Heart blood and soul

Thank you Leomae, Crystal Renee, Eekolie, GothicBlacre, JEM46, Annie mea, Crissy69 for reviewing

Leomae: Your fears of Ryu being stronger than Inuyasha are set aside, it will be explained in this chapter just what having Inutaisho’s blood in his system means.

Crystal Renee: I was almost afraid you were going to read the whole story in one setting, that would not have been good for your brain. But thank you so much for the reviews!

Eekolie: *bows rather shyly* Thanks for the applause, I try. And Vana just desires to say something. Vana: *waves euthanstically* Hiya!

GothicBlarce: Yes, very evil match, which is why they are so perfect for one another! You have to give the two of them that; they are the darkest pairing in the series.

JEM46: Don’t worry, school has been what’s keeping me from writing these chapters.

Chapter 17 -One LONG ass chapter-
Ookami followed after Aran, Maeko’s mate, through the forest, heading to his village. Ookami felt Kaida tighten her hold on his fur as the wind whipped around them, making her hair fly around, sometimes blocking his sight for a second or so. He raced on ahead, trying to keep the neko in his sight.

Kaida nestled closer into Ookami’s back, trying to figure out how long they had been traveling to the village. It was about dawn when Ookami had lifted her up and the argument about Ookami going into his full form so she could continue to rest woke her up. The argument had been ended quickly when she had muttered and snuggled deeper into Ookami’s embrace.

Ookami had agreed, albeit reluctantly, to stay in his human form after Aran reminded him that as a full wolf he would draw attention. So now they had been running since that moment and it seemed dusk was setting upon them.

Kaida yawned, feeling tired from having to hang onto Ookami, even though if she had let go his hold on her legs would keep her from falling.

She felt Ookami slow down, before stopping and setting her down, growling for Aran to stop. The cat demon turned around and sighed. “Why did you stop wolf?”

Ookami growled at the nickname and nodded his head to Kaida. “She’s tired and probably hungry. We’ve run all day, and even though it’s suppose to be a two day journey we haven’t made it there yet.”

Aran rolled his eyes, motioning to the hill. “Just one more hill. The village and the lake are on the other side of this hill. We can get food there. Now come on!”

Kaida raised an eyebrow but said nothing about Aran’s behavior as Ookami picked her up bridal style, walking at a leisurely pace as to not disrupt Kaida. Kaida decided to take this time to dwell on Aran’s behavior change; the childish behavior that seem to overtake him was undeniable.

Ookami notices Kaida’s behavior and stopped, leaning against a tree. “What’s the matter Kaida?”

Kaida looked into Ookami’s brown eyes and sighed. “Aran’s behavior. Isn’t it strange?”

Ookami shrugged, jostling her in his arms. “Sorry. But no it’s not. He’s getting to see his mate. He’s happy. You know how that is right? Don’t you remember your mother before she came in contact with Inuyasha?”

Kaida smacked her forehead. “I’m really too stressed out. Of course he’s excited about seeing his mate again.”

Ookami chuckled as he started walking again, setting Kaida on her feet. They gazed at the settlement that was just below them, taking in the lake that rested to the left of the rather bustling village. Kaida narrowed her eyes, trying to see where Aran had gone off to.

Ookami chuckled at Kaida’s clueless expression. “They are right down there.” He said, pointing at what appeared to be nothing but a blur for Kaida. “Come on, lets get this underway so we can get out of here.”

Kaida merely nodded, following after Ookami very slowly. As she entered the boundaries of the village, she noticed Ookami’s tensed body and she laid a hand on his biceps, feeling the muscle contract under her touch.

Ookami didn’t know why he was tensing, maybe it was just the instinct of being around so many humans. He may not look like a hanyou, but when monks like Miroku or the like looked at him, it was as if they knew what he was hiding behind the youkai attribution.

Ookami felt Kaida’s touch land on his bicep and involuntarily flinched, not expecting the comforting touch. He felt her lean into him and stretched his senses to try and figure out what was making her so tense, but could find nothing. Instead he allowed her to draw comfort from him, as he drew silent comfort from her presence.

