I have FINALLY updated this story! Sorry about the wait, but I've been a bit busy as of late and haven't really had time to update - you know, college work and stuff.

In other news, this is going to be the last chapter of Shadows! *cries hystrically* But fear not! I might be doing a sequal, if you guys give me some ideas to use! Let me know what you want to happen, and how and i'll take it into consideration. It might take some time, but it shall be done!

The next in the Shadows trilogy (should I decide to continue) will be named: Shadows: According To Fate. Let me know what you think!

BP

Chapter 5: A New Companion

Inuyasha and Kagome stepped back from each other, walked back to the fire and sat down in front of it, acting as if they hadn't been previously fighting. Sango, Miroku, Shippou and Kirara looked on in astonishment, then followed their lead and sat down next to the fire.

"I will be leaving again soon." Kagome's quiet voice broke through their inner musings. The reaction to those words was less than calm.

"What? Why the hell would you want to do that?" As usual, Inuyasha was the first to speak. The others stared in shock.

"I must, Inuyasha," Kagome's words were soft, "I need to find Rin, defeat Naraku before I have to carry out promises that I must, at all times, be prepared for." Shippou leaped across the fire and latched himself onto her, refusing to let go.

"I want to come with you! Please, please can I, okaa-san?" While Kagome had looked down at Shippou in shock, the other, however, were not so shocked. Sango, Miroku and Kirara had been expecting this for a while.

"Yes, Shippou, you may come with me. But whenever someone comes to me, you must hide and make not a sound, no matter what, okay?" Smiling when the kit excitedly nodded his assent, she stood. The others, including Inuyasha, reached for her unanimously, thinking she was leaving now.

"Don't worry so much, guys, I'm not leaving yet." Kagome laughed as they all grinned brightly at her. She settled herself, and Shippou, in front of a tree and was content to watch her pack do the usual nightly routine.

"Baka, he'll never learn." The kit next to her muttered when a loud slap echoed, followed by a thud as Miroku hit the ground, a satisfied smile on his face. Suddenly, an unknown aura entered her sensing range, closer than it should have been and travelling fast.

"Remember what I said about hiding, Shippou?" The kit nodded and scampered round a tree. A woman appeared from the trees, panting. Her eyes looked pleadingly at them, but Kagome was unsympathetic. She didn't like this woman. At all. She seemed innocent enough, and was attractive, with long, curling red hair down to her waist, and brown eyes that seemed to shimmer. But her aura was wrong.

"Please help me… there are these… evil youkai… chasing me!" She said between pants, and then, her dramatic speech done, leaned against a tree to catch her breath. Of course, everyone else was a sucker for it.

"Hello, my name is Miroku. I am a monk, and would be happy to assist you in your plight." Inwardly, Kagome was surprised that no one else had noticed something odd. Like how there were no youkai auras heading in their direction(!) Her lips turned up into a feral smile and she laughed. Inuyasha was the first one that clued on that it was her that had set everyone on edge. He swung round to face her and was shocked with what he saw.

Kagome's whole body glowed with power. She raised her hand and a long staff formed, glowing the pinkish purple of her reiki. This, coupled with the feral smile, was actually scary.

"Liar." She hissed at the woman. Kagome walked towards her, her body no longer glowing with power, and pointed the staff threateningly at her. Miroku came up to her.

"Kagome-Sama, how can she be lying? Even I can sense the auras coming towards us.." Kagome glanced to Miroku, to ascertain whether or not he was serious. He was. She looked back at the woman who was still acting like she was short of breath, but her eyes - they were triumphant and devious as they looked at Miroku and the others that hadn't disbelieved her. The woman's attention was once again drawn to Kagome when she leaned closer, disregarding Miroku completely, and put the staff closer to her neck.

"Impressive. But you will not fool me with such a pathetic illusion. I know what you are, and I suggest you quickly figure out what I am, what we are, before you get killed." The woman's face paled as she did, very quickly, realise who and what Kagome was. Suddenly there was a large pink barrier over the camp, trapping the people in, and keeping everyone else out. Kagome made the woman stand up and circled her slowly, taking in everything.

