A Dragon's Fang, a Human's Heart

by The Legendary Dragon Reaper

A human with the power of a demon. To many such an idea sounds ludicrous, does it not? Well he's here to prove them wrong. He will journey across time with the love of his life on his journey as he fights for friendship, for honor, for life, and above all, for love. Rewrite of the Rise of a Warrior: Inuyasha.

36. Kagome's Sick Day

(Kagome's Sick Day)

"When the ten Fangs of Ryuhogo reunite after thousands of years, the Dragon Guardian shall at last fulfill his destiny and rid this world of the Jewel that has caused so much suffering, and begin a new era for all."

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Unfortunatley for our heroes, the search for Naraku had been put on hold for the time being, due to a set of… unexpected circumstances.

"God dammit, this wasn't how things were supposed to turn out." Inuyasha let out a low growl as his brooding was cut short by the sound of loud coughing which prompted him to bolt to his feet "What the fuck are we doing just sitting around like a bunch of pissants?!"

"You mean aside from listening to you howling like you saw the mailman for the first time? Not too much." Tatsu told him dryly.

"A-Achoo!" Kagome let out a loud sneeze as she pulled herself out of the covers of the futon she was lying on "I'm sorry."

"Anyway give it a rest man, it's not like she got sick on purpose."

"Give me a break." Inuyasha let out a scoff "I figured out that much, what do you really think I'm that stupid?"

'...Nope, that one's too easy.'

"I'm sorry about this." Kagome breathed a long sigh amidst a series of coughs "I hate that I'm holding everyone back like this."

"Hey come on Kags, don't be like that. We knew what we were getting into, so we gotta take the chance to get prepared while we can. Think about it, this way Sango and Shippo can get their gear in order and the monk can get the man-whore tendencies out of his system."

"I'd prefer it if you did not refer to me in such a way." Miroku shot him a dull look "But in any case I do agree with the logic of what you're saying. In a certain sense, Kagome's illness may actually prove to be a blessing in disguise."

"Not the way I would've put it, but yeah that's more or less it." Tatsu motioned for Kagome to lay back down on the futon "So just focus on getting some rest okay?"

"Dammit, hurry the fuck up and get well already!" Inuyasha let out a growl as he turned away from the rest of the group.

"Oh yeah, because barking at her and screaming at the top of your lungs for getting sick is bound to make things just magically go your way. Said no sane person ever."

"Thanks for that, I just-" Kagome broke into another coughing fit.

"Take it easy Kags, don't use up too much strength."

"Dammit, who the fuck said I was blaming her?!" and then Inuyasha promptly stormed out of the hut in another fit of rage.

"And suddenly I find that I can hear myself think again."

"I'm glad he's gone." Shippo grumbled "Kagome will get better a lot faster if Inuyasha isn't here yelling at her."

"I can neither confirm nor deny whether or not that's true."

"In any case, it's too bad Kaede isn't around to give Kagome any remedies." Sango noted "She'd be able to get back on her feet in no time."

"Yeah well with the spike in demon activity it looks like she's gonna be busy for awhile. Also as I recently found out from Kagome's grandfather, the effectiveness of Spiritual Powers wane depending on the health of the user, which means that Kagome can't use her Healing Hand to make herself better. Speaking of which, how bad is her cold exactly?"

"Let me check." Sango knelt down and felt Kagome's forehead "This is bad, she has a terrible fever."

"Then that settles it. Inuyasha's daily temper tantrum be damned, I'm taking her home so she can get better there."

"That would be for the best, the physicians there do seem to be more knowledgeable than any in our time, and they seem to have better forms of medicine available."

"Well there's that, and I don't trust the monk to be around her when she's this vulnerable."

"Excuse me?" Miroku looked rather offended "Do the two of you actually think so little of me that you think I would stoop so low?"

"Yes."

"...I walked right into that one."

"Yes, yes you did."

"I think you're right though." Kagome slowly sat back up "I hate to leave you guys, but I think I'd better go back home."

"Don't worry about it Kags, your health is the most important thing to me. Anyway if all goes well, we'll see you guys in a few days." so Tatsu hoisted Kagome into his arms bridal style, and then he took off running in the direction of the Bone Eater's Well 'This way Kagome can get some proper rest, and depending on how Kazuma and the others are fairing back home, I might be able to go after the next Fang. Still kind of hard to believe that there are five more out there than we initially though, but whatever the case, we've gotta get to them before Shin does, or god only knows what could happen.'

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A short while later, in the Modern Era…

School was about to begin, and during that time Arashi was engaged in conversation with Raidou and Ayumi regarding a rather "And that's why Vecna in Stranger Things is actually the physical manifestation of Terry Ive's consciousness."

"I still can't believe you made that sound so plausible." Ayumi shared a look with Raidou, then glanced back at Arashi "And explain to me again how the Palpatine that we saw in the Rise of Skywalker was actually Jar Jar Binks."

"Oh that's an easy one, you see…"

"Good morning students." this was when the teacher made their way into the room and started writing on the chalkboard, prompting the students to take their seets "Before we get started, it would seem that Miss Higurashi will once again be counted as absent. This time she has just a cold."

"A cold huh?" Arashi leaned over towards Raidou, his voice low "Not gonna lie, that's a lot more mundane than the other diseases her grandpa has been giving out lately."

"At least it's better than saying she's got explosive diarreha again." Raidou pointed out dryly, then looked down at his phone and gave a smirk "Well that definitely makes things a lot more interesting."

"What's going on?"

"Check your messages, Tatsu just sent out a group text telling us to meet up with him once class is out."

"He's back in this time? Yeah that definitely makes things better. I need someone that I can talk to on my level."

"You mean someone that puts up with the batshit insanity you spew out?"

"Exactly."

"Just making sure. Either way, once class is out we're gonna have work to do."

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Meanwhile, at the Higurashi household…

"And the die has been cast." Tatsu stashed away his phone and looked up to see Mrs Higurashi make her way back into the kitchen "So how's Kagome holding up?"

"Well she certainly does have a fever." Mrs Higurashi let out a sigh "Apparently there's no way that she'd be able to stomach something to eat right now, so I'm just going to make something warm to drink so she can take her medicine after that."

"Sounds good, as long as she's getting better."

"I will say that it's good to have the two of you back home safe, though it is a shame that she's come down with a cold. Was it cold where you were? I know that you both went off to Mount Everest awhile ago."

"Yeah but that was weeks ago, if it was gonna make her sick it would've way sooner. Arashi got a cold the day after we got back."

"Well in any case, Kagome shouldn't do anything too strenuous until she's well again, and you should take the time to get some rest yourself. Rushing around all over the place as much as you do has to be exhausting."

"At some points yeah, but I do what has to be done, and I've got a lot more to deal with before I can take a breather." Tatsu glanced down at his phone "Speaking of which class just let out, so I'm gonna head back home and meet up with my brother and the others, but I'll be back to check in on Kagome once I'm done. See you later." and so with a simple wave, Tatsu disappeared in a white flash via the Dragon Warp.

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Meanwhile, 500 years in the past…

Inuyasha was out doing his thing in the forests of Musashi and ended up killing some random demon, only to end up running into Kaede and a group of villagers, where he learned that all sorts of lower level demons had been acting up and causing trouble ever since Naraku had disappeared, since they most likely thought they could get away with their own activities now that he wasn't around, but he didn't have time to dwell on that and quickly went back to going about to his own business.

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Meanwhile, at the Kamikaze apartment…

"Okay seriously, this psychological shit is getting really old." Raidou rolled his eyes as both he and Arashi made their way into the living room "All you're doing is trying to drag me into another one of your arguments that make me lose most of my brain cells that still function."

"Hey it's just a theory man, and I still say it's a sound one." Arashi told him "There's only so much weight that can exist in the world, if I lose 5 pounds then someone else out there has to gain them to compensate for it."

"...Why the hell are you doing this to me?"

"Because my phone died and I need something to occupy myself while it's charging."

"Figures. If there's anyone out there that wants to come in through sheer plot convenience, then please for the love of god, say something of at least average intelligence."

It was at this moment that Tatsu materialized in the room via the Dragon Warp "Hey guys, what did I miss?"

"Oh thank the great god above, my prayers have been answered."

"...Should I bother asking?"

"Arashi was talking to me about some stupid theory and-"

"Got it. I'm used to it by now."

"The same goes for the rest of us." this was when Kazuma made his way into the room, an ipad in hand "Good to have you back in our time little brother."

"It's good to be back in a place where things aren't trying to kill me every 3 minutes. So what do we have to focus on right now?"

"Well aside from the school front, which you really have to get caught up on by the way, we've been hard at work trying to discover the location of the next set of Fangs."

"How exactly were you going to do that? We never got any kind of leads from the temple at Mount Everest, mostly because we were fighting for our lives."

"That was what I thought, but not long after you left for the Feudal Era the others took me to that temple and we took a look around."

"Wait, how did you get there? I'm the only one with a set of Fangs on me now."

"True, but Arashi still has his helicopter connections thanks to his mother's coworker."

"...Oh yeah, good point. So what did you find?"

"Well thanks to a set of hyroglifics we found on a wall in there, not to mention spending a lot more time on my computer than is probably healthy, we finally managed to discover the location of the sixth temple of Ryuhogo."

