Kosuke made one last trip to the Forest of Inuyasha, his oxen guiding him and his cart filled with lumber to the ever-quiet village ahead. Empty streets greeted him, stray dogs and chickens frolicking in the night across the dirt paths as he leapt from his cart, guiding the animal the rest of the way towards the barn. Exhaustion pooled from him in droplets of sweat coating his face, his top clinging to his back and the thought of a nice cooked meal weighing heavily on his mind.

Earlier, Yuuta aided him in the forest, cutting down a few large trees without so much of a hassle, though on their return to the village, Yuuta was called upon by a few village men for needed assistance with the animals. By then, the sun began its slow descent and although no huts were erected, he'd gone after one last load of wood for the day.

Nearing the barn, he paused, looking out across the fields cloaked by shadows of the night, his eyes shifting towards the huts, no lights greeting him from within. The people had long since turned in and realizing there was only a matter of hours before dawn, he tugged on the reigns and approached the darkened barn ahead.

Once outside the structure, he untied the animal from its ropes, guiding it inside the straw covered floor before tying the animal to a post on the other end of the barn. Loud snores greeted his ears, and without even having to light a candle, he knew it was the occupants without huts lying asleep within. Careful not to arouse them from their exhausted slumber, Kosuke stepped back outside, his eyes turned upwards towards the bright crescent moon.

"Ah, there you are," Came Yuuta's voice. "I was beginning to wonder if I should fetch you from the woods."

Kosuke turned, noticing the familiar outline of one of the bandits walking around the other side of the structure, and he smiled. "It took longer than I expected, but I believe we should have enough wood for tomorrow to get started," He replied. "I take it you are on watch tonight?"

Yuuta nodded. "Yes, and you as well."

He blinked. Was he on watch tonight? A sigh almost escaped him. Here he thought he might get some well-deserved sleep, but that wasn't the case. "It must have slipped my mind," He despondently replied.

Yuuta laughed, smacking the young man on the back before approaching the cart. "Here. I'll help you unload."

"Much appreciated, Yuuta."

For several minutes, the two unloaded the cart, the two conversed in light conversation, the snores of the occupants within the barn fueling their amusement.

"Are you still a little sore with what happened earlier with Kagome?" Yuuta couldn't help but inquire, his dark eyes shifting to Kosuke beside him as he settled a few pieces of wood beside the barn.

"You mean the incident with her laundry?" He asked.

Yuuta nodded. "I take it that was the first she's ever hit you?"

Kosuke scoffed. "Why are you bringing that up? It was a misunderstanding. How was I supposed to know that was her … wrap?"

He chuckled. "Indeed. It came as a surprise to me as well, but she certainly didn't leave you room to explain yourself. But after that, you've been a little sore."

"It doesn't bother me."

Yuuta only rolled his eyes. No matter how much his companion tried to conceal it, he knew the incident troubled him. "Oh really? Then why were you quiet the entire day after it happened? Have you thought about apologizing to her?"

"That has nothing to do with it, Yuuta," Kosuke replied, scoffing. "And what makes you think I won't apologize?"

He only shrugged, smirking to himself. "You like her, don't you?" He expected a quick retort, but instead, he received a silent response, and looking over his shoulder, he noticed his companion's eyes widen in surprise, as if he'd just been found out. "Did you think I didn't notice?"

"And if I do, why should it matter? What about you?"

Yuuta arched a brow. "What about me?"

Kosuke paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to blatantly ask his feelings concerning Kagome as well. Did he like her just as much as him? "Well …"

Something clicked in Yuuta, and he couldn't help but chuckle in realization. He was curious of his feelings for the girl. How interesting. Was this jealousy? "You are curious of my attachment with her, am I correct?"

Kosuke nodded. "From what I've seen, the two of you have been awfully close since the incident when you all returned to the village…" He couldn't help but wonder of their relationship.

Yuuta hummed a response. "If I remember correctly, I did stake my claim on her then. Of course, you remember just as well. At the time, you were adamant on protecting her…"

After dropping the lumber onto the ground, Kosuke stared at the rough exterior of the barn, recalling the moment Yuuta and his men barged into the village, setting huts aflame and stealing the women. At the time, even he was no match against his brute strength.

He turned suddenly, his hands clenched at his sides, his eyes narrowed suspiciously at him, though Yuuta didn't pay him much mind as he gathered the remaining pieces of lumber. There was a question burning in his mind, one which questioned what else happened after Kagome and the other girls were taken hostage that night; did Yuuta remain true to his words about making Kagome his? Did something else happen?

Yet, before he could interrogate Yuuta, something in his peripheral vision moved, a shadowy figure of a man darting through the empty streets, with something held tightly in his arms. Bemused, Kosuke turned away from Yuuta, his gaze watching the silhouette sprint down the path away from them and the village, his direction headed towards the Forest of Inuyasha.

"Kosuke?"

"I'll be right back…" He replied before running off in the same direction.

