IMPORTANT AN ** Spoilers Alert **: The timeline for this fic is completely fucked up. When I first wrote the two chapters I hadn't read to the end of the series and so now, I have weird ass plot holes that can't be completely plugged. SO in order for this to make any sense in regards to the series, assume that Hakudoshi and Akago never targeted Kohaku for his shard, and therefore Kagura was never forced to save him. Other than that insert a random moment for Kagome to re-shatter the jewel after she gets her bow from Mt. Azusa. Oh yeah, and give Sesshoumaru a sad teary moment where he feels rage on behalf of someone else in order for Tenseiga to be reforged into a weapon... and then let him let Inuyasha destroy it. Now that I'm done spoiling the series for you, enjoy the chapter.

The "Venus Fly Trap" Trap

"This is so wrong." Kuwabara mumbled. He stared at the "meat" he had procured and was slowly cooking over a fire.

"Eh," Shippo shrugged "food is food."

"Have you ever eaten a demon before?" Kuwabara asked as he stared at the remains of a cow demon of sorts.

They had found a huge herd of them all gathered in a clearing doing nothing but staring stupidly into space. It hadn't been hard to kill one and drag it back, though Kuwabara had been paranoid when none of the other demons in the herd seemed to react.

"No, but it can't be too horrible." Shippo stated with a yawn.

Kuwabara nearly let out a whimper as he realized the meat was probably as cooked as it was going to get. After setting up more to cook, he handed Shippo a portion that was ready to be consumed.

It was with an empty stomach and quite a bit of worry that Kuwabara lifted the flesh to his mouth and took his first bite of demon.

"Oh my god." Shippo whispered as he unknowingly echoed Kuwabara's thoughts.

DtCW

Sango forced herself to pull her blow back a bit, as her fist smashed into the man's face. With a cry of pain he dropped the knife, and clutched his nose. She didn't have to turn around to know that another man was creeping up on her turned back and calmly executed a roundhouse kick that knocked the whimpering man onto the floor and gave her the momentum to perform a second roundhouse kick on the coward behind her.

With a quick burst of speed she slammed her elbow into the nose of the male hovering above Kagome and her knee dove straight into his neck causing him to clutch at his throat and gasp for breath. Sensing danger from her blind side, she brought her arm up to block as a metal pole smashed into her arm. With barely a wince of pain and a swift push-and-pull motion the man was disarmed and on the ground in pain as Sango delivered a solid blow to his solar plexus.

Grabbing Kagome, Sango hoisted her over her shoulder with ease. Narrowing her eyes, she regarded the three other males as they watched her nervously. "Unless you want to end up like your friends, I'd suggest that you get out of my way."

One of the guys sneered and opened his mouth to reply but another grabbed him and shook his head 'no'. With a satisfied smirk, Sango strutted out of the alleyway with an unconscious Kagome who was beginning to show signs of awakening.

"OMG! Thank you so much for your help! You're amazing!" Yuka cried as they began walking away from the alley.

Sango blinked at them, wondering if she should ask what 'OMG' meant. "It was no problem, I would never let something like that to happen to Kagome when I'm standing five feet away."

"Kagome?"

"What?" Sango said staring at Eri confused.

"Why are you calling her Kagome?"

"Because that's her name..." Sango said, watching the girl wearily.

"It is," Eri said, "but, how do you know that?"

Sango opened her mouth to say something but she was cut off by a loud mew. "Kirara, there you are! I was wondering where you wandered off to."

The three girls stared in shock as a cat with two tails wandered over to them. Before they could ask questions though, Kagome let out a loud groan and Sango carefully placed her on her feet.

"Kagome, how are you feeling?" Sango asked.

Eri opened her mouth to question Sango's way of addressing the girl when Kagome blinked in surprise. "Sango, what are you doing here?"

"From the looks of it, saving you from a very unpleasant situation."

"Thanks, Sango, and oh my god! What are you wearing?"

Sango quirked an eyebrow at Kagome in confusion before remembering that she wasn't wearing either of her two normal outfits. Instead she was wearing a pair of the girl's sweatpants that were too big and a t-shirt that belonged to Kagome's mom.

"Your mom thought that this would be more appropriate for me to wear here."

"Sango, you are probably the only person alive that is able to make sweatpants and a t-shirt look good."

"Thanks, Kago—"

"Wait a sec, you two know each other!" Yuka cried.

"Yeah," Kagome smiled at her friends. "I met Sango a couple of years ago, and she's practically my big sister now."

Kirara let out another mew before pawing at Sango, and nudging her head in the direction of the Higurashi Shrine. The group of girls all stared at the small demon.

