The Battle Of Kaoru! ((The Chapter Version))

Chapter 7 and 8 are on the previous page. Did some changes to this chapter, but not much. This chapter is pretty interesting.

~~Chapter 9: Enter: Kikyo and Kyle~~

Somewhere deep in a mystical forest, A cyan hedgehog walked through the seemingly enchanted place. It was very mysterious, and the hedgehog could feel a great spiritual power all around him.

He explored the forest, taking a look at everything he came across. In his right hand, he held a sword-One with 5 gems in the handle. Each of a different color: Red, blue, yellow, cyan, and white. There was an empty slot in the handle, where it appeared that one more could possibly fit. Every now and then, he would look at his sword.

The blade pulsed a green color every few seconds. As he went deeper into the forest, the pulse got stronger, and more rapid. Slowly, it started to reverse.

The hedgehog looked at the sword, and then took a few steps back until it was flashing as it had been before. He stopped and looked around. 'Where do I go from here..?' He pondered. He decided to take the path to his right. Fortunately for him, it didn't start fading, but rather it kept getting brighter and more rapid as before…

…

A tall and slender woman with long, flawless black hair sat quietly on a large tree. Her eyes were closed, and she breathed heavy as if she were in pain.

'I was too weak to stop it..' she thought as images from her previous battle replayed in her mind.

'I must hurry and get strong again so I can finish it..If my soul collectors don't get here soon before it finds me, I'm afraid I won't last much longer...'

…

The hedgehog was about to take a short rest from walking around all day in the woods, until he saw 9 strange looking creatures flying above him. They were long and white with 6 tiny legs. They each carried an orb of bright light. He couldn't explain it, but he could feel an amazingly pure power from the orbs.

"Hmm.." His curiosity got the better of him, and he began to follow these dragon like creatures.

There was something about them that really sparked his interest. It was strange just looking at them. He had never seen anything like it before. He followed them deep into the forest, wondering if they had anything to do with what he was looking for. He walked quietly, yet quickly to be sure that he didn't lose sight of the mystical beings. Soon enough, they lead him to a large tree. He stopped to look around. "That feeling..its gotten stronger.."

As he got closer, the hedgehog saw a beautiful woman lying down on the large roots of the tree. A brilliant light was emanating from her, almost making him believe she was a celestial being.

He watched as the strange creatures began to circle around her. They let go of the pure orbs of light, and as soon as they did, the orbs flew towards the woman and disappeared right when they touched her.

"What..-" Out of confusion, he accidentally took a step forward and snapped a twig in half.

The woman immediately sat up and looked around, alert. "Who goes there?!" she asked darkly.

Startled, the hedgehog took a step back, getting into a defensive position. "I come in peace!" He said, not knowing whether the woman was hostile or not. "My name is Kyle. Who are you?"

Kyle could feel her glaring at him. It almost seemed like she was looking inside of him. But after a short while, her face softened. She saw that he meant no harm.

"My name is Kikyo, if you must know. May I ask what you are doing here? Its very dangerous in these woods.." she answered.

Kyle stood up straight, getting out of his defensive position. "I am ready to face any dangers if I encounter any." He said. "I am looking for something..." He looked down at his sword. Kikyo looked down at his sword as well. "Have you seen a small, green gem anywhere?" He asked, looking back up at her.

Kikyo closed her eyes for a moment, recalling the previous events. Eventually, she shook her head. "No. I have not." She opened her eyes and looked directly at him. "It must be of great importance to you for you to come here looking for it."

Kyle nodded. "It is." he said. "And it is close, I believe." He looked at his sword again, which was still pulsing a green color.

Kikyo's attention was drawn to his sword again. "The blade you hold in your hand..It is one unlike most others." She said in a whispered voice, almost talking to herself more than Kyle. "Does this gem have a connection with it?"

Kyle looked at her, seeing that she had figured it out already. "Yes. This sword is none other than the legendary Gemblade." He held it up so that she could see it. "It draws its power from 6 particular gems. Each one has a different color, indicating their elements."

He turned the blade around. "The Gem of Fire, Ice, Lightning, Wind, Water, and finally, the Gem of Earth. That is the one I am currently missing. After a terrible incident..I found that the gems had separated from the sword."

He looked away. "I do not know all of the details..in truth..I don't even know why I am doing this...I don't even know why such a legendary blade is within my possession...Yet..Something inside me is telling me that I must recollect the lost gems." He looked back at her with a frown. "My apologies. I started to run my mouth for too long."

Kikyo gave him a light smile. "Its quite alright..I don't get company very often." Then she paused for a moment, thinking. "That is a very interesting story..How peculiar..And you say you have no idea as to why you carry such a thing?"

Kyle nodded with a sigh. “That is correct...”

Suddenly Kikyo felt very weak. She leaned back against the tree and closed her eyes in pain, knocking her arrows over in the process.

"Are you alright Lady Kikyo?" Kyle asked, a hint of panic in his voice. He rushed to her side.

"Yes, I'm fine..." she assured, and opened her eyes again.

"What happened?..What were those things doing to you?" Kyle thought that maybe those strange white dragon things were the reason she was hurt.

"I offered to slay a demon in a nearby village..and I'm afraid I wasn't very successful. He was much too strong for my spiritual powers, so I ran away and tried to hide myself in a barrier. The barrier failed right before you showed up."

That explained why she was hurt, but she still didn't answer him about those creatures.

'Is she avoiding the question I asked about them?' he wondered. He still didn't know why, but something about them just made him fascinated. They were beautiful and graceful, and the orbs of light they carried felt pure and nice..Just like this strange priestess.

Kikyo held out her hand and one of the white creatures floated to it, and gave her another orb.

"These demons are my Soul Collectors.." she answered quietly.

"Soul Collectors?" Kyle repeated. He didn't fully understand.

"Those orbs of light that they carry are the souls of the dead."

Kyle stayed silent. He had no idea what to say, or as to why such a thing was needed.

"What would you do if I told you I wasn't human..?" Kikyo asked quietly.

Kyle looked to the side. "Um...I am not quite human either." He said. "But what would that make you then?" He asked, still not fully understanding.

She was a little amused by his answer.

"A being that is neither alive, nor dead. I feed off the souls of the living just so this selfish body can stay alive...Truly a sad existence, don't you think?" She smiled to herself, thinking that now he truly thought she was a monster.

"What is it that makes you want to keep living, then?"

Kikyo was caught by surprise with his question.

Suddenly a loud crash was heard. A giant monkey demon appeared and snapped a tree behind the two in half with his body. Kikyo's Soul Collectors flew away frantically in every direction.

"Haha! I told you you couldn't hide from me, Kikyo!" the demon growled. He took a swipe at the hedgehog and the priestess, but they quickly dodged him, just barely making it.

"What is THAT?!" Kyle cried out. He hadn't seen a being like that before either.

"Its the demon I mentioned was too strong earlier! He’s found me..Quickly, you must get away. He's too powerful!" She got up and pushed Kyle out of the way of the demon’s attack.

But the priestess was still too weak to get away herself, and the demon picked her up easily.

Kyle gasped. "A demon..?!" Still having his sword in hand, he clutched it hard and faced the monster before him. 'I cannot abandon anyone in danger.' He thought to himself. He charged forward and struck the demon's ankle with his sword.

The demon roared in more of shock than pain. "What weakling dares to strike me!?" It bellowed at the top of its lungs.

Kyle stepped back. "It is I, Kyle Tyris!" He yelled back. "Unhand her, demon! Or you shall soon fall before the legendary Gemblade!"

Kikyo watched Kyle, and saw something familiar. Her eyes looked distant as she fell into nostalgia. For a moment, she saw in the place of Kyle, a man with long silver hair and a bright red kimono..

The demon paused for a moment, wondering if he heard right from this strange little cyan colored creature.

"Hahaha!" The big demon laughed, mocking the small hero. "And what does some rat with a sword think he can do to a demon like me?"

Kyle glared hard at the demon. "It would be an honor to show you!" He swung his sword again, striking its leg. He struck it multiple times before the demon kicked him. He was knocked to the ground, but quickly regained his footing.

"Ha, You're hardly worth my time. I could beat you with one hand tied behind my back." He taunted "But I won't need to, because I have her to keep it occupied!"

Kyle ignored his boastfulness and focused on his next move. He darted in between its legs and struck the back of its ankle. The demon tried to kick him again, but due to his lack of vision in that area, it was easy for Kyle to dodge. He continued to strike his leg while the demon tried unsuccessfully to kick him. Then it tried to turn around to see him, but Kyle moved with him, still attacking his leg.

"You're a lot more annoying than you look, little rat." The demon growled. "You're beginning to aggravate me."

The demon then stomped his foot hard, hard enough to make the ground crack and shake. The sudden impact shook Kyle off his feet. That gave it enough time for it to turn around to face him. Kyle stood up and-POW! The demon punched him with the fist that was the size of his entire body. Kyle was knocked right into a tree, which snapped on impact. He fell to the ground, just barely landing on his feet as the tree behind him fell over on the opposite side.

"Ugh...That...was painful." Kyle coughed as he stood up straight.

"If this is all you've got, you might as well start saying your prayers you brightly colored ra-"

"For the first and final time," Kyle interrupted him in a furious voice. "I..." He charged forward and stabbed his leg. The demon let out a yelp of pain. "Am NOT..." He jumped into the air, slicing up its leg in the process. "A Rat!" He finished his move with a twisting slice as he spun around in midair striking its stomach, and then kicked him to propel himself away from it. He landed on the ground, skidding backwards.

The demon clutched its leg in pain, growling. "Curse you...I will not be defeated by such a small creature!"

Kyle didn't even consider responding to him. Instead, he held his sword in front of him with the tip facing the sky. He closed his eyes and began to chant. "Gem of Ice, Lend me your power.." He began. The cyan colored gem on the blade's handle began to glow in response. The blade itself began to glow with a cyan aura.

The demon looked at him in confusion. "Freezing wind, speak of forgotten truths! Ice Storm!" He held his blade up high as the aura dissipated in a flash. The demon looked around, trying to figure out what he just did. The area around them began to darken to a bluish lighting as a chilly breeze drifted by.

Slowly overhead, A large icicle formed in the air, coming down at an alarming speed. 2 other's followed it closely behind. The demon looked up and saw the icicles heading towards him and screamed in terror. It held up its arm to block the attack, but it was wounded badly after they crashed down on him. Kyle opened his eyes to see the results.

"Y-you...How Dare you make a mockery of me!" The demon bellowed at the top of its lungs. His roar was so great that the two could feel it blow against them.

"If I'm correct, I never spoke a word of insolence towards you." Kyle shook his finger at it. "It was you who mocked me in the first place."

The demon growled. He was losing both the battle and the argument. "Shut it! I'll make this forest your grave!" It stomped towards him and threw another punch at Kyle.

Kyle dodged and rolled away, but before he could finish recovering his ground, the demon swiped its fist towards him before he retracted it. Kyle was knocked into yet another tree, damaging it as well but not so much as to knock it down. He landed on the ground again, just barely landing on his feet as before. "Here's a bit of advice for you: Never mess with a demon, boy!"

