as they traveled through the forest. He kept an eye out for demons in case they would jump them and Kagome had a firm grip on her bow over her shoulder. Yuuki eyed her quiver of arrows and then Inuyasha's sword at his hip. Being in this Era, Yuuki wasn't surprised that Kagome had a weapon to fight with. However she felt a little guilty knowing it would be left to them to defend her. She thought back to the purple demon that caught her alone and remembered how terrified she was. Even if she had something to defend herself with, she doubted she'd be able to act.

Approaching Akebi Village, they were passing by a man resting at a small shrine for travelers to pray. As they walked past the man perked up, looking at them surprised. "Hey, travelers!" he called jumping to his feet. The group paused and looked back at him.

"Yeah, what is it?" Shippo asked from Yuuki's shoulder.

"I see that you all are heading towards Akebi. I've passed by there myself, and I have to warn you about the old temple above the village." He frowned, his forehead wrinkling up as he said, "It seems there's a bunch of demons in there…"

Yuuki furrowed her brows up concerned. That's a little disconcerting. Inuyasha gave a curt laugh and she raised an eyebrow back at him. "There's nothing to be scared of," he said shrugging it off.

"I sure hope so," Shippo murmured worried.

Inuyasha walked on and Yuuki said to the old man, "Thank you for your warning," and followed after.

"Well, maybe we could check it out," Kagome suggested as they continued into the village.

"Kagome, we're here to find the villagers and that's it," Inuyasha reminded her firmly, giving her a look.

Yuuki decided to hang back a few steps as Kagome tried to convince him, though he obviously wasn't having it. Folding her hands behind her, she looked to Shippo instead. "Do they usually bicker this often?"

"Oh yeah," he replied with a nod. "Every day, but they also get along so it balances out."

Yuuki let a small sigh slip through her nose as she watched them continue to quarrel, gaining the attention of villagers as they passed through. Apparently they forgot they were here to inspect people, but Yuuki didn't mind. For their escort at the very least she could this on her own. As she and Shippo passed by an old villager man he asked, "Can you folks not leave the town either?"

Yuuki paused and looked over at him. "What do you mean?" Kagome and Inuyasha paused as well and looked back at them.

"Your clothes are different," he gestured to her school uniform. "So I figured you weren't from here."

"Well, you're right," she admitted as Inuyasha and Kagome walked back to them, "But why can't people leave the village?"

"Because of the spider!" The old man replied as if it were obvious. "Lately, there's been a big demon spider wandering around the place. No one can leave the village because everyone is scared of getting captured in the forest."

Kagome grimaced, "I'm not a big fan of spider demons..."

Yuuki furrowed her brows up and murmured, "It's a creative abomination to be sure."

"And it's not just any spider!" The villager quickly threw in, gaining their attention again. He stretched his arms out to emphasize, "It's an enormous spider with a white sticky web that captures people. On top of that, he has black hair on his legs!" He brushed his own thinning black hair with his hand as an example.

Yuuki narrowed her eyes feeling slightly sick while Kagome mustered a weak smile. "Please stop?" She asked kindly. "I don't think I can hear anymore…"

"I think he's exaggerating," Shippo said in Yuuki's ear, making her glance at him.

"He has more than ten eyes!" The man added, cupping his hands around his eyes.

Shippo stared at the man with a flat glare. "Yeah, he's definitely exaggerating."

Inuyasha decided to step forward in front of the man and bore down on him. "Hey, talk straight, old man," he ordered.

The old man put up his hands and chuckled with a nervous smile, shying away from his intimidation. "Sorry, I get a kick out of the girls screaming when I tell the story."

Kagome gave a polite laugh while Yuuki tch'd and turned away, her cheeks pink. "We weren't even close to screaming," she mumbled.

Shippo smiled at her and poked her cheek. "Yuuki, you're blushing again!" He teased and she sighed, her blush turning darker despite her reluctance.

"I got carried away," the man admitted and bowed his head in apology. "But I wasn't lying. Until someone takes care of the demon, everybody's too scared to leave the village. People have already disappeared trying!"

"Hey, Yobei!" The old man turned around and the others looked over to see a younger man run up. He put his fists on his hips and glared down at the old man. "Are you harassing the girls again?" He asked accusingly.

Yuuki crossed her arms and closed her eyes, deciding to throw the man under the bus. "Yes."

