DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN INUYASHA OR DURARARA! ALL ANIME BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE CREATORS!

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Chapter 7

"It's true. The blade is no longer here."

Kikyo was kneeling in a semi-ornate temple, her hands resting lightly on a soft patch of dirt. The air tingled here, full of magic and demonic energy and she, a soul, shivered from the evil in the air. Her familiars raced about her in a panic, their whitish-yellow eyes full of worry and fear. She smiled grimly up at them before she addressed her companion.

"Lord Sesshomaru, tell me: why do you think these souls dance so frantically?" Her gaze was far away, dark eyes clouded with the memories of a lifetime ago. When Sesshomaru didn't answer straight away, Kikyo said, "It is sad, that what was once such a beautiful soul becomes tinged with a dark light—sadder still that these spirits dance and cry." For a moment, she was back in that cave with Onigumo, the pathetic thief, his eyes pleading with her to make it stop, make the pain stop. She could feel the scars, the calluses from years of fighting, the slimy tears as he cried and sweated against the very hand that helped him. Such a beautiful soul. And yet . . .

"Why does it matter?" Sesshomaru's voice was emotionless. "You can't change the past, Priestess. No matter how much you may want to." Kikyo gave him a look that could've frozen water, though Sesshomaru was hardly perturbed. If anything, he seemed bored. "Still, are you not concerned about who may be possessing the blade? Naraku might have already—"

"I know. It's just . . . isn't it strange? Souls, especially my familiars, would never be this agitated by any single demon. And yet, here they are, dancing and wailing as if they are facing a horde of demons. Does that not strike you as odd?" She placed a delicate finger up to her chin, thinking. "Perhaps I am mistaken."

"No, I don't think that's it—" Abruptly, Sesshomaru cut off, Bakusaiga drawn at the ready. In a low growl, he muttered, "We have company."

As if to mock him, a large gust of wind suddenly shook the trees, the pale sunlight blotted out by a giant feather in the sky. Two women glanced down; one with eyes as red as blood and the other with pale, limp hair, shrouding emotionless eyes.

With a little laugh, the first woman said, "Put that thing away, Lord Sesshomaru. We didn't come here to fight." Kana bobbed her head in agreement, the mirror in her hands shining brightly in the sun.

Kikyo leveled an arrow at the two. "What a surprise," she said, though her tone indicated that it wasn't at all. "You came much quicker than I imagined. Is this blade truly that important?"

With utter disdain, placid brown eyes met burning red. "Do you honestly think we'd tell you that? You're even more foolish than I thought, Priestess." Kagura snorted. "But it's not here, is it? Someone took it. Kana," here she addressed the small, fair-skinned child in her company, "look into your mirror. Do you see anything?" The young child glanced down into her mirror and watched as avid colors and shapes were displayed, thousands of people passing through the window like a fresh wind, before her eyes settled on a small group of travelers. Cocking her head, she recognized the bright red robes and the long silver hair as Inuyasha, the half-demon. A young girl was shackled by his side, stumbling wildly behind him, and she realized idly that they were incredibly close to the Bone Eater's Well . . .

Soon, the images dissipated and she was left with nothing but her own reflection, two dead eyes staring back in mute understanding. Glancing up, she gave a curt nod to Kagura, who laughed in delight. Pulling against her feather, she eased it up into the air, catching a current as she passed, and glanced down gleefully at the guarded pair. "Guess we'll see you around. Later, Priestess. Lord Sesshomaru."

As quick as lightning, an arrow grazed Kagura's cheek. Small droplets of blood fell and Kagura, enraged, drew her fans with practiced ease. "Dance of Blades!" she screamed, watching in muted amusement as trees' leaves began flying everywhere like confetti.

Unfortunately, her enemies weren't so lucky.

Kikyo glanced away, her eyes watering, and attempted to draw another arrow. But the wind made that extraordinarily ineffective and it flew back, helpless. Sneering, Kagura turned around and waved her hand back. "Later."

