[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

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"Kagome!" Inu Yasha rushed to her side, but stopped at actually touching her, noting the strange angle her legs were at. "Miroku, I think her legs are broken."

"I can see that. Perhaps you would move and let me tend her?" Inu Yasha stepped aside quickly, as the priest bent over her.

"Ouch, that certainly is a nasty break! Why don't you gather some wood we can use as a splint?" Inu Yasha nodded and slipped into the forest. Miroku then set about to setting the bones. Trained, but not exactly experienced, he perhaps pressed the bones together too quickly, and he winced as he heard the cracks as they were snapped into place. One leg done, he moved on to the next. It cracked rather loudly as well, and he was glad that Kagome was unconscious.

A clawed hand grabbed his collar, and pulled him down. Face-to-face, Miroku's eyes widened at the reddened ones of Kagome.

"What do you think your doing, human?" She hissed. Miroku stuttered, aware suddenly, that this wasn't Kagome. Apparently the demon lost patience, for she threw him away and sat up.

Scrambling up quickly and wielding his staff, he demanded, "What have you done to Lady Kagome? Let her go, now!" He pulled a ward from his robes, and chanting, threw it at the demon possessing Kagome. Nothing happened. Kagome's once golden green eyes were still red.

"I'm not possessed, you fool!" Miraculously standing up, she slowly walked towards him, claws at the ready. "I AM Kagome, though right now, I couldn't care less what my name was. Where's the danger?!" Miroku lowered his staff in confusion.

"Danger?"

"Yes, yes, danger. Demons bent on destroying me. Otherwise why else would I be here?" The Demon Kagome suddenly smiled slyly. "What season is it?"

Confused by the question from such a source, he was at a loss for words."Ummm… It's late spring." He finally said.

Coming closer, she chuckled, red eyes glowing brightly at him. Miroku cringed away, not liking the look in her eyes. Looking him up and down, she shook her head. Smelling him, Demon Kagome frowned.

"You travel with her? Yes, yes you do." The demoness shook her head again. "You wouldn't be my choice but, of course, the last one wasn't that appetizing to me either." The demons face changed and a look of confusion passed over it.

"She doesn't feel for you the same she did for the other. Perhaps she means to leave me unsatisfied as before?" Anger flashed, and Miroku backed away slowly, not wanting to bring notice to himself. However, the anger was not aimed at him, for she did not attack, but at some internal memory that she held.

A rustling in the woods brought the demoness to his side. Her tail wrapped around him, apparently haven grown since that morning. The demoness's tail gave him a tight squeeze in warning.

"Don't make a sound." She hissed in his ear.

***

Inu Yasha made his way back to the area of the fall, suitable pieces of splint wood in hand. He stopped suddenly when he saw that nobody was there.'Where are they? The pack is still there with all those mushrooms…'. Stooping down, he gathered all of them and put them in his pack.'Guess she likes mushrooms a lot.' Standing up, he looked around, wondering, yet again, where his traveling companions had gone.

"Hello? Miroku! Kagome! Where are you?!" He shouted out, waiting for a reply or noise that would alert him to their presence. His answer came to him in the next instant, in a form he wouldn't have believed.

***

'Oooo, much better than this one here.' Demon Kagome took in his scent and grinned, licking her lips. 'Definitely much better, he's even got- Her thoughts were cut off when an elbow hit her in the stomach. Air knocked out of her, her tail lightened it hold on it's captive. Released, Miroku rushed forward, waving his staff around and completely startling Inu Yasha.

"Run! Kagome is- Miroku was tackled from behind, ending his outburst.

Inu Yasha's eyes widened as he saw that the tackler was Kagome. But looking at her, he sensed that something was not quite right. The truth blared at him when he noticed the blood red eyes boring into him intensely. They were hungrily taking him in, as she walked over Miroku. Giving slight pressure as she stepped on Miroku's head, she grinded his face into the ground.

Demon Kagome bared her fangs; delighting slightly from the fear of the one she had smooshed into the ground. Her eyes took in the newcomer.'Inu Yasha.' The other provided the name. Stopping but a few feet from him she passed her tongue over her fangs. Inu Yasha just stared, transfixed by the change in her. She even held herself differently! What was she going to do? Eat him?

"Yes. Muucch better than the last one. At least you have some blood in you, though not much. You'll do when the time comes, anyway." Inu Yasha, realizing his position, unsheathed his sword. Demon Kagome's eyes widened.

