Author's Note: I reread this story from the beginning and saw many, many plot holes, as well as just plain bad writing. But I wrote this chapter anyway. I plan to do a full-scale revision sometime in the [not-so-]near future. Most, if not all, won't like the twist it takes, but that's the way of the world. As a warning, it's moderately dark.

"You have been lying to me." Takefumi prostrated himself before his boss, unable to even look her in the eye. His heart was racing a mile a minute, and he knew he was going to die very soon. "I know you never killed Nanako. I know you had a wretched half-breed child with her. And I know where they are." Kanna idly drummed her fingers on her cushy armchair, glancing over at the crackling fireplace. She could see Kagome's disgusting face within the fire, and it made her clench her fist. "I should kill you right now. And then kill them." Takefumi's entire body tensed up; Kanna's subsequent smile was full of her special brand of depravity.

"But..." She hummed, getting up to pace the room. "I've got different plans in mind for you." Kanna stopped right alongside him. He didn't dare to look up.

Her foot made forceful contact with his torso. Takefumi went flying into the nearest wall, framed photographs falling onto his head and shattering. His breathing was labored, but he made no sounds of pain, although his ribcage was surely broken. Kanna walked over to him, grabbed his neck, and pressed her thumb menacingly against his throat.

"Now you listen to me, Takefumi." She said calmly. "And listen good." Takefumi didn't move, nor did he let his eyes meet her face. Kanna scowled, increasing the pressure on his throat. "Look at me." He immediately did so. "Do you understand that I have hordes—literally, hordes—of men at my disposal? Men that will kill you at the snap of my fingers?" He nodded slightly. "How dare you defy me? I could make your life a living hell and you don't even know it." She smiled at him again, showing all of her knifelike teeth.

"The question, my dear, is how will I punish you? At least twice now, I've held your precious daughter's life in my hands. There is only one thing stopping me from killing her and eating her whole." Not even Takefumi's years of yakuza training could prevent him from trembling in Kanna's grasp. "And what's stopping me, Takefumi?"

"...The boy." He murmured shakily. Kanna nodded, pouting.

"That's right. My own love, who's turned against me in favor of the daughter you never should've had—the daughter I am this close to having eliminated." She made the tiniest of spaces between her index and thumb nails, squinting her eyes at it to emphasize her point. "That's very close, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Yes." Kanna repeated. "It is. Very, very, very close. But still not close enough. I'm not going to kill Kagome, though. Not directly, no. I would never dirty my hands with her half-breed blood. So this is what you're going to do. You are going to bring Inuyasha to me. Without his annoying attachments. Do you understand?" Takefumi, very numbly and slowly, nodded. "If you bring me Inuyasha and keep your halfling at bay, I will spare her life. We can work together on this. I only want what is rightfully mine. So swear to me, on your life, that you will do as I wish."

"...I swear...on my life...that I will give you what is rightfully yours." He choked out, and Kanna released him. He crumpled up on the floor, gasping for air.

"That is what I always love to hear." Her expression flattened. "Now get the fuck out." Takefumi could barely stand; he had to resort to crawling out, much to her loud amusement. "Crawl like the human vermin you are. And remember..." He paused to listen miserably to the rest of what she had to say. "This time, I'll be watching to make sure you do it right."

"I don't think this is a very good idea..." Gingitsune stammered, Kagome and Inuyasha on either side of her dragging her by her arms.

"Nonsense. This is actually one of the better ideas we had!" Kagome beamed, patting her reassuringly on the back.

"Yeah. At first we were just going to throw you out there all by yourself for you to hunt on your own. Go by instincts." Inuyasha said casually, and Gingitsune blanched.

"But-but-but I'm not a natural hunter. I think I'm going to mess this up. Big time. Can't you guys just bring me blood like you've been doing?" She pled.

"Well, where's the fun in that?" Kagome laughed.

"This is the kyuuketsuki lifestyle, Gin." Inuyasha explained. He did feel sorry for the girl; this wasn't at all her cup of tea. Random acts of violence were okay, but bloodshed struck somewhat of a chord with her. She was surprisingly very squeamish for a demon. "This is how we have to live. We don't necessarily like doing it ourselves, but...we kinda have to."

"Ehhh..." Gingitsune faltered, sighing in resignation. She hated everything about her circumstances. The accursed child inside her was due in a few months, which was basically its signature on her impending death warrant. It was really a miracle she was still alive; what with insane devourers and yakuza, not to mention her baby making her life hell whenever it could. It kicked and caused her immense pain more often than not. She was very depressed because of this, and the only thing that kept her from killing herself was Inuyasha stopping her every time. Because she'd certainly tried on more than one occasion, and it broke his heart. Which, naturally, depressed her even more.

Kagome and Inuyasha exchanged grim glances; they noticed her sudden wave of sadness permeating the atmosphere.

"Kagome," Inuyasha said, "take her back home. I'll find some food for us and bring it back."

"Right." His mate nodded, and they kissed. Gingitsune watched them, her heart aching—and with a swift baby kick, her abdomen too. She clutched her plump stomach, whimpering. Kagome put an arm around her, leading her back the way they came. Inuyasha watched them go, before heading off in search of a good kill.

"I was thinking," the fox demon sighed, "about what to name him." Kagome stayed silent, but listened. "And I think Takeshi is good."

