Shikuro: A Caribbean Fairy Tale

by Inuma Asahi De

Inuyasha was as bad as pirates came, according to his legend. Kagome was a woman of propriety, destined to marry for her family's honor when all she wanted was to live on the sea. What happens when their eyes meet by chance or perhaps by daring fate?

82. Serdenga

Blanket Disclaimer: The writer does not own any characters created by Rumiko Takahashi but like everyone else wishes she did. All original characters or concepts are the author Inuma Asahi De's (with the exception of historical figures).

Chapter Eighty-Two

Serdenga

The sound of the little boat creaking as they moved in near silence towards the beach made Kagome tense ever so slightly. The knapsack which Sango had expertly tied onto her back, gripped at her shoulders as her muscles went taunt, reminding her to relax once more. "I have to stay calm." Kagome told herself as she looked towards the Captain who was silently rowing the vessel towards shore. "I have to be like Inuyasha—." She continued to coach as she looked at the man's stern face while he concentrated wholly on what he was doing. "He looks so serious." She told herself as she studied the way his lips pressed together in thought and his eyebrows narrowed.

There was something about that seriousness that made her feel anxious, as if she was missing something important about the imminent dangers. Considering she had never really been involved in one of their impending fights (at least not involved to the extent that she had a job she was supposed to accomplish) it was only normal that Kagome felt as if she was a fish out of water. Truly, this would be the first time she was a part of the assault (if there was one.) Every time before she had been a mere participant on the sidelines, shoved into the back corner of the room so that she remained safe; this time however, she was on the front lines and it was her duty to keep everyone else as safe as possible.

Kagome's shoulders sank just a bit as she gulped down a lungful of air. "That's a lot of pressure." She told herself as she tried to maintain an air of confidence so that neither Kouga nor the Captain would notice her disconcerting thoughts.

"We're almost on shore." Inuyasha spoke up suddenly, his voice a hushed whisper as the oars dipped into the water quietly.

Kagome's head jumped up from the sound and gripped the bow in her hands a little tighter. "It's almost time." She told herself as she glanced towards the Captain expecting to see the man's intense eyes once more but they were turned away from her, looking towards the king behind him.

"Kouga," He called towards the other man, the sound of his voice seeming to echo a bit around them as it hit the walls of the cove. "Where are we going once we land?"

"Into de town-eh." The other demon replied as his own blue eyes stared off into the distance, studying every nook and cranny of the cove for evidence of life. "Dey are in a—how you say—," He paused and literally flicked his wrist in the air as if debating what the proper word he was looking for actually was. "A maniero."

"A manor." Inuyasha translated easily as the sound of sand hitting the bottom of the boat began to fill the air.

"I know-eh where it is." Kouga continued on even as his eyes turned towards the distracting sound of the small vessel hitting land.

"Good," Inuyasha muttered as he stopped rowing, the end of the boat floating forward for several seconds before a much louder scraping sound reached all three occupants ears. Although they were not completely on the beach, they had definitely arrived. Inhaling deeply, he threw the oars into the middle of the boat without another word, and stood up so as to jump over the side. "Help me pull 'er onto shore." He addressed Kouga bluntly as he came to stand on the soft sand of the beach they had landed on.

For once, the wolf demon didn't give the Captain a dry or sarcastic remark. Instead, Kouga simply jumped up from his spot and in one small leap landed in the sand. Within seconds, both men silently took a position on either side of the boat, neither bothering to ask Kagome to depart as well so as to make the move easier (not that they needed to anyway). The wet sand sloshed underneath the boats frame, the sound of it causing Kagome's heart to somehow beat a little faster. It was almost as if that sand was trying to tell her something as the two men drug the boat on shore. Whether the message was positive and reassuring or negative and foreboding, Kagome wasn't sure.

With the vessel solidly on shore, Inuyasha made sure to hold it straight up so that it wouldn't tilt to the side with Kagome inside it. Raising his head towards the small girl, he frowned for several seconds as he took in the sight of her worried grey eyes. His gut twisted for all of a second at the sight before it seemed to relax, lulling him into a false sense of security. "Kagome?" He called to her, watching as she blinked herself back awake and turned towards him expectantly.

"Yes?" She tried desperately not to squeak as she took in the soft eyes focused on her. Surprised by them, she turned away and looked down at the boat she was still sitting in. Off to her right, Kouga rolled his eyes discretely and brought his hands off the boat.

The extra weight, however slight it may be, made Inuyasha stumble for a second and Kagome freeze like a cat as she grabbed for the sides of the boat in order to steady herself. "Kouga." Inuyasha growled low in his throat so as not to be heard by any demon with sensitive ears who might be nearby.

"We need-eh move-e." Kouga told them firmly as he looked towards the small cliff in front of them. It wasn't very high, maybe three hundred feet or so, more than manageable by the two demons standing there. Nodding to himself, he turned back to look at Kagome prepared to ask her to move quickly. The sight of her startled grey eyes and her tiny frame gave him pause, however. "De bella's so—small." He told himself as he watched her glance away from him and towards Inuyasha as if she needed reassurance. "Small and adorabile." Unable to stop the smile from reaching his face, Kouga shook his head slightly before sending Kagome a sweet grin. "Poor bella." He spoke, drawing her attention away from the Captain and back towards himself. The second her beautiful grey eyes were focused on him, he offered his hand, the black leather gloves actually gleaming in the moonlight."Might I offer de bella a hand?"

Kagome felt her face heat up from the sincerity of his words and she flushed. "Um—." She started to say but the sound of Inuyasha's rather loud growl cut her off.

"Will you stop that?" The demon gripped the edge of the boat he was steadying even harder and glared at Kouga so intensely that the other man should have caught fire.

"Stop what?" Kouga sent the other demon a devious smirk but didn't retract the offered abendage. "Your hands are full meticcio, so it is only naturale tat I offer de bella miei own."

The demon inside of Inuyasha nearly had a heart attack from the other man's words. Inuyasha felt the snarl building in his throat as the demon responded to Kouga's insufferable voice and dug his feet into the sand a little more, prepared to spring forward and slit the other man's throat.

Watching the building tension, Kagome ceased to flush and for the first time felt more annoyed with the men than flattered. Shaking her head, she ignored both Inuyasha's loud growl and Kouga's own hand, instead standing up in the boat by herself. Both men froze in response to the sudden movement, watching her as she easily walked across the stable boat to its bow and simply jumped out onto the sand. She stumbled slightly from the landing, not used to standing in something so soft but didn't let it hinder her from speaking. "We should get going." She told them as she gained her footing, forcing her voice to be even so they wouldn't say a word about her near fall.

Blinking in complete surprise, Inuyasha let go of the boat's edge, allowing it to slump down onto its side. Clearing his throat he straightened himself to his full height and turned back towards the equally surprised Kouga. "You ready?" He asked the other man, staring at him in such a way that Kouga knew, Inuyasha was not letting his behavior go but was instead choosing to ignore it.

"I was-eh ready before you were born." Kouga mumbled as he refocused himself back to the task at hand and away from the puppy beside him.

"Excellent." Inuyasha narrowed his eyes sarcastically as he spoke and turned back towards Kagome. For a moment, Inuyasha silently watched her as she looked up at the tall cliff, bright eyes trying to rationalize Kagome's expression. Even though he saw confidence budding in her grey eyes, he could tell that it had yet to translate over into her person. "She looks uncertain," He gulped slightly, he more than anyone knew that in circumstances such as these, uncertainty was deadly. His gut turned from the thought, seeming to tell him in no uncertain terms that something was wrong but he couldn't for his life figure out what. Pushing the ill feeling aside for now, he took a step towards her, reaching out to brush his fingertips against her shoulder. "Ready?"

The girl blinked in surprise and turned towards him, her grey eyes wide for all of a second before they became silently confident once more. "I am." She told him firmly as she pulled the bow to her chest.

The confidence in her voice did nothing to really quell Inuyasha's already turning stomach. Biting the inside of his cheek, he leaned forward and for one brief moment nuzzled her cheek. Her scent watched over him in that moment, the calming smell of his home seeming to encompass him. The action probably did more to reassure him than it did Kagome but regardless both felt already more relaxed when he finally pulled away.

Watching the scene from some three feet away, Kouga frowned but didn't spring to comment. Although he found the behavior disgusting in a way, he could still understand it and the need to display it. Shaking his head, he looked back towards the towering cliff, his heart beginning to sting in his chest as he thought of the possibilities that rested high above it. "Let's go." He spoke in a voice that made room for no arguments.

One of Inuyasha's ears flicked in the direction of the sound and he rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Lead the way." He told the other demon watching as Kouga instantly sprang upwards nearly twenty feet in the air, landing on a small ledge on the cliff side before springing upwards another twenty or thirty feet towards the next one. "I can jump higher." Inuyasha mocked mentally, the child in him sauntering to the surface for just a moment before he came back to himself. "That's pathetic." He growled and shook his head as he knelt down in front of Kagome, motioning for her to climb on his back.

The girl hesitated for all of a scant moment from the gesture, her body seeming to respond to his touch even before he had touched her. "You've done it before." She chastised herself, even as her whole body seemed to heat up at just the sight of his warm back and strong hands waiting for her. She knew those hands quite well, probably too well to take them seriously at the moment.

Realizing that Kagome had yet to move, Inuyasha glanced at the girl over his shoulder. "Kagome?" He pressed, the girl's grey eyes seeming to be washed over with a glaze of emotion his brain was not currently registering.

Snapping back to herself, Kagome's grey eyes widened as she noticed Inuyasha was looking directly at her puzzled. "Oh, um," She stumbled and shook her head as she closed her eyes off from him, feeling stupid. "Sorry, I was—thinking." She winced from her own words feeling even more stupid for having said them. "Let's go." She finally said as she motioned towards him absently and took a step forward, easily allowing herself to straddle his back while he wrapped his hand around her thighs to support her.