They disappeared from sight.

Blinking the tears out of her eyes, Kikyo turned to Lord Sesshomaru . . .

Only to be greeted with the empty air.

XXX

"Lord Jaken! Lord Sesshomaru has returned!"

A young girl ran forward, her dirty, calloused feet contrasting wildly with her bright green kimono, a large smile ever prevalent on her face. An imp behind her turned and, seeing that the young child had almost reached his lord, quickly hurried, his much too large staff trailing effortlessly behind.

"Lord Sesshomaru, how was your trip—" But he cut in front of the young child, effectively cutting her off.

"It's so good to see you, Lord Sesshomaru! Rin here was being a pest, continually asking where you were! It was just so—"

"Jaken."

"Y-yes, my lord?"

Barely sparing a glance for his companion, he said, "Prepare Ah-Un. Make sure you gather enough supplies that Rin can eat comfortably for three days."

Flustered, Jaken bowed deeply. "Y-yes, of course my lord. C-consider it done—" But already Sesshomaru had walked past him, his golden eyes scanning the area as though something was amiss. Feeling a small tug on his kimono, he glanced down at the curious face of his youngest charge.

"What should I do, Lord Sesshomaru?"

He stared at her a little, his face cool, collected, and gave a small nod as if he was agreeing with himself. "Just . . . go play in the river."

"Okay!"

He watched as she approached the river, her carefree laughter ringing ostentatiously in the quiet field, and he felt a small smile tug at the corner of his lips. With a lot of self-control perfected throughout the year since they'd met, he composed his face and turned back to Jaken, who was adding the last finishing touches to Ah-Un.

"Jaken."

The little toad demon stopped dead in his tracks, the bundle of wild berries he found nearby falling out of his grasp to the dusty beaten path. Slightly shaking, he answered quietly, "Y-yes, Lord Sesshomaru?"

"I'll be going on ahead." Slowly, his mouth was shifting, forming into a leering grin, the muzzle extended well beyond that of a human's. The familiar electric blue markings covered his face, his teeth sharp and pointed, like a canine's. "Once you've finished your preparations, take Rin and meet me by the Bone Eater's Well." His haunches became larger and more pronounced, and two blue eyes stared almost menacingly at Jaken. Rin, oblivious to her lord's actions, was humming happily in the water, giggling whenever little fish would come and nibble on her feet. For a moment, Sesshomaru seemed to look over at her in his fully demonic form before he gave a quick little growl and fly off into the sky.

Jaken stared after him, a worried light in his eyes. His lord very rarely transformed into his true demonic heritage; the fact that he had meant that something was very wrong indeed. Jaken looked back at Rin and wondered if it was even safe for the little human to go somewhere Lord Sesshomaru deemed dangerous enough to use his yokai form in. Deciding to forsake his own intuition, he glanced back at his Lord, who was already just a tiny speck in the air.

Quietly, he said, "Of course, Lord Sesshomaru. Please count on me."

XXX

In retrospect, Koga probably should've smelled for Kagome before he decided to find her.

"Wah—What the hell?! What are you doing here, you mangy wolf?!" A young man with silver-blond hair leveled a giant sword at his throat. His golden eyes were dilated into slits, and his fangs were peaking precariously over his lip. His robe of the Fire Rat blew loosely in the wind.

"What? No heartwarming welcome?" Two cool blue eyes met his own, a sadistic smirk on his lips. "Though, I guess that'd be asking too much from a stupid dog."

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING STUPID?! IF ANYONE'S STUPID, IT'S YOU AND YOUR DAMNED WOLF PACK!"

"Geez," Koga replied dryly, running a finger through his ear, completely at ease with the sword at his throat. "I'm right here. There's no need to shout, mutt." But then he smirked. "Or it is that mutts can't hear as well as wolves? There really is no end to your stupidity."

