Disclaimer: (See first chapter)

One Jewel, Two Souls

Recap:

The small group of five sat in silence for a while, just observing the mysterious severed heads. About two minutes into the silence, the girls clasped their hands together loudly (which startled Inuyasha and Shippou) before rising to their feet. "Okay!" they announced. "We've got to investigate!"

"Eh?" The hanyou retorted, his eyes narrowed. "What about your "mock exam"?''

Kaori flashed him a bright smile, missing the way he blushed and turned his head from her. "We can't study with this mystery handing over our..." she paused, trying to find the right word to say. She gave up after she could find none. "Uhm...head." Her hand reached out for Kagome's, helping her sister to her feet.

Kagome nodded her head as she grabbed her twin's hand. "Yeah, should be happy that we're staying a bit longer." she teased, flashing him a knowing smirk.

Miroku shot to his feet, following after the girls with quick haste. "Well then. We should go as long as Kagome-sama and Kaori-sama are still with us."

"Ne, Kao, you think this is the work of a youkai." Kagome asked as she shouldered their large yellow bag.

Kaori hid the large fragment of the Shikon within her shirt. "It might be. Possibly one with a Shikon fragment."

"OI!" Inuyasha barked out, a vein throbbing on the side of his head from being ignored. "Forgetting me, aren't you?!"

The twins giggled as they picked up the pace, knowing that the halfling would be able to catch up with them easily." Then quit dragging your feet. We're in a hurry."

Miroku nodded his head as he felt Shippou climb up onto his shoulders. "Let's settle this quickly."

A man fled for his life down the side of the mountain. He needed to get away. He must get away! "Tis tricked I've been." he panted out as he jumped down the rocky ledge. "Out o' this ungodly hole I be!" his eyes lit up when the fog began to fade away, hope bubbling in his chest. "That thing be no ancient master!" Fear slid down his spine when the mist cleared, not to reveal safety but the large body of the thing he was trying to escape from.

"Where are you going?" The large man asked, his soulless, black eyes peering down at the runaway. "And just when I accepted you as my disciple. You said you were sick and tired of starving from drought and famine, being conscripted into war and dying like bugs." He began gnashing his sharpened teeth, his anger swelling the more he investigated the man's frightened gaze. "You said you were fed up with this world and so I deigned to train you in the ways of the sages." He moved closer to his escaping disciple until he loomed over his ominously.

The man took a few steps backward, fear causing his knees to knock together. "I swear I won't be tellin' a soul what I've seen here..." Those were his last words as the Sage advanced upon him and pain ripped through his body as his head was taken from his body in one fell swoop.

Gnawing on the severed arm of the former disciple, the Sage grumbled out, "What a fool." He chewed and swallowed the piece of flesh before spitting out from the foul taste. "If he's become a Sage master, he'd have lived a long life."

Kagome held onto to her sister's arm as she thought she heard something calling out in the dense fog. She squeezed even tighter when the sounds got closer the more they moved farther into the mountainous terrain. "This fog is so heavy..." she commented, laughing nervously when Kaori shot her an annoyed look for how tightly she was squeezing.

Kaori was about to snatch her arm away from her scaredy-cat of a sister when a voice reached her ears. It almost sounded like a cry for help. Her stormy blue eyes widened when she saw that the voices were coming from up ahead. The fog cleared up to reveal that they were coming from a tree! She jumped nearly ten feet in the air and quickly latched onto the closest person to her, Kagome. "Heads! Those are freakin' heads!"

Shippou scampered into Kaori's arms, hiding his face in her chest and breathing in her comforting scent. "There are heads growing on that tree!" he said in a terrified voice. His large turquoise eyes shimmering with tears as he nuzzled closer into his surrogate aunt's bosom. Sure, he was a youkai, but he was still a child and creepy things like talking heads growing from tree frightened him. Shippou was almost sure that he would have nightmares about this event in the future.

Miroku walked up to the tree, his violet eyes curious as he listened to the calls of help from the heads. "Let us listen to their tales. Please, tell us." His gaze turned sad as he moved closer to one of the elder heads hanging low on the tree's branches. "Who are you? What's happened?"

"We were devoured by the old man of the mountain." the elder said, his voice cracking slightly. The girls' eyes widened at the declaration. An old man did this and not a youkai? The head closed his eyes, a soft groan leaving its mouth. "We are all people who were tired of this world, who left our homes and hearths because we had heard that this mountain was a paradise on earth, tended by an ancient Master." The head sighed, his voice becoming sadder with each word, "We were only food for the hermit called Toukajin."

"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed loudly, placing his hands into the sleeves of his haori. "What a bunch of fools! To be taken in by a story like that!" He let out a whine when Kaori smacked him on the back of his head. Turning his sunglow eyes at her and pulled his ears back to look like a sad puppy, only to let out a growl when Miroku whacked him with his staff. But before he could react, Kagome said the incantation that sent him flying to the ground. "What the hell..." Came his muffled cry.

The twins bowed sincerely to the elderly man's head. "Forgive him."

"Don't you think they have suffered enough." Miroku scolded.

Kagome turned shining eyes up at the head hanging low on the branch, her hands clasped together. "Is there any way we can help you?"

The head seemed to shake as its tired lips curled in a sad smile. "We were only food for the hermit called "Toukajin."

Something rattled as it rolled down the side of the mountain. Kaori strained her eyes to see what it was. She let out a yelp at what she saw and pulled her twin away from the spot they were standing in. Bones hit the ground, rolling along on the ground until they touched the roots of the tree. The roots groaned as they reached out and snatched up the bones quickly, absorbing them. The twins watched in horror as another face slowly began sprouting from one of the low hanging branches.

Kagome's eyes were wide with fear. "Something's sprouting..."

"It's the head of the former owner of those bones. "The elderly man said, dryly as he felt the growth from the branch above him. It pained him to know that other fell victim to the "Toukajin" "A head of enchanted fruit, the heart of the "Toukajin's" elixir of youth and longevity..."

Inuyasha's eyes took on a gleam as he snorted unattractively before cracking his knuckles. "Whatever you call him, he sounds like a youkai to me." Bending his knees, the halfling jumped straight into the air and landed on a small cliff above them. He ignored his group's cries for him to wait; that they should go up together. But he could not wait! Not this night. "By the time I lug every one of you up the hill one by one, the sun will have set! Just wait there!" He needed to defeat this "Toukajin" before the sun goes down! Inuyasha had to!