"Hold on tight." He told her as he too reacted to the feel of her body heat through her pants. "She's so warm." He thought to himself as he pulled her closer to him, loosing himself for just a moment in the feel of her breast beginning to press into his back and of her free arm as it wrapped around his shoulders. "We um—need to move fast to catch up with Kouga," He managed to say as he resisted the urge to rub a hand up and down her thigh. "So—don't be surprised."

"I won't." Kagome whispered into the side of his neck as she held onto him, the warmth of his body heat comforting. In one great leap, Inuyasha rose over fifty feet in the air, the action making Kagome feel strangely weightless as his claws brush against her skin, holding onto her tightly. The feeling of weightlessness subsided quickly as he began to fall, gravity taking over. The fall was short lived however, and before she knew it he had made contact with the edge of the cliff and pushed himself upwards once more. "To move like this," She told herself as he landed and shoved off once again, practically flying upwards with each leap. "I'd give anything."

Within seconds they had scaled the entirety of the cliff and found themselves once more standing just beside the wolf demon. Kagome's ever curious eyes automatically gravitated towards the sight of a verily close city, its buildings outlined in the dark by the hovering moon. Blinking slowly, she took in the shape of each one, her mind racing to determine which one would be their focus for the night. Barely controlled fingers shook as they gripped Inuyasha's jacket just a little bit tighter.

"It could be any of them—." She told herself as she fought the urge to shake, her eyes darting between the shadowy buildings that rested less than few hundred yards away. "Dear lord—am I ready for this?" The question hung inside of her head as she gripped the bow slightly tighter with her free hand. "I hope so."

Standing silently, his own icy blue irises focused on the city as well, Kouga took a deep breath. He too saw the buildings that haunted Kagome's own vision, albeit much clearer than she could ever hope to. The buildings in his vision were clear and crisp and filled with detail. He could make out windows and curtains as well as people already beginning to awaken for the day. It was a sight that told him they didn't have much time. Licking his lips, he pulled his eyes away from the town and instead focused on Inuyasha and his mate.

"What-eh took so long?" Kouga asked offhandedly, the slight agitation and anxiety mixing in his voice not very easily ignored.

Pulling Kagome more firmly onto his back, Inuyasha sent the other demon a questioning glare. His ears went back on his head, an instinct he could not control, and he tilted his head to the side. "He just keeps getting worse." He told himself as he felt Kagome's fingernails brush against his skin. "I can only imagine—." He inhaled sharply, pushing the thoughts aside as hastily as he could. He really had no desire to imagine how the other man felt and he honestly hoped he would never have to know the feeling. Adjusting Kagome one last time, making sure she was completely secure against him, he inhaled deeply. "Just keep going." He muttered to the other male as he let out the breath as quietly and contained as possible.

The wolf demon instantly seemed to agree with him and motioned with his chin towards the town. "Dis way." He told them both and took off without a second thought.

Instantly, Inuyasha rushed forward as well, Kagome tightening her grip around his shoulder's as they darted off after Kouga. Her eyes never wavered as they moved, staring openly at the ever growing sight of building after building. With each passing second they were becoming less shadows and more reality. Windows were beginning to form in outline against the brick and mortar backdrops on which they had been made. Her heartbeat picked up just a bit in her chest and she tried to swallow only to find an unmanageable lump forming in her throat.

"Why am I so scared?" She heard her own voice question herself in the back of her head. She couldn't deny that it wasn't in fact a very affirming question: why was she so scared? What was there really to be scared of? "Inuyasha will protect me." She told herself even as that small voice interjected another far scarier thought. "But what if he can't?"

The danger in that one simply thought nearly made her feel sick.

"What will I do if—if he's not there?" She asked herself, images of what had happened to Sango beginning to cloud her mind. She could almost feel Costa's hands and smell his putrid cologne as it rubbed off onto her skin. She wanted to squirm as the images mucked up her thoughts, tormenting her in ways she had never thought possible. "What will I do without him?" Her own voice was shaky inside her mind, teasing her with its own insecurity.

Closing her eyes, she tried desperately to control her breathing as flashing deadly images entered her brain. Her skin began to literally crawl with paranoia, sights and smells and sounds that were neither real nor dangerous surrounding her body as the wind rushed past her. Inuyasha's hands, once a source of warmth and comfort began to change, becoming something reminiscent and terrifying. She bit into her lip, the urge to scream compelling and hard to ignore.

"I can't let this happen." She told herself as she tried to push the unsettling memories aside. "But—how can I stop it?" She asked her brain, the sheer silence that met her from the question making her feel almost nauseous. "There has to be something—anything." She continued to beg some unseen and unknown force to give her some kind of answer but nothing firm seemed to form inside her head except the frightening images of sights that were better left unseen. "Damn it—just give me a bloody suggestion!" She cursed internally, a desperate wish to be free of such ugly thoughts gnawing at her gut.

"Silly girl—you'll protect yourself."

"Protect myself." Her closed eyes narrowed as she took in the answer, unsure of it at first. The feel of the bow pulsating between her fingers however, brought her back to a truth she must have forgotten. "I can protect myself."

Her eyes snapped opened as the voice filled her once more, the warm comfort of the sound echoing in her head instantly killing the negative thoughts, sounds, and images that had come to rest there. Her heart stopped in her chest and her mind raced back into reality. Blinking, she took in the sight of houses on either side of them encompassing an unknown street they had just now entered (when they had even arrived in the town, she did not know). The smell of baking bread wafted to her nose, the work of the early rising baker causing her stomach to growl ever so slightly.

Ignoring the sensation, she chose instead to focus on the suddenly slowing wind all around her. It took her all of a second to realize that the lack of wind assaulting her face was not the weather but instead Inuyasha's pace coming to a slow. "Are we almost there?" She asked in a whisper her thoughts from earlier finally fleeing her head as reassurance settled within her very soul.

"I'm not sure." Inuyasha told her in return as his pace slowed to a trot. "Kouga's slowing down though." His grip on her legs tightened ever so slightly as Kouga came to a complete stop not too far ahead of them.

Kagome followed the wolf demon's gaze towards the building in question, the sight of two stories of windows and a wall that was over eight feet high greeting her vision. Unable to stop herself, her chin fell slightly from the sight and her eyes grew wide with amazement. The house had to be even larger than her families estate in France if the front windows were any indicator. "One—two, four—six." She started to count, the number of windows growing larger and larger with each passing second. "There's over twenty." She whispered hastily to an equally worried Inuyasha. "Just in the front alone."

"I know." He licked his lips in response as his own sharp eyes studied each window hastily. "This is gonna be a lot harder than I thought." He told himself silently as they finally came to stand next to the wolf leader.

"We're here." Kouga told them bluntly the very moment they arrived beside him, his arms crossing over his chest.

Inuyasha glanced up at the tall fence his gold eyes slightly wary. "I thought you said it was a private residence." He spoke as quietly as he could, the loud echo of his annoyance was hard to control, however.

"It is." Kouga growled slightly before turning towards Inuyasha and sending him a strange look—as if he was resisting the urge to call him an idiot.

Looking over Inuyasha's shoulder at the wolf demon, Kagome blinked a few times. "Seems more like a palace to me." She commented, watching as the wolf demon sent her what could only be called a patient smile.

"Bella—it is quite big-eh." He whispered to her even as Inuyasha's eye began to twitch from the familiarity. "But-eh I assure you, it is just a home."

"Well," Inuyasha quickly stepped in, stopping the conversation before it could go any further. "Whatever it is—we need to find a way in."

Just as the dog demon had assumed, Kouga immediately was back on task once more. Demonic eyes turned towards the rather large residence, scanning each and every window with slow deliberation. "A window would-eh be easiest."

"Agreed." Inuyasha nodded as he too looked out over the large house, staring at each individual window one after the other. All of them were sealed tightly leading both demons to believe them to be locked. In this case, and perhaps this case only, it was best to assume a window was locked rather than attempt to open it and find out it wasn't. "Takes too much energy to guess—and too much time." He told himself as his eyes scanned through the last of the twenty or so windows. "I don't see any opened ones."

"Neither do I." Kouga agreed and lowered his head a little farther down, gazing at the wall instead. "We-a should try-y de other side."

"Yeah." Inuyasha nodded towards Kouga, giving the man the sign to go ahead and lead the way once more. Within seconds Kouga bent his knees and with the grace of his breed, sprang upwards from the ground and straight over the wall. The ears on Inuyasha's head twitched momentarily as he listened for the wolf's successful landing. The sound of Kouga's boots sinking into dirt or grass met the dog demon's ears within moments. "Seems well enough—." He thought to himself when no other sounds began to come forth such as screaming or a guard yelling for assistance. "You ready Kagome?"

"Yes." The girl nodded and to prove her point leaned forward just a bit more, placing her weight onto her intended's back.

Assured that there were no unforeseen dangers on the other side of the fence and comforted by the feel of Kagome's body heat, Inuyasha bent his knees. Within seconds, he found himself in the air following after Kouga effortlessly. Behind him, Kagome did well to keep quiet, the girl having become quite used to such feats of grace over the past few months. The smell of garden flowers assaulted his nose first, followed by the pleasant feel of his boots sinking into soft wet grass. Over his left shoulder, the sound of a trickling fountain caught his attention for all of a moment before Kouga's grunt to his right made him nearly jump.

"Hurry meticcio." Kouga demanded and Inuyasha rolled his eyes, ignoring the beautiful Mediterranean garden which flourished around them. Reds and blues, as well as fiery oranges and even yellows blurred in his vision as they started to move once more, keeping their bodies low and hidden amongst the vegetation.

