RATING: M for Mature

AN: Well, I know you've all had to wait much too long for this chapter, and I apologize for the delay. Work is crazy right now and this chapter was a little difficult to get the way I wanted it. Again, I'd like to remind you that this story is rated M and this chapter will be our first real taste of it. You've been warned.

As we are so far into our story and I continue to realize just how many of my ideas I've pulled from previous readings, I feel I must acknowledge some of the sources of my personal fanon. I pull many ideas, details, terms, points of interest, etc. from the stories I adored years ago when I first got into fan fiction. Some of them are Deviant Nature's "By Any Other Name," madmiko's and ookami-chan's various works, ImaniJoain's "Second Alliance," and many others that I can't recall specifically but that I'm sure have influenced this story and my other series "Said the Joker to the Thief." Speaking of, I have been struck with inspiration for StJttT and I will probably update that one next. If you haven't looked at it, please do. It's also Kur/Kag, but more lighthearted and I take some artistic liberty with Youko and Kurama. In that series, they are a split avatar and two separate entities in the same body. Hilarity ensues.

If you're interested, Raul Ferrando's song "Yearning" was a large portion of the inspiration for some scenes in this chapter.

I cannot thank you enough for your continued support and feedback. Please enjoy! And Happy Thanksgiving, to my American readers!

Soul Magic

Chapter Fourteen: Yearning

Kurama watched from a distance of about fifteen meters, crouched among the tall reeds as the light closed in on the waiting crane. The soft blueish glow was closing in fast but the youkai remained motionless and calm. The crane glanced back over his shoulder and, to the avatar's shock, looked directly at him before turning his black eyes back to the light before him.

He was momentarily thrown off guard. Ashi knew he was there, knew he had followed him. He had been lead here purposely. And that meant that this was a trap.

Immediately, he considered fleeing back to the village. Kagome could be in trouble, too. He didn't know why yet, but they had obviously been separated. After debating briefly, he grudgingly decided that the rational thing to do was to trust Yusuke's training and let the miko handle her end of whatever was about to go down here, and for him to handle this end. After all, he'd know if she were in trouble when she opened a seal; he'd be able to sense the sudden spillage of holy reiki. So, he would stay put.

Kurama, being the vessel of the entirety of the ancient Youko's experience, never made a move without having first planned for all conceivable contingencies and examined all angles of the situation. His strategy, per usual, was to play along until he had gathered all the facts, and then act accordingly. He watched.

All around the unmoving crane, the water stilled like glass. The light moved beneath the surface until it stopped before him, casting his avian features in stark relief. Kurama, to get a better view of what was happening, had crept around to the right of the crane and could see a form beneath the shallow water. Only a meter before the bird, something broke the surface.

It was a humanoid youkai, a slender female form that rose out of the still, mirrored surface of the water somehow without creating a single ripple. He had never seen anything like this creature. Completely nude, every inch of her body was clothed only in fine, iridescent scales. Instead of ears and hair, clusters of delicate, colorful fins flowed from her head, suspended in the air, rippling as though manipulated by currents of water. Another cluster of fins floated around her hips and down over her thighs like a ruffled skirt. Though her ethereal, alien beauty was undeniable, the most striking thing about her was the colorful patterns of rings and stripes covering every inch of her, undulating constantly with intense bioluminescence. The display reminded him of an octopus he'd seen once in an aquarium as a child.

She only had eyes for Ashi. Or, perhaps more accurately, Ashi's swollen abdomen. With delicate, webbed hands she reached out to him. She pulled the sash that held his kimono closed and the thin fabric parted and fell away from his stomach. Wearing nothing beneath it, he was left bare before her. From his position, Kurama could see a small wound on the underside of the crane's distended belly. It looked fairly new and was red and puffy like it was infected. The crane said nothing and made no move as she laid her palms gently over his round belly. And something moved beneath her hands as though responding to her touch, straining under the flesh of the poor male's stomach. There was something alive inside him. Kurama could only describe the expression on the female's face as reverent.

Then, she spoke. Her voice sounded like the ocean, like the rush of waves flowing and retreating over the sand. "You have done your part well, little crane. Your journey is almost over," she whispered to Ashi. Kurama had no trouble making it out. His brow furrowed as he considered her. What was going on here?

And then, suddenly, her eyes were on him. She stepped away from the crane and started toward Kurama where he was still crouched amongst the reeds. Somehow, her steps never moved the water and it looked as though she were wading ankle-deep across a mirror, the glassy surface of the water flawlessly reflecting her glowing form. The iridescent, gauzy fins floated around her head and Kurama couldn't help but be drawn in by her large, pupil-less black eyes. She was drawing nearer, her steps steady and measured, and when she was only ten meters away Kurama slowly rose to his feet.