"Awesome, so where is it?"

"It's located on one of the Galapagos Islands. To be more specific, at the summit of the volcano La Cumbre on the island of Fernandina."

"So it looks like it's true. There really are ten sets of Fangs instead of just five."

"That's how it looks. The only problem with that is, we discovered that a full week ago, and if we've known about it for that long…"

"There's a pretty good chance that Shin is close to finding it too, if he hasn't already." Tatsu's gaze hardened at the mention of Shin "Which means that if we're gonna go after the next set of Fangs, we need to do it now. Lucky me I've already got my stuff with me, the only thing we need to figure out is how to get there."

"I've already got that covered." Raidou jerked a thumb out the window to where a helicopter was landing on a nearby skyscraper "I despise Shin with every fiber of my being, but I will say that the money that he left me in his will definitely has its perks."

"Good enough for me. So how long is it going to take for us to get there in that thing?"

"Under normal circumstances, the flight time between Japan and the Galapagos is a little bit over 36 hours." Kazuma told him "Fortunately, thanks to some modifications I was able to make using some of the draconic metal that you gave me last time you were here, along with some other attributes your demonic energy was able to produce, I managed to reduce the time to only about 2 hours, but it came at a cost."

"What kind of cost? It's not gonna suck us into another dimension or anything is it?"

"No trust me, I think we've all had more than enough of that for awhile after the fiasco that it caused last time. I'm pretty sure a few of us still have the scars from that incident." Kazuma then pulled up his shirt and revealed a large bite mark on his chest "But that's besides the point, what I meant was that it can get you there, but it won't have enough power to get you back."

"That's not a problem. Once I get the next Fang and pass the test, I can just use the Dragon Warp to get us back home in seconds."

"Sounds like we have a game plan then. Anyway I have to get on a conference call in about 10 minutes, so if you're gonna go then you'd better do it soon."

"In other words, you want us out the hell out of your hair while you're on your call."

"I will neither confirm nor deny, but keep in mind that funding the batshit insanity that our daily lives have become isn't cheap."

"Fair enough. Go ahead and do what you have to do."

"Thanks, I'll see you guys when you get back." and so Kazuma made his way into another room, the door shutting behind him.

"Alright, so we've got a game plan. Now to put it into action. Let's get our stuff together and head out in about 10 minutes."

"Got it, let me just get my stuff." Arashi moved to grab a bag, only to be stopped by Tatsu's hand gripping his shoulder "What?"

"Here's the thing dude. I actually need your help with something else while I'm doing this. It's about Kagome."

"Yeah the teacher said she's out with a cold, what did her grandpa finally run out of crazy new diseases to make up for you guys being gone?"

"No we stopped letting him do that after he tried to tell the school that Kagome got dragged into the Upside Down by Vecna from Stranger Things. Actually she really does have a cold, that's the main reason why we came back in the first place. The only downside is that given the whole thing with the Fang, I can't be there with her while she's sick and miserable…"

"So to make a long story short, you want me to be your wingman then. Which means missing out on the death-defying experience of going to one of those temples." Arashi breathed a sigh, then put on a grin "Yeah I got you man, no worries. Plus truth be told, I kind of had my fill of almost getting killed in an ancient temple last time."

"I don't blame you either. But seriously man, I owe you one man."

"You owe me a lot more than that dude."

"...So milkshakes and pizza when I get back?"

"Your treat. Or it could be Raidou's treat, he's fucking loaded now."

"True."

"You do know I'm still standing right here." Raidou pointed out dryly from where he was just sitting on the couch, scrolling on his phone.

"Yeah we know."

"Just checking. Also I just gave the heads up to Ayumi and let her know that your girlfriend is actually sick, so expect her to have more company than you initially thought."

"Good to know. Anyway we'd better get going, every moment counts."

"Right." so Raidou stood up, grabbed a bag from the corner and slung it over his shoulder, then made his way over to Tatsu and gripped his hand by the shoulder "You'd better be ready for this, there's a chance we might not make it back."

"It wouldn't be the first time, I doubt it's gonna be the last either. Anyway see you later man, good luck on your end." and so Tatsu and Raidou disappeared in a white flash.

"Yeah… see you later." Arashi's face fell slightly, and then he made his way out of the apartment without another word. But then he came back in a moment later and picked up his cell phone from where it was in the middle of charging 'New plan, steal peanut butter out of his stash while I wait for my phone to charge, then leave in about an hour.'

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After his encounter with Kaede's group, Inuyasha continued going about his business, which had included making his way through a series areas populated by either incredibly large demons or just a great number of them. Of course they were incredibly weak despite their size, and he was albe to dispatch them with ease, and went about collecting certain materials from each of the areas that he visited. The only mystery, at least as far as everyone else was concerned, was what he was up to.

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Meanwhile, in the Higurashi household…

"Wow, you guys really came to visit me?" Kagome sat up in her bed and covered herself with a blanket "Thanks, that's really nice of you."

"Hey don't worry about it, you would do it for us if you could." Ayumi patted her hand and gave a bright smile "So your mom said that you have a fever?"

"Yeah off and on, but I've definitely had worse."

"What about your nose and your throat?"

"It's more of a cough than anything else."

"Well if it helps, we brought these for you." Eri handed her a bouquet of flowers.

"You didn't have to do that."

"Hey I know it's just a cold, but you can't be too careful."

"I guess."

"She's got a point you know." Yuka told her "And that goes at least double for you Kagome, given how sick you've been lately."

"Yeah, sure. I really gotta talk to Grandpa about that.'

"Speaking of which, I doubt we're the only ones coming to see you while we're sick."

"What do you mean?"

"What do you think, of course Tatsu would drop everything you come and take care of you when you're sick." Ayumi pointed out.

"Oh he was here earlier, but he left to go meet up with his brother and the guys."

"Wait, you mean he just took off on you at the drop of a hat?" Yuka and Eri appeared to be less than impressed by this "You'd think that looking after his girlfriend when she's sick would be more important to a guy."

"That's not what I meant."

"We know Kagome, anyone who knows Tatsu knows he isn't like that." Ayumi shot a quick look at the others "It's the hard part of life after all, balancing what you want to do with what you have to do."

"Exactly. Tatsu isn't like every other guy, for a lot of reasons. He has… responsibilities that most people don't have to deal with. But he does his best, and even with all of the stuff that he has on his plate he still finds the time to care about other people."

"Kagome!" this was when her mother's voice came from downstairs "There's another visitor here to see you! Can he come upstairs?"

"Sure, send him up."

"Wait, she said he, so that means it's a guy!" Eri and Yuka shared a look "You think that means it's Hojo here to try and win you over?"

"No we already talked through that, he's okay with us being just friends."

"Then does that mean it's Tatsu?" asked Ayumi.

"No, my mom would've said so. That and he probably wouldn't come through the window, but I can't tell who it is because my Ki sensing isn't working right now. So then who-'

"Hey what's up Kags?" this was when Arashi poked his head through the bedroom door "You got room for one more?"

"Oh hey Arashi, what are you doing here?"

"Tatsu had to rush off with Raidou to take care of something, so he sent me to come and check on you while he was gone, so here I am."

"Glad to have you here, you're a good friend." Ayumi motioned for Arashi to sit down, so he did at the foot of Kagome's bed "And it proves that even when Tatsu can't be here in person, he's still thinking about Kagome."

"...Anyone gonna give some context about that?"

"Don't worry about it too much." Kagome let out a sigh "Just some girl talk turning into bashing again."

"Let me guess, the two of them are on Team Hojo while the rest of us are on Team Tatsu? I mean seriously, what the fuck do you guys think this is, the Twilight fanbase?"

"So you don't like Twilight either?" asked Yuka.

"The fact that not even the resident gay guy likes Twilight has to say something about how much of a steaming pile of horse shit it is."

"Can we not get into that right now?" Kagome cut in "So where are Tatsu and Raidou right now exactly?"

"Well at the moment… Probably somewhere mountain climbing. The only part they don't need to know is that they're doing it off the coast of Ecuador.'

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Meanwhile, with the main protagonist…

"Come on you son of a bitch…" Tatsu gritted his teeth as he climbed his way up the side of a large mountain, using two metal spears to pull himself up, and once he reached a piece of stable ground he sat down for a moment to catch his breath and wipe some sweat from his face "I gotta be real with man, this is turning out to be more of a workout than I thought it'd be. I'm kind of into it actually."

"The fact that I'm not surprised by that anymore really oughta say something…" Raidou climbed his way up into the plateau next to him, panting heavily "Explain to me again why you decided not to just use your elemental powers to get us up here faster?"

"I told you on the way up here, it's a good form of training."

"You never told me that, you specifically said "Hey check this shit out!" and then started going up ahead of me.

"Oh. Right. Anyway it is a good form of training."

"In what regard exactly? I doubt that would really do much for you at this point."

"That's where you're wrong. Back when I first started training under Akira, he had me do stuff like this all the time with him. He also had me doing all sorts of smaller stuff like plowing fields with our bare hands, delivering water jugs to all kinds of far off places, and doing other chores like that. It's how I got in as good a shape as I am. I guess you could say he was training me in disguise."

"Sounds to me like he was using you as a way to get free labor."

