Note: Edited 12/26/12. The major change is the ending to this chapter!


…II…
...Tsuchigumo...


Kagome narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms as she gazed down at the two children in front of her. She had thought that since warding off the Feudal Lords, that life would get slightly easier, but she was wrong. Three days into the recovering stage and Rin had decided to stick honey into Shippo's hair. Kagome groaned; her beloved little boy's hair tarnished with honey.

"He pushed me into the lake!" Rin cried as Shippo continued to whimper. Her dark eyes were wide with guilt and tearing up because she was the one to blame.

Shippo looking a human age of fourteen continued to whimper as he held his braided, honey-glazed hair. Kagome shut her eyes as she pinched the bridge of her nose. She released another sigh as Rin tried to talk over Shippo's whimpering.

"You are studying under Kaede to be a Miko," Kagome said, her eyes opening and focusing on the now silent girl. "You are to act responsibly."

"Yes, Kagome-sama," Rin muttered.

Kagome really didn't want to go this far, but she couldn't have Rin doing stunts like this. They were both young adults and she understood the need to act childish, but now was not the time. She couldn't be distracted with childish antics when there was something odd out there watching her village. There was also the Feudal Lords out there still waiting and watching.

"What would Sesshoumaru-sama think?" Kagome asked.

'What would Sesshoumaru think indeed?' Kagome wondered. 'He'd no doubt blame me for turning his ward into a little savage.'

The girl's brown eyes went wide and began to tear up in earnest. Tears would not sway her. Kagome reached up and touched the knot of the ribbon she wore in her hair and pulled out a thin knife. Her hand snatched Shippo's hair and she sliced the braid off where the honey reached. Kagome held up the ruined hair for Rin to see and Shippo wailed even more. His hair was now up to his chin.

"I'm sorry!" Rin wailed.

"You are to work in the gardens," Kagome ordered Rin. Looking to Shippo she said, "You are to help repair the roofs."

With those words, she marched off and pinched the bridge of her nose. Her body was still sore from the battle. The energy it had taken to heal herself had exhausted her body physically as well as spiritually. She didn't think she would be pulling another stunt like that any time soon. Kagome really needed a vacation, but knew that she wouldn't be getting one any time soon. Her eyes darted to the forest that surrounded the village and she saw it.

If she hadn't been looking for it she would've overlooked it as the heat from the sun playing tricks on her eyes. There was a blur in the foliage, looking something like water vapor in the heat of the sun. It blurred and she wondered why it was sitting out there. If it were a youkai, she would sense its essence, the wild energy that made a youkai a youkai, but it was missing that. It meant that the creature out there was not a youkai, but something else entirely. She was unsure if she could deal with something alien.

It hadn't attacked the village, but remained on the outskirts. She had spotted it atop roofs, near the temple, and even within the branches of the Goshinboku, but never had it displayed a threat. She didn't like that it was studying her village, because that could mean one of two things. Her village was being watched as some type of experiment or it was searching for hunting grounds, much like an animal stalking its prey and waiting for an opportune moment.

"Kagome!"

She broke her gaze from the forest and turned to smile at the woman running at her. The young boy at her hip was quietly asleep as Sango jogged toward her. Kagome smiled at the slumbering child before she grinned at her best friend, her sister, Sango. The woman's brown eyes lit up as she reached Kagome and hugged her. The status of being Miko didn't stop the women from embracing each other.

"What are you doing out so far?" Kagome asked as she wondered where the twins were.

Sango chuckled and replied, "Miroku is watching them."

Miroku had lived up to his promise of marrying Sango after the death of Naraku. The wedding was simple and happily celebrated. It was only a few months later that Kagome had felt the life growing within Sango, the beautiful twin girls that were now a healthy age of five. Then there was the youngest child, a small boy now only a year old. These children; her family within this village was why she would defend this village until the end of her life.

"You seem distracted," Sango pointed out.

Worried brown eyes met distracted sapphire eyes. Kagome licked her lips and turned her gaze back to the forest. Sango raised black eyebrows as she let her gaze wander into the forest. She didn't see anything, but knew that Kagome wasn't one to be paranoid. The woman had developed a sixth sense for the odd since she had been living in this era. She was no longer a childish woman, but a Miko with the lives of the village resting on her shoulders.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Sango consoled.

