Chapter 8 Inside the Stronghold

The evening air was just cool enough for the hot spring to be a refreshing temperature change. When they arrived, the trees were swaying in a gentle breeze as Kagome was lowered to her feet. Inuyasha helped peel away her hakama and kimono, as her movement was still slightly restricted by the rapidly healing wounds on her stomach.

Kagome winced at the feeling of tender skin stretching and pulling as her arms moved. Soon the sensation of Inuyasha's fingers against her skin pulled her thoughts away from the discomfort.

His fingers trailed down her spine, and a pang of need ran straight to her core. He responded to the feeling running through the bond by closing the distance between them with a low growl. Her back was pressed flush against his chest, and she felt his lips brush the shell of her ear.

"You better get that under control before I take you right here in this spring." He warned.

His nose traced the length of skin from her ear, down her neck, to the mating mark on her shoulder. He grazed the mark with his teeth, and she shuddered. The whimper that escaped her had him straining against her backside, and he couldn't help grinding into her possessively.

"What if I want you to." She looked up at him through lust-filled eyes and lowered lashes.

"The things you do to me. I can't keep my hands off of you when you smell this good." He whispered in her ear, and the feeling of his breath over her skin erupted a whole new swath of goosebumps. With hands on her hips, he guided them slowly into the water. Once it was knee-deep, he paused to allow their skin to adjust.

From behind her, she felt his clawed fingers run up and down her sides, teasing her skin. Before long his fingers brushed her nipples and she gasped. The sensation of his pinching and pulling at the sensitive skin of her breasts had her head falling back to his shoulder. He supported her weight as he continued, one hand remaining on her breast and the other wrapped around her throat.

He could feel every moan vibrate against his hand, which spurred him to move his hands down her stomach. When he reached the apex of her thighs he brushed her clit lightly, and the contact caused her hips to buck forward.

Deft fingers circled her clit in quick motions and she could feel the warmth of the pleasure throughout her body. She started to let out small whimpers as the sensation built. His teeth nibbled her ear lobe sending tingles down her back and his breath whispered against her skin again.

"Are you gonna come for me, Kagome? All over my fingers?" He questioned, taunting her with the threat of release as he slowed his movements and changed the pace.

He walked them forward continuing his movement against her. She found herself thankful he was supporting her weight because with the added stimulation she could barely get her legs to cooperate. Once they were waist-deep near a large rock he stopped and turned her around, leaning her back against the rock and spreading her legs. His fingers ran up her slit.

"So wet for me, even in the water?" He chuckled darkly before thrusting his fingers inside of her. She let out a sharp moan and ground herself against his hand. His fingers hooked curving against the right spot inside of her, and his other hand moved down to circle her clit again. The dual stimulation stopped every thought in her head and all she could do was moan and grind against him as he worked his fingers against her.

Her hands found him under the water and she stroked his length as well as she could with the pleasure building inside her. Her movements were clumsy and uncoordinated as he continued his relentless pace. He hissed when she traced her fingers up to and around the head of his cock.

"Please Inu. I need you." She whimpered into his shoulder, begging for him to fill her up and squash the aching need she was feeling. He could feel the desperation through the bond and moaned at the combination of their desire.

"Cum for me, and I'll give you what you want." She met his eyes and between the intensity of his stare, and the mounting desire between them, the orgasm overtook her. Her hips bucked forward against his hands and her head fell against the rock. A loud moan left her as every muscle spasmed and flexed under the intensity.

He helped her ride out the pleasure with lighter slower movements against her and she sagged against his torso as she caught her breath.

"Fuck. You're incredible." He said as he entered her in one fluid movement.

"Yes. More." She yelled out at the very welcome sensation of him filling her up. He thrust himself in deep and pounded her into the rock.

Her hands clasped around the back of his neck and her ankles behind his back as she pulled him as close as he could get to her. He welcomed the contact as his instincts drove him to prove his claim.

"Mine." He growled as his teeth went to her bond mark. He sunk in, re-opening the skin there, and relished the sounds she was making as she whimpered and moaned under him.

After a few minutes, he felt her start to clench around him again and knew she was close. His thumb went to her clit again and he maintained his pace. When she came again with a cry he continued the assault until he was emptying himself inside of her. He leaned his head against hers and they took a moment to gather their breath.