"Yobei!" The man scolded, raising his fist.

Yobei shied away again with a nervous laugh. "Sorry, Zenkichi, it was a harmless joke."

"No harm was done," Kagome assured and Yuuki frowned a little at her. She then stepped forward and asked, "Zenkichi, could you tell us a little more about the demon?"

"Kagome," Inuyasha said annoyed.

Yuuki looked over at him and cut in, "Inuyasha, the villagers I ran into were looking for a demon. It might be related."

"But that's not what we're here for," he explained slowly so she could understand.

A tick mark sprang up from his attitude, but she only turned away from him. Jackass. "The giant spider demon lives in the old temple in the forest," Zenkichi explained. "Ever since I was a child I had heard it lived there. He used to be satisfied hunting wild animals, but recently he came to the village and has been attacking the villagers. So because of that nobody's been able to get out of the forest. It's been terrible," he said sadly as he gazed at the ground in frustration. "We can't even send for help."

"Recently you say?" Kagome questioned intrigued. "Does that mean he didn't bother the people before?"

"Why would you ask that?" He asked, looking up at her suspiciously. "Do you plan on going to the old temple?"

"What if we do?" Shippo asked purely for curiosity.

"Because it would be stupid of you!" He shouted, causing Kagome to back away in surprise.

That made Inuyasha's ear twitch. "All right then," he said decidedly, "I think I've heard enough."

He then began walking away to their surprise. "Inuyasha?" Kagome asked and then quickly followed him.

"I half expected him to start a fight," Yuuki murmured as she followed and Shippo nodded in agreement. Inuyasha kept up at a fast pace, forcing Kagome to jog lightly to keep up. Yuuki decided to give up, realizing he wasn't even bothering with the task he was so adamant on before.

"What's wrong, Yuuki?" Shippo asked her, noticing she was slowing down.

"Inuyasha's just aggravated by Zenkichi," she said as she branched off from the main path, wandering away down a smaller road. "He might just be on his way to fight the spider demon. I still need to find the villagers and see if they have any clues to me going back home."

"Inuyasha can be single minded," Shippo said as they approached a large pond. "Once he's calmed down he'll wander back."

"Oh, I'm sure."

Looking ahead she spotted an old man standing at the pond watching the ducks. He might be one of the old men from before, but she had to get closer. As she approached behind him he spoke up, "What a rare use of spiritual power."

Yuuki stopped short and stared at the man wide eyed, feeling startled. She was sure her footsteps were quiet. "What?" Shippo asked confused.

Yuuki furrowed her brows as the man turned around to face them. He had thick grey hair that hid his eyes with a moustache and large purple beads hanging around his neck. "When you were in danger, do you remember what you cried out?" He asked.

Shippo whispered, "Do you know what he's talking about, Yuuki?"

She shook her head, giving the old man a questioning look. "I have no idea what-" Memory of the purple demon flashed through her mind, remembering a burning sensation and a light- "Ah," she winced and held a hand to her head feeling a sharp pain.

"What is it?" Shippo asked alarmed.

"I-I'm fine," she assured and then stared at the old man curiously. "I… I don't remember what I said, but there was a light…" She lowered her hand and stared at him hard. "So are you saying you were there? Do you know what happened?"

The old man chuckled amused. "I was, and you caused that light. It's what we call Seishin Power, which is a special power that can only be wielded by a select few. However it is a spiritual power that exists in all creatures in the universe."

"That sounds pretty amazing," Shippo said in slight awe.

Yuuki stared at the old man with a curious look, wrapping her mind around what he was saying. "Seishin powers...? That sounds like something priestess' and monks use. I'm not either of those."

"Maybe not in profession," he amended with a nod, "but you've only just awakened your powers. You don't even know how to use them to their fullest potential yet."

She crossed her arms and stared at him skeptically. "Forgive me, but who are you?"

"You may call me Grandpa Kakuju," he replied with a bow.

"You know, you do seem pretty helpless," Shippo said bluntly and she blinked at him in surprise. "You don't have anything to defend yourself with."

She went red in the face and became defensive. "I-I can't help it! There's nothing like this in my world! Not to mention-"

Kakuju lifted his head a little. "Your world?" He questioned and she froze, realizing her slip up.