"According to him, his training regimen included room for multitasking. Take climbing up this mountain for example, you gotta use your legs, your back, your shoulders and your arms and it gives all of them a good workout."

"Huh. I never thought of that. I never really learned to look at menial stuff like that as a form of training."

"What kind of training did you do then?"

"When I was growing up… Shin was the one who taught me how to fight, but he never looked at it in any really creative way. He just showed me the forms and ran me into the ground or pushed me until my bones cracked, whether it be traditional martial arts or teaching me how to utilize the power of the Fangs."

"...Oh."

"Yeah, so can we just switch topics now?"

"Sure, that's probably for the best." Tatsu glanced down at the Fangs hanging around his neck as the two of them stood up "We know what we're here for."

"Yep. The translations that I read regarding the Fangs were either wrong, or they were meant to conceal the truth on purpose. It was probably to keep anyone that isn't worthy from getting to this point."

"Yeah, and look how that turned out."

"Your wit never fails to amuse." Raidou's tone was dry and sarcastic, but he quickly turned back to being serious "Still though, we know one thing for certain. Ryuhogo didn't create five sets of Fangs infused with his demonic power, but actually ten, bringing it to a total of 20. What's more is that whoever wears a set of all ten Fangs together is said to gain mastery over every aspect of Creation itself."

"So we've heard up to this point, but we still don't know for sure how that's gonna go. And for the record, what guarantee do we have that this won't end up starting the apocalypse or plunging the world into a black hole if we bring them all together?"

"We don't, but that's all the more reason for us to find them before Shin does, because regardless of what happens, him gaining that kind of power is gonna be catastrophic either way."

"Way to lighten the mood."

"Would you rather me keep talking about the plans that the hands of destiny had for us?"

"I will say that those had a certain charm to them. Anyway I think we're wasting too much time on small talk, let's get to finding the temple." the two of them turned around… only to see a trail of destruction and rubble leading along the side of the mountain "And just like that, I think we know which way we oughta go. Not off to as promising a start as I would've liked."

"Do you have to keep up with the snark and sarcasm?"

"You have your coping mechanisms, I have mine." and so the two of them went on following the trail of wreckage.

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Meanwhile, 500 years in the past…

By this point, Miroku and the others were settled in Kaede's hut in the village, having some tea and working on other little things on the side, while he in particular was looking over a certain scroll he held in front of him "This is rather interesting…"

"Are you looking at those lude drawings of women again?" Sango shot him a dull look "We all know about that for the record."

"Why do you assume that everything I say and do is lecherous?"

"Because it is."

"For your information my dear Sango, I'm looking over a scroll that Kagome gave me."

"What is it?"

"It gives some detail about the healing spell that she learned from her family. Tatsu did mention that it would likely be beneficial for me to learn how to use it as well."

"Do you think you can?"

"My own spiritual powers may not be as potent as those of Kagome, but Tatsu does make sense as far as-" Miroku was cut short by the sound of the flap to the hut being shoved aside, and the rest of them looked towards the doorway.

As it turns out, Inuyasha was making his way into the hut with a large basket filled with all kinds of plants, herbs, animals and the like, scowling as usual "What the fuck are all of you staring at me like that for, and where are Kagome and Tatsu?"

"He took her back home." Shippo told him.

"What the fuck do you mean he took her home?"

"We thought Kagome would be better off recovering in her own home, so Tatsu took her through the well back to their own time." Miroku told him "He also mentioned he may be getting another one of his Fans while he was there."

"Those little pieces of- They just up and took off on me after all the shit I went through to get this stuff?!"

"Wait, you mean you went out there to gather materials?" Sango raised an eyebrow "That's what you've been doing all this time?"

"What the hell did you think I was doing?"

"Well the last time you were here, you spent the morning yelling about us sitting around doing nothing, and then you just got mad and stormed out. We all thought you were just off trying to calm yourself down."

"Yeah well… stay the fuck out of my business!" so he dumped his basket of materials on the floor of the hut and stormed out in a rage.

"And there he goes."

"Oh wow, this stuff looks great!" Shippo and Kilala on the other hand, they were busy looking through the basket of ingredients.

"Strange, I didn't picture him to be the type to go out and get supplies for us."

"Not unless we made him anyway." Miroku examined the contents of the basket "Still though, this is more than likely for us to take along on our upcoming journey."

"Somehow, I'm not so sure that's it."

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Meanwhile, 500 years in the future…

"It shouldn't be too much further now." Tatsu and Raidou continued making their way along the path leading across the mountain, only for the former to stop in his tracks "Oh crap."

"What's the matter?" asked Raidou.

"I'm getting that feeling in the back of my neck again, the kind where I'm about to end up having to deal with a major migraine-inducer."

"Which means what, we're about to walk into a trap?"

"No that's when I feel my skin crawling, this probably means that Inuyasha just came through the well back home."

"You can tell that even from thousands of miles away?"

"It's more me trusting my gut than anything else. It's something that's pulled my ass out of the fire more times than I can count up to this point, and more often than not it gets me to where I need to go. Take this for example." Tatsu turned back to the path they were on, and with a wave of both hands he pushed aside the rubble to reveal the entrance to the temple sitting in front of them "We finally found the next temple."

"Unfortunatley, from the looks of it we're not the first ones to find it either, which can only mean one thing. Shin."

"You think that means he's in there waiting for us?"

"I think there's only one way to find out. You ready for this?"

"Always. Now let's go." and so with a deep breath, the two of them made their way into the temple, unaware of what would lie ahead for them.

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Meanwhile, back in Japan…

"So yeah, all of the guys in school are losing their minds over it." Eri and Yuka wasted no time in catching Kagome up on the latest gossip from school "You know what Ayumi and Raidou were caught doing under the bleachers last week?"

"Oh come on, would you stop it?" Ayumi was left red in the face and trying to hide herself from the others, with little success "I'm already embarrassed enough as it is."

"Then you're probably not gonna like the fact that someone, I'm not gonna name names, made a gigantic poster of it and stuck it in the men's bathroom on the second floor." Arashi told her dryly, earning a loud moan of shame.

"Oh come on, really?"

"I did say you probably weren't gonna like it."

"Let me guess, you were the person who made the poster?" Kagome shot him a dry look.

"I said that I wasn't going to name any names."

"And that answers my question." Kagome let out a sigh and looked out the window, at the shrine grounds, her thoughts drifting 'The way they're describing everything, school actually sounds like a lot of fun. I've been so busy with training and learning to use my powers, not to mention all of the stuff with the Fangs and the Shikon Jewel Shards, I didn't realize how much I've been missing in my normal life.' it was then that the sound of glass shattering got her attention, which was quickly followed by loud screaming and crying 'And we're off again.'

"What's going on out there?" asked Ayumi.

"Well if history is any indication, my Grandpa spent the last hour digging through the storehouse searching for some ancient relic that could cure me, he dropped it for one reason or another and now he's crying about it."

"So about the status quo then." Arashi poked his head out the window, only to pause and then let out a groan "Oh crap."

"What's the matter?"

"Can't you tell with… that?"

"Yeah I'm learning that stuff like that doesn't work when I'm sick. What's the problem?"

"You've got some more company that rivals unwanted relatives in being annoying, at least based on the scale that Kazuma set up when we started coming over uninvited."

"Translation?"

"Red kimono and white hair."

"...Oh boy."

"Yep. Hang on, let your resident number one wingman handle this." and so Arashi leapt out the window without another word.

"Somehow, that doesn't inspire a lot of confidence." Kagome watched Arashi leap down the side of her wall, then glanced over at Ayumi and the others "I gotta be honest with you, I don't know how my life got to the point where nothing about that is strange to me anymore."

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Meanwhile, with the self-proclaimed wingman…

'The things I do to try and be a good friend.' Arashi breathed a sigh as he made his way across the grounds of the shrine 'Seriously, Tatsu and Raidou are off trying to pass some crazy test or fight a giant demon thousands of miles away, and me? I'm back home sitting on my ass, totally useless. Well I guess it's not like I'm not doing anything, if looking after Kags helps Tatsu stay on task then I guess that's better than nothing. Kagome's my friend too, not just his girlfriend. Still though, is it so wrong to want to be able to actually contribute with stuff like this? Seriously, with stuff like this I feel so… so fucking useless!' he picked up a nearby rock and threw it to let out a bit of frustration, just as a red and white blur appeared from within the well house.

As it turns out, that red and white blur was Inuyasha, and he caught the rock with ease and just crushed it in his hand in the span of a single second "Hey."

"Sup. What are you doing here?"

"I have a lot of shit that needs to get done, and I can't get it done with Tatsu and Kagome sitting on their asses around here."

"They're not just sitting around doing nothing man, Kagome's sick. That's why they came back in the first place."

"I know that much, you think I'm that fucking stupid?" Inuyasha let out a scoff and looked away indignantly, though after a moment he glanced back at Arashi "So… how's she doing with that by the way?"

"She's been getting a fair amount of rest since she got back, but some of her girlfriends are here checking up on her. Just a friendly piece of advice, if you don't want to end up with a migraine the size of Mount Fuji, steer clear of that."

"I've been around enough women to know how that works."

"Fair enough. So you came through the well just to check up on her?"