He savored the pure love he could feel through the bond and allowed himself a moment to get lost in that feeling. The surety that because they were meant to be, they would continue to prevail was overwhelming. He had never felt this much hope before, especially in the face of so much uncertainty. But, he knew that this was worth fighting for no matter how hard things got.

"I love you so fucking much." He said, cradling her against him as though she were precious and fragile.

"I love you so much, too." She responded smiling brightly as they drifted back into the water to clean off. Tomorrow suddenly felt very far away.

Kagome, Inuyasha, and Miroku found themselves back on the road. They fell into a comfortable conversation as they walked and navigated, with Miroku in the lead. It was incredibly fortunate that he knew the vicinity of the stronghold and could direct them there.

There was something comforting and familiar about traveling together. Sometimes it almost felt like no time had passed since their fight with Naraku all those years ago. It took less than an hour to reach the area they were looking for, and as they came to a thinning spot in the groves of trees Kagome pointed ahead.

"There it is!" She called out excitedly. They slowed as she surveyed the area.

"Okay, so the stronghold is to our left. I can feel a strong aura in this area that confirms it. If we travel just a little farther down we can get some distance and then come back this way from the other side of the clearing. That will keep us from alerting any suspicion." She voiced her plan.

"Right. Let's do it." Inuyasha agreed and they started moving in that direction. Before long they were curving around to the dilapidated hut that was at least fifty meters from where the aura was emanating from. They ducked into the hut which provided very little actual shelter due to its caved-in roof.

"Jeez," Inuyasha said, looking up to the sky and seeing the grey clouds rolling in. "We have to fix this roof."

"Yeah. Let's see if we can prop it up." Miroku agreed, moving some debris out of the way. They found a long mostly straight board that wasn't falling to pieces and used it to prop up the caved-in section of the roof for cover. They were left with just enough room for all three of them to sit on the floor together.

Kagome began conjuring Lotus while Miroku pulled out some small sacred sutras. He fastened them to the Shikigami after it materialized. Lotus popped into view and skittered up Kagome's arms into her hair.

She giggled at the mischievous creature and patted its head before lowering it back to the ground.

"Hopefully Kaede was right and it can sneak in undetected. You ready, Lotus?" Kagome asked the tiny fox. It nodded back to her and took off toward the invisible fortress.

Kagome pressed her back against one of the walls of the hut before reaching out for her connection to the Shikigami. Once she was able to take hold of it she began to see through its eyes and direct it where to go.

"Alright, you two. Give me a shake if you need me." She said as she zoned back into Lotus' eyes.

Lotus ran through tall grass, its legs were moving fast as it covered an impressive distance in no time at all. As it neared the fortress it looked up and around to see nothing. Kagome gave a mental nudge in the correct direction to try to get the fox to bypass the warded structure. A nearby tree looked like it would make a good entry point.

Lotus approached the far end of the invisible barrier and looked around for a foothold to climb up the tree. It skittered up the branches, and once at the top, it was able to leap down and land inside of the fortress on the top of a very tall wall.

It flitted to and from different windows following Kagome's instructions as she gave them. Left here, right there, climb higher. She eventually came to several open windows, and had it dip inside one leading to an empty room with the door ajar so that it could get a better look around.

That door leads out Lotus. She said inside her head. If you dip out this way you will be inside. Be cautious.

Lotus poked its head out of the door frame and around the corner to see a clear hall. It scampered quickly down the hallway keeping an eye out for other open doorways. Kagome described the surroundings to her companions as the Shikigami explored to give them a sense of what she was seeing. After making several twists and turns the Shikigami made its way in and out of a handful of rooms with no luck. Even the library didn't have anything of interest pertaining to Jubo's plans.

Kagome was quickly becoming discouraged as the time ticked on.

"She has this place under lock and key. I don't know if we'll find anything." She said to Inuyasha and Miroku, eyes still sightless as she saw through Lotus.

"We haven't been here too long. Let's stick with it. You said there was a set of stairs earlier. Did Lotus try going down?" Miroku questioned.