"You would dare to attack me?!" Enraged, the demoness surged forward, claws unsheathed. Inu Yasha blocked with the sword, just in time. It tingled in his hands from the force of the attack. Pressing him back, using the sword as leverage, she eventually pinned him to a tree. "I am tired of all that she chooses trying to kill me. I will succeed better with your death than I did in the last one, though."

One hand flung the sword away as the other wrapped tightly around his neck. The air was slowly squeezed out of him and blackness soon impeded his view of the once beautiful face twisted with a feral glee, as she came very close to ending his life.

Almost gone, he saw a look of pained surprise pass her face, before her eyes rolled up in the back of her head. Collapsing, the hold on him was released, and he gasped out for breath, his friend and savior, Miroku, holding him up.

***

Finally standing on his own two feet, he rubbed his sore neck, sure there would be new bruises to join the old ones fading from his last encounter with a youkai. Waving his hand at the inert form, he asked Miroku a question.

"What did you do?"

"Well, my wards did nothing, and seeing as you were in quite a bit of trouble, I decided to revert to a less magical, but useful way of getting the demoness gone and not killing Kagome in the process. I simply whapped her in the head, quite hard, with my handy-dandy noteb- err, I mean staff."

(a.n. Sorry just had to add that. Don't know what came over me.)

Both looked down at the hanyou, minds full of questions.

"What do we do with her? We can't just leave her here!" Miroku looked at his friend, surprised. "What?"

"I never would have thought I would hear those words from someone that had just been attacked by a demon."

"Feh! I'll go get my sword and you can do something useful. You know, like seal the demon or exorcise it or something." Miroku shook his head.

"I could do that, but I feel we would need the help of a miko with this."

"Well, we don't have one so we'll have to stop at the next village. Gods, what a day this has been!" Inu Yasha left to get his sword, leaving Miroku to stand guard over the hanyou.

Coming back, they both tensed as the hanyou groaned, reviving. They wielded their weapons, waiting for it to perhaps attack again.

***

Kagome groaned. 'Gods, I have to stop waking up like this. What happened and why am I eating dirt?' Rolling over to her back, she pulled away the way the shield of hair between her and the world. What she saw, the wanderer and the priest seemingly about to attack her, just made her want to go back into unconsciousness.

The pair backed up as she got to her feet, wobbling on the newly healed bones.Putting her hand to her head, the headache pounded. She now knew to associate it with going into full demon mode. Wincing, she straitened, and felt the back of her head. She looked suspiciously at the staff, knowing it must be the culprit.

Only knowing that she had transformed, she had no other memories, she grinned sheepishly at her friends. 'Wonder what I did that made them so tense?'

"Guess I have a lot to explain, huh?" Relieved, the pair put away their weapons, in Miroku's case, just not holding it above his head. Gladdened, Miroku laughed.

"Yes, there is, indeed, a lot to say."

"Yeah, especially about little secrets that could potentially kill us. When exactly were you going to tell us, when we were lying dead at your feet?" Inu Yasha said angrily.

The others looked over at him. Arms crossed and held tightly to his chest, he looked the spitting image of a sulking little boy.

"Hey! We've only just met! And when exactly did I have the time to explain about my blood transformations, huh? While I was swarmed by youkai squirrels? Or maybe while I was being flown away to be eaten by little baby birdies? Hmmm?! Tell me when!!"

Miroku, however, latched on to her earlier words.

"Transformations? As in, more than one?" Face whitening, he briefly considered just leaving right then, but gave it up as disloyal.

"Later! I want to know what this guy's attitude problem is and I want to know right now!" Inu Yasha got up in her face.

"You're the one who has an attitude problem! You just almost killed us and all because you didn't tell us about your little secret!"

"You accuse me of having secrets? Why don't you tell the group about your secret, huh? About why you have that very interesting scent?" Inu Yasha just stared.

Kagome snorted. "Did you really think I wouldn't notice? I'd think your friend would know but obviously he has no idea what I'm talking about judging from the look on his face. Hey, what do you think is worse? Secrets between lifelong friends or between almost complete strangers? Answer me that, Mr. Honest!" She demanded, hands on hips.

Silence reigned. Inu Yasha broke it.

"What in the HELL are you babbling about, woman?" Kagome's eyebrows rose, incredulous.

"You can't possibly think I'd fall for that innocent act? It's obvious! You show all the signs." Though she seemed sane, demon transformations aside, they just got more confused.

"What signs exactly do you speak of, Lady Kagome?" Miroku asked.