Confused by Kosuke's unusualness this late in the night, he turned his attention back to the cart and unloaded the remainder of the wood. After carefully stacking the last beside the barn, he wiped the sweat from his brow and rolled his shoulders and hearing a successful pop he sighed in relief.

A distressed cry broke him from his reverie, his eyes widening at the familiar and unexpected feminine scream. Without a moment's pause, he darted away from the barn and towards the huts down the path, his feet carrying him to Aiko and Kagome's hut.

In an instant, Aiko arose from her futon, her body turning quickly at the sounds of a startled and troubled cry beside her. Confused by the sounds of knocking against wood beside her and the shuffling of sheets, Aiko quickly lit one of the candles, using one of the matches Kagome brought back with her from her time period, and as the flame drew higher, she saw Kagome on all fours searching the hut, her face panicked. "Kagome? What's wrong?"

Even Naomi awoke with a start, sitting up from the shared futon with Aiko before curiously looking around the hut until he eyes fell upon Kagome, pushing aside her bedding in a panicked state.

"He's gone!" Kagome cried, the basket which her darling Shippo previous slept was empty, the basket turned on its side as she crawled on the floor of the hut, searching every inch and cranny for the baby. "Shippo is gone!"

"What?!" Aiko and Naomi cried out in surprise. How was the child gone?

Unexpectedly, the flap was thrown open, and as they turned their eyes to the person standing half way in their hut, they saw it was Yuuta. "What's happened? Are you alright?" He asked, his eyes frantically shifting between the three girls.

Aiko quickly got to her feet, her hands clasped in front of her worriedly. "It's Shippo. He's missing."

Kagome sprung to her feet as well, her hands clenched upon his kimono top, a look of desperation marred across her troubled face. "He's gone. Shippo is gone! My baby is missing!"

While this was certainly troubling news, Naomi couldn't help but place a hand to her mouth. It wasn't possible that…

Yuuta grasped her shoulders, running his thumbs soothingly over her in hopes of calming her down. "Be calm. I'm sure we'll find him."

Voices resounded from outside, and as the girls, including Yuuta, stepped out, they saw the confused and worried faces of the villagers, some mostly half asleep, while others were shaken by the cry. They were looking at Kagome and the others curiously, and as the huts around them alit with candle light, more stepped out of their huts, confused by the noises.

"We heard a scream," One of the young men exclaimed. "What's happened?"

"Is everything alright?" Mayoko asked from beside her husband.

"Mama, why is she crying?" A child asked curiously, noticing the tears falling down Kagome's face, her entire form settled into Yuuta's embrace.

Despite the commotion, Aiko stepped in front of her friends. "Shippo is missing. Someone must have taken him while we were asleep," She replied, earning startled reactions from the villagers.

"A kidnap!?" An older man inquired.

"Oh dear!" Some of the village women exclaimed, covering their mouths from the shock.

Unfortunately, while Yuuta was on patrol for the night, he hadn't witnessed the event take place, and feeling partially to blame for this, he felt a strong inclination to drop to his knees and apologize to Kagome, but he held fast. "I was on patrol this evening, but I didn't see anything out of the ordinary."

"Wasn't there another person on patrol with you tonight?" An older man asked.

Yuuta nodded. "Kosuke, but he only returned ten minutes ago from the forest. We were stacking the remainder of the wood so it would be ready for tomorrow's construction," He explained.

"No one saw who took the baby?" Mayoko questioned, hurrying to Kagome's side to comfort her, but they only shook their heads.

"If someone took the child, then certainly that person would be missing this moment, right?" Someone in the crowd asked.

Yuuta nodded. "It must have just happened while we weren't looking. Look among you. Who among you is missing? Only then will we know."

They did just that, identifying each other curiously. It certainly wouldn't have been a child, as most were still asleep inside the huts, unaware of the situation. As for the older folk, it was difficult enough for them to get around on their feet, let alone get away with a child. So, it must have been someone younger, but who?

"You don't suppose, it was Satouru?" Naomi asked, covering her mouth fearfully. Even as she looked upon the crowd, there was no signs of him anywhere.

Toshiro and Makoto, who were once friends with Satouru, shared a glance with each other, and as they took off for his hut, which wasn't too far from where the villagers were gathered, they noticed his house empty. Turning back to the villagers, they called out. "Satouru isn't in his hut!"

Surprised gasps resounded among the villagers, and as they each looked among each other, they couldn't help but believe he must have been behind this unfortunate event. There was no doubt in their mind, he was the culprit, after all, he was always going against Kagome, going against the very idea of a demon child living among them.

"That bastard…" Aiko seethed.

After hearing this, Kagome suddenly felt faint, her hands tightening upon Yuuta's kimono. "He took Shippo. He's going to kill him…" She replied shakenly.

"Kosuke missing as well!" Someone called out suddenly.

"I thought he was on patrol?" Someone asked.

At that moment, something clicked within Yuuta's head. Only a short moment ago, he witnessed Kosuke take off towards the forest, as if he was following after someone. Yuuta cursed in realization. "Damn it! Kosuke must have run after him!"