When they reached the center village, Kaida was greeted by a hanyou version of Satya. She did not posses the tattoo on her forehead, but she still had the same facial features. “You must be Kaida.” The woman spoke, her hand wrapped in Aran’s.

Kaida bowed in respect, glaring at Ookami to do the same. “And you are Maeko-san, are you not?”

The inu-hanyou chuckled. “Yes, I am Maeko, and I hear that you are in need of my body. Or so my pre-incarnation says.” Kaida nodded, looking the woman in the eye. Maeko didn’t let Kaida say anymore as she held up her hand. “Let us do this body switch. I am sure you are familiar with the procedure.”

“Yes, if you mean the soul exchange.”

Maeko nodded, motioning to the shrine in the center of the village. “The village priest will perform the soul exchange. You must be first-”

“I know, our bodies must be submersed in the mixture that will extract our souls. This done our bodies will then be placed where the soul exchange will occur, placing your soul in this clay body, and my soul in your body.” Kaida looked at Maeko with impassive eyes as her mind brought forth the memories of what placed her in this situation. “Am I not correct?”

Maeko’s eyes widened slightly at how cold Kaida’s voice had turned and resisted her urge to embrace the child. Aran tightened his hold on her, wrapping one arm around his mate’s waist. “Yes, that is the procedure that the priest told me about.”

Kaida nodded, stepping away from Ookami’s comfort. “Well, then, lets get this finished.”

Ookami placed his hand on Kaida’s shoulder, drawing her back to his chest. “Ookami, let me go.” Kaida hissed, but her voice held a pleading tone to it. “I just want this to be over.”

Ookami nodded, letting Kaida go, but not before reminding her of something. “I’ll be right here waiting for you. If you need me, all you have to do is call.”

Kaida said nothing as she stepped away, following Maeko into the shrine, never looking back, because she knew Ookami was going to be there to help her live with these memories again.
*~*~*~*
Sesshomaru’s head shot up as the smells from Ryu’s room came back. He wrinkled his nose and looked confused as he stood up, walking to his brother’s room. Sesshomaru opened the door, knowing his brother and his brother’s mate had stopped their mating for the moment.

The smell of sex assaulted the nose of the taiyoukai and his gold eyes fell to the futon where his brother laid, stroking Kagome’s back lightly.

“What do you want Sesshomaru?” Inuyasha asked, looking up at his brother with a lazy eye. A lot had changed between them in these few days; they had fallen into the role of brothers, accepting that both of them were fathers.

“Follow me. There is a scent in my castle, one that I recognize.” Sesshomaru said, stepping out of the room to give his brother the privacy he needed to put some cloths on.

Inuyasha stepped out of the room a moment later, dressed in his hamaka and haori. He nodded for Sesshomaru to go on with his exclamation. “It seems that for a short while all contact with Ryu’s room was lost. When it returned, I detected a scent that was very faint, but still, it reminded me of someone.”

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, waiting for Sesshomaru to say who the person was. When icamecame apparent Sesshomaru would say no more Inuyasha decided to persist. “Who is the someone?”

“Our father.”

Inuyasha blinked slowly, before leaning against the wall, his head in his hands. “Are- are you sure? I mean, if it was our father, why would he want to see Inu-Kana, Ryu and Shippo?”

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. “That’s why we are going to ask them, little brother. So we can find out that sort of information.”

Inuyasha sighed, following after Sesshomaru. His mind traveled, wondering how he could have missed the cut off from Ryu’s scent. Was he really that caught up in watching Kagome sleep? Or, was he realizing that Ryu was actually mature enough to be out on his own.

Sesshomaru didn’t bother knocking on the door; instead he opened the door to find all three boys sitting down in a semicircle, gazing at erenerent things.

Shippo was gazing at a red bag like it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Inu-Kana was feeling the material of the fire rat, running his hand over the coarse fur. And Ryu, well Ryu was gazing at his wrist where a scar was forming.