Kaori crossed her arms over her chest. Why was that hanyou being so obstinate about carrying them all up the hill? What did it matter if the sun would have gone down by them? Her eyes went wide as she remembered that there was only one time of the month that Inuyasha would get antsy about the daylight. 'It's a new moon tonight! Inuyasha will become human!' She grabbed her sister by the arm and pulled her closer to inform her of what she realized.

The wind blew ominously around the small temple perched on the cliff. The shutters creaked under the pressure and the wind chimes sang an eerie song as they rang. Inside the temple was Toukajin, a large man rested in the lotus position except one leg was bent at the knee as he bit into a piece of fruit that resembled a peach. He leaned back against the giant gourd behind him and let out a long breath. His big black eyes rolled skyward as he felt the burning sensation in his chest ease. "Without a bite of fruit every now and then, I get heartburn."

He let out another sigh as he felt his mountainous creatures fan him with a large fig leaf, the cool breeze comforting him after his latest kill. His eyes slid closed as he thought about his next apprentice that would come by sooner than later. Toukajin's large eyes shot opened when someone burst through his screen door and saw that it was a young man with flowing silvery-white hair and amber eyes. "Well..." he hummed. "Are you a tough-looking fellow."

Inuyasha cracked his knuckles. "Are you it?" he asked. "Toukajin"? I've come to kill you." He eyed the large man and lifted a black brow. "Pretty well fed, I see..." The halfling allowed a smirk to cross his face as he reached for Tessaiga and pulled it free from its sheath, the blade glowing as it transformed into the Fang. "It pays to pose as an ancient master and devour your poor students, huh? Prepare to die, Toukajin!" Inuyasha leapt through the air, swinging Tessaiga in a downward arc. His eyes widened when his blade merely bounced off Toukajin's shoulder, flinging the hanyou back. "What?!" 'His flesh repelled my Tessaiga?!'

"Fool. I don't know where you've come from or who you are, youkai." Toukajin lifted his staff, whispered out a small chant. "But did you really think you could defeat a Sennin?" He thrust his arm out, bright yellow flowers trailing through the air in the same path. The blossoms flew in Inuyasha's direction and a smile lit up Toukajin's eyes when the hanyou failed to realize what was already happening.

Inuyasha snorted. "Is this supposed to blind me, you bastard?" He lifted Tessaiga in preparation to swat the flowers away from him.

Toukajin's eyes flashed ominously as they seemed to grow even bigger. "Why don't you take a good look at those flowers."

The halfling's eyes widened when suddenly the flowers got bigger, surrounding him in their yellow vibrancy. "The flowers grew..." He blinked in realization when Toukajin's hand suddenly reached out for him and grasped him in a tight grip. 'Dammit! I've gotten small!' He struggled in the man's iron grip as he was brought up to his mouth, a row of sharp teeth gnashing in front of Inuyasha's face. "Shit!" Inuyasha cursed as he was tossed inside Toukajin's mouth.

Kaori glanced up at the small temple that was perched on top of the cliff, her eyes shining with worry for her hanyou companion. How could she be so careless as to not keep track of the moon phases. This was the first time since she found out about his weakness that she has not been able to keep up with it. 'Why does today of all days does it have to be a night of the new moon? The one night where Inuyasha turns human.' She glanced over at her sister who was trying to encourage the kitsune tyke that had transformed into his bubble form and was floating them up the side of the mountain.

"That's it, Shippou-chan, just a little further." Kagome felt bad for Shippou. This was the first time he'd carried someone in this form and now he had to bear the weight of three people. She was trying to be as encouraging as she could. They were almost to the top where they could aid Inuyasha before nightfall. The younger twin knew that Kaori was beyond angry with herself for forgetting that tonight was the start of a new lunar cycle because when the sun sets, Inuyasha will become human.

Miroku smiled down at the pink bubble that he was sitting on. "You have unexpected powers." he remarked. His smile dropped when Shippou muttered out an apology just as they were nearing the top of the cliff. He quickly wrapped his arms around the twins' waists as Shippou fell out of the sky, de-transforming. "Let's get off!" He jumped and landed on a small cliff, but it was unstable, and their combined weight made the rockslide down the side of the mountain.

The girls screamed as they fell a few more feet until they hit the ground rather roughly. "Ouch!" they groaned out as they rubbed their aching side and thigh. They peeked their eyes open and glanced around the entryway to a small boxed garden settled in the center of the room they had landed in. "This is..."

"Toukajin's den. It seems." Miroku said, using his staff to rise to his feet. He felt the urge hit him as he watched the girls waltz over to the small boxed garden. His eyes were trained on the slow sway of their hips making him clench his hands as he tried to fight it. Miroku nearly lose when the twins bent over the edge of the garden to get a better view of the contents of the box.

"I wonder what this is?" Kagome questioned, leaning over.

"I think it's a box garden..." Kaori answered, trying to get a better look at what was inside. Her grey-blue eyes widened when she noticed a little figure walking past one of the few huts that was scattered throughout the garden. "Is that a person?"

Kagome leaned in closer, unaware that Miroku was approaching them with his hands spread open. "There's more crowded under the trees." she blinked when Shippou hopped up on her shoulder to get better access to the small village.

Miroku inched closer to the girls, his hands clenching and unclenching as he was losing against the urge. He knew in the back of his mind that if Hiei or Youko were to find out that he had touched the young miko inappropriately, they would have it head on a platter. But he could not resist any longer! "Perhaps these are people captured by Toukajin." he summarized as he leaned in close to the girls, his hands mere inches from the soft flesh of their backsides.

Kaori noticed that something was wrong. Why did it seem that the box garden was getting bigger? She blinked when the shards from around her neck floated in the air, also growing larger. "Oh no!" she shouted. "The shards!"

"Don't stare at the garden!" Miroku shouted when he, too, noticed that they were getting sucked inside the box.

Kagome shrieked in surprise when she suddenly found herself resting on her knees in a small vegetable garden inside the box garden they had been staring at. "Shimatta." she cursed as she glanced over at her sister who was pacing around, muttering how that the Shikon fragment was gone. "Youko and Hiei hadn't been gone for a full day and we already lost the shards again!" she bemoaned at the punishment the spirit fox would bestow upon her if he learns that she lost the jewel shards. "What should we do, Kaori?"