The demon threw another punch at him. Kyle jumped into the air, its fist going right under him and finishing off the tree, and landed on the demon's arm. The demon looked at him in surprise.

"Maybe it is you who should listen to some advice: Know your enemy!" Kyle told him in a raised and stern voice. "You have made many assumptions about me already, yet I have taken the upper hand far more than you have"

He ran up his arm, letting his sword drag along its skin. The demon tried to swipe him off with his other hand that held Kikyo, but Kyle jumped onto that arm and held on tightly.

"For a powerful demon that you are, you have failed to learn the most important lesson in battle. Never under any circumstances do you underestimate your enemy!"

The demon looked over at his other arm, just realizing that Kyle had appeared on the other hand. But by then, Kyle was in the air, bringing his sword down to strike. It sliced through his entire wrist, chopping its hand off. The demon screamed in pain and agony, clutching its arm, gawking at where his hand used to be.

"What Have You DONE to me!?" The monster cried out.

As soon as he hit the ground, Kyle rushed over to the giant hand and forced it to lose its grip on Kikyo, which was not very hard. "Are you alright, Lady Kikyo?"

"Yes.." she answered. But there was no time for her thanks. She quickly got up, even though she was still a little dazed from the fall.

"What do we do now? Do you have a plan?" Kyle asked. He never took his eyes off the demon; who was still crying out in pain about its hand getting chopped off.

Kikyo looked around for the tree she was lying under before the demon appeared. She needed to find her sacred arrows.

As she searched for the tree, Kyle stood in between her and the demon. "I don't know what you plan to do, but you have to get away! Take cover!" He told her, his eyes still locked on the demon, who finally turned to look at him.

"Y-you..! How dare you make a mockery of me..HOW DARE YOU!" It roared. His loud roar nearly knocked down even more trees around them. Kyle stood his ground, unphased by the demon's yelling.

The demon began swinging and swiping its arms wildly at Kyle. Kyle managed to dodge most of the attacks, but one powerful swing smacked him into the giant tree.

Kikyo gasped as Kyle just barely missed her. She ran towards the tree to his aid, but then realized that this very tree was the one she was resting under.

She hurried over to the side of it, searching for her sacred arrows. The tree shook violently as the demon punched Kyle, who was still stuck on it. Many leaves fell down over her face, and a branch bonked her on the head. The branch landed on a familiar object-It was her quiver that held her sacred arrows inside.

"This is it.." She grabbed them and strapped the quiver on as quickly as she could. The tree shook again from another blow the demon made against Kyle. Kyle was indented in the tree from getting pounded farther and farther into it. He dropped his sword to the ground, hardly able to take it any longer.

"What's the matter, runt? Can't fight back? What happened to that noble talk and those fancy moves?" The demon taunted. "Its only natural. I am the strongest, after all. There was no way you could have beaten me in the first place." Suddenly, a piercing bright light shone from beside the tree that caught the demon's attention. "What's this?"

Kikyo aimed her arrow at the demon's chest. 'I only have one shot...If this misses, we won't make it.'

The demon squinted his eyes, trying to figure out what it was. By then, it was too late. Kikyo freed the arrow from the bow.

The sacred arrow shot forward at seemingly light speed, looking like a streak of pure white light. The arrow pierced right through the demon, disappearing from sight a great distance behind him.

Didn't have to do anything to this one. It turned out very well!^^

~~Chapter 10 The Story That Started it All~~

Kyle opened one eye to see the demon glowing pure white, looking to be frozen in shock. He tried with all his might to force himself off the tree. He landed on his feet, but fell to his knee, gasping for breath. He looked up to see the demon slowly getting enveloped in the pure light, before being totally vanquished. Kyle managed to bring himself to his feet after picking up his sword.

"We..destroyed it.." He said, clutching his chest with his free hand.

"Yes, but not without sacrifice. You're wounded.." Kikyo said quietly, and walked to his aid.

She dropped her bow and sat down on her knees beside him. "Please..Lie down and let me tend to them. I owe you my life..This is the least I can do."

Kyle shook his head. "Nonsense. You destroyed the beast. If it weren't for you, I would have perished as well. We are even." Regardless of what he said, he laid down obediently. He had no way of healing himself, so he put his trust in her.

She reached into her kimono sleeve, and pulled out two little seashells that were closed together. Kyle watched her open the seashells, and inside looked like a gooey substance.

“This is a special ointment I made out of herbs and remedies. It will help your wounds heal much faster, but I‘m afraid it will sting for some time.” she explained. She ripped off a long piece of her undershirt, and dabbed some of the ointment onto it before gently rubbing it on his wounds.

Kyle cringed when he began to feel the stinging effects from the ointment, but laid quietly and let Kikyo finish.

The whole time she was tending to Kyle, Kikyo was looking blankly at him. She couldn’t get that image of Inuyasha out of her head when she looked at Kyle earlier. For some reason, this little creature had reminded her of the person she loved at that one instant..

Kyle kept still and silent as she treated him, but couldn't help but notice her staring at him. After she finished, He sat up. "Thank you." He said with a smile. "Is there something wrong? You have a very distant look.." He asked with a look of concern.

Kikyo was hesitant. She had been so used to being by herself, that it felt a little strange for someone to concern them self for her. She wasn’t good at telling people how she felt. And being a priestess; someone who should never show feelings, didn’t help any. But for some reason, Kikyo felt she could talk to this creature about anything. Just like she could with him…

“Please forgive me for sounding so dramatic, but you remind me of someone I truly loved long ago..” she answered.

Kyle's eyes widened. He was shocked at her words. "I-I..do?" He stammered, but then cleared his throat and straightened up, trying to say something with a better demeanor. "...I'm sorry, if it brings back painful memories." He said, looking down.

Kikyo smiled lightly, her eyes clouded over with distant memories. "There's no need to apologize." she assured. "It's good to keep these dear memories alive.."

Kyle nodded. 'Lady Kikyo seems so sad and lonely..I'm guessing from all that she's told me so far, she doesn't have anyone to talk to..It couldn't hurt if I stayed here with her a bit longer and talked with her.' he decided. He actually grew a little fond of the priestess after this short while. She was kind..and even though they had just met, she cared enough to help heal him..

"I'd like to hear about him.." he said, hoping she would open up to him.

Kikyo awakened from her nostalgia with a look of surprise.

"If that is alright with you?"

Kikyo stayed silent for a moment before nodding. "He was a powerful half-demon. A hard-headed and stubborn, yet kind man."

Kyle listened with interest. "..What was his name?" He asked.

Kikyo paused for a moment, her gaze lifting to the sky. "..Inuyasha."

"Inuyasha.." he repeated quietly, thinking of how unusual the name was.

"It was quite ironic, really.." she continued, smiling at a cruel inside joke Kyle didn't understand. "I was the priestess guardian of a powerful sacred jewel called the Shikon No Tama when I was still alive. If in the wrong hands, the jewel could grant demons and humans alike with awesome and terrible power."

Kyle unknowingly leaned forward, interested in hearing of this jewel.

"..Everyday I had to fight off demon after demon, who heard of the jewel and wanted the power for themselves. Inuyasha was one of them.."

*Flashback*

“Hey Kikyo!”

“Huh?“ Kikyo stopped mid step and turned to see a silver haired man with dog-ears and a large red kimono. Some one she’s never seen before..

“I hear this so-called sacred jewel is a mysterious crystal that increases the power of a demon.” the man continued, smirking as he talked.

‘That voice..’ Kikyo thought. Now she wasn’t so confused about who he was. “I remember. You’re the one who was hiding in the shadows the other night.”

Something she said apparently set him off. “SHADDUP!” he fumed. “Just hand over the sacred jewel!”

Without warning, he charged at her with fangs bared and claws out. Before he could reach her, she quickly reached in her quiver and shot two arrows at him. Both went through each sleeve of his kimono and into a tree.

“I understand. I thought I sensed a different aura in you. You’re a mere half demon.”

He growled.

“With the sacred jewel, you could become a full blooded demon. Would you go that far to find your place in the world, half demon? Do you believe that is true power?” she asked.

He continued to growl at her. “I told you to shut up! I’m gonna be the strongest demon around! I’ve already made up my mind. And when I do become a full fledged demon, I’m gonna put you out of your misery!”

Kikyo smirked and let out a small laugh before turning away from him to walk back towards her village.

“Take my word for it; that’s never going to happen. Not as long as I purify and protect it.”

“Don’t make me laugh! You totally reek with the stench of demon blood!” he yelled after her.

Kikyo turned around, and stared him down hatefully.

“What’s the matter? Did I touch a nerve? Huh Kikyo?” he taunted with a smirk.

“You’d better stay away from me if you do not wish to be killed. There will be no third chance!” she threatened, and turned around yet again to go her way.

“I’m not givin up that easily! Go ahead and run. You won’t get away from me! With that bloody demon smell on you, you’ll be easy enough to find.”

“Smelling me..” Kikyo whispered to herself when she was a little far ways from the strange half demon. “Humph!”


*Flashback Ends*

Kyle blinked, and sat there confused. “With all due respect, I find it incredibly hard to believe that you two became sweethearts soon afterwards.” He remarked.

Kikyo laughed a little. “After a few more visits, we weren’t that nasty to each other anymore. But even though he made the vow to get the jewel from me, he never did. After awhile, instead of harassing me for it, we began to talk.”

Kyle listened carefully, wanting to hear how they went from THAT to actually liking each other.

*flashback*

Kikyo sat down in her favorite thinking place: on top of a hill where she could see her whole village. She was a little..upset.

“Inuyasha..you’re there, aren’t you? Why don’t you come down?” she asked while she continued to look down at the village.

Inuyasha poked his head from some leaves, looking surprised. He had no idea of why she would possibly want him down there with her, but he did as he was asked, sitting a few feet from her with caution.

“This is the first time we’ve spoken up close.” she pointed out.

“So what’s your point?” he snapped, still confused.

“I understand you saved my sister Kaede. I want to thank you.” She bowed her head in gratitude.

Inuyasha smirked. “Trust me, the gratitude thing doesn’t look good on you.”

Kikyo said nothing as she stared up at the sky. She was very troubled..and for some reason she felt she could talk to him.

“Inuyasha..” she said quietly, and turned towards him. “How do I look to you? Do I seem human?”

He looked at her, surprised at the questions. “Huh? What are you goin on about?”

“I show my weakness to no one. I must never have doubts. Or demons would overcome me. I am human, yet I cannot be human. We’re quite alike, you and I. You, a half demon. That’s why I could not kill you.” she explained.

Inuyasha stood up with annoyance written on his face. “Ha! Is that supposed to be an excuse? Doesn’t really seem like you!” He started to walk away, but turned to see her smiling at him.

“You’re right. I suppose its not like me..” She said with a small smirk, picked up her bow and arrows, and stood up. “Inuyasha?..”

“Huh? What is it?” he asked.

She hesitated. “..Never mind.” With her heart still a little heavy with grief, she started to walk away from him.

“Kikyo! C-Come back here tomorrow!” he called after her.

She turned back around to look at him with surprise. “Huh?”

