note from fren-

well, it's that time of the year again, and TempAlly has been updated! ugh... there's not much an author can say except I'M SORRY i took so long... that and i can't promise a steady update rate. even now, i doubt i'm talking to anyone, since i'm sure everyone's moved on to greater things... all i can really say is no matter how sporadic things may get, i'm not giving up on this fic. so, i may see you in a month, in a year, maybe two... but, hey, you can take comfort in that this fic'll be done someday, at least. thank you to ANYONE who read OR reviewed! each one really cheered me up! this one's especially for you!

now, then...

Chapter Twelve- "Broken Puppet"

Koga didn't even attempt to move as Inuyasha shoved him harshly against the stone wall. The half-demon was baring his teeth, his fists crushed against the wolf demon's shoulders. Kagome ran forward.

"Inuyasha, stop it!" she exclaimed, grabbing one of the half-demon's arms in attempt to pull him off.

"No!" But he shook her off easily and grabbed Koga's armor to yank him forward, only to shove the wolf demon harder against the rock. "He KNEW! He knew and he still came! He still brought Yuzu here!"

"Get your hands off me," the wolf demon muttered.

"You SHUT UP," Inuyasha snarled.

"I did what I thought was for the best!" Koga finally snapped; the back of his hand hit Inuyasha's chest to shove the half-demon away. "Two lives in exchange for one!"

"How can you say that?" The two turned towards the girl who spoke, but she only locked gazes with Koga, eyes showing tears and disappointment. And her voice hit him harder than Inuyasha's words. Her voice was shaking, and he couldn't tell whether it was from sadness or anger. "How can you just size down the worth of someone's life?"

"Kagome..." Koga reached out, stepped towards her. He didn't know what he could do, or what he could say... But he couldn't stand her staring at him like that.

And he'd never find words to explain how he felt when she stepped past him-ignoring his outstretched hand-straight to Inuyasha. Feeling humiliated, he retracted his arm and watched her wipe her eyes on her sleeve.

"We need to get back to the others," she murmured.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Miroku bit back a gasp, his muscles suddenly locking up, and his eyes snapped open.

Light welcomed him, bright and toasting the scene outside the window he was now looking through. In contrast, the wintry air was sharp and chilly; though, it was nothing compared to how frozen he felt inside.

Sango and Shippo had gotten up, rushing to Kohaku's side when the boy had woken up with a start, calling for his sister.

"Ye felt it as well, monk?"

Miroku glanced to the side of himself, still tense, to follow the source of the voice. Kaede was entering the shack, holding a bow with a quiver of arrows slung over her shoulder.

The old woman slid her feet from her outdoor shoes before looking Miroku square in the eyes. "Be warned. This is far from the end."

"Kohaku! Calm down," Sango said, trying to sound gentle, but in truth it was scaring her how terrified her brother looked.

"No-Sister-it's Yuzu," Kohaku panted. "She's in trouble-Naraku-her nightmare-!"

"Kohaku, no!" Shippo interrupted irreverently. "We're not supposed to tell them! We're not supposed to tell anyone! Remember? We promised!"

Miroku and Kaede glanced over to them from their own conversation.

"Wait, what?" Sango asked. "Yuzu's in trouble? How do you know this, Kohaku? And what about Naraku?"

"Don't tell them, Kohaku!" Shippo exclaimed.

"Shippo!"

"He won't! And neither will I! We promised Yuzu we wouldn't tell anyone and neither of us are gonna break it!"

"Shippo! I don't think you understand-"

"No, YOU'RE the one who doesn't understand!" Shippo glared furiously up at Sango. "You're one of the older ones-of course you don't understand what it's like! It's not like you're always being left behind when you've been through just as much as everyone else! But that's exactly why we promised Yuzu this! Right, Kohaku?"

Eyes were turned to the young demon slayer staring hard at his hands that fisted tightly around his bed sheets.

"Right, Kohaku?" Shippo repeated, his resolve and voice now weaker.

"I...I think we should tell them," Kohaku murmured.

"But...our promise...Yuzu..."

Kohaku swallowed thickly. "I know... But, Shippo, I really think this is more important. If we break it, we could always apologize to Yuzu later and make it up to her. But she's in trouble right now... If it would help if we told them about the dream...wouldn't that be good? Wouldn't that be better than keeping a promise? ...What if Yuzu dies?"