"The others back in my world wouldn't shut their fucking holes about it, but I'm the only one that can get through the stupid well."

"Yeah I've been meaning to ask about that, how the hell does that work?"

"The hell if I know, it just does. What, you can't get through?"

"Dude I have tried on at least six different occasions to get through, and all they got me is a few broken bones and on one occasion, getting a tooth knocked out and swallowing it immediately after."

"Look the point is, I don't know how the fuck it works so deal with it."

"It was just a question."

"It was a pain in the ass question." Inuyasha let out a growl, then a sigh "So how's Kagome doing anyway? You never actually told me."

"To give it to you in more detail, she's getting a lot of rest and she does look a bit better than she did when I first showed up, but she's still pretty weak and her fever hasn't dropped. To make a long story short, she's not going anywhere for at least a few days."

"Yeah I figured out that much." Inuyasha rolled his eyes, then calmed himself slightly "You know it's not like I came here just to drag her back through the well."

"Really? Because Tatsu and the rest of us kind of put money down on whether or not you were gonna do that at some point."

"I'm not just gonna drag her back when she's sick, I'm not a fucking monster. If she's gotta stay over here to get better then fine, just don't shove it down my throat."

"I don't really know how you could, but okay. I'm pretty sure Tatsu is gonna be relieved that he doesn't have to deal with that."

"So what, he's up there with her now?"

"No like I said, she's chatting with her girlfriends. Truth be told, part of the reason why I came out here was so that I could get away from that. Even I find it kind of nauseating after awhile, and I play for the same team as them. Anyway, Tatsu had to rush off with Raidou to grab another one of the Fangs, so he sent me here to check on her."

"Then what are you doing down here?"

"What do you think, I sensed you coming and came out here to see what your deal was."

"You sensed me coming?"

"Tatsu isn't the only one that knows how to sense Ki. Anyway I'd better get back up there, I've got promises to keep and all that good stuff. Just hide upon the roof or something, if Kagome thinks her friends are gonna see you then she's probably gonna freak out." and so he made his way back towards the house.

'Okay, so apparently everyone in this time is fucked up in one way or another.'

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Meanwhile, with the girl group…

"Huh, so that's why Palpatine was actually Jar Jar." Kagome blinked and glanced over at Ayumi with a raised eyebrow "I never would've thought of that."

"Truth be told I didn't either, I guess you have Arashi to thank for that." Ayumi gave a shrug, but then she glanced over at the others "But in all seriousness guys, I think we'd better get going fairly soon."

"What for?"

"Don't you remember? Tomorrow is the big comprehension test." Eri told her.

"...The big what now?"

"Yeah you know, the one that's going to be used to determine the courses we take when we get to high school."

"...It's gonna do what now?"

"Have you been keeping up on studying while you've been away from school?" asked Yuka.

"Clearly nowhere near as much as I should've."

"Hey go easy on her guys, it's not like Kagome can help being sick." Ayumi cut in "Besides, we don't even know if she's gonna be able to make it to school tomorrow."

"So tell me this. What exactly is going to be on the test tomorrow?"

"Wait, you mean you plan on taking the test even when you're sick?"

"Sure I do, I've never let something like getting sick stop me before!"

"But that's why you've been out of school for so long."

"...Well I still can't just sit around in a coughing with when something as big as this is gonna be on the line!" but then she unleashed another coughing fit as a wave of fatigue came over her, and she started to fall back, only to be caught by someone before she could hit the ground.

As it turns out, Arashi was the one holding Kagome in his arms "Easy Kags I gotcha, let's get you into bed so you can-"

"No!" Kagome whipped around and faced Arashi, her expression pleading "Arashi please, I need you to help me."

"That's what I'm here for. Not fighting demons or anything awesome like that, but I'm basically the guy that's there for people, so name it."

"I need you to help me study for the big test tomorrow."

"...Of course you do."

"I'm serious!"

"So am I. Kags you shouldn't be driving yourself into the ground over books, you should be in bed resting. Your health is the biggest priority."

"I can't just sit around and do nothing, I've got way too much on the line for that. Please, I need you help for this."

"...Alright fine, but if I think you're pushing yourself too far I'm calling it." Arashi breathed a sigh and pulled out a few textbooks from his bag "The teachers said that there's gonna be a strong emphasis on math and science, and I know those are your weaker points, so you're gonna have to put more focus on that."

"Right, just lay out the formulas and I'll get to work on memorizng-" but then she broke into another coughing fit, only for Ayumi and the others to help her onto her bed.

"Kagome this is ridiculous, you should be in bed resting."

"I'm fine I'm fine, let's just get to prepping for the test." so she snatched a book from Arashi's hand and began pouring it over at her desk.

'Well this is gonna go to shit pretty soon. Here's hoping Tatsu and Radiou are having decent luck with the next Fang.'

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Meanwhile, with the main protagonist…

"Come on let's keep moving, the trigger that's gonna let us into the chamber can't be too far from where we are now." Tatsu and Raidou made their way through the interior of the temple in search of the next Fang, only for the former to glance back and see the latter looking through his phone, and the former's expression turned rather dull "You know we've come a long way from where we started when we're literally in the heart of a temple searching for one of the Fangs, and you're the one that's spending our time here scrolling on his phone like a millennial."

"Don't remind me of that whole mess, I get enough of that at school as it is." Raidou rolled his eyes as he stowed away his phone "I was just getting a text from Ayumi reminding me about the big test we've got tomorrow."

"We have a test tomorrow?"

"Yeah the big comprehension test, the one that's gonna be used to determine the courses we take in high school. At least for the ones that will actually get into high school."

"I know that's a jab at Arashi because he can be kind of stupid, but for the record he gets the best grades out of the three of us."

"I'm just saying that- Wait, seriously?"

"Yep, he gets straight A's. He's just kind of dense in other areas, but we love him for it."

"You mentioned that he's been your closest friend since you were little right?"

"Oh yeah, since we were four. And I don't know if you knew this part, but he's been in my life even longer than Kagome has, and he's seen parts of me she never has either. I gotta be real with you, there are all sorts of times I would've fallen the hell apart if I didn't have him."

"Was it that bad for you growing up?"

"In some parts yeah, but it was mostly after we lost our parents. Kazuma was the one that was looking after me, but combine his own grief with being a dumb teenager and puberty hitting him like a bulldozer, and he was in a pretty rough place. Despite that, he eventually managed to pull himself together and more or less became my dad. I always did miss having a brother though, but I did still have one in Arashi, so that always gave me a sense of comfort."

"...You've thought about that a lot over the years haven't you?"

"Live my life and you tend to have a lot of time to think. Speaking of which, I'd better make a reminder for myself to pull an all-nighter studying for exams once we're done with this."

"Fair enough. You'll still fair better than Higurashi will though."

"Don't sell Kagome short either. She might have her struggles with a few subjects in school, not to mention the fact that she deals with nightmares about geometry but doesn't even bat an eye at chasing all kinds of demons through Feudal japan and the horrors of war and famine."

"You mean that's what gets her?"

"I don't get how that works either. But the point is that she's stubborn, she'll give it her all even if it wears her the hell down, which isn't always a good thing. Being sick isn't gonna do a thing to stop her."

"...So she's screwed then?"

"No idea really, I guess we'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, let's get back to looking for the Fang." the two of them carried on for a little ways, only to stop when they noticed the giant hole in a wall that revealing a hidden room lying in front of them "And just like that it got a lot easier for us."

"It's also a lot more concerning, if this wall is already broken down then that means…"

"Yeah, he beat us here. He probably has one of the Fangs already, if not both of them."

"All the more reason for us to get this one fast." and so Raidou made his way into the chamber, only to end up stepping on a trigger mechanism on the floor, causing a barrage of metal blades to shoot out of one of the walls and hurtle towards him "Oh crap."

"Sea Cradle!" thinking quick, Tatsu blitzed in front of Raidou and with a wave of his hands, he summoned a dome of solidified water around them, leaving the blades to strike it and then fall to the ground harmlessly "I'm thinking we chalk that one up to a learning experience, next time the one with the magic dragon fangs goes in first."

"Fair enough. I will say, adjusting to not having my own set of Fangs anymore is turning out to be a bit harder than I thought it would. It's frustrating to say the least."

"So what then, you want to use my set of Fangs to get the next one? I'm not against letting you have a crack at it."

"No no it's fine, that's your set of Fangs. Besides, the Fangs themselves don't really matter to me that much anymore. It's just that losing the powers is a big adjustment. I never realized just how dependent on them I had become."

"Well like a wise man once said, or really I'm paraphrasing him: If you're nothing without the power, then you shouldn't have it."

"...Is that Avatar again?"

"Just because Avatar is the most quotable show that we use doesn't mean it's the only one. That one actually came from Spider-Man Homecoming, and it was by Iron Man."

"Of course it was."

"What, the MCU is still going strong, I don't care what anybody else says. Anyway I think that's enough screwing around and making pop-culture references, looks like we just found what we came here for." Tatsu glanced ahead to where a large snake-like figure was sitting atop a pedestal encased in a large crystal, holding a purple-colored flame in one of its hands "Just like that I'm guessing we finally found guardian number six. Or one of them anyway."