The creature smiled, exposing sharp, white teeth. The expression looked unnatural on her alien features. "My lovely little human… you are so far from home," she said in that low, soft voice. And for several long moments she kept his unblinking gaze, patterns of light radiating down her body in waves, fins floating gracefully around her naked form and so mesmerized by the display was he that, despite himself, Kurama found it difficult to lift his hand to the back of his neck under his ponytail and scratch a spot just inside his hairline. It felt like he had weights tied to his arms. He let his hand fall back to his side and stilled completely, feeling an inexplicable need to drink in every inch of this creature.

And she began dancing.

Slowly, so painfully slowly, she dragged one delicate foot around her in a half circle, standing back on that food behind her and undulated her hips provocatively. Gracefully, she twirled her webbed hands before her, around one another in a way that reminded him of the ebb and flow of the tides he had lived by for the past several days as he had traversed the beach. Her black eyes seemed to stay on him even as she turned her face up to her hands now above her head. And her eyes were on him again as she lowered her hands, her hips slithering to a rhythm he'd swear he could hear. She was another step closer. He felt heavier.

And then she shuddered all over, the patterns rippling over her body in a dazzling display of light and the shuffling of her scales sounded like rain on the forest canopy. Another step forward, and her hips quivered and her arms moved gracefully around her, accentuating the hypnotic movements of her body and the floating fins around her undulating form. She was closing in, and he knew he should be trying to move away from her, but Kurama just could not move his feet. He felt like he had the weight of an ocean on him. He couldn't take his eyes off her.

She was a scarce few meters away now.

And then…

Suddenly, quite shockingly, it got weird.

Something …parted the folds between her legs and rose steadily out of her body and stood erect before her. It was… a pale pink, long, thin tube that ended in a sharp, hollow point. And, unlike every inch of her visible flesh, this thing was not bioluminescent. Still, as though it were just another part of the dance, she continued to step and slither toward him.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a naked Ashi drop to his hands and knees. The crane howled in pain and his stomach quivered. His flesh erupted into white feathers and he began shifting back into his primal avian form, flapping and writhing in the shallow water, screeching agony from his bird's throat. He turned on his side, one wing splashing weakly over his prone body and the swollen red wound on his stomach heaved and trickled as if it would erupt.

And it all clicked. Kurama knew what this was.

…But he still couldn't move.

…

A smell.

It was… lavender.

Warm lavender. Mm… that meant it was summer.

For a few moments Kagome laid with her eyes closed, savoring that sweet, familiar smell.

It was a warm night. The roots of a giant oak tree cradled her like the arms of an ancient mother and grass playfully tickled her toes. And oh, that sweet lavender. The entire mountain was absolutely dripping with fresh blooms of them. She was young and in love and the whole world was a field of flowers, as far as she was concerned.

He was up there above her head somewhere in the branches. He was always there, watching over her, keeping her safe. If she opened her eyes and looked up, just by the light of the moon she knew she'd see the familiar red of his haori hidden amongst the leaves. She wondered what her family was doing back home and her heart didn't ache quite so badly because here, Mama was only a well's depth away.

"You're awake. Come eat dinner," a male voice instructed her with authority.

But it wasn't Inuyasha's voice. It wasn't a gruff, boyish command. This voice was like cold honey. This voice could have swindled the devil himself out of his throne.

Kagome opened her eyes to the darkness of the cave that was really a cage. The orange glow of the stove cast sharp shadows across the ceiling. The constant, reassuring weight of the little companion vine moved across her neck where it usually liked to be, offering what meager, silent comfort it could. She rolled over on her futon and found the owner of the voice. Youko stood before the wood stove, crushing sprigs of lavender in his hands and dropping them into the pot of water she kept on the hot surface for just that purpose. He eyed her curiously with the golden eyes and flickering silver ears that weren't Inuyasha's.

And there were no trees and no grass. And the warmth was from the fire, not a sun-soaked meadow still radiating heat after dark. And her family was centuries away again.

She felt tears sting the back of her eyes, but she swallowed the feeling and stood from her bed. He was waiting for her at the table. He'd laid out a steaming pot of fish stew and noodles. It smelled wonderful. Seafood was her favorite. "I'm not hungry," she told him without making eye contact and crossed to the stairwell, taking up her bucket as she went. "I'm going to get water."

"You have plenty of water," he told her, watching her with cold curiosity.

"I need to walk," she answered instead, already slipping on her shoes and beginning down the steps. The truth was the thought of sitting across from him right now made her sick to her stomach. She needed a few minutes alone to get herself under control. Some days it was easy. Some days she could bury herself in books and forget for a while where she was. Some days she could even cope with it in a healthy manner, finding comfort in artistic outlets like painting and writing. But today… Today wasn't one of those days. Today was one of those days where she just couldn't swallow the bitterness.