Inuyasha looked over Sesshomaru’s shoulder and raised an eyebrow. He scanned all three boys before drawing their attention with a sharp cough. “Where did you get these things?”

All three youkai snapped their heads up, looked sheepishly at one another before looking back at their fathers. Their faces resembled the looks of ones who heen een walked in on while gazing at hentai. Inu-Kana came down from his shock the first. He placed his new robes to the side and looked his father in the eye.

“The truth? We were given them by our grandfather.”

Sesshomaru’s mask fell slightly, the mask he had planned on keeping in place since he had lost his mate. “Your grandfather?”

“Yes, I sense that Inutaisho-sama’s aura still lingers in this chamber. Most peculiar.” Myouga muttered from his perch on Inuyasha’s shoulder.

Inuyasha looked down at the flea, knowing that meant they were safe from danger at least. “What do you mean, old man?”

Myouga coughed, drawing all attention to him. “Well, it’s quite simple, though peculiar. Inutaisho-sama returned in spirit form to help the boys around. Inuyasha, you know how you had to surpass your father in skill?” Inuyasha nodded, wondering what Myouga was getting at. “Inutaisho-sama came here to help Ryu, Shippo and Inu-Kana gain the skill to defeat Naraku themselves. This is their time to fight. The first generation will not fight. Something will stop you from doing so. It has already started with Tama-san becoming pregnant. This hindrance will pull Kouga to be more careful. The real fight will rest in the hands of these children.”

All three boy youkai looked at one another, a sense of responsibility resting upon them. Sesshomaru turned his gaze back to them. “What did father give to you?”

The question drew attention back to Sesshomaru, the three boys having to snap out of their thoughts. Inu-Kana held up the fire rat robes, and Shippo held up the bag filled with cherry bombs.

Sesshomaru turned his gaze to Ryu, the only male hanyou. Ryu turned his blue eyes up to his father and uncle before he stood, attaching dokkasou to his hip. “Father, I want to show what grandfather gave to me. I want to test it.”

Inuyasha’s eyebrows shot up but he nodded, resting his hand on tetsusaiga. “Okay, I’ll fight you.”
*~*~*~*~*
Sango walked through the forest, trying to locate some sense of direction in the dark area. Since Tama had gone back to her den to wait and give birth the two humans were left without much a sense of direction other than where they were going. She looked back to see Matsu following behind her, using his staff to knock away the brush that blocked his way.

“Sango-san, do you have any idea where we are going?”

Sango shook her head, looking back at her grandson. “I know where we are supposed to be going, it’s just the problem of getting there.”

Matsu sighed and sat down on a log that had fallen over, figuring they could rest for a short while. He looked up at his grandmother as she scanned the trees, trying to decipher something. He chuckled at the image she made. “Grandmother, rest. Though you say you don’t need rest, you truly do. We are lost and a youkai will certainly find us.”

Sango thought for a moment, and then relented. “Fine. We will rest here tonight, but tomorrow we need to find our way out of this forest.”

“Why not find it out tonight?” A voice asked.

Sango turned and gasped at Inutaisho standing in the middle of the forest, dressed as regal as he was when she witnessed him all those years ago. “Inutaisho-san. What are you doing here?” She asked, looking him over with a critical eye.

“You are lost in the forest. Your senses are not as strong as they use to be, taijiya. I also owe you for helping my son defeat Naraku the first time. Please, I will escort you to the Western Castle.”

Matsu watched with learning eyes as his grandmother bowed to the youkai, slinging hiraikotsu over her shoulder. Matsu followed suit, bowing low to the dead taiyoukai.

Inutaisho looked at the two humans and nodded for them to follow him.
*~*~*~*~*
Naraku smiled a cruel smile at the things he saw through the mirror. It was being held by a girl who looked just like Kanna, except she had gold eyes instead of the emotionless silver-blue of Kanna.

Kikyo looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. “I figure you have found your prey?”

Naraku chuckled lightly. “Yes, so Sango is alive, but her memories have returned. And my link to her seems to have lessened enough for her to be in control.”

