I'm so sorry this was late. Thanksgiving and family and Black Friday all got in the way… yeah. I have no life.

XXX

Chapter 4

Inuyasha jumped to the side, barely missing the sword that seemed to materialize out of nowhere.

Using his momentum, he stepped backwards and twisted to the side, hoping to at least get some breathing room—but was useless. The girl, if he could even call her that, was a never-ending typhoon of childish fury, the sword striking out in magnificent figure eights and diagonal slashes. She sliced her sword directly at his head, causing him to duck and roll, duck and roll, duck and roll, before he was stopped by a large tree in the middle of the clearing. It shook, but after a terrifying moment where Inuyasha was sure it was going to collapse, it resumed its rigid stance. He heaved a sigh of relief, grateful.

Only for a moment, though. Now wasn't really the time to be getting distracted, after all.

Quick as lightning, he got back onto his feet and placed Tessaiga as a type of barrier between him and the girl. Rinko cocked her head—not fearful, but curious—as he circled around her. It was almost like… no, that couldn't possibly be it. What would she be listening to? There wasn't anybody there.

"Who are you?" Inuyasha asked, his golden gaze focused on his opponent. "Are you a demon?"

Finally, she said in a voice that was not her own, "My name is Saika—and the question of whether or not I'm a demon, well, you'll just have to decide on your own~" She giggled, waving her hands around as though she was describing some inane theory to a child. After a moment of gleeful laughter, her gaze hardened. "Well, as much as I would like to stay and chat, I've got to run. Bye bye!"

Inuyasha was confused, though it only lasted for a moment as he realized that no, Rinko wasn't running away—or Saika, or whoever the hell that was—but rather, she was running straight for Miroku and Sango, like a thirsty man to an oasis of water. He cursed, watching her raise the sword vertically, her red eyes glistening with glee and hatred, love and chaos, understanding and insanity.

He hated it.

He also knew very well that he had the power, the determination, to end this once and for all. Smirking, he ran with a burst of speed he hadn't he known he possessed and effectively cut her off. Rinko stopped, her body no longer lax and curious, but angry and indignant. Maybe she would actually fight him for real this time and not attack his friends like a coward.

Inuyasha leveled Tessaiga at his opponent. "Look, I don't care who you are or the hell you think you are, but if you attack my friends, you've crossed a line. WIND SC—"

Before Inuyasha could finish, he heard Miroku yell, "Inuyasha don't! That girl's possessed! If you use your Wind Scar, she'll die!"

"Wha—"

But it was too late. The split moment's hesitation was all Rinko needed before she slid underneath Inuyasha's legs, kicking out to hit his crotch in the passing crossfire. He grunted and she laughed, her laughs the carefree sounds of a child, as she leapt and did a somewhat somersault towards the only humans in the area. Miroku took some of his sutras and threw them, but still on all fours, the girl dodged them easily and reared to the side. He didn't have any time, no time at all, as she lifted her blade, perfectly prepared to take off his head, cut through the soft bone and meat like it was nothing—

A trickled of blood hit Miroku's face, causing him to open the eyes he hadn't known he'd closed. Sango, his precious, beautiful Sango, was standing in front of him, her eyes unwavering, sporting a small cut on her right cheek. Miroku stared, uncomprehendingly, before realization hit him. She saved him! Sango had saved him!

The little girl stared at Sango in annoyance—she opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it as she cocked her head to the side. Miroku took his chance. Grabbing his few remaining sutras, he uttered a quick prayer and threw them on the girl, point blank.

It was like she'd hit an electrical fence.

The girl screamed and screamed and screamed, her red eyes flashing from hazel to scarlet to hazel again. She attempted to remove the sutras—Miroku was shocked to note that she was still actually moving—but once her hand came in contact with them, she screamed even more, the pain astounding, bruising. Spent, the girl fell to the ground, her eyes returning to a more natural brown, but not before uttering a chilling warning. "Houshi-sama, it's terrible, isn't it? You no longer have an ally." And with that, the demon's voice left and the air, having gotten thicker during the fight, returned to normal. Miroku breathed a sigh of relief, but try as he might, he couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't the last time he'd see this demon.