Outside the box, Toukajin walked into the room, holding his abdomen as he strolled over to the many jugs scattered around the room. His stomach was on fire, causing his chest to flare up in pain. He groaned as he shuffled through the jugs in search of some medicine that would help ease the pain. "Shall I drink some indigestion medicine? Because of the youkai brat I ate earlier, I've got heartburn." As he was opening the tarp on one of the jugs, something glittering caught his eyes, looking over at the source of the sparkle, Toukajin saw a rather large piece of the Shikon no Tama resting on the floor and he hurriedly scooped it up. "This is a huge Shikon fragment!" He opened his robe and his large belly flopped out, a tiny sparkle coming from his navel. "With just this tiny shard in a belly button, my body changed so that sword bounced off." he shoved the large hunk of the Shikon into his body. "With this, I'll have a body like steel." he laughed deeply as he hefted up the large jug of medicine to his mouth, guzzling it down. "This is really handy!"

Inuyasha was climbing his way back up the lining of Toukajin's stomach, grumbling the whole way up. He was pissed that the fat bastard had gotten the upper hand on him when the night he loses his powers was upon him. IF it weren't for the night of the new moon, Inuyasha would have easily defeated Toukajin. "That scum, when I get outta here, I'll kill him!" He blinked when he saw a rush of liquid flowing towards him. "Damn!" The halfling cursed when the liquid surrounded him making him lose his grip on the fleshy wall and sent him back into Toukajin's gut.

"Damn it!" the hanyou cursed when the scent of the liquid invaded his nostrils. "What the hell? This stuff stinks like medicine!" His ears twitched when the sound of something sizzled echoed through the small enclosement and Inuyasha looked to see the bones melting in the stomach acid. "Not what you'd call a comfy place, is it?" He rose to his feet, flexing his claws. "I'll just have to tear my way outta here!" He lunged into the wall of Toukajin's stomach, expecting to rip a hole in the man's gut but was surprised to be thrown back as if his thrust his claws into a rubber. He growled low in his chest. "Dammit! Both inside and out! This guy's body is fucking flabby!" Inuyasha was prepared to rise to his feet when his heartbeat echoed through his ears as the telltale tingling went through his body. His inu ears began twisting into his skull as they moved from the top of his head to the sides, shifting into human ears. The silvery-white of his hair began darkening, turning greyish black and his claws shrunk down into human fingernails. 'My claws are..." it was then that he noticed the lack of strength and youki he felt within his body. 'Oh shit! My powers are disappearing! When my body turns human, I'll dissolve. What do I do?' Panic began to run through Inuyasha's mind as he scrambled for a plan of some sort to prevent his demise.

He looked around for some form of escape as he tried to calm his racing heart. Inuyasha desperately needed to get out of here while he still had some of his youki left to prevent his body from dissolving in Toukajin's stomach acid. In the dimmed lighting, he spotted a faint glow in the fleshy wall. "Light? It's coming through the flesh." The halfling pressed his hand against the part of flesh that was glowing and immediately snatched it back when it burned him. "Dammit. It's going to get really fucking painful soon..."

Toukajin held up the Tessaiga, scrutinizing it in the light of the fire. But no matter how he looked at it, it still seemed to be just a rusty old sword. He swung the blade, trying to imitate the way that youkai had done. "When the brat swung it back then, the sword had transformed." He felt a thumping in his belly, signaling that the youkai still had not dissolved yet. "Quiet down!" Toukajin smacked his land against the side of his stomach.

Inuyasha pulled Tessaiga's sheath from the loop in his hakamas. "I'll rip through it with the scabbard!" he rushed at the fleshy wall and stabbed at it with the sheath, trying to dig his way through. Then a sound smack sent him flying into the acidic liquid of Toukajin's stomach. The halfling bit his lip as the liquid seared his skin. "Ah shit!" he cursed as he used the scabbard to rise out of the stomach acid. Inuyasha glanced at his haori and noticed that it was sizzling. "My clothes are melting. His vision was starting to get blurry as he felt his youki starting to leave him as the sun set lower over the horizon and the dark sky rising further. 'Dammit. Is this the end...?' His darkening eyes widened when Tessaiga's sheath began to pulsate in his hand. "The scabbard is calling Tessaiga!" He pointed the sheath at glowing flesh. "Come Tessaiga!"

Toukajin's eyes widened when the rusty sword began to rattle before floating up and launching into his stomach. He let out a groan when the sword struck his body, and something burned his flesh before the sword hit the floor. His stomach suddenly lurched and the urge to vomit hit him hard.

"It bounced off?" Inuyasha said, as he felt the last of his youki began to leave his body. Suddenly the liquid around him began to swirl around him and lurch to the top. The hanyou felt the liquid being spewed out of the opening and his body reverted to its normal size as Toukajin threw him up. Inuyasha opened his eyes and quickly snatched Tessaiga up and swung it at the large man. "You bastard!" The instant Tessaiga hit Toukajin's belly, it was repelled backward and Inuyasha flew with it, landing on the stairs.

"Damn you!" Toukajin jumped up in the air high above Inuyasha and belly flopped on the now humanized hanyou. He crushed the halfling into the stone stairwell, breaking the concrete under the weight of his heavy body. The large man rolled off Inuyasha slowly, his eyes widened slightly as he took in the hanyou's new look. "Is this guy that youkai brat from earlier. "he grabbed a handful of Inuyasha's silky black hair, lifting him up slightly.

Something prickling at his flesh caused Inuyasha to meekly open his now, violet eyes. Once he saw what was stabbing him, he awoke fully. His human ears picked up the sound of Toukajin's voice saying that he was awake. "You bastard!" The hanyou cursed. "What the hell is this?!"

Toukajin turned his head to look at Inuyasha with a curious gaze. "It's because you're a hanyou, isn't it?" The way he said this sounded more like a statement than a question. He hefted a large jar and set it in front of the halfling, a slight smile tickling at his lips. "Hanyou meat is rare. So, I'm going to drain your blood, pickle you, and eat."

Inuyasha felt his stomach roll at the fate that the large man was going to try and bestow on him. A growl rose up in his throat, although it did not sound as threatening as he wanted it to. "All you think about is eating, after all, huh?!" he lunged forward in effort of striking Toukajin, but the sharp vines that he was trapped in sliced at his flesh, blood dripping down his body.

"Fight all you want. The thorns will just dig in more and you'll bleed faster." The large man chuckled.

The glow from Toukajin's belly caught the hanyou's eye and he saw that it was the large fragment of the Shikon no Tama that Kaori had around her neck! 'Kaori!' His voice came out shaky as he asked, "You... That's... Who did you get that from?" 'Please, let her be okay. Please don't let him tell me that he ate her while I was unconscious!' Inuyasha prayed to every kami that would hear him that the girl he was coming to adore was okay.

Toukajin blinked in confusion at first before realizing that the halfling was referring to the shards in his belly. "Stupid. I found it." He patted his belly fondly. "I found it in my house, so it's mine."