"Okay, fine!" Shippo shouted furiously. He turned sharply to Sango. "She had a nightmare about Naraku, okay? Whatever happened at Kururugi Village-Naraku brought her there somehow. She watched the priest die, and Naraku was there, and she said he hugged her or something... There! Are you happy?" The fox demon huffed, folding his arms, glaring at the floor.

Kaede was near them, now, kneeling next to Sango. "Is this true, Kohaku?"

Kohaku nodded. "That was pretty much what she told us."

"You're kidding," a new voice said.

Everyone turned to the entrance of the shack, where Inuyasha had entered and was now letting Kagome off his back. As the two stepped closer, the others could see that Koga was right behind them.

"Naraku was talking to her through her dreams," Inuyasha spat. "Well, that would've been our first clue that he was after her!"

"No, it wouldn't have," Koga spoke up, his voice sounding strangely tangled.

The half-demon barely turned to him. "What was that?"

"Remember that demon?" Koga shook his head, as if that would help unearth the memory from his own mind. "The fire demon..."

Kagome knew what he was talking about. "Yes! It was a while back... The one with three Shikon Jewel shards." She turned to the others, trying to jog their memories as well. "The one that injured Yuzu-she was bedridden for a week with bad burns?"

Koga nodded as everyone's expressions showed recognition. "I remember it was much faster than Yuzu. But when it was able to split us up, and I caught up to them, the fire demon hadn't hurt her in any way."

"So it was just herding her," Sango filled in, "to Naraku."

Kagome bit her bottom lip before speaking again. "It makes sense now, then. Why Yuzu was always the one to be separated from the groups when the fire demon attacked. Naraku...He wants to absorb her. Like all those demons that make him up."

Eyes went to the archer, and for this instance, she decided to not look up. A thick dread had been spilled into the room.

"But why Yuzu?" Kohaku asked when he found his ability to speak. "The only reason he wanted her before was because he was allied with that Utsugi-person, right? And even if Utsugi were still here, she and Naraku are enemies now. Sister told me she helped win the last fight with Naraku. So what could make Naraku choose Yuzu over Inuyasha, Kagome, or Koga?"

"Think it out, Kohaku," Kaede said, turning to look out the window as two children ran past the house outside, chasing each other. "Yuzu, last of the Kururugi line, has something none of us could ever possess."

Kohaku blinked. "The Shikigami."

"Of course," Sango murmured, scratching behind Kirara's ear. "The ability to heal his own wounds, and attack us with that same power he almost finished us with in our last encounter with him."

"By the way, if I may ask," Miroku said politely with a steady tone, though his eyes revealed a grave fear for whatever answer he would get. "Where is Yuzu?"

The newer three to join the party were then reminded that the others weren't filled in on events yet. Inuyasha's eyes had immediately frosted over. A low snarl rose in his throat before he whipped around to glare at Koga.

"Well, go ahead, wolf," Inuyasha told him. "You have the floor! Fill us all in on just what the fuck you were thinking!"

"I..." Koga now looked as if something he wanted nothing to do with was shoved into his arms. "We wouldn't have even been in this whole thing if it weren't for the stupid mutt!" He whirled to glare at Inuyasha again. "What a great time to drop guard and get captured, when you knew Naraku was out there! Half-brained half-breed."

And though Inuyasha and Kagome both visibly flinched as the blame shifted to them, the others' eyes didn't stray from the wolf-demon.

"This morning," Kaede began, voice rising from the silence, "Yuzu left us, saying she would be with ye. Discouraging our worries because she said ye would be there with her. ...So, tell us, wolf demon." Her gaze locked with Koga's. "What has ye done that makes ye so reluctant to share with us?"

What could one say? Renjou was one of the few exceptions, but a wolf demon wasn't one to back down from things. They didn't believe in "strategic retreat". It was stapled into their instincts that they should take things head-on. And this was what Koga did.

He replied.

First with venom in his voice when telling them of his encounter with Naraku, and then his voice changed considerably. It became dead when he concluded with how he and Yuzu finally split up in the end.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Shippo asked.

Koga found himself shrugging lamely. "At the time, my understanding on the whole situation was...that if I had told anyone, the deal would've been off and he would've just killed Kagome." It took Koga a while before he added, "Oh, yeah. The mutt, too."