"What do you mean?" Aiko asked, whipping her head in his direction.

"I was wondering why Kosuke suddenly took off towards the Forest of Inuyasha. He must have saw Satouru running in that direction," He admitted.

In an instant, Kagome pushed away from him, her legs carrying her quickly in the direction of the forest down the dirt path. If that was the case, he was planning to murder her child, far away from the village so now one would witness it. And most certainly, he would feign ignorance to Shippo's disappearance. No. He couldn't do that. Not Shippo!

"Kagome?! Come back!" Aiko called out.

"Kagome!" Naomi cried.

Easily enough, Yuuta managed to catch up with her, and grasping her arm, he pulled her back, despite her frantic attempts to pull away from him. "Kagome, stop! Calm down!" He managed to force her body towards him, his hands held tightly upon her shoulders and once he caught her utmost attention, he looked her in the eyes, trying his best to reassure her. "It'll do you no good to get worked up and run into the woods."

"He's going to kill Shippo!" She cried, trying to pull away. "Please, let me go! My baby!"

"We'll get him back. I promise you. I need you to calm down first!" He exclaimed, trying to soothe her worries.

"But he'll … He'll…" Kagome's words fell short as her vision darkened suddenly and losing her balance, she fell against Yuuta unconscious.

Yuuta cursed, and as the other villager looked on in worry, Yuuta reached down and tucked his arm beneath her knees and carried her quickly, passing Naomi and Aiko as he made his way towards the High Priestess's hut.

"He's crossed the line! He's gone too far this time!" Makoto couldn't help but reply.

Toshiro nodded. "What do we do? Should we search the woods? What about the demons?"

Arriving at the old woman's hut, and thankful there was a faint light within, he called out to the High Priestess. "Lady Kaede! Lady Kaede!"

"What is all this noise?" Her aged voice cried out, and after a moment, she emerged from the hut, pushing back the flap as she looked upon Yuuta and Kagome confusedly. "What has happened? Kagome?" Seeing the anger and worry flashing through his gaze, along with that of the other villagers gathered up so late this evening, she beckoned Yuuta inside, followed after by Aiko and Naomi.

Carefully laying the raven-haired girl down onto the wood flooring, Aiko and Naomi quickly gathering around their friend worriedly, Yuuta turned to Kaede. "It would seem Satouru is up to one of his schemes. He's made off with Shippo and disappeared into the forest. Kosuke chased after a short time ago."

Hearing this, Kaede's eyes widened, and she nodded. "It does not surprise me in the least. Satouru, without a doubt, probably intends to murder the child. It may already be too late…"

"Regardless or not, he'll not get away with this. There's a chance he might not even return to the village afterwards, especially since he would be the first suspected," He replied. "I'll round up my men and search the woods and find him, and if I have to, I'll kill him."

Kaede nodded. "I'll stay with Kagome. Ye bring Satouru back, and alive at all costs. He will be dealt with publicly within the morning, if he is found. Vengeance can wait until then."

Understanding, he left he hut, sidestepping past Mayoko who quickly entered inside before falling to her knees beside Kagome and the other girls.

You had to have it all
Well, have you had enough?
You greedy little bastard, you will get what you deserve
When all is said and done
I will be the one
To leave you in the misery and hate what you've become

Intoxicated eyes, no longer live that life
You should have learned by now, I'll burn this whole world down
I need some peace of mind, no fear of what's behind
You think you've won this fight, you've only lost your mind

Heaven help you

Heaven help you

His legs carried him further and further into the depths of the woods, the sinking feeling within the pit of his stomach becoming much stronger in his sense of desperation. There was no turning back. By now, he was sure there was notice of the infant's disappearance and unmistakably, his as well. There was no returning back to a seemingly normal peace of mind; in truth, he felt he lost it ages ago, though he wouldn't admit it.

Did it matter?

As he dodged low branches, trudged through thick thorny bushes, he searched his surroundings. Was he being watched? Was he being followed? Satouru paused in his trek and turned, his eyes squinting through the darkness encompassing him. There was no one, but he heard laughter on the wind, whispers mocking him, and he felt a shiver run down his spine. No. There wasn't anyone there. It was only his imagination.

The incessant crying of the baby in his arms grew louder which each breath, and while he'd had the blanket over its head, in hopes to muffle its noise, he discarded it, tossing it onto the ground at his feet. As his dark eyes took in the demon before him, its cheeks reddened in obvious discomfort and unaware of its predicament, he scoffed.

"Disgusting. Creatures like you deserve to burn…" He replied, holding it out and away from him in disdain. He could always drown it in the river and throw the lifeless corpse down a ditch for the wolves to eat, but he felt more satisfaction ending its pitiful life differently. "I'll return you to hell, from whence you came demon."

Lowering himself onto his knees, he laid the child on the ground and withdrew the scythe strapped to his side, the blade sharpened the day prior. As it's edge glimmered in the moonlight, he raised it above his head, a twisted smirk gracing his dark expression.