She hated this place. She hated her life. She hated the Shikon no Tama, the ancient well, and whatever kami had let news of the jewel cross the ears of Youko Kurama. She hated Youko for imprisoning her and Inuyasha for letting it happen…

She hated herself for letting it happen.

And now, at the bottom of the stairs, she let all that darkness and hatred well up inside her and spill out of her and down her cheeks. She cried.

Because she hated herself for letting it happen.

"Hey! Hey, girl! Wake up!"

A voice from somewhere far away. Her cheeks were cold and wet.

"Wake up!"

Droplets of water hit her face and Kagome winced, surfacing fully into consciousness.

She turned her face away from the intrusion, bringing her hands up to swipe away the moisture. Her eyes fluttered open and she groaned. Her head was throbbing.

"Girl! You're awake!" that voice again.

"'gome," she muttered drowsily, getting her hands under her to sit herself up.

"What?"

"Kagome. My name is Kagome, not girl," she answered irritably.

"Oh," said the voice.

Having gotten into an upright position, the miko looked to the source of the voice. It was a crane. She had the same red patch and white feathers as the others she'd met, and a little sprig of wilted, albeit fragrant lavender behind her ear. She was slender and graceful but a little taller than the three males, and wore the same soft grey and blue kimono. The youkai blinked her large, black eyes, eyeing the miko curiously. A pot of water sat on the floor next to her where she knelt a few feet away, the tips of her fingers hovering over it. "Are you a human?" she asked Kagome unexpectedly.

And Kagome nodded distractedly, still trying to figure out exactly where she was. Inside a large, darkened building, it looked like. No windows. Only the orange light of an oil lamp pushed back the darkness. She suddenly realized where she was. "This is the communal building, isn't it? The one that's boarded up. But how did I…" And then the other shoe dropped. Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed with indignant rage. "That- jerk! Oh that- Agh!"

The crane watched her with intense curiosity as she continued to mutter angrily to herself. "Are you ok?" she asked the miko.

"No, I'm not ok!" Kagome snapped, holding her hands to the back of her head where the waves of pain originated and cringing. Yep, there was a big lump there. "I can't believe I let-! As soon as I let my guard down!" she was so angry with herself she couldn't think straight. In her flustered state she rose to her feet quickly, immediately regretting it when her vision started to swim. She swayed and the crane rose to her feet to help her. Before she could touch her, Kagome was backing away, waving her away. The backs of her knees hit something and before she knew it her bottom hit a surface. She looked down dazedly to find she was sitting on a wooden barrel. The crane youkai stood a few feet away, looking a little lost.

The crane observed her in silence for a few moments. Then, timidly, "Why are you here? Did… did she bring you here?"

The miko, head still throbbing and thoughts addled, focused on the strange question. "She? Who is she?"

Looking embarrassed, the crane waved away the question. "Never mind… How long have you been here?"

Kagome was starting to get irritated. In fact, she was getting downright mad. "Look, I'm not answering any more questions until you tell me who you are and what the hell is going on in this village. And why I was just knocked out and shoved into a boarded up building!"

The crane's eyes widened in surprise. She'd always heard humans were unpredictable and volatile, but… "My name is Kaigara." She figured her safest bet was diplomacy.

That seemed to calm the little human woman down a little. "Kaigara, ok. So, what is going on here? Those three outside are acting weird and I swear I saw Nami's stomach move before-! …Well, before Kumo knocked me out," she added bitterly.

Kaigara raised a slender hand to her mouth in shock. "Three? Did you say there are only three cranes left in the village?"

"Yea, that's all we've seen," Kagome answered hesitantly.

The crane looked stricken. She looked down at the floor after a moment, seeming to be thinking deeply. "Three. Only three left," she said as if she couldn't believe it.

The miko, having calmed down a bit from her outburst earlier and sensing the other woman's disturbed state, stood slowly from the barrel she'd been sitting on and moved quietly over to the crane. She stood with one hand clasped over her heart and a faraway look in her eyes. Kagome laid a hand very lightly on the youkai's shoulder, not wanting to startle her. "Kaigara, why are there only three left? What happened?" she asked her softly.

Kaigara turned her face away from her but Kagome didn't miss the way her cheeks flushed as red as the distinct patch of skin over her forehead. In profile, she stared ruefully down at the floor, away from the light of the lamp, and the miko thought she looked almost… ashamed. Or guilty maybe. Her gaze softened. "Listen, I don't know why they threw me in here, but I've got a… friend out there and I need to know if he's in trouble. So, I need to know what's going on here," she finished gently, willing the young woman to open up to her.

