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One by one the colorful leaves fell from ancient trees, the wind carrying them to a far away destiny. The rain splattered onto the ground, creating large poles in the muddy paths. Fall had made its entrance.

An unusual pair strolled over the muddy roads through the forest. The two did not notice the raindrops trying to soak their clothes. Nor did they pay attention to the icy wind that tried to cut through their white skin. They simply did not care.

"Naraku," said the boy-miko, breaking the silence. The half-demon turned to give the boy a glance. "Are you sure you want to kill those bandits for me?"

Naraku raised an eyebrow at the question. "Do you not want them to die?"

"No!" Koimizu tugged at the one sleeve he still had nervously. "I just… I thought that the ones who hurt you before, they might come after you again."

A slight smirk crossed Naraku's features. "You are worried about me?" The blush that dusted Koimizu's cheeks didn't go unnoticed by him. "Don't get too attached to me, kid," he added coyly.

"I'm serious!" Koimizu threw his arms up in exasperation.

Naraku chuckled slightly before turning back to his serious demeanor. "Don't worry. They won't notice my presence." The boy blinked and stared at him questioningly to which Naraku explained. "Though, you may not be in control of them, your holy powers work as a shield to keep my demonic energy from leaking out. That is why I believe you to be a strong miko."

"My holy powers?" Koimizu didn't seem convinced.

"It's an inheritance of your mother," said Naraku. "Be grateful to her." Slowly he lifted his head to stare up at the dark sky. The raindrops splattered onto the smooth skin of his face. "I'm curious. Who was your mother?"

Koimizu smiled. "She was a great miko. Kind and passionate. And a great mother. She took care of me all by herself."

Naraku turned to give Koimizu a questioning look. "What happened to your father?"

Koimizu shrugged. "I don't know. I never knew him and my mother never told me about him."

Naraku stared at the boy intently. "May I ask how old you are?"

Koimizu blinked. "Me? I'm fifteen." He wrinkled his brows. "Why do you want to know?"

Naraku shook his head. "I thought I knew who your mother was, but it seems I'm mistaken."

'Kikyou, she died fifty years ago,' thought Naraku. 'There's no way she could have…' He cast a sideways glace at Koimizu. 'And yet… he looks like her. And him. InuYasha. He has his eyes.'

They were the two beings that had triggered Naraku's attention. Kikyou, she was the woman his heart desired. And InuYasha, he was the one his heart desired to kill. InuYasha was his heart's eternal love rival.

But even when Naraku ignored his heart; even then, did both InuYasha and Kikyou haunt his dreams. They would trouble his demonic side. Their roles reversed. His demonic side wanted desperately to kill Kikyou, to get rid of her. But InuYasha… InuYasha intrigued Naraku's demonic side. From the day he was born, until the day he met Naraku. The entire journey to find the Shikon shards. The tricks Naraku had pulled on him. InuYasha thus far had survived any danger that met his way. And he, like Naraku, was only a half-demon.

The two had always haunted Naraku's mind. And they needed to be destroyed…

A gasp brought Naraku out of his thoughts. He looked up and understood where his companion's gasp came from. The village was splattered under red blossoms of blood. The village reeked of the dead. The sounds of cries, shouts and laughter reached Naraku's sharp demonic ears. Judging by the sounds, there was only a small group of people alive.

How many were there left?

'No more then… fifty… sixty maybe…'

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