This chapter was slightly rushed, so it's a little...well I can't really think of a word. But anyway, I hope you enjoy it, and I'll try to come up with more soon.

"Now!"

Takashi ducked as Kouga threw a punch, hitting a rock instead. Takashi stood up and caught his breath, gasping as the rock crumbled.

"You could have broken my face with that punch!"

"It's the only way you'll learn. Come on, I ain't gonna baby you forever. Pretty soon I'm going to start attacking you from out of nowhere. –Now!"

Kouga tried to kick him off of his feet, but Takashi jumped up and landed again.

"Now!"

Kouga ran at him fast, yelling as he prepared to strike. Takashi dodged out of the way, panting as Kouga skidded to a halt in the dirt.

"Why do I have to learn how to fight anyway?" Takashi brushed the dirt off of his clothes.

"Because sooner or later, demons will come after you and try to kill you. If there's one thing most demons hate more than a human, it's a human who's part demon. They'll see you as an abomination and destroy you."

"Can't I just run?"

"No. Running doesn't solve anything. You're part demon, so act like one! Fight and win!"

"I'm more human than demon..." Takashi sighed.

"Look, it's for your own safety. Now go on and get some food."

"But you haven't gone out for any yet."

"That's because you're going to start hunting for your own food."

"WHAT!"

"I'll try to be back home as soon as I can."

Miroku kissed Sango on the cheek as he lifted her onto Kirara, holding her hand for a moment.

"I still don't understand why you can't come back with me..."

"Don't worry. Kohaku will take care of you, and I'm sure I'll be home before the baby comes."

He let go of her hand as Kirara took off, watching her image shrink into the distance. Shippo grabbed his things and trekked off, keeping a slow pace so Miroku could keep up. He walked forward with his staff, and sighed.

"Shippo, Naraku revived the wind tunnel."

Shippo stopped and looked at Miroku, his tail going limp.

"I need to go after Naraku with you. If I don't do everything I can to stop him, I might not be able to keep my promise to Sango."

Shippo's face was solemn as he gave a distinct nod; he continued forward, their surroundings silent but for the footsteps in the leaves.

They walked for a long time, saying nothing, both pondering the situation. Things hadn't been this difficult since Naraku had (at least pretended to have) been dead.

Shippo stopped suddenly, dropping his things and crouching down in a fighting stance. Miroku, noticing his actions, responded by readying his staff, looking around cautiously.

"What is it?"

"We're being followed..."

They both stood silent, listening for any sound. Shippo's ear twitched at the sound of a shift somewhere nearby, turning around and leaping at it.

"Got you-!"

"SHIPPO!"

"WHAT THE-!"

Shippo found himself tackled on the ground, spitting dirt out of his mouth. He looked up and made a small squeaking noise of terror to find a face from his past looking down at him. The face of the demon who murdered his father when he was a pup...

"Hi...Hi...Hi...ten..."

"Oh Shippo, you mean thing! How could you mistake me for my dead brother?"

"Huh!"

Shippo looked his attacker over, then realized one distinctive difference between him- or rather HER...- from Hiten of the Thunder Brothers.

She sat him up and embraced him tight, pressing his face into her chest.

"It's me! Souten!"

Shippo plucked himself from her bosom.

"SOUTEN!"

He struggled to get free, but to no avail as she merely clenched her arms tighter around him.

"I've been searching for days! I caught your scent on the wind several nights ago...it was quite intoxicating."

She gave him a seductive look, stroking his arm. He was beginning to make panicked noises he hadn't made since he was a pup, kicking and flailing to get away.

"Oh you've become even more handsome than the last time I saw you! Just look at you!...Of course, I've matured a bit as well."

She giggled and threw up her chest a bit upwards so that it was pressed against his face again, causing him to make strange gagging and screeching noises. She let go of him, amused as he leapt backwards to get away.

Miroku fell to the ground laughing, finding this sudden reunion to be quite hilarious.

"Souten, uh...why are you-GACK!"

She grabbed him again and wrapped her arms around his neck, stroking his hair as she squeezed tight enough to pop his head off. His eyes began to bug out, and his face began to turn dark blue.

"Since you left me that day I've been waiting for your return. But only recently did I get very tired of waiting, so I decided to track you down and make you mine!"

Shippo had to get out of this...but what to say?

"...Souten...uh...listen...I can't be with you because...because..."

He gasped for air as she let go, her face in a pout.

"Why?"

"...Because I already have a mate!"

No sooner had the words come out of his mouth before he realized he had just put Souten into a mad rage. Her entire body began to spark with electricity, her hair beginning to stand on end from the static.

"WHAT WAS THAT!"

