Danger Amongst Them by Twist in fate

Something Stirs

Chapter 1

Inuyasha had just pushed her buttons too far today and she just had to get away before something within her broke free, ever since the day they had destroyed Naraku she had sensed something dark lurking just under the surface and the angrier she got the closer it felt.

Deciding that a walk wasn't going to help her cool off she broke into a jog trying to rid herself of the rising feeling that she was a danger to her pack if things didn't stay calm around her. She could feel the restless darkness that seemed to pace within her watching, waiting, and bidding its time for the right moment when it could escape.

Something rustled in the bushes behind her causing her to shy away, a little bit of fear rose to the surface because she couldn't sense anything in her vicinity and her fear was well rewarded when a large creature leapt out for her.

--Several Hours Later----

She moaned because her body ached all over and she could taste the coppery flavor of blood thick in her mouth, but what disgusted her the most was the fact that it wasn't her blood. Somehow she knew it wasn't hers, cracking her eyes open she peered around herself cautiously and found that she wasn't where she should've been.

She had traveled feudal lands enough to know that she was a long way from her group, farther than she should've been during any circumstances, but how had she gotten there? It most likely had something to do with the taste of blood that still clung to her tongue, still the confusion hung over her as to how she had gotten there when the last thing she remembered was a beast that had leapt from the bushes intent on killing her. Deciding that just sitting around was getting her nowhere she stood and walked in the direction that should take her back to the others if they were still there.

--33--33--33--

Time Lapse

Inuyasha had grown worried when Kagome hadn't returned yet after leaving a good hour ago, naturally he followed her scent but was utterly confounded by what he found at its end. There laying before him was the biggest black panther demon he had ever seen in his entire life and it had been dead for at least forty minutes, but that wasn't what confused him the most something had ripped its throat out and had eaten a small portion of it before fleeing the area.

Not to mention that Kagome's scent had ended completely, like she had stopped and doubled back on her trail or just vanished into thin air, but there was the unfamiliar scent of another beast that had most likely been the cause of this panther's death. A panther demon this size wouldn't have been an easy kill, and from the scent left behind by the beast that had killed it, it would appear that Kagome had disappeared right when the beast had appeared. And again that was confusing because those two scents were the same age as the panther's apparent time of death which bothered him the most, he wondered if the thing that had killed the panther had been the same thing that apparently took Kagome.

He rushed back to the others in order to get them before he set out to find her, darkness would be falling within a few hours and they couldn't waste what precious time they had to find her. There was just something about that scent that just told him that whatever it was, it was very dangerous and big so time was of the essence in saving their beloved friend. Guilt ate at him because he had made her angry enough to storm off without a second thought to grab her bow and arrows, and now she was missing.

--33--33--33--

Kagome had walked for hours and the sun had long since past its zenith in the sky and things were eerily silent for such a beautiful day in the feudal era. As she walked she noticed things that she shouldn't have noticed before, the scent of death hung cloyingly in the air and she reckoned it was the cause for the eerie silence. There were several dead and mutilated animals along her path and she was glad that she didn't have anything to eat because she wouldn't be holding it down. Relief flooded through her when she felt Inuyasha's aura grow closer to her and then she saw him top a hill not too far from her.

"Kagome? Are you alright?" asked Inuyasha.

Sango on the other hand came running up to her and gave her a desperate hug then asked "What happened to you Kagome you look awful? Your clothes are near rags even, did you kill that huge panther demon? It looked like another creature had torn it to shreds and then run off with you."

"I...I don't remember anything after the attack, did you bring my bag?" She asked and was ecstatic to see that they had, knowing there was a hot spring nearby she asked Sango to join her and went to clean up. After she had undressed and started into the spring she heard Sango gasp from behind her, turning she was about to ask what when she noticed the horrified look on Sango's face.

"Ka...Kagome...your back....it has blood red markings all over it, I've never seen marking such as these...." Sango examined Kagome's back closer and sighed in frustration before asking "Have you noticed anything weird lately?" Those marks had an odd patterning to them, but she had no idea what they meant, but they had to mean something though.

"No, but let's not say anything to the others until we know what this means."