Everyone was suddenly nervous in the presence of Kagome, especially when she grasped the woman's hair, twirled it round her hand, then tugged. The woman yelped as she was pulled into the front of Kagome, her back arching painfully, but was quickly silenced when Kagome took in her scent. Figuring she had one last chance, she slowly slid her dagger out its sheath in her kimono sleeve, ready to plunge it into Kagome's abdomen. Kagome, sensing the oncoming danger, let go of the woman and shoved her to the ground.

"Kagome-Chan, don't you think this a bit much?" Kagome grabbed the dagger from the woman hand and threw it at the dirt at Sango's feet.

"Do you still think it's a bit much, Sango?" Kagome's voice was hard as she straddled the woman, pinning her back to ground. Grabbing her hands, she shoved them above her head. Kagome, satisfied that the woman was adequately restrained, leaned down, placing her head next to the woman's ear.

"Now, are you going to show everyone else what you really are?" When the woman shook her head, Kagome gave up on force and words and nipped gently at her ear, licking it to sooth the sting afterwards.

"Kayo, are you going to show everyone what you really are?" Kagome purred in her ear. Kayo gasped when Kagome knew her name, and arched her back with a shudder and a moan when Kagome bit her neck softly. She nodded and Kagome rose off of her, ignoring the stares of wonder and suspicion at what she did.

Kayo sighed and relaxed as she retuned to her original form. Her skin became paler and her eyes changed to a pale lilac colour, her body structure became fuller and more curved and a green spiral appeared on her neck, exactly where Kagome had bitten. Finally, a long, bushy tail appeared and her ears developed points. After her transformation was complete, Kayo kneeled at Kagome's feet.

"My deepest apologies, Kagome-Sama. My life is yours to do with as you see fit, I will serve you until I no longer draw breath." While the others looked on, shocked, Kagome raised Kayo's head and smiled kindly at her. Then, to seal the promise Kayo had given her, Kagome accepted it in a way that all Kitsune enjoyed, and lowered her head to kiss her. Kayo sighed in happiness as Kagome's aura surged through her body, binding her to her new master for all eternity.

"…on here? Hello?" Inuyasha's voice came through their binding ceremony and Kagome sighed as she pulled away from Kayo. But Kayo whimpered, sad that her master had detached from her so soon. Kagome took immediate notice and ignored Inuyasha in favour of smiling at Kayo and touching her cheek gently. Kayo, reassured by Kagome's actions, stayed quiet this time as Kagome turned her attention to Inuyasha and raised one eyebrow in question.

"Yes?" Inuyasha scowled.

"Mind telling me what is going on? One minute she's human and being chased by youkai and the next she's youkai and your servant?" Kagome looked to the others and saw that they were just as confused as Inuyasha and sighed.

"Actually, the whole 'human-being-chased-by-youkai' thing was just an illusion. The main reason she was here was to kill us all." She held up her hand when they opened their mouths to speak. "What I was doing was merely stopping her from doing so and getting her to realise that she should leave or submit before I killed her." Understanding dawned on their faces. Then Kagome remembered that Shippou was still hiding behind a tree.

"Shippou? You can come out now." When she got no reply, she went to check. Her temper escalated when he wasn't there.

"Ano… who is Shippou?" Kayo's quiet voice interrupted her anger.

"Shippou is my adopted son, a Kitsune youkai, like you." When Kayo nodded her anger once again rose, along with despair.

"Kagome-Chan, where is Shippou?" Sango's question didn't help.

"Gone, he's gone!" Kagome growled. She did the same thing that she did when she was informed that Rin was missing, and discovered he was in the same area as Rin. Her eyes opened and they sparkled with seething anger.

"We will see each other again. However, I have things to, people to kill." With how casually she said that, everyone knew that whatever had occurred had made Kagome very, very angry. Meanwhile, Kayo stared adoringly at Kagome in her anger. 'My master is so beautiful and kind and powerful… I'm so glad I chose her.'

Kagome, accompanied by Kayo, stalked off into the trees, and vanished.

"I will have my revenge… soon, so soon…" The chuckle grew into a dark and sinister lagh that echoed through the forest, scaring many of the animals away.

Oooh, the plot thickens! I am aware that Kagome was not Kagome, but you will find out why she acted as she did should I decide to do a sequal! So I must ask you to give me some ideas, as my muse is almost gone with this story!

Until next time!

BP