Three sheer stone walls rose to an immeasurable height. A rushing stream formed the fourth boundary, protected on the outside by vicious scorpions grown immense. Within, a cavern protected by a silver magical shield was the private room of Kage. Kage. Shadow. The name taken by the head vampire when he abandoned his former life and became this lord of the dead. Few had seen inside his room, and those who were summoned to their master's chamber were never willing to speak of it. A second, transparent shield was used to contain new vampires until their fate could be determined. Most turned out vicious, and they would have to be taught to fear and obey before being released. The rest usually woke up broken. These became Kage's whores.

A small few had the strength of mind and spirit to retain their human personality. These were destined to be the slaves of the other vampires. It was because of them that the stream crossed the entrance; vampires couldn't cross running water. When Miroku woke, he didn't know what was planned for him; that he had been marked because he had shown that strength and the creatures needed a new whore. He was aware at first only of a dull burning in his right hand, which became an unbearable pain as he slowly returned to full consciousness. Without thinking he ripped off his prayer beads, the source of his pain, realizing too late that he'd left his wind tunnel uncovered...

Inuyasha looked on in amazement as the savage creature who'd fought on even after he'd torn it's heart out burst into flame, falling to the ground as a shower of dust with the still-burning arrow settling on top. The small child opposite him dropped her bow and ran forward, dousing the fire with water from a pouch at her side before it could ignite the entire field. She grabbed one of the hanyou's clawed fingers, babbling excitedly as she led him toward her village. "Come on, come on! You're not safe here! You're pretty dumb for a hunter. Come on!"

Miroku stared down at his hand, wonder shining in his eyes, as his cloth gauntlet fluttered to the ground. He could still feel the air rip, but it was covered by a sheath of new skin. Experimentally, he held his palm out and focused on opening the wind tunnel. Instantly the skin parted, releasing the black hole in his hand. With only a thought he brought the skin together again, without even a scar to show where it had split.

"Amazing, isn't it." The former monk whipped around as the smooth, deadly tone of Kage crept into his ears. "The magic will not fade, but the wound is constantly healing. A benefit to being one of us."

The thought filled the new vamp with an irrational anger. "I'm not one of you." He practically growled the words.

"No." Miroku blinked up at the much taller vampire; had the monster just agreed with him? "Not yet. You haven't felt it yet."

"Felt what?" His tone was guarded, as he noticed the creatures pressing against the shield to grin demonicly at him. Moonlight made the fangs around him seem to shine. He hadn't realized it was night; he could see perfectly. He was tempted to check his own mouth for fangs, but not in front of those beasts. Kage's response distracted him.

"The Hunger. You'll know it soon enough. 'Til then..." He waved an elegant hand, dispelling the barrier, then addressed the crowd. "Take him." He vanished into the mass of bodies suddenly swarming Miroku.

Inuyasha spent the night in a small village surrounded by a moat of fire. Thorn branches wound everywhere, and even the children were armed. The people were accustomed to life in the shadow of the Vampyre's Cliffs.

Before he left he received a visit from the village leader, an old woman reminiscient of Kaede. Her hollow voice was haunting. "The vampires were hunting last night, and a sentry did see them return with a dark-haired man in monk's clothing. I must warn you, however, that many hunters have passed through here, and none have returned. Are you still determined?"

"If I wasn't I wouldn't be here!" The half-demon was more impatient than usual. He knew now the identity of Miroku's captors, and just how close to them he was. His need to find and destroy them was almost a physical pain.

She sighed somewhat bitterly, but she was accustomed to encountering people on their way to meet with death. "Then know this. Only fire can kill a vampire. They are able to heal any injury but the vampire's kiss, the bite which turned them. If you are in danger, repel the beasts with a branch of thorn. And be wary even by day, for though the sunlight blinds them they are still deadly. This is all the help I can give. I wish you well, Inuyasha."

"Finally," he growled as he stormed away, armed with a torch and a set of prayer beads; supposedly they would burn any vamp who'd been religious in life. The hanyou had little faith in religion, but he would need all the protection he could get if he had to fight the undead tribe; and he fully intended to kill each one of them if the monk had been harmed.

Miroku lay on the ground, exhausted and battered, mentally if not physically. He had been fed off of and used by an endless parade of beasts until they were struck by the first few rays of morning light. Then, as if on cue, they had hissed defiantly at the sun and thrown themselves to the ground, falling instantly asleep. Kage had been watching from the side all along; he snarled and stormed into his cavern, summoning a meek blond in a collar to follow.

Miroku was suddenly left alone. The unnatural silence pressed in on him, without even the sound of his own breathing to comfort him. The sun burned against his closed eyes, making him feel ill. He had to get out. He was gasping for breath. Strange, the new vamp had thought he didn't need air anymore... He shook his head, attempting to focus on the situation at hand.

He felt his way along the cliff to where it met the stream. There had to be a way out, but he hadn't seen it used. A scorpion clicked at him from the other side; or maybe that was the buzzing in his head. Something wasn't right... He had to get out. If he could tempt one of the immense beasts over, it's bulk might halt the flow of the water. It was probably safe to assume they were flesh-eaters; perhaps they would be drawn by the prospect of a meal. He swept his nails down his own arm, slicing through the tender skin.

The scent of blood overwhelmed him, and he fell to his knees on the cool earth floor. Everything seemed to freeze around him. He couldn't think; in that moment he became an animal. He attacked his own arm, whimpering slightly as sweet crimson life flooded his mouth. His eyes opened and shone a vivid red, as scarlet tears fell to join the flow from his torn skin. He kept the wound open with his fangs; blood dripped down his face.

This is how Inuyasha found him.