Inuyasha's eyes widened dangerously, like a viper ready to strike. He jumped back suddenly, leveling Tetsaiga at the unwelcome guest. "If you wanna go, then let's go! I've got no problem kicking your scrawny ass!"

"SCRAWNY?!" Now it was Koga's turn to get angry. "WHO'RE YOU CALLIN' SCRAWNY?!"

Like the children they are, wolf and dog demon alike butted heads, snarls on their faces, proverbial claws—or actual claws, as the case may be—at the ready. From a distance, a strange mix of people watched the exchange with intense apathy.

Sango was the first to speak. "Those two seem especially lively this morning." She chuckled a little as Koga jumped away, kicking an irate Inuyasha, causing him to fall and land in a conveniently located pile of mud. He jumped up, his fists pounding the sky. "Reminds me of two children, in a way."

Miroku chuckled. "Two demonic children, you mean." Glancing to the side, he said, "Speaking of demons . . ."

Gathered a mere two feet away, two demons towered largely over a smaller one, their brown ears and bushy tails displayed for all to see. A fox demon cowered beneath them, shaking slightly from their close proximity.

"Hey! I said, get back here, DOG BREATH!"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLIN' A DOG, YOU MANGY WOLF?!"

The violent sounds of fists meeting fists caused everyone to sweat drop.

"So what are you guys doing here? Is Koga looking for Kagome again?" Shippo cocked his head to the side adorably, big green eyes swallowing up the two older demons. "She's not here, you know."

"We figured as much," the first one—Ginta—replied, a spastic grin on his face. "We tried telling Koga, but . . ."

"He was adamant about coming here," finished Hakkaku, eyes gleeful. "Don't know why. We haven't been able to smell Kagome for a while."

Ginta nodded. "Not like we could though. There's been a heavy demonic aura surrounding this place recently."

"Heavy?" Now Miroku looked intrigued. "Here? What sort of demonic aura?"

The two wolf demons shared a look before they turned to face the monk, some of the wolves howling ominously in the background.

"We're not really sure," the first one admitted, his brows drawn together in an upside down V. "It's kind of strange, y'know? For a bunch of days we didn't feel anything, but now . . ."

"It kinda reminds me of Naraku," Hakkaku said, eyes giving a fearful once over to the clearing, as if he expected Naraku to jump out at any moment. "It's not really oppressive, just—,"

"Heavy," they finished together, staring straight at the monk. A loud crash was heard from the opposite side of the clearing and Ginta flinched, surprised. "Koga was even worried about it."

"Is that why he came looking for Kagome? What about the jewel shards?" Something just didn't seem right about this, Sango mused, noting the precarious restlessness of the wolves behind her, their feet scuffling the earth in impatience. They wanted to leave, most likely feeling their leader's distressed signals, letting them know that something was wrong. But what? What was possibly so bad that Koga decided he wanted to protect Kagome?

Both wolves shrugged simultaneously. "He hasn't been interested. At first we thought he wanted to find her because he wanted more jewel shards, but that wasn't the case. He hasn't said anything, but we think he's worried about Kagome. He's been listless since a few days ago."

"How strange," Miroku mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "No one can deny that Koga has strong feelings for Lady Kagome, but contrary to popular belief, he trusts Inuyasha enough to leave her with him. He's never done this before . . . not even for Naraku."

"You're right," Sango concluded, gazing at Miroku in the strangest of ways. "He usually stays out of our way when we travel. The only times he ever finds us is because he's worried about Kagome."

"But it's strange," Miroku continued, feeling that what he wanted to understand was just right there. "Even if he is worried about Lady Kagome, I haven't felt any strange demonic aura. Have you?"

Sango blinked a couple times, remembering. "No. It's—well, everything feels the same to me. Are you guys sure you aren't hallucinating?"

Ginta and Hakkaku shared a look that almost shouted they hadn't told them everything yet. Sango felt her eyes narrow.

"Well?"

"Uh, we . . ."

"You see . . ."

"Get on with it."