Inuyasha blushed, but tried to hide it with a scowl. “What I mean is..I wanna give you something.”

Kikyo smiled, and felt her heat flutter a bit with happiness. “You want to give me something? That’s good..because I have something I’ve been thinking about giving you.”

“Huh? The sacred jewel?” he asked, balling his fists in excitement.

“No such thing!” she laughed.

He turned his head and pouted. “Teh! Shudda known..”

*flashback over*

“It might not have seemed much, but that conversation was the key that started many others..” She stared sadly at nothing for a long time.

Kyle watched her for a moment, thinking maybe he shouldn’t say anything until she did.

Her mind went back to the final peaceful day she spent with her love when she was alive..

Inuyasha held his first love into a tender embrace, never wanting to let go.

“Kikyo, I will become human. I swear I’m not just saying this. I will become a human so you can become a normal human too..so you can be my wife. Kikyo, I truly am in love with you..”

"Inuyasha.." she whispered tenderly, and leaned in for a long kiss.

Kikyo was sure if she still had a heart, it would be breaking right now. But in spite of the great sadness she felt, she turned to Kyle and smiled.

“I’m sorry if I bored you any. How are your wounds?” she asked, her kind smile never leaving her face.

Kyle shook his head with a gentle smile. "Not at all. It was a very touching tale." He reassured her. He found it a bit embarrassing and flattering to think that he reminded her of someone she once loved. "I am feeling much better. Thank you very much."

While he said this, he couldn't help but wonder just what exactly happened to Inuyasha that caused his unfortunate end, and the same about Kikyo herself.
But he decided to let his curiosity unanswered. He didn't have the heart to ask her. He let his eyes travel down to his sword, and suddenly remembered his quest.

"Lady Kikyo, I hate to do this, but I must go now and search for the Gem of Earth. Thank you so much for your kindness. I deeply appreciate it. I am sorry if I was a burden to you." Despite the pain he was in, he got on one knee, and bowed to her.

Kikyo gave him a slight smile, but grew worried when she saw the glimpse of pain in his eyes. "It truly was no burden. I would like to give you my thanks as well. But..would you mind if I aided you?"

Kyle looked up at her. He could see that she was a bit concerned for him. To be polite, he didn't want to trouble her at all. But thinking wisely, it would be best if she accompanied him. After all, he still wasn't fully recovered. If he encountered yet another demon, he would most definitely be done for. "...If it is not going out of your way. I'd hate to trouble you so." He answered.

“Not at all. In fact, I’m searching for something as well..Earlier today I felt a familiar powerful demonic aura, and if I’m correct, I must hurry and find it. Maybe this gem of yours could be on the way. It could be like killing two birds with one stone.” she explained.

Kyle thought carefully of what she said. ‘A demonic aura?..’ He thought back to this morning when he felt something strange. He couldn’t exactly explain the feeling, just that it didn’t feel very pleasant. It felt evil. Kikyo was thoughtful as she watched him think in silence. “You have felt it too.” It was more of a statement than a question.

He nodded. “If it is on the path of finding the Gem of Earth, I will be happy to help you find what you need as well.”

Kikyo strapped her quiver of arrows to her back, and picked up her large bow. “Then let’s go.” she said, and walked on.

Added a new flashback to this one! But no changes!


~Chapter 11 Planning Kaoru’s Demise~~

"...And that is why we came to you." Smash finished his explanation of the situation. Everyone else besides Pearl and Yami looked pretty tense, to say the least. "I know what you're thinking...'How could this have happened?'." Smash looked down and shook his head. "I knew something was wrong. I never knew something this dangerous was amiss, though...If only I were stronger..." A noticeable tone of regret lingered in his words. "I could have done...something..." He let out a sigh, feeling distressed.

Yami looked over at Smash, saddened with what he added at the end. She put her hand on his shoulder in comfort, and only spoke with her sympathetic eyes.

At the sound of Kaoru's name, Sesshomaru's eyes widened in both shock and fury. His body flinched a few times, remembering what that witch did to his brother and niece.

Yumi was terrified. That night when her uncle's life was taken, haunted her almost as much as it did Yami.

~Flashback

Little 10 year old Yumi and her father were still sitting at the table eating their dinner after Yami went back home.

“I can’t wait for Yami to come back tomorrow!” little Yumi exclaimed with her mouth full of chicken.

“I bet.” Sesshomaru smiled. “Tomorrow Uncle Inuyasha and I are taking you two girls somewhere special.”

Yumi’s eyes lit up, and she gulped her chicken fast so she could talk. “Really? Where?” she cried.

Sesshomaru smiled lightly. “It’s a surprise.”

“Awww..” Yumi pouted.

Sesshomaru continued to smile at his little girl, but then, out of nowhere, he sensed there was something wrong. He frowned and stood up to walk to the door.

“Wh-What is it daddy?” his daughter asked. Yumi could tell something was wrong too.

“I don’t know. But I don’t like it. I’m going to go see what it is. You come with me so you won’t be here by yourself.”

Yumi did what she was told, and followed her father outside.

As soon as he stepped outside, his eyes widened at what he smelled. ‘It couldn’t be..’ he thought.

“Daddy..” Yumi squeaked. She knew exactly who the scent belonged to, and grew frightened. “N-Naraku…”

“Yumi..you’re uncle and Yami are in trouble. Hold on to me and hide when we get there.”

Sesshomaru waited for his daughter to grab his tail, then took off. ‘What the hell is going on here? How is Inuyasha being beaten so easily?' He could very well smell his brother’s blood..and there was a lot..

‘I hope I don’t get there too late..’

Little Yumi held onto her father’s tail closely, staring off into the distance with worry. She didn’t know what to think. She could smell Uncle Inuyasha and Yami’s blood..and didn’t want to believe what was happening.

Suddenly, Sesshomaru came to a complete stop. As soon as he did, Yumi noticed that Naraku and Kaoru’s smell were gone. Only the smell of her Uncle’s and Yami’s blood was in the air.

“Don’t let go.”

She nodded, and clung to her father’s tail tightly, fearing the worst.

As they walked closer, they heard Yami screaming and crying out for her father.

Yumi felt her heart drop from what she saw..Her uncle lay dead on his back as her cousin laid on top of his lifeless body screaming and crying for him to come back..

Yumi’s flashback began to fade during the part where her and her father ran to Yami’s aid..the look on her cousins face when she saw them coming to her would never leave her mind..

“This can’t be happening..” she whispered disbelievingly, and started to quiver.

Sesshomaru shot his eyes back at Smash. Now his eyes lost the shocking expression, and was over-powered by hate and fury. "How is this possible?!" he growled. Everyone flinched from how menacing he sounded. Smash took a step back, looking startled. "H-Hey, Don't look at ME! It's not like I released the demon!"

"That evil low-life witch is going to kill that innocent girl for her selfish needs? How could something like this just happen right under my nose?.." he paused, still glaring down at the three that brought this terrible news.

Yami stayed silent with the rest of them. Even though her uncle was furious, she knew that deep down he was blaming himself for this..She knew he was thinking he should've been strong enough to prevent this from happening. Just like Smash...

Everyone broke from the tense silence when little Kaomi started to sob. "Wh-what's wrong? Wh-why is everyone being s-so scary..? Uncle Sesshy..Mommy?..." the small half demon cried.

"Aw..Kaomi.." Yami whispered in a soothing tone, and picked her daughter up.

Sesshomaru's face smoothed and softened into his emotionless mask. He laid his hand on the side of Kaomi's face and wiped her tears away. "I'm sorry." he whispered with no emotion. Little Kaomi nodded and silenced her sobs a little.

"What is our plan to rid of the demon that killed my brother?" he asked quickly and turned to Smash, dropping his hand from the girl's face.

"That's the question." Smash said while folding his arms. "I was hoping that Yami would know her weakness...She's the one who lead us here after all. We needed your help. But I still don't know what the heck we're gonna do." Smash shook his head. "What can we do against a person we can't even hurt?"

Pearl thought for a moment. "Wait...Yami, that thing...Remember that dream you had? And those things were shining in reaction? You never actually explained what entirely happened. But I think that's the key to our problem."

Yami felt everyone's eyes burn into her as she held her daughter tightly. "I..um..." she stammered nervously, still hoping no one would think she was nuts after her explanation.

"My father...came to me in a dream and told me how to defeat Kaoru." she answered, making her voice strong.

Sesshomaru's eyes widened slightly.

"U-Uncle Inuyasha..?" Yumi asked in shock.

Yami hesitated, but looked over at Pearl who gave her an assuring nod, telling her to continue.

"He said that when Kaoru was killed, Kikyo snatched her soul so that her evil couldn't be reborn. Her soul, and the jewel shards that Taelor was carrying is the reason her spirit was brought back. We need to find Kikyo and destroy Kaoru's soul if we are to defeat her...It might have been a dream, but Pearl said my sacred jewel shards were shining as I slept..so I think it means that my wish was granted..but maybe I'm just being nuts.."

"Your dream was real." Sesshomaru spoke up. "Everyone who has ever come in contact with the jewel, has a piece of their spirit in it. You asked for her weakness, and the spirit of your father in the jewel answered you." he explained.

Yami took in this new information with a smile. The thought of her father still being with her as she held the jewel fragments was very comforting.

"Perfect." Smash said, now managing to crack a smile. "We just might be able to do this in time. Heck, we HAVE to do this in time if we wanna save Taelor! Where do we find her?"

"Who exactly is this Kikyo person, Yami?" Pearl asked curiously. "Is she a friend?"

Yami made a low growl in the back of her throat and her lips curled back a little to show her demonic fangs.

Smash and Pearl took a step back, startled.

"She's no friend of mine..." she answered darkly.

Smash sighed with a sweatdrop rolling down the side of his face. "This won't be very easy."

Pearl gulped. "Oh..Uh, Sorry. I didn't know."

Sesshomaru flashed Yami a look of understanding, but his voice was stern and strong.

“Now Yami, that was in the distant past. Besides, you shouldn’t be holding onto those personal feelings when your friends’ lives are in the balance.”

Yami nodded and understood, but scowled as she clung to her sword’s handle.

“Yes uncle..but she’d better watch herself. I’m not as weak as I used to be..”

Smash and Pearl had no idea what was being talked about, but decided it wasn’t important at the time. Frost and Icicle were still fighting that witch and time was running out.

“So what’s the plan Yami? How do we find Kikyo?” Smash asked.

“Uncle, Yumi…I need you both to go to Akebe Village to help our allies fight Kaoru off.” Yami ordered.

Both father and daughter nodded.

“Smash and Pearl..you both come with me and help me find Kikyo.”

“What about me, mommy?” Little Kaomi tugged on her mother’s kimono.

Yami was at a loss. “Umm…uhh…”

“We can’t just leave her here by herself, Yami.” Yumi reminded.

“We should take her.” Smash said. “Its better than her being on the battlefield.”

Yami nodded and smiled at her daughter. “Be a good girl for mommy, okay? Try not to get into any trouble on our way.”

Kaomi smiled and jumped up on her mother’s back. “Okay mommy! Let’s go!”

Everyone smiled at the child’s innocence.

“We’ll see you on the battlefield.” Sesshomaru said and disappeared.