"I don't think we're the only ones either, take a look." Raidou gestured to the rubbe scattered around the room, along with an empty holster next to the snake-figure on the pedestal "There's only the one Fang here, and that can only mean one thing."

"Yeah no doubt about it, he's definitely been here. All the more reason for us to get the other one and get out of here fast."

"Just make sure to be careful with this one. The island natives said that the guardians of this temple were called the Lost Serpents, and apparently they make even the snake queen herself recoil in terror."

"The snake queen referring to…?"

"Cleopatra. The point is, don't let down your guard."

"This coming from the guy who walked into the dark and eery chamber and almost got his head ripped off."

"...Okay yeah, I deserve that one."

"We all do on some level. Anyway let's figure out how to awaken this thing." Tatsu braced himself as he made his way up to the pedestol, but once he was within a few feet of it, a surge of demonic energy ripped through the room, leaving numerous cracks in the walls that sent him staggering back a few feet, but he was quick to compose himself "Okay, that's definitely a good sign of how this is gonna go. Then again, a little bit of adversity never stopped me before, so why should it now?"

"You ssspeak with ssssuch confidenccce young one." a raspy his filled the air as the eyes of the snake creature opened, revealing a pair of green slits and a forked tongue flicking out from the confines of the crystal.

"And you're talking to us."

"Do you ssseee anyone elssse in thisss chamber young one? I am one of the Guardiansss of the Fangsss left behind by my creator, known as the Lossst Ssserpent. Or I ssshould ssay that I am now the sssole guardian, after my brother wasss taken from me, and hisss Fang was taken asss well."

"Who was it that took it?" Raidou stepped forward as his gaze hardened "Who was it that took the other Fang?"

"It wasss the one that wielded the other ssset of Fangsss created by my Massster."

'The other set of Fangs…' Tatsu glanced over at Raidou 'That confirms it, Shin was here and he already has the other sixth Fang. And you couldn't stop him?"

"I ssswore an oath to my Massster, to defend the Fang he had entrusssted to me, by any meansss necesssssary. I sssee that you possssessss the other ssset of Fangsss he hasss left behhind. If you wisssh to claim the Fang that I hold, you musssst firssst defeat me. Tell me, do you accccept my challenge?"

"I accept it. I've come way too far to turn back now."

"Very well, I admire your resssolve young Fang wielder. We ssshall proceed then, but be warned. Onccce we begin, there isss no turning back for you."

"I'll remember that. Now let's do this."

"Asss you wish." there was another burst of demonic energy, and then the crystal containing the Lost Serpent shattered and revealed his true appearance, that being a snake-armed white serpent with green eyes and slits for pupils, and a set of metal armor that was infused with his skin "Now then, before we begin, know that I do not intend to ssshow any mercy."

"Neither have a lot of the guys that I've faced before, and frankly that just makes the whole thing a lot more exciting for me." Tatsu took off his glasses and handed them to Raidou "You cool with hanging onto those for me? They're custom made and I don't want them getting wrecked. I have a feeling this is gonna get kind of messy."

"Do whatever you have to, just make sure you come out in one piece." Raidou quickly accepted the glasses and moved to take cover behind a nearby wall 'We don't know anything about what this thing can do, so you're gonna have to play it smart or you're good as dead.'

"I think it's about time for us to get this underway."

"I could not agree more." the Lost Serpent made its way off the pedestol and onto ground level as he met Tatsu's gaze.

'To be honest, I don't think I've actually fought a legit Guardian that wasn't a giant monster or just possessing one of my friends. I'd better be careful and try and ease myself into this, at least to the point where I get a feel for what I'm up against.'

'This could turnturn out to be problematic.' Raidou watched the scene unfolding from his hiding place 'I can't sense how much power this thing is holding back either, so Tatsu's best bet may just be to see what kind of move he makes first.'

'I can't just play wait and see with an opponent when I don't know what they're capable of. I know what I'm capable of and I shouldn't hold back, I'll go ahead and hit him with everything I've got, and see how things go from there. That's one of the first lessons Akira taught me, to just forget about my opponent and gauge how my own power fares at the moment.' so with that in mind, Tatsu took a few steps forward to meet the Lost Serpent at eye level, and he dropped into a stance with his sword in hand "I think it's time for us to get started."

"Indeed." the Lost Serpent dropped into a stance of his own "Tell me, would you care to make the first move?"

"As if you had to ask." and then the battle began as the two of them charged at each other, trading a series of even blows as they blitzed across the chamber, though this quickly came to a head when Tatsu used a burst of flames to launch himself forward and thrusted his sword right into the Lost Serpent's eyes.

"An interesssting maneuver… but not an effective one. VENOM HISSSSSS!"" the Lost Serpent coiled its way around Tatsu's sword until they were face to face, and then he let out a breath and a large wave of purple vapor, causing him to recoil in pain and send him staggering backward "Ssso you can sssee now, in a figurative sssenssse, what it isss that makesss me ssso formidable." he then barred both of the claws on his arms and launched himself forward, dealing Tatsu a swift barrage of slashes from his claws, and then ending his assault by coilding one of his arms around Tatsu's neck and then hurling him into the ground with a loud crash.

'Okay… wasn't expecting that…' Tatsu spat out some blood to the side as he lifted his head, revealing the purple stains covering his eyes 'So he starts things off by blinding me, and based on the fact that it burns like hell, the venom he's spewing is pretty potent.' he quickly picked himself up and tried to launch a flurry of blows at the Lost Serpent, only to end up getting knocked around in a sluggish heap 'Dammit…'

"Thisss is what is known as my Venom Hissss. Most men who breath it in will perish within mere momentssss." the Lost Serpent let out a hiss as he continued his assault and once again sent Tatsu crashing to the ground.

'You know part of me wants to say it's a dirty move, but there really isn't such a thing when it comes to a straight up fight to the death.'

"Tell me young one, how do you like the taste of my venom? You ssshould know that if you take in too much of it, your human flesssh will ssstart to rot away. If you value your life, you ssshould concede while you're ssstill able to."

"Heh, a generous offer…" Tatsu spat out some blood as he tried to pull himself to his feet, only to be sent crashing to the ground by a swift kick to the chest "But I think… I'm gonna have to pass on that."

"Not a very wissse choice young one."

"I'm just… sticking to what you said earlier… Once we get this started, there's no turning back, right?" Tatsu slowly pulled himself back onto his feet "I started this… so I'm gonna have to see it through… even if it hurts like hell."

"Sso be it. Then let usss sssee how long you fair againssst my venom."

"Call it a test of endurance then… see how long I hold out… and weather or not I can beat you while… I can still move…" Tatsu gave a confident smirk as he dropped into a stance 'The only thing is, sense I can't see the guy, so I'm gonna have to get creative about this. Then again, I could look at this as a training method to work on my Ki sensing abilities. Maybe I can broach this to Akira when he gets back.'

"You had best be prepared to back up your talk young one." the Lost Serpent began to circle its way around Tatsu "Now my poison ssslowly works itsss way through your fragile human body, and it will begin to break down bit by bit."

'I have to focus, I can't let myself be misley by his voice. Focus on his scent, the rhythm of his breathing, the way he moves, his presence. I have to feel all of that with my body, see what my eyes can't.'

"And now, thisss endsss!" the Lost Serpent leapt forward and pounced at Tatsu, only to be stopped at the last second by Tatsu blocking the strike with the flat end of his sword "What isss thisss?!"

"Call it a second wind. Thunder GAUNTLET!" in an instant, Tatsu covered his arm in a set of metal dragon scales, then in a coat of electricity, and he dealt the Lost Serpent a swift uppercut to the jaw, sending him hurtling back across the chamber and crashing into a wall.

"I ssee…" the Lost Seprent picked himself up and spat out some purple blood "Evidently you are more ssskilled than I had expected… I will be careful not to underestimate you for a sssecond time!" and so he launched himself forward, purple energy radiating from his entire body.

"The irony isn't lost on me, I was about to say that to you." Tatsu quickly coated his body in a layer of metal dragon scales, and he began dodging and blocking the Lost Serpent's attacks with visible ease, and he countered with a swift elbow to the face that sent him slithering back a short distance 'This is working out pretty well so far. For starters, I can use the iron dragon scales to act as an extra layer of defense against his venom, and his attacks in general. What's more, the loss of my eyes actually works out pretty well towards increasing my Ki senses, given that it makes me even more aware of my surroundings. I took this straight out of Akira's handbook, I bet he's probably doing something like that as we speak. Or he's trying to win over a girl. Yeah, that one sounds about right. But in any case, I know what this guy is going to do before he even does it. Let's do this."

"On that young one, we can agree." the Lost Serpent charged at Tatsu and launched another rapid flurry of attacks with his claws glowing with purple energy, until…

"Sea Dragon's ROAR!" in a matter of seconds, Tatsu waved his hands and unleashed an enormous water dragon that engulfed the Lost Serpent and sent him hurtling back across the chamber, leaving him in a blood-covered heap that hit the ground with a soft thud.

There was a brief silence overtaking the temple, until the mouth of the Lost Serpent suddenly shot wide open, and then a new identical figure burst out, fully regenerated "A sssecond wind indeed…"

'Oh yeah, snakes can shed their skins, so I guess that means he can regenerate. In that case, I guess to win I'm gonna have to make sure there's nothing left of him to come back from. How is it these things always turn out so complicated.'