Kagome gave each a searching look. Turning, she walked away a few paces, seeming to have forgotten that they were there.

"They really don't know. Why wouldn't he know?" Talking to herself did not improve their visions of her sanity.

"Out with it, woman!! If it concerns me then I want to know!" Inu Yasha said, frustration finding an outlet.

Kagome faced them, eyes vague, for she was thinking of other things. The frustrated question finally sank into her mind and she answered.

"Why, you're a-

"AREWARK!!"

Kagome's startled eyes went to the sky. Reacting quickly, she threw herself and her friends away from the target area. Falling atop Miroku, her clumsy legs were caught up in his voluminous robes. She felt a hand start reaching for her…

***

Miroku gulped, staying his hand, as he felt one claw pressed against his jugular and a pair of eyes drill into him.

"Ummm… Yes. Yes, I remember those. The memory is coming back to me. It's all clear." He coughed a little causing the claw to nick him. "Gomen! Didn't mean anything! Really!"

"I should-

She was cut off, and again was taken for a flight. Her friends were accompanying her this time though. She couldn't escape like last time, leaving her friends behind. The end of the ride would come soon, being closer to the nest. Looking back at her friends, suffering from the claws pinching their flesh with their own youkai flyers, she wondered.

'How am I going to get out of this one?'

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Sango caught her boomerang, latching it back onto her back. Her senses didn't pick up any creepy vibes so she decided that the Hanyou had really left.

"Damn, damn, damn." She knew what she had to do and she didn't like it one bit. Her honor code would not allow her to leave her job unfinished. The memory of their fist meeting flashed before her eyes but she shook it away.

The Hanyou had killed again, making all suspicions of her character self-evident. Sango went to the tree the creature had leapt from and started following the trail. It was hard to keep track of it, and, of course, she was slowed by the fact that she had to search and walk. It appeared to be erratic but it followed in a definite line from scarred tree to scarred tree.

At one point she came across a camp, a couple of hours old. She saw no sign of a struggle and shrugged the occurrence out of her mind. Just some travelers who hadn't been troubled by the Hanyou, apparently. Continuing, it wasn't long before all sign of the hanyou's travel ended.

'What? She can't have just disappeared.' All evidence was to the contrary, leaving her to scratch her head in confusion. Eyes roaming over the area, her eyes caught something, at once strange, but normal.

Stooping, she lifted it right before her eyes. A black feather, an enormous one, about the length of her arm. The size told all, and she smiled grimly.

"So… Got eaten by a youkai yourself, huh?" Standing, she dropped the feather and watched as it swayed back and forth, finally reaching the ground, making not a sound.

Shivering, she glanced at the sky, only to gasp and start running. What she had seen with her keen hunters eyesight had been youkai, bodies dangling from their claws. She knew even from this distance that one was the Hanyou. That didn't get her worried. What got her worried was what had to be two innocent humans also in the company of the youkai.

*******

Jaken grumbled, hanging on for dear life as he followed the trio on the Wind Shrike.He was just a little frog youkai though strong in his own ways. However, he could not fly, therefore necessitating a ride on the shrike.

Jaken felt slightly nauseated as the shrike suddenly did a loop-de-whirl. Once again flying horizontally, he growled down at the pitch-black feathers before his nose. Shrikes weren't meant to be ridden, though they could be, and he had the distinct feeling that it was trying to throw him off to his death. He would survive, of course, but it would be painful and annoying in the extreme.

Jaken craned his head, trying to get a look-see of how far to the destination. He wanted to get off this homicidal bird.'Ahh, they're dropping the bodies now.' He signaled the shrike to a hidden landing place, and got another loop-de-loop for his trouble. Ughhh…

***

The bloodied and battered bodies were dropped unceremoniously to the straw covered ground.'Wait. Straw?' Inu Yasha rose from his prostrate position quickly. The bloody tears in his shoulders protested the action but he had to see. Looking around, all he saw was the priest, lying face down in… Inu Yasha grinned. His friend would definitely not like what he had landed in.

'Where's Kagome?' Senses clearing, he suddenly became aware of a disturbance just around a boulder. He stood up, and blood rushed to his head. He fell back to his knees.'Oooooo…'

The next time he rose slowly, but then had the presence of mind to look around for his sword. He spotted it a few feet away. Grasping the pommel, he felt a strange tingling run up his sword, Frowning, he dismissed it as a side effect of the fall.