"Yeah, she was brought here from a different world unexpectedly," Shippo went on to explain and she sighed, pressing her fingers to her forehead. Was it safe to just babble that around? Great, now we're the lunatics."You mean you couldn't tell by her strange clothing?"

"I'm sorry, my eyes don't work as well anymore," Kakuju replied. "I can't even tell what you are wearing or what you look like."

Yuuki frowned at Shippo and whispered, "Shippo, apologize to him."

"I didn't realize that," he said earnestly and then stared at him sadly. "I'm sorry for what I said," he apologized.

Kakuju only chuckled. "Don't worry about it," he replied. He then brought a hand to his chin. "You're from a different world, though. That is unusual…"

"Would you know how to take me back?" She asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid not," he replied and she and Shippo sighed dejectedly.

"I thought as much," she said.

"But," they perked back up at him. "Even though I don't know what brought you into this world, I can teach you how to use the Seishin power that lies within you. Only few can wield it, and as long as you're in this world you should know how."

Yuuki didn't say anything, but she was still doubtful she had done anything special before. Seishin was unknown to her before this old man. That's when Shippo spoke up, "That sounds great! Yuuki, you should try to learn so you can use it to fight demons."

Yuuki glanced at him. "Well... I suppose," she nodded to the old man. "It wouldn't hurt to try." Though I'm not sure how far I'll get with it.

"All right then," he stepped forward on his cane and held his free hand out to her. "Stand in front of me and close your eyes. Take my hand and remain very still."

Yuuki stepped forward to meet him and Shippo jumped off her shoulder. He backed away a little and watched as she did what Kakuju requested. Shippo then stared in awe as a light shined on the ground beneath them. It spiraled upward and around them, spinning up and lifting their hair slightly. Their clothes flowed as if in water and her grip on his hand twitched, her eyes shutting a little tighter as the light became more intense. Shippo was forced to cover his eyes as the power shot up in the sky before quickly dying out. After everything had calmed down Yuuki's eyes snapped open. She gasped, stumbling back too violently and falling to the ground on her butt.

She clutched her chest breathing hard, her eyes wide as adrenaline coursed through her, her heart hammering in her ears. The warmth she felt before- the burning sensation that was in her hands was all through her. Her body was vibrating. "Yuuki!" Shippo exclaimed and raced over to her. He stood beside her and stared up at her face worried, seeing her pale and sweating, her eyes wide as she stared off into space, panting hard. "Yuuki, what happened? Did you get new powers?"

The new sensation wasn't going away. She swallowed, forcing her breathing to calm. "I…" She slowly composed herself, sweat rolling down her cheek. "I… I remember what I shouted earlier," she said as she came back into focus. She furrowed her brows together as she stared up at Kakuju. "What did you do to me?"

"We merely awakened the Seishin," he replied as he stared above her. "Now you will learn to use the Seishin." He stepped aside for her to see the pond behind him. He then gestured at a decent sized rock with his cane beside them. "Do you see that rock over there?"

"Yes, I do," she replied as she stood up, dusting her skirt off.

"But how can you?" Shippo asked for her, staring at the rock in surprise. He then gazed sideways at the old man in suspicion. "I thought you couldn't see anything."

"Seishin is a versatile power," Kakuju replied and they approached him. "You can use it in a way that benefits you, becomes custom to you. I use this power to make up for my shortcomings. Now," he gestured to the boulder again with his cane. "Remember the phrase you shouted before. Harness the Seishin power and destroy that rock."

Her body was still humming. She felt almost jittery. Staring at the rock, she wondered if it was as easy as just wishing the task to be done. Did she only have to think about destroying it? Her stare became intense, causing Shippo to glance between her and the rock before backing away. Yuuki closed her eyes and focused the powers she felt coursing through her now. She knelt to the rock and placed her hand to it, her body outlining in a white light. "… Purify!" A light shone from her hand and the rock exploded into rubble and dust. She quickly stood and backed away, covering her mouth with her sleeve as she coughed.

"That's it?" Shippo questioned unimpressed.

Yuuki went beet red as looked to him insulted. "Hey, that's more than I was able to do yesterday, okay?"

"You did very well, Yuuki," Kakuju said as he approached behind her. She turned around to see him patting his clothes searching for something as her blush went away. She then blinked as he pulled out a sea green beaded necklace. "Take this. It will serve as a medium for you and your Seishin powers."