But not even Inuyasha reacted to the usual insult. Everyone was too much at a loss, not knowing what to think...not knowing what to say...not even sure of what to feel anymore.

"In a way, he was right with his judgement," Miroku stated. His voice followed the silence with ease, but his words hit everyone like salt to fresh wounds.

"Whose side are you on?" Inuyasha demanded, turning on him.

But perhaps the half-demon didn't have to say anything, for someone else stepped past him. Everyone barely had enough time to realize that Sango was in front of Miroku with her flattened hand raised before a ringing crack sounded, seeming to echo in the silenced room.

Miroku's head had been turned by the blow.

"You damn monk...," Sango hissed. She raised her hand again.

"S-Sister, stop!" Kohaku exclaimed, grabbing her arm and pulling her back.

Kirara, put down swiftly by Sango before the demon slayer had charged forward, also stepped up to try and get Sango to back off.

Sango allowed her brother to take her away, but only by a few steps. Her glare on Miroku was cold, her poise still-like a snake prepared to strike out.

"That girl Naraku took is more than just a pretty face and a body you could lay your disgusting fingers on!" Sango raved. Anger flashed in her eyes and when she blinked, tears rolled down her cheeks. "Her name is Yuzu and she is a person!"

Yuzu's face flashed in Miroku's mind. The fact that the girl was now in Naraku's hands made the monk grimace.

"That wasn't the point that I was trying to make...," he explained softly. He covered the reddened cheek Sango had slapped with his hand. For some reason, it hurt more than any other slap she had given him. "It's not that I'm unhappy that the both of you are with us, unharmed." He glanced over to Inuyasha and Kagome. "But Naraku intended to kill you if Koga brought company other than Yuzu. Didn't he?" Miroku now looked over to Koga.

The wolf demon nodded slightly. "Yeah, that's what he said."

"That was probably to make sure the rest of us stayed away. I'd have thought that Naraku would be twisted enough to still do away with Inuyasha and Kagome even after he got Yuzu. Yet he didn't."

Kagome nodded to confirm it. "And he left just as me 'n' Koga arrived on the scene."

"No," Inuyasha cut in to the correct. "He left right when I got loose. He was avoiding a fight."

"Because he is still weakened!" Kaede declared. "His last defeat did not happen too long ago, and reviving from death or near-death is no easy task."

"That would leave him in the vulnerable position of bargaining with Koga," Sango clarified softly.

"Wait-so, he was vulnerable and he still caught you off guard?" Koga hissed incredulously to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha's gaze snapped into a glare. "It wasn't-"

"It was different!" Kagome interjected. She blinked, as if she didn't understand it herself. "It was like...we were being ambushed."

"What, like by his weird bugs?" Koga offered, though his annoyance with the situation rose in his voice, even if it was Kagome.

"No. It... There were more with him. I don't remember because just as soon as we stepped out of the well, we were both knocked out. But I remember numerous...shadows, almost. But the only thing I could sense was Naraku."

"The thing I remember smelling was Naraku," Inuyasha added quietly.

"You mean, like...he made more incarnations of himself?" Kohaku suggested.

Both Inuyasha and Kagome shook their heads.

"It was...all Naraku," Kagome murmured.

"What could this mean, then?" Kaede asked in a grave whisper.

"We should...we should worry about that later on," Sango responded uneasily. "Yuzu, remember? Yuzu needs us to find her first. The quicker, the better. While Naraku's still weak-"

"That's why he took Yuzu, though!" Shippo exclaimed, voice shrilly and near tears. "The Shikigami'll heal him, right? He's absorbed her and now he'll be back to full strength in no time."

"But if he was gonna absorb her right away," Kohaku brought up, "why didn't he just do it once he caught her? How come he just escaped with her?"

"The thought passed through my mind as well," Miroku admitted. "And...knowing Naraku, he could have plotted out a more dramatic scheme. Which means...Yuzu is still alive and a separate being from Naraku. That's why I think Koga made the best decision. If Koga had chosen Yuzu, Kagome and Inuyasha might be dead. And we wouldn't have had a chance of preventing it. But Koga chose them, instead. And Yuzu's alive. It unnerves me to think of what Naraku might have up his sleeve this time, but if what I'm suspecting is true..."