On his way to the disturbance, Inu Yasha took pity on his friend and rolled him off of the pile of bird youkai dung. "Ugh." Inu Yasha passed his hand before his nose. Quickly rounding the corner, he paused, holding the sword unsheathed at his side, and took stock of the scene.



There, in the middle of the second nesting area stood Kagome, definitely looking the worse for wear. Her clothing was tattered, hanging in shreds and it didn't take him long to guess why.



At that moment, a bird youkai swooped down and side-swiped Kagome, swerving away with a loud,"Arewark!" Kagome, slowed by the repeated attacks of the three youkai, could not seem to land a hit with her claws, and her bow was nowhere to be seen.



A flash of pink caught his eye, from both a spot around Kagome's neck as well as in the wings of a circling youkai. Shikon Shards! They were pulsing, most likely from the close proximity to each other. 'No wonder she can't keep up with them! They have shards in their wings, making them ten times faster than before.'



Suddenly, all three youkai, moments before seemingly circling leisurely in the sky, fell upon Kagome, claws at the fore. Inu Yasha felt himself running, legs pumping, as tingles coursed up and down his sword arm, blood beating fast in his veins.



"Kagome!!" He shouted out in desperation, seeing he would be too late. A sudden bout of inhuman speed burst forth, leaving his hopeless thoughts in the dust. A spilt second before the attack reached Kagome, he stood before her, sword held above his head in a blocking position.



Expecting to be thrown back violently, he was surprised to see the bird youkai veering away from his sword, Tessaiga. Tessaiga! He looked at it in wonder.



It had transformed, thickening to a width of his hand. He could see that it had a keener edge, sun glinting wickedly off it. The pommel had even changed, having what seemed to be odd chunks of hair dangling off it. 'What in the world?!'

"Inu Yasha, my son, come here.' Inu Yasha, almost twelve, came forward. In awe of his father at all times for his great wisdom, he kept his head bowed. "Yes, Father?" "I have something of importance to give you. Look." A box was opened before Inu Yasha's eyes, and he took in the sight of the fine sword before him. "For me, father?" In puzzlement, he dared to look up at his father. Though his father couldn't possibly be that old, no lines marked his face, his long silver hair gleamed in the sunlight coming in from the window. Also slight of frame, he held the strength of many, leaving ordinary villagers in the dust. Inu Yasha frowned, not wanting to think about the villagers at this auspicious moment. "This, my son, is the Tessaiga. It has been passed down for countless centuries. It is very unique and can only be used by those of our blood." Inu Yasha reached out, and slid his finger across the edge of the blade. He made a little noise before bringing the finger into his mouth, sucking on it. He heard his father chuckle."Yes, very sharp, my young man. I give this to you. Protect it and it shall protect those you love when you need it most. It holds powers that you can only dream of."

Staring at the sword before him, he finally understood what his father had spoken of so long ago. "Glad to see you've finally woken up." A weak voice from behind broke him from his wonderment. "I really don't think I could have lasted much longer." Kagome stumbled to her knees, and Inu Yasha tried to hold her up. Her eyes, hazy from pain and blood loss from the many gashes she had received, looked down at the transformed Tessaiga held in his hand.

"That sword is powerful…" She mumbled, and he barely caught it. She seemed to shake herself mentally, and her voice became slightly stronger. "The youkai… They hold four of the shikon shards. I can't seem to find my bow." Her feverish face lifted up to his. "Could you help me find it?" Explicit trust filled her every feature and he melted.

"Yes. I'll help." Inu Yasha replied gently. They searched for it quickly, not knowing when the bird youkai would return. Finding it not far away, they then had to worry about an arrow. However, that turned out not to be such a problem as they were scattered about helter-skelter.

The Tessaiga had returned back to it's old self, now that the danger had passed, but Inu Yasha could still feel a strumming within it. Prepared to fight they returned to where Miroku lay, still unconscious it seemed.

Resting against the boulder, Inu Yasha remarked upon it.

"Well, he's out for the night I guess. It's strange, though."

"How so?" Kagome asked, looking up from the sight of her slowly healing gashes. They ran almost bone deep.

"Well… We don't seem to be as effected by that fall as we should be. Well," he amended, "you are half demon, so that explains you. But what about me?" Kagome sighed, head drooping from exhaustion. She hurt and she was so tired… Kagome was suddenly shaken awake and she protested weakly. "Wha-

"Don't go to sleep, Kagome! Even though I'm not trained, even I can see you're going into shock!" Inu Yasha took her hands in his and started rubbing them. They were too cold for his liking and he just now noticed that her lips held a bluish tint.

