Chapter 9

Izayoi stood next to Toshiro and Inuyasha as they looked over the side of the cliff. They had been traveling for two months and had finally stumbled across a rumor of two demons terrorizing the western lands towards the north. The three were going to take a walk into a village they had found to see if they knew anything more while the others tried to make a plan.

"I don't think they're going to know anything." Toshiro said as the three started on their way.

"Why do you think that?" Izayoi wondered what her brother was thinking.

"Look around. It doesn't look like they've been near any demons. If anything they're going to think we are demons and attack us." He said as they stopped in the tree line in view of the village. As Toshiro and Izayoi got ready to drop and walk out, they heard their father.

"Wait." They looked at him confused as he scanned the village. "Shiro, you're right. They aren't a place we want to be heading. The village is kept well with nothing broken, and the villagers are all human, not one smelling out of place." He looked at his two children. We won't get anything but attacked if we try to go in there."

"What if we have Aunt Sango and Uncle Miroku go in?" Izayoi asked.

"They wouldn't know anything anyway. Let's go back and see what the others have going for a plan." The three turned and went back to the caverns they had found to hide in while they planned.

"What did you find?" Miroku asked as they walked into the largest area of the caverns.

"The village hasn't had any demons around it in a long time." Toshiro told them. "There was nothing broken and the villagers seemed like they didn't have any encounters with demons."

"There were no demons scents around it for miles." Inuyasha said as he walked over next to Kagome. "What have you guys planned out?"

"The most we have is a general area." Koga said looking at the papers Sesshomaru's informants had gathered for them. "Basically they have to be in this area to be attacking and causing all the rumors. We should be able to get to them within a month."

"We don't want to wear ourselves out on the way so we won't have to rest for a while before we have to fight." Ryuu said.

"So if we go at a steady pace we should be able to fight at any time but it's gonna take us twice as long to get there." Akio added. "Instead of a month it's gonna take two."

"Do we have any other choice?" Asked Ryuu as he looked around. "Besides we could probably make It there and able to fight but the humans can't do that."

"We can always travel like the old days." Sango said looking at Miroku, Shippo, Inuyasha and Kagome. "We always managed back then and it shouldn't be an issue now."

"We can do it but can the kids?" Kagome asked looking at Hanna, being the only human out of the younger generation who came with them. "Leave as the sun comes up and don't stop until the sun sinks."

"We can do it." Hanna smiled looking at the others as Izayoi and Hatsu nodded with smirks. "You guys did raise us after all."

"We should stay here for the night and leave in the morning." Koga said as everyone agreed noticing the sun sinking in the sky outside. The group split off into the different sections of the caverns and found their own places to sleep.

Taro jumped as someone walked up behind him. He turned seeing Inuyasha standing behind him looking out over the forest and the night's sky after everyone was asleep.

"Aren't you supposed to be a full demon?" Inuyasha smirked as he saw Taro jump. "What are you still doing up?"

"I can't sleep."

"Oh really, I would have never known." Inuyasha said rolling his eyes as he sat down. "Now spill it." Taro sighed shaking his head knowing he would never get out of it.

"I don't want her to fight." Inuyasha looked at him before he smirked.

"Is that why you can't sleep?" Taro nodded looking back out at the forest as Inuyasha sighed. "Taro when Kagome came back from her world I swore I would do everything to keep her safe and when she had Izzy and Shiro everything changed. I wanted to keep them as far away from danger and fighting as possible. I never wanted them to fight or know what it felt like when a sword caught them." Inuyasha looked at him. "I still don't want them to fight but they have proven they can fight and protect themselves."

"How do you deal with your mate having to fight demons that have nearly killed her twice?" He asked looking at his father in law.

"Taro…. There's no way to ever stop hating the fact your mate goes into battle, you just have to believe in their skills. If we were in a war and Kagome was like she was when we first met, there would be no way she would be near any of this. Over the years of her working with us has made her as good as she is now. I trust in her ability to fight and protect herself."

"Izzy isn't like Kagome though. She is so stubborn sometimes and after she was almost killed again by them….."

"It's hard but you've seen her fight you know how good she is. You just need to trust in the skill you've seen. Besides, you're not the only who doesn't want her to have to fight. I never wanted my daughter to have to fight. I never wanted her to know what it was but being a half-demon and most of all, my daughter, brought her into a lot. I'm the one who trained her, I know what she can do, and I trust in that."

"When we were kids fighting I was worried and it got worse when we became mates and now…." He trailed off.

"It never gets any easier but you need to learn to trust her skills or it will get worse. Find a way to put your fears aside. Worrying doesn't fit well with the know it all stubborn wolf." Inuyasha stood up and took a few steps before stopping and looking back at him. "Maybe we can hold off another day so you can figure it out."

"Thanks" Taro said as he smirked watching Inuyasha walk back to where Kagome lay sleeping. Taro sat for a minute more until he smelt one of the few scents that made him melt. "You should be sleeping." He smiled as he felt two slender arms wrap around his neck.

"I should be sleeping with my mate." She smiled kissing his cheek. "What were you talking to my dad about?" Taro looked at her confused. "I have dad's nose. I can smell his scent. Besides I heard a voice, that's why I woke up."

"Oh, it was nothing." He smiled pulling her around into his lap. "It's nothing for my mate to worry about." She smiled up at him before she moved forward biting his neck gently with her arms wrapped around him. She giggled as she heard a soft growl from deep in his chest.