“Hurry and find Kikyo!” Yumi called as she ran after her father and disappeared.

“Where would Kikyo be, Yami?” Pearl asked.

“She’s probably rummaging her filthy body in the woods as she always has..I’ll track her down and find her scent. Just try to keep up..”

Smash and Pearl nodded and followed Yami when she started to run.

“Wow..Bringing Kikyo up certainly puts Yami in a bad mood. I wonder why she doesn’t like her so much?..” Pearl whispered to Smash.

Smash shook his head. "Rough encounters in the past, methinks. I know how it is." He suggested while remembering a few other people he had similar attitudes towards. He ran off to keep up with Yami, with Pearl close behind.

Didn't do any changes to this one either, really.

~Chapter 12 Reinforcements Have Arrived~~

The battle raged on back at the village. Frost and Icicle were going at Kaoru with all they had now. They were getting desperate, and they couldn't shake the feeling that Kaoru might be catching onto what was going on. They both were fighting side-by-side, attacking in unison.

Kaoru didn't seem to have much trouble defending herself, but they didn't give her much of a chance to go on the offensive. They both clashed their swords against hers, and got her to back up against a wall. They were about ready to strike, but she managed to counter with another one of her barriers.

The barrier bounced the two of them backwards, and she took the opportunity to strike them. With a single swipe of her blade, she knocked both of the warriors across the dirt road. They quickly regained their footing and charged back towards her. She held her sword up above her head and whispered something under her breath. She slammed it down towards Icicle. Icicle quickly held up both of his blades to defend it, but the force of the blow drove his feet down into the ground which cracked underneath him. Suddenly, there was a loud crack.

Everyone--even Kaoru froze. Moments passed by. The silence was then broken by Icicle gasping. The top half of his swords fell to the ground, seemingly disintegrating. Kaoru smirked evilly, even though she was taken by surprise.

"You are weak, little one. Did you honestly think that you had a chance against me?" Icicle dropped his swords in shock.

"They say that the power of a sword relies on the one who wields it. Ironic that the sword's power was the first to diminish." She began to cackle.

"Now that is just hyo.." Frost was staring in shock. Kaoru pointed her sword at Icicle's face. "The adventure is over. Lets see if you can at least die properly." Icicle found himself unable to move an inch.

"Kaoru!" A man's voice called out. Kaoru looked up and scrunched her face.

"Hmph, You.." She sneered as Sesshomaru came into view. Frost took this as his chance to pull Icicle out of the way.

Sesshomaru stepped swiftly onto the battlefield, never taking his eyes off the evil witch. Yumi then appeared not too far behind him.

"The mighty Lord Sesshomaru and Princess Yumi have decided to grace me with their presence! What an honor.." She bowed, mocking them.

"These must be the reinforcements Smash and Yami promised us." Frost whispered to his brother. The two could feel the tension in the air.

"Long time no see, Lord Sesshomaru. Still pissed about your brother's tragic demise?" Kaoru continued.

Sesshomaru flinched in anger. "Even looking at you disgusts me. How dare you even think to use your tongue in the presence of me and my daughter. I‘ve sworn on my brother‘s life that I will put an end to yours."

Kaoru pretended to look hurt. "Lord Sesshomaru, you‘re hurting my feelings.. I only did Inuyasha a favor by killing him! He lived such a miserable life as a halfbreed."

He snarled. "If I hear my brother's name slide out of that poisonous mouth again, I'll..!!" In a flash, he charged at Kaoru, and their swords clashed.

"You'll what? Kill me? My dear Sesshomaru, you were going to do that anyways." She smiled, looking deep in his eyes of hatred, their faces nearly touching.

Icicle was still in shock from what had just happened. "I...I couldn't...what just..." He stammered.

"Since you can't fight without a weapon, I'm personally putting you in charge of backup." Frost placed the Power Star in his hands, and silently whispered something. Icicle looked at the star as it glowed green, and began to heal his wounds. Taking his hand off the star, he gave his brother a slight smile. "Just leave this to us for now, alright?"

Icicle nodded. "Alright..Sorry, Frost."

Frost shook his head. "Don't worry about it." He ran back to the battlefield and stood by to back Sesshomaru up.

With their blades still clashed, the two demons fought for dominance of their strength. Sesshomaru was pushing with all of his might, getting more and more flustered when he felt his feet drag backwards from her strength. The whole time, Kaoru smiled wickedly. And with a swift motion, she threw him off of her blade.

She laughed as she watched him spring back to his feet, making him angrier.

"You're no match for me, my dear Lord Sesshomaru! I am much stronger than I was back then. And what do you plan to do to me, knowing that when you hurt me, that demon slayer girl will feel it just as well!"

"Enough!" he commanded. "I will find a way...." With that, he charged after her again.

Yumi watched the fight with worry. Even though she knew her father could more than enough handle himself..but he never faced an opponent he couldn't hurt..

"Um..excuse me!"

Yumi turned to see a small cyan colored puffball coming towards her.

"Hello, there." she greeted. "Are you Smash's friend?"

"Yes." the small creature answered. "My name is Icicle."

"And my name is Yumi." she smiled.

"Man, I sure am glad you and that guy showed up. I thought I was dead!" Icicle exclaimed. "Though my brother probably wouldn't let that happen, anyway."

"Your brother?" Yumi looked over and saw a similar creature closer to the fight. Then she turned to face Icicle again, with a sweat drop on the side of her face. "I hope your brother knows not to interfere in father's battles.."

"Don't worry about Frost." Icicle said. "He's about as tough as they come. 'Sides, it was HIS battle first."

Frost still stood by, knowing that if he got too close he might get trampled, and possibly trip Sesshomaru, making him three times angrier than he already was and causing a complete disaster altogether.

Sesshomaru didn't seem to need any help. He was holding up on his own pretty well, even if he was fighting a losing battle. With each clash of their swords, his fury grew stronger. He did not hold back his strength, swinging his sword with all his might. Kaoru, however, was fighting back with a bit more ease, and had a calm, yet smug look on her face. That alone was infuriating to him. He knew she was mocking him. He swung at her furiously, and just nicked her across the face.

"Hmph. You actually touched me." She sneered, but then smirked. "And that little girl, too-" She was cut off by a heavy swing from him, which she just barely blocked.

"Shut, Up." He growled. Kaoru then came to the conclusion that he actually really was going to kill her.

"Smash had better hurry the hyo up." Icicle said, wide-eyed. "This guy doesn't mess around, does he?"

Yumi shook her head with a sweat drop. "Unfortunately."

Frost stood there watching the battle, frowning. "Yeah, Smash..Hurry up..." He turned to look at the sky. The sun was beginning to set. "We're running out of time..."


The clash of their swords now grew strong enough to make a spark with each hit. Kaoru actually began fighting back, showing that she was indeed stronger than Sesshomaru. But he didn't give up nor care. He was not about to fall to this woman. "Give it up, you cannot defeat me." She taunted. "You've grown soft over the years, haven't you?"

"Ha! As if." Sesshomaru struck again with a hard blow, pushing her back a bit. She countered with another slash, and locked blades with him again.

"Hmph, is that so? You couldn't even beat that girl you're trying to save."

Sesshomaru's eyes shrank in shock, but quickly erupted into raging flames. "You..." The next thing she knew, he was the one shoving her back. He threw her off of his blade and followed up with a head splitter. She blocked it just in time, and put her free hand out to create a force field to bounce him backwards.

"Okay, now That's playing dirty." Frost said angrily.

Yumi watched her dad fight Kaoru with uneasiness. She knew better than anyone here just how her father's temper could get the best of him. She was scared that if Kaoru made him angry enough, he would kill her..then Taelor would be gone..

"Force fields now.." Sesshomaru said lowly, and stood still. "You're just like that bastard Naraku."

Something was happening. Sesshomaru's eyes were turning dark red and his demonic aura flourished in the darkness he was feeding it.

Icicle and Frost were shocked. "Wh-What's happening to him?.." Icicle asked Yumi. Yumi watched in horror, knowing that it could all be over..

Kaoru stopped smiling, and grew angry. "Don't compare me with that low-life. I despise him and all other half demons in his place.."

"That didn't stop you two from working together to kill my brother." he argued darkly.

"Yes! On that day, it was Naraku's weakness that brought me down with him!"

“That’s just an excuse. The both of you were too weak to defeat a little 12 year old girl!”

Enraged, Kaoru charged at Sesshomaru and swung her blade furiously at him. Sesshomaru smirked. She was leaving herself vulnerable with her infuriating actions.

"Say goodbye.." he whispered, and found the opportunity he was waiting for.

Kaoru flinched, and shut her eyes fearfully while waiting for the pain.

"Noooooo!"

Before he landed the final blow, he felt a blade hit his sword to stop him from killing Kaoru. His sword flew out of his hands, and landed a few feet away.

Both Kaoru and Sesshomaru's eyes went wide in shock when they saw who stopped him.

"Yumi..How dare you-"

"Father, you have to stop!" Yumi yelled, her voice strong but afraid. "I won't let you hurt her..If you kill Kaoru now, Taelor will be lost forever..And I know you don‘t want to lose her as much as we don‘t!"

Sesshomaru came back to his senses. He blinked, and his eyes turned back to normal. "Forgive me.." He put one strong arm around his daughter, who was now sobbing.

"Oh how touching." Kaoru said softly. Her fear had disappeared now, and she was back to her cocky self. "See, this is what I mean when I said you'd gone soft. The Sesshomaru I know wouldn't back down from his true nature for a little girl.."

He put Yumi behind him, and growled. "I can't kill you Kaoru, but you sure are making it hard. I don't need my sword to fight you.." He put his hand out in front of him, and a whip of demonic aura appeared.

Kaoru smiled. "We'll just see about that.."

Had to fix a few story errors cause some of the dialogue didn't go with what they talked about in past chapters. Some were mostly repeating.


~Chapter 13 Finding Kikyo~~

Smash took this seemingly endless run as a part of his training. He appeared to be holding up pretty well, however, Pearl was showing signs of fatigue.

Soon they came to a stop as they entered the mysterious forest. "My instincts tell me that this mysterious place is dangerous." Smash said, stroking his chin. He turned to look at the other two, and saw Pearl holding her knees while panting. "You okay?"

"Yeah..I'm just a bit worn out..." She said. "Lemme catch my breath and I'll be fine."

"Don't overdo it, alright?" Smash said with a small smile.

Yami was actually glad they had stopped. She didn't really know how she could face Kikyo..the woman she hated for so long. How could she ask her of all people for help?

'I need to stop this..Taelor's life depends on us. And if we don't find Kikyo, she'll be gone..'

Pearl smiled lightly. "I'm sorry for holding us all up.."

"No, don't worry about it. I still need to catch Kikyo's scent anyways." Yami assured. She stuck her nose in the air, and tried to get the scent.

"Any luck?" Smash asked.

Yami didn't answer for a while, still trying to find it. But then she scrunched her nose, and made a low grunt. "Yeah..that's her alright." she said with disgust.

But something was odd. There was another scent mixed with Kikyo's. “She's traveling with somebody..I wonder who..” she thought aloud.