It wasn't long before they reached the building's side, both men coming to a standstill as they neared the corner. Standing in front of Inuyasha, Kouga raised up one of his hands in a silent signal for Inuyasha to stop. The dog demon obeyed, knowing better than to question his cousin while Kagome was on his back. Edging towards the curve in the wall, Kouga pressed his back against the brick inching forward one cautious step at a time.

From her spot behind Inuyasha, Kagome felt her heart begin to pound in her chest as she watched Kouga carefully negotiate the corner. "I wonder if they are any night guards?" She asked herself just as the demon in front of them managed to peek around the corner. Everything was dead silent for several minutes except the chirping of nosy crickets calling to each other in the night. Not one muscle on Kouga's body moved that Kagome could see, even his hair didn't appear to move despite the cool breeze. "That's strange." She thought absently, just as Kouga turned his head towards her and Inuyasha, motioning with his chin for them to come closer.

Obeying silently, Inuyasha moved to stand next to Kouga's shoulders, his own gold eyes glancing past the wolf demon. The sight of an empty side yard greeted his vision and he found himself nearly sighing with relief. In fact, the only reason he didn't was the gnawing feeling in his stomach that something was not quite right. "Why are there no guards?" He whispered towards Kouga who growled softly in response.

"Tat's what-eh I would like to know." The wolf demon licked his lips and leaned against the corner of the wall. "Something is odd."

"Yeah." Inuyasha agreed while rubbing his hand over Kagome's thigh in a soothing gesture that she greatly appreciated.

Although the human girl wasn't really sure what was going on she knew that something was terribly odd about the situation. It seemed to her that if the people who had taken Ayame really wanted to intercept Kouga then they would have formed a tight perimeter around her. Thus, the fact that there was no one in the immediate area was rather strange and almost worrying. "I just don't understand—what are they up to?" She leaned her head against Inuyasha's shoulder in order to sooth herself slightly. The dog demon tilted his head towards her own in response, gently rubbing his cheek against the side of her forehead. "What's going on?" She asked quickly as he continued to rub against her.

"I'm not sure." He answered honestly and pulled away just as Kouga leaned back against the wall suddenly.

"Meticcio—." The wolf demon began as he tilted his chin upwards and used it to motion back around the corner once more. "Look dere meticcio—at de window." Kouga whispered and commanded all at the same time.

Narrowing his eyes, Inuyasha leaned forward around the corner, Kagome attempting to lean around as well. Two sets of eyes, grey and gold looked upwards as two sets of mouths frowned slightly as they tried to spot whatever it was Kouga wanted them to see. Within seconds, Inuyasha's sharp eyes picked up the unnatural movements of a curtain wafting in the breeze. Blinking in surprise as the red fabric taunted his vision, Inuyasha dipped his chin back down to look at Kouga. "The window's open."

"Really?" Kagome mumbled, her human eyes and bad positioning on Inuyasha's back not allowing her to see what the two men were talking about.

"Yeah—a second story one." Inuyasha confirmed as he glanced back at the window, mentally calculating its distance from the ground. "No guards—an opened windows just ten feet off the ground." The thought trailed off and he forced himself to contain a snarl. "They're baiting us."

"What?" The girl on his back frowned in surprise from Inuyasha's words. "What'd you mean?"

"I know." Kouga agreed, ignoring Kagome's interjection completely as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest.

"That window's no coincidence," Inuyasha explained to Kagome as he pulled her up on his back a little higher. Her knees pushed in tighter against his hips in response as she too sought out the comfort of knowing he was safely holding her. "They want us to see it and they want us to go in it."

Kagome nodded her head in understanding as she glanced around the corner, trying to see the opened window in the dark. "Do you think someone's waiting there?"

"Maybe." Inuyasha pursed his lips and looked towards the window himself. He waited for any movement in the darkness of the contained room but saw none much to his displeasure. "It'd be much easier if we knew what to expect before we went in," He told himself, holding in a tired sigh. "But it's never that easy—is it?"

Feeling Inuyasha's building sigh as his back moved to inhale and exhale Kagome frowned darkly. "What do we do?" She dared to ask as she glanced away from Inuyasha towards the equally disgruntled Kouga. "Do we just—take the bait?"

"What-eh choice do we have?" Kouga shrugged bluntly as he uncrossed his arms bringing one up to his head, running his fingers through his long black hair. Instantly, his nailed caught on a tangle and he grunted as it yanked against his scalp. Gently, tugging, he managed to unknot the hair easily enough but not without a feeling of dread building within himself. "I have-eh to get to Ayame." He whispered, meaning for the words to be heard even if he said them so quietly that they nearly were not. "And tat's de way I will do so."

"You say that like it's so simple." Inuyasha grumbled slightly but knew the opened window was their best option even if it did pose a few problems. "There's no telling who's up there," He thought to himself as he watched the window closely, waiting for a shadow or even the outline of a person to appear within it. "Or where that window leads," He licked his lips carefully and pulled Kagome a little tighter against his back. "A hall, a room? It's so unpredictable."

Beside him, Kouga scented the air instinctively searching for any remainders there might be of his mate's scent. His nose tingled with the underlying foreboding scent of mongoose instead and he raised the back of his hand up to rub against his nose, attempting not to sneeze.

As she held onto Inuyasha, Kagome bit the inside of her cheek halfheartedly. "What lies beyond that window?" She wondered for only a moment before her thoughts seemed to creep away from her, focusing on Ayame instead. "Will she be there?" She shivered slightly but not from cold as the knapsack on her back pulled against her shoulders. "Will we find her—alive?" Her stomach sank and her palms began to sweat from the very prospect. Shaking her head roughly to clear the negative thoughts away she breathed in deep and whispered firmly to the two men with her: "We should go."

"We should." Inuyasha instantly agreed before turning towards the still silent Kouga. "You ready for this?" He asked the wolf leader who turned slowly towards him in response. Crisp blue eyes stared straight at him, their intensity making Inuyasha nearly feel uncomfortable until the wolf demon finally nodded in answer.

"We get to tat window," He began slowly and turned his eyes downwards, allowing his vision to pour over the grounds. He studied the little sprigs of grass, bright green against the backdrop of his shoes, for several seconds before he raised his head once more. Determination lined his eyes and confidence that Kagome briefly thought she might never possess. "And we will-a find Ayame."

Sending his cousin a firm smile, Inuyasha nodded his head sharply once before turning his own gold eyes towards the window. "You first." He told the wolf who sent him a sarcastic smile of his own almost immediately.

"As it should-eh be." He quipped before taking off hastily, keeping his body low to the ground and close to the wall, hidden in the shadows of the brick.

Ignoring the comment, an action he found himself performing on a regular basis lately, Inuyasha waited patiently, knowing it was best for Kouga to go first. Not only did he have Kagome on his back to worry about but he also knew that it was better in these situations to go one at a time. Otherwise, there was a pretty good chance he would end up blocking Kouga's escape route should he need one, and that could only end in disaster. Edging around the corner slowly, he watched as Kouga stood directly under the opened window, his sharp eyes looking all around himself for signs of any trouble. Finding none, the wolf demon glanced up at the window above his head and in one giant leap forced himself up into the air.

The sound of claws digging into wood as Kouga latched onto the windowsill filled Inuyasha's demon ears and he winced reluctantly. "Damn it Kouga," He groused to himself, knowing that any demon awake in that particular room or even one on either side of it could have heard such a sound. "Way to draw attention to yourself." He rolled his eyes as he watched the demon throw himself feet first into the window, landing on the floor up above with a soft thump that made Inuyasha wince once more. "How loud can you fucking be?" He wondered and growled low in his chest, a sound Kagome could not hear but certainly felt.

"Is something wrong?" She whispered so quietly that it was debatable if anyone but Inuyasha could have heard her.

"No," He replied as quietly as he could whist talking to a human. "Kouga's just loud."

"Oh." The girl tilted her head in surprise wondering how the Captain could say the man was loud. "I didn't hear anything," She thought to herself before adding just as silently. "But I am only human."

Suddenly, a soft whine filled the air all around them, the sound causing Inuyasha's back to go straight for just a second before he crouched down low to the floor. "You ready?" He asked as Kouga's safe signal rang throughout his ears.

"Yeah." Kagome didn't hesitate but didn't sound all that confident either.

It was that sound in her voice, that made Inuyasha pause. "Kagome." He whispered to her in the moonlight even thought he couldn't see her directly. "Don't be worried." He hesitated for a second as he tried to think of what else he should say. "I'll protect you." He added even as something else wormed its way into his head, something far more important than his own protection. "And if all else fails," He continued on trying to make himself sound as reassuring as he possibly could. "I know you can protect yourself."

The words nearly brought tears to Kagome's eyes and she nodded against his soft hair without saying a single word. Truthfully, she couldn't think of anything else to say except 'Thank You' and somehow, that just didn't sound quite right or appropriate.

Not expecting a reply however, Inuyasha merely hugged her to himself sweetly one last time. "Keep your head down." He told her, waiting for her to bury her face in his hair before taking off with his head ducked down.

The wind rushed past Kagome for several seconds before suddenly she felt herself become weightless once more. "We're flying." She thought just as her weight seemed to plummet back down into the ground as Inuyasha sunk the claws of his feet into the window ledge.

Almost instantly, he pushed them both forward, somehow sending them through the opened window without the use of his hands. They landed on the floor seconds later in a crouch, Kagome pushing her knees so tightly into his side in order to hold on that Inuyasha actually thought he might bruise. Sharp eyes already searching for possible threats, Inuyasha took in the room first. It was small, more like a pantry for a kitchen than a room, only a few chairs were scattered about covered in sheets.

Standing to his full height once more, Inuyasha tilted his head to the side. "Storage?" He whispered, the sound of his voice causing Kagome to open her eyes and look around as well.