"Means fierce and violent." Kagome bit her thumbnail anxiously.

"Fits pretty well." Gingitsune mumbled. "Not like it matters anyway. I'll be dead after he's born."

"Goddamn Houjou, that bastard." Kagome growled. "I'm sorry this had to happen to you."

"I guess I don't really care." Gin shrugged. "Not about your apology. I mean about my fate. If I have my way, I'll be dead before it's born. So this scourge can't threaten anyone else. I want to just kill myself and get it over with it. But..."

"Inuyasha won't let you."

"Don't know why. He should be scrambling to kill me, if only to protect you." Kagome looked down at the pavement, watching their feet. Hers moved regularly; Gingitsune's dragged along.

"He loves you, you know." Kagome said reluctantly, the words tasting bitter.

"He loves you more." Gin countered listlessly. "And so what do I have to live for? I'm pregnant with a baby I don't want, by a man I thought I liked, because I shunned the man I did like out of jealousy over you." Kagome was startled by her bluntness. "I mean, I don't really care anymore. It's not like it's a huge secret how I feel about your boyfriend or teisei or whatever you call him." She chuckled absently, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Did you know he wanted to be mine before he made you his?"

"...Are you trying to piss me off?" Kagome stared at her, her lifeless eyes looking shamelessly back.

"Nope. I'm just telling you the truth. He told me that many times. He still loves me a lot. I already know that. But you and he have this bond thing. And I can't break that. I wouldn't if I could." Tears made her eyes shine and she automatically wiped them away. "I just...it's just such a big 'Fuck you' from the universe. I try to like you. I know you don't hate me. You're just jealous of me. But I'm so jealous of you that if I didn't want to die right now, I would try to kill you." Gingitsune choked up a little. "Oh, God, that's not me. I can't even kill a human. I swear to god this kid is controlling my head."

"...I..." Kagome was more or less speechless. All that raw honesty was a lot to process. Was she supposed to be honest in return? Or chalk it up to her pregnancy and just stay in awkward silence?

She didn't have time to decide. As they entered her apartment, her mother said from the kitchen, "Kagome? Is that you?"

"Uh...yeah, Mom." Kagome cleared her throat and helped Gingitsune to the couch. "Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone, okay?" Gin didn't even look at her. Kagome sighed and went to Nanako. "Hey, what's up?"

"Your father called. I didn't get to the phone quickly enough to answer, but he left a message. Said he needed to talk to Inuyasha." Nanako paused, frowning thoughtfully. "It sounded really urgent."

"Inuyasha? What would he want with Inuyasha?" Kagome blinked. She hadn't heard from her father since she and Inuyasha came back to Sapporo for a while to lay low.

"I don't know." Nanako shrugged. "Where is he anyway?"

"He's out hunting for food for us..." She glanced at Gingitsune in the living room, laying on the couch silently. Shippo had come into the room to watch over her. Nanako followed her glance and said in a low voice, "She's taking things very hard, isn't she?"

"Kinda hard to blame her..." Kagome actually found she sympathized. She thought she had it bad, but at least she still had the will to live. "I honestly can't gauge how long she'll be alive. We're just lucky Shippo's around and has been monitoring her while Inuyasha's not here."

"Yeah. He'd be devastated if his cousin took her own life." Kagome nodded in agreement, absently rubbing her large belly. Inside, Phaidron lay dormant, emanating a calming warmth. It was almost as though he were purposefully sending peaceful waves to her. It made her smile. If only Gingitsune's child would cooperate with her too instead of being such a nuisance...

"Hey, Mom?" She said suddenly, an idea having struck her.

"Hm?"

"Can a kyuuketsuki baby be...aborted? Like a human baby? But without doing the mother any harm?" Nanako thought very hard about this for a while.

"You know...I'm not sure. It seems possible enough, but I think it would cause the mother a lot of pain because of the child likely fighting against it." She responded slowly, the gears still whirring in her head. "But I've never heard of the process being done for our kind. Sesshoumaru might know. He's older than dirt." Nanako laughed. "If anyone would, he would."

"Where is he?" Kagome asked, standing up. Her mother raised a questioning eyebrow at her sudden conviction.

"Ohhhh, no, you don't. You are not going out to look for him, not when your life is so much in danger right now. I forbid it." She said firmly. Kagome frowned at her.

"Then come with me. You're strong. A little out of action, but you can certainly hold your own."

"This is really a territory for Inuyasha to cross, Kagome." Nanako warned.

"But he's your ex-lover! How much closer can you get to a guy?"

"Uhhhh..."

"Don't answer that. I don't think I want to know." Kagome shook her head, as if she were shaking the bad thoughts out. "Just come with me. Shippo can take care of Gin, or run away if need be. And I know you know where he is."

"...When Inuyasha gets back here, he's going to flip a table. And if he ruins my table, I'm going to ruin his ass." Nanako groaned. Kagome merely grinned.

"Permission granted."

Author's Note: I'd like comments/suggestions/criticism about this new installment, as many as you can offer. It took a shorter time than I thought it would to write it up, and after two years, I can't honestly believe I still have somewhat of a storyline progressing. It's...astonishing, really. I still need all the help I can get with this, seeing as it's my first attempt at re-entering the dark world of fanfiction. This story's literally crawling. Let's help it walk!