"Is there something wrong, Yami?" Pearl asked when she noticed Yami spacing out.

"No, I'm fine..Now listen. This isn't your average everyday forest. There are many demons that live in here. Many worse than the one we saw on our trip to Akebi. We have to stay close, and try to watch out. I don't know how long this will take to actually find Kikyo..because her trail here is cold.." she explained.

"Yep, just about what I expected." Smash shook his head. "Well then, We'll have to make this quick. We'll find her fast."

Yami smiled softly. "Yeah we will.."

"Mommy.."

The three looked over at poor Kaomi, clinging to her mother tightly. "I'm scared.."

"You have nothing to fear, sweetheart. Mommy will make sure nothing hurts you." Yami cooed.

"And don't forget you have Uncle Smash and Aunt Pearl here to take care of you, too." Smash winked at her.

Kaomi smiled. "O-okay!"

"Are you alright now, Pearl?" Yami asked.

Pearl stood up straight and gave them all a confident smile. "Yeah, I'm good. Lets go." She said.

"No matter what happens, stay together okay?" Smash reminded them. They all nodded, and walked into the forest together.

~~~

Kyle stopped, deep in the forest. The Gemblade was glowing brightly in his hand. "It must be here.." He said. He looked around for a few moments, then set his eyes towards the base of a tree.

A small smile spread across his face as he walked towards the small, glittering gem resting against one of the exposed roots. "This is it...The last missing gem..." He said softly.

Kikyo stood at a distance, smiling at him.

Kyle then held his sword above his head, and stabbed it into the ground. The sword stopped halfway through, and Kyle whispered something under his breath. The green gem glowed in response, and lifted into the air, soon returning to the empty spot on the hilt of the sword. The sword then let out a bright flash. As he removed the blade from the ground, they noticed that it had changed color. The handle had changed from wooden brown to pale yellow color, and the blade became light golden with a slight golden aura around it.

"The Gemblade...has returned to it's former state." He said. He turned to Kikyo. "I must thank you, Lady Kikyo, for all that you have done." He gave a bow of respect.

"You're quite welcome." she said, bowing back. "Now where will your journey take you?" She knew he'd probably want to continue his previous journey alone. If Kyle didn't know any better, he'd say she sounded a little disappointed.

He looked off into the distance. "...I am not entirely sure where exactly I should go, however, I believe I know what I must do now. There is a man, a man who was the cause of my memory loss..I must find him, and put an end to all of this." He then looked at her. "Unfortunately, I haven't a clue of where to find him."

"What is his name?" Kikyo asked.

"...Dr. Robotnik." He frowned at the name. Kikyo, on the other hand, raised her eyebrows.

"An odd name..I haven't heard of him, before." She said.

"I don't know much about him myself," Kyle said, looking to the side while thinking. "But from what I make of him, he is a ruthless man bent on world domination. He creates monsters from metal, and uses them as his own army."

"Monsters made of..metal?" Kikyo was at a loss. All of this was new to her. But nonetheless, it seemed like they both had more in common.

"I hope you find him, and the answers you're looking for. A man like that should be stopped.." At that instant, Naraku appeared in her mind..smiling his evil smile..and making her uneasy.

"Thank you." Kyle said. He then noticed her unsettled look, and began to look worried himself. "Are you..alright?" He asked.

Kikyo snapped out of it, and hid how she was feeling behind an emotionless mask.

"Yes..yes I'm fine.." she assured, almost snapping.

Kyle could tell there was something wrong with her. She never sounded that way with him before..

"I'm glad that you found you're gem..but I must go now and finish my quest..to stop an evil that haunts me."

"Perhaps I can assist you?" Kyle offered. "After all, you were a great help to my journey. I would like to return the favor."

"But don't you have your own journey to finish?" Kikyo asked, not wanting to stray him from his path.

"Do not worry." Kyle smiled kindly at her. "I don't know where to go next from here, anyway. I may as well accompany you. I might even find some clues, if not answers."

"Alright..Thank you." Kikyo smiled back, and led the way.

Kyle wondered what happened to make her so upset as he followed her through the woods.

~~~

Yami stopped in her tracks from what she saw.

"What is it, Ya-" Smash cut off when he laid eyes on the site.

Multiple trees lay in pieces, broken off completely and just plain destroyed. Pearl's pupils went small from shock. "What happened here?" she asked.

"Holy crap." Was all that Smash could say about the sight.

"She had a battle here." Yami explained simply, and started walking through the rubble.

"With who, Godzilla?!" Smash exclaimed.

A sweat drop rolled down the side of her face. "No, some demons are much..larger than others."

"If this demon is so big...then where's the body at?" Pearl asked, scared that maybe Kikyo didn't win the battle.

Yami looked down, and picked up a smoldered arrow.

"Kikyo is a priestess. Her weapons are arrows that purify demons. And when you purify demons, no body is left behind. That's why I can't even smell it."

Kaomi let out a scream. "M-Mommy! Look!" She pointed over to a giant hand that laid over to the side.

"What the CRAP!?" Smash exclaimed, jumping back a bit. Seeing a giant hand bigger than his entire body sent chills up his spine. But this didn't make any sense, now that he thought about it. "Only its hand was left behind..? But...if you're purifying a demon, and no body is left behind...then what is..." He was a little creeped out.

Yami was baffled, but then thought back to her previous idea. “She's definitely traveling with someone. Why else would this hand be here?” she thought aloud.

Smash glanced over at her. 'I'm wondering who she's decided to hang out with that could chop of an entire hand off of something this size...' He wondered.

"Come on. Let's keep going. The trail is getting fresher." she said, and started to run again.

"Yeah, We'd better hurry before we lose her." Smash said. "Or before another 2kfoot monster shows up." He added, rolling his eyes.

Pearl hurried behind them both. "Not something I'd wanna see! Don't scare little Kaomi either, Smash."