And that caught the crane's attention. She glanced up at her through her lashes, bashfully. "Your… your friend. He is… he is a human too?"

Kagome nodded. "Yes, we got separated."

Kaigara seemed to consider that. A look of pain suddenly twisted her features. "I never meant to hurt anyone, I really didn't…"

The miko waited with baited breath, afraid to break the little olive branch the youkai had offered. When it seemed like she couldn't continue, the miko stepped closer to her and tried to catch her eyes. "If we work together we can get out of here, but I need to know what happened. Kaigara… does it have something to do with the 'she' you mentioned earlier?"

Thin lips pursed, the crane's cheeks betrayed her shame. "I… yes. I mean-," and suddenly she didn't know what to do with her hands. They fluttered aimlessly before her and she pulled away from Kagome to pace away from the lamp light and back anxiously. The miko didn't push her. Finally, she started to talk. "I think-… I mean I know-… Let me just start at the beginning. I met this… person. Well, woman," and here her cheeks flushed red again and her eyes darted away from Kagome, "No, no, it started before that… Last winter…it was worse than usual." She swallowed thickly like the words were stuck in her throat. "A sickness moved through the village… we lost some of our youngest and oldest to it. Seven in all."

It took her a moment to gather herself. She looked down at her empty arms sadly, then seemed to come back to the present. Kaigara took a deep breath and continued, pacing once again. "Spring came. It was a good season. Good rain for most of it… On a routine journey to the river for water, we were attacked by an unknown enemy. We lost eight of our women that day." Her voice was gruff with emotion. She swallowed.

Kagome wanted to reach out to her, but sensed that she had more to say and held off. Finally, after a few long moments of silence in which the crane struggled to continue, she did. "It was a very difficult time… Then, only a few days after that, we suffered a tiger attack. She took two of our men before sundown while they filled their bellies for their children," she spat this last part bitterly, hatefully. "The men can't defend themselves like we can. They're pretty useless, actually…" she snorted derisively, then immediately looked embarrassed. She cleared her throat. Softly, she continued, "Well, by then people started talking about a curse…"

Kaigara looked too pained to continue for a moment, but it passed. "A lot of people were wanting to leave. That's when… well, that's when I met her…the sea dragon… I saw her on the beach. I fly down there sometimes to be alone… and to think. Well about two months or so ago I met this woman and she… she was really hurt. I… helped her." She trailed off, becoming still and looking into the distance as though she were seeing that moment again. Softly, Kagome encouraged her to continue. Kaigara blushed deeply and started pacing again. "And… we talked for a long time. It was so easy to talk to her… like I'd known her my whole life. I told her about the village, and…"

Tears welled up in her eyes and Kagome did close the distance between them then, laying a hand softly on the other woman's arm, trying to lend her the strength to go on. "I think she's behind this," she managed to get out in a choked whisper. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks and her beaky lips trembled.

And Kagome understood too well what this young woman was feeling, her fear and guilt that she was responsible for whatever fates had befallen the people of her community was one Kagome felt herself every day of her life. So when the young crane's strength failed her and she dropped to her knees, Kagome knelt with her and put her arm around her shoulders, and although it was awkward with their difference in stature, she lent her what strength she could and let her cry.

After the crane's soft sobs had slowed, Kagome told her, "Kaigara, I think I know kind of how you're feeling. Life is… filled with mistakes, you can't avoid them. No one can…"

"No, you don't understand," Kaigara retorted bitterly, her cheeks flushed with grief and her black eyes glassy with tears, cutting the other woman off before she could finish. "I started it all. Somehow… I am the curse."

The miko gave her a look of disbelief. "What makes you think that?"

It physically pained her to say it, Kagome could see it in her tortured expression. "I-… I'm different."

Kagome furrowed her brows in confusion. "Different? I don't understand."

The young crane waved her hands, at a loss. "I mean- It all started when I… I rejected Kumo's petition for courting."

"Oh… you don't like Kumo?"

"No! I mean- no, not in the way I'm supposed to." She looked lost again. "I just- I'm the only one in the women's residence who didn't fawn over Kumo, and I don't know why he picked me over the others and… well, Yuri wanted him…" she finished sadly. "She wouldn't even talk to me that night… And the next day the first child fell ill."

"Just because you turned down a guy doesn't mean you gave everyone the flu-"

"No, no, you still don't understand. I turned down Kusa and Nami too before him. I wanted someone else-… but she- I mean…" she swallowed, looking helpless, "she didn't want me." And Kagome finally understood. Oh… Oh! Kaigara was picking up again, seeming to gain some strength after finally unburdening herself of the secret she'd spoken to only two other souls in her life. "Everyone already thought I was weird and then I turned down every eligible male in the village and-"

"Ok, it's ok, I think I understand now," the miko told her softly, rubbing her back soothingly. "Listen, Kaigara, how you feel… it's not something you can change. And it's not a choice you made. And it's not something you can be punished for, ok?"