"Wow, that's very generous of you," she said as she took them. Examining them she asked, "What are these exactly? They're not rosary are they?"

"They are," he nodded. "That rosary is called The Exorcism beads, specially made by a priest long ago. They are purifying rosary that contains the power of holy light. You may use them however you wish."

If only I knew how to use them at all, she grimaced. A gift wasted. "Yuuki!" Yuuki looked over as Shippo jumped to her shoulder again. Kagome was running towards them while Inuyasha was walking calmly behind her. "There you are! We were getting worried and thought maybe the spider demon got you," she said as she slowed to them.

"What are you doing over here?" Inuyasha asked as he approached.

She shrugged as she put on the rosary over her head. "Befriending old men and breaking rocks."

Kagome blinked before laughing. "Of course, that sounds like my usual Yuuki," she said. She was joking, but Inuyasha only gave her a confused look. That made Yuuki smirk. His cluelessness could be seen as endearing, she supposed. "So, who is this old man?" She asked, turning to Kakuju.

"His name is Grandpa Kakuju," Yuuki replied and put a hand on her hip. Looking over at the man she added, "He was just teaching me a thing or two to survive out here. So, what happened with you two?" She asked Kagome. "Inuyasha seemed like he had a mission."

Inuyasha crossed his arms as he replied, "I was going to go take that spider demon's head and leave it on Zenkichi's doorstep until a random villager ran up to Kagome and started apologizing."

Yuuki raised an eyebrow as Shippo asked, "Why?"

"I'm not sure," Kagome replied, furrowing her brows up. "I awkwardly slipped away and thought maybe he mistook me for you."

"We look nothing alike," she said flatly.

"Well, you two do wear the same clothes," Shippo said.

Yuuki became disheartened, thinking it would be difficult to find good help with simple mentalities like that. Kagome shrugged with a smile, "Come on, I'll bring you to him."

As they began leaving, Yuuki paused and then glanced back at Kakuju. Though he couldn't see, she still gave her rare smile and said, "Thank you, Grandpa, for the help." He only nodded and she followed after her friends.

Inuyasha and Kagome led her to the outskirts of the village, closer to the forest. "Oh, miss!" Yuuki and Shippo watched as man raced up to Kagome and took her hands in his. "I'm so-"

"Back up, old man!" Inuyasha pushed him away from Kagome and then pointed at Yuuki. "She's the one you want!"

Yuuki stared at him flatly with a tick mark. "That's called 'throwing under the bus' and that isn't appreciated."

Kagome quickly stepped in front of Inuyasha and put her hands up, smiling at the old man apologetically. "I'm sorry, but there seems to be a misunderstanding. I think you may want my friend Yuuki, not me," she explained and then gestured to her.

The man and Yuuki made eye contact. "Yeah, I recognize him," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "You're the one who chased me in the forest with katanas."

"My name is Gosuke," he said and bowed low to her. "Please, will you forgive me? I was panicked; I didn't mean to harm an innocent."

She sighed and looked the man over, he appeared exhausted. He most likely hadn't slept in days. "What exactly were you doing in the woods? You and the other two were very disturbed."

"I am sorry," he said sincerely. Staring at the ground sadly he murmured, "I just wanted to get my daughter back…"

"Your daughter?" Kagome questioned in surprise.

"So that's the nonsense you were talking about," Yuuki realized. "So, a demon stole your daughter?"

"A demon like the giant spider demon?" Inuyasha questioned.

"Yes," Gosuke nodded gravely. "He came to our village two days ago in the dead of night and stole my daughter. My father and my wife went out to search for the demon with me when we encountered you," he said looking at Yuuki. "We saw your strange clothing and thought you were a demon in disguise."

Yuuki was quiet for a moment. She couldn't ignore the fact that his daughter was possibly killed by a demon, however she had to ask. "Forgive me, Gosuke, but I have a question. Did you happen to see a well anywhere around the area you encountered me in?"

"A well?" he questioned, confused at the change of topic.

She nodded. "Or perhaps a hole large enough for a human to fall through? Anything foreign?"

Gosuke hummed as he thought hard. He then shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid not. I searched the area thoroughly in search of the demon or my daughter, and I didn't see anything like that."

"So we finally find the place and there's nothing." Inuyasha sighed heavily. "What a waste of time."