Smash laughed nervously. "Eheh, Sorry!" A sweat drop rolled down the side of his face.

~~~

"We're nearly there." Kikyo announced.

Up ahead, Kyle saw a large blue barrier covering part of the forest. Kikyo touched it with her hand, and chanted something he couldn't hear. The barrier soon dissipated after that, and the two continued on their way.

"Did you put that barrier there, Lady Kikyo?"

"Yes." she answered. "So no one could come across it."

Kyle's curiosity was getting the better of him.

"What exactly have you been hiding in here?" he asked finally.

Kikyo halted, and hesitated for a moment.

"Do you remember that strange force you felt earlier today?.."

He knew exactly what she was talking about. “Yes..What was it, exactly..?"

"A terrible demon that was once alive, has come back. I hid her soul in these woods, hoping that her evil would never be reborn again..That is what I must find. Her soul.." she explained lowly.

Kyle was shocked. "Her soul? But..how could she come back if you have it here?"

"I'm sure it can be explained in time..But I will stop at nothing to get rid of her again. You see..she was involved in the murder of my Inuyasha.."

Kyle gasped softly, but didn't say anything else after that. His expression changed to a determined look. 'Then we will rid her from this world together.' He thought. But the thought of a destroyed evil coming back, and her soul locked away in a mysterious forest, it was a bit much for him. But he was determined to help in any way he could to stop her.

"I'm surprised you even care about his death!"

Kikyo and Kyle turned sharply to see where the female voice came from. There, not too far from them, Kyle saw a girl with dog ears and two echidnas. The girl seemed to be the one that spoke.

Kikyo frowned. "I thought I'd come across you soon." she said lowly, almost hatefully.

Kyle put his hands on his sword. 'Who are these strangers?' He thought to himself.

"Looks like you were right, Someone's with her." Smash said. 'And he's a hedgehog...What's a hedgehog doing with a person like this?' He thought. Before he could say anything else, he felt little Kaomi getting shoved into his hands.

"Take care of Kaomi for a moment, Smash." Yami told him. Smash slit his eyes at her.

"You'd better not.." He mumbled.

Kikyo glared daggers at her. "What business do you have here, Half demon?"

"I have a name you know, Kikyo. And you're lucky that I'm even calling you by your own!"

Kikyo drew her bow and fitted an arrow in it, pointing it directly at Yami. "I repeat, What business do you have here? You are not welcome to just stroll about in here, Half demon!"

Yami's rage nearly exploded. "Alright, That’s it!" She drew her Tetsusaiga and pointed it at her. Kyle then drew his sword and stood beside Kikyo. "Now I-"

"That's Enough, Both of you!" Smash yelled. He put Kaomi down and walked in between them.

"Smash, get out of-"

"Yami! Put that sword away RIGHT NOW." He commanded in a very stern voice, almost yelling at her. Yami, surprised at his sudden change, lowered the sword. She then put it away, while Kikyo lowered her bow.

Smash turned to face Kikyo and spoke again, in a calmer tone. "I don't know what happened between you two, but put it behind yourselves for now. We've got bigger fish to fry." He said. "To answer your question, We are here because a powerful demon has returned. No doubt you know about this, since no person in their right senses wouldn't have felt that dark presence in the air."

Both Kikyo and Kyle knew exactly what he was talking about, and withdrew their weapons. "That could only mean..." Kikyo began.

"That we need your help, Kikyo." Smash finished. "You're the only one who can help exploit her weakness. And we have a deadline, literally." The two raised their eyebrows. "Our friend was overtaken by the demon, Kaoru. It appears that she was still intact inside the jewel shards she possessed, and finally came out and consumed her. However, She is still alive. But not for long. By tomorrow evening, She'll be completely gone. What's more, we can't hurt her without hurting our friend as well. We came seeking you out for help, while placing our friends' lives in danger as they are holding her back from rampaging about."

Pearl walked next to him. "Please, We desperately need your help."

Kikyo looked at the two of them. "I'm curious, How did you know to come to me?" She asked.

"Yami had a dream that Inuyasha told her to come to you." She said. "And we believe that it's true."

Kikyo's eyes widened. "Inuyasha..?" She said softly in surprise. Kyle also looked surprised. "Tell me...Who are you?"

"My name is Smash The Echidna. And this is my sister, Pearl." Smash introduced.

Yami looked over at Kyle. "So why are you traveling with this guy?" She asked.

Kyle looked over at Yami. "I suppose I should introduce myself as well." He said calmly. "My name is Kyle Tyris. Kikyo aided me in my journey, and I am simply returning the favor. Coincidentally, We already planned to destroy the demon ourselves."

Yami's eye's widened. "Is this true?"

"Yes it is." Kikyo said. Her voice had softened up towards her, but she still looked unhappy about her presence. "I suppose I could let you tag along this time."

Yami scowled. "Don't push your luck."

Smash sighed and shook his head. "I think it'd be better if you two didn't talk to each other from now on." He said. "Now why don't we get going? It's getting dark."

"Hmph." Both Yami and Kikyo looked away from each other.

Yami made a mocking sound in her throat before picking her daughter up. "Just hurry up and take us there already." she said impatiently. "We have a friend to save."

Kikyo grunted, but didn't say anything. She continued on her way, Kyle right beside her.

He couldn't quite put everything together. 'I have never seen Lady Kikyo act like that before..I wasn't even aware she could act like that.' He looked over at Yami, and got the feeling that he's seen her before. 'Just who is this girl..and why does Lady Kikyo despise her so much?'

Smash was getting a little impatient. Not just because of Yami and Kikyo's behavior..but because he was anxious to get Kaoru's soul and destroy her once and for all. They were taking way too long...

We're almost back at where we left off. That's great. ^^
Looks like I've got some work to do. I'm gonna try to add my edits onto these here.

I know, I'm so excited!^_^

Yeah..the both of us still have quite a bit of work to do..

Did a few changes here and there, but I'm so proud of how everything is turning out!^^


~Chapter 14 Destroying Kaoru’s Soul~~

Suddenly, Yami and Kikyo grew tense.

"Lady Kikyo? What is it?" Kyle asked.

But then his question was answered. He, Smash and Pearl felt many demonic aura's surrounding them.

"I feared this would happen..When I broke the barrier that hid Kaoru's soul, many demons were attracted by the power.." Kikyo explained, showing a bit of fear.

Yami panicked for a moment, thinking of her daughter's safety. "Mommy..?" Kaomi asked, terrified.

"Don't worry Kaomi. Pearl..please take care of her." Yami pleaded.

Pearl nodded and took Kaomi from her mother's arms. "I will." she said bravely.

"Stay close everyone! We're surrounded.." Yami said lowly.

As if right on cue, many demons appeared all around them. They were gruesome, evil looking things. Some had horns and red eyes while some had long claws and fangs. Every monster in a nightmare ever dreamed was here.

One of them laughed in its deep, evil voice. "All of you are in our way. So I guess we'll just have to eat you!"

Kyle immediately drew his sword. The blade glowed brightly as it was unsheathed. Yami drew her Tetsusaiga at the same time. Smash got into a battle stance, preparing for the worse. When he saw how many of them there were, a large sweat drop rolled down the side of his face. "I think we're in trouble..." He said.

Pearl held Kaomi close, ready to defend her with her life. She stood behind Smash as the demons began to close in.

Kyle held the Gemblade close to his face, the tip facing the sky. "Gem of Earth, Lend me thy strength..." He chanted. The gem that he had just acquired began to glow in response. He whispered softly to himself as the sword began to glow green with the Gem of Earth's power. "O sharpened rage, run through that which blocks our future..." The demons got close, close enough to strike. Kikyo shot an arrow at one of the demons, striking it in the head. The demon fell over, but several others came close. Kyle swung his sword, striking the demon in front of him. "Stalagmite!" He yelled. Before the Demon could retaliate, a large stalagmite erupted from the ground under it, impaling the demon and acting as a bit of a shield in front of him.

One of the demons took a swing at Kikyo before she could finish fitting her arrow into her bow, but before the attack struck her, Smash's fist slammed into it's face, knocking it onto the ground. Kikyo took that as her chance to shoot it while it was down.

Another demon lunged at Pearl, only to be completely chopped in half by Yami. "Don't even think about laying your filthy hands on either of them!" She yelled angrily, as she swung at another demon close by.

Smash began viciously pounding on one of the demons, and then spin kicked it away from him. It rolled back and slammed into a tree. Before Smash could do anything else, A demon pounced him from the side. "Gah!" He yelped. He fell to the ground, and the demon began pounding and clawing at him.

"Smash!" Pearl cried out. "Get off of him, you disgusting creep!"

The demon cackled, still not letting up. "What are you gonna do ab-OOF!" Before he could finish his sentence, Pearl had kicked him in the ribs like a soccer ball, still holding Kaomi in her arms. The demon flew off of Smash, allowing him to jump up to his feet. Smash jumped up into the air and landed a powerful punch to the demon's head while he was down. "Thanks, Pearl." He said after standing up. His face was bleeding from various spots, but he didn't show many signs of pain. He quickly rejoined the battle.

Yami knew that the only way she could end this battle quickly, was to use one of her Tetsusaiga's most powerful attacks. The wind scar. But she was afraid that if she used it now, she would accidentally hit where Kaoru's soul was hidden, ruining their chances of saving Taelor.

"Kikyo!" She sliced a demon that was in her way of the priestess in half. She had to swallow her pride and ask Kikyo for help if they were going to finish this battle.

"Yes?" Kikyo asked. In the blink of an eye, Kikyo shot an arrow at a demon that was coming straight for her. It hit it in the head, and made a terrible shrilling sound as it was being purified.

"Where is Kaoru's soul hidden?" Yami asked frantically.

Kikyo pointed in the direction it was in, then quickly took an arrow out of her quiver to kill more oncoming demons.

"Thank you.." Yami said under her breath.

"Everyone, get behind me!" she yelled.

Even though her friends were confused, they listened and got out of the way. Immediately, Yami held her sword up high and swung it to the ground.

"Wind Scar!" she chanted.

Four long slashes of lightning appeared after her chant, and in less than a second, more than half of the demons were destroyed.

"Good job, Yami." Smash said, giving her the thumbs up. "Now, You guys hurry and get Kaoru's soul. I'll hold the rest of them off."

"Are you sure you can handle them all, Smash?" Yami asked with concern.

"I'll have to. We don't have time for this!" Smash exclaimed. "The sun's already below the horizon. Need I say more?"

Yami shook her head. "Be careful." She said as she ran with Kikyo and Pearl towards where Kaoru's soul was kept.

Kyle stepped next to Smash. "I shall assist you." He said. Smash looked over at him and nodded.

"Alright, then. Lets do this." The two of them charged forward and continued their battle with the demons.


Not too far from where Kyle and Smash were fighting, Kikyo stopped in front of a dead tree with a large hole in its trunk.

Pearl felt the terrible power pulse from the tree..the same power she felt right before Taelor turned into that witch..

Yami felt it as well, and was reminded yet again of that day when she killed her father. "No..." She held her head with both hands.

"Mommy!"

"Yami! Are you okay?" Pearl cried.

"Calm yourself, half demon." Kikyo said quietly, waiting to get the soul when Yami was okay.

"I-I'm fine.." Yami assured, and took her hands off her head. She did her best to not think about it anymore.

Seeing that Yami was okay, Kikyo reached down into the tree, and out came a large wooden box. Holding the box shut, was a sacred sutra.

"This is what I put it in..the sutra is to keep it from ever getting out on its own.." Kikyo explained.

"It would be a disaster if it ever did get out on its own.." Pearl said. "But now that we have this, we can defeat Kaoru and save Taelor." She looked at Yami. "Right?"