"Not yet." She answered before directing it to divert course. Several stairways later the fox had made its way into the basement of the building where it heard loud voices. Kagome could hear the sound of several voices in varying states of distress. Some yelled, some whispered, and some jeered. She warned Lotus to proceed very carefully.

It rounded a corner into a gated hallway. With little issue, it squeezed between the bars and made its way through dozens of cells with unconscious and semi-conscious demons inside. As it continued further the voices grew louder and louder, until what sounded like at least 10 beings talking and interacting was right in front of it.

"It's a dungeon I think, with lots of cells full of demons." Kagome relayed the information to the hut.

Lotus dipped behind a box and waited. From its position, it could see a small group of various demons standing around cajoling while waiting for something. These demons looked relatively normal to Kagome's eyes. None of them were plant-like, and she spotted several lizard, panther, and wolf yokai among the group. There were around 10 in total.

"Hello everyone." Jubo emerged from a doorway at the back of the room. The door was left ajar, which Kagome caught instantly.

Keep an eye on that door Lotus. I want to go in there once we can. She said and then tuned into the conversation in front of her.

"Let's get started. Be seated." Each of the demons fell into their seats at the command and watched their leader. Their eyes were clear, unlike the other demons she had seen Jubo control.

"The priestess I seek is near the Tree of Ages, and the tree is where we will focus our plan. In one month's time, our numbers will be great enough to advance." The surrounding demons cheered at the words before Jubo shot them a deadly look. "Let's talk strategy." She gestured to the map overhead.

"This is the location of the Tree of Ages in comparison to us. This journey is only an hour or two, and with a little help from the local flora, I should be able to cut that in half. I need Group A to take up position here," she circled an area to the left of the tree. "Group B to the right, and Group C will come in from behind.

From there we will have the area surrounded and any opposing forces should be able to be easily dismantled. The priestess will be drawn in already to protect the tree, and if we can get her into position then it will be easy to continue. Once she's within range of this," she snapped her fingers at Root Head who lifted up a gemstone. "I can use it on her. If you see her, get her to me or to this." She said and then looked around at the group who was nodding.

Kagome tried to get a better look at the gem through Lotus' eyes. It looked very similar to the locket she saw Jubo wearing in the past that contained her blood. From here she could feel the energy coming off of it, and it felt ominous. A hand raised from the corner of the room.

"I thought these talismans didn't work on humans-" a demon trailed off as Jubo regarded him with a cold stare.

"They don't. But if you have their blood that changes things." She explained. Root Head tucked the gem back into place and Jubo went on to discuss talisman use on demons.

With a wave of her hand, Jubo dismissed the plant demon at her side who slinked off toward the open doorway Kagome had noticed earlier. She urged Lotus ahead to follow.

The little fox skittered across the floor jumping from shadow to shadow. When it reached the open doorway it carefully tucked itself around the corner and took a look around. This was a small office space with a desk, lots of books, and a small ventilation window near the ceiling.

An escape route when you need it Lotus. She told the Shikigami.

She regarded Root Head from their place in the corner of the room and saw him set the gem down in a gilded box on a nearby shelf. He shut the lid and slid back toward the door on his roots. He settled just outside and stood guard, eyes flickering back and forth around the group of demons Jubo was speaking to.

Lotus kept an eye on the outside before deciding no one else was coming this way. It jumped onto the nearby desk and nosed its way through the many scrolls and loose papers. Nothing stuck out to Kagome until they reached the bottom of the pile where a leather-bound tome lay. It was a familiar book, and she knew she had seen it the last time she was here.

The pages began to turn as they took in the many words and diagrams. Eventually, they landed on a page with handwritten text, presumably from Jubo. Kagome began to read out loud to the group huddled in the hut.

"The Tree of Ages is said to be linked to time magic. It has the ability to traverse and manage time. When joined with a powerful priestess she would become a conduit for the use of time travel en masse. There are few powerful priestesses left in the world, but the strongest is the Shikon Miko. Previously this was Kikyo. Now, it is Kagome Higurashi the Miko who defeated Naraku and destroyed the Shikon jewel. She could be strong enough to allow time travel into the past, which is the preferable outcome for the preservation and domination of the demon race. More specifically, flora demons would have a leg up on other demons and humans if given an advanced start.