Kagome didn't say anything, but gave a soft nod to show that she heard. Her eyes darted to the forest before she blinked and touched Sango's shoulder. She wanted to get her friend away from the forest. It would make her feel much more comfortable knowing that her friends and family were safe.


Tyr idly sat in the tree not moving. The Miko had spent a good few minutes staring at where he sat. Of course, she had been able to locate him no matter where he hid. He would blink and her gaze was upon him. Her ability was interesting. He had first wanted to think that she had some type of technology that was detecting him, but then reminded himself that the humans weren't advance enough for that.

Yet she still kept pinpointing him. It had to be because of the energy that she carried with her. The weird pink glow was something never encountered. Other humans hadn't displayed the ability to heal others or bring themselves from the brink of death. Such strange abilities, something that he had no idea on how to research since humans didn't take notes of such oddities. The scientists of his clan would more than likely demand she be taken for tests, and used to breed more of her kind.

She was retreating into the village with another female. He shifted in his spot and took to the ground. He waited until he was close enough to the strange woman to observe her. There was one difficulty he found when observing her; the language she spoke. It was different from those in the West, but he found a translator helped ease the language barrier.

"So, Ayame is arriving?" Kagome questioned Sango. The surprise in her voice was evident.

He wondered why she would be surprised at this visit. It couldn't be more surprising than the animal features that some of these beings displayed. Research showed that these beings with various animal parts were powerful. They would make for a worthy hunt. He had taken notes on the various beings and found that their abilities would prove challenging. He focused on the female when she suddenly growled.

"Another attack!" Kagome snapped. Her anger was evident in her tone and sudden glare.

"Since the joining of the wolf tribes and the defeat of the Birds of Paradise, they'd been attacked by the surrounding Tsuchigumo," Sango explained as she shifted her child into her arms.

"Spiders," Kagome grumbled, not pleased.

Kagome stretched with a loud sigh and turned her gaze back to the forest. The blur had moved but she sensed that the being was close. The Yautja watched as she looked around for him before turning her gaze back to the female. He huffed behind his mask, wondering what type of challenge she could present. Despite the fear of battle, she had proven to be a great warrior.

Pyode H'chak paused and turned her gaze to the Northeast. He also shifted his attention to direction, saw a whirlwind of dirt, and grass rapidly approaching the village. Kagome took off in the direction of the oddity with a spoken farewell to Sango.


Kagome scowled.

It seemed that her work was never ending. Maybe this was a curse of being a Miko? She had left the village a day ago, urging Ayame to travel without her back to the Eastern Wolf Tribe. If what Ayame had told her was true, they couldn't spare warriors. The Tsuchigumo were a race of spider youkai that dwelled within the mountains. They had dwelt there for centuries with the Eastern Tribe living above them. The Tsuchigumo viewed the joining of the Wolf Tribes as an act of war.

'It's stupid,' Kagome bitterly thought. 'There was no treaty to begin with.'

The spider youkai had begun their attacks since the joining. The wolves were fierce creatures with their keen senses of sight, smell, and hearing. Yet, it was impossible to fight an enemy from underground. That enemy remained unseen, their scent blending in with the Earth around them, and the movements so far down that they could be mistaken for a gust of wind. This enemy would be no match for her because she could sense youki and once she reached the Wolf Tribe, she would easily be able to identify the strange enemy youkai.

'I'm still a day away,' Kagome mused as she turned her gaze to the right.

The woods were silent. She couldn't sense youki, but the air shifted. It was comforting knowing the strange being wasn't anywhere near her village. She was confident in her ability to defend herself and therefore, she didn't fear this being. It was another oddity in her life that had yet to present itself as a threat.

Kagome shifted the weapon upon her back to avoid it digging into her shoulder and stared at the oddity. Her lips curled in amusement before she turned and began her journey once more. She truly wished that this being would make contact. She tilted her head toward the sky and wondered where this stalker was and what it might be. A grey cloud drifted over sun and she found her smirk vanishing, that wasn't a good sign for the weather to come.

The grass gave way under her foot; she focused her attention on the mountains in the distance. She had told Ayame she didn't want aid. They couldn't spare any warriors and she would kill Kouga if they did try to help her. The lives of his wolves were more important than her comfort. The sky rumbled and she found herself shutting her eyes. It seemed like the weather was against her.