~~~

Smash and Kyle fought together, their backs facing each other as they took on the rest of the oncoming demons. They were doing well by themselves, holding off whatever came their way. And any demon that tried to rush past them towards the others, didn't get far with them there.

~~~

Yami smiled. "Yep! Now lets hurry and destroy it right n-!"

"I'm afraid its not that simple.." Kikyo interrupted.

Pearl's face dropped. "What?.."

Yami was annoyed. "What the hell do you mean?"

"What I mean is that it has to be destroyed a certain way. If we just destroy this soul right now, both Kaoru AND Taelor will disappear." she explained, getting annoyed with Yami's attitude.

"How do we destroy it then?" Yami snapped.

"I'll explain soon. Now we should be helping Smash and Kyle."

Pearl looked back at Smash and Kyle. "Ummm...I think they've got this one handled." She said as a sweat drop rolled down the side of her face.

A demon lunged at the two, and Smash had uppercutted it back into the air as Kyle jumped up and slashed it back down into a pile of other dead demons. Another demon came, and Kyle slashed it twice, and Smash spin kicked it into the pile, which was now pretty large. The last demon decided to make a mad dash towards Yami and the others. Kyle spun his sword around at his side, and held it behind him. "Gem of Wind and Lightning, lend me thy power..." He whispered as he closed his eyes.

Smash turned around and just noticed the demon heading towards them. "Whoa! Look out!" He exclaimed, sprinting after the demon. Kikyo and Yami immediately looked at the seemingly crazed demon dashing towards them on all fours. In the next instant, a flash of light nearly blinded them. It only lasted a second, and Kyle had appeared in front of the demon, with his back facing it and his sword extended outward. Suddenly, several slashes appeared behind him, seemingly delayed somehow, and destroyed the demon.

Smash stopped, and nodded. He looked around, making sure that there were no more demons present. "Guess that's about it." Smash said, clapping his hands in a job well done.

Kyle turned to Smash with a smile. "Your fighting skills are nearly flawless." Kyle complimented, and put his sword back in its sheath.

"Thanks. You're pretty good yourself." Smash smiled, proud of their victory.

Yami and Pearl would have congratulated them..if Kikyo didn't give them the bad news.

"Is that the soul of the evil demon?" Kyle asked as him and Smash walked closer to them.

Kikyo nodded. "Its is."

"Well why haven't you destroyed it yet? One hit with Yami's Tetsusaiga and it should be fini-"

"Apparently its not that easy." Yami interrupted Smash, growling from frustration. Pearl looked down, and held Kaomi a bit tighter.

Smash was shocked. "What?"

"Destroying the soul as it is now would've been possible..if your friend wasn't her new body. It will kill your friend as well. Even if the only reason Kaoru was bound to this world was the sacred jewel's doing, she's far too powerful to be stopped now by purifying the jewel. I'm afraid..that by keeping Kaoru's soul on this Earth, she's become more undefeatable as she is now." Kikyo explained.

"Then what do we do now.." Yami asked lowly, wanting Kikyo to just get to the point.

"I need to make a special sacred arrow. If we give Kaoru her soul back, and weaken her, when I shoot her with this arrow, Taelor will be saved."

Smash, Pearl and Yami's eyes went small with shock.

"But if we give Kaoru her soul back, Taelor would be gone anyways! And Kaoru will be 10 times more powerful than she already is!" Yami argued.

"But if we don't give Kaoru her soul back, Taelor will die anyways." The priestess said darkly. "Its a risk you're going to have to take."

"The faster you weaken Kaoru, the faster I can get her with the arrow. If we do this quickly, Taelor will have a better chance of not being consumed." Kikyo explained.

"So, what, are we supposed to beat on Kaoru and hurt Taelor at the same time?" Smash retorted. "How exactly do we weaken this person? If we get back and see Kaoru STILL at full power after everyone else is back there fighting her for an entire day..." He shook his head, not even finishing his sentence. Pearl just let out a big gulp. 'What are the chances that Taelor
will still be alive when we give Kaoru her soul back..' He thought as his head hung low. All he wanted was to save his dear friend..and things weren't
looking too good. He pictured her smiling face in his mind..

Yami looked down. "No.." she whispered. "How can we hurt Taelor like that? What if we accidentally kill her?!" her whisper turned into an angry shout.

"Like I said. You're just going to have to take this risk. Quit acting so foolishly, and start thinking about your friend." Kikyo repeated coldly with no emotion.

“I’ve had enough of your mouth!” Yami's anger got the best of her again. She was so enraged, she charged towards Kikyo and slammed her against a tree, putting her Tetsusaiga against the priestess’ neck.

"How do you expect me to act about this? I AM thinking about Taelor! There just...there just has to be another way!!" she argued hatefully with her lips curled behind her fangs.

Kikyo glared at Yami, but didn't stop Yami from pinning her to the tree. "There is no other way. You need to understand that this isn't going to be easy. You can't always expect things to go smoothly without people getting hurt. All you need to do is weaken Kaoru enough so she can't use a barrier or dodge my arrow."

Kyle grabbed Yami's shoulder. "Release her." He said firmly. "It is not Lady Kikyo's fault that things have come to this."

Yami paused for a moment then did as Kyle asked. She let Kikyo go, and turned away.

Smash looked away. "I can't believe this..." He pounded his fist on a tree. "Dang it. I knew things weren't gonna be easy..but this is cutting it too close."

Kaomi had started to whimper in Pearl's arms. "Shh..It's okay..We'll get through this somehow." Pearl said in a comforting voice. But even she was unsure.

"Gah...We have no choice..." Smash said in a low growl. "I don't wanna have to do it, but she's gonna die otherwise." He turned back to the group with his head still hanging low, his eyes hidden behind his hair. "And if she does..." He tightened his fist hard and shook it. "I'll show her no mercy." He said, darkly. His sudden change in tone almost sent chills up everyone's spines.

"We will not allow that to happen." Kyle said, looking at Smash. "We'll have to believe in your friend's strength and will to live, while we weaken Kaoru. That is all we can do, and that is what we will do. I know that it's hard, and I am sorry..." Kyle looked like he wanted to say more, but didn't know what else to say.

"Just hurry and make that arrow.." Yami said suddenly in a shakey voice, trying to hold back her emotions.

Everyone turned to look at her. Her back was facing them, and they saw that her fists were shaking at her sides.

"I believe in Taelor's strength. Like Smash said..she's just going to die if we don't do it..but if we still have a chance where she might live..I'm willing to make it..for her sake!"

She turned around with tears in her eyes, but a determined look was on her face.

Kikyo smiled softly, then nodded. "I will make it as fast as I am able."

~~

Darkness finally crept up on everyone, and the only thing illuminating the area were the flames of the village houses.

The battle had raged on for a long time. It wasn't long before fatigue hit Sesshomaru. He was getting weakened from battling all evening into late at night. His movements were sluggish, his blows were dull. Kaoru noticed this, and smirked. She was also getting tired, but in more ways than one. "You're slipping." She taunted. "The great Lord Sesshomaru is about to be Dethroned."

He was angered yet again, but he knew that she was right. He wouldn't last much longer. She swung her sword at him, and one careless mistake allowed Sesshomaru to take the blow to the chest. She followed up with a bounce from her force field, shoving him back and causing him to kneel before her. He clutched his bleeding chest in pain.

Kaoru cackled at the sight. "It's an honor to see the great Lord Sesshomaru kneeling before me! How pitiful. You all now know that I am the more powerful."

Sesshomaru cursed her name under his breath.

"But now I'm growing bored of you. I'm off to finish what I started." She turned and began to leave, looking behind her and waving mockingly. "Bye bye, mortals!" She began cackling, almost hysterically, as she left quickly.

"Wait! I'm not done with you yet!" Frost yelled. He zipped past Sesshomaru and took off after Kaoru.

"That smart-alec witch..." Sesshomaru grumbled. He forced himself to stand up, but he was still in pain.

"Father! Are you alright?" Yumi asked, rushing over to him.

"I'm fine." He said, trying to sound less angry than he was. "She got away..And I couldn't stop her." He growled. "But mark my words, As soon as Yami gets back, I am going to Ki-huh?" He was cut off by a green glow that surrounded him. "...The heck is this?" He looked around. Yumi also seemed a bit surprised. The glow began to heal his wounds, and he felt the strength return to him gradually. "What the..."

"You can look down, now." Icicle remarked, taking note that down was the only place he hadn't looked. Sesshomaru looked down at him in confusion.
"Who...and what, the heck are you?" He asked.

"I'm Icicle. One of the guys who were trying to fight Kaoru." He replied, putting the Power Star away. "Really thankful for you showing up. You actually saved my life."

Sesshomaru rose an eyebrow at him, but his gaze diverted towards Yumi, who was now handing him his sword. "Here, Father." She said.
Sesshomaru took the sword into his hands. "Thank you." He said in an emotionless tone.

Icicle turned around to look in the direction Kaoru went. "My brother, Frost, chased after her alone. I don't know about you two, but I'm going to go help him." He ran off has fast as he could to find the two.

Sesshomaru and Yumi exchanged glances and then nodded at each other. They then hurried after Icicle to find Kaoru.

~~

“I need to hurry and get more souls before I lose all of my strength..that little girl and the jewel shards are faring well, but those other souls I got from the villagers earlier today are losing their power. Everything must be done before tomorrow night..”

“Hey!”

Kaoru turned and saw one of the puffballs that were trying to stop her before Sesshomaru.

"You're a persistent little insect, aren't you?" Kaoru sneered. The little puffball had blocked her way once more, both swords drawn.

"You're not escaping me, Kaoru." He said, almost coldly. "I'm not gonna let you do anymore damage around here."

"Hmph." She crinkled her nose at him. "Aren't you afraid that your swords might break as well?" She asked, trying to exploit his fears.

"No." He replied flatly. "Whether they break or not, that's not going to stop me. I may have failed to protect my own home, but I sure as Poyo am NOT going to let the same thing happen again!" He gripped his swords tightly.

"How touching." She mocked.

"And besides," He continued, preventing her from saying anything else. "Icicle's swords were pretty basic. These were specially crafted with a rare and powerful material. Forged by none other than my own father. And if I knew my father, I know that he wouldn't let me down!" And with that, he charged at her. He leaped at her, performing several somersaults while swinging his blades in a circular motion. Kaoru held her sword up and blocked the attack, and their battle restarted.

I've got a lot of work to do in the morning.

It's looking great so far. ^.^

Fixed up a few errors on this one. There's a flashback I would like to add later as well, I just think it would be better to do it later when I get fresher ideas.


~Chapter 15 The Tragic Love Story that Started It All~~

Kikyo was sitting down with an arrow in her lap, closing her eyes as she prayed. Her prayers and special purification methods made the arrow glow dark blue, giving it the powers it needed to bring Taelor back.

It was pitch dark and chilly outside now, with only a half moon, Kikyo's purification methods, and the fire to give them light. Yami, Smash, Pearl and Kyle sat around the fire while they waited for Kikyo to finish a few paces from them.

Yami looked over at Kikyo, and sighed, putting her hands closer to the fire as her daughter lay asleep in her lap. "This is taking her way too long.." she complained.

Smash sat with his arms folded and his eyes closed. He looked about as impatient as Yami, but didn't say anything.

"Well," Pearl spoke up. "Seeing how all we can do is wait, why don't we get to know each other more?" Smash opened one eye and looked to the side at her. "I mean, we didn't get a chance to talk much because of this whole mess. Now that we have some free time, I just thought it'd be a good idea to chat a little."

Kyle looked to the side. "..I'm afraid that I do not have much to say about myself." He said.

The three looked confused.

"And why is that?" Smash asked.

Kyle looked as if he didn't want to go into this subject, but had already brought it up. He let out a sigh and went with it anyway. "There was an incident, long ago." He said. "Well, Two years ago to be exact. But it feels like the distant past...I awoke in a man's laboratory. I had absolutely no memory of what had happened. The only thing I could remember was my name. I soon came to the theory that I had suffered from amnesia. I was proven correct when the man began to interrogate me, and I could not give any answers." He explained.
Everyone seemed shocked.

"Amnesia..?" Pearl gasped softly.

"Dang. I wonder what happened to have caused that." Smash said. "But who was this guy?" His face turned suspicious.

"His name...is Dr. Robotnik." He said.

Smash and Pearl gasped. "Robotnik!?" They exclaimed in unison.

Yami listened quietly, but lifted her ears up when she heard Smash and Pearl yell the name again.

"You two know that same man?"

Smash looked at Yami. "Yeah. He's a pretty awful fellow himself." He said. "More than once he's tried to conquer the entire world, but was stopped before his efforts became too widely known. Although he's widely known in the areas he's from and been. Last I heard of him was some time ago. I thought he'd been put to justice finally."

"Yes." Kyle said, nodding. "That is the same man. He took advantage of my condition and used me as his servant. I only recently came to my senses and escaped, but I have yet to regain all of my memory. I soon found myself wandering around aimlessly, my only possession being this sword." He held up the Gemblade for everyone to see. It glowed softly in the moonlight. "Soon, I came across a red gem, and came to realize that it belonged to this sword. I began having..visions, I assume it was about my life before the incident."

"Visions?" Pearl asked, curiously.

"Yes. I began to see the rest of the gems you see here in this blade. I saw them inside the sword, and the sword in it's current state."

"Did it look different before?" Smash asked with an eyebrow raised.

"It's blade was dull, and had no glow. The handle was brown instead of light golden." Kyle explained. "It's hard to imagine that it was the same sword."

"I see..." Smash stroked his chin.

"I then decided to search for the rest of these gems, and as I went along, the sword gradually changed its form. It slowly became sharper, durable, and had a little bit more...Color, shall we say? Soon, I found the last gem with the help of Lady Kikyo, and it returned to its former state. I am truly grateful to her, as she has done more than that to help me."