No, I'm just being paranoid, he reasoned as he grasped his staff in his left hand. We run into demons all the time, most of them who are too powerful for the sutras to do anything against. Nothing's going to happen. Still… it'll be better if I keep my eye on things. He gave Sango a weary glance. I can't always rely on her to protect me.

Satisfied, he went over to check on his comrades, so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't even notice the lone figure in the trees. This figure… he'd been watching this entire time, waiting, waiting—anticipating. And then, before anyone could notice, he jumped away, careful to keep his presence masked as he shifted from tree to tree. He'd heard the wailing, the pain, the euphoria of the demon, the blade—his blade. He could feel, almost taste, her disdain for Tessaiga and its wielder; feel the way she tried to overcome that child, the way she tried to bend the very soul to her will; but more than anything, he could feel her crying out for him, for him to take her and kill all the humans that she loved so dearly…

Saika was going according to plan. He smirked. Soon, my precious blade… we'll be reunited very soon…

And then, Naraku laughed.

XXX

"Mama! Why didn't you wake me up?! Anri's going to be here in a few minutes and I don't even have my teeth brushed!" A loud thud echoed through the house and a muffled curse followed closely after. "Oh, great! Now I just dropped my toothbrush in the toilet and I'm out of tooth paste! Today's just perfect!"

Kagome heard her mother sigh. "Well, if you remember, I did wake you up—several times in fact—but every time I did, you shooed me away. Honestly, Kagome, how anyone could ever live with you is beyond me."

Kagome resisted the childish urge to stick out her tongue and yelled back, "They survived with me just fine, thank you very much! I'm so sorry that I overslept on my warm, comfy bed after I'd been sleeping on hard ground for a month!" She huffed, clearly spent. "Can you just entertain Anri for a few minutes, Mama? I promise I'll be done really soon." Then Kun-loon heard something that sounded suspiciously like, "Of course, I wouldn't be having this issue if Anri wasn't coming to visit. Honestly, it's such a pain in the ass—"

Before Kun-loon could roll her eyes, the doorbell rang. "Oh, Kagome, she's here! Once you're done getting ready, come downstairs, 'kay?" She heard a muffled acquiescence and, satisfied, she went to greet their guest.

"Hello, Anri-chan! Welcome back! How have you been?" Anri, who had looked almost like a deer caught in the headlights, blinked her eyes a few times before she nodded. It broke Kun-loon's heart to watch her nod, almost as if she wasn't certain if Kun-loon was there or not. That, the Higurashi mother mused, was probably the main reason her own daughter didn't like her. Ever since Sayaka's death, the girl had been a shadow of her former self. Before, when she was younger, she would be a happy, giggling twelve-year-old. She and Kagome would often stay up into the late hours of the night, talking, gossiping—they were like best friends, those two. But now…

"…I've been fine, Auntie. And you…?"

"Hmm? Oh, same old, same old." She laughed. "Don't just stand there—come in, come in! Kagome's upstairs getting ready, but she'll be down in a few minutes, so until then, make yourself at home!" She clapped her hands together like a small child. "I'll go start breakfast!"

After a long, drawn out moment, Anri nodded. She watched her aunt walk away and, certain that she was gone, breathed a sigh of relief. Her aunt, though she meant well, was a little overbearing—she had been ever since Anri was a little kid. Of course, she seemed more overbearing now than ever, but Anri didn't know if it was because she hadn't seen her in a while or the fact that she was now the proud owner of the one and only Saika. "Auntie sure is strange."

"You're strange yourself. You know talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity, right?"

Anri's head snapped up, only to be met with the searing gaze of her cousin, Kagome. Kagome. The word sent some strange emotions through her—happiness, disbelief, dislike—but the strongest one of all didn't even have a word. She was just… there, just hopelessly there, glaring at Anri like she was some sort of bug. When had things become like this?

"K-Kagome," Anri said, her eyes never leaving her cousin's face. "H-how have y-you b-been…?"

Kagome didn't do anything as juvenile as flipping her hair or rolling her eyes, but her glare did seem to intensify. "Fine, I guess." She looked at her fingernails as if they were the most interesting things in the world. "And you…?"

Anri swallowed her nerves. "I've been fine… I guess. I… um, well, I…" She turned her head, hoping to avoid Kagome's glare. "I'm sorry, Kagome."

"Huh? Why?"

She wrung her hands together. "Um, well, you see… I feel like you're mad at me, but I'm not sure why…" She bowed. "So for that, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you."

