--Gragh. Bad week. Please make it better and review. Please?

-x-x-x-x-

Disclaimer

-x-x-x-x-

Last time…

The next morning they were off again, except at a slower pace because Hikari insisted that she run next to her mother, and threw a fit every time Kagome tried to pick her up.

Soon enough, they saw a large castle in the horizon.

"That's it!" Shippo pointed toward it.

-x-x-x-x-

Chapter 26: Demon

Kagome swooped over and picked Hikari up in her arms, giving her a look that told her not to complain. She could feel heat spreading to every inch of her body and the adrenaline took over. She found herself running faster.

Miroku examined her closely. A jagged pink mark appeared on the cheek that he could see and her fangs lengthened. Yet her eyes had yet to turn colors.

"I am having bad premonitions about this," Miroku muttered, unintentionally catching Sango and Shippo's attention.

Kagome skidded to a stop right outside the large wooden doors. She place Hikari on the ground and the small hanyou latched onto her mother's leg. As soon as she did so, she let go and took a few steps backward.

"What's wrong?" Shippo asked, placing her on his back.

"Mommy's scary," she whispered with a shudder, latching her arms around the demon's neck.

Kagome growled, her eyes changing to a light pink color. No, she thought, fighting back the demonic pressure building up in her head, I need to save InuYasha first!

She leapt over the gate, thinking for a second about how thankful she was to be wearing jeans instead of a school skirt.

"No!" she heard a distant voice shout.

"What?" She paused long enough for her friends to run up beside her.

"What's wrong Kagome?" Sango asked.

"You didn't hear that?" She turned toward her, her voice a slight growl.

"Hear what?" Shippo mumbled, inspecting the dilapidated castle. There was wood falling from the structure. It looked more like a haunted house than a castle.

"Must have been in my head, let's go!" She called, running into the building.

----------

(A/N: This part probably will, and sort of should, throw you off track or confuse you. It is in the first person, but I shall not reveal who it is :D)

My body felt heavy. If it weren't for the ropes, I wouldn't have been able to stand up. I felt the sharp pain in my chest. The arrow, he thought, examining the foreign object lodged in his chest.

My head snapped up in attention at the sound of the door opening and hitting the wall. I grunted as the girl gripped my chin; the pain of mortals was tough and I wasn't sure if I'd live long enough to see Sango or Miroku, or Shippo, or my daughter…or Kagome. No, I growled at myself in my mind, I can't let myself think like that. I will get out of here.

"It seems you have a few visitors," she sneered, her voice a light tinkling in my ears. She dropped my chin roughly and turned around toward the blank wall. Waving a hand across the air, an image of Kagome jumping over the gate appeared on the wall. My stomach dropped.

"Now who could that be?" she asked me, a smile plastered to her beautiful, demonic face.

"No!" I called, my voice as week as my human body felt. "Kagome—" my voice was cut short when I started to cough rapidly.

"Hm, yes. I'm going to leave you here. But let me tell you this," she said slowly, with acid in her voice, circling the post I was tied to before she squatted down in front of me. I felt her forefinger lift my chin up. "If you leave, your life will be a living hell. I will inevitably know everything you do." She chuckled darkly. "But you know that. I will always be in your head. Unless you kill me. But I know that you won't. My mother won't let you."

She dropped my chin and held her elegant hand out in front of my eyes, displaying her fanned fingers. A sparkling pink light lit up at the tips of her fingers and her nails instantly grew three inches long easily.

"Now," she whispered, placing the tip of her nail against my neck. Out of habit, I grunted and tried to pull away in resistance. "I know that you wouldn't want to kill me either, but you feel you have to…" I felt the pressure on my neck and the sharp, stinging pains slowly move from the side of my neck to my collarbone. I howled in pain.

"Why are you doing this?" I managed to gasp out.

"Because they're here. I knew Miroku was going to escape. I was there when he returned to Lady Kaede's hut."

I looked up into her dark red eyes. The eyes of a demon with bloodlust. I have to stop her from becoming this. I have to stop her from becoming the demon that stands before me, I thought.

-x-x-x-x-

Nice place to stop. Tell me what you think. Who do you think is keeping him captive? I know it's a bit confusing, but once you figure out who it is, it'll make a bit more sense. Please review and guess!