'Kaori and Kagome are here. They must be somewhere in this den." Inuyasha felt his racing heart calm some at knowing that Kaori was still alive somewhere and not in that monster's gut.

Kaori walked over to a few of the men resting against the base of a tree, trying to explain to them that if they did not get out of that boxed garden soon that they will be eaten by the phony sennin, Toukajin. But they acted as if they did not hear her as they were either sleeping or staring off into space. She glanced over at Kagome to see if she had any better luck with trying to convince them to help find a way out but saw that she was just as frustrated too.

"Jeez." Kagome bemoaned as she walked back over to where her sister was. "What's going on here?"

"I know. It's like they're all spaced out or something." Kaori crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. She was starting to get worried for Inuyasha. The sun must have set by now thus causing him to lose his youki and revert to being human. If he as not destroyed Toukajin before that happened, he was surely a goner by now. She shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts. Inuyasha would not lose to that phony sennin! He was alive! Kaori was sure of it!

Miroku approached the girls, trying to control the urge since he nearly lost to it earlier. "I've tried calling out to everyone but it's like they're just empty shells."

"It's like they're under some kind of spell." Shippou said as he jumped onto Miroku's shoulder.

Kagome looked at her hands before pinching Kaori, grinning when her sister let out a yelp and shot her an irritated glare. "We're fine though."

The houshi raised his hand to his chin in thought as he scanned the area for clues as to why the men were ignoring them. A darkish seed near the men caught his eye. "Seeds from the fruit." he glanced up at the trees and saw that they were the only source of food minus the carrots being grown in the ground, but they looked to be untouched. "So that's it." He watched the men walk past the vegetable garden to go to the fruit bearing tree and grab one of the peachy-shaped fruits. "I understand now..." Perhaps consuming the fruit and water in the box garden takes away the ability to think."

Kaori placed her fist in the palm of her hand. "I get it."

Kagome looked over at Shippou, who jumped from Miroku's shoulder to her arms. He exclaimed that if they don't eat or drink anything, they would be okay. The younger sister grinned along with him. Lucky for them they had their own source of food inside their backpack. She glanced over at Kaori and her smile dropped immediately. Where was there pack? 'Don't tell me it fell when Shippou-chan detransformed?' "Shippou-chan, we don't have our backpack. If we don't eat or drink, we'll die eventually."

"Oh no!" Shippou shrieked as realization hit him hard.

"That's right." Kaori sighed. "We've got to find a way out of here soon. I'm getting worried about Inuyasha...' Her eyes widened when the sky suddenly became a swirl of clouds. "Miroku-sama, look!" She pointed at the sky.

Miroku looked up at where Kaori was pointing as saw that the clouds began to swirl as a large hand began to descend. "A hand is appearing in the sky?!"

Outside the boxed garden, Toukajin was leaning over it reaching his hand inside. He felt a rumbling in his stomach ever since he was forced to vomit the halfling up an hour ago. "I'm kinda hungry. Maybe I'll just have a couple..."

"Let's grab on it!" Kagome said quickly, grabbing her twin's hand.

Kaori nodded. Usually she'd be skeptic about going towards potentially dangerous things, but her worry for Inuyasha was growing more by the second. What if he was in trouble because his youki was gone? What if Toukajin captured him and was torturing him. What if that fake sennin had their jewel shards and was abusing their powers?

Miroku followed the girls. Shippou scrambling up onto his shoulder. "Right! It's now or never!"

Inuyasha had a worried look on his face as he tried to not move too much so the thorns would not cut into his weak human body. He prayed that Kaori would stay hidden wherever she was. She just needed to stay hidden until daybreak when his powers returned, and he could slay Toukajin. This was probably the only time he wished that damned weasel and short bastard was here. Why did their heat and his time of weakness have to run on the same day?

The twins raced towards the hand that was reaching into the box. "If we don't grab hold of that hand, we might never get out of this garden!'

The hanyou, being the impatient creature, he was, began struggling against the thorny vines. He needed to find Kaori and Kagome before Toukajin could. "Damn it!" he cursed. Inuyasha yelped out in pain when one of the thick thorns pierced his leg. Blood began to run down his leg and onto the floor, as the halfling cursed. 'Shit! It's no good because of this human body...Kaori! Please be safe until I come!'

Toukajin dug around the boxed garden looking for someone that could fill his hunger. "Although, they're all just skinny, bad-tasting men..." He grabbed a handful of mortals and opened his palm. His eyes widened at what he found in the center of the men. "Oh. It's a young girl!" He took in her strange clothing which consisted of a short red kimono with a matching long, tight sleeved haori made of wooly material with black stitching.

Kaori opened her grey-blue eyes and saw that she had been snatched up when they were trying to grab onto the hand's sleeve instead of going for the actual flesh itself. 'This is the cannibal sennin, Toukajin?' she nearly gagged at the hungry look in his eyes as he gazed down at her tiny form. She held back a shriek when he began flicking the other men that had been captured with her until she was the only one left in his palm.

"Well, though I don't remember capturing such a tasty-looking one...Today is a good day." Toukajin chuckled as he lifted the young girl closer to his face, her face contorting into one of fright. "I got a rare hanyou as well."

The fright that initially ran through the elder sister's blood vanished at the mentioning of a hanyou. "You met Inuyasha!?" she questioned, fury boiling in her blood at the thought of this phony sennin having his hands on her hanyou companion! "He better be okay, or I swear I'll make you regret it!" Kaori rose to her feet before stomping on Toukajin's palm rather roughly.

Toukajin brought his hand closer to his face, becoming more eyes level with the tiny human. "Are you friends with that hanyou brat?"

Kagome shook her head as she listened to her sister threaten the sennin if Inuyasha's safety was not guaranteed. Kaori was seriously catching feelings for the cute, silver inu hanyou. She grinned when she heard Shippou compliment her sister's fierceness and Miroku calling her twin fearless. "Yeah," she whispered, not trying to warrant Toukajin's attention. "Kaori has always been like that ever since we were kids." Her blood ran cold when Toukajin's words reached her.

"You're a lively one. Eating you this small would be a waste." The sennin tightened his fist around Kaori's body, squeezing her until she passed out in her grip.

Inuyasha struggled against the vine to no avail, the sharp thorns merely cut deeper into his weak human flesh. His blood was running freely down his body and the flame that lit the room was starting to blur... 'Shit, I've lost too much blood.' He concluded as his struggling slowed. 'My vision getting blurry.' He lifted his head at the sound of someone stepping heavily down the stairs.