Kagome scoffed, though she silently berated herself for letting her emotions show so easily. "You didn't do anything, Anri. So don't apologize, ne~?" And though Kagome's words were light, her smile was not. Anri could tell, almost instantaneously, that it was forced. But that was okay, wasn't it? After all, she was a parasite, a disease to this world and the next. Nobody was supposed to like her.

The pang that went through her chest said otherwise. It was time to change the subject. "Where can I put my stuff?" She indicated towards the bright yellow duffle bag she'd brought with her that sat precociously at the front door. "I don't want it to be in anybody's way."

Kagome's smile only got larger. "Oh, of course!" Then, to Kun-loon, "Mama, I'm taking Anri to her room! We'll be down for breakfast in a few minutes!"

"Ah, Kagome! Wait!" Kun-loon entered the living room, wiping her hands off a dish towel hanging at her waist. "Anri's staying in your room tonight because Grandpa left most of his shrine things in the guest room. I hope you don't mind too much."

Kagome bit her lower lip to keep her smile in place. She was almost positive she drew blood. "Y-yes, Mama. Anri can sleep with me tonight—I don't mind." She turned towards Anri. "Are you ready?" You could cut the tension in the room with a knife.

The young Saika blade nodded and grabbed her luggage, more than happy to leave the suffocating atmosphere behind. Of course, it wasn't as though being with Kagome was any less suffocating. Kagome, as soon as she was away from her mother, had dropped her smile, the same cold look of indifference pasted on her face. Anri didn't like it all that much, but she didn't necessarily dislike it either. It was similar to the times she'd been with Mika; though she seemed happy and hadn't voiced her dissent, Anri always knew that she was a being a nuisance. Mika was only friends with her because she wanted to look better—Kagome was only tolerating her because she didn't want to look bad in front of her mother. They were the same, Anri knew. But so, so different.

Kagome cleared her throat. "We're here." She gestured towards the room, her movements stiff. "If you need me for anything, just let me know. I'm gonna head down for breakfast now." She gave Anri a bored look. "Can you unpack on your own?"

Anri nodded. "Y-yes. Thank you." And though she bowed again, she knew that it was ignored as Kagome was already halfway down the steps. Anri stared after her for a few moments before she simply entered the room. It was no use thinking about her cousin's motives. Mika or not, there was still something Anri did not like about Kagome. She couldn't wait for this visit to end so she could return to Ikebukuro—

Humans.

Not again, Anri thought, as she dropped her bag and grasped her head. Oh God, not again.

Humans.

Saika, please stop. You can't do this.

She hadn't expected an answer from the blade, but the dead silence that followed was anything but relieving. Had Saika… stopped for her? Saika had never stopped for her before, so why…?

…It's here.

Huh? Anri slowly stood up, her earlier confusion forgotten, the pain in her temples subsiding to a dull roar. "It's here? But what's 'it'…?"

And then, as laughable as it was, she noticed three small shards glowing softly. They were a bright, almost translucent pink, sitting precariously in a jar on Kagome's desk. Forgetting all about Saika's strange behavior, Anri slowly made her way over, feeling… that same indescribable feeling pulling her in, washing her out. Like a tide on the ocean, she was being pulled deeper and deeper, but yet, she was still floating, floating between the illusion of safety and the reality of death. Her footsteps carried her closer and closer, her hand so willing to grab the beautiful shards—

Anri stopped.

"W-what was that?" she heaved, her chest feeling like it was going to burst with each shaky breath. "What was I about to do…?"

"Anri! Breakfast is getting cold!" Kun-loon yelled. "You can unpack later after you eat!"

Yes. Maybe that's what it was. Maybe Saika was able to take control because Anri hadn't had a fully decent meal in the past week and she was weak. Maybe after a good home-cooked meal, she'd feel better. Maybe. "I'm coming, Auntie!"

But all the maybes in the world didn't quite explain why she grabbed the shards and placed them in her pocket.

XXX

Master…

You're here…

It's been so long, Master…

I'm… so happy…

Master… let's love my humans together.

XXX

Yay! Another chapter done! I'm getting really close to the end of the stuff I had prewritten, so you should probably expect more sporadic updates fairly soon. I hope you liked this chapter and stay tuned for chapter five!