Yuuki stared at the ground in silence for a moment, feeling the frustration welling inside her again. Though, as she glanced at Gosuke, she supposed she wasn't the only one with problems. "My parents are probably as worried sick as he is," she said quietly. Inuyasha glanced at her while Shippo looked to her sadly.

Kagome then asked, "Gosuke, did you ever find your daughter or the demon?"

"No…" He turned downcast. "No yet. The young men that went to the old temple to find her never came back…" He covered his face with his hands, hiding his anguish. "She's only a child… I have to go in there myself to find her…"

"Well, then," Inuyasha spoke up. "We'll just have to go in and destroy that demon for you." Yuuki was quick to look at Inuyasha surprised. He was smiling even. His change in attitude towards the issue was sudden and a little bizarre.

Gosuke lifted his had to stare at him in shock. "Y-you… You will!?"

"Inuyasha!" Shippo was surprised as well. "This is so unlike you! Are you okay?" Yuuki glanced over at Kagome for some sort of explanation, but she was only smiling at him.

"I'm so bored from all this walking," Inuyasha replied. "I need a little excitement."

Shippo perked up in realization. "Ohh, I see. That makes sense."

"It's probably just some stale old demon that lives in the old temple," He said nonchalantly. "This'll be a piece of cake."

"So," Kagome turned to Gosuke, "Where's the old temple?"

"Just over there," he replied, pointing up the path ahead of them. "Past the rocky expanse." He stared at them all pleadingly. "Please, help my daughter Sachi."

The group went through Akebi Village into the more mountainous region through the rocky area Gosuke spoke of. Kagome fell into step with Yuuki next to Shippo. She smiled at him and said, "Shippo, would you mind giving me and Yuuki a minute?"

"Oh I suppose," he said reluctantly and jumped off Yuuki's shoulder. They watched as he ran up for Inuyasha and walked beside him instead.

Yuuki looked over at Kagome and asked, "What's up?"

"Inuyasha can be frustrating at times," she said as she stared at the demon boy, "but he really does have a good heart."

Yuuki closed her eyes and smirked, huffing a laugh. "How's that? He seems more like a chaotic neutral."

"Well," Kagome smiled over at her, "Why do you think he decided to kill the spider demon and save the girl?" she then looked towards Inuyasha and added, "He was upset when you were nice with Shippo and Kaede. He doesn't think I notice, but it's fairly obvious. He became jealous when we were holding hands, too. Knowing you liked children he jumped on this quest so you could like him, too."

"Really?" Yuuki stared at the back of Inuyasha's head in surprise. He was fairly stubborn and rude, but Yuuki wasn't used to people doing things solely for her. Just to get her to like him? It made her feel... good. I guess he isn't all that bad. Must be how Kagome's able to stand him.

Inuyasha's ear twitched and he was about to turn his head. Yuuki quickly snagged Kagome's hand and looked away, causing Kagome to sweat drop. "Yuuki..." Inuyasha noticed them holding hands again and he quickly grumbled, crossed his arms and walked faster. "Yuuki, you're just making him upset."

"I'm having fun," she corrected, and she smiled to herself. Kagome watched her for a moment, surprised to see the new expression on her face. She hadn't known her childhood friend to be so playful. Yuuki looked to the clear sky that was turning pink, figuring they were at higher altitude; the air was crisp and clean. The coldness was refreshing. She leaned her head back to enjoy the sun and air. I don't know why, but I'm feeling better about my situation here.

"Hey, how is everyone back in our time?" Kagome suddenly asked.

Yuuki opened her eyes and looked at her sideways. "Define everyone?"

"You know," Kagome made a vague gesture with her free hand as she replied, "Eri, Ayumi, Yuka, our friends."

"Those are the only friends I have besides you," she said, closing her eyes again. "I only have them because of you." Kagome frowned and opened her mouth to speak, but she interrupted saying, "They're fine, though Eri is a little imp as usual." She set her head right and furrowed her brows up at Kagome. "They miss you every day you're gone. We rarely see you and when we do you're busy with school. Not to mention they're worried about the new illnesses and diseases." Kagome stared at the ground guiltily. Yuuki tilted her head and suggested, "How about you come back one day and hang out with us when there isn't school. So we can catch up?"