"Ssso be it then, let usss try a new tactic." this was when the Lost Serpent started floating into the air in front of Tatsu and maneuvered around until he was floating behind him towards the ceiling of the chamber.

'Okay I can't sense his movement on the ground anymore. Is he trying to gain some distance to make it harder for me to sense him and predict his moves?'

"Now ssshow me how you deal with THISS!" the Lost Serpent stuck out both claws and then unleashed a purple-colored wave of demonic energy, hitting Tatsu square in the back and engulfing him in the explosion that followed.

When the smoke cleared however, Tatsu was revealed to be protecting himself with a large shield made of water, though he was gritting his teeth as he did so, and continued to do so amidst the oncoming barrage of follow up blasts 'Apparnetly the water properties in my Sea God's Shield can help to reduce the effects of his venom, but it's not as strong as I would've liked. This could be bad. But at the same time, Akira did teach me that the more I get backed into a corner by an opponent, the better I learn to cope with what I'm up against.' his musings were cut short by a burst of purple energy piercing one of his legs, bringing him down to one knee.

"You have fought with honor young one, and my massster would think highly of you, but now this battle will come to an end!" Lost Serpent let out a hiss as he stuck out both claws and began charging a blast of purple-colored demonic energy in each hand.

"I'm not… done yet…" Tatsu spat out some blood as he forced himself back to his feet "All the power I've got… goes beyond what you've seen so far… As a matter of fact… I'm just getting started… RyuKEN!" with a roar filled with agony, Tatsu's body was engulfed in a blue aura of demonic energy, the force of which dissipated Lost Serpent's attack and sent him hurtling back into a wall "Case… and point…"

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Meanwhile, back in Japan…

"So you guys are leaving already?" Kagome glanced over to see Ayumi and the others packing up their stuff, and then she glanced out her window to see the sun setting "I guess it is getting pretty late."

"Yeah, and we've got our own studying to do." Ayumi gave a sigh as she packed her bag "Just make sure to get better as soon as you can."

"I know. But seriously, thanks for coming to see me and helping me out so much."

"Sure thing, it's what friends are for. Anyway we'll see you soon, bye." and so she and the rest of the girls left, leaving only Kagome and Arashi behind.

"Right, now for some girl power-" Kagome broke into another coughing fit, but then she cast a glance over at Arashi "You're staying?"

"Not like I've got anywhere else to be." Arashi gave a shrug as he sat back on her bed "Anyway, what's your plan from here on out."

"What else, I've got a huge test tomorrow and I'm way behind on schoolwork. I have to make up for lost time somehow."

"I'm just saying that you wouldn't see me cramming like this when I'm left hacking like a dying walrus."

"Gonna pretend I didn't hear that last part."

"I'm using it to make a point. Studying for a test is one thing, but you should be concentrating your efforts on getting better instead of running yourself into the ground. You gotta use your energy the right way."

"You do realize that as soon as I'm well again, I'm gonna have to go back to school, so I have to be prepared for the test."

"You're not gonna be able to do that if you make your self even worse. In case it kind of slipped your mind, your health is more important than pouring over a textbook."

"Like I wanna hear that from the guy that barely studies but aces everything."

"Hey it's not my fault I have a photographic memory. My point is that focusing on your health is more important."

"My schoolwork is important too. You find this kind of surprising, but travelling back in time and fighting an army of bloodthirsty demons doesn't get a girl a diploma, and unlike Tatsu I don't have a super genius for an older brother to help me keep up. Some of us have to do it the old fashioned way, or else I-" and then she broke into another coughing fit, and subsequently moved towards a nearby trash can and began to puke. Once she was done, she took a moment to catch her breath, then moved back to her desk, only to be stopped by Arashi closing the book in front of her "Hey!"

"Yeah puking your guts out is where I'm calling it, put the books away and get into bed."

"No!"

"Kags this is ridiculous, you're driving yourself into the ground."

"Did it ever occur to you that I actually want to go to school? If you're not gonna help me, then just go away and stop interfering with my studies!"

"...Fine, if that's the way you wanna be then have it your way. Stuff like this is why I prefer the company of men. At least they don't get their time of the month." and on that note, Arashi turned and made his way out the window, slamming it shut behind him, and then he stormed away across the grounds of the Shrine.

It was only after he was gone that Kagome sat at her desk and buried her face in her arms "God I'm such a jerk…"

"Not the word I was gonna use, but yeah pretty much."

Kagome let out a yelp and glanced over to see Inuyasha sitting in the windowsill "What the heck are you doing here?"

"Right now, wondering how you wretching can smell even worse than the rotting flesh of a dead demon." Inuyasha recoiled at the stench coming from the trash can "Seriously, what the hell are you full of?"

"A lot of stuff you're not gonna want to see, and not all of it involves me having a cold."

"Like your little lover's spat with that idiot out there?"

"You heard that? Of course you did. I already know, I was a total bitch to him."

"Yep you're right, you were a total bitch." he was met with a dirty look "What you said it first, it's one of the few times I can actually say that without you telling me to sit. Oh fuck, I just gave you the idea to do it didn't I?"

"Forget it, I'm not in the mood for that right now." she buried her head in her arms again "I'm already sick, I'm probably gonna fail this test so my courses in high school are gonna suck, and that's assuming I get into high school at all, and now one of my best friends is mad at me for acting like a bitch to him. Just great."

"...Yeah, good luck with that." and so Inuyasha leapt down from the windowsill and disappeared into the night.

'Great, now he's gone too. Frankly I'd take anything over being alone right now.'

"Kagome?" this was when Mrs Higurashi poked her head through the door "Kagome how are you feeling dear? Do you think you'll be able to stomach a bowl of rice porridge?"

"Yeah, that sounds okay."

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Meanwhile, on the grounds of the shrine…

"Fuck, fuck, FUCK!" Arashi on the other hand, he was going to town on a wooden training dummy in the middle of the shrine grounds, punching and kicking at it over and over again to the point where his hands were covered in cuts and blood, and then he kicked its head off for good measure "FUCK!"

"Shit, and people give me crap for curing all the time."

Arashi glanced up to see Inuyasha holding up the head of the wooden dummy "Not in the mood to deal with you right now."

"Not the first time I've heard that today, probably not gonna be the last, and you know the funny thing about it? As many times as I've heard it, I still don't give a shit." Inuyasha rolled his eyes and glanced back in the direction of the Higurashi household "I don't know how that wench does it, somehow she makes that stuff reek even all the way out here."

"Boo fucking hoo, my heart bleeds for you." Arashi scowled and looked away.

"What the fuck is your problem? Brooding and cursing is my thing, you're supposed to be the happy and stupid one."

"That's all you think I've got going for me? Of course it is, it's what everyone thinks of me these days." Arashi let out a sigh as he laid down on the grounds of the shrine "I figured I'd at least be able to look after her while he's gone, but apparently she doesn't even want that, so why bother with it?"

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"You actually want to hear my life story?"

"No not really, but I'm pretty sure you're gonna tell it to me anyway."

"Well you're right." Arashi glanced up at the night sky "I don't know if Tatsu or the others ever told you about what my life was like growing up, but it wasn't as easy as a guy would like. I lost my dad in a fire when I was about 8, and since then my mom has been way too focused on work to even bother to give me the time of day anymore. There's a reason why I'm always hanging around Tatsu and his family, and why I stick to them like glue. Even before that I saw them like a second family, or the only real family I actually wanted or needed, but then it grew even stronger than before. Tatsu has always been putting himself out there with one batshit crazy thing after another, and I try to be there to support him, to stand by him like a friend. But it's not like that's actually easy you know. Then came all of this stuff with travelling through time searching for the jewel shards, then all of the stuff searching for the Fangs, and I can barely do anything when it comes to that stuff, and frankly I'm the only one."

"What the hell are you going on about?"

"Stop and actually think about it for a second. Everyone else in our group has something special going for them but me. Tatsu's the master martial artist with years of training, and now that includes the magic dragon fangs that make him into a goddamn superhero. I mean sure I did the training too, but that was just because I wanted to stick with him, and even then I never actually got on equal ground with him there. Then there's Raidou, the Guardian, the other guy with the magic dragon fangs, and Kagome, the gorgeous holy woman with the spiritual powers that can purify demons and heal people, so she's basically the white mage."

"I don't know what the fuck that means."

"You don't have to, I'm making a point. Even without the superpowers there's Kazuma, the older brother and super genius, probably the only guy on the planet on the level of Stephen Hawking, or Akira the master swordsman and combat expert that taught Tatsu everything they know. All of the people in our little group have something special going for them… everyone except for me anyway. I'm not super strong or super smart and I don't have magic superpowers that can level mountains. I can't do any of the stuff that they can. The only thing that I have going for me is that I'm a good cook, so tell me how the fuck that's gonna be useful in any of this."

"Hm." Inuyasha glanced down at him "Having the demon power isn't all that you think it's cracked up to be. I've had it all my life and I've gotten all sorts of shit from one asshole after the next for it."

"I know, but at least you can stand up to them and actually put your power to use. The fact is that you and Tatsu and all the others, you're all special in some way… and I'm not. Do you have any idea how much that sucks? A lot, it sucks a lot."