"So ye truly wish to raise this Demon as ye own?" Kaede finally replied after a moment's pause.

Kagome nodded. "Of course. If anything, I'll hold full responsibility."

Understanding, despite Satouru's want to rid the child from their village, she nodded. "Very well. Then, for the time being, the child may stay."

"Lady Kaede! This is unthinkable!" Satouru growled. "We can't harbor Demons! If the Daimyo finds ou—"

Kaede narrowed her gaze at the young man beside her. "He won't find out unless someone in our village reports it. I have trust in Kagome. While it may be against our customs to care for Demons, we must remember that Kagome was raised differently. She was raised with a gentle kindness within her, and ye have all witnessed it. Despite having the blood of a priestess flowing in her veins, she helped a Demon in distress, despite our fear going out into the woods. Her instincts as a priestess, despite her lack of training, drove her to help that Demon and deliver its child to this world," Kaede replied. "I have no doubt in my mind, the child, under her care, will grow up just fine. Were my sister still alive, I feel even she would have gone out of her way to do just the same…"

Satouru's eye twitched at the memory. "Don't blame me for this. Blame her. After all, she brought you into our village, knowing the consequences beforehand. She killed you, not I," He replied before plunging the blade down towards it's skull.

Someone grabbed his arm unexpectedly, and before he could turn to see who had stopped him, Satouru was roughly pulled away from the child, the scythe ripped from his grasp and pushed to the ground, his assailant above him with his hands at his throat.

"What the hell?!" Satouru cried out, trying in vain to push the person off him.

Kosuke glowered at the pathetic man beneath him before tossing the scythe away from him and throwing his fist at his face. "Are you out of your mind?! What were you thinking?!"

"K-Kosuke?!" Satouru bit out, struggling beneath the young man's weight. "I'm doing the village a favor!" He replied. "Get off me! I haven't finished what I started!"

Again, Kosuke's fist met his face, but he was overwhelmed when Satouru shifted beneath him and effectively kicked him in the stomach, causing him to fall back by the force. "Finish what? The murder of a helpless baby?! Do you really think this will solve anything?!"

"Piss off, Kosuke!" He replied, regaining his standing before glowering at him. "This doesn't concern you. Have you ever heard tell of such a thing? Demons and humans coexisting peacefully?"

"Satouru!"

He scoffed. "No … I suppose you've already sided with the wench. You've all lost your minds. Am I the only person with enough sense to realize our differences? No one will listen to me. No one! Do my words not matter anymore?"

Picking himself off the ground, Kosuke placed himself between Satouru and the crying baby, not trusting the crazed man standing in front of him. "Listen. Let's talk about this. You've been bottling up your anger for a while now…"

"Listen? Since when have you listened?! No. I've had enough. If I can't voice my concerns then what does it matter what I do? It seems actions are more important than words these days, right? After all, isn't that what your priestess did?"

"Leave her out of this," Kosuke warned.

This brought a chuckle from his lips. "Why Kosuke, she's the entire reason for all of this. It all stemmed from her, the attacks on our village and the demon behind you. It was all because of her and her dark magic. You've been fooled by her as well…"

"It has nothing to do with dark magic, Satouru! Have you lost your sanity?"

He shook his head, a deranged chuckle causing his shoulders to tremble. "I am not the one who's lost sanity. The entire village has. You've been blinded for so long, so long, that even my words no longer matter…" He replied before taking an intimidating step forward. "Now move away…"

When Kosuke failed to do so, Satouru charged him. For minutes, they scuffled on the ground, each topping the other aggressively, both delivering hits after hits, but Kosuke kept himself steady, trying his best to tire him out so he couldn't harm the crying child.

"This isn't the time or place for any of this!" He replied, forcing Satouru onto his back.

"Shut your fucking mouth," He replied, and although his wrists were held down by the man above him, he raised his knee quickly, earning a pained cry from his rival before easily pushing him off him. Quickly regaining his standing, he reached out for the baby mere steps away and held it tightly against his chest before withdrawing a small dagger from his pant pocket.

Wiping the blood from his mouth, Kosuke looked up, his eyes widening fearfully. "Let him go! Satouru, stop!"

A twisted smirk appeared upon his lips. "If you come near me, I'll kill the child. If I were you, Kosuke, I wouldn't make any sudden movements…"

He swallowed, sweat beating his forehead as he regained his standing. "Satouru…"

Without saying another word, Satouru turned and sped off further into the woods, Kosuke's footsteps quickly following after. As he tried skirting behind trees and avoiding the areas where their animal traps laid, he eventually came across a stream. Quickly crossing it, despite being slowed by its currents, he reached the other side, turning to glance over his shoulder as Kosuke fell behind.

There was no turning back. If Kosuke had seen him, then he was sure the rest of the village was out searching for him. He had to get away, far, someplace even they could not find him.

He wasn't sure how long he ran, his pants coming out heavily, and his throat dry from the arduous distance he placed between himself and the village. After some time, he paused, turning around, and greeted by the silence of the forest, he realized he must have lost Kosuke.