Kagome tensed as something cold traveling down her spine as the sun dimmed out. The weather was turning foul along with the feel of the area around her. Kagome reached up and undid the clasp at her breast that loosened her weapon. Her feet spread as she reached behind her and gripped the shaft and waited. The gathering of youki underneath the ground caused her to tense. It felt like a horde youki, something she hadn't felt since the battle with Naraku. Kagome glanced toward the mountains and wondered how many warriors the Tsuchigumo had sent for her. Spiders were notorious for their quick breeding ways, but she hoped this was at least a little less than half of their group.

Kagome tested the weight of her Nagamaki within her hand. The weight was not surprisingly heavier toward the blade. The shaft of the handle was three feet in length and the blade was four feet in length. The only thing that kept her hand from sliding onto the blade was the round metal guard at the end of the hilt. Her handle was more like a sword, a familiar feeling much the Tessaiga. She felt the youki surrounding her, the untamed energy of the Tsuchigumo beneath her.

'Time to drive them out,' Kagome thought.

Gripping the hilt with both hands, she slammed the blade into the ground and felt the youki retract in confusion. Her lips thinned in amusement as she felt her powers react. She wanted to surprise these beings and catch them off guard so she could take many out or injure at least a good amount. Kagome remained still as she waited, slowly letting her power grow within. The youkai beneath ground viewed her as harmless and she felt them stir, ready to attack.


She was standing in their field. The blade of her weapon stabbed into the ground. Her hands gripping the hilt with her feet spread in a stance that evenly spread her weight. He couldn't understand what she was doing. He switched his visions, but still there was nothing beside the rise of her temperature. That was an oddity; her internal temperature was on the rise, as if she was gathering something from within.

That's when he noticed it. The ground surrounding her suddenly bulged forward. It was like something was rolling forward. Hundreds of bumps were pushing the grass and dirt upward. The woman grunted and he watched the power snap off her skin. The sound of her energy cackled around her like lightening.

The creatures were half her size. Their bodies covered in coarse looking dirt brown fur. Their eight legs held the oval abdomen despite the thickness of the size. He was surprised at the humanoid torso attached to the bodies. The same thick fur covered the humanoid forms, fangs extended past the lips as the moved toward her.

Her energy traveled into her weapon and surrounded her in a glow of pink. Her weapon burned with power as it pulsed into the ground. The creatures underground reared up as the energy licked at them causing their flesh to catch fire. He watched as dozens turned to ash and some tried to flee. The woman pulled her weapon free and using its great length, she swung it, cleaving another six creatures in half.

The woman quickly raised her weapon, he noticed the blade point downward, and he noticed her arms slightly quiver.

"Why do you attack the Wolf Tribes?" Kagome questioned.

That explained the strange Wolf female that came to her earlier that day. There was a battle brewing and this tiny human had been called upon to fight again. He knew that by human standards, not enough time had passed for her to recover. Humans didn't have the endurance of a Yautja, but she persisted in her fighting.

The ground trembled and he watched the creatures move away from the female. The earth split and shifted upward causing him to curse at the sight. His claws dug into his palms as the urge to fight swelled within him. Pyode H'chak stood her ground as she watched the massive creature lift itself from the earth. It was same type of creature, but it was larger; the size of an adolescent Queen Kainde Amedha. It leaned forward and all eight eyes focused on her with a stern glare as it growled, the sound reverberating through the field. She stood her ground unflinching.

"The wolves," its voice echoed in the field, "we have tolerated for centuries, but we will not tolerate more upon this land!"

Her mind was struggling to figure out what she could do. She couldn't question Ayame's motives since the woman had always been friendly and her tribe had never caused problems. If this were a dispute with Kouga, well, despite their friendship, she would question his motives. It wasn't that she didn't trust Kouga; it was that she knew him too well.

"They haven't attacked you," Kagome pointed out and sternly added, "You have been the one attacking them!"

The giant Tsuchigumo growled, "They are mobilizing!"

She could see why a joining of two youkai tribes could be seen as an act of war. It was suspicious, but after all this time it was strange to think, the two tribes would be warring after living together peacefully for so long. Her eyes narrowed as she realized this was just a petty excuse. They didn't share the same hunting grounds and they didn't even share the same caves. Ayame's wolves used a single cave for their home and built huts around that cave, so they weren't invading the dwellings of the Tsuchigumo.

"You are a liar," Kagome declared. The youkai bristled and reared back at her words. She tightened her grip on her weapon. "The wolves have displayed no aggression in years. I don't know why you are doing this, but what you are doing is wrong."