In an instant, Shippo found himself running away at full speed as Souten began angrily flinging lightning bolts at him.

Later that night, Takashi lay in bed, his stomach too loud to let him sleep. He had absolutely NO luck with hunting. He was clumsy, confused, and too gentle to kill when he finally caught a rabbit. It bit him and he dropped it immediately, cursing as it hopped off into the bushes. Now he lay there, trying to sleep, kept awake by his hunger. All he could think about was how Kouga was pushing him too hard, and how this was so unfair. He knew this was only because he was tired and hungry, but he was still mad.

He listened around him, the wolves snoring and the wind blowing outside. He turned around when he heard somebody approach, then looked up to see Kouga.

"Oh, what is it now? Midnight sparring?"

"Come outside," Kouga said monotonously. He turned around and walked off, waiting at the front of the cave. Confused but obedient, Takashi got up and followed.

When he reached Kouga's position, he looked around curiously.

"What is it Kouga?" He looked up at Kouga, slightly vexed by the strange blank appearance of his eyes. He raised his claws to strike, and said "Kagome wouldn't want a weak son like you."

"Hey, that's hitting a bit below the be-...Kouga? What are you..."

Takashi screamed as Kouga actually slashed through his chest, throwing him to the ground as he wheezed in pain.

Kouga walked toward him, reaching for him.

"Kouga, what are you doing? I'm down! That's enough! KOUGA, THAT'S ENOUGH! PLEASE!"

He choked as Kouga grabbed him by his neck, strangling him as his feet kicked in the air.

"Kouga...stop...ple..please..."

Takashi's eyes flashed red for a moment, his struggling beginning to cease. His fangs began to grow, as did his claws. With a vicious growl he suddenly took Kouga's arm and dug his claws in, ripping them through the flesh on his forearm. Kouga let go, but made no scream of pain as his arm bled profusely. With a thud, Takashi fell to the ground, his eyes returning to normal as he coughed and wheezed from Kouga's attack to his trachea.

"Good Kouga, very good. You've done your part."

Naraku held the mirror as it glowed dark blue, watching Takashi as he gasped for air on the ground.

"You're angry, aren't you Takashi? It only gets worse from here. Your soul will turn dark, and the jewel will become tainted. You'll lose touch with your human side, and I will be able to control you."

Naraku snapped his fingers to release his hold on Kouga, then looked up at Kagura.

"Send one of my puppets."

Kouga's eyes returned to normal, and he passed out on the ground. Takashi continued to cough violently, then stood up and ran, tears running down his cheeks and flying off in the wind. He ran almost all night, until he couldn't run anymore and climbed up into a tree. He looked down at his chest, astonished to find that aside from the dried blood on his chest, there was no sign of the wounds.

Takashi couldn't believe what had just happened. Kouga wasn't trying to teach him anything; he had intentionally tried to hurt him- no...he'd tried to kill him- without any mercy at all. He was suddenly very angry. He slammed his fist into the bark of the tree and screamed, not noticing the dark red glow coming from his chest. His eyes also started to glow red again, watering slightly as he tried not to tear. The glow in his chest grew darker, and darker...

But all of a sudden, Takashi was distracted, and the glow vanished as he listened to his surroundings. The words were difficult to make out, but he picked up a few pieces...

"Lo-- I—ya—sh--! Whe--you!"

"What is that?"

He started to feel afraid as he heard the voice come closer and closer...He stood up and jumped out of the tree, grunting as he broke out into a full run. He could now fully make out the sentences, each word clear as a bell.

"Master, are you heeeeere?"

He tried to run faster, convinced that the source of the voice was intentionally moving towards him. His lungs turned dry as he gasped for air and his face was glistening with sweat, and he cried out as he fell towards the earth, tripped by a rogue tree root.

He shook with fear as he listened around him, the voice coming closer...closer...he curled up in a ball, ready to face his end.

He flinched as he heard something land next to him, but sighed with relief when he realized it was just a crow.

"Whooo! What a relief!"

"-You can say that again," Takashi jumped as he heard the voice again. It was practically IN HIS EAR. "I'm glad I caught up with you!"

"Who's there!"

"...Oh come now master, it's me! Myouga!"

"I don't know any Myouga and you better stay the hell away from me!"

"...Wait a minute!"

Takashi felt something latch onto his nose, then gasped as he looked down at it. It was some sort of strange bug, but it was unlike any he'd ever seen. It had hair, and eyes...- and it was TALKING!

"YOU'RE not Master Inuyasha! I don't understand! I could have sworn I detected him!"

The image of the talking flea on his nose turned black, and with a sigh and a fall, Takashi fainted.