Toukajin was surprised to see that the hanyou brat was still hanging on to his life after being trapped in his thorns for hours now. "You're still alive, huh?" He tossed the red sweater and skirt down on the floor to the side, but Inuyasha managed to catch a glimpse of it.

Violet eyes widened at the sight of the clothing that the sennin threw on the ground. 'Those are Kaori's clothes...She...she couldn't be...' A growl rose in his throat when Toukajin questioned the look on his face. "Kaori...the girl, what did you do with her?!" he demanded! He at least needed to know her fate so that he could tell Hiei what had happened and why he slaughtered a sennin with no remorse.

The large man lifted a gourd to his lips. "So, you were in love with that tasty-looking girl." He took a swig of the contents that was inside and let out a belch. "Don't worry, you'll see her soon enough inside my stomach, that is.

Rage began to boil inside the hanyou at Toukajin's words. Kaori was gone. "You..." he bit out, his eyes flashing angrily. "You ate her?!"

"What a stupid question. The only use for a human is to eat it."

"You fuckin' bastard!" Inuyasha roared as he lunged towards Toukajin, ignoring the searing pain of the thorns slicing into his body. He did not care what happened to him. He needed to slaughter this man for even daring to put Kaori anywhere near that disgusting hole Toukajin called a mouth. "I'll fuckin' kill you!"

At the sound of the hanyou's voice, Kagome popped her head out of her sister's sweater, a large smile on her face. Inuyasha really did care about Kaori. But then her smile faded. 'That idiot forgot all about me!' As she pouted at the fact that Inuyasha only cared for Kaori's safety, Kagome briefly thought that she should help Hiei get closer to her sister just to spite the hanyou. 'If he wants to be with my sister, he has to at least acknowledge my existence! Hiei does a little!' "Inuyasha no baka..."

Toukajin laughed at the hanyou's efforts to rip through the thorny vines to reach him. "It's no use. You'll never cut through those vines."

Miroku's eyes widened at Inuyasha's appearance. "That's Inuyasha? It's like he's become human." He looked down at his right hand and frowned. "In this smaller form, I don't know how much power I'll have, but..." After Kagome had moved behind him with Shippou snug in her arms, he removed the rosary that blocked off his Kazaana. He aimed it at the vines holding Inuyasha prisoner.

Inuyasha pulled even harder against the vines, unaware of the power of the Kazaana helping him. He felt the stones above him break loose and he was suddenly flying towards Toukajin. As the vines scattered around them, Inuyasha broke free. "Ugh..." he groaned, his wounds still leaking fresh blood as he crawled over to the sennin's fallen body. "Hold on, Kaori! I'll slice this guy open and..."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome called out; her face slightly miffed. "I'm glad you care so much about Kaori, but you forgot that I'm in danger too!"

The halfling gave her a sheepish look as he rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, Kagome." he gave her a light laugh as he held his hand out for the three of them to climb on to. "Do you know where Kaori is?"

'Yeah, I'm so team Hiei now.' Kagome thought evilly as she crawled up Inuyasha's fingers to sit comfortably on his palm.

Kaori slowly began to come to as a heavy scent wafted up to her nose. She grimaced at the smell. It reeked of sake. Gingerly she opened her eyes to find herself completely naked in a pool of warm sake. She gave out a girlish shriek as she covered her body with her arms before looking around to see several small animal-like youkai working in what looked to be a kitchen. The young miko glanced over at barrel filled with skull and a look of horror crossed her face. 'Am I going to end up like that too?' Shaking her head, she quickly swam over to the edge of the small pool. "No way! No way in hell!" Kaori arched her brow at the monkey-looking youkai that raised their kitchen tools at her in warning when she tried to climb out of the sake. "Shoo, you little imps." she said.

Suddenly the door burst open and the monkeys went flying out of the way. "Kaori!" Inuyasha called out, relieved that she was still alive. His violet eyes shined with happiness as he gazed at her beautiful face. 'She's alive.' Inuyasha's gaze traveled lower and a bright blush lit up his face when Kaori rose out of the liquid, she had been sitting in. He had just gotten his second look at Kaori's sinfully wonderful curves while she was wet. Inuyasha quickly turned around when Kaori realized that she was still naked and sunk back into the pool she was in, his heart pounding in his chest.

The older twin peeked her eye open and saw that Inuyasha was still facing her with his back turned. Slowly, she climbed out of the sake filled tub and moved closer to her hanyou companion, taking in his now dark locks. The heavy scent of blood hit her the closer she got to Inuyasha. "Wait a sec! You're covered in blood. That Toukajin's going to pay for hurting you when you're at your weakest!"

"Keh!" the halfling scoffed. "It's just a scratch." he pulled out his robe of the fire rat and handed to her. "Put that on." Inuyasha peeked over his shoulder and stole another look at her beautiful body. He could not wait until he had those supple curves of hers all to himself. He just needed to keep her attention on her and keep her away from that short runt, Hiei. "Though it might feel strange covered in blood and all."

Kaori hugged the red haori closer to her body, a light blush highlighting her face. "It won't feel strange because it's your blood, Inuyasha." She panicked when the hanyou tried to stand only to collapse back on the floor. "Inuyasha!" she called out grabbing hold of the halfling. "Your wounds are too deep for your mortal form, yet you still came to see if I was okay." The young miko wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him close. "Thank you..."

"Kao-nee." Kagome popped out of the humanized Inuyasha's hair with a sly smile on her face. "I see you."

A bright red flush spread down Kaori's body as she noticed that along with her sister was Miroku and Shippou, who were staring at her curiously as she held on Inuyasha with her still naked body. "Kyaah!"

A rumbling erupted from the room that Inuyasha had been trapped in and Toukajin emerged from the rubble. His body had become a pillar of stone as the Shikon's power began to take over, absorbing his evil aura. "Hee-hee." he chuckled as he used his staff to rise to his feet. "You won't get away, Hanyou." His, now, sharp teeth gnashed as he spotted the blood trail left behind by the half-blood brat, "The drops of blood keep going. That hanyou won't get away no matter where he runs to."

Further down the stairs, Inuyasha rested against the wall as he tried to regain some of his strength. He could faintly feel the three small beings moving around his body. He felt Kagome messing around in his hair, while Shippou was exploring the folds of his inner haori, and Miroku settled on the back of his hand.

Shippou poked his head out from the fold in Inuyasha's shirt. "Inuyasha got beat up pretty badly, huh."

Kagome nodded as she peeked over at the hanyou's bloody and bruised face. "Yeah, he probably shouldn't move too much."