"But-"

"No, I know what I'm talking about, ok? Things just happen and they don't always have a reason. And most of the time, no matter how much you think about 'what if I had done this instead,' there's nothing you could have done to stop it. It just…" she became quieter as though she were imparting a secret as she revealed to the young woman what it had taken her many, many years to come to accept, "It's not fair sometimes. But you just have to keep going. Because it can always get better someday."

And reluctantly, Kaigara nodded. "Ok," she said weakly.

Kagome gave her a few silent moments to recover, and then pressed on with a sense of urgency. Kurama was still out there, after all, with an as yet unknown threat. "So, tell me about this woman you met. What… what makes you think she's done something to your village?"

The young woman looked distraught all over again. "I know… Well… I had been going to the beach to see her for several weeks and every family left with children had fled in that time out of fear of the curse. They migrated to other villages in the marsh. By then it was only me and six of the men left. They can't take care of themselves, the men, they need us to protect them and care for them. So I… I stayed to look after them, and because… I didn't want to leave her… Well, one evening, she followed me back to the village. And in the night I saw her…" Her features twisted with anger. "I saw her dance with Kusa."

"She was… the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen when she danced and… I couldn't believe she would dance with him. I was so…" a sob escaped her. "I was so upset I ran back to my bed and I didn't speak to her again… But then Kusa started acting funny. And his belly grew, and he seemed very uncomfortable. I was worried for him and when he finally let me examine him to see what was wrong… four of the other men grabbed me and threw me into the community building and boarded up all the windows and the door."

"You think she is controlling them somehow?" Kagome responded, encouraging her to continue.

She sighed, "It's the only explanation I can think of. I just can't believe that she'd be capable of something like this… What-… what happened to the others?" she asked softly, hesitantly.

Kagome still didn't understand exactly what this woman was doing to the men of the village and didn't know how she was controlling them, and she wanted to save Kaigara from the knowledge of the crane they'd seen drown himself in the ocean a few days ago. So, for all these reasons she was vague. "I don't know exactly, but… I'm fairly certain they're not alive. I'm sorry…"

Sadly, the young youkai had been expecting this, but a fresh swell of tears rolled down her face nonetheless. She nodded, her lips trembling with emotion. "I'm sorry too, Kagome. Your friend will likely befall the same fate, now…"

But Kagome waved away her concern. "Trust me, Kurama can take care of himself. And for that matter, so can I." She rose to her feet and held her hand out to help Kaigara up. "We're getting out of here."

The young crane looked startled. She cast her gaze around the room, wondering where the other woman saw an exit where she didn't. "How…?"

The miko, having overcome her dizziness from earlier, although still suffering somewhat of a headache, was already padding softly across the polished floorboards to stand before the door. "Through the door," she said simply.

Kaigara gave her a disbelieving look as she stood sizing up the door. "They nailed it back shut after they threw you in here," she explained.

Kagome had both hands on the finger holds of the sliding door, tugging at it fruitlessly. She took a step back and rapped on the wood with the knuckles of one hand. It was a large door, very heavy and thick. It would have been difficult for her to have opened on her own even without the nails. Hm… "I don't suppose they left you an ax or something in here, did they?" The crane shook her head and Kagome sighed. "Alright then, I'm gonna try something…" And walked a few paces back away from the door.

Kaigara watched her with interest, wondering what she would do. The miko stilled, breathing deeply, seeming to gather her strength. She flooded her legs with reiki, reinforcing bone and muscle like Yusuke had taught her. Then, quite suddenly, she took off toward the door sprinting. When she was close enough her feet left the ground in a leap, left leg tucked underneath her and her right extended with a flat heel at the door. And she made contact spectacularly.

The thick, resilient wood of the door did nothing but shudder violently under the sudden impact of her full weight on the heel of her right foot. Yusuke had always stressed, never lock your knees, and that bit of wisdom probably saved her from a nasty injury as her leg gave way to the unyielding mass of the door and her body followed, slamming against the wood and crumpling to the ground. Kaigara gasped and rushed to her, kneeling next to the fallen form of the miko. "Are you alright?" she questioned urgently.

Kagome groaned pitifully, lying on her stomach with her left leg tucked awkwardly underneath her. She rolled over onto her back and stretched out her legs. "Ugh, yea, nothing hurt but my pride… and my heel," she complained, sounding quite pained. She slowly sat up and shook her head, wrapping her hands around the throbbing heel and applying pressure. It hurt now, but she knew from experience it would feel a lot worse tomorrow. "I way underestimated that door," she said, her cheeks red with embarrassment. Geez, what an impression she was making on this young youkai who had probably never met another human in her life!