The young miko frowned as she took in the variety of covered objects, most of which were obviously furniture and a few paintings. "It is," She agreed as she held onto him, looking over his shoulder confused. "It's just storage."

"Seems so." Inuyasha agreed as he turned his head towards the sound of Kouga shushing them. Ears perching as high as they possibly could on his head, Inuyasha went silent listening for whatever it was Kouga had heard. The sound of shuffling feet hit his ears instantly and he immediately ducked back down to the floor. A little flicker of light from underneath the door gave him pause and he frowned darkly as he held his breath.

By the door Kouga sniffed silently as the flickering light, probably made from a candle or lantern began to grow dimmer. The sound of footsteps gradually disappeared as well growing faint as the seconds ticked by. Finally, the hallway went silent once more and the slight opening underneath the door went black as well. Breathing a sigh of relief, Kouga turned towards Inuyasha, his blue eyes seeming to glow slightly as they took in the minimal light in the room in order to see. "Dey weren't mongoose," He spoke quietly as he leaned against the wall tiredly. "Dey were humano—servi." He clarified, the word for servants just close enough that Kagome was able to understand it.

"Humans?" She whispered as she held onto Inuyasha not yet feeling safe enough to actually let go of the man. "Why are they up so early?"

"Servants always have to be up before the master," Inuyasha gently explained, his voice almost nonchalant as he felt the adrenaline in his system begin to circulate even faster. "And the sun."

Before Kagome could say anything, Kouga cut her off with a slight growl. "Met-i-cc-io." He punctuated each syllable of the word impatiently. "Dis is not time-eh per a lezione."

The dog demon growled in response but otherwise didn't say another word as he pulled Kagome a bit closer towards himself. "What's the plan?"

Kouga sniffed at the door absently before reaching for the handle. "We move-eh now," He told the dog demon as he pulled the handle down and glanced over his shoulder. "Ready?"

"Let's go."

The sound of the door handle clicking open and then the sight of the dark hallway, made Inuyasha's skin actually crawl ever so slightly. His instincts told him to fear that darkness just a bit, the left over smell of humans and the even fainter smell of a mongoose from some time before, making his stomach turn once more. Sneaking forward, Kouga entered the hallway first, followed by Inuyasha only a few scant seconds later with Kagome still perched on his back.

"Close the door." The dog demon told Kagome as quietly as possible. The girl complied by taking her hand off from around his neck and pulling the door closed before returning to her previous position.

"Which way do we go?" She asked quietly to which Inuyasha didn't even have time to respond.

"Dis way." The wolf leader told them before sprinting off to their left in the opposite direction of the servants from earlier.

Keeping low to the floor, Inuyasha hurried after him, moonlight from a few choice windows actually highlighting their way. Within seconds they reached the end of the first hall, a straight right angel greeting them. They turned the corner quickly in order not to be seen and hurried down the opposite hallway as swiftly and as quietly as possible.

Holding onto Inuyasha's shoulders tightly, Kagome watched as the maze of hallways flashed by her face: paintings she couldn't even make out caught her vision for all of seconds before they completely disappeared to her gaze and open doorways leading to dark rooms aroused her curiosity only to fade behind them within precious seconds. The sound of her clothes actually picking up wind from their movements and the panting of both Inuyasha and Kouga's breath were loud in her ears. Holding onto her intended just a little tighter she began to grow anxious once more, wondering if the next turn or the next hallway would lead them into danger.

"It's nerve-racking," She told herself as she watched another unknown painting wiz past her head. "Just to think, in a matter of moments we could be fighting for our lives." She closed her eyes against the idea, blocking out the quickly passing words. "It's almost dizzying to think about." She sighed to herself just as Inuyasha suddenly started to slow down. Opening her eyes in surprise, she watched as the world seemed to come back into focus right before her eyes.

"Due modi." Kouga whispered as they finally came to a halt in the middle of a narrow hallway.

"Yeah." Inuyasha agreed as he looked behind him towards Kagome who was trying to peak over his shoulder. "The hallway splits into two directions." He explained as he carefully lowered her back down to the ground.

Sliding off his back, Kagome finally was able to see around him so that she could look at the forked hallway. Sure enough, the hallway split to the left and right, either route looking just as promising as the first. "Which way should we go?" Kagome whispered as she looked at the split in the hallway, her head moving slowly between the two. Both routes looked identical, twenty or thirty feet of hallway and doors, which ended with a sharp right angle leading to another unseen hall.

Leaning his head back, Kouga scented each route before promptly sneezing. "Maledetto." He cursed as he looked between the two hallways. "De smell-eh is too strong." The wolf demon admitted as he gritted his teeth and clutched his hands into fist.

"The mongoose?" Inuyasha asked even though he already knew the answer to his own question. The smell of the mongoose in the building was unbelievably strong, there had to be at least thirty or forty of them hidden in some unknown corridor. "Which means, scenting someone like Ayame is gonna be damn near impossible." The dog demon snorted and shook his head before looking over at his cousin expectantly. "Any bright ideas?"

Kouga glanced at Inuyasha out of the corner of his eye not saying anything right away. "No." He finally admitted as his foot began to tap restlessly on the ground.

Watching the exchange between the two men, Kagome frowned and raised an eyebrow confused. "Why can't we go one way and you go the other King Kouga?" She finally asked, causing both demons to turn and look at her as if she was crazy.

"We can't do that." Inuyasha told her adamantly as he shook his head at her, his own experience with situations such as these clouding his judgment.

Placing her hands on her hips, Kagome tilted her head to the side. "Why not?" She asked while sending Inuyasha a truly curious frown.

"Um—." Inuyasha looked over at Kouga who shrugged in response not really having an answer.

"Il moi instinct-i to say no but," He paused and looked over at Kagome, studying her for just a second. "I think we should-eh trust de bella."

Inuyasha licked his lips as the feeling in his gut turned into an ache of reason. "So do I." He nodded his head sharply before looking left and then right. "Kagome and I will go right," He told Kouga while pointing with one sharp claw. "You go left."

The wolf demon didn't even acknowledge the other man before he shot off towards the hallway on their right, dashing away as quick as he possibly could. In much the same way, Inuyasha lowered himself back down, motioning for Kagome to get back on his back without another word. The girl complied instantly and within a moment they were off as well, darting down the opposite hallway so silently that Kagome could scarcely hear his feet as they touched the ground.

"It's almost scary how quiet he can run." She thought absently to herself as they approached the another hallway. Within seconds they had turned the corner, the Captain ducking their bodies down into the shadows so as not to be seen before dashing forward once more. Gripping his back, Kagome raised her head a bit over his shoulder. To her right she could see nothing but windows much to her own surprise. "We must be at the front of the house now." She realized before turning her head towards her left where a number of doors rested leading to rooms unknown. "This place is like a giant maze."

Holding onto her legs tightly, Inuyasha's sharp eyes focused not on the places to their sides but instead in front of him. His ears twitched on his head listening for any sounds that may permeate the building and his nose sniffed incessantly for any signs of Ayame in the air. For the most part all he could smell was the left over foul residue of mongoose. There was so much of it in fact that he could hardly smell anything else. "It's like they're everywhere—from the walls to the fucking floorboards." He groused just as a slight flicker of light from somewhere in front of him caught his attention.

Unsure of the sight Inuyasha slowed down instantly, Kagome's weight shifting awkwardly on his back from the sudden stop. "Omff." She gasped as she clung to him with uncertainty, her eyes darting this way and that trying to figure out what had just happened.

"Shhh." Inuyasha shushed her quietly as he pulled her a bit tighter against himself. "There's a light." He informed as he moved slowly towards the wall, pushing himself away from the light bearing windows as much as possible. "Up ahead—around the corner."

"A light?" Kagome wanted to clarify but didn't dare to speak as her heart began to pound in her chest once more. Squinting her human eyes, she nearly gasped as she noticed the slight flicker Inuyasha had mentioned. The little glow was coming from around a hallway corner just up ahead of them, the shine from a torch barely distinguishable from the moonlight pouring in the windows. "How'd he see that?" She wondered as he began creeping forward somehow managing to squat and carrying her all at the same time.

It seemed like hours passed as they moved towards the light, which had to be no more than a few yards ahead of them. Inuyasha's ears worked overtime on his head, listening carefully for any signs of movement or conversation. "I can't hear anything." He told himself as he crept farther forward, his boots starting to creak from the strain of being crushed from his crouch. The painful squeak of the leather bit into his very soul but he didn't let it hinder him as he continued down the hall. "Maybe it's just a leftover torch." He controlled his breathing precisely making sure it would go unheard by those who might be waiting around the nearing corner. "Maybe I'm being too paranoid—." He reasoned with himself just as he moved the last final inches towards the ninety degree turn in the wall. "What am I thinking? You can never be too paranoid during times like this." He informed himself before the thought could take him any farther.

Crouched down, the flickering light making his pupils retract and dilate uncomfortably, Inuyasha shook his head and glanced behind him towards the still Kagome. Motioning with just his eyes, he looked from her to the ground, once then twice to convey to her that it was time for her to get down. Nodding her head, Kagome allowed her knees to finally come unlocked and slid off his back down to the floor. She landed with a soft plop that made the dog demon and herself wince with fear and tense uncomfortably. They both held their breath for several seconds, waiting for anything that might come for them. After what felt like an eternity of waiting, they both realized that they had not been heard and exhaled two silent sighs of relief.

"That was horrific." Inuyasha thought to himself as he motioned towards Kagome to stay put, the girl mutely nodding in reply.

Leaning his back against the wall, Inuyasha turned away from his mate and instead inched closer to the edge of the hallway. Inch by inch, he neared the tantalizing crisp wall, his ears twitching violently on his head and his nose working overtime to try to cut through the smell of mongoose. His heart pounded in his chest and a trickle of sweat followed a path from his forehead to his cheek and upper lip. Instinctively, his tongue darted out and licked the sweat away, the taste of fearful salt oddly comforting to his senses.