Miroku opened his mouth to agree when a shuffling noise set him on high alert. He calmed down when he saw that it was just Kaori, now wearing Inuyasha's red robe as a makeshift kimono. He had to admit red looked beautiful on the older sister and if it were for his fear of Hiei, Miroku would make another move on her. He shook his head to rid his mind of the man perverse thoughts that were beginning to cloud his mind the longer he stared at Kaori.

"I think I might have found a way out of here." she said as she moved closer to the fallen halfling. "Do you think you can walk, Inuyasha?" Kaori kneeled closer so that she was more eye level with him. She found herself becoming entranced by his, now, deep violet eyes, watching the tiny flecks of his original amber color swirl around in his irises.

"Did you see outside?" Inuyasha asked, cringing when the simple question sent pain streaking up and down his body. Therefore, he hated being mortal. A few scratches and his body was constantly aching!

Kaori shook her head as she plucked Shippou from his chest, using her finger to stroke his soft yellow tail gently. "It's still pitch black." her eyes hardened as she looked back at the humanized hanyou. "If you intend to fight even though you're so badly injured I will stop you. Hiei has trained me enough that I can subdue you in your human form, especially with you so weakened." Kaori knew that that comment was a low blow, but she did not want Inuyasha trying to protect her with him so badly injured in his human form. "So, we will keep running until your youki returns."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes as he allowed Kaori to help him to his feet. He secretly enjoyed having to lean so heavily against her so that even with his dull human sense of smell, he could detect her heavenly scent of water lilies. His hands held on her lithe waist as he walked with her to a room in the lower level. There they found a wooden screen door, but when they slid the door open a harsh gust of wind struck them. "This is your way out of here...?"

A sheepish laugh left the elder sister's throat. "No good?"

The halfling facepalmed. "Okay. Here's what we're gonna do..."

Kaori felt her sister jump into her hair from Inuyasha's shoulder. "No way." she said bluntly.

"I haven't even said anything yet."

Blue eyes narrowed when she felt Miroku climb onto her shoulder and she crossed her arms over her chest so that the houshi would not get any ideas. "You want me to escape with the others alone, don't you? Well newsflash, my sister, Shippou-chan, and Miroku-sama are still tiny because of Toukajin's garden. So, until they return to normal, no way am I leaving." Kaori stared Inuyasha down with intense grey tinted eyes until a soft voice could be heard behind them.

"Is someone there?" The group turned to see the head of an old man attached to a large white flower. "How many years has it been since I've heard another's voice?"

Kaori walked over to the elderly man, her lit candle illuminating his face more. "Ano...Have you been eaten by Toukajin as well, Ojii-san"?

The man sighed sadly. "It was my mistake..." he wheezed out tiredly. "Teaching a person like that my wizardry."

"Then you're a sennin, Ojii-san?" Kaori deduced from the man's words.

"While it shames me to say it, I was Toukajin's master."

A growl left Inuyasha's throat, although it was not as near as threatening as he wanted it to sound, as he rushed over despite his aching body to grab the flower roughly. "You bastard!" he shouted, ignoring Kaori's cry for him to wait. "I'm amazed to hear you're a sennin. Why did you teach that man-eating youkai your wizardry?!"

"Toukajin..." the man wheezed out, his eyes peering into Inuyasha's. "Is not a youkai. In fact, he was just an ordinary human."

Suddenly the door to the room they were hiding in burst down and the stone monster that was Toukajin emerged from the blackness. Kaori and Kagome let out a scream as the elder sister clutched onto Inuyasha's arm. The phony sennin cracked a wide, sharp-tooth grin as he eyes, they couple. "You bastard, you came to this damn place.

Kagome peered at Toukajin from the top of her sister's head at the monstrous form that Toukajin has taken. Her eyes immediately went to his belly were the dark glow of the jewel was the brightest. 'The powers of the Shikon fragment have already started to change him. His body looks like it's made of stone...' "Are you sure Toukajin was once human? He looks like a youkai to me."

Miroku spoke up from his perch on Kaori's shoulder. "I've heard that humans can transform into youkai." he explained to everyone who could hear him. "In his case, the evil of the mind was very strong." Even with his reiki, he could see the jyaki emitting from Toukajin's body.

Toukajin let out a rumbling growl as his eyes glinted evilly. "Quite your blabbering." he said as he lifted his staff in front of him. "I just wanted to be stronger!" The stone youkai swung his staff and long thorny vines flew out towards Inuyasha and Kaori.

Inuyasha quickly rushed over to Kaori and grabbed her around the waist, shielding her with his body. He grimaced as he felt the thorns rip into the skin of his back, blood spurting out. He landed heavily in Kaori's lap and she screamed out his name in worry at the amount of life-giving fluid that covered his back.

"Human are just too pathetic. They're weak and cunning." the fake sennin began, his face being cast in shadows. "They slave away in filth from morning to night, only to grow old and die. Both my mother and old man croaked like that. I wasn't going to live in such a pathetic way." He went through the generic explanation that every villain goes through as he explained his life story. "Which is why I became an apprentice to that stupid sennin. "The stone youkai cut his eyes over to the flower that housed the old man's head "After I had trained for a couple of years and mastered some of the spells, I studied the scrolls in secret while the master was away. I learned that the quickest way to become a sennin was to understand the spells, and eat the sennin's meat and so..." Toukajin reminisce on the day he slaughter the old sennin and partook in his flesh, the warm feeling of his first taste of human flesh sliding down his throat. "However, for the final secret spell, the medicine of eternal youth, it seems the only way to make it is in the old man's head. That is why I've allowed just his head to keep on living like that."

Kagome lowered her body down to Kaori's shoulder to be closer to her sister's ear. "Kaori, those heads were saying that they were calling "ninmenka" and that they were the medicine of eternal youth for Toukajin." Her eyes grew hard as she felt her twin's muscles clench up at her reminder.

Kaori felt her temper rise as she glared flaming daggers at the fake sennin, her face contorted into a look of pure anger. "You..." she hissed out, cradling Inuyasha closer to her chest as if to protect him for Toukajin. "Just for that, you killed all those people. Even though you were human too, you ate people!"

Toukajin tilted his head to the side, his short brown hair fluttering with the movement. "What's wrong with the strong eating the weak. It's the same as a snake eating a frog."

The elder twin turned red in the face. She opened her mouth to retort, but a finger was placed gently on her lips and she was blushing for a different reason.