The room was still, the monk's words lingering in the air. The others followed them, clinging to every sentence, waiting for him to finish. And then, Miroku told them what would satisfy them to hear:

"We still have a chance of saving her."

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

It was black.

Urgh.

Struggling just to breathe, Yuzu forced her eyes to stay open so they would water. On her side, against the hard ground, the only source of heat she had was her tears.

Naraku's miasma...I can't move at all. Ow.

How long had she been like this? Immobile and cold. Her stomach empty and twisting into itself, shivers painfully forcing her to tremble.

She shut her eyes tightly to squeeze out the remaining moisture from her drying eyes. The droplets ran along a set trail, sliding over the bridge of her nose and joining tears from her other eye, to collect in a small pool on the stone floor. And the warmth was gone.

Her eyes stayed closed.

Inuyasha...

O-O

A cold chuckle.

"Stand."

Yuzu's body stood.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Three days.

Three days of bottled-up tension, of anxiety, of regret. Three days of searching for anything, and finding nothing...and of being stared at by the others trying to find the same things. Three days of his clan casting fucking annoying side-glances at him, as if he couldn't see them, as they again began questioning his ability to lead them.

Three days of the old man nagging him during the miniscule time he was at the wolf demon lair. Not too long ago, Robai had snapped, "Where's that human girl you take care of? She leave or something? That why you're acting more stupid than usual lately?" Koga, respect and reverence for the old man thrown aside, had almost killed him right there.

Three days of fighting with Inuyasha, each bout leading to more blood and bruises than what their old bickering held...yet it seemed to be the only thing holding each one together.

The wolf demon rested his forehead on his right knee, behind his resting arm, clenching his teeth as his left hand clawed into the dirt.

Three days of no Yuzu.

Koga's head suddenly snapped upward, eyes wide.

His gaze met Inuyasha's. The half-demon had rushed from the small home the moment Koga noticed the scent in the air as well. The two stared each other down. But another whiff of that same scent sent both of them bolting towards the source.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted, just exiting Kaede's house. She spotted a glimpse of the two disappearing into the forest. "Koga!"

"Where did they go?" Kaede asked.

"They must have smelled something to do with Naraku," Miroku answered. "We need to hurry if we're going to catch up to them."

"Right!" Shippo agreed.

"No, you and Kohaku need to stay here with Kaede," Sango instructed sternly.

"But, Sister-!" Kohaku protested.

"It's not only that we don't want you two to get hurt," Kagome interrupted gently. "But if the fight gets out of hand, Kaede can't protect the village all by herself. You two have both faced Naraku before, so we trust you."

Kohaku and Shippo still looked dismayed, but understood that what Kagome said wasn't just to ease their pride. So they agreed.

O-O

Koga's jaw clenched in frustration. What was wrong with her? For three days had she been gone, and now she was running?

"Yuzu!" Inuyasha's voice echoed throughout the forest as he and Koga chased after the human girl. "Yuzu!"

But they never seemed to be quick enough.

They would charge forward only to see a glimpse of her back before she disappeared again past the trees. Or they would stop for a moment, losing sight of her, and having to resort to using their noses to catch onto her scent-her scent! It had been too long since-

There she was again!

Koga took the first step towards her, not wanting to lose track of her again. But in a second, he realized he was working too hard just to get to her. No way could she ever run this fast! Even among humans, she had seemed a bit on the sluggish side.

Even so, her limitations were her human body. Koga increased his pace. The whirlwind around him howled. He was gaining ground on her... And still, she didn't look back. He swung his arm back, ready to throw it forward again. And then he pounced forth-and was able to grab her forearm. As he pulled her to him, she turned so they were face-to-face.

And in the moment that he held her gaze, he immediately went on guard-because that dead, neutral stare couldn't be the same warm gray gaze as his ally's.

"You..."

There was a flash of red light and suddenly, Koga was bent over a sharp pain in his stomach. Yuzu retracted her glowing fist from where it had made a dent into Koga's body and turned away, escaping.

It wasn't enough to damage him seriously-Yuzu lacked that kind of strength, no matter what kind of power she possessed, but it took the wind right out of him, and he gasped, hunched over.

"Something's wrong with her, Koga!" Inuyasha shouted, finally caught up.