The glanced at each other uneasily, but before they could continue, a young girl tapped on the demon slayer's leg, drawing her attention elsewhere. Bending down so she was face level, Sango smiled. "Yes? Is there something you need, Rinko?"

The girl didn't answer, though she did point to the clearing where both Inuyasha and Koga had, surprisingly, stopped fighting. Sango almost laughed, deciding that yes, it was definitely a strange sight, but nothing to warrant any kind of attention. Nothing at all, except . . .

As if on the same wavelength, Miroku and Sango gasped as a blue light filled the well, followed by the terrified shrieks of a young girl.

XXX

"Hey, dog breath—," Koga barely managed to dodge an incoming attack as Inuyasha stepped in, Tetsaiga raised in a downward slash. The blade embedded itself into the dry ground, missing Koga by inches, but they were enough—the wolf demon jumped back, his reflexes just as fast as ever. The jewel shards glared ominously in his legs.

"Huh? Did you say something, wolf?" Inuyasha pulled Tetsaiga out of the ground, leveling it at Koga. "Don't think I heard you from getting your ass whipped."

Koga rolled his eyes, nonplussed. However, much like any other time they fought, he stayed back, eyeing Tetsaiga nervously. No matter how many times he went against that sword, his instincts always told him to run.

Like now, he thought, though he wasn't looking at the blade anymore. He watched as a few trees trembled off in the distance, leaves blowing in every direction, others flipped up to reveal a vein-filled underside, pure white roots on bright green foliage. The air felt different too, like it was moist but way too hot—a storm was coming. A pretty terrible storm from the looks of it.

"Hey, you listening?" Inuyasha's voice effectively cut him out of his reverie, and he glanced down, annoyed. Two golden eyes glared back at him, but he was happy to note that Tetsaiga was away. For now, it seemed their fight was over.

"Huh?" Koga resisted the childish urge to stick his tongue out and instead leaned forward, hands grazing lazily on his hips. "Were you actually able to make sentences? Good boy!"

Inuyasha snarled, eyes flashing dangerously. "Why, you . . . !" But then his nose twitched, and a frown came over Inuyasha' face. Then a grimace. "Ew, what . . . what is that smell? Do you smell that?"

Koga frowned, uncomprehending. But then recognition flashed in his eyes.

"Oh . . ." He walked closer to Inuyasha, gait relaxed, nonchalant, though inside he was shaking. "You can smell it too, huh? This demonic aura."

"Demonic . . . ?" His brow scrunched together and he regarded Koga curiously. "What do you mean? I don't usually . . . smell demonic auras."

"That's true," Koga admitted, steps never once faltering. "But this isn't exactly a normal demon, is it?"

He stopped directly in front of Inuyasha, blue clashing with gold. "In fact, I'd dare to say it's not a demon at all."

For a moment, Inuyasha didn't say anything, just stood there, regarding Koga strangely. Finally, he said, "Have you been hit too many times on the head? Is that why you're saying such stupid things?"

This time, Koga did roll his eyes, and resisted using one of those quainter signs humans used to show their displeasure. "I know it's hard for you not to be stupid, but please keep your idiocy contained. It might spread."

"Hey . . . !"

Suddenly a new scent filtered through the air, instantly causing the hairs on the back of Koga's neck to stand up. Inuyasha must have felt it too, for he quieted his angry retort and paused, nose twitching at an impressive rate in the clearing. They've never smelled a scent like this before.

Cold. Detached. But so very full of love, adoration.

Something demonic in nature.

"Hey . . ." Koga hit Inuyasha's arm, pointing behind him. Said dog demon glanced back, eyes narrowed. "Who's that?"

"Oh." Immediately, Inuyasha noticed the young girl lumbering out of the shack, her hair blowing messily in the wind, feet covered in dirt. Her hands were surprisingly bare, clutching tightly at her ripped kimono, her eyes blank and lifeless, as if she were in a trance. She looked like a doll. "That's a girl we saved from some village. Name's Rinko, but she doesn't really say much."