Inuyasha leaned up, his finger still pressed softly against Kaori's lips. "Stop it, Kaori." He groaned when the movement pulled at his wounds and he stole a glance outside, seeing that the sky was still dark. "This guy. He won't ever accept your way of thinking. I am a hanyou, you know. I'm always disgusted at the weakness of a human body and I understand what it's like to want to be strong..." He did not look at the girl when she said his name. "However, bastards like you really piss me off!" He rose to his feet, his legs wobbling.

"Huh? Are you trying to lecture me?" He eyed the shaking of the hanyou's legs. "Even though you can barely stand..."

"For a bastard like you..." The halfling eased over to a jug filled with human remains, gripping the lip of the large container. "There ain't even a word for scum like you!" Inuyasha quickly threw the pot at Toukajin's face, stunning him. Despite Kaori's best to try and stop him, the humanized hanyou rushed towards the stone youkai with his hand outstretched. 'Before the power is absorbed by this monster. I'll take away the Shikon fragment!' Just as his fingertips brushed against the shards, something hard and solid slammed into the side of his head and sent him flying into the wall. He collided with another large jug, shattering it and several heads scattered on the floor.

"Drink a bit of that medicine." the real sennin spoke to Inuyasha. "Toukajin made it. It's an imitation of the secret eternal youth medicine..." His voice grew more and more tired as he talked. "However, despite being a mere imitation, it can heal wounds instantly. If you want to be saved, go on and drink..."

Toukajin chuckled nastily. "Go ahead and drink it. It'll be a bit more interesting if you're livelier."

Inuyasha glowered at the large stone monster that Toukajin has become. "Keh," he scoffed and knocked away the shard of glass that held the potion. The halfling rose back to his feet, his violet eyes burning with distaste. "Who's going to drink such a disgusting thing. Don't think I'm the same as you, you low-life bastard!"

Kaori and Kagome smiled at each other as they both thought, 'Inuyasha's heart is that of a human.'

"Hanyou..." Toukajin chuckled out. "Not drinking the medicine is something you'll regret. I'm going to torture you and your little friends since you'd rather die."

Inuyasha scoffed as he cracked his fingers. "Keh! Who says I'm gonna die?" His eyes narrowed with deadly intent as he glared at Toukajin. "You won't see me drinking shit like that and I'm not going to lose to a bastard like you!" Before Kaori could react, the halfling took off in a sprint, rushing towards the stone youkai at full speed. He paused when Toukajin sent his sharp vines at him. Inuyasha grimaced as he was forced to block the attack with the back of his hand, the thorns ripping through the flesh and spilling blood. Ignoring the pain that spread down his arm like a wildfire, he reached out and grabbed the staff. He was quickly slammed into the floor by Toukajin's heavy hand.

Kaori felt her heartbeat fast in her chest as panic and worry settled in her body. She felt Shippou bounce around on her other shoulder, crying out that while in his human form, Inuyasha did not stand a chance. The tiny kitsune then ordered for Miroku to use his Kazaana to help the halfling. But the young priest already had it opened and the best he was doing was sucking up bits of dust.

Kagome jumped up and grabbed hold of Kaori's ear. "Sis, you need your wakizashi!" She pointed in the distance over by the far wall. There resting against a broken pillar was a small sword still in its sheath. Kaori quickly scrambled over to the covered blade, avoiding the sharp point of the thorny vines.

Toukajin wrapped his large hand around Inuyasha's throat, pinning him again the floor with his weight and pressure. He chuckled evilly in the inu's face. "What's the matter? After all that, you're just talk?"

When the old sennin saw the young girl come back with the shirt sword in her tiny hands, he sighed. "Don't bother with that. That blade will never defeat Toukajin."

Kaori snapped, her eyes blazing with fire. "I will defeat him. Definitely!" She drew the wakizashi from its scabbard and took on her fighting stance. 'Time to test out all those lessons from Hiei!' "Toukajin!" Unknown to the elder twin, her blade began to glow faintly as she subconsciously poured her reiki into the metal. She blinked when the small sword suddenly shattered in her hands, sending shards of metal flying everywhere. "Kyaah!"

The old sennin had noticed the glow before the sword broke in her hands. 'There was a purifying aura coming from around the blade. Is that girl...'

Toukajin cracked a wide grin as he glanced up at Kaori, who was still staring in disbelief at the broken sword. "Sorry about that," he laughed. "That sword isn't any good, as I've never bother taking care of it." His eyes turned cold as steel. "Not that you could ever stab through my body anyway. Just you wait, ojou-chan. After I've tortured this hanyou to death, I'll eat you at my leisure."

Inuyasha growled. "Don't be so full of yourself." He grabbed one of the thorns and ripped it from the vine. Using the sharp tip, he rammed the spike into Toukajin's eye.

Blood sprayed out of the wound and the stony youkai clutched his left eye. "Bastard!" he cursed at Inuyasha while swinging his arm down. He grinned at the sickening cracking sound that echoed through the air when he contacted his prey.

The halfling let out choked yelp as he felt to bone in his right arm shatter from the impact.

"Inuyasha!" Kaori screamed out as she tossed the hilt of the broken sword to the side.

"Please bring Toukajin down..." The old sennin whispered when Kaori rushed closer to him in her effort to help her companion. "I beg you, somehow...for me, and all of those who were eaten..." He squeezed out the last ounce of his powers and transformed himself into an elegant wakizashi.

Kagome leaned over Kaori's shoulder; her eyes misty with tears. "The sennin ojii-san used the last of his powers to transform into a sword." Through bleary eyes, the younger sister glared at Toukajin, who had grabbed Inuyasha by the shirt threatening to rip him apart. She saw the glow emitting from his back where the Shikon no Tama was lying. "Do it, Kaori. The shards are glowing through his back."

Kaori nodded; her eyes trained on the glow she could see clearly through Toukajin's large body. She picked up the wakizashi and dropped into a fighting stance Hiei had drilled into her head from his many sword training lessons. Her eyes went hard the longer she stared at the light that shined from the phony sennin's back. "Thanks for making it such an easy target!" Her blade glowed with a bright pale violet light as she let out a deep warrior cry, rushing towards Toukajin. Before he could react, Kaori had already thrust her blade into his stony body. Blood oozed out of the wound when she pulled back, somersaulting backwards away from the large man. Kaori blinked in confusion when her wakizashi suddenly to face away into dust before smiling softly. "Arigato, Sennin-ouji-san."

Inuyasha's eyes widened when the Shikon fragment popped out of Toukajin's belly button and fell to the floor harmlessly. He let out a surprised yelp when he was thrown to the side by the fake sennin.

Toukajin growled loudly as he set his sight on Kaori. "Girl! How dare you!" he began to charge at the elder twin, his thorny vines following after him.