From what I have seen in the future via Root Head's abilities, demons do not win. They assimilate into human culture or die out completely. I refuse to allow our fate to be sealed as such. These priestesses will be the end of our race and we can only get ahead by fighting fire with fire."

Her reading was cut short by the sound of applause in the larger room outside. Lotus' head peeked around the doorway to see the demons in the room standing. They were wrapping up and Kagome knew that they didn't have long before Lotus would be compromised. She nudged it toward the gilded box Root Head had recently closed.

It leaped across the room and landed softly on the wood of the nearby shelf. Its nose nudged at the clasp on the box and wriggled it open to find the gem placed inside. It pulled the gem into its mouth, and once secure, it moved toward the open window.

The Shikigami made a break for it and disappeared just as Jubo entered the room. Kagome breathed a sigh of relief and called it back to her. She shifted her awareness to the hut around her physical body.

Kagome opened her eyes to see the two men watching her carefully. She raised a heavy hand to her forehead and brushed off a layer of sweat.

"That almost takes too much work to be worth it." She said with a sigh. Inuyasha handed her some water and she took long sips as she felt it cool her from the inside. Her lips fell away from the container with a gasping breath after she drank her fill. "Thanks." She said, offering him an exhausted smile.

Lotus reappeared in front of her, gem in mouth, and dropped it into her hand. She turned it over a few times and watched as the blood-red crustal caught the light. It didn't feel any less ominous in her hand, but something about this object no longer in the grasp of their enemy brought her comfort.

The power inside of it felt like the dark priestess Taubaki's, and Kagome didn't appreciate that reminder. A shiver ran down her spine as the memory of their encounter with Tsubaki flooded her senses. Even the memory of feeling a lack of control in her body was enough to make her thrust the gem toward Inuyasha. He tucked the gem into a pocket for safekeeping, before placing a calming hand on her shoulder.

"Let's get back to the group. It's a quick trek, and you can rest along the way." He said. She responded with a nod and heavy eyes before he helped get her settled on his back and the trio headed back to the village.

"Well, that was an experience," Kagome said as they all settled into their Minka. She gave the group the play-by-play of her time in Lotus' eyes. Inuyasha pulled the gemstone out once Kagome mentioned it, and Kaede immediately started to investigate.

"I have to say I like those odds for us. If there were only a handful of demons there then we're probably looking at a total of 20-30 lower-level demons by the time they make it here. It's probably manageable. We've dealt with similar numbers before. It's Jubo I'm worried about." Miroku said. Inuyasha nodded in agreement.

"I don't like that she has a plan with you." He said with a huff.

"She's always had a plan for me, but at least now we have a leg up on her with this crystal thing. It seemed like her plan was hinged on it. At this point, the only thing we can do is prepare for them to come for the Tree. I think that's the time she will be most vulnerable since she doesn't know that we know her plans." Kagome said.

"But it's also the time she'll be the most prepared for an attack! That's not the way to go." Inuyasha argued.

"I disagree. If we try to attack her heavily warded stronghold we're going to go down without a chance. This way we can get her while they're out in the open. We can take on a few dozen demons. It wouldn't be the first time." She countered.

"And what about you? If you're there fighting you're closer to the danger. She wants you and she's gonna fight tooth and nail to get to you."

"I'm not running from this fight, Inuyasha. She wants to get to me, so I'm the only one who can stop her." A fire burned in their eyes as they challenged each other, their gazes not wavering. She could feel their twin furies inside of her and she knew he wasn't about to back down, just the same way she wasn't. Then Kaede broke the tension.

"If the Tree is the source of Jubo's plan then we should know more about it. I have a friend who can offer some additional information and look into this talisman. She has studied much of this. More so than even I have, and I believe she knows something about the priestess that used the Tree in the past." Kaede said. Kagome nodded and opened her mouth to respond when Sango spoke first.

"But what about this army? I don't love the thought of several dozen demons converging on us regardless of how much information we're able to get beforehand." Sango said, with a hand laid over her stomach.

"Neither do I. But you have to agree that it's the most defensible option." Kagome said.

"Yes, I suppose it is compared to our lack of options. Doesn't make it a good one or the one we should definitely go with." She argued.

"Since when is Sango the voice of reason?" Inuyasha huffed from the corner of the room where he was pacing.