"Just a little farther." He coached himself as the flickering light taunted his every sense, especially the ones failing him. "If I could just smell the damn thing or hear it—it'd be so much easier." With one last deep breath, Inuyasha reached the corner, his back flat to the wall. His sweaty palms nearly slipped against the wooden floor and his clothes clung to his chest uncomfortably. "One—," He counted to himself preparing to turn his head around the corner. "Two—," He allowed the lump forming in his throat to bob as he swallowed. "Three!"

If it was at all possible, Inuyasha moved both quickly and slowly all at the same time, his head turning to look over the corner and his shoulder. Flyaway silver strands of hair swatted at his face and his eyes blinked against his will to avoid the onslaught. Disgruntled he nearly growled but caught himself before any noise could be made, his eyes finally opening to take in the source of the flickering light. Some twenty, maybe twenty-five feet away, there were two lit torches attached to the wall on either side of a guarded door.

Heart nearly lodging in his throat, Inuyasha ducked his head down into the shadows further not taking his eyes off the guards for even a second. Normally a sight such as that (two guards before a door) wouldn't have bothered him in the least. However, the woman by his side made him wish they would simply disappear. Luckily, their backs were turned towards Inuyasha, neither one actually noticing the decently concealed man as he watched them both yawn into their hands. The dog demon's eyes narrowed at the sight and he quickly scanned the hallway further looking for any other sign of guards or other men. He saw none.

"That's weird—there's only two men here." He thought to himself as he looked between the two guards. By the stripes on their faces and their elongated almost muzzle like mouths, he could tell they were mongoose. The fuzzy black hair and small ears on the side of their heads only served to reiterate the realization. "Two mongooses with spears, standing in a hallway, guarding a door." He frowned darkly to himself and tilted his head to the side. "If it was Ayame wouldn't there be more of them?" He reasoned even as his mind launched to another thought. "Not necessarily—they might not have expected us to come in a front window." He thought to himself as he slowly pulled his head away from the corner and glanced back at the hallway they had come down earlier. "They probably thought we would go to the back of the manor—so they put her up front, and put all the other guards in the back."

The dog demon licked his lips from the thought. It was entirely possible that the House of Savory had planned this whole rouse rather deliberately. Most people would prefer to attack the front of a house or at least enter by the front. With this logic in mind, the House of Savory could have decided to cater to their enemy's logic; instead of hiding Ayame in back and placing an army out front, they placed an army out back and hid Ayame in front.

"It could be that, maybe." Inuyasha frowned darkly and finally towards the silent Kagome beside him. "That's just slightly suspicious." He whispered to Kagome who frowned and shook her head not understanding. "Look." He gutted his chin around the corner.

Still frowning, Kagome placed a hand on his shoulder, pulling herself up enough so that she too could glance around the corner. Her eyes widened immediately as she took in the sight of the two men so close and yet so far away. "What are they guarding?"

"Don't know." Inuyasha mumbled as he looked back towards the mongooses one last time. "If I remember right mongooses don't hear nearly as well as we do." He pursed his lips and pulled himself back into the shadows once more, crossing his feet and arms. Briefly he closed his eyes hoping that by closing off his eyesight he would be able to concentrate better on his nose. Inhaling deeply, he forced the oxygen into his lungs allowing bits of precious unknown particles to reach inside his nose. Hastily his brain tried to make sense of every last one, searching out the subtle differences between each and every scent. Within seconds his eyes snapped back open, a smell he had only known very briefly triggering recognition in his scent memory.

Unaware of Inuyasha impending discovery, Kagome lowered herself back onto her knees and licked her lips. "Do you think," She began as she allowed her hand to drop from Inuyasha's shoulder. "They're guarding Ayame?"

With the familiar scent still seeming to dance within his nose, Inuyasha gave Kagome a positive nod. "I smell a female wolf." He explained to her as he tried to formulate a plan at the same time, his mind racing to make sense of everything that was happening all too fast. "And her scent's identical to Kouga's mate." He finished as he uncrossed his arms and instead put his hands on his knees to keep his leg from thumping anxiously. "What are the odds?" He asked himself as his thoughts began to turn towards Kagome. "Why'd I have to find her—alone—with Kagome—damn it Kouga."

"So it's her?" Kagome spoke without knowing Inuyasha was currently facing a dilemma that involved her.

"Yeah," Inuyasha responded even as his mind jumped from possibility to possibility. "We could find Kouga and come back—no that's too dangerous—I don't know where the giant nest of guards is." He held his growl in the best he could while his body started to jerk with irritation. "I could leave her hear and just go in alone." He seriously considered the idea as he sat silently against the wall. "That could work but—." His eyes jumped subconsciously to look at Kagome, the way the lighter hairs on her head caught the moonlight making him squirm. "I can't risk someone finding her." He cursed as he licked his lips hastily and he racked his brain for an idea.

"I hope she's not hurt." Kagome said suddenly as she fingered the straps of the knapsack. "The sooner I can get to her," She told him softly as she returned his unknown gaze with a worried one of her own. "—the better."

"Hurt?" Inuyasha repeated the word as a plan finally jumped into his head. "That's it!" Turning towards the girl completely, Inuyasha grabbed her shoulders forcing her to look up into his face surprised. "Alright, I know what we're going to do."

"Okay?"

"I'm gonna run in," He pulled one arm off her shoulder, pointing wildly in one direction as if to demonstrate what he meant. "And just beat the hell out those guys and break down the door."

Kagome blinked slowly as she studied the man, searching his face for any signs that he was joking. "That's the plan?"

"Almost," He nodded his head and tapped his claws against her shoulder in an almost erotic way. "As soon as the door's opened, you run in there, slam the door, and tend to Ayame."

Kagome nodded quickly as she realized the potential behind his seemingly insane plan. "And after that?"

Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something but stopped before he could say anything all too stupid. "I don't know yet." He decided upon, only realizing after he had spoken that he had in fact sounded stupid anyway.

The miko clutched her bow tightly to her person and frowned. "That's reassuring."

"We'll get her and find Kouga." Inuyasha hastily formulated the idea even though Kagome didn't look all that convinced by it. "Then we'll get the hell out of here and back to the ship."

"The lack of detail is astounding." Kagome thought but decided it was better not to voice her sardonic words out loud. "Alright then, sounds like a plan." She said instead, even as her stomach began to knot with her own unease.

"Good." Oblivious, Inuyasha pushed himself up from his crouch into a standing position, his back pressed against the wall.

Kagome followed him soon after, the bow tightly held in her hands and the knapsack pressed into her back. Both were silent as they mentally prepared for what was about to happen, the vague plan turning in their heads. Glancing towards his intended, Inuyasha breathed in her scent mixed with the mongooses. Despite the scent marks of the mongoose in the air, he could still make out the distant sea and flowers of his homeland. For the briefest of seconds he allowed the smell to wash over him, building in his system until he felt as if his mind might burst from the pleasure of it.

Controlling himself, he closed his eyes and reached out for her in the darkness of his mind. Unconsciously, his fingers reached as well and soon he found the warmth of her tiny hand against his sweaty palm. "We good to go?" He whispered down to her, the top of her head all he could see as she squeezed his fingers back.

"Yeah." She agreed even as anxiety built within her, the feel of his large hand not nearly enough to make it go away. "Remember—he's done this before." She told herself even though she felt her own confidence a bit lacking. "He knows how to do these kinds of things—," The thought was surprisingly reassuring as she felt his hand slip away from her own while he turned towards the direction of the hallway entrance.

"Wait for my signal."

She heard the words but barely registered them. "Just listen," She told herself as she studied the muscles of his back, watching as they rippled visibly underneath his jacket as he tensed. "And everything'll be okay."

The Captain's shoulders went ridged at her unspoken words and without another word nor thought, Inuyasha shot forward from his hiding place. Moving like lightning he covered the distance to the two mongooses within seconds, neither demon actually seeing him or registering his presence until it was already too late. With the element of surprise on his side, Inuyasha just managed to kick the first mongoose square in the face. Blood splattered instantly from the man's broken nose and his eyes rolled back in his head as he lost consciousness and fell to the ground in a giant heap.

The other mongoose on the opposite side of the door barely managed to turn and gawk before Inuyasha pulled his knee all the way to his chest preparing for his second strike. Aiming for the door, fully prepared to bust it opened in one swift motion, Inuyasha shot his foot forward with all the force he could muster. The sound of wood splintering as the handle snapped entered the hallway making Inuyasha nearly bite his tongue. "Shit that was loud." He growled internally as little bits of wood flew all around him, hitting him in the chest and arms. "Now Kagome!" He yelled towards the girl still behind the corner as he turned to confront the other demon who had yet to move.

"Just do it!" Kagome yelled at herself and sprang up from her hiding place and ran towards the door. "On it!" She told the Captain just as she neared the entrance, grabbing onto the door's frame in order to redirect her feet and turn herself so that she ended up in the small room.

Catching the handle between shaking fingers, she shoved it closed, the lack of click as it made contact with the doorframe the only sign that the door was no longer working. Her heart pounded in her chest, the sound so loud that she could have sworn it was not a heartbeat but horses galloping. Her breath hitched in her throat as she heard a telltale curse in Italian as the other guard finally overcame his initial shock.

"Bastardo!"

"Mongoose scum!"

Inuyasha yelled and she resisted the urge to shake her head as her eyes adjusted to the minimal lighting in the room. "Hello?" She managed to whisper shakily as she took a step forward, the sound of a squeaky floorboard filling her ears. She waited for just a second for a greeting but heard none. Taking one more step forward, she paused as her human eyes picked up a figure in the dark, the outline of a body. "Is someone on the floor?" She questioned as she scooted just a bit closer to the prone form.