Koga turned to face him with a snarl. "Oh, you think so, mutt?"

Again, they bounded after her.

The run had begun once more, the chase was on again, the hunt, the race, the whistling of rushed air past their ears, the dodging and zipping around the endless trees, the mere flashes of mellow yellow cream color against the dead gray of winter-bitten forest, and then-

Koga found himself flinching as bright sunlight tore through the tree tops and hit his eyes with the force of a priestess's enchantment; he hadn't even noticed he'd adjusted to the dimness or that they'd been so deep inside the forest. Inuyasha skidded to a stop with him, also partly blind, but it was an impairment they both shook off quickly.

Through the echoes of light flashing across their vision, they were able to see Yuzu's back-the visage of her they'd been following all this time-as she slowed to a jog and turned around; now she stood facing them, next to Naraku.

The demon glanced at her with both his two human-like eyes and his giant red one in acknowledgement before addressing the other two that had followed her. "So you've arrived."

"Hell yes, we did!" Inuyasha snapped immediately. "Why don't you do us a freakin' favor and STAY DEAD?"

"Maybe he would if you had the skill to kill him more thoroughly," Koga growled and turned back to Naraku ("Whose side are you on?" Inuyasha demanded and was ignored). "So, deal done and over with. I'm taking back what's mine, asshole."

The slightest of smiles curled Naraku's lips. "Of course. The wolf is still out for only his own gain."

"Got that right," Inuyasha muttered and then exchanged a brief glare with the other demon.

"It's just you two, then?" There was something reminiscent of disappointment in Naraku's tone. "I was hoping for a bigger audience... Kururugi." He looked to her at the same time she limply turned her head around to him in response. "Don't you think your other friends would want to fight you as well?"

The girl's head nodded once.

"And wouldn't you say they would want to watch you become apart of me as well?"

Another nod.

The slight smile of Naraku became more apparent and the red eyeball on his chest glinted. "Of course. That's why I spared them, after all."

Koga felt a rip in his chest, and something hot and dark was filling him as he put two and two together, but the half-demon was quicker to react.

"That's it?" Inuyasha growled, gripping Tetsusaiga's hilt. "The only reason you didn't absorb her yet was because you wanted us to fight her?" He watched as Naraku's response was let his slight smile become a true, unashamed one. Inuyasha felt his jaws clench tightly together and began to speak through his bared teeth. "And...the only reason you kept me and Kagome alive, and didn't go after the others...was because you wanted us to watch you absorb her?" He didn't even wait for the smile to widen anymore before he ripped the Tetsusaiga roughly from its sheathe and immediately it was transformed and ready; he raised it over his head, prepared to evoke the Wind Scar. "JUST WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM?"

Yuzu was suddenly in front of Naraku, staring blankly at them. Koga grasped Inuyasha's arm before the sword-wielder could swing his blade.

At first, golden eyes glared in shock, fury, and defiance, but then glanced over at Yuzu's new position and realized what he could've done. With a frustrated snarl, he shook out from Koga's grip and stepped forward to scream at Naraku.

"COWARD."

"So excited and eager for battle," Naraku mused. His eyes flitted to Koga. "But the wolf demon remains stoic."

Koga laughed viciously, eyes now wild as they met the other demon's. "Oh. You're gonna know just how 'excited and eager for battle' I am soon enough, bastard. Trust me on that."

A gruff yowl rang out and neither Koga nor Inuyasha had to turn around to know that the others had arrived. Kirara and Sango went to flank Inuyasha's side, while Miroku and Kagome took Koga's.

"I see we've missed a few events," Miroku said, side-glancing at the wolf and half-dog demons.

Sango nodded, shifting the weight of her hiraikotsu on her fingers. "Care to fill us in?"

"Looks like Miroku was right on the more elaborate-scheme-part," Inuyasha answered with a grimace; his voice was thick and gruff from the intensity of his rage. "We can save her. But he's controlling her."

From his left side, Koga could see Kagome shaking. And under her breath he caught onto words like "despicable" and "treacherous" and she never took her eyes off Naraku.

"Kururugi." As Naraku spoke, Yuzu's head turned a fraction in response. A chuckle escaped the demon. "Fight them."