"Does that cat have two tails?" Yuka yelped, staring at Kirara in shock.

Sango lips twitched as she watched Kagome's eyes widen while the girl waved her arms frantically, attempting to babble out an excuse.

"She has a... genetic mutation." Sango explained, the foreign term did not come out nearly as smooth as she would have liked it, but judging from the looks of understanding the faces of Kagome's friends, it had come out just find. Standing up, and brushing the dirt off her pants she offered a hand up to the still lying Kagome. "It looks like she came to get us, the boys probably have some news for us."

Pulling herself to her feet, Kagome nodded her head in agreement. "You're right. It was nice walking with you guys, but I have to get home now. I'll talk to you later!" she cried out tugging on Sango's arm as she jogged down the street. "Okay, that genetic mutation excuse was amazing, where did you come up with it?"

"Oh that?" Sango mused, "Your mom told me to say that if anyone asked."

Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi stared at their retreating backs. "Is it just me, or is Kagome acting totally bizarre?"

"Yeah, I guess, but whose that new big sister? She's never mentioned her before?" Eri grumbled.

"Oh my," Ayumi murmured, "I wonder if that girl knows Inuyasha."

"What makes you say that?" Yuka demanded, "We've only met him once, and we're her best friends!"

"Well, Sango did say that 'the boys' might have news for them, so it stands to reason that one of the boys might have been Inuyasha."

"I guess there's only one thing left to do!" Eri cried out. "We'll just have to go over there and check out these boys ourselves."

"We can go tomorrow, and do a last minute cram for the math test in two days!" Yuka added.

DtCW

It was amazing. Whatever they were eating tasted so damn good, that Kuwabara honestly thought he could live on this and nothing more for the rest of his life. It was perfectly roasted and succulent and juicy and so damn tasty! Juices from the meat dripped down his chin but he couldn't be bothered to care as he continued to try and cram as much demon flesh down his throat as he possibly could.

Every bite after bite after bite convinced him that there was nothing better on this planet than what he was currently cramming into his mouth. From the corner of his eye, he noticed that Shippo was doing the same thing as him, though there was a loud growl that came out of his throat every once in a while as he viciously tore through the meat with his teeth.

In a matter of only ten minutes they had finished an entire cow demon and despite his aching stomach which begged for him not to eat anymore, Kuwabara knew he had to have more of the delicious demon.

DtCW

"Well, this is the spot." Kurama murmured as he looked around the small park. By the amount of damage and the scent of blood it was fairly obvious that a fight had broken out here. Taking another deep breath to calm his mind and allow him to better analyze the scene for clues, he gasped as an unmistakable scent met his nose.

"What is it?" Yuusuke asked as he glanced around the park bored.

"Kuwabara… I can smell Kuwabara's blood."

"What?" Yuusuke cried running over to Kurama.

"It's faint, but he was definitely here."

"So the reason Koenma is unable to locate Kuwabara is because Kuwabara is already caught up in this."

Before the two could continue to speculate on this new discovery, they were interrupted by a worried cry. "Yuusuke, you won't believe what's happened." Botan came flying down on her oar as soon as she had them in her sights.

"What's wrong now?" Yuusuke grumbled.

"Yukina has been kidnapped!"

"What do you mean, Yukina has been kidnapped?" Yuusuke shrieked.

"Exactly what it sounds like, Yuusuke." Botan said. "We have no idea where she could be. There was a large swarm of demons that headed towards Genkai's shrine, and in a blink of an eye, both Yukina and the demons were gone."

"They headed towards Genkai's shrine, is the old bat alright?"

"Yes, she's fine. However we're going to have to do something about this before Hiei finds out."

"Before I find out what?" The three froze in their spots. Slowly they turned around to confront the dangerous demon that could slit their throats faster than any of them could blink.

"Oh, hey, Hiei. How are you this fine evening?" Botan let out a nervous laugh as she cautiously edged her way behind Yuusuke.

"What's going on?" the short demon growled at them.

"Oh man, why couldn't Kuwabara be here? Hiei can never sneak up on us when he's around."

"Don't make me repeat myself."

"Well, you see, Hiei," Kurama began as he ran his fingers through his hair before quickly flipping it over his shoulder. "It would appear that Yukina has been kidnapped among other things."

"What." Hiei snarled at them as he crouched. In a split second he had launched himself to the others, shoved Yuusuke to the ground and held his blade against Botan's throat… or at least that's what would have happened if he hadn't ended up face planting into the unforgiving dirt he once stood upon.

With another angry snarl, he ignored Yuusuke's rambunctious laughter and examined his legs. Vines, thin vines were wound around his legs holding them in place.

'That damn fox.' He had tossed the seeds at him under the pretense of playing with his hair.

"Well, Hiei, it's good that you've decided to drop by and listen to what's been going on. I have a few theories as to what might be going on."

"Oh?"

"Kuwabara has disappeared, and whatever is going on, he's probably doing his best to contain it. Now, it wouldn't be that much of a surprise if whoever is behind this knows about Kuwabara's feelings for Yukina, and are using her to control him."

Hiei was silent for a moment. "I'm going to kill him." he declared.

Yuusuke snickered. "It's funny because he's been saying that for years now."

"Let's head to Genkai's shrine after we finish here," Botan suggested, "We can look for clues as to Yukina's whereabouts there."

DtCW

It was taking too long to get there, he thought to himself. Even with his massive strides he still had not arrived at the herd. He could hear Shippo encouraging him to pick up the pace, as he broke into a sprint.

Drool began to slide down his chin as he got closer with every step.

He had to have more.

DtCW

"Miroku, will you just tell me already!" Inuyasha yelled, lips pulled back as a growl built up in the back of his throat.

"Now, now, Inuyasha, patience is a virtue."

"I'd be a hell of a lot more patient, if you'd stop twiddling your thumbs and tell me where Naraku is!"

"And, what, Inuyasha, is the point of telling this theory twice, and answering the same questions twice, when I could simply do all of that at once?"

"The point is I won't be forced to kick your ass if you tell me now."

Miroku raised an eyebrow at him.

"What? What's with that look?"

"Mama! I'm home!" Kagome's voice rang out, and the sound of a door slamming shut followed. They could hear the soft murmurs of Sango as she asked Kagome where the boys were.

"We're in the..." Miroku slowly began to trail off, "We're in the room with the moving picture box!"

Seconds later, Kagome and Sango walked into the room. "Did you guys manage to figure anything out?" Kagome asked, settling herself down on the couch.

Sango delicately sat herself beside the girl, body tensing as her form sank into the plush cushion ever so slightly.

"Miroku did, but he refuses to tell me anything!"

"In other words," Miroku stated, "I decided it would be better to wait for you two to arrive, and tell everyone at once."

Kagome looked at Inuyasha and grinned as Inuyasha crossed his arms and scowled, to all those who knew him, it was actually much closer to a pout than anything else.

"Well, they're here now, so talk."

"Do you guys remember during the Soun'ga incident I explained the three worlds theory in relation to the three swords?"

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha grumbled, "And, what does that have to do with anything?"

"You weren't there, Inuyasha. But, he said there were three worlds. Heaven, Hell, and Earth. The Tenseiga, represents Heaven, the Soun'ga, represented Hell, and the Tetsuaiga, represents Earth." Sango informed them.

"Precisely. What I didn't mention was that the Three World Theory, was based off of the Four World Theory."

"What's that?" Kagome asked.

"And why are you telling us this?"

"Patience, Inuyasha, I'm getting there. The Four World Theory states that thousand of years ago the world was separated into four sections by a barrier. The Demon Realm, a land where demons reside, the Human Real,, a realm where humans reside, the Netherworld, the place where demon souls are sent, and the Spirit Realm, the place where human souls are sent.

The Netherworld was destroyed in a conflict with the Spirit Realm, and its destruction led to the creation of the Three World theory I told you. The Demon Realm represented by Hell, the Spirit Realm represented by Heaven, and The Human Realm represented by Earth.

Now, assuming this is all true, that means every demon is currently in the Demon Realm. That would explain why I haven't sensed a single demon here since we arrived. Demons are the superior species, I highly doubt that they died out, or that us humans managed to drive them back."

"How can we check if all this is true?"

"I'm not really sure."

Inuyasha began to twitch, and Miroku casually scooted away from him.

"So, we need to figure out a way to get into the Demon Realm, right?" Kagome asked, cocking her head to the side. "If it's behind a barrier, the Tetsuaiga should be able to cut through it, and let us pass..."

"If we do that," Sango started, "wouldn't we have to worry about demons escaping?"

"Ehehehe, it looks like you are all in need of my large expanse of knowledge, aren't you?"

The group turned to stare at the entrance of the living room, where Kagome's grandfather stood.

"Not really, grandpa, we can figure this out." Kagome smiled at him.

"Oh, you don't want to know how to get into the Demon Realm?"

"You know how to get there?" Inuyasha exclaimed.

"Of course I do!"

"Of course he does." Kagome grumbled under her breath, as she rose to her feet. "Now, grandpa, I'm sure you have a wealth of knowledge about this topic, but we really need to discuss our travel plans." Kagome wrapped her arms around her grandfather and gently began to lead him out of the room.

"You don't believe me, Kagome?" he asked, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Of course I believe you!"

"Well, it's good to see you've learned from past experiences, like when you didn't believe demons or the Shikon Jewel was real."

Kagome groaned, and changed directions leading the old man to the couch instead of the kitchen. She grumbled under her breath as she watched her grandfather chuckle to himself.

"Now, in order to find a way to the Demon Realm, you'll have to find Genkai."

"Whose Genkai?" Sango asked.

"A psychic of unparalleled ability. She'll be able to help you find a way to where you're going."

"How do you know Genkai?" Kagome asked.

"Why, I've been following her since my youth! She was one of my idols growing up!"

Oh great, Kagome thought, I'm being sent from one senile old person to another.

DtCW

He was here. He could see them all in the distance, his chest was heaving and his face was covered in saliva, but he made it. His jaw started twitching, as he thought about sinking his teeth into one. Faster, he thought to himself, and broke out into a run.

Almost there! Almost there! Almost there! Almost there! Almost there! Almost there! Almost there! Almost there! Almost there! Almost there! Almost there! Almost there! Almost there! Almost there! Almost there! Almost there! Almost there! Almost there!

STOP! Kuwabara stumbled as his train of thought was interrupted. Shippo began to whine in his ear. He looked around, forcing himself to stop thinking about the herd in front of him. Something had set him off. Something wasn't quite right.

DtCW

There was very little damage done to the shrine, Yuusuke noted relived. "Hey, you old bag, you still alive in there?" He called out as he barreled his way into the temple.

"Pipe down, Yuusuke, I'm old, not deaf." Genkai grumbled as she limped into the entrance room.

"What happened here?"

"A portal opened up on the shrine property, and a bunch of demons came through it. They went straight for Yukina, and tried to escape."

"What do you mean tried to escape?" Kurama asked.

"It would be better if I showed you." Slowly, Genkai made her way out of the shrine, and led them to the forest behind her temple. There, they saw a pocket of distorted air. "I managed to shatter the portal they were escaping through, so some of them escaped, but the rest were forced to remain behind."

"This portal," Botan mumbled, as she leaned closer to examine it. "I think we might be able to repair it."

"Really?" Yuusuke asked.

"Yeah, it might take us a while, but we should be able to fix it enough that you can use it."

"How long?" Hiei grunted.

"About a week, give or take a few days?"

"It had better be take." Without a warning, Hiei vanished from where he had been standing.

DtCW

"Shippo, wait a sec." Kuwabara whispered as his spirit awareness warned him not to take another step.

"But why, Kazuma? They're just standing there. Waiting for us…" The fox demon trailed off as he began salivating at the thought of the tasty demon flesh not too far from them.

"I know, but let's just wait a few minutes or so." With that said Kuwabara scooped Shippo up into his arms and took another giant step back from the clearing in front of them.

Suddenly a large demon stormed into the clearing they had been contemplating entering. It let out a large roar as it began to devour everything insight. Its large fangs sinking not only into flesh of the cow demons, but even into the ground as it tried to stuff its face.

"Kuwabara, we have to do something! It's going to eat all of them." Kuwabara grunted in agreement, but still had not intention of taking another step in the same direction as the clearing.

Something was going to happen. Something big, he could sense it.

Shippo squirmed and growled as he tried to get out of Kuwabara's suddenly iron grip. As the seconds ticked by he began to get more and more desperate to get to the herd of cow demons before the large demon ahead could finish devouring them all. He began foaming slightly in his hunger and was about to bite Kuwabara's fingers off in order to get to the feeding grounds just in front of them, when Kuwabara suddenly leapt back a few more feet, shocking him witless for a few moments. After those few moments he began squirming once again.

The ground began to shake. It started as a very small tremor that quickly began to progress into large shakes that caused Kuwabara to struggle to stay balanced. As minutes passed by the ground began to change before their eyes. The compact dirt became soft and malleable as it allowed the demon in the midst of a feeding frenzy to sink in. Slowly, everything in the clearing in front of them was being sucked into the ground. As if that wasn't bad enough, they watched horrified as think tendrils of wet flesh shot out from the ground and wrapped around the still feasting demon.

It never noticed.

After a few more moments of this, everything in the clearing had been pulled underground, most likely to be devoured. Shippo stopped struggling as he realized that there were no more demons to devour.

Another rumble passed through the ground beneath them, and slowly the cows started to reappear. Mutely, Kuwabara began walking away, carrying a limp Shippo who was gazing behind them hungrily. There was only one though on his mind.

'That could have been us.'

TBC