But she knew she only had herself to blame. She'd been so mad at herself for making such a simple mistake as turning her back to Kumo long enough for him to knock her out that she had acted on her anger and made a rash decision. That wasn't her. She was smarter than that. She'd always chastised Inuyasha for letting his anger get away with him, and here she was doing the same thing.

Throwing her long, dark braid back over her shoulder, Kagome looked to the crane. Kaigara shrugged helplessly. "It's oak," she said by way of explanation.

The miko smile somewhat wryly. "Figures," she said, and immediately chastised herself. Sarcasm never helped anything. 'Ok, think Kagome, there has to be some way out of here.'

She accepted Kaigara's help and regained her footing again, keeping her weight on the balls of her right foot and not on her throbbing heel. She dusted herself off and put the incident behind her, deciding to set about thoroughly inspecting the room like she should have in the first place. She grabbed the lantern from the floor, quietly proud of the way she kept her gait smooth and unaffected by her injury. She circled the large room looking for anything she could use, finding it to be sparsely furnished with a small stove, six low tables with tatami mats placed around them, a barrel of water, and a futon. She looked up into the rafters where she knew there were windows in the darkness. Exactly five exposed beams crossed overhead and each ended below a window. It was difficult to see with only the lamplight, but she thought they were only covered with simple hanging tatami, and then nailed over with boards from the outside. Hm…

Kagome pointed to one of the large, man-sized windows above them. "Have you checked the windows?"

The young crane frowned. "Of course. I can't get through them." And she gave the little miko a look that said quite clearly that she didn't think she could get through them either.

Well, she'd see about that. The way Kagome figured it, the boards they put over the windows wouldn't be nearly as thick as what the door was made of, surely, so maybe she'd be able to break through one of those. She set the lamp down and paced around under one of the beams, judging the distance. Ok, she could do this.

Thanks to the twelve (plus?) hours of sleep she'd gotten last night and the embarrassing number of crabs she'd devoured earlier, Kagome was feeling much more alive than she had in days, and perhaps that sudden burst of energy had also contributed to her previous overestimation of her strength against that door. She wouldn't make that mistake again. Yusuke said "You're always stronger than you think you are, but you'll get yourself killed gettin' cocky." That translated roughly to "Trust in your strength, but be humble." Ok. Right.

She could do that. After spending a moment sizing up the jump, she once again flooded her legs with reiki, powering up her muscles for the jump, ignoring the spike of pain from her bruised heel as she leapt straight up a meter and a half to catch the worn, square wooden edge of the beam. She sent that energy into her arms and shoulders with practiced ease and pulled herself up and over to straddle the beam. It was about the width of her feet side-by-side and a little uncomfortable to be sitting on. She looked down to the crane below her and tried to smile. She didn't know what she'd do if she couldn't get through this window. Well, she could call for help. Kurama said he'd know if she opened a seal…

"I didn't think humans were so strong and agile," Kaigara said matter-of-factly, easily rising to the beam behind Kagome with a graceful leap and a flutter of large white wings Kagome only saw in periphery and which swiftly dissolved back into human appendages upon her landing. She stood a meter behind the miko who still sat straddling the beam uncomfortably in her running shorts.

"Well, most aren't. I'm kind of a special case," she said vaguely. Pushing off with her palms, she smoothly righted herself on the slender wooden platform and began stepping carefully across the length of the beam and to the window. She was thankful she wasn't wearing shoes; it made it easier for her to keep her balance while she crossed. The wood of the beam had been worn smooth and the shallow gouges that decorated every inch of the surface led her to the conclusion that the cranes must use these beams for perches and from their strange placement under the windows, it looked to her like they used the portals as aerial entrances.

"What will you do if we get out of here?" the crane asked her curiously, voice oddly stiff.

Kagome didn't pay her much mind, focusing on keeping the weight off her right heel and maintaining her balance on the beam. "Find Kurama. Hopefully find the sea dragon, if she's done what I think she's done, which is get me out of the way and move in on Kurama like she did the other males in the village. Although, I'm sure she'll have more trouble out of him than she bargained for," she finished, finally reaching the end of the beam.

When she came to the window she found it to have a fairly wide sill large enough for her to stand on when she rolled and pinned up the hanging mat that covered it. Kaigara gave her space and watched from further back on the beam as the little human woman felt around the edges of the wooden planks nailed over the portal. She rapped her knuckles against them, testing their thickness. Just as she thought, they were much thinner and weaker than the heavy sliding door. In fact, she estimated they weren't much thicker than the boards Yusuke had her punch through to work on her reiki control and strengthen her fists. She'd done this at least a hundred times before. Surely she could keep from embarrassing herself again.