"Saved? From what?"

Inuyasha looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "A demon, that's what. What, you think we attack villages and steal children for the fun of it?" He snorted. "You're even dumber than I imagined."

Koga was not amused. "That still doesn't answer my question, dog breath. What kind of demon did you save her from?"

"Just one of those arachnid types. You know—big, hairy, smells like death." He paused for a moment, suddenly thoughtful. "But, you know, there was something else . . ."

"Something else?" Koga couldn't peel his eyes away from the girl. "Like what?"

In all of the time Koga has known Inuyasha, he'd never seen him become so . . . defensive before in his life. Embarrassed, sure, angry, but defensive? What did he have to be defensive about?

Inuyasha opened his mouth, no doubt likely to speak, when a striking blue light filled the clearing—more specifically, the well that Koga had passed on his way to find Kagome. It shined brighter than any sky he had seen, and covered the whole clearing in its soft glow . . . But what was most startling was the young girl, shaking the demon slayer's gear. Now, Koga wasn't what you would call an expert on human emotions, but he can say (guiltily of course) that he's killed his fair share of humans to understand their final moments of life.

The shock as wolf teeth bit into them, ripping off their appendages.

The uncertainty as they stared up, around, looking for anyone who would save them.

The resignation when they found no such thing.

And the absolutely terrific look of horror when the final wolf closed in on their neck . . .

That's what she looked like. Like she was attacked, or spooked, or murdered—her eyes were wide, tears streaming freely down her face, lips open in a silent plea. Her face had gone pale, her little pink tongue darting out to wet her lips, her hands clinging desperately to the demon slayer . . .

Another flash of light erupted, and this time, a moan. It was human—a girl, it sounded like—though much too deep to be the little girl standing over there.

The blue light flashed again, as if pulsing, before it completely subsided into the darkened clearing.

Panic erupted.

"Inuyasha! Lady Kagome—!"

But Inuyasha didn't pay them any heed, rushing the edge of the well. Koga wasn't a betting man by nature, but he supposed if the monk's words and Inuyasha's reaction were anything to go by, then Kagome must be in that well. In fact, now that the blue light had faded, he could smell a strong sense of magic in the air.

Huh. So that was how she did it.

The demon slayer—Sango, he corrected himself, though he wasn't sure why—ran up, her boomerang hanging precariously off her shoulder. His men, the monk, and the young fox demon followed soon after, the wolves bringing up the rear like some sort of tidal wave. He watched them rush up, his legs begging to move . . .

There was movement.

Had Koga not been a demon, or just fast in general, the blade would've surely chopped his head off. But as it stood, he got only a tiny knick on his shoulder—annoying, but nothing serious. The blood rushed down his arm in little rivulets, but with practiced ease, he fell back and quickly whipped around with a powerful roundhouse to kick the one who'd attacked him. His foot made contact with something soft, incredibly small . . .

The little girl from moments before glanced up, the blow connecting just seconds later, sending her flying. He watched her soar a good few feet away from him, landing on her back, her hands falling out to her sides. The sword slid softly away from her.

Shit.

Not good, not good. That was enough powerful to decimate a demon! A demon! And the fact that he'd hit the human girl so blatantly . . .

He rushed forward, his feet carrying him against his will, and leaned over the young girl. Her eyes were closed and her chest wasn't rising—but using that technique that Kagome taught him to find what she called a 'pulse,' he pushed his fingers against her neck, only breathing when he felt it, slow but steady. It thrummed under his hands like a tiny hummingbird, cementing all the more that the girl was fragile, incredibly fragile. If his foot had connected just a little higher . . .

Suddenly, a hand grabbed his fingers, ripping them off her neck with surprising alacrity. He nearly yelped, taken by surprise, but was stopped as two blood-red eyes glanced up at him, a beautifully insane smile on her cherubic face. She clutched his fingers until they turned white, and then . . .

"Mother."

XXX

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