"Mate sleepy?" She asked looking into his eyes as the green deepened and he grinned.

"Not as long as you're not." She giggled as he stood with her in his arms and he carried her to the little cavern they had picked to stay in.

"I heard you talked to him." Koga said as he and Inuyasha looked over the cliff side at a small clearing where Izayoi and Taro sparred the next day.

"He was worried about Izzy."

"He's been worried about her for a while now." Koga looked at his ex-rival "For as much of stuck up stubborn wolf he acts like there's something about her that breaks all that way." He smiled as Izayoi tackled Taro laughing.

"He needs to trust more in her skills."

"Like you do? We all saw you and her go at it when she wants to help fight." Koga looked at Inuyasha who rolled his eyes and looked away crossing his arms. "You should take your own advice. I've seen her fight since she was a kid. She won't be taken out easily; she is your daughter after all." He smirked as Inuyasha rolled his eyes walking away with Koga laughing behind him.

Izayoi giggled laughed as she pinned Taro to the ground before he flipped them making him chuckle. He grinned leaning down and giving her a kiss. Izayoi twisted and spun them over putting her on top again as she held him down not letting him turn them again. She grinned as she leaned closer to him.

"Are my skills good enough for my mate to stop his worrying?" She asked and watched his eyes go wide. "Did you forget I have my dad's ears too? I heard some of your talk with my dad." She rolled to the side lying next to him as he looked to the side.

"I could never forget about your cute ears." He smiled.

"Taro, my dad's right though, you need to believe in my skills. We grew up together always fighting beside each other and actually each other. You know better than anyone in the world what I can do."

"I do trust you and I know what you can do, I just can't have anything happen to you." He said sitting up on his elbow to look down at her. "I never felt as worried as I have lately when you fight."

"You have nothing to worry about, besides you'll always be beside me when I fight." She smiled.

"I can't help but to worry about my beautiful mate." He said and watched her smiled brightly. "Besides, my brother is still out running around." She shook her head leaning up to face him.

"I'm all yours. There's no way he can do anything to take me away from you. We are mated and always will be. We have a little boy and a little girl and after all of this who know where our lives will lead." She smiled. He smirked as he leaned forward kissing her making her fall back onto her back.

"You're right. You're all mine." He grinned moving more on top of her only to hear Kagome call for them. They paused looking at each other before sighing and going to find her and the others not far from where they were.

"What's going on mom?" Izayoi asked as she stopped with everyone.

"We need to get moving so we can get pretty far before dark." Kagome told her as she pulled her quiver onto her shoulder.

"There's a little force camped out up ahead." Inuyasha said as he and Koga dropped back with the group. "Only one of the demons is there."

"But we can knock down a few of their forces. Break them down to nothing." Akio said looking around as the others nodded.

"We should rest and then attack. By the time they get organized we should have been able to wipe most of them out." Katsu added and saw the others nod. "How many do they have?"

"I counted a hundred." Koga told him. "It won't be too hard to break through and knock them all down."

"Then let's get moving to get this done and over with then." Hanna said looking around as Izayoi grinned and nodded.

"We have been traveling slowly so we could fight at any time. They should be settled down and starting to fall asleep now. If we go in now they won't know what hit them." She said looking around as Koga looked at Inuyasha who smirked.

"Alright, then let's get going." Toshiro said as they gathered their things and started moving towards the camp. They stopped looking at the little camp as the fires were put out and only a few people were left wandering on guard. "We should spread out and circle them before moving in, like we did with the dragons."

"We have a smaller amount of people to so we should have more room to really work." Akio said. "If we circle them in they can't go anywhere and we work our way to the demon." The group slowly started to make their way around the camp using the night as their cover. Once they were spread out Kagome and Toshiro sent an arrow from across the camp making it explode as if fell over the camp. Suddenly the quiet night air was filled with painful screams and the clashing of weapons. Izayoi ran through cutting down everyone in her way. As she spun avoiding a hit from a large man she was hit on the back of the head making her drop to the ground. Inuyasha slashed cutting everyone down as Toshiro and Kagome shot arrows clearing paths and watching other's backs.

As fast as it started it ended as they stood looking around over the camp that was littered with dead bodies. Taro was trying to get back up holding a large wound to his chest making him cough blood while Jiro kept trying to keep his brother on the ground.

"Izzy!" They heard making them look around as Hanna fell to the ground covered in blood completely worn out.

"Iz." Taro said looking around as his eyes darkened.

"Hanna…" Kagome said as she ran to her niece as she tried to get back up. "Relax."

"Aunt Kagome…. Izzy….. She…" Hanna tried as the others gathered around looking as most of them were too injured to run anywhere. "She was taken…" Kagome looked at Inuyasha as he looked around with a growl when they heard Jiro running back over to them.

"Where's Taro?" Ayame asked as Jiro stopped breathing heavy.

"He took off…. There's something wrong."

"Kagome take care of the wounds." Inuyasha told her making her nod. He turned and took off with Shippo, Toshiro, Koga and Jiro towards where Taro had taken off to. "Your son needs to take control of himself." Inuyasha said running next to Koga.

"Your daughter needs to stop getting into trouble." Koga told him only to have the three men turn and look at them.

"It's not like they can help it." Shippo said rolling his eyes as they continued following Taro's scent as it got farther and farther from them.