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Japanese wording

youkai: demon

Onii-chan: Older brother

Name: Hisoka: stealthy

hita-nasume: soul-steal, more literally or soul-stealer

Disclaimer: I don't own the Inuyasha characters and never will. I'm too tired to think up something better right now.

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Episode 8: Rescue Mission

The sky was dark, except for the eerie glow of the waning moon, which grew dark with each cloud that floated through the sky. The forest was also dark, only flickers of the moonlight reaching through the thick tree tops. Suddenly, a dark shadow leapt through the forest, barely rustling the leaves on the branches as it leapt. Soon, it came to the forest's edge and stopped, peering out at the village before it. It's eyes flicked around, searching, until it finally spotted what it was looking for. Near the largest hut in the village, was a small shrine, with a grave, marked with black Kanji. The figure's keen eyes, glanced over the Kanji.

Sesshoumaru, it read. There was more but that was all the figure needed to see.

"Perfect", it said, smirking.

It then swiftly leapt out of the forest, landing on a few huts here and there before finally, landing on the large hut, making only the slightest of sounds as it landed. Now, in the light of the moon, the figure could clearly be seen.

It seemed to be a man with short shoulder-length, greeinsh white, hair and piercing green eyes. He seemed to be a very old man but he had but a few wrinkles and he was not stooped over. Hidden behind his hair were two pointed ears, signifying his youkai blood and he had a greenish white beard. He wore a kimono, that actually seemed more like a robe then a kimono, of black and he carried a wooden staff.

The man straightened up from his position on the roof and leapt down onto the ground, turning towards the grave.

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Rin woke up, her slight priestess powers, feeling another presence nearby. She concentrated. A youkai presence. She threw away her blankets, quickly getting up and leaving the room. She went down the hall and into the main room. She, then, grabbed her bow and arrows, before quickly pushing aside the bamboo mat in front of the door.

She stopped, outside the door, concentrating on the presence and her eyes widened at it's location.

'Onii-chan's grave!'

She quickly ran around to the side of the hut and stopped, as she saw the man in front of her Onii-chan's grave. The man reached for the grave but Rin grabbed an arrow, notching it, and shot it at the youkai. The man easily side-stepped it and turned around.

"Do you really plan on trying to stop me?" the man said, in a voice that sounded old yet young at the same time.

Rin notched another arrow and said," What buissness do you have at this grave?"

He ignored the question and reached down again but Rin shot another arrow which he just dodged, moving out of the way, still reaching for the grave, burying his hand in the soil and pulling out a clay jar. Rin notched anther arrow, aiming at his heart.

"Put down Onii-chan's ashes and maybe i'll let you live", she said, through teeth clenched in anger.

"Onii-chan?" he said, smirking," Well isn't that intreasting."

"Put it down", she said, her grip tightening on the bow.

"And if I refuse?" he said.

"You die!" she cried, releasing the arrow.

He leapt into the air and onto the hut roof, his robes billowing behind him. Rin turned and he smirked over his shoulder.

"Who are you?" Rin said, realizing that she had run out of arrows, cursing herself for forgetting to refill them.

"I might as well tell you that much", he said," My name is Hisoka but i'm often referred to as the hita-nasumu. Surely, you've heard of me?"

Rin narrowed her eyes and hissed out," The soul-stealer."

"So you have heard of me", he said," I'm flattered."

"Why would you want Onii-chan's ashes?" she asked.

"I'm sorry but I will reveal no more", Hisoka smirked," but I think i'll leave you a little 'gift'."

"Wha-?" she said, but was cut off as the sound of wood hitting bone cracked through the air, as she collapse to the ground. The last thing she saw was Hisoka leaping away and a trickle of red dribbling down into her sight of vision, before her world became dark.

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Kagome was standing in front of a large tree, in the middle of the forest.

Where am I? , she tried to say but nothing came out. 'What? I can't say anything.'

She glanced around at her surroundings. 'Why does this place look familiar?'

Then her eyes widened as she gave a silent gasp. 'This. . . This is the place where Sesshoumaru supposedly betrayed!'

She looked at the tree behind her. 'And that's the tree where I was pinned!'

Kagome became confused. 'But. . . what am I doing here?'

She then felt something in her fingers. She lifted her hand up and her eyes widened. 'What?'

Between her thumb and forefinger was the Celestial jewel with the light blue chain attached to it. 'It's. . . whole. But...I thoug-'

"KAGOME!"

'Wha-' Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt something run through her chest, her back colliding with the tree. She gave a soundless cry before her head bent down, seeing the sword in her chest. 'