Okie-dokie, I'm back. It didn't take me that long either! Well, its mainly because there is only aweek left of school so my teacher isn't giving us any big projects. She isn't even giving us much homework!

I can't wait for highschool. . .

Anywho, have fun reading!


Night of the New Moon

Light was fading fast; darkness was settling over the land, cloaking everything in shadow.

Inuyasha growled. If he didn't hurry. . . He shook his head and ran faster. He would just have push himself until that time came, which would be in a few minutes.

A chill was settling.

He chanced a glance behind and cursed; a curtain of darkness was catching up, fingers of shadow casting the forest into gloom.

If only he could stay ahead of the night, just until he reached his destination– that castle hidden behind a barrier, smoldering in a massive aura. If he could just go a little bit faster, for a little bit longer. . .

Damn.

The sun slipped under the horizon, giving birth to a night of perpetual darkness.

He transformed all too quickly, becoming that weak human form he despised so much; silver hair blew black in a non-existent wind, black bleeding into it until it was one with the gloom. His claws shrank down to dull round nails. He was powerless.

He stumbled over his feet, going too fast for his human form to handle. He slowed, breathing hard. He forgot how easily a human lost its breath.

Out of the darkness appeared Kirara. She swept underneath him, picking him up off the path and onto her back. Then, she surged on ahead, leading the way to the inevitable.

Kirara growled, swerving off the path into a secluded pocket of trees. There were obvious signs of a struggle here: bushes lay on their sides, roots exposed to the frigid air;trees surrounding the area had deep gouges in their trunks. One of them even had its outer layer of bark missing.

Sango dismounted from Ionn and examined the claw marks, running her fingers over them. " A wolf did this."

"Yeah," Miroku said, picking up a piece of fur with his staff. " This is definitely from a wolf. A demon at that, judging from the small amount of youki it is giving off."

A little ways off, Inuyasha crouched near the ground, watching at Kirara sniffed at the ground. She growled and motioned to a particularly dark part of soil

Inuyasha looked closer. His eyes widened.

Blood.

Kirara growled again and nudged his side.

He looked up into the glassy eyes of a man. Four deep gashes marred his side, some still oozing thick blood.

" Hey, you two. You should come and have a look at this."

" Wha– oh my. . ." Sango put a hand to her mouth.

Miroku looked down at the dead man grimly. " This must be her father. . ."

He knelt down and ran a hand over the man's face, closing his eyes for the last and final time. " I must offer prayer for his spirit so he can move on."

The other two nodded and stepped back, letting Miroku offer his prayer for the departed soul. He closed his eyes and put a hand before him, then stood up. " Come. Kagome was here not too long ago and so was Kouga, that I am sure of."

Inuyasha mounted Ionn while Sango settled down on Kirara's back. Then, they sped off into the night.

The castle lay before them, cloaked in a swirling mass of evil. It was quiet, too quiet. No night animals moved about on their nightly business. Not even the wind dared to whisper through the stagnant air hanging around the area.

Sango and Miroku tied the tired horses to a tree hidden behind a dense pocket of growth, inconspicuous. Then, they joined Inuyasha on the hilltop overlooking the castle.

" Come on. Let's go." Inuyasha made to step down the hill but was pulled back by Miroku.

" We can't go charging in like that with you in this state, Inuyasha. We have to think up a plan."

Sango nodded. " He's right, Inuyasha. You're weak– "

" Oh shut up! I can very well protect myself in this form." He shook Miroku's hand off his shoulder and stepped away, turning his back on them. " Besides, you should be more worried about yourself."

Without another word, the hanyou marched off down the hill.

Miroku looked at Sango and shrugged. " No use arguing any further. It wouldn't do any good."

Sango smiled slightly and followed him down the hill.

A hollow knock pierced the darkness.

Kagome looked up, startled. Was it time already? She scuttled away from the door, wanting only to be left alone in the calm dark of her prison. She said nothing.

The door opened regardless and Kouga entered, his face blank. Flickering light chased away the shadows and filled the small cell with orange light.

Kagome put a hand over her eyes. " Is it time?" she asked quietly.

" Yes," Kouga answered, coming forward and grasping her arm, pulling to her feet. " It is."

She nodded solemnly and followed him out the door and down the corridor. ' I will welcome the darkness.' As much as she wanted to believe it, she couldn't. There were still things she wanted to do in this world. . .

The halls were dark and empty. Nothing moved in the darkness, except the three figures slinking blindly along the walls.

It had been easy enough to get in, since all who did never came out alive.

Inuyasha cursed under his breath, stubbing his toe on some loose stone for the umpteenth time. He really wished he was back in his true form. Then, he would at least be able to see much better. Also, he had no idea how to get to Kagome. He couldn't pick up her scent, which irritated him a whole lot.

Sango and Miroku knew this and they too weren't very happy. He was a major asset, being the one with the keen senses and instincts. So, they had come to rely on his abilities for a warning that they had to get their defences up. But now that he was in his vulnerable state, they realized just how much they depended on him.

Sango motioned in the darkness for Kirara to go up front, since she was the only one who could lead them at the moment. Without a single meow, the little cat demon scampered up ahead of Inuyasha and planted herself right underneath his feet, causing him to stumble and yet again, stub his toe.

" I'll be dead before the night is over," he muttered darkly.

The others ignored this, of course.

They crept down the halls as quietly as they could, peering around corners and into cold, vacant rooms. The servants and cooks had long since departed from here, leaving the castle eerie and silent.

In Inuyasha's mind, he could see their semi-transparent figures gliding in and out of rooms, just going about their business just as they had two centuries ago. It brought back many pleasant and painful memories.

Kirara hissed quietly and took off at a trot, her tail bobbing behind her.

Without a word, the trio picked up the pace and noiselessly followed, eyes opened as wide as they could go, trying to see what the demon had sensed.

There!

Just around the bend, they could see the glow of flickering torches. It was silent, but, there was light.

Crouching down low, they peered up and down the lit corridor. No one was coming. They were alone. Good.

" Now what?" Miroku mused.

" We follow the corridor I guess," Sango answered.

He nodded. " Yes. That much is obvious. But the question is, which way to we go? What do you think, Inuyasha?"

The hanyou didn't answer. His dark eyes were wide and still, seeing a scene from the past: His childhood.

Two children tore down the lit corridor, weaving between busy maids. They laughed, running in and out of each other's grasp. Then, both of them ran straight into a tall figure standing in the middle of the hall, his long silver hair pulled up into a high ponytail. . .

Inuyasha shook his head, clearing the scene from his vision. He looked back again, hoping to see the transparent figure of this father standing before him. He didn't see anyone.

He sighed in disappointment. That time was long gone. He couldn't rely on that deceased man anymore.

Kirara hissed, her fur standing on end. She made a quick jump out into the hall, only to be pulled back by Inuyasha.

" Get back!" he urged, backing them up until they were concealed by the shadows cast by the torches.

" What? Why are you– " Sango never finished her question, for Miroku had put a finger to her lips. She didn't slap him this time.

Footsteps echoed in the hall, and the sound of someone talking. The voice was deep, cold, cruel. Yet, it held a certain amount of. . .sympathy?

Kouga and Kagome stepped into their line of sight. The girl's face was ashen, her eyes blank and focussed on the floor.

" Kagome. . ." Inuyasha said quietly. She looked the same as when she had run away only a day ago. . .she looked so sad, forlorn. He almost wanted to cry out to her, to say he was sorry, but he held his tongue.

The girl looked up and seemed to be looking right at him. Her eyes widened, arms dropping to her sides. Had she seen them?

" Kagome, let's go. We– What are you looking at?"

Kouga looked down at her shocked face and then into the corridor she was staring at. His icy blue eyes searched, piercing the darkness hungrily.

Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango pressed themselves against the wall, hoping they could become part of it. If he saw them. . .Let's put this in Inuyasha's words: They'd be in deep shit.

None of them dared to breathe.

He looked for a long time, even sniffing the air once or twice. Then, with a slight shrug, he grabbed Kagome and dragged her down the corridor and out of sight.

" Now we know which way to go," Miroku said as they crept out and looked down the corridor.

Then, silently, the three crept down the hall.

" I'm sorry this has to happen to you, Kagome," Kouga said gravely as they walked through the silent corridors.

" Does it have to happen to me?" she answered quietly.

He said nothing for a few moments. Then, he answered, his tone cold and malicious. " What is going to happen will happen, Kagome. You can't change your fate now. It is too late for that."

Kagome glared at his back and looked away. What did he know about fate anyway? His wasn't going to end in bunnies and rainbows, that was for sure.

Torches flickered, casting dances shadows on the bare walls. They passed a dark side corridor, leading off into the bowls of the castle. No firelight penetrated the shadows that cloaked its entrance.

" Kagome. . ."

She stopped dead in her tracks and turned to look down the corridor. Had she just heard his voice? No. Nonsense. He was not here; he was far away, probably carrying on with his never ending quest for justice. He had probably forgotten she even existed.

But despite her doubts, Kagome could not help hoping that the whisper she had just heard really belonged to him, the man she loved most dearly. She could almost see him standing among the darkness, amber eyes watching her. It was like he was there, right under her nose. Yet, she could not reach him.

" Kagome, let's go. We– What are you looking at?"

Kouga came up beside her and looked down the corridor. His eyes scanned the darkness critically, searching for the culprit that had caught her attention. He sniffed the air.

He shrugged, scowled, and grabbed her arm, pulling her roughly into step.

Kagome looked down that corridor until she could see it no more. She could have sworn she saw four pairs of eyes stare back at her, unblinking, unmoving.

(A:N) Yatta! I am done the second last chapter! One more to go! I am so excited. I'll finally be done with this monster and I can move on and never have to worry about it again!

I get off of school in about a week and I'm not getting tonnes of homework now so, I will be able to get the last chapter up fairly soon. Maybe in two weeks, or three at tops.

Do me a favour and press the blue button below!

Toodles :D