"Damn it all. And all because of you!" He seethed, glaring at the child in his arms. Why did he still have it? He could have slit its throat back there in front of that fool, but he didn't. "You fucking wretch…"

"Satouru!" Kosuke shouted.

Alarmed by the voice, he turned around. He was closer than he thought, and without even a moment to spare, Satouru continued running. How much longer would he keep this up? Looking over his shoulder once more, he saw the faint outline of the man following after, yet before he could mutter a curse under his breath, he lost his footing, the ground at his feet suddenly dropping. With an intake of breath, he tumbled down the steep slope, his body colliding with the sharp stones before he unceremoniously fell to the bottom, the baby falling from his arms, its incessant crying increasing.

Sure, he'd sprained something, he muttered a curse, and picked himself up into a seated position. "Damn…" Nothing was going right. As his eyes trailed up the slope behind him, he noticed he'd fallen quite a way's down, and thankful he didn't lose his life, he shifted his gaze to the crying child scuffed up and bruised. Even after that fall, it still survived, then again, it was no ordinary baby.

"I'm tired of hearing you cry," He muttered before crawling towards it, his dagger still in hand. Before he could even press the blade to the child's neck, there was a shift in the wind around him, and perturbed by the eeriness in the night, he glanced around.

Unexpectedly, a blue flame kindled before him, and startled by the sight, he backed away, his eyes widening in alarm. The flame hovered innocently in front of him, separating him from the crying baby before a few more appeared within the vicinity. To his disbelief, he saw the child engulfed by the surreal warmth of the flames, neither burning or harming him, and bemused, he backed away.

"What the hell…" He muttered, scooting away until his back hit the side of the hill.

"Satouru!" Kosuke's voice called out, but as he paused inches away from certain doom, he looked down the cliff, his eyes locating the runaway just below. Yet, as he stood there, peering down, he saw mysterious blue lights, and confused by them, he couldn't help but wonder if it was the work of a demon.

As the child's crying finally ceased, the baby falling into content slumber, the rest of the flames drifted away from him and towards Satouru, and moments after, the visage of a tall and beautiful woman with animalistic characteristics appeared before him, the flames wrapped around her translucent state as she stood before him clad in nothing but her ghostly form.

"W-who are you? Demon?" He asked, kicking his feet in hopes of putting some distance between him and her, but he couldn't run, at least, not with his sprained ankle.

The creature bared its fangs at him, her clawed hands which were still at her side. "You pitiable creature who dares harm the life of an innocent..." Her melodious voice, which sounded somewhat feral, replied, her amethyst gaze glowering at the human before her. "I shall not forgive you for harming this child, you who reeks with the scent of blood…"

Blue fire. Blue fire? Why did this seem familiar? As he looked upon the ghostly form of the demon, it wasn't long before he put the pieces together. If he recalled, his village men reported three days ago, before the demon child was brought into their village, the signs of blue flames in the Forest of Inuyasha. Was this ghost the mother of the baby? "You're…"

Without even a word, she lifted her hand, and within seconds, his entire body burned, the flames which surrounded her previously, scorching his flesh, and he cried out hysterically. "Let this be a lesson."

His scream resonated throughout the woods, chilling Kosuke to the bone as he witnessed the entire spectacle from above the cliff. Somehow, he didn't feel inclined to help him, not after what he did. And yet, as he looked on, his eyes noticing the child laying quietly behind the ghostly figure which he assumed was its deceased mother, he couldn't help but wonder if the ghost would take the baby away after all of this was over. If so, then what about Kagome?

The flames which burned his body consumed him entirely, and his incessant screaming didn't let up. It hurt. It hurt so badly that it felt like he was actually within hell. Even his bones felt as if they were on fire and any moment would melt, disfiguring him into nothing more but ashes.

"If you ask me, she seems to enjoy parading herself around in these whorish clothes!" Satouru replied sarcastically.

"I'm the farthest thing from a whore you jerk! How dare you! Get your hands off me!"

A resounding smack across her face forced Kagome to the ground at his feet, and she cried out painfully.

"You bitch!"

Satouru's eyes widened. What was this? Why was he recalling things which had happened a while back? His mind became flooded by the memories, memories which unexpectedly haunted him and with each instance, cut through him like a knife.

"You can't run forever, Kagome!"

"Let me go!"

Annoyed by her persistence, Satouru pants came out heavy, his grip tight up on her. "Quit your yapping! No one can hear you!" When she refused to stop, his hold upon her became rough, warning her to stop. With one arm wrapped tightly against her waist, he used his free hand to grasp her chest, gripping her painfully.

"No!"

Unable to even keep herself upright with his weight upon her, her face was pushed into the cold soil, and Kagome felt her kimono become looser on her as her obi fell onto the ground.

His hands roamed her body, slipping past her open kimono, kneading her breasts, and she cried out helplessly for him to stop, but he wouldn't. He squeezed her breasts, while his other hand found her panties, his fingers mercilessly trying to slip in between the fabric to feel her, but her persistent struggling made it difficult.