"Stay with me, Kagome!" Inu Yasha pleaded. His quiet words seemed to hold no effect. He suddenly got an idea. Practically throwing her hands back at her, he stood up. Kagome's eyes tried to follow the movements, but it was becoming hard for her to keep her eyelids up. Blinking, they seemed to stick shut. She was sooo tired…

"Weakling! I knew I should have just let you leave and take up the quest myself." Kagome's eyes bolted open and she managed to find enough energy to lift her head and stare up at him.

"To think, that a mere female, was strong enough to come. What was it I was thinking, I wonder? I must have been crazy to take you along. Obviously you can't hold your own. Look at you." He paused seeming to do just that. "You can't even stay awake, you big baby!" Red tinged Kagome's cheeks and the blue faded from her lips.

Standing, anger buoying her up, Kagome glared at him. Lifting one claw she poked him repeatedly in the chest, forcing him to back up or be impaled upon it. Eventually, he was pressed back against a boulder, and retreating from it was not an option.

Kagome looked about ready to explode. "How dare you! Weakling?! Mere female?! Baby?! Listen here, wanderer, I saved your butt from that bear youkai! I saved you from a swarm of youkai squirrels, for god's sake! My kijo form almost killed you and you*poke* have the audacity *poke* to say that I'm a weakling?" Inu Yasha grinned. "Pah!" She threw her hands up into the air in exasperation, turning away. Inu Yasha mumbled something.

Kagome spun around. "What was that? Something to add? Hmm?" She asked dangerously.

"I said, 'I can't believe that it worked.'" Realization crossed her features and she was about ready to pounce, when Miroku decided to wake up from la-la land. The pair froze.

"Ughhh… What's happened?! What's- Arghh!!! Disgusting! What did I land in?!"

Hysterical laughter was his answer. Wiping the muck away with his robes, which didn't do anything but smear it further, he wrinkled up his nose in distaste.

Frowning at them, he said, "There's hardly anything funny about this situation."

That had them rolling in the straw. Wiping a laugh tear from her eye with one clawed finger, Kagome tried to sober up. It was hardly the time to be laughing. They probably had attracted the youkai back. No sooner had the thought crossed her mind, that it became a reality.

Kagome rolled, caught up her bow and had an arrow aimed for the closest Youkai's heart, within seconds. Bow taut, it twanged loudly in the still air, and thumped into its chest, glowing slightly. "Arewark!" It cried out in pain, but it flew steadily toward them. 'Ooookay. Next plan.' The shards pulsed, pinpoints of light upon the dark feathers of the youkai. 'That gives them power! We have to cut it off!'

"Wanderer! Can you cut off one of their wings?!" She shouted before rolling away, not wanting to get slashed again. Her gashes broke open, sending fresh new waves of pain roiling through her. Gritting her teeth she aimed for the next target. At least she'd slow them down!

*******

Inu Yasha heard the words and reacted instantly. Placing himself in the way of an incoming youkai, he used the bird's own momentum against it. As it reached him, he stepped sideways and braced himself, the now retransformed Tessaiga before him. The youkai screamed, as it's own weight pushed it though the sword, wing sliced off. It crashed into the rocks behind him and an avalanche began.

His eyes widened, and he stood frozen at the incoming rocks. For some reason, he choked and he could not move no matter how he wanted to! He closed his eyes and waited for death. But it didn't come. The still air became suddenly violent, whipping his hair around, making them lashes from a whip on his face. Startled, he looked up to see his friend in front of him. Inu Yasha watched as the rocks and boulders were sucked into the Air Rip, the Kazaana, that his friend had been cursed with since birth as his father and his father before him had been.

All the boulders now gone, as well as the struggling youkai, Miroku wrapped his right hand back into the prayer beads that held the Air Rip closed.

"Thanks, Miroku." All the priest did was nod in acceptance. A cry of victory derived from the vicinity of the hanyou, broke them out of their quiet moment. Both men watched as one of the last two youkai, protruding with several arrows, fell to the ground. They cringed at the bone-crunching fall, especially as it embedded the arrows still deeper into the body.

The last, feeling outnumbered as well as out skilled, tried to fly away. However, it did not know that Kagome was so determined, and all it did was present an easier target. It fell crashing into the forest, causing a flock of birds to startle out of their roosts, squawking. The pair were glad that they didn't have to go after it, for it held no shikon shards. Injured, exhausted, and hungry, they regrouped.

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Part Five

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