It was in that moment that the moonlight suddenly seemed to enter the room at just the right angle to throw the form into full illumination. The sight that greeted her was one she had never really seen before. Laying on the ground in the middle of a room the size of a small closet with only a dressing table and couch was a beautiful redheaded woman. Her eyes were closed as if asleep and her naturally pinkish lips were parted taking in little breaths that told she was alive. Her long hair was draped around her body, caressing her elegant neck and firm collar bones, the curling ends reaching nearly to her elbows. Her olive skin, dark and undeniably becoming, made the red in her hair even brighter; creating an almost unnatural luster in the strands that made Kagome ponder where she could be from. Vaguely, she remembered Kouga saying the girl was from Spain but the memory seemed far too distant at the moment to be all that reliable.

It was a loud crash from outside which made Kagome jump back into reality, the beauty of the girl momentarily forgotten in favor of her health. "Something's wrong." She told herself as she studied the girl's limp body. "She should have woken up if she was asleep." Her eyes widened from the realization and she found herself sinking to her knees beside the woman worriedly. "She's unconscious," She told herself as she watched the girl take in little involuntary breathes. "Sango didn't tell me what to do if someone was unconscious." She began to panic as she sat the bow down beside herself. "What do I do?" She studied the unmoving woman fitfully. "Damn it."

Outside, the other mongoose charged Inuyasha with spear in hand, the dog demon actually having trouble incapacitating this man. Then again, the element of surprise he had on the other one really made all the difference. Sharp gold eyes watched as the spear neared his belly, fully prepared to gut him. At the last possible second, he shifted his weight into the balls of his feet and with an inhuman spring, dodged to the side of the mongoose. Slipping behind the man's head, he quickly prepared himself to simply punch the mongoose in the back of the head. Unfortunately, this man was not an amateur, before Inuyasha could throw his fist the demon had already turned around, a snarl on his black lips. Tossing the spear to the side, the weapon clattering to the ground, he simply raised his hand and literally caught Inuyasha's punch.

"Holy—," Inuyasha started to say as his eyes widened and the other demon smirked in semi victory. The sensation of being thrown against a nearby wall was not new to Inuyasha but definitely something he had not experienced in some time. His back cracked as it connected to the wooden planks and he gasped as his diaphragm released all the air in his body in one horrible motion. "I can't breathe." He panicked as he fell to the ground, landing in a giant heap of burning lungs.

"Cane stupido." The man laughed loudly as Inuyasha struggled to push himself up from the floor.

"I'm n-o-ot a s-s-stupid dog!" Inuyasha spoke in English, the words barely making their way off his tongue. "Lo non," He decided to translate into Italian, knowing the man probably didn't understand English. "Sono—." Inuyasha coughed for just a second as he finally got to his knees, forcing himself to regain his breath as he moved. "Uno cane," He pressed out the word as the mongoose turned his head to the side as if trying to comprehend why Inuyasha could speak both languages. "Stupido!" Inuyasha snarled the last word, jumping up with strength he shouldn't have had.

Charging forward, he jumped up into the air, sending both feet straight out in front of him. Both of his heels connected only seconds later with the poor mongoose's stomach, causing the man to instantly cough up blood as he was thrown backwards down the hall. Landing with only slight trouble, Inuyasha smirked as he watched the man hit the ground with a loud thud, bouncing once then twice before he came to a stop against a far off wall. The dog demon panted as he pushed lost air back into his body, the ache in his stomach a pain he had long ago forgotten.

Laying flat on its back, the mongoose's foot twitched for a second and it groaned before attempting to push itself into a sitting position. "Just stay down." Inuyasha grumbled to himself as he brought a hand up to his side trying to rub the pain away to no avail. The mongoose didn't listen however, and within seconds was sitting up, its golden brown eyes staring at Inuyasha darkly.

"Quello era solo fortuna," The mongoose whispered dangerously as it pushed itself back to its feet, the light from a nearby torch casting its face into unnatural shadow. "Cane Stupido!" It hissed, the sound making the demon in Inuyasha snarl in return.

Every instinct in Inuyasha's body told him to end this fight now, the enraged sound of a mongoose hissing eating away at his every pore. "Protect mate!" Growling slightly to himself, he glanced towards the shattered door. "You okay?" He called to Kagome, needing to reassure himself that she was still alright. "Kagome!" He looked back towards the mongoose who was preparing to charge, his eyes narrowing. "Answer me!" He screamed, not worried in the least about being overheard anymore, if anyone was going to hear them, they probably already had.

Inside the small room, Kagome placed her hand against Ayame's head trying to check for a fever. "I'm fine." She managed to answer him even as she looked down at Ayame with uncertainty. "But I can't tell if Ayame is," She replied also not bothering to keep her voice low any longer. "I'm not a doctor!"

Holding back his annoyance as much as he could, Inuyasha watched as the mongoose finally pushed himself forward charging Inuyasha. "Is she fucking breathing?!" He asked/screamed as the mongoose sent a punch right for his face. Dodging to the right of it just barely, Inuyasha managed to grab the man's wrist as the forward momentum from his punch sent him off balance. Without a moment's hesitation, Inuyasha swung the man around by his arm, the sound of his shoulder popping out of socket sickening but not quite as sickening as the sound of the man being let go, flying through the air once more, and hitting the wall with a resounding crack that was not wood but bone.

Inside the small room, Kagome ignored both Inuyasha's angered voice and the sound of bones snapping in favor of focusing her attention on the unconscious woman. She stared at the girl's mouth for several seconds, watching for the telltale signs that she was in fact still breathing as she had been when Kagome entered the room. Sure enough, after several seconds, Kagome noticed the slight flare of her nostrils and even the rise and fall of her dormant chest. "Yes!" She cried out loudly, excited that the girl was indeed alive. "She's breathing, Ayame's breathing."

Panting from the excursion of the fight, Inuyasha gulped with relief. "Then she's probably fi-nn-e," He chocked on his words as the first guard he thought he had incapacitated suddenly jumped onto his back throwing him off balance. The small creature instantly wrapped one of his arms tightly around the Captain's throat, using the other one to grab hold of his own wrist in order to keep himself steady. "Damn it." Inuyasha snarled internally, unable to actually speak, the mongoose had done well to put pressure on his wind pipe in all of the right places. Reaching upwards, Inuyasha grabbed hold of the creature's hands, his vision already starting to blur as he grabbed for the clawed fingers of the mongoose. "I have to get—free." He told himself even as he realized he didn't have enough air in his lungs to actually give him the strength he needed to pry to mongoose's hands away. "Fuck." He growled to himself as his mind began to grow fuzzy and his instincts began to take over.

In one great motion, he moved his hands away from the mongoose's arms and instead reached straight behind himself. The sound of his claws tearing into flesh echoed in the room as he sank them into the delicate flesh of the mongoose's head just above the ear. "Bastardo!" The mongoose howled as the claws pierced his flesh, blood flowing from the wounds and seeping underneath Inuyasha's fingernails.

Instantly, the grip lessoned and Inuyasha felt air rush back into his lungs thankfully. Bringing an elbow in front of himself, he inhaled deeply only once before throwing it backwards and right into the unsuspecting mongoose's windpipe. The creature gasped and spat up blood as his throat nearly fell in from the blow. Sliding down Inuyasha's back the small man withered on the floor as he attempted to breathe and swallow all at the same time, both actions excruciatingly painful.

Panting, Inuyasha turned around and glared down at the man. The vindictive part of him (the demonic part that is) wanted nothing more than to finish the man off. It would be so easy right now to slit his throat and kick in his ribs but Inuyasha held back, a tiny voice that had been growing ever louder in his head whispering: "It's not worth it." Growling slightly to himself, the slight wisp of Kagome's voice echoing in his head, he forced himself to agree. Instead of killing the man, he simply pulled his foot back and kicked him once soundly in the gut, the onslaught of pain and a cracking rib causing the mongoose to lose consciousness. "That's good enough." He spoke, his voice raspy from having been so long contained.

"Meticcio has all-eh de fun."

The voice launched into Inuyasha's head nearly making his vision blur as he whipped his head around just in time to see his wolfish cousin standing in the hallway. "Where the hell have you been!" He shouted at the other man, his eyes narrowing angrily as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end from the sudden appearance.

"Searching de other side." Kouga answered with an un-amused shrug, his shoulders tense and his eyes shifty. "I didn't-eh hear you right away-y." He further explained even as he brought one hand up to scratch at his chin awkwardly.

"How?" Inuyasha growled in response, almost certain Kouga hadn't run to help them on purpose. "How could you not hear us?"

Kouga didn't answer him but instead, oddly, glanced behind himself towards some unknown place. "I was—occupied." He replied evenly, turning back towards Inuyasha the emergence of a scent he knew all too well stopping him from saying anything else. The wolf demon's mind literally froze and his heart nearly stopped in his chest. "Clavel." He whispered the name of the flower as the scent filled him. "Miele." The word for honey dropped from his lips as he took a step forward, completely distracted by the smell of the most beautiful scent in the world. "Ayame." Her name fell from his lips just moments before he launched himself forward towards the door. Nearly falling flat on his face, he struggled to make it into the room where the lovely smell was coming from.

Startle by the sudden intrusion, Kagome reached for her bow hastily, prepared to create a barrier (or maybe something more impressive). The sight of Kouga stopped her instantly, however and she quickly moved away from the woman, allowing the woman's mate to fall beside his wife with large and strangely opened eyes. He looked completely different in that moment: less a prideful ruler and more a frightened husband. His big black eyes were tinted with worry and his hands were shaking as he reached for her as if too alarmed to touch her. "It's like—he's afraid to hurt her." Kagome thought to herself as she watched the demon brush his fingertips against Ayame's face.