"No! Get your hands off me, you pervert!"

A dark chuckle escaped him as he licked her neck, enjoying her gasps from his ministrations. "But your body is responding well to my touch, Kagome."

"Get off me!"

"Not until you are completely submissive to me, bitch!"

He groaned, holding his head achingly. Stop it. Why was this happening? It was too much. It hurt so much! "Stop showing me this!" He hollered at the ghostly form of the demon in front of him.

"We never expected you to go that far. We understood you hated her … but it seems your obsession with her has gotten out of hand, Satouru."

"We might have distrusted Kagome in the past, but she's earned our respect," Toshiro replied. "Our High Priestess favors the girl, there's no doubt about it. There's a rumor going around that she might become our second priestess. Surely that's great news, were it to happen."

"I said stop it…" He replied, falling onto his side, his eyes wide as he felt the familiar feeling of a blade cutting through his back, the edge slicing through his flesh like hot fire.

The familiar image of a cracked skull greeted his memory, and laying there in convulsions, he recalled the events which took place a month ago, the day their village underwent an attack by a terrifying demon.

The bird shrieked, its large wings suddenly tearing through parts of the fishnets. Grasping onto the netting with its mouth, it pulled, practically dragging Satouru's friends towards it without mercy, but they held tightly, trying their best to remain grounded in their spot.

"Don't let up men! Kill it! Hold onto the net!" Satouru bellowed, driving his sickle into back, tearing at it flesh.

"We can't hold on much longer, Satouru!" One of his friends cried out panicked.

"Spears and arrows, nothing is working against it!"

Satouru cursed, watching almost helplessly as the hole in the netting grew larger. "Shit! Pull back! Pull back!"

Within mere seconds, the netting broke and the bird lunged free, the expansion of its wings throwing the men off their feet. It shrieked at them, and at that moment, the villagers ran around the huts in fear, hiding behind the structures while others took cover within.

"I said pull back!" Satouru shouted.

As two of his friend released the net and backed off, following Satouru's orders, one of them wasn't so lucky. Mitsuki, who was still holding tightly to one end of the netting, was paralyzed in fear, and the crow demon took that moment of shock and dragged the young man towards it.

It happened instantaneously. One minute, Mitsuki was being pulled and the next, the demon reached out with its talons and bit hard into his arm, blood pouring from the open wound. Mitsuki cried out, his free arm reaching towards Satouru and his friends, but they remained frozen in their spot, watching helplessly as the bird bit into him.

Before anything could be done to stop it, the bird flew off with its captive. Mitsuki's arm was held tightly in its beak, the rest of his body hanging limply as it covered a great distance over the village. Not long after the bird's ascent, Mitsuki's body dropped, falling into one of the rice patties away.

"Damn it!" Satouru cursed, ignoring his two friends who were frozen in fear and fled towards the area Mitsuki fell. While the bird remained distracted above them, he arrived at the rice patties shortly after and saw his friend half submerged in the water. Bending down, he reached out and pulled his friend above the surface, dragging his body onto the grass to inspect his wounds. Upon seeing the severity of his injuries, Satouru paled.

Still alive and thankful, Mitsuki smiled somewhat pathetically. When the bird flew off with him, his entire arm had been ripped from its socket, and though he was losing a lot of blood, he was still alive.

"Mitsuki…"

"I'm alright. It's not as painful as it looks," He replied before a ripple of pain overcame him seconds after, but he only relaxed in Satouru's arms, his breathing a bit erratic. "I think I'll live…"

"Mitsuki!"

"Satouru, is he alright?!"

The sounds of his two friends running towards them a distance away didn't reach his ears. Something flashed in Satouru's gaze, his eyes lingering on the extent of the injury before looking up toward the bird circling overhead. There was no saving Mitsuki, that much he knew, and even if he said he was alright, there was no way of escaping such a fate.

With that thought in mind, Satouru laid his friend in the grass, a somewhat passive look overtaking him. The sorrow he felt moments ago for Mitsuki faded from his face and instead was replaced with nothing, not even remorse. "I'm afraid this is the end of the road for you Mitsuki…"

"What? What are you … talking about?" While Mitsuki confusedly looked up at his friend, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear when he saw Satouru raise his sickle over his face. "S-Satouru! No wait! Don't kill me!"

The sounds of his two friends behind him were nearing, and as time was ticking, Satouru knew it had to be done. "Even if we manage to save your life, you'd only slow everyone down as you are now. What use would a man be without an arm?"

"Satouru no! Please, spare me!" Mitsuki cried out, trying in vain to scoot away, kicking his legs in hopes of putting some distance between them, but it was useless.

Grasping his leg, Satouru leaned over him and raised his scythe.

"Y-you killed…" Toshiro voiced with trepidation, the sight of the blood surrounding their friend's skull and dripping from the blade caused him to pale.

"W-we could … have saved him…" Makoto replied fearfully, hesitant to approach Satouru.