Kagome sized up her target and took a grounded stance, left foot before her and right behind her on the beam, gripping with the balls of her feet. Before she could throw the punch, Kaigara called out to her, "Kagome!" The miko stopped immediately, turning her torso back to see the other woman. The crane chewed her lip anxiously and gave her a pained look. "Please… please don't hurt her. I know she's done something terrible, but… please let me talk to her…" she finished weakly. Kagome gave her what she hoped was a meaningful, understanding look and nodded.

Turning her attention back to the task before her, she gathered her reiki in her right leg and arm, pushed off and thrust her right fist toward the center of one board in a controlled, powerful jab, making splendid contact! A thunderous crack echoed throughout the room.

The woman was before him now, strange threatening appendage brandished before her, her large black, almond-shaped eyes wide and intent on his own, webbed hands coming down gracefully from the last winding vestiges of her seductive dance and reaching out for his shoulders as though she were going to hold him physically in place. He still couldn't will his body to move, as if her hypnotic gaze had drained every ounce of strength from his muscles and was holding him aloft on invisible strings.

Quite suddenly, though, she stopped. "Wha-?" she managed, looking down at her feet where something long and green and thorny had slithered up out of the water to wrap around her ankles and legs. It moved so quickly and viciously that a half a dozen thick tendrils, each armed with a "head" that was a long, green hooked beak formed from highly modified leaves, had already wrapped around her hips and she abruptly retracted her appendage safely back into her body. Thorny vines restrained both her arms and tiny rivulets of electric blue blood trickled from dozens of cuts where thorns had broken the delicate, mesmerizing flesh. Even now, her body continued to pulse with patterns of light, although the colors had changed from soft blue and violet to an angry contrast of crimson and gold.

"What is this, human? What have you done?!" she spat angrily, the rhythmic, rushing quality of her tone turned gruff with rage.

And Kurama found he could move his mouth and speak. He did not smile at her like his predecessor might have when he'd outsmarted an opponent, although he couldn't help but feel a certain measure of perverse pleasure in turning this situation around on the creature. Instead, he only said matter-of-factly, "You have underestimated your opponent. I am no ordinary human."

"Recall this- beast!" she demanded, trying and failing to wriggle her way out of the vine's painful grasp.

"I'm afraid I cannot. You see, the seed of the Greater Barbed Water Hook lies in wait in a shallow body of water until some unfortunate youkai happens to pass too closely. Sensing a source of youki, it steals and siphons off enough energy to germinate and attach itself to the youkai, swiftly and ravenously draining the victim of their life force before it blooms and then disperses its seeds. Their entire grisly life cycle lasts less than twenty-four hours; it is truly one of the wonders of Makai." As he calmly explained this he was steadily regaining the use of his muscles starting in his head and moving down his body as the plant continued to constrict around her and drain her of energy.

Finding he could move his arms and hands again, the avatar took a moment to casually tighten his long red ponytail as he warned her dispassionately, "The harder you struggle, the quicker the Hook moves."

The creature glared ferociously and snapped her sharp teeth at him, but she stilled her struggles. "What do you want? Why do you seek to kill me?" she hissed indignantly.

His eyebrows shot up in shock. "Madam," he corrected respectfully, "it was you who first attacked me. As your spell began to take hold on me, and after witnessing the fates of the cranes, I was forced to take defensive action on the grounds that you were a threat to my life. Judging by the state of poor Ashi over there," he gestured to the writhing crane in the water, stomach still heaving from some enormous internal pressure, "my analysis of the situation was the correct one… Tell me, those are your offspring in the bird's stomach, aren't they? You are using the cranes as incubators."

The creature spared the suffering crane a look that Kurama might almost have called regret, had it been on a more human face. Ignoring his question, she retorted "I will leave you," somehow maintaining an image of authority. "If you release me, you may leave the village unharmed. You may take your woman with you," she offered him generously.

Again, he only regarded her with a cold, pragmatic gaze. Her reluctance to confirm his theory told him he was indeed correct. "You have taken too many lives. I cannot let you continue," he told her.

He could tell she was becoming weaker by the moment. The fins that had floated around her form hung limply and the bioluminescent patterns were becoming distorted, moving sluggishly over her flesh. The hooked "jaws" of the vines were snapping around her, sapping her strength and preparing to open their blooms. Finally, he was completely released from the hold the woman's spell and he carefully stepped up to her. The vines, sensing no youki from him, as they shouldn't if he did not draw on the youkai part of his soul, ignored him completely in favor of their victim. He had to ask her, although he knew the answer already, "Would you leave the surviving cranes be? Release them from your spell?"