"Kaori! Get down!" Inuyasha shouted. He watched as the girl immediately squatted down on her knees as he rushed into Toukajin. The hanyou managed to catch the large man off guard and knock him off his feet and over the edge of the cliff. What he did not expect was for the railing up the porch to give way and he went tumbling down the side as well.

"Inuyasha!" Kaori screamed as she realized that the hanyou went over as well. She stretched out her hand in a futile attempt to catch him as she watched him freefall down into the ravine. The elder sister rose to her feet to leave the building when she felt something begin to weigh her down. Suddenly the weight began to crush her, and she peeked open her eyes to find her sister sitting on top of her with Shippou in her arms. "Mind getting the hell off, Kags."

Kagome rubbed the back of her head as she laughed sheepishly. "But you're comfy, Kao-nee." she let out a squeak when her older sister shoved her off from onto of her. The younger twin rose to her feet and extended her hand for her sister. "Anyway, we're back to normal. But we've got to make sure Inuyasha is okay. The sun was starting to rise when he went over."

Kaori nodded and took hold of Kagome's hand, using her held to get back on her feet. Together the girls rushed out of the building.

Miroku looked after the girls with Shippou crawling up to sit on his shoulder. "When did they learn the way out of here?"

As the group finally made their way down to the bottom of the ravine. They walked past the tree that held the human-shaped fruits, noticing that they have yet to disappear. They traveled a little further to find Toukajin's dead body, blood pooling under him and Kaori's mind played the worst-case scenario as she grabbed onto Kagome's hand.

"Toukajin is dead, but where is Inuyasha?" The elder sister looked around the ravine in a panic, her eyes wild with worry as her heart pounded painfully in her chest.

Miroku moved closer to the fallen body of the dead sennin. Shippou hopped off his shoulder and nudged him with one furry paw. "Could he have been crushed beneath Toukajin?"

"We've got to get him out!" Kagome barked as she quickly let go of Kaori's hand to push at the dead weight that was Toukajin's body. She knew her sister would be devastated if Inuyasha were to be dead because he chose to save her over his own life. Utilizing all her strength, Kagome still struggle to move the large man's heavy corpse. "He's so heavy!" she squeaked out.

Above everyone in the tree of human head fruits lay Inuyasha. He gingerly opened his amber eyes to see that day had broken and his youki returned just in the nick of time. Had he landed on this tree in his weakened human body, he surely would have died. Not that any other it mattered, if Kaori was alive and safe, he would have gladly given his life. 'It's morning...' He sat up and tried to stretch his broken arm, only to feel a mild throbbing as the bone was beginning to set itself. 'Shit this is annoying. If only my youki would return more quickly.' His silver inu ears twitched at the loud cry that echoed through the air and he looked down to see Shippou bawling his eyes out.

"Inuyasha's dead!" Shippou cried, hopping into Kaori's arms and nuzzling his face into her abdomen. "He had horrible wounds and he fell from that cliff in a human body. There's no way he could have survived!" He calmed down some when the elder sister wrapped her arms around him in a comforting hug and rocked him back and forth.

"Don't cry, Shippou. We'll hold a memoir..." Miroku stopped when he was saying when Kaori shot him the coldest glare he'd ever received. He took a few steps back and coughed in his hand. "Kaori-sama, Inuyasha achieved his goal, surely. Because even if it meant exchanging his life, he wanted to save you, Kaori-sama."

The scowl that appeared on the older twin's face said everything she needed to say. No one told him to go and risk his life to protect her. That was what they had Hiei for! Hiei was the full youkai unlike Inuyasha! And then this was the one night that he was without his youki! He should have never attempted to go after Toukajin on his own. He should have waited until the next day while he regained his full strength. "But no! That idiot had to be reckless even though his youki was gone and he was human!"

The young monk nodded his head in agreement. "It was rather stupid of him."

Kagome added. "He's such an idiot." She hid a smirk when she felt the murderous aura of the halfling behind her. 'Maybe I'll forgive me this time.'

"You bastards just don't know when to stop."

"Oh?" The younger twin miko said with a fake cheery voice. "Inuyasha, you're alive."

Inuyasha gave her a deadpanned look. "Sorry to disappoint you. There's no way I'd drop dead that easy. Worrying over me is fucking pointless."

Kagome counted the seconds in her head until Kaori's infamous anger rose its head. She did not even make it to 3 when Kaori whipped around, tears spilling down her face as she shot Inuyasha the meanest, nastiness glare she knew she sister could muster. "What do you mean it's pointless?" Kaori screeched, cradling Shippou in her arms as she walked closer to the inu hanyou. "How could I not worry about you! How could you be so damn reckless?! I never asked for you to risk your life for me! How damn stupid can you be!?"

The halfling felt his ear pin to his head in shame as he approached Kaori cautiously. "I was saved so it's okay, right. Don't cry."

Kaori sniffled as she wiped at her eyes. "I'm not crying!" She rushed over and buried her face in the hanyou's chest, one hand clenched into the material of his inner robe.

"You are, too." the inu said.

"I'm not!" Kaori denied, shaking him.

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not! Osuwari!"

Kagome shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. That's what Inuyasha gets for arguing with her sister when she was emotional. "He's dead now." she walked over and wrapped her arm around her sister's shoulder and shushed her, nodding her head when Kaori claimed that she was not crying "Yes, I know you aren't, Kaori. Inuyasha is just being an idiot."

I have no excuse for this hiatus. I had lost all muse for writing for a long time. I didn't update any of my fics for a long time. But now I've found it again and will be rolling out chapters more quickly now. Next on my list should be The Sacred Alchemist or As Fate Would Have It. But I will also pick up one more of my unfinished fics. I'll start a poll on my profile for ya'll to choose which one you'd like to see. Personally, I hope it's Corruption! I've been wanting to revamp those first couple of chapters and I have many ideas for it.

Oh, and to the person who left that extremely long review of describing how horrible the plot of Inuyasha is. Newsflash, no one cares. To me and millions of others, it is an epic, tragic love story that has warmed our hearts. So, please do not come back to my fanfiction with your useless words. The only reason why your review is still up is because there is no probable cause to report it since it was merely your opinion and it is a signed-in review. Trust me if I could find a way to delete it, I will do it in a heartbeat. It does not look good to have such a hateful review at the top of my reviews.

P.S. Should I have the twins meet Kurama and Hiei in the modern world. I think that would be fun to do so, I may do it anyway. Just want your opinion first

Ja ne

~Kirei Ai Tenshi