"I didn't ask."

"You didn't have to." Arashi glanced over at him "So when Tatsu went off to get the next Fang and asked me to look after Kagome, I figured I'd at least be able to make myself useful, but she sure as hell doesn't want that. So much for me being able to do my part."

"...Maybe you can."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just shut up and wait here." and on that note, Inuyasha disappeared in a crimson blur as he made his way towards the wellhouse.

'Okay, so that's happening I guess.' Arashi glanced back up at the night sky 'I wonder how Tatsu is getting on right now in that temple.'

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Meanwhile, back in the temple…

"I'm not… done yet…" Tatsu spat out some blood as he forced himself back to his feet "All the power I've got… goes beyond what you've seen so far… As a matter of fact… I'm just getting started… RyuKEN!" with a roar filled with agony, Tatsu's body was engulfed in a blue aura of demonic energy, the force of which dissipated Lost Serpent's attack and sent him hurtling back into a wall "Case… and point…"

"I sssee…" the Lost Serpent studied Tatsu intently for a moment, a smirk slowly spreading across his face "Thisss isss very interesting… you've inherited one of the techniquesss first created by my master… It allowsss you to alter your demonic power at will…"

"Not to mention letting me break through demonic barriers, which is hella convenient, but it's got a fair number of uses really. Like this for example." Tatsu suddenly unleashed another burst of demonic energy.

"You ssseem to be much ssstronger than before, but do you know how I intend to attack you next?"

"Why don't you come over here and find out."

"Asss you wish." Lost Serpent coiled his way along the wall until he was behind Tatsu, and then shot out a single blast of purple-colored demonic energy.

"Nope." Tatsu simply slashed in the direction of the blast with his sword, sending it flying back past Lost Serpent and hurtling into the wall "You were saying?"

"Interesssting, but let usss ssee if you can pull that off again!" Lost Seprent slithered his way around the room and began firing numerous shots of purple energy.

"Then let's give it a shot like this." Tatsu summoned an iron club in his free hand and began using it like a traditional bo staff, cancelling out the numerous blasts with each strike.

"How can do you thisss?!"

"Why don't you come and find out, or better yet, I can come to you!" Tatsu launched himself into the air with a burst of flames and began launching a rapid barrage of attacks at Lost Serpent using his iron club, pushing him further back with each new strike he dealt.

"Tell me, how isss it that you're able to sssee me?"

"I'm not, and frankly I don't need to either. The demonic energy I'm putting out, combined with my own Ki sensing abilities, tell me where you are and what you're going to do. And now I'm gonna use that to win this." on that note, Tatsu promptly charged forward and began laying into the Lost Serpent with use of both his sword and iron club, which ended with him sending him crashing to the ground once more.

"I sssee…" the Lost Serpent once again shed his skin and emerged in a new body "Quite the creative maneuver… By bouncing your own demonicy energy off of mine, you're able to sssenssse every move I make."

"Yeah, I guess you can call it a sort of active radar."

"And yet you provide a novel and resssourceful ussse of your technique. However, that may prove to be your undoing in the end."

"In that case, I guess I'm just gonna have to take you down before that happens, and I think I've got a good idea of how!" and so the two of them began trading even blows, sword and club against poison claws, which quickly came to a head when Tatsu dealt the Lost Serpent a smash attack that sent him hurtling into the ground "I think it's about time for me to end this, and I've got just the way." he prepared to charge at the Lost Serpent as a ball of blue demonic energy began to build in his palm, only for it and his Ryuken aura to suddenly evaporate, and he hit the ground with a crash and began to clutch himself in agony.

"I sssee… ssso you tried to push me beyond my limitationsss, but your own body gave out on you before you could make that happen… And in doing ssso, you hastened the ssspread of my venom…" the Lost Serpent barred his claws and began pushing Tatsu back even further, leaving a series of wounds and gashes across his chest, causing him to drop his sword and iron club in the process "Thisss isss what I wasss referring to before. I'm certain it isss quite conceivable that by usssing the Ryuken, you fueled my venom and allowed it to circulate throughout your entire body, much fassster than it would be able to otherwissse." he let out another Venom Hiss, engulfing Tatsu in a cloud of purple smoke as he carried on with his brutal assault, pushing Tatsu further and further back in the process "And now, your own hubrisss isss about to become your downfall!" he moved in to continue his assault, only to suddenly be stopped by Tatsu grabbing both of his claws "What?"

"Why don't we… put that to… a little test? Ryu… KEN!" with immense strain, Tatsu's Ryuken aura once again flared into life.

"Sssuch a foolish gambit. Pussshing that power will make the venom ssspread and bring your demissse that much faster. You mussst be growing desssperate. Thisss battle will not be that easssy for you."

"Trust me… I know that as it is!" Tatsu gritted his teeth as he charged forward, meeting the Lost Serpent and once again trading a series of even blows with him, though after a moment he took the chance to break away "I think it's about time to wrap this up, and I know exactly how I'm gonna do that! Dragon BURST!" he stuck out one arm and unleashed a blue-colored wave of demonic energy.

"Ssso be it then young one. Serpent WAVE!" Lost Serpent stuck out both of its claws and unleashed a purple-colored wave of demonic energy that clashed with the Dragon Burst, creating a blinding light that permeated the entire temple.

Unfortunately, this was the moment in which the venom spread further along Tatsu's body, which caused his Ryuken to dissipate and for his Dragon Burst to be overpowered by the Serpent Wave, sending him hurtling backwards through several walls 'Shit, I didn't think that was how this was gonna go.'

"And now I choossse to end thisss!" the Lost Serpent charged towards Tatsu and breathed out another Venom Hiss.

'I guess I'm gonna have to go full throttle, all or nothing!' Tatsu gritted his teeth and launched himself into the wave of venom, and he began inhaling sharply 'I'm only gonna have enough strength left in me to do this once, so I better make it count. Natsu Dragneel, eat your fucking heart out. Lightning… Flame… Dragon… ROAR!" with a primal roar, he unleashed an enormous wave of fire and lightning mixed together, hitting the Lost Serpent before it had enough time to react and engulfing him in the massive explosion that followed.

When the smoke cleared, the Lost Serpent lay on the floor, charged and oozing purple blood in mulitple areas, his voice softer and raspier, and filled with pain "I sseee… you waited for me to finish my attack and let down my guard…"

"Yeah… more or less…" Tatsu dropped down to one knee and spat out some blood "I figured that as long as I could see… where your attacks were coming from… then that was where I'd have to fire… I took a risk, and I guess it paid off… I hope…"

"Very interesssting… It would ssseeem that my master made a wissse choice in who would sssucceed him… A young warrior of great honor and ssspirit… Ssshould you sssurvive the effectsss of my venom, the next Fang ssshall belong to you…" and with that, the Lost Serpent suddenly crumbled into ash and dust, and faded away into nothingness, leaving behind only a purple-colored Fang as a sign that he had once been there.

'So that's it… I guess I won… yay…' Tatsu gave a small smile, but suddenly fell forward as he began coughing up a heavy amount of blood 'On the downside though, that venom is taking a lot more out of me than I thought it would, and I don't have Kagome here to use her healing powers on me… Shit…'

"That got more hectic than I was expecting." this was when Raidou finally made his way out of his hiding place and placed Tatsu's glasses back on his head "I didn't think you were gonna have such a hard time with that one."

"Hey give me a break, I didn't count on having to deal with a snake guy blasting me in the face with his bad breath."

"Fair enough. You beat the Guardian and passed the test though, so it sounds like everything worked out pretty well in the end, at least assuming we can get the next Fang. I wish I could've done something against him though, but without my own Fangs I'm useless."

"Remember the Spider-Man quote, that's all I'm gonna say. But look, having the power isn't the be all end all of things. What matters is how you use it. How we use it really."

"And right now we're using it to prevent a fucking sociopath from using his own Fangs to take over the world." Raidou knelt down and picked up the new Fang from the remains that used to be the Lost Serpent, and then fastened it to the necklace Tatsu wore that held the rest of the Fangs "That makes six, which means there are only four left. That would be a lot more satisfying to hear out loud if it wasn't for the fact that we're still at least one step behind the aforementioned sociopath."

"But we're making progress, that has to count for something." Tatsu tried to pull himself onto his feet, only to have to be helped by Raidou "Thanks."

"Don't worry about it, let's just get back home and then figure out a way to treat you for that thing's venom."

"Sounds good to me, because frankly I can't feel anything beneath my neck now."

"In that case, our first priority when we get back should be focusing on getting the snake venom out of your system and healing your wounds."

"And the other priorities?"

"Aside from learning how to use the powers in the new Fang, you'll have to prepare for the big test tomorrow."

"...Aw shit, I forgot about the exam." and on that note, the two of them disappeared in a white flash via the Dragon Warp.

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Meanwhile, back in Japan…

'It actually is getting pretty late…' Arashi glanced up at the night sky, then down at his phone and saw what time it was 'Almost 9, mom is probably gonna be wondering where I am. Of course that's assuming she's home. Great, I pretty much wasted the afternoon on someone that doesn't even want my help.'

"Hey."

'And then there's him?' Arashi glanced over to see Inuyasha making his way out of the well house, several plants and types of meat in hand "You're still here? I thought you went back to your own time already."