"Okay"

--33--33--33--

Elapsed Time

Sometime during the night a figure clad in white bolted up when a lonely howl tore through the night, it sounded close and the message contained in the howl felt as though the beast was searching for something or someone. It piqued his natural curiosity because it had been a long time since he had last heard the howl of that particular creature and he wanted to find out how one had survived when they thought them to be extinct. Deciding sleep wasn't going to come on a night when his mind was roiling with questions he needed to find answers for he decided to start his search.

--33--33--33--

Normal Time

Sango had decided that it would be best to keep a close eye on Kagome in order to see if anything was out of the ordinary about her friend. She had been wracking her brain for answers since she had seen the odd markings, and a few legends were the only things that had managed to present themselves and they were entirely implausible. The creatures that coincided with the markings her friend now bore were an extinct race according to all demonology and the slayers extensive research of the creatures they hunted and slain. Her memory was all that remained of her villages histories and the information obtained on demons, she was certain that there was no way Kagome could become something that had been extinct for hundreds of years and it took one of them to turn you.

Kagome wasn't far from convincing herself that she had officially lost it, because ever since last night the darkness seemed even closer to the surface, even easier to provoke. She felt the danger beneath her cool exterior, but didn't know what it meant or why she was experiencing such a thing.

Sango was watching her she knew, but she didn't want her friend to know about this feeling inside of her, Sango was worried enough as it was and didn't need more to worry about. Kagome could tell that whatever it was would come out if provoked enough now and that was what she blamed the lack of memory on, something had locked her out of her own mind and taken control of her body last night, but what?

There weren't voices in her head only feelings and emotions that were foreign to the ones she always felt, whatever it was seemed to be lonely and dangerous because of it. She felt that staying with her group would endanger them, but if she ran off they would search for her until they knew she was safe. So what was a girl to do? Either way her friends would be in danger from her unknown controller when pushed to far.

A twig snapped and she jumped startled by it the sudden noise and the darkness within threatened to take over at her loss of calm. Realizing that it was just a rabbit she went back into her silent musings trying to decipher the emotions swirling just under the surface of her own.

Night fell quickly and she was surprised that so much time had passed since she had rejoined her group, sighing quietly she settled down next to the fire and waited for supper to cook. Shortly after her meal she grabbed her bathing supplies and her bow before walking off into the woods following her nose to a hot spring. Wait a minute.... since when was her nose capable of smelling so well? And now that she thought about it she had smelled some pretty bizarre scents today that she had never smelled before. What the hell was going on with her?

--33--33--33--

When she came to, at what was apparently dawn, all she remembered was stepping into the hot spring to take her bath and that was as far as her memory got her. At least she didn't wake with the coppery flavor of blood in her mouth, but she was at least a day's travel from where they had stopped last night and in a cave no less.

--33--33--33--

Elapsed Time sometime after she reached the spring...

Sesshomaru froze in his tracks, there was that lonesome howl again and he was determined to find the source as quickly as possible, last night and today's search had lead him to nothing but dead ends it would seem. Whatever the creature was it was good at leaving no way to track it after the path of destruction it had left in its obvious wake, what bothered him most though was the peculiar similarities between the it, or rather her, and the beast that was supposed to be extinct. His father had never found one since the fateful day he had accidentally killed the last one. Yeah the beast could've created more, but new ones were dangerous to anyone that got near them and set off their tempers.

Pain also affected them and made them volatile, new ones had blood thirst that left unchecked by the Alpha of the pack could mean the end of most of the pack. Berserkers, that was the name of the ones who lost all contact with their logical human side, and he felt a small sliver of fear for the first time. What if he was hunting down one of those? What if she was one of those creatures that were more legend now than reality? He hoped he could find her before she became a Berserker, because not even the mighty Inu No Taishou would've taken on a Berserker. And that knowledge frightened and excited him at the same time, fear for his life and excitement for the fight that would surely ensue if he encountered what he was beginning to believe with a conviction was a weredog of ancient lore.

He didn't even hear her approach before she held him pinned to the forest floor, growling out her challenge for him fight or die. In her brilliant silver eyes he could see intelligence lurking in the shadows and knew she was still sane, relief flooded through him at that knowledge causing her to growl more in response to his relief. A yip told him that she wanted a fair fight on the same grounds with no poisons to be used by him. Soon a large white dog stood before an equally sized sleek black and silver german shepherd like dog, but on a much larger and more elegant scale.

--33--33--33--

Hope you enjoy this, I have been wanting to do something similar to this for quite a while now and finally found the right trigger to get it started.