Without batting an eyelash, Yuzu's right hand automatically raised. It then began to glow with bursts of red light. She walked slowly towards the group-her friends-who stood their ground. But both Inuyasha and Koga still kept fighting stances, knowing that if Yuzu attacked, they would have to defend themselves.

"Shikigami-!" Yuzu's voice came out strangled for some reason.

And she whirled around, hauling her sphere of gathered energy at Naraku.

There was too much disbelief and surprise for the demon to be able to dodge and it hit him full on the shoulder, the impact forcing him backwards towards the cliff, in a fit of hissing. Yuzu was shaking on her feet and gasping, falling to her knees with wide eyes as her hands went to touch her head-it felt relieving, yet strangely, empty without Naraku's control.

Inuyasha was already running towards her, hand outstretched. "Yuzu!"

Just from his voice, she could feel a smile at her lips.

Inuyasha knew Koga was now following-but no, Inuyasha would reach her first, that would show the mangy wolf. Fighting down a grin, he called her name again. There she was. Right in front of him. All he had to do was reach her. She looked up to greet him-he was almost there, hand extended towards her.

Koga, a ways behind Inuyasha, blinked, watching as something shot forward from Naraku's body towards Yuzu. He opened his mouth to yell, but the sound never left his mouth.

Yuzu's body lurched forward in an abrupt motion as a string of muscle ripped through her chest, and she let out a garbled scream. It immediately expanded and wrapped around her and then it yanked her backwards just as Inuyasha leapt upon the spot where she had once been.

In helpless shock, all of them watched as the girl was reeled backwards into Naraku, whose body was gaping open and revealing his insides and organs that moved and swelled in resemblance of nothing but an image of horror. The look on Yuzu's face, before she was swallowed, was a strange combination of confusion and appreciation as she was given a last glimpse of her first real friends. And then, Naraku's body collapsed over her.

The world stopped. Koga could only watch with widened eyes.

Ripples and waves moved along Naraku's skin and bulges could be seen protruding from beneath his kimono as Yuzu was settled into him. His head cocked backwards, exposing a pale throat where the shape of a small hand pushed against the skin from the inside, as if struggling weakly and trying to escape.

Only a small ways ahead of the wolf, the mutt was on his knees, right hand only loosely curled around his massive sword's hilt. The same massive sword lay curved into the dirt, lying stiff yet still; it was like a corpse already stricken by rigor mortis.

There was a layer of film flickering over the giant red eye on his chest, the eye itself visibly twitching with the slit of a pupil darting out of control. A new band of color was appearing around the pupil; the shade of gray was all too familiar.

The monk's breathing was steady, but strained, as if he were forcing breath into his lungs. The only real sign of his alarm was in his eyes, wide and filled with the look of a man who had just gone mad.

The demon exterminator had dropped her weapon with a heavy thud to the ground. Her hands now shook fiercely, in front of her mouth, as if she were preparing to throw up. The multi-tailed cat next to her was poised and hissing and growling.

Naraku's body began to tremble and his fingers and tentacles flicked and twitched. The bulges were becoming more rapid now, but the small out-print of hand on his throat was disappearing. Naraku began to groan.

He could hear Kagome's breath and it was erratic and she was unable to draw in a steady breath.

Her knees shook, but she held her ground. Her jaw was clenched hard. And her hands were clasping together around the bow and arrow held in front of her so tightly, that Koga could hear the strain of the wood, close to breaking. But it didn't.

The deformation stopped, as did the trembling and the groans, and Naraku hung in the air with his limbs completely relaxed but not limp-an entirely new marionette, ready to play. Then, a red light flashed from him briefly; it felt warm, but horrible. Like a sun-soaked dead body.

It was the presence of the Shikigami, tainted.

There was rush into his lungs and another brief layer of nausea piling onto his already-sick feeling; Koga realized he'd stopped breathing when he inhaled.

Naraku exhaled slowly, the wind carrying the dead noise so that it was like night falling around them.

"I've pondered...," Naraku whispered, but he was well-heard; the silence that had erupted was stifling, "about your action after I absorbed her." He tilted his head back forward and his eyes, now almost entirely red if not for the gray-colored rings, glinted. "If you kill me, the child dies as well."

"FIEND."