"Heh.." Yami made a mocking sound in the back of her throat.

Everyone turned their gaze on Yami, who was smirking in the dim firelight.

"Don't get so used to her hospitality, Kyle. She'll turn on you faster than she can shoot those arrows."

Kyle gave her a serious look, it was almost a warning. But before he could say anything, Smash interrupted him.

"Yami, I think it's about time you explained just what happened between you two." He said, sternly. "You've been keeping us in the dark about that this whole time, and to be blunt, it's starting to get on my nerves."

Yami put her ears down, and stared blankly at the fire. "To do that, I'll have to tell you everything.."

Smash looked over at Kikyo. She hadn't moved at all for a few hours with the arrow still clutched in her hand. "I don't think we're going anywhere anytime soon." he said.

Yami sighed and started to gently run her fingers through Kaomi's short silver hair as the cute little half demon still slept. "A long time ago, Kikyo and my father Inuyasha were in love.." she began quietly.

Kyle froze in shock. 'What? So that means...Is she Lady Kikyo's daughter? No wonder I thought I recognized her..she looks like the description Lady Kikyo gave me of him, AND she has similar features of Lady Kikyo herself!' He thought.

Smash and Pearl were also shocked. "Aaand I take it Kikyo isn't your mother." Smash said. "I doubt you two would be so sour towards each other if she was."

Yami made a horrible face from the very thought of Kikyo being her mother. “What? No way is she my mother!” she cried.

Kyle was confused, but decided to keep listening. All of his questions would probably be answered later.

Yami calmed down the next instant to finish the story.

"No, you see..their romance was cut short when Kikyo was murdered by a half demon named Naraku. Naraku was a shape shifting demon, so he tricked my father and Kikyo by disguising as them both. When he appeared to Kikyo as my father, he stabbed her through the chest. Outraged and close to death, she sought out my father, thinking he was the one that betrayed her..and with the last of her strength, she shot him in the heart with an arrow of sealing, pinning him to the Sacred Tree.."

"Murdered?" Smash questioned. He looked over at Kikyo, who was still sitting next to them, then back at Yami. "Uhh...Care to explain?" He asked with an eyebrow raised in a puzzled expression, pointing his thumb back towards Kikyo.

"Kikyo is no longer a part of the living." Kyle answered for her. "But she is not entirely dead, either. She is still able to stay in this world via her soul collectors."

"Ooohhh..." Smash nodded, somewhat understanding. He still felt like he was missing something, though.

"But Miss Yami, If it was that demon's fault that they both were tricked, do you still blame Lady Kikyo for something that was not her fault?" Kyle asked. "Surely if she knew the truth at the time, she would not have made such a move to the one she loved."

Yami's expression hardened. "That's not the reason I despise her so much." she said lowly.

They waited for her to explain more.

"My mother Kagome was the one that released father from the arrow that pinned him, not knowing that she was Kikyo’s reincarnation. Soon after their journeys, they too began to fall in love. Then one day a sorceress brought Kikyo back to life. When their paths met again, no matter how many times father tried to explain to that woman that it wasn't him who betrayed her, she wouldn't listen. So time and time again she did all she could to break my mother and father apart.." She glared down into the flames. "Even using the means to kill mother and drag father back down to the pits of hell where she belongs."

Even though she was silent, Kikyo could hear everything Yami was saying. She did her best not to feel any emotions..or the spell she was putting on the arrow would fail. It was fairing to be difficult though, for the distant memories of betraying her lover Inuyasha were wanting to rip through her mind once again.

Everyone gasped. "How..awful..." Pearl said, quietly.

Kyle felt a pain in his heart as he slowly turned to look at Kikyo. "...That's..not something that I can very easily believe." He said. "I still trust her. And even if I were to lose that trust, I still owe her my life. I will pay it where it's due."

Smash closed his eyes. He didn't know what to say at all. He only tried to imagine what that must have been like in Yami's position.

The hatred never left Yami's face. She was still ticked off about Kyle's loyalty to that beast of a woman.

Kyle looked at her closely, and caught a glance of pain and guilt in her eyes.

"10 years ago today.." Even though she knew Smash and Pearl knew most of this already, she figured she'd explain it again for Kyle. "The half demon Naraku and Kaoru, possessed me with a powerful jewel called the Shikon No Tama, and made me kill my father. At the last shred of hope, I managed to fight them and kill them both..but it was too late. Father had lost too much blood. And after he took his last breath, that's when I saw her..looking at me and my father's body with those cold eyes in the forest. She was there the whole time and didn't even lift a finger to help!" Tears of anger started to fall silently down Yami's cheeks as the memory of that day once again played through her mind.

Kikyo’s grip tightened on the arrow. She could feel herself slipping out of the pure spell she was casting. Doing her best not to feel any emotions, she made her mind go blank, forgetting for a moment that day when Yami killed the only man she loved..

Kyle froze again. Now he didn't know how to feel, or what to think of the current situation, or Kikyo herself for that matter. Smash patted her on the back, giving her a few consoling words while trying to cheer her up.

"...I...Forgive me...I was rude to you, while you are suffering from something that no one should." Kyle managed to say. He bowed his head, looking regretful his own self.

Yami held onto Smash's hand that was now resting on her shoulder, as her sobs grew quieter from his words. Even though she was still in pain from the past, she now felt bad for how she had acted towards Kyle. She shouldn't have let her personal feelings out on him.

"No, please. Its alright..I was the one who was acting rude." she assured quickly, and wiped her tears. "Just understand you three.." She gazed at them all. "What she did, I can't forgive. So please don‘t lose your patience for me..I‘m trying my hardest to be..‘nice‘." She grunted at the end, making Smash chuckle a little.

Kyle nodded. "I understand..." He assured her.

As Yami held his hand, Smash began to think about his somewhat rough life. But it couldn't even possibly hope to live up to anything Yami's gone through. Even Kyle had it rough, and that was two years ago. And then there was Frost, who as soon as he began to think about him, he remembered that he's still having a hard time. His entire life was like a long, never-ending war. And he's relying on him to come back to save him and everyone else. Thinking of it now, Smash felt as if his life was the easiest of them all, even if it wasn't easy.

All of this commotion made little Kaomi stir in Yami's lap. "Daddy.." she whispered softly in her sleep. Yami looked at her little daughter sadly, and held her close.

Pearl looked at Kaomi with curious eyes. Then she remembered back to the time when Yami was introducing Kaomi to them..

~

‘"Yeah, she definitely has the demon dog trait I have, but she's got her father's eyes.." Her eyes suddenly darkened with sadness.’

~

She could still see that sad look Yami flashed then. At that time, she didn’t think much of it because they had to hurry and tell Sesshomaru what had happened.

"Hey..um, I hope you don't mind me asking but, What happened to her father? Your..husband?" She asked, a bit hesitantly.

The grown half demon's eyes were clouded with memories of her late husband. "He killed himself 2 years ago..when Kaomi was 2." she answered quietly.

The three were shocked yet again. They didn't even know what to say. Should they say they were sorry, or ask why he did it? That was just something a little too personal..

Now Pearl felt bad for bringing it up. "I-I'm sorry." She stammered, and looked down.

Yami looked at their sad faces with surprise. "No, it's okay! Really.." she assured them sheepishly. "It's all behind me now.." She smiled sadly at Kaomi. "Kaomi and I miss him so much..it's been two years without him already and she's taken it harder than I have.."

Smash didn't want her to be sad anymore. The atmosphere was getting too depressing for him to take. "What was he like?" he asked, hoping that maybe it would bring a smile to her face.

Thankfully, the question did make her smile as she thought of the first man she loved. “His name was Tamotsu, and he was a human. He was very kind and loving..and never once put himself before me. Taelor and I met him when we were little. All the other human kids wouldn’t play with me because of what I am..but that never stopped him. He accepted me and didn’t judge me like the rest of the humans did..” her smile faded a little as she remembered a few of the bad times.

((Might make a flashback soon))

“He protected me all the time when we were growing up..even if it caused him to be isolated from his family and his village..”

"Wow.." Pearl smiled. "I wish I had someone like that for me."

"A truly noble and honest person, he seemed to be." Kyle said with a small smile. "One who can see through the biased discrimination, and only looks at who they are on the inside, rather than who they appear to be on the outside."

"It's good to have someone like that around." Smash said. "People discriminate for the stupidest reasons. It takes one little piece of brainpower to think "Why am I shunning em? They're people, just like us." He shrugged and sighed, shaking his head in the process. "Unfortunately, There are about as many people who think like that as the amount of brain power needed to come to that conclusion in the first place."

Yami smiled big, and closed her eyes tight, keeping in more tears. "You guys are so great..you really have no idea how happy that makes me. You're all just like him." her voice was happy, but shaky at the same time.

The three smiled back, happy that they helped in some way.

"Around here, half demons are looked down upon as animals. By both humans and demons..Demons hate us because of our human blood, and humans hate us for our demonic blood. I can't tell you how many times mobs of humans chased me out of my homes I lived in...and once Kaomi was born, she had to go through it too. Tamotsu always protected us both from those nasty humans. He loved me and our daughter so much.."

The image of Tamotsu's body laying lifeless on the forest ground appeared in Yami's mind, and her face went cold and pale again.

"Yami.." Smash whispered.

Pearl and Kyle stayed silent and waited to hear what Yami was going to say next..

"When I found him that one morning, he had a knife in his chest.." she looked like she was going to say more about it, but she stopped herself and tried to find the right words to say without upsetting herself.

"..I tried everything to find another scent..searching for the bastards that did that to him..but I couldn't smell anyone but him.. He was the one that did it. He was the one that took his own life..even though I didn't want to admit it...I didn't want Kaomi to see..but she ran in on the scene..."

All eyes turned to Kaomi, who was still sound asleep. "Oh, my..." Kyle's voice trailed off before he could think of anything else to say.

"I can't even imagine.." Smash said quietly. "It's almost too awful to even be true." He closed his eyes and shook his head.

"I don't think I understand...why did he do it...?" Pearl asked, more to herself than Yami. She looked to be thinking really hard about why he would have done such a thing, when he was so happy with his family.

Yami heard Pearl's soft question. "I have no idea..that's just another thing in my life that will never be answered.."

Kaomi stirred again, this time opening her eyes and sitting up as she yawned. "Mommy?.." she asked sleepily.

"Yes dear?" Yami asked lovingly. All sadness left her voice and face. She had to be strong for her daughter..

"I'm hungry.." the small half demon complained.

The four let out a soft sigh of relief. She didn't hear anything on the subject. But Yami was at a loss. “I’m sorry Kaomi..I don’t have any food.” She answered sadly.

Kaomi put her little hands on her growling stomach. “Aw..” she looked down with disappointment.

"I could go and get some food." Smash offered. "Unfortunately I didn't have any food on me..."

"I think that's what we were originally going to get, but I don't remember." Pearl mentioned, putting her finger to her lip as she recalled the earlier events.

"Do not worry, I should have some food with me." Kyle told them. He turned and picked his backpack off the ground. Setting it on his lap, he opened it and began to search through it. Soon, he brought out a golden brown piece of bread, big enough for a full serving. "Will this do?"

Kaomi's eyes went big with happiness. "Thank you so much!" she said sweetly, and gladly accepted the bread from Kyle. The hedgehog smiled, happy to help. "You are very welcome."

Yami was surprised, but very grateful. "Thank you so much Kyle.." Now she felt especially guilty for being so rude to him earlier. "I'm very grateful to you...Being her mother, I should've known to bring something for her.." When her daughter told her she was hungry, she felt lower than anything..how could she have forgotten? Since Kaoru came back, all she has done was think about herself..

Kyle shook his head. "Think nothing of it." He said, politely.

"Hey, Don't worry too much about it." Smash said. "At a time like this, who could possibly think about eating? Not to mention we were low on time. With all that's been going on, it's easy to forget the little things."

"Indeed." Kyle agreed. "I had time to prepare for the long journey ahead of me, for I was not restricted by a deadline."

Yami smiled sheepishly. She wasn't used to this sort of treatment from this many people.

Kaomi was about to take a huge bite out of her bread, but stopped, feeling bad that she was the only one who could eat. She didn't want her mommy to starve. And these three new people were being so nice to her and her mommy..She didn't want them to starve either.

"Mommy.." the little half demon tugged on her mother's sleeve. "Here" she tore off a piece and offered it to Yami.

Yami smiled warmly at her daughter. "No, honey. Kyle gave that to you to eat. Its yours."

"I know its mine..but I don't want you and everyone to be hungry! Please take it mommy..it would make Kaomi happy.." she insisted sweetly.
Yami chuckled. "Alright, alright." she said before accepting the piece.

After she made sure her mother ate her piece, she went around and offered other pieces to her three new friends. Not knowing what to do, they looked at Yami. The half demon just shrugged with a sweat drop on her face, telling them that they had no choice but to accept.

Smash and Pearl exchanged glances, before taking their share of the bread. "Thanks." Smash said before taking a bite.

Kyle couldn't help but laugh lightly at the little girl's kindness. "How sweet. Thank you, Kaomi." He said with a smile.