"Rude!" Sango threw a ladle at him, which he caught easily.

"You're gonna put someone's eye out with that. Knock it off." Inuyasha complained, tossing the offending item to the floor.

"You started it." She said, rolling her eyes.

"Focus up guys. This is important. If Kaede knows someone with more information on the Tree then I wanna talk to them. What if there's a way to get through this that doesn't involve a fight and possible casualties?" She asked, looking around the room. Everyone nodded begrudgingly.

"We have a month to prepare. Let's not waste it arguing about the next steps. Kaede, how fast can we get to your friend?" Miroku asked.

"It will be a two-day journey. But I will need some time to prepare to leave for that long. We can leave in one week." She answered.

"Okay, one week. In the meantime, I say we all brush up on our fighting skills and maybe take a much-needed break. This is the time to prepare and ready ourselves." Kagome suggested to an enthusiastic room all nodding in agreement.

A very excited Miroku and Sango stood outside Kagome and Inuyasha's door incredibly early in the morning with two sleeping toddlers resting against their chests. Kagome couldn't see the sun yet, and she could feel Inuyasha's annoyance at the time of day as he bustled around in their home behind her.

"Good morning." She whispered to them, matching their broad smiles. She gestured for them to come inside and lay both girls on the spare mats she had ready for them to sleep on.

They gently set the girls down and each kissed them on the forehead, and then swapped places to do the same to the other. Neither child stirred.

"They're heavy sleepers!" Kagome whispered with surprise.

"They sure are! We've made sure to be pretty loud since they were babies and they benefited from it." Sango said. Inuyasha wandered into the room and then rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Why don't you two get outta here? Enjoy your day. No small talk needed." He said, but Kagome knew the undertone of 'I'm not awake enough. Get out.'

"Thank you both so much for watching them today. It will be so nice to have some time to ourselves before everything goes down." Miroku said with a slight bow. He wrapped his arms around Sango and she leaned into his touch.

"Anytime. I've been missing spending time with them so I think this will be great! Besides, you guys need a solid break before you're here alone for a week while we travel." Kagome offered before pushing them toward the door. "Go have some fun, we've got this!" They both laughed before heading out of the door.

Kagome looked over to find Inuyasha preparing some breakfast. She went into their storage and grabbed some rice to get that started while he worked on the vegetables and fish. After thirty minutes of cooking and prepping the two had made enough food for themselves and the two sleeping girls who slowly began to stir.

"G'morning aunty 'Gome," Kin'u said, rubbing at her eyes as she sat up. She stretched her arms over her head and yawned through the last word.

"Good morning!" Kagome laughed. Gyokuto gave her a shy smile but didn't respond.

"Yasha!" She said excitedly when Inuyasha rounded the corner.

"Kuto!" He responded teasingly, mimicking her nickname for him. He sat on the floor next to the two girls and set down dishes of food for each of them. "You hungry?" He asked, and both girls nodded vigorously as they all began to dig into the food and eat quietly for a while until they were full.

"What do you girls want to do today?" Kagome asked.

"Hmmm." Kin'u mused for a moment. "Fight!" She laughed as she threw a chopstick across the room toward Inuyasha's head. The half-demon caught the stick with ease and flipped it into the air to catch it again on the landing.

"You think a chopstick can defeat the great Inuyasha?" He asked her with a severe look before tucking and rolling across the room to duck behind a handful of cushions.

Kagome looked back at him with humor in her eyes, before locking eyes with both giggling toddlers who were working on arming themselves with more chopsticks.

"Uh oh!" She exclaimed as Gyokuto followed after Inuyasha.

"Hurry Kuto! You're behind enemy lines!" He said before she joined him behind the stack of pillows.

"Quick Kin'u! We have to make a fortress!" Kagome yelled as she reached into a nearby storage container to grab some blankets to hook around the furniture in the room.

She dropped a blanket across chairs as a ceiling, and put down a few cushions for them to lay on. Kin'u sat at the ready at the front of the fort behind her cushion barrier while Kagome lay on her stomach sniper style watching the perimeter.