The word came out as an enraged scream. It felt like forever, the time it took Koga to turn towards the source, to look away from NarakuYuzuNaraku. Another forever passed him by and he was able to process the scene in front of him: the monk was closer, now; he'd moved forward-staff dropped left behind on the ground, forgotten.

"MONSTER!" He swung his arms forward, his left hand going to the cloth and beads adorning his right. "INTO THE BOWELS OF YOUR OWN CURSE-!"

"Miroku, wait," Sango murmured. She had lifted a hand towards him, but that was the extent of her body movement. There was a meek air about her, now; she was lost as the rest of them.

Then, Kagome's sweet voice cut through and Koga was reminded to breathe again. "R-Remember, it's Yuzu, too, now." Unlike the demon exterminator, she took the few steps towards the monk, stiffly, hands still clutched around her bow.

"Does it matter?" Miroku's voice came out grated still. "It's not as if we can still..."

He stopped himself, then. None of them wanted to admit it. None of them knew for sure. But none of them had ever seen a demon disengage from Naraku alive.

A mix between a snarl and yelp stabbed through the air and everyone's eyes flew back to Naraku, who was shaking once more with his face contorted. A red light was being emitted from him, brighter especially from his back, put into view more and more as the demon began to double over.

"A new attack?" Sango asked. She made a languid, but quick movement to reunite with her hiraikotsu.

Miroku neglected to do the same with his own weapon, shaking his head in response. His breathing was still erratic; he had yet to calm down completely. "No... He's glowing, but this aura..."

"What?" Sango glanced to her right side where Kirara was moving towards Naraku a bit, mewling as if greeting an old friend. "...Kirara?"

Kagome gasped, stepping forward. "It's Yuzu's aura!"

Naraku roared as something tore through his back and red sparks fanned from the wound. A hand was visible in the sparks and soon, Yuzu was pushing herself up from Naraku's back, forcing the latter into a bent crouch.

"No...Curse you, Shikigami-user...," Naraku hissed acidly in his crouch. "This is my body! How dare you control it?"

"Yuzu!" Inuyasha called out helplessly, as if trying to cheer her on... Maybe she could free herself from Naraku's body...? But looking closely, it became apparent by the veins melting into her skin and from the fact that there was no visible break from Naraku's skin to Yuzu's that she was already apart of him.

Once again her eyes were dead, but her face showed nothing except defiance and determination. Instead of replying to Inuyasha's call, Yuzu clasped her hands together in prayer and the voice that came from her was a horrid ghost of what it once was, now laced with Naraku's coarse sound.

"Reveal your hidden forces, Shikigami..."

Red lights began to spin into a ball on her palm. Blue flames burst from the center of it, blowing around Yuzu's body and weaving around her fingers as it grew and encompassed her.

"Unleash your power!"

The red and blue mix exploded from Yuzu's hands and the red began to blend with the blue as it rose away from her and swirled towards them. Koga could only stand, shock and wonder paralyzing him. Yuzu barely fought; he hadn't seen much of what the Shikigami could do. Now he watched in astonishment.

Color thundered down and Inuyasha gasped as the Shikigami billowed around him, especially around his sword. Then, the strangest expression came over his face and he stood up.

Yuzu's eyes were glazed and she was still and unmoving, even as Naraku began to regain control of his power. His body began overlapping over Yuzu's. But she was still praying. Inuyasha lifted the Tetsusaiga, the blue flames roaring more and more brightly.

Koga shot gazes at everyone, feeling as if he were the only one who didn't know what was going on. And he was right. Everyone else had a pained expression, as they stared at the Shikigami-wielder.

Then, with Tetsusaiga's dull side resting on his shoulder, Inuyasha started to walk towards Yuzu and Naraku. And Koga understood.

"W-Wait..." Koga did his best to keep his voice from shaking.

Both hands on Tetsusaiga now, Inuyasha began to run.

"Hey, mutt-" Koga tried again, his panic showing in his tone.

Inuyasha leapt up, Tetsusaiga raised high. Koga broke into a sprint, trying to beat him to Yuzu...but he knew even with his two Jewel Shards in his legs, he couldn't get there in time. Even so, he reached out towards the praying girl. Just like the day he had watched her turn away from him and run towards Inuyasha as well as Naraku's grasps...

"Y...YUZU!"

"ULTIMATE BACKLASH WAVE."