"Mi dispiace." He whispered softly as he lowered his hand from her cheek to brush against her neck. A mark hidden underneath the fabric of her blouse became apparent to Kagome's eyes and the girl blushed as she realized what it was. "Ayame—Ayame—Ayame." He whispered her name over and over again, as he finally pulled her into his arms. "Mio carissimo uno, il mio amore." He spoke the words of love, bringing them to the forefront of his mind as he pressed his nose into her hair.

"She was just knocked unconscious." Kagome told him as she tried not to blush at the very blunt display of affection. Even after months of being around Miroku and Sango she still found herself a bit uncomfortable with such public displays.

"Grazie al cielo." Kouga whispered the words to himself as he brought his lips to the girl's forehead kissing it gently.

Standing outside the room, thankful not to be inside of it, Inuyasha forced himself not to stick his tongue out in disgust. "I guess it's at least good he likes his wife." He told himself just as a distant thumping sound made his ears perk up on his head. He narrowed his eyes from the sound, his ears swivling on his head to catch the general direction from which it had come. "What was that?" He wondered as his instincts began to eat away at the slight comfort of the previous moment. "Kouga?" He called as he began to compact his body, tensing every muscle as he looked around himself.

Still wrapped around his mate, consumed by her scent, Kouga barely registured Inuyasha's voice. "Che cosa?" He managed to ask even as he brushed some of Ayame's hair away from her face with his nose.

"What you said earlier," The dog demon felt an instinctual growl begin to bubble up within his chest. "Something was occupying you," He began to spread his feet slowly, inching them outwards to evenly distribute his weight for better balance. "What was it?"

Instantly, Kouga's happy feelings dropped to the floor, landing with a loud crash in his mind. "Mongoose." He answered just as the distant sound of a battle cry filled his ears. "Dannazione!" He cursed, his eyes snapping towards Kagome. "Take-eh care of her!" He demanded as he hastily, albeit gently, pushed Ayame into Kagome's arms before springing back to his feet. "Meticcio?"

"It sounds like a god damned army!" Was Inuyasha's only response as he darted towards the opened door, his eyes landing on Kouga instantly. "What the fuck did you do?" He asked even as he began to piece together exactly what had happened to Kouga while they had been separated. "He went to the back of the manor."

"I found-eh de mongoose." Kouga explained as he reached into his boot grabbing an already blood covered knife. "I figured-a tat Ayame would-eh be with-a," He motioned hurriedly with his hands not sure of the words he was looking for. "Lot of dem."

"Good thought," Inuyasha muttered sarcastically as he looked around the room, his eyes wide and panicked. "What the hell are we going to do?" He wondered to himself as the sound of footsteps became louder and louder. Gold eyes searched desperately all around himself, looking for anything that might help them. "There's nothing here!" He snarled, the sound of Kagome squeaking with fright making his head whip around to look at her for the briefest of seconds. The red headed woman was cradled against Kagome's chest, the slight moonlight making them both appear somehow, angelic. "Moonlight!" Inuyasha's eyes shot up to the unbarred window, small yet big enough to slip through. "Kouga?"

"No time!" The wolf demon practically snarled as he stuck his head out the door looking around desperately for the onslaught. "They're-eh here." He cut the dog demon off as he jumped into the hallway, fully prepared to take out as many mongoose as he possibly could.

Growling, Inuyasha jumped into the hallway as well defending his mate even as his plan came into fruition. His vision was immediately filled with slowly approaching mongooses to his left, The demons were moving slowly from the sight of Inuyasha, not prepared for a second man to be thrown into the mix. Together they began hissing deep in their throats, the sound of nearly twenty full grown mongoose' posturing in unison a bit disconcerting to the wolf demon and half dog demon they were approaching.

"Stay on de left." Kouga told him as he held up the small boot knife and growled low in his throat. "Get ready-y."

"Listen first." Inuyasha snarled towards the wolf demon as he pressed his shoulder against Kouga's. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as he watched the slowly approaching hoard, the demon in him begging to be released in order to fight them.

Kouga shuttered as the demon within him began to inch to the surface as well. "Speak-eh quickly."

"We can jump out of the window." Inuyasha said as he pressed his shoulder more firmly against Kouga's in order to restate his point nonverbally. "We're only a few floors up."

"What about your mate?" Kouga practically bit out the words as the men grew closer and closer to them.

The dog demon growled, not liking the fact that the wolf was trying to interfere with his own mate. "I'll carry her." He told him anyway as he started working his way towards the door, a plan forming in his head. "Talking's doing nothing." He told himself as he glanced at Kouga for the briefest of seconds. "It's time we just fucking do this my way." He resolved mere seconds before he simply grabbed Kouga by the back of his jacket. "Get inside!"

"What?" Kouga side glanced just in time to feel Inuyasha's grip suddenly on the material of his jacket. "Oi!" He cried as Inuyasha yanked him backwards and practically threw him into the small room, the wolf demon stumbling and falling nearly end over end. "Meticcio!"

The sea Captain couldn't stop the pleased smirk from leaving his lips or the innate chuckle that rumbled up in his chest. "Oh, that felt good." He thought to himself just as the mongoose' screamed in response, taking the wolf demon's extraction as a sign to finally attack. "Shit!" Inuyasha yelled as he put his back to the busted door.

The fastest of the mongoose reached him within seconds, the dog demon jumping up in response so as to kick him squarely in the chest with his heel. The mongoose flew backwards from the force of the assault and (perhaps by luck) hit the man behind him directly in the chest. The narrow hallway was far too small for the mongoose guards to dodge the two men as they flew backwards. One by one they hit each other, becoming a tangled mass of men unable to move and of others unable to progress forward without stepping on them.

Inuyasha winced from the sight, knowing that there was no way they would be able to recover quickly from the fall. "At least—it should give us some time." He told himself as he quickly ducked into the small chamber and grabbed for the edge of the door, slamming it shut within seconds. The lack of lock presented an immediate problem however and he hurriedly grabbed for a nearby dressing table. Grabbing it with strength that any human would envy, he placed it in front of the door, hoping it would at least slow the men down.

With eyes nearly turning red, Kouga huffed and hackled as he greeted the other demon. "Bastardo—." He said the word so softly that it made Inuyasha's ears twitch slightly in order to hear it. "Che diavolo era quello?" He screamed, the sound echoing all around them.

"That," Inuyasha answered while crossing his arms over his chest. "Was me saving our asses."

"Non bisogna mai," Kouga bit out the words, apparently having not liked Inuyasha's method of saving them all that much. "Farlo di nuovo."

"I'll try not to." Inuyasha replied just as a slight grown made both men jump back to attention.

"She's waking up." Kagome, who had ignored their whole spat rather easily, told them.

"Ayame?" Kouga hurried across the floor, slidding on his knees to come and rest beside his young mate. Without a word, he grabbed her from Kagome, pulling her towards himself and cradling her against his chest. "Stai bene?" He asked softly as he reached out and brushed some hair away from her face.

The girl's eyes began to open, the green of them shinning in the moonlight as she looked up at the man above her. "Kouga?" She whispered the name, her throat tight and her eyes bloodshot. "E tu?" She whispered, the sound of her voice breathy and sweet.

"Sì." He replied, his blue eyes looking so relieved that it made Kagome almost see him in a completely different light.

"He really loves her." She thought as she watched the wolf demon bend over and sniff the woman carefully, something Kagome had come to recognize as a sweet sentiment when done by demons. "For being such a jerk, he really loves her."

Suddenly, and without warning, the redhead's eyes narrowed dangerous as if she was just now really waking up. Her face contorted into a tight scowl and Kouga, literally gulped. "Quello che ha preso così tanto tempo?" She yelled at him as she clearly slapped one of his hands away, still not strong enough to stand on her own or even sit up but plenty fisty to fight back.

"E 'una lunga storia." Kouga seemed to attempt to defend himself but the woman wasn't going to put up with any of his crap.

"Il mio culo." She grunted and Inuyasha promptly laughed drawing the green eyes towards him. "Chi diavolo sei?"

Inuyasha's instincts immediately told him that she was not a woman to be triffled with, the hairs on the back of his neck raising on end from just the sound of her voice. "Um," He cleared his throat awkwardly however and forced himself to answer. "Inuyasha." He licked his lips as her eyes continued to bore into him. "Suo cugino." He further explained pointing towards Kouga absently.

"Cugino?" Ayame started to speak only to freeze as a loud shout suddenly filled the air.

"Maschera su!"

A mongoose on the other side of the door yelled, the closeness of his voice making all the occupants of the small room freeze. Kouga, Kagome, and Inuyasha all their narrowed their eyes in confusion, the two demons because they did not understand why the mongoose would suddenly need a mask and Kagome because she hadn't really understood the sudden yell to begin with. Still somewhat cradled in her mate's arms, Ayame's face filled with terror as she listened to the command.

"Oh no," She whispered, the sound of her voice catching the other occupants off guard. "Stanno per useare," Her hands began to shake and her whole body began to twitch with anxiety. "Il profume."

"Profume?" Kouga repeated the strange word, sending his wife a look that seemed to say a lot more than words ever could.

"Sì, il profumo." She breathed in deeply as if about to hyperventaliate.

"What are they talking about?" Kagome asked worriedly as she watched the woman breath in unevenly, practically panting.

"Some kind of perfume or something," Inuyasha tried to translate as he tilted his head to the side unable to really understand what they were saying himself. "I'm not really sure to be honest."

Outside the door, a loud banging reached their ears followed by a strange almost metallic tinkering nose. "Sta arrivando!" Ayame cried out and grabbed for Kouga, practically shaking him.

"Che cosa è?" He tried to speak even as his wife shook him almost painfully.

"What the hell is she talking about Kouga?" Inuyasha yelled frantically right before a strange substance began to seep underneath the door. The dog demon froze at the sight, watching in disbelief as the bluish gas wafted around the dresser, pushing itself into the room.