Kagome smiled at her and said, "That sounds like a wonderful Idea, Yuuki. I just have to get Inuyasha to approve," she added with a sweat drop.

Yuuki only huffed at that. "I'll make him approve." Kagome only turned nervous at that. "Anyways," she looked back at her with a smirk. "Hojo's also worried about you."

"And how's Kurosawa?" She shot back with her own mischievous smile. Yuuki turned annoyed as a blush appeared on her face. "That's what I thought!" Kagome held her head high in victory. Yuuki only tch'd and glanced away. Everyone always seemed to be picking on her.

"Hey, slowpokes! Hurry up!" They heard Inuyasha shout from ahead. Yuuki and Kagome separated and ran after him and Shippo, turning around a particularly big, mossy decorative boulder to find the abandoned looking temple. Kagome and Yuuki walked up next to Inuyasha, all of them staring at the building. "I can smell the demon hiding out in there," Inuyasha said. "And human blood."

"This temple is awfully big," Shippo commented as he looked up and down the long building. "How are we supposed to find Sachi?"

"Well, spiders ensnare their victims in their webs," Yuuki explained and Kagome's face fell with repulsion at the thought of it. "The more webs we find the closer we should be to her."

With that Inuyasha took the lead into the temple. It was dusty and the walls were crumbling away, the floor boards rotten to the point of collapsing from its own weight. Cautiously they explored the temple, not seeing any signs of a spider demon. "The demons scent is everywhere," Inuyasha said as he entered a room. Shippo remained with him while Kagome explored her own room. Yuuki ventured off down the hall deeper into the temple.

She entered a random room with the door ripped down. Walking in there was dishware littered on the ground collecting dust, a broken table and worn down rugs. She walked to the back towards an old unmade futon. She looked back and forth, examining he room for anything useful, but only found cob webs. She took a step and heard the faintest sound of the ding of metal, feeling a lump under her foot. Looking down, she stepped back and found an old key. She knelt down and picked it up, examining it. "This looks like a key to something important," she murmured to herself.

"Yuuki?" Kagome's voice called.

"Coming," she called back, slipping the key into her skirt pocket as she stood. She walked back out and followed the halls until she found her friends gathered in front of a set of large double doors. "Find anything?" She asked.

Inuyasha nudged his head towards the door and replied, "The scent is stronger through these doors."

"But it's locked," Shippo added sadly from Kagome's shoulder.

"Here, let me try," Kagome stepped towards the door and reached into her pocket. "I found a couple of keys in some rooms," she explained and tried them. Neither of them worked to her disappointment.

"Kagome," Yuuki reached into her pocket and held out her key. "Try this. I found it as well." Kagome nodded and took the key. Trying it the doors unlocked with a loud click. She pushed on them and they creaked terribly, causing Yuuki to cringe a little. "Well, I supposed our announcement was made."

"Makes no difference," Inuyasha replied. "Prepared or not I'm killing the thing."

They could hear the evening crows outside as they continued further into the temple. Yuuki began glaring around her as she brought up the rear behind Kagome, her paranoia rising. They found some stairs and went further down into darkness. During their decent, Yuuki pulled at the collar of her school shirt feeling uncomfortable. "It's… Stuffy in here," she commented, unsure of herself. It seemed harder to breathe really, feeling a pressure on her chest.

"It's not just stuffy," Kagome said, glancing back at her. "There's a demonic aura. You must be sensing it."

Sensing a demonic aura? Yuuki frowned when Kagome turned back around. Paranoia, feeling gravity weighing her down, becoming physically uncomfortable, having troubles breathing… Well, makes sense. When they reached the lower level, the candles lining the halls were lit showing someone was home. Aside from the demonic aura, there was something else nagging at Yuuki. It wasn't anything negative necessarily, but there was a pulling sensation...

She quickly stopped when Inuyasha and Kagome froze abruptly. "I smell fresh human blood," Inuyasha said looking back at them. "That spider is definitely ahead."

Kagome brought a hand to her chest, staring up ahead of them hard. "I hope we're not too late for Sachi..."

"Um..."

They all looked back at Yuuki, seeing her staring down the hall with a distant look in her eyes. Kagome became worried, "Yuuki, what is it? Is it the demonic aura? Is it overwhelming you?"

Yuuki slowly shook her head. She was focused on this new sensation, something calling out to her. "I-I don't think it's the demon... I'm not sure what it is, but the further we go the stronger the feeling is."