"No!" she answered vehemently, instinctively. And he knew she told the truth. She would not leave the offspring she had implanted in the cranes, and their fates would be sealed when the growing life inside them eventually tore its way out of their abdomens.

He nearly allowed himself a tired sigh. Nearly. This was a no-win situation, which was unfortunately something he was painfully familiar with.

But it would get worse. From the direction of the village, two great white cranes approached on wing. Kumo and Nami, undoubtedly. Kurama watched as the two glided gracefully lower, circled, and landed close-by, taking their humanoid forms as soon as their feet touched the water. When the fading woman noticed their arrival, she sprung violently back to life, struggling fiercely against her thorny captor, snarling. "Stay back, you fools!" she spat at the cranes, "do not take one step closer!" Blue blood poured thickly down her body with her renewed struggles.

Eyes wide and expressions blank, the two cranes obeyed. Even from this distance and with nothing but the moonlight and the creature's fading light to see by, Kurama could make out the quivering contours of Nami's swollen stomach under his kimono. He wouldn't last much longer, either. Neither of them would. The avatar spared a moment of regretful reflection for the fates of the innocent cranes, and then returned to the present situation. To be sure, the creature would not prey upon anyone else in this way.

Still, this wasn't over yet. There were loose ends. Like, where was Kagome? Surely she would have been keeping up with the two cranes… unless she had discovered the prisoner in the community building. And, for that matter, that was another loose end. How did that person, whoever they were, fit into this scheme? A plant, perhaps, an insider? Someone who had opened the gate for this monster's invasion?

It seemed that his answer would come sooner than he had anticipated. In the distance, gilded in moonlight, a fourth crane approached from the direction of the village. Quickly, he assessed the approach of the stranger and determined it could only be the prisoner in the community building. Alarm bells started to go off. Where was Kagome?

As the airborne crane came to land, Kurama threw out his sixth sense, trying to feel out any presence of holy reiki in the darkness around him. Nothing, but… yes! That was her! He couldn't feel her holy energy, but he could feel the unique, empty aura her sealed presence left in the demonic atmosphere. She was approaching quickly on foot and would arrive shortly. At least there was nothing to indicate that she was injured; her movement didn't seem to be hindered.

Despite his rigorous and careful analysis of the situation up to that point, he was not prepared for what happened next.

The bird touched down and took the form of a tall young woman with the trademark red patch and white feathers of the cranes and, oddly, a sprig of wilted lavender behind one ear. By this time, the creature's mysterious spell upon the water had diminished, too, and the newcomer's frantic steps splashed loudly in the quiet of the night as she rushed to the dying creature's side. The vines had stilled, having feasted and entered their reproductive state, the hard, waxy petals of the beak-like green flowers curling back slowly to reveal a magnificent flourish of fleshy pink and golden stigmas and anthers heavy with the cursed pollen.

She collapsed onto her knees, unhesitating, before the slumped form of the woman obscured within the unyielding coils of the Water Hook.

And she was sobbing. He observed in confusion as the young woman reached out to the dying creature, ignoring the menacing thorns and the strange blooms that surrounded her, sliding her arms around the woman's waist and holding her face against her naked stomach. Sobs wracked her whole body. The sounds coming from her grieved, gaping mouth were inhuman, but unmistakably ones of anguish. He swallowed and couldn't help the pain that pulled at his own heart at the scene.

"Mei-zhen…" her voice broke as she sobbed against the cold, dark flesh of the creature. "Meizhen, please… please don't leave me…" The pain in her voice broke something within him.

And it seemed to rouse the last bit of life left in the creature to the surface. Her face glimmered faintly and her inhuman eyes slitted open just barely enough to gaze down at the woman clutching her. "…beloved…" she croaked weakly. There was nothing left of the ocean in her voice, then. It was all too earthly, pained and tethered.

The crane raised her eyes desperately to the woman's and reached up one timid hand to rest on the half of the creature's face which was not obscured under the vines. From his position, he could just make out the woman's plea. "…why? Why did you do this, Meizhen?" she whispered fearfully, face twisted in agony and tears streaming freely down her cheeks.

Slowly, painfully, the sea creature drew a ragged breath through dry lips. Unable to move and unable to offer comfort to the other woman, she only smiled faintly, tiredly, sharp white teeth just peeking out. "…forgive me… my beloved…" Her eyes fluttered closed and she took another long, ragged breath. She whispered, painfully, "…I just… missed them so much…"

And finally, the light faded completely from Meizhen's face and she let go of her last breath. The crane held her tightly, her mouth agape and seeming to be in shock at what had just transpired. Not a sound escaped her. Then Kagome broke noisily through the reeds and onto the tragic scene.