The roar tore from Inuyasha's throat just as he swung the heavy blade.

Suddenly Koga was tugged into a sea of colored gusts.

His feet were swept out from under him, and a canvas of too many colors had replaced the scene before him at once; it felt like he was spinning. There was a sudden jerk in his body as he tried snapping forward-he thought he saw a glimpse of Yuzu...but that was right before all his senses seemed to melt into each other and fade into ripping agony...and then nothing.

And for a moment, Koga thought himself dead. But when the pain of his back slamming against the rigid ground proved him wrong, he decided he'd just lost his mind instead.

O-O

Inuyasha felt himself floating, his body still twisted in swinging the blade as he allowed the Backlash Wave full release to leave whatever in front of him in shreds...to leave no chance of survival.

Instinctively, his eyes shut tight as an image of a girl with short brown hair came to mind, expecting the ribbons of flesh and streams of red to fly past him soon. But then, he thought...

No. You're the one doing this...Watch it.

And the half demon was torn when he realized he couldn't see anything through the bright, winding lights.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Shippo and Kohaku were planted near the front of the village, close to the woods. Kohaku dug small holes in the ground with his kusarigama while Shippo heaved out a large yawn; both had grown bored and lax from waiting by this time. They were just two, since Kaede had insisted on guarding the rear of the village, the area near the shrine, by herself.

"Things never change," Shippo muttered bitterly, hugging his legs to his chest. "Even after we tell them how we feel...we still get left behind." He rested his forehead onto his raised knees. "...I wish Yuzu was here."

Kohaku didn't answer, for what could he say if Shippo had already spoken exactly what the demon-slayer had been thinking.

Idly, Kohaku let his gaze drift upwards towards the top of the trees, blinking as he noticed there was just one leaf left. He looked around, taking in his surroundings, realizing that he and his sister had been sharpening their weapons in this exact spot only the day before.

He looked to the woods, over at the same placement of trees where Yuzu had rushed into to escape from Sango that day. And he shuddered, wondering if she would just become a lost loved one from his past like so many others... But he couldn't think that way. Things would turn out right.

Suddenly, there was a small crinkling noise and both demon-slayer and fox demon jumped at the sudden sound, glancing up...just as the last dry leaf, the sole survivor of what used to be a clan of over a hundred green lively flakes in the branches, gave into the winter breeze; its dried stem had snapped.

The two followed it with their eyes, watching as the leaf glided overhead before sinking and scraping to a limp stop on the ground. The other dead leaves had gone already, cleaned out by the wind or squished and mixed in with the dirt by the rain.

Thereafter, it wasn't long before the others returned. Neither Yuzu nor Koga accompanied them.

With the dark mood surrounding them, Kohaku expected bad news.

But Shippo, more oblivious, probably thought that Yuzu must've been with Koga, and the two were away together like usual-that everything had gone well and better than the situation had first seemed. He was bounding towards them excitedly. "Well? Well? Did you guys win?"

When no one answered, or even smiled at the little fox demon in greeting, Shippo felt his own grin wane. He was beginning to feel the same sense of something gone wrong that Kohaku had already caught on to.

Finally, Miroku was the one who first found the strength, voice, and words to reply.

"No," he answered quietly. "We killed Naraku. But we still lost."

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Down the cliff on which the battle had taken place, the corpse of a youth was sprawled in a clearing of frosted grass, facing skyward with limbs spread limply.

In that same field, a little girl danced, picking the prettiest flowers of the scarce winter blossoms she could find to make a bouquet. She wore a kimono that was checkered with custard-yellow and pale orange. Her hair was black and wild; a lock of it was pulled into a side-ponytail.

As she skipped around, she sung a song mentioning people with names such as "Jaken" and "Sesshomaru". Not too far from her, a dragon-like creature with two heads napped, lulled into slumber by the little girl's singing.

The little girl looked around, trying to find more flowers when she spotted the corpse. Her face broke into a grin.

"Oh, it's big sister!"

one more thing, tho...

DOES ANYONE KNOW THE WHEREABOUTS OF -KIYRI-?

-she's an author on the author of the fanfic "Expect the Unexpected" that features the male and female Kururugis as twins

-the last time i saw her, she was going by the name of Dailix and was doing a revised re-post of "Expect the Unexpected" (on hiatus?)