Kagome stared at her in shock. "Are you... Are you sensing the kehai of the jewel shard?"

Yuuki furrowed her brows up at her, snapping back to her reality. "What?"

"The Shikon no Tama," she explained, "It emits a kehai that few can sense. It's not very strong so the demon must have one, but even a small shard is incredibly powerful."

"You guys stay here," Inuyasha ordered as he began walking off.

"What are you saying, Inuyasha?" Shippo called after him.

Kagome frowned after him annoyed. "No matter how strong you are, you'll still be in danger if you go alone."

Inuyasha looked back at them over his shoulder. "I'll defeat this demon quickly and then we'll be on our way." With that he disappeared into the shadows.

Yuuki frowned after him. "Sounds like a tough guy," she commented sarcastically.

"He's always making decisions on his own," Shippo said to her unhappily, visibly upset by it.

Kagome turned to him on her shoulder and smiled. "He's really trying to keep us from danger, Shippo."

"Really? I didn't hear him say that," he said skeptically.

Yuuki suddenly bent over, resting her hands on her knees and taking effort to breathe. They watched her concerned and Kagome said, "Yuuki, you stay here. The demonic aura and kehai are overwhelming you. Shippo and I will go ahead and help Inuyasha, all right?" Yuuki glanced up at her friend, seeing a determined expression she hadn't seen before. Yuuki nodded and Kagome ran off with Shippo.

Yuuki leaned back against the wall, focusing on her breathing. Her body felt flushed and the air was stifling. Somehow Kagome was able to handle these sensations just fine. It made her feel a bit weak, and so she worked on adjusting herself to become comfortable. It took a while, and she heard no sounds since her friends left. How far did they go? She eventually was able to stand upright, breathing normal again. She wiped the perspiration from her face, wondering if she should be worried. She was certainly anxious.

After a while she eventually found herself pacing, fiddling with the new rosary around her neck. Then from the distance, Kagome screamed and Inuyasha shouted, "Bastard!"

"Kagome!" Yuuki was sprinting down the hallway. She spotted the open sliding doors and turned into them, sliding to a sudden stop. She stared around the room wide eyed seeing the mass of thick webs strewn about. Inuyasha was tangled and pinned to the floor, Shippo suspended in the air. Kagome was tangled as well, hanging in full display in front of the spider demon that was crawling towards her until Yuuki interrupted. She glared at the demon; it was certainly large enough to eat a small child, dark purple in color with stringy black hair on its head, curved horns protruding from the top.

The spider demon grinned at her, showing off its fangs. "Well, well, there's still more of you."

It was certainly a monstrous looking thing, something out of a nightmare. Yuuki swallowed and somehow her voice was stronger than she felt, "Well, I see the villager's exaggerated. You don't even have ten eyes." She glanced around, seeing Inuyasha had a massive sword in his hand that couldn't possibly fit in his sheath. Kagome had her bow, but her quiver of arrows were lost.

The demon narrowed his yellow eyes and said, "Seeing how you've escaped being captured, you should run away. I do like having a chase, it builds the appetite."

Well this was a bad situation. Feeling something akin to resignation, Yuuki took of her rosary in preparation for a fight and the demon laughed. "Yuuki!" She glanced over at Inuyasha, seeing him struggle to lift his head as he looked back at her. "He's using power from the shards of the Shikon Jewel. You can't win; you have to run away!"

"And risk letting him kill you?" She questioned back in absurdity. "What kind of person do you think I am?"

"You idiot!" He fired back hotly. "Quit standing there trying to act brave! Run away!"

"Just shut up," she faced off with the demon. She closed her eyes, calming herself down.

Kagome glanced back at her friend worried. "Yuuki?" She asked nervously.

Shippo couldn't even move. His eyes screwed shut he shouted, "Yuuki, you should listen to Inuyasha! You need to get away while you can!"

Yuuki opened her light lavender eyes again and quickly scanned the room. Webs were everywhere; she couldn't move to get closer to the demon. She only had a rosary and she needed to reach the spider from where she stood, but they were on opposite sides of the room. Then, she spotted a Buddhist statue above the demon, sitting on a ledge. The only attack she knew she could use was her purifying touch… She looked down at the rosary in her hand. I can use this however I want, right? She eyed the statue again. At the risk of utterly failing, she lashed out at the statue with her necklace. The rosary broke into a single string and extended out, glowing green and whipping into the wooden shelf holding the Buddhist statue.