"I just went back to get a few things." he gestured to the ingredients in his arms "You said that you knew how to cook and stuff right?"

"Yeah?"

"You're about to put it to good use. I just need to know where there's a cooking pot or something you can use."

"We're right near Kagome's place, they'd probably let us use it." Arashi pulled himself to his feet, and the two of them started making their way towards the Higurashi household "What's this supposed to be for?"

"Take a look at this stuff." he gestured to the ingredients he held "You know the thing about liver right?"

"That it's fucking disgusting but it's perfect for nourishment."

"Exactly, and I've got tons of it right here. Boar liver, carp liver, chicken liver and a couple of medicinal roots and herbs I never bothered to learn the names of. You put these things together and they make the perfect cold medicine, anyone who drinks that shit is gonna be cured in less than a day."

"Oddly specific." Arashi glanced over at Inuyasha with a raised eyebrow, and then it seemed to dawn on him "You mean you got this stuff to cure Kagome?"

"Nope. As far as she knows, you did, at least you're gonna tell her that when you give her the stuff."

"Wait what? You want me to take credit for it? Why?"

"Don't get too bent out of shape over it, I just want you to shut up so you don't go into another "I can't do anything" rant."

"So you're basically doing this to make me feel better." Arashi paused, then gave him a small smile "You know Tatsu's right, you're nicer than you let on."

"Don't breath a word of that to anyone, I've got a reputation to keep up. Anyway enough talk, let's get in there and get to cooking."

"Got it. Just throwing this out there though, don't tell her what's in the stuff or we're both good as dead."

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One off-screen cooking montage later…

'To think so much has changed…' by this point, Kaogme was taking the time to go through an old photo album 'One day we're just a bunch of regular teenagers making their way through middle school, and then the next we're a bunch of time travelling warriors trying to go out and save the world. It's kind of funny how things turn out.' it was then that the sound of a knock at her door got her attention "Come in."

It was when that Arashi made his way into the room with a mug in hand "Sup."

"Arashi, you came back."

"I never left, I just had some stuff to deal with, like this." he held out the mug to her "I got some new medicine for you, so drink up."

"Uh huh. Quick question, is it supposed to smell like that?"

"To my knowledge, yeah pretty much. But seriously, you down this stuff and you're gonna get better overnight. It comes from a reliable source."

"Well, if you're sure…" Kagome hesitantly took the mug from him and took a sip, only to recoil almost immediately "Oh god that's putrid!"

"It's cold medicine, it's not supposed to taste good, and that's how you know it's gonna work the way it's supposed to."

"Wait, so did you make this stuff yourself?"

"I had a little bit of help, but yeah more or less."

"Well if you're really sure about this, then I guess I can at least try to choke it down." she moved to take another sip, only to recoil at the stench "I'm not sure about this."

"Hey just have some faith in me on this Kags, I might not have magic powers or be a genius like the others, but I do know my way around stuff like this."

"Alright, I trust you." so Kagome took a breath and pinched her nose, and then she started to gulp down the contents of the mug.

'Good thing that worked out, if I told her there was liver in that thing then she'd never let me hear the end of it. The others would probably think it's funny.'

It was only after Kagome had gulped down everything in the mug that she sat it down and took a moment to catch her breath, and she gave a bright smile "Hey you're right, I think I can feel it working already."

"See, next time try listening to the master when it comes to this stuff."

"I gotta ask though, where did you learn how to make something like this? And how come you haven't brought it up before?"

"Okay truth be told, I just learned how to make it less than an hour ago from an unexpected source that's probably lounging around on your roof right now. I'm talking about Inuyasha if it wasn't obvious."

"Wait really?"

"For the love of fuck you idiot!" and then Inuyasha suddenly poked his head into the room and scowled "I said I didn't wanna get involved in all that emotional bullshit!"

"Hold up a second, so you taught him how to make it?"

"So what if I did?"

"Where did you learn how to make a cold medicine like this?"

"...You're not gonna leave me alone until I say are you?"

"Nope."

"Fuck. Alright fine, my mother used to make it and she taught me how to do it too before she died. I mean the ingredients are a little bit different, she used to use dried stuff since that's a lot easier to get, but I went out and got the fresh stuff."

"...You said fresh stuff?" Kagome glanced down at the mug in her hand, then back at the two of them "What kind of fresh stuff exactly?"

"The sort of stuff like-" Inuyasha paushed as he glanced over at Arashi 'Shit right, don't tell her what's in it or we're both fucking dead. Who gives a shit, it works doesn't it?"

"Yeah I guess. So the both of you made this together?"

"Weren't you listening, I just told you all about this."

"Then in that case you both earned this." she gave Inuyasha a quick kiss on the cheek, and then she gave one to Arashi and pulled him into a tight hug "I'm sorry I yelled at you before, I was a jerk."

"Forget about it, just get some rest. You're gonna need it." Arashi motioned for her to get tucked into bed "Goodnight Kags."

"Goodnight." and then in only a moment, she turned over and fell asleep.

Once that had happened, Arashi and Inuyasha slipped their way out of the room through her window, quietly shutting it behind them "Hey so, about before… thanks man, really. I owe you one."

"You can owe me nothing if you keep your trap shut about this. I don't need the others thinking that I've gone soft and become a giant ball of sunshine. Later." and so Inuyasha made his way back into the wellhouse without another word.

"...Okay then."

"Hey man."

Arashi glanced over to see Tatsu and Raidou appear on the scene, the former looking disheveled and covered in purple spots all over his body "Oh hey, wow you look like this."

"I feel like shit too, but in my defense I didn't count on getting snake breath to the face, so I like to think I get cut some slack for that." Tatsu let out a pained groan as he sat on the ground "But on the plus side, I did get the sixth Fang."

"On the downside, Shin beat us there and got the other one already." Raidou frowned at the thought "So we're still one step behind."

"But we're catching up, that has to count for something. So how did things go here?"

"Well enough." Arashi gave a shrug "I got Kags some cold medicine a little while ago and now she's resting, you probably don't wanna disturb her."

"Got it. Thanks for looking after her man, really." Tatsu gave a small smile through the pain, but then he let out a sigh "Now comes the part of the night I was honestly dreading."

"Which is?"

"Doing my own prep for the test tomorrow."

"...I'll put on the coffee."

"Thanks. Hey I don't know if you can hear me.'

"The two of us share a psychic link with each other through the Fangs, I'm able to see and hear everything you do whenever you wear them."

"That's probably going to come back to bite me later, but okay. Listen, I know the usual routine is for us to join up in the Meeting of the Minds, but can we put that off for a day or two? I'm gonna need to cram for the exam tonight."

"So be it, if that's what you want then I won't object. Just answer me one question."

"What is it?"

"Why not just use the time dilation effect of the Meeting of the Minds in order to study in there and make up for lost time?"

"...Shit, I didn't think of that." with that in mind, Tatsu glanced over at the others "Alright guys, change of plans."

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Morning came, and the sun was shining brightly over the skies above.

'Oh man, it's morning already…' Kagome slowly opened her eyes as she sat up and did a little bit of stretching 'Gotta give it to those guys, it takes like puke but it works wonders.'

"Hey."

Kagome glanced over to see Tatsu sitting in her windowsill, clad in his school uniform and with a few bandages around his face and forearms "Oh hey, how did it go yesterday with the temple and the Fang?"

"Well on the upside, I beat the snake demon guardian and got the new Fang, so that brings it up to six. On the downside, Shin beat us there so he's got another Fang too, and I spent half the night getting bleached by your grandpa in his own version of the Healing Hands to deal with the demon snake venom I got in my… well everywhere really. But enough about a typical week night for me, you feeling any better?"

"Oh yeah, I can't remember the last time I felt this good. That medicine Arashi and Inuyasha gave me really did the trick."

"I figured you were gonna be in good hands with Arashi."

"And you were right. I can actually go to school for a chance, and I bet I might even pass that comprehension test." but then she looked over at the clock on her nightstand, and she almost immediately let out a terrified yelp "Oh man I'll never make it to school on time, even if I left now I'd be late! And that means I won't be on time for the test…"

"Uh huh. Not to be that guy Kags, but you're forgetting one big thing. I carry the Fangs with me all the time."

"And?"

"I can use the Dragon Warp?"

"So?"

"I'm saying I can just teleport us to school."

"...Oh."

"Yeah, now hurry up and get changed, we are still kind of pushing it."

A/N:

So now we cover the point where Kagome catches a nasty cold and has to head back to the Modern Era in order to recover. This may have been filler in the original series, but I see it as some much needed slice of life material that we need before we get back into the really serious stuff, which will happen in the next few chapters, when we get into what is quite possibly the biggest arc in the entire series, before the final season at least. Adding onto that, aside from the focus on Tatsu's side of things, I did give a little bit more development to one of the side characters, in this case Arashi, through his interactions with Inuyasha and Kagome.

While it might have been a slice of life thing in the main series, this chapter does have some sizeable importance. Aside from giving us a breather before things get serious again, this chapter is when Tatsu officially resumes his journey to find all of the Fangs of Ryuhogo, when he acquires the sixth Fang, the Fang of the Lost Serpent, which I will be going into detail on in the next chapter.