"I didn't want to do it…" Satouru voiced, holding his head, eyes wide at the memory. "I didn't want to do it. Mitsuki … was like a brother to me…" His friend. He didn't mean to kill him. Why did he do it? What made him do such a thing? "I didn't…" What had he done? With his own hands, he struck his friend dead, and he recalled the blood which coated his own hands. It was his fault.

Murderer … Murderer … Murderer … Murderer

Voices suddenly whispered around him, louder than the scorching flames encompassing him. They were pointing at him, laughing and mocking him. No. He wasn't a murderer...

Managing to climb the steep slope on the other side of the hill, Kosuke heard the mumbles of Satouru just below, and though he wasn't sure what was happening, he couldn't help but wonder if this was the end of him. After carefully sliding down the rest of the way, he slowly crept against the side of the hill, watching from around the corner as Satouru laid there, holding his head while staring blankly at nothing.

The flames which still consumed his body was fierce, and as Kosuke shifted his gaze towards the ghostly visage of the Kitsune, he slowly backed away and crept around the trees before approaching Shippo's sleeping form behind the demon.

Taking the child into his arms slowly, he suddenly caught the eye of the Kitsune, looking at him over her shoulder. Immediately, he stilled, his eyes widening fearfully, but to his relief, she did nothing to him besides acknowledge him and her baby safe against his chest.

Her arm, which remained outstretched, palm towards Satouru's still form, she clenched her hand into a fist, the flames around him immediately fading before darkness overtook Satouru. Satisfied with his inward turmoil, she looked one last time at the man cradling her baby before nodding softly, a weak smile etched upon her face. And, within moments, she faded with her blue flames, disappearing into the night as if she was never there.

Falling back onto his rump, Kosuke released his breath, the child in his arms safe and asleep, safe without a scratch on him. It was a relief the situation didn't end differently, and though he hadn't anticipated the mother of the child appearing to stop Satouru, he was otherwise grateful she remained in this world in spirit form.

Curious if Satouru was still alive, he regained his standing and approached his still form across the way. As he neared, he knelt beside him, his brown eyes taking in the sight of his torn kimono and trousers, but what confused him were the dark blue symbols etched deeply into his skin, all over his body and beneath his clothes. Symbols which branded Satouru murderer and rapist.

"Kosuke! Satouru!"

"Kosuke!"

"Where are you?!"

Voices which most certainly belonged to a search party brought Kosuke away from his musings. Picking himself up, he cupped his mouth with one hand. "I'm down here! Beneath the steep hill!" He hollered as loudly as he could.

To his relief, a moment later, he saw multitudes of torches lighting the night just above him, and he saw the familiar faces of Yuuta and his bandit friends looking down at him.

Eventually the men managed to climb down the incline and after tying Satouru by his hands and legs with rope, certain he wouldn't awaken and run off, the bandits begrudgingly looked at Yuuta.

"Are you sure we can't just kill him?"

"Shit like him doesn't deserve to live!"

"He took boss's baby, Yuuta! I think we deserve to at least give him a beating!"

Yuuta shook his head at the bandits. "Lady Kaede instructed me to bring him back alive and his punishment will be dealt to him when the sun rises. Do as you're told and take him back to his hut. I want two of you guarding him, I don't care who. Do you understand me?"

They nodded dismally, and despite not being able to beat the unconscious man senseless, they roughly carried him back up the hill and to the village, voicing out several insults, a few spitting their saliva onto his face.

Pleased the suspect responsible for all this was caught and would soon be brought to justice, Yuuta turned back to Kosuke, who was standing before him with the sleeping child in his arms. "While you were very brave to go out and save the child, you were also foolish."

Bemused and somewhat offended, Kosuke scoffed. "Foolish?"

Yuuta nodded. "You took off running in the middle of the night, without telling me or Lady Kaede anything, Kosuke. I had no idea where you were going so suddenly. It wasn't until I heard Kagome scream that I, along with the rest of the village, figured out Satouru was behind it and that you most likely saw him run off towards the woods. You could have lost your life against him."

"If I hadn't, Satouru would have been long gone by now. There's no telling what would have happened to Shippo if I hadn't caught up to him and intervened," Kosuke retorted, defending himself. "This child is alive because of me, and that's what matters."

Yuuta sighed. "Even so, you should have told me. I could have chased after him with you. What if he overpowered you? From what I've seen, you're not very skillful when it comes to combat," He replied, once more wounding Kosuke's ego. "He would have easily overwhelmed you, just as I easily overwhelmed you once before."

Kosuke nodded slowly. He supposed he could have told Yuuta, but at the time, he was still boiling internally at suspicious thoughts concerning him and Kagome. "It just didn't cross my mind at the time. I saw someone running in the night, and I wanted to see who and why that was."

Again, Yuuta sighed. Still, Kosuke was alive and so was Shippo, and he was thankful for that. "My words were not meant to offend you, but I wanted you to understand the reality of this situation. Next time something happens, tell someone first," He replied before looking down at the child in his arms. "Is Shippo alright?"