"Non respirare!" Ayame told them as she grabbed for her shirt pulling it up over her nose.

"Don't breathe?" Inuyasha barely managed to translate just as the substance finally entered his mouth and nose. Inuyasha had never been able to say that he knew what it felt like to have his insides be on fire. After this particular moment in his life however, for the first time, he was able to say it truthfully: it felt like a million bee stings running through every single internal part of his body. "What the fuck!" He cried out as the substance entered his airway, burning his throat all the way down.

On his other side Kouga dropped to the ground as he gasped like a fish removed from a stream.

"What's happening?" Kagome panicked as she watched the three demons fall to their knees unable to breathe. "Why can't they breathe?" She began to panic, not understanding why the substance would hurt the demons with her but not affect her in the least. "This is—horrible!"

"It's—it's some kind of toxin." Inuyasha tried desperately to explain as he yanked at his shirt attempting to pull it up over his nose.

"Toxin?" Kagome whispered in disbelief as she watched the people around her gasp and cry out in desperation. Although, she could smell something slightly off about the room, she felt nothing more than a bit dizzy. "I don't—."

"Humano." Ayame bit out the words as her eyes watered and her nose turned red. "Humano no—," She struggled to find the English, her understanding of the language apparently not very good at all. "Problem—no problema, problem, no."

"Humans," Inuyasha turned towards his mate as he spoke, his head starting to grow lighter and lighter, spinning from the toxin. "Not—affected."

"No." Ayame managed to say as her eyes starting to roll back into her head. The amount of the toxin already in her system made her far more susceptible to the new dose entering her body now.

"Ayame!" Kouga panicked but the deep breath he took to speak was an unfortunate one. The pain, worse than a thousand stabs of a knife, entered his body, corrupting his ability to think and move. "Da-a-nnn-a-a—," He tried to curse but found himself completely unable to finish his words as his throat caught more and more on fire. "Zi—i-i—." He managed to finish the word just before his body slumped forward and he lost consciousness.

"Fuck!" Inuyasha thought to himself as he watched Kouga fall over, his eyes watering from the smell. It was only from the grace of his blood that he was still awake (a fact that he was unaware of). "What the hell do I do?" He asked himself, his mind still lucid enough to actually think and form logical thoughts. "I can't move both of them plus Kagome." He glanced at Ayame and Kouga, both full blooded demons completely unconscious. "This isn't good."

Sitting on the ground unable to move Kagome practically shook like a leaf, her whole body launching itself into a fit of panic. "What the hell is going on!?" She cried out, the substance entering her lungs but doing nothing to them other than causing mild irritation. As a human, her senses were far too dulled to be dramatically affected by such things as extreme smells. "Ayame—Kouga," She dropped the proper addresses as she looked at the two unconscious individuals with horror. "Wake up—you have to wake up!"

"They won't." Inuyasha spoke through his sleeve even as his own body began to grow heavier and heavier. "Damn it," He felt his mind grow a bit more fuzzy, his vision starting to blur to the point that there was actually more than one Kagome. "I won't be conscious much longer." He told himself, avoiding the delusion that he might be able to stay awake. "I have to—Kagome has to get out of here." He told himself as he tried to breathe but found the pain in his throat far too horrific to bother. "Ka—go."

The girl's head snapped in his direction, her human ears barely managing to hear his raspy rendition of her name. "Inuyasha—you too?" She rushed towards him on her hands and knees, the worry in her eyes so bright that it actually warmed Inuyasha's heart.

"Listen." He forced himself to speak as clearly as possible even as the pain overwhelmed his every sense. "Run, hall—run."

"No!" Kagome cut him off before he could say anything else, shaking her head violently from side to side. "I won't run—I can't do that," She explained even as his gold eyes started to dull, the color making her stomach drop into her feet. "I can't leave you."

The doubled image of Kagome shaking her head made Inuyasha feel sick to his stomach. "Focus!" He commanded himself as he closed his eyes, trying desperately to concentrate. "You—have." He spoke shortly, the amount of energy it took him to say only two words draining. "Choice—no—no—choice." He opened his eyes pleading with her the best he could without further words.

"I won't!" Kagome gritted her teeth even as her heart burned in her chest from the sight of him. He looked downright broken, his skin pasty with sweat and his hair matted to his face. His eyes were bloodshot and she could just see the first trickle of blood, beginning to pool above his upper lip from his nose. "Oh god," She began to panic as she watched the dangerous red substance with horror. "Inuyasha!" She cried as his eyes began to roll back in his head, consciousness slipping away from him. "You have to stay awake!" She begged him but it was already too late, the dog demon had lost his connection the world completely.

A loud crash against the door made Kagome nearly jump to her feet, the screams of the men on the other side telling her they were going to break down the door. Her heart stopped dead in her chest and all the color drained from her face as she watched the door shake as it was pushed on the other side. Briefly, she wondered how the mongooses were able to stand the smell and why they weren't able to break the door down as easily as Inuyasha could; the thoughts didn't last long however, as the door was shoved opened just enough for her to see the clawed hand of one of the beast as he shoved it through the crack.

"What do I do!?" Kagome felt the tears in her eyes, the salt seeming to mix with the toxin causing her retinas to sting. "I don't know—I don't know—I don't know." She repeated, not able to think clearly because of the sheer amount of stress the situation had brought her. "I've never done this all alone." The thought was a dangerous one, images of Sango seeming to jump into her head randomly.

"You're not alone."

There was something about those words and the fact Sango was saying them that made Kagome freeze. "I'm not alone." She repeated the words, her breath causing the crawling toxin to float quickly away from her face. "I'm not alone—I have—my powers." Her eyes widened and snapped to the side, looking for the bow that she had haphazardly left on the floor. Instantly, her eyes came in contact with the red wood and she launched herself forward. Practically clawing the wooden floorboards, she clutched the dark red wood between her amazingly steady fingers.

On the other side of the door, the mongooses continued to hiss as they shoved at the aging wood making it splinter as it strained against the dresser Inuyasha had placed there. Watching the door as it was nearly shoved opened Kagome placed the arched wood in her left hand, moving without thought. The power deep within her body began to swirl violently, it too anxiously wishing to be released. The door groaned as it was shoved forwards another foot, the young miko completely unaffected by the motion as she allowed her energy to flow through the bow. The string began to form first, a spark of electricity that ran from each end of the bow, top to bottom. A loud crack echoed in the room as the two ends connected, the sound not hindering the mongoose on the other side of the door at all.

"Ci siamo quasi!" The mongoose yelled, Kagome's bright grey eyes actually watching as every word was formed on its muzzled mouth.

She would never be able to explain what happened then within herself or what even happened afterwards but suddenly, Kagome felt all the power in her body jump to the forefront of her bow. An arrow formed like one she had never seen before, deep dark red, the same color as Inuyasha's blood. The air around her turned into a twister of added energy, the toxin seeming to vanish from the ferociousness of the raging wind. The bow began to shake, vibrating dangerously against her fingers. How she was able to hold the object was debatable but the fact was, Kagome did hold it without a flinch or single stutter.

"Leave us alone!" She screamed, the sound of her voice ripping through the air earth shattering, loud, and dangerous. Her fingers let go of the artificial string, the air stopped moving, her eyes glowed a bright deadly black, and then, the world exploded with the fury of all her power.

End of Chapter

Please Review

A/N: I hope that was exciting for everyone and met expectations! I certainly enjoyed writing the chapter, although it did take me more time than I thought it would. On a side note, this is the only chapter in the fanfiction that is one continuous piece. Meaning, I never said had a break. That's probably what was so hard about writing it. Its one continual thought, normally when I write I jump around a bit from thought to thought, I couldn't this time lol.

P.S. I am very glad that everyone has found this particular section to be both heart wrenching and warming. I knew that tackling Sango's rape would be a touchy subject but I hope I have done well to make it open, honest, well portrayed, and courteous to all of my amazing readers. Thank you for your continued support and love.

Bonus Point:

What color is Kagome's school uniform including the tie.

Last Chapter's Bonus Point:

The "Black Pearl" was a portal to the underworld, which lead specifically to Inu no Taisho's grave. It was located inside Inuyasha's eye, a place Sesshoumaru would never look. It is also the location of the Tetsusaiga and the spot where Inuyasha cuts off Sesshoumaru's arm. Oh, what good times! Congrats to the winners:

Guest, Leomae, AnimeNerd1, scorpioprincess18, kuramixMidnight, GammaDancer, IkutoTsukiyomi'sGirl, kan78, critine44, AiydanWarrior, Asian Delicacy, Cagome, WolfOfEmpathy, RockStarAnimeLover, NurNur, Sharp 8394, AKEMI SHIKON, kittyzwuvme1234, Glon Morski, TachiMakoto

Translations: (Boy, there are a lot of them)

Cane Stupido – Stupid Dog

Quello era solo fortuna, cane stupido. – That was merely luck, stupid dog.

Clavel – Carnation (A type of flower.)

Mi dispiace, mio carissimo uno, il mio amore. – I'm sorry, my dearest one, my love.

Grazie al cielo. – Thank goodness.

Che cosa? – What?

Dannazione! – Damn it!

Che diavolo era quello? – What the hell was that?

Non bisogna mai farlo di nuovo – Do not ever do it again.

Stai bene – Are you okay?

Quello che ha preso così tanto tempo? – What took so long?"

E 'una lunga storia – It's a long story.

Il mio culo – My ass.

Chi diavolo sei? – Who the hell are you?

Suo cugino – His Cousin.

Maschera su! – Your masks.

Stanno per usare, il profume. – They are going to use the perfumery.

Sta arrivando! – It's here!

Next Chapter:

Death

See you then!

UNEDITED

POSTED

7/31/2013