They waited while Inuyasha and Gyokuto finalized their fortress of cushions and mats, and found that their enemy's fort was much more sturdy than theirs. They couldn't see them through the wall of fabric and fluff. Kagome leaned over to whisper to Kin'u

"They can't fire over their walls like we can. I think we have the advantage." She said.

Kin'u nodded very seriously, not taking her eyes off the scene in front of her. Kagome could feel Inuyasha and Gyokuto shifting around in the room and creeping very slowly toward the edges of their barrier.

"Close your eyes. Breathe in." Kagome coached the girl, who followed immediately. "Can you feel them?" She asked. Kin'u's eyes flew open and she pivoted to face the area her sister was peeking from.

"There!" She yelled and hurled her chopstick at her sister. It missed the mark by a mile but it got the other girl to hide back behind the wall in front of them.

Kagome felt the subsequent shift from Inuyasha's direction and using her spiritual power she fired a chopstick at him without any force behind it. It bounced off the tip of his nose and he gasped. After a second he hit the floor with a dramatic sigh.

"Oh cruel world! Taken out before my time. Kuto! Fight on without me." He reached out a hand toward the girl behind their wall who ran for him giggling wildly.

He dropped his head to the floor and let his tongue loll out of his mouth. Gyokuto leaped into the air and landed directly on top of him.

"Yasha!" She yelled out, and then Kagome heard the 'oof' from Inuyasha at the landing on his stomach. Then the game diverted course as Kin'u ran from their fort to dog pile on top of the two others.

Kagome watched them momentarily before moving to disassemble the forts and combine them into one massive one like she and her brother used to make as kids. She was hit with the memory of her and Sota like a ton of bricks, and a wave of grief washed over her. She would never regret her choice to come back, but that didn't mean she wouldn't continue to mourn her family or her time.

The reminder of Sota was almost too much to hold. She was going to miss him growing up, leaving middle school, taking high school entrance exams, moving on to college, and growing into a man. She would never meet his future partner or their future kids. She would never get to be the aunt she always dreamed of being.

A single tear slipped from her eye and suddenly she felt comforting arms around her shoulders. Inuyasha didn't say anything, but his presence was enough to help her return to the present moment. She looked around at a giggling Kin'u and Gyokuto and remembered that these were the moments she got to be present for. She was an aunt to these girls. She got to see Shippo grow up and become a man. She would have her own family one day, and she had already experienced her own wedding and all the beauty that love holds. Things weren't so bleak.

She took a breath and began to drape blankets while tiny hands helped her move things around, and their masterpiece came to light. Both girls stepped back and took it in with starry eyes.

"Here's the front door, done! Who's going in first?" Kagome asked. Kin'u excitedly raised her hand and jumped up and down on the balls of her feet.

"Me me me!" She said, but she was already pushing her way inside.

The fort was simple and in most places only tall enough that the toddlers could stand inside, so Kagome and Inuyasha kneeled as they crawled through. During building, they were able to cover the full space of the main room, and everything was soft and inviting as they collapsed inside. They watched from the corner as the two girls made up some kind of game for just the two of them to play. Inuyasha took Kagome's hand and held it tightly to him. She reached out through the bond to feel his love and made sure hers made its way back to him.

The week of waiting for their journey went by quickly. After Miroku and Sango returned from their trip away, the group ran through some mock battles to sharpen their skills. Kagome's bow skills had improved tremendously since coming back in this era. She could reliably hit targets with ease, and her combo attacks with Inuyasha came easier and easier to them as they practiced.

Sango and Miroku spent time doing more light sparing. Miroku was worried about Sango's health and the health of their growing baby so he didn't want to push her too hard. Her skills with the Hiraikotsu had never dulled since their battle with Naraku.

Kagome and Inuyasha entered Kaede's hut to find her packing up a bag similar to theirs with supplies. The trek would just be the three of them since Sango and Miroku needed to hang around for the twins.

"Ah, ye are here. Would ye carry this heavy bag for an old woman?" She asked as she held it out to Inuyasha. He accepted the bag with a scoff.

"And who's gonna carry you once we start walking and you get tired." He jibed.

"Kagome will take the bags then. I have much faith in thy strength until then." She said with a wink.

"Much faith in my strength." Inuyasha mocked with a grumble as he settled the bag on his arm. "Let's get outta here. This is gonna be a long trip."