"He's fine…"

"I noticed strange marks all over Satouru's body," Yuuta muttered. "Do you happen to know how he attained those?"

"Shippo's mother intervened after Satouru tried running from me. She used her magic and tormented Satouru to the brink of unconsciousness. She left those marks behind after she vanished," Came his reply.

"I see," Yuuta accepted the answer, after all, he recalled Kagome explaining that she had helped Shippo's dying mother conceive the child three days ago. Perhaps her spirit still lived on in this world. "In any case, I'll carry Shippo."

Kosuke scowled, holding the child closer to him. "I'll carry him back," He replied before limping away slowly, though Yuuta only shook his head at the sight.

"How will you carry him safely back when you can hardly walk?"

Not long after his inquiry, Kosuke fell to his knees, groaning as the pain in his leg prevented him from standing. The scuffle with Satouru earlier definitely hindered his movement, and realizing Yuuta was right, he sighed defeatedly. "Damn…"

"Everything alright down there?" Daisuke's voice called from the top of the hill. "Do you need any help?"

Glancing up, Yuuta grinned. "Perfect timing. We could use your help." Approaching Kosuke, he scanned his body for signs of injury, and after noticing most of his pain remained in his leg, he took Shippo from his arms. "I'll carry Shippo the rest of the way back while Daisuke helps you. The sooner we can get back and get some peaceful sleep, the better."

Drinking the herbal tea given to her by Lady Kaede, Kagome allowed the warm contents to flow down her throat. She awoke moments ago, confused at first until she realized her son was missing. The women who surrounded her, Aiko, Naomi, Mayoko and Kaede all comforted her, and she learned a large group of men went out in search of Satouru and Shippo. An hour and a half roughly passed since the incident, and still no word arrived. Was her son alright?

"Are you okay now?" Aiko asked, rubbing her back softly.

Kagome nodded.

"It will be alright dear," Mayoko comforted her, holding Kagome against her chest lovingly. "The boys will find Shippo, I'm certain of that. Have a little faith, my dear."

Again, she nodded, her eyes downcast as she held the steaming cup of tea on her lap.

Suddenly, the sounds of noises outside reached their ears, and believing the men had returned, everyone quickly got to their feet and ran out of the hut, Kaede following slowly behind. They caught sight of the bandits, carrying a tied up and unconscious man in their grasp, and upon close scrutiny, they saw it was Satouru. Without even offering a bow to their High Priestess, the bandits arrived at the hut which belonged to Satouru and discarded his limp form within; they didn't emerge for a short while.

"That was Satouru!" Aiko cried out. "He looked terrible. There must have been a scuffle."

Naomi nodded. Hopefully Shippo was alright. But where was Kosuke and Yuuta? "Not everyone is back yet…"

Mayoko squinted her gaze, and at the sight of Yuuta, Kosuke, her husband and Shippo returning safely, she couldn't help but smack Kagome on the back gently. "Look there! He's safe!"

Looking in her line of direction, Kagome's face alit with surprise, and without a word, she ran towards them, Aiko and Naomi following after. When she saw Shippo asleep in Yuuta's arms, she ran to him, her arms encircling his waist as she hugged him, careful of Shippo in his arms.

Blushing from the sudden contact, he touched her shoulder gently. "He's safe. Not a scratch on him," He replied, feeling her grip around him loosen.

As tears fell from her eyes, Kagome pulled away slightly from Yuuta, smiling thankfully up at him. "Thank you for saving him. Thank you…"

Still somewhat flustered from her hug, he scratched his cheek awkwardly before pointing his finger back towards Kosuke and Daisuke behind him. "Actually, it was not me who saved Shippo. It was Kosuke."

Surprised by this, her cerulean eyes shifted to Kosuke, who was a little beat up, leaning against Daisuke for support before approaching him. Once standing before him, she enveloped him in a hug as well, her arms encircled around his neck, and for a moment, she remained like that. "Thank you so much, Kosuke," She voiced.

Blushing at her hug, he smiled, and as she pulled away slightly, he saw her face inch closer to his, and bemused by her close proximity, her breath mere inches from his face, her soft lips fell onto cheek gently.

Pulling away, her face just as red, she offered him a grateful bow before turning and taking Shippo from Yuuta's arms and disappearing into Kaede's hut, the other girls following after her, though they sent surprises stares in Kosuke's direction before closing the flap behind them.

Turning his head away slightly, and embarrassed by the unexpected kiss, Kosuke couldn't help but smile to himself. He expected a hug, but not that. Still, the fact that Kagome got up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek definitely lifted his mood, and as Daisuke gave him a knowing smile, he helped Kosuke into Kaede's hut in hopes of getting his wounds tended.

As everyone disappeared, Yuuta remained standing awkwardly outside the hut, staring blankly at his boots. For some reason, despite receiving an embrace from Kagome, he felt somewhat uneasy when she kissed Kosuke. Why was that? Whatever it was, he felt a little unnerved.