“What do you plan to do, my mate?” Kikyo asked, winding a hand into the folds of Naraku’s kimono.

“Nothing at the present time. Things are so much better to take away after you have grown attached to it. I will focus on Kaida and Ookami for now.”

He nodded for the girl to flip images to where Kaida was being lead into a small tub, a demoness that bared strikingly similarity to Sesshomaru getting into the other tub right next to her.

“Interesting. It seems they have discovered how to do the soul exchange. This might prove useful.” Naraku looked up to the shoji door. “Baka!” He ordered.

The oni that had kidnapped Rin appeared behind the door. “Yes, my lord.”

“I want you to go to this village and stalk Kaida and Ookami. When they are defenseless, both asleep, I want you to kill the wolf and bring girlgirl to me so I may kill her myself when I see the time fitting. Is that understood?”

Baka nodded, looking up at his lord. “Naraku-sama, what will I get as a reward?”

Naraku allowed a cold smile to cross his lips. “You may eat their souls.”
*~*~*~*~*

Kagome met the two hanyous at the training room’s gate. She had a scowl imprinted on her face and her body language screamed anger. “What do you think you are doing? Neither of you are healed enough to be training right now.”

Ryu raised an eyebrow at his mother’s statement. “Mom, I’m not hurt. And I’m healed quite well. Father might not be, but I know I am.”

Inuyasha sighed and stepped between his mate and son. “Kagome, go back to our room. Ryu wants to show me something.”

Kagome huffed and crossed her arms. “I think not Inuyasha! If you guys want to train you can do so with me watching.”

Inuyasha was about to decline Kagome and forcibly remove her from his presences, just so she wouldn’t be in any danger, but Sesshomaru beat him to it.

“Miif yif you demand to be present then you must stay by me. You may not interfere with their fight. If you do, I will remove you without thought of consequences. Understood, Miko?”

Kagome nodded, glaring at Inuyasha as they walked into the room. Soon everyone was waiting for the two hanyous to begin their battle.

Kagome looked at both hanyous, gazing at how similar the two looked. She watched as they looked each other over, measuring the other up even though they knew how each fought.

‘I’ll stay hanyou for now. I have to see how much the grandfather’s youkai blood has effected this form.’ Ryu thought before he he struck out, his body twisting to follow his father’s side step.

Inuyaalloallowed himself to fall on the defensive, his body avoiding all of Ryu’s attacks. Soon enough Inuyasha had let himself be trapped in a corner, and had watched with inward annoyance as Ryu fell right into his obvious trap.

Inuyasha growled, flexed his claws before pulling them up, attacking Ryu with his sankon tesso. Ryu’s eyes widened and he tried to dodge the attack, but the sharp lights caught his leg, making him fall onto his back and slide across the floor.

Ryu looked up and only had a second to move before Inuyasha’s next attack hit him. Ryu flipped over Inuyasha’s head, gasping for breath as he drew dokkasou. Inuyasha smirked and caught the edge of dokkasou as it swung at him, but as his flesh held the blade he felt acid pierce through his skin.

Inuyasha yelped and jumped back looking Ryu over. “What the hell?” He asked as he noticed Ryu’s eyes were now the demonic red and piercing blue of the youkai form. Two red stripes followed the curve of Ryu’s cheek, as well as his wrists, much like Sesshomaru.

But that’s not what what shocked Inuyasha the most, no it was Ryu’s ears. They had slid from atop his head to real youkai ears on the side of his head. Something that never happened when Inuyasha had changed to youkai.

Kagome gasped at the feral grin that crossed Ryu’s lips as hokedoked at the markings on his wrist. His fangs had grown a tad bit and become sharper.

Sesshomaru was even shocked as he looked over his now-youkai nephew. But then a pleased smile crossed his rather impassive face. “He has controlled it.”

Inuyasha smirked. “So it seems.” Inuyasha pulled tetsusaiga out, watching as it transformed into it’s larger form. “Now lets see just how powerful your youkai form is.” Inuyasha muttered under his breath.