"Wh-What!?" The demon looked up to see the crumbling rock fall on top of him.

Yuuki's Exorcism Beads retracted and reformed on their own. In the demons distraction she ran forward to Inuyasha. She tangled her hands into the webs that bound him and then focused her Seishin powers, seeing her hands glow white. "Purify!" Instantly the webs were burned away throughout the room freeing them.

Kagome gaped in surprise as she was released. She landed on her feet next to the spider that struggled in the rubble. Kagome's bow shone with her own spiritual energy and whacked the spider across the face, forcing him back and allowing her to run to her friends. Shippo joined them and beamed at Yuuki. "You did it, Yuuki!"

Inuyasha stood up and readied his massive sword, smirking at the demon as he recovered. "Not bad for a newbie."

Yuuki frowned at him, a blush dusting her cheeks. "I've done more than you have."

"Oh yeah? Watch this then." The demon shook off the rubble and glared at them angrily. "Wind Scar!" Inuyasha swung his glaive and five streaks of power rushed at the spider, making him shriek. The attack tore through the demon and ripped him apart. Yuuki blinked, seeing the demon nothing but a pile of blood and body parts. Feeling the power of the attack nearly knocked her off her feet. He truly is strong then, she thought, feeling in awe of his strength. Inuyasha huffed a laugh, resting his sword on his shoulder. "He was all talk."

Kagome smiled as she approached Yuuki. "If it weren't for you, Yuuki, we'd be done for. Where did you learn that?"

"She learned it from Grandpa Kakuju," Shippo replied for her, jumping up on her shoulder.

"Well, everyone's safe now," Inuyasha said as he put his sword away. Yuuki stared as the giant glaive somehow fit in the tiny sheath. He crossed his arms. "That's all that matters."

Kagome frowned at him. "You can at least say thanks, Inuyasha."

"No need," Yuuki replied, recovering from her shock. "We wouldn't want to put too much strain on him."

Inuyasha walked off to the back of the room, stepping through the spider remains, and forced the doors open. As the others approached, the smell of blood wafting from the room made them recoil, and forced Yuuki to cover her nose. "This what you were smelling, Inuyasha?" He could smell this from outside the temple?

"Definitely," he said gravely and went inside.

The room was twice as large, obviously a shrine with a large Buddhist statue in the back. There were decaying bodies and skeletons with webs strewn about. Cautiously walking in, Yuuki looked around in repulsion. "Sachi?" She called out. She had seen horror movies before, but seeing this in the flesh disturbed her. She took a step and heard a crunch, feeling the breaking force under her foot. She quickly recoiled and looked down, seeing she broke someone's arm.

"Do you think she's still alive?" Shippo asked quietly.

"Shut up," Inuyasha replied as he walked around the room. Kagome looked around as well and then paused, seeing a large cluster of web behind a couple of dead men. It wiggled and she yelped, stumbling back. The three of them quickly whirled around. "What is it, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked.

"I… I think I found a spider's cocoon," she replied. "It's moving!"

They hurried over and gathered around, seeing the web bulge wiggling still. "It's not a spider's egg, is it!?" Shippo asked panicked, going blue in the face with fear and disgust.

"What are you so afraid of?" Inuyasha asked annoyed. He marched ahead of them up to the cocoon. He flexed his clawed hands and then grabbed the web. In a swift movement he tore open the sack and blinked. The others watched as a little girl in a red and yellow kimono blinked back up at him.

She then broke into a grin. "Thank you!" She tackled his leg in a hug, making him flustered. "It was so scary in there!"

"Wha- hey!" Inuyasha shook his leg, awkwardly trying to get her off.

"Sachi?" Yuuki questioned and the girl responded by looking over at her. Yuuki's face softened as she smiled. Kneeling down to her level she asked, "Are you okay? Does anything hurt?"

Sachi shook her head. "It hurt a little bit being in there, but I'm okay now."

"I'm glad you're safe," Shippo smiled at her. "What a relief!"

"At least he hadn't eaten you yet," Inuyasha said crudely and the girl released his leg, staring up at him worried. Crossing his arms he said, "Come on, everyone, let's go."