Kagome expected the attack and blocked the hand that came at her. She braced her weight and felt the sweat gather at her brow. The strain from healing that deadly blow still hadn't passed, but she needed to push herself and help her friends.

"Kill the Miko!"

Her eyes widened and she heard the movement of the creatures. Kagome cursed her own stupidity; of course, the others wouldn't sit idly by as their leader attacker her. She allowed the attacks to push her back and used the movement to gain more distance away from the creatures. If she were to survive, she needed all the space she could get. If they trapped her within a group, she would be finished.

There would be no way for her to duck or defend against attacks. Kagome flared her energy in warning against those that approached. They hesitated before they charged. It seemed that death by purification wasn't a fear because they knew she would tire before long. Kagome twirled her weapon to the left and the blade bit into the leg of the giant spider. A howl of pain filled the air motivating her to keep going. The back of the staff she brought up quickly and dug it into the creature's sternum. Kagome jumped back and spun on her heel; the blade slashing into the congregating attackers.

The creatures died on impact and she was grateful for Miroku blessing her weapon before she left. Kagome sharply hissed as claws dug into her back. The material of her haori caught and the wave of heat that flashed over her skin caused her to inhale her scream. She didn't want to see the damage dealt to her being. Her weapon fell from her hands and she slammed her eyes shut for a moment.

Her arms were weak and her legs felt fatigue. She couldn't see the injury, but knew it was bad. She bit her lip and opened her eyes. Maybe is she faked feeling well and relied on her powers, she might cause them to retreat. Kagome steadied herself allowing her powers to gather.

"I end this nonsense now," Kagome declared as she clenched her hands and loosely held her arms in front of her.

"You are injured Miko, too weak to fight," the huge one declared.

A normal size creature lunged and she opened her hands and squatted down as it sailed over her head. She flared her energy and touched the being by the leg. It hissed and curled before it hit the ground; it turned to ash. Kagome turned determined and cold eyes to the large leader.

"Do you wish to reconsider?" Kagome questioned with a cold glare.

She noticed that some sunk into the ground retreating. Their youki moved farther away from her location. The leader moved forward and Kagome scowled. She couldn't take on this creature without killing herself. Her body was fatigue and she was pushing herself too far. Kagome steeled herself; Kouga's tribe needed her and she would be of no use to them dead.


Tyr was impressed with the way she had handled the situation. The soft one was holding her ground despite being outnumbered. It was inevitable that she was going to die. Despite the prey that seemed to be retreating, the larger prey remained.

'Prey against prey,' he thought, though not amused.

He was not to interfere with this world. It was up to him to study this planet and deem if it would make a worthy hunting ground.

He made his choice the moment the woman took up her weapon and he saw it sway in her grip. His feet touched the ground and dashed from the forest and into the field. The strides he took were long and powerful and he found himself inches from the woman. She was weak and distracted, and she didn't notice him until his wrist blades extended. The soft hiss of the release caused her to glance over her shoulder. His camouflage dropped and he towered over the female. He only had a moment to take in the paling of her features, the widening of her eyes, and the opening of her mouth. Using his left hand, he pulled her back and winced behind his mask when he heard her hit the ground. Tyr couldn't dwell on how light she was because he raised the triple bladed weapon and blocked the arm of the creature with the flat side of his wrist blade so the jagged edges wouldn't cut the creature.

"I will destroy you, enemy or not!"

Tyr smirked; it had been a while since he had battled. He didn't think this creature would be much of a challenge, but it would be good to stretch his neglected muscles. He twisted his wrist and the creature's weight pushed it forward and onto his blades. The jagged edges of his weapon easily sawed through its bone as he pulled downward and pushed forward. He swung his left set of wrist blades up and caught the creature in the gut. Blood coated his hands as he twisted his body, gutting the creature with ease.

'Creatures are vulnerable to weapons,' he mused as he moved back.

As soon as the creature fell to its knees, he struck again, blades tearing through the neck and the head following moments after. He gazed down at his kill before the sound of crunching grass alerted him that the female was behind him and still probably armed.

"Who do you think you are?" Pyode H'chak growled in the language of her people. "Strange being or not! It is rude to toss people about!"

He wished he spoke her language, but hadn't worried himself with learning it. She quirked one of her strange eyebrows and he noticed she didn't have her weapon in her hands. It was planted in the ground beside her. He couldn't help but click in amusement at her indignant posture. He retracted his wrist blades and noticed that she didn't jump at the sound.

"You don't speak my language, do you?"

Her tone was weary and he was certain she was mentioning the language barrier. He softly growled in his throat and noticed the way her lips quirked. It was a more pleasant expression then the one she gave that creature.

"No," Tyr rumbled in English.

"English?" Pyode H'chak questioned.

He shrugged his large shoulders and then she gave him the same look of annoyance she had given the creature. They both stared at each other wondering how they were going to communicate. He couldn't exactly leave her and she probably had questions. She purposely glanced at her weapon before she took a step closer to him. Of all the times he watched her, he knew she had no other weapons. This must've been a way for her to communicate that she didn't wish to violently engage him. It was a dangerous move, but showed him that she was willing to trust. She was worn down, but the will to fight and live hadn't left her eyes.

Pyode H'chak stood proud and with an air that demanded she not be taken lightly. Despite her soft features and short stature, he admired her.

Kagome had honestly seen stranger in her life. Having traveled from the future to live in the past, this wasn't any stranger. This creature was obviously not from this world. The technology he carried was too advance for this era and even outshined what she had seen the future. His camouflage was near perfect until looked at from a different angle.

Kagome sighed and resisted the urge to pinch her nose; she had never once thought she'd see an alien. The alien was more than a foot and a half taller than her. Its skin was a dark brown, almost bordering on the color of cocoa while its stomach and skin under the arms was dark beige. There were spots of black within his cocoa skin.

The mask he wore was metallic; its eyes were blacked out in a visor style. The cheekbones were high, the mouth was oddly smoothed out and protruding slightly forward. The crown of the mask jagged like his blades, but they only stuck out an inch. His hair was odd; at least she assumed it was hair that was odd. It reminded her of dreadlocks, but they were decorated with thick bands of silver. His armor was the shade of the metallic mask; protruding shoulder guards, plates upon his thighs that traveled to his knees separated by chocolate knees with shin guards that met up with metallic straps that formed thin sandals.

'An alien in metal sandals,' Kagome thought. Those definitely outdid the mesh that seemed to cover his skin.

The alien somehow made a soft chirping noise that told her he was amused. He placed a fist on his chest.

"Tyr."

She knew what a pain it was to have everyone call you everything but your name. Yet, she couldn't stop the smile and soft peal of laughter that escaped her lips. It sounded like he said he name was 'Tie-r' to some extent.

'Big Bad Tie,' Kagome mused in good humor.

She mimicked his action, making a fist and placing it over her heart as she stated, "Kagome."

Tyr, Kagome noted, made interesting noises. His head tilted to the side in what she guessed was curiosity. Before he righted himself and made a deep, though soft noise in his throat. She recognized that he was laughing. A chocolate covered alien named Kiwi was laughing at her.

"Pyode H'chak," he replied as he lifted a hand toward her. She didn't know what the words meant but then he repeated what he said in his language in English, "Soft mercy."

"Kagome," she repeated as she pointed to herself.

Tyr merely chuckled before his demeanor became tense. He pointed to her and then waived a hand over the carnage she had caused and pointed to his eyes. He had seen her battle. He thumped a fist on his chest and rumbled. That she was guessing signified strong or heart. He had seen her battle and thought she was strong. Kagome was going to take that as a compliment because he didn't seem to be a foul being. Her eyes looked past his shoulder and saw the mountains in the distance. It seemed that the Kouga's lands were still a few days away. She glanced at the body of the Tsuchigumo and sighed; she doubted they would be back.

Kagome looked to the alien wondering if he would harm her. She put her two hands together and rested her head upon them in a familiar gesture for sleep. Tyr nodded in understanding and she was glad, because didn't know how to translate rest into 'alien language.' The large alien turned his back to her and took a step away from her.

The ground rumbled and causing her to tense as she looked to the ground. Fissures split the bloodied ground appearing beneath her feet. Kagome jumped to a solid piece of ground watching as the corpses of the youkai slid into the ground. Tyr turned to her as she screamed. Her back hit the ground causing her world to darken as she was sucked into the dirt.

Tyr moved toward her, only be caught, and sucked into the darkness with Kagome.


Author's Note:

Finally, an ending in sight after two years….

Until Next Time!