Father and son lunged at each other, both swords crossing, waiting for the other to give in. Inuyasha watched as each time their swords struck the acid would leak onto his sword. Inuyasha knew he would have to either forfeit or lose his tetsusaiga to dokkasou’s attack.

Inuyasha caught Kagome’s eyes from askance and sighed, knowing he was worrying her with this seemingly unimportant battle. Inuyashaped ped away from Ryu’s attack and sheathed tetsusaiga, muttering an “osuwari,” which made Ryu fall face first into the ground.

A now-hanyou looked up at his father and growled, “Just because you were losing didn’t mean you had to freaking SIT me!”

Inuyasha just keh’d and turned his back on Ryu. “You only were winning because your attack is so deadly. You were losing as a hanyou, so that means only your bases of skill has surpassed me. That means you have the potential to be stronger then me.”

A deep chuckle filled the room and all the inhabitants looked towards the door, shocked that someone had gotten into the castle without at least one of them sensing somng. ng.

Sesshomaru however relaxed as he remembered that his father was lingering around, and that voice sounded vaguely familiar. Sesshomaru’s gaze shifted over to the door where two humans stood in front of his father.

Kagome looked at the taijiya with wide eyes, taking in the way the chocolate brown eyes shone with happiness, something that could only mean one thing. “Sango, have you gotten away from Naraku’s control somehow?”

The taijiya nodded, walking up to Kagome and embracing her, tears rolling down her face. “I’ve missed you so much Kagome-chan.”

Kagome nodded hugging her best friend back, relieved that she had broken free. “So have I, Sango. So have I.”
*~*~*~*~*

Kaida stepped out of the shrine, blinking at the way the night light looked, her eyes not used to the hanyou night vision. When she opened the silver eyes of Maeko’s body she was surprised to see Aran and Ookami advancing the pair together.

Each male instinctively went to their chosen mate, going by soul, not outward appearance. Ookami looked at Kaida with questioning eyes, before turning to Aran, bowing deeply.

“Thank you Aran-san, Maeko-san.” He said before turning back Kaida wondering if she would do the same.

Maeko smiled at the two, resting her hand on Aran’s biceps. “As long as it defeats Naraku. Or at the very least, helps put him to rest, lose his power.”

Kaida shook her head. “No, we are going to kill Naraku. We will settle for no less. Ookami nodded his head in agreement, wrapping a protective arm around Kaida.

Aran, amazingly, didn’t do anything to stop the contact. Ookami realized this all too quickly and his mind tried to process it. Hadn’t Aran threatened him to not touch Maeko’s body while Kaida inhabited it? Or did Aran and Maeko have the connection of the soul, where the body did not matter?

Kaida smiled, still trying to adjust back to hanyou senses. “Well, I guess we should be off. My mother and father must be worried sick. Not to mention my brother.”

Ookami inwardly winced at the mention of Ryu, silently dreading the conversation with his best friend. He snapped back to the present at Kaida’s insistent shaking of her head. “Are you sure, Kaida-san? It might be best if you stay the night.”

Ookami looked at Kaida, waiting for her response, wondering what could be her reasoning for not wanting to stay the night.

“No Maeko-san. Without me imposing on our travel, Ookami and I can make better time. Besides, it would be wrong to impose on you.”

Maeko shook her head. “It would not be imposing. And you have just gone through the soul exchange. Are you sure you are not tired?”

Kaida shook her head. “No, I am not, amazingly. But if you are Maeko-san, then by all means rest. Ookami and I should take our leave. Isn’t that right, Ookami?”

Ookami looked into Kaida’s now-silver eyes and nodded in agreement. “Hai, we should be on our way. We will hopefully reach our village by tomorrow’s nightfall, if not dawn of the next day if we keep a constant pace without any stops.”

Aran placed an arm around Maeko’s shoulder. “Mate, if they want to leave it would be nonsense to stop them. After you defeat Naraku, you will return here, correct?”

Kaida smiled. “Of course, I give you my word.”
It seems that I can not post this whole chapter in it’s full length here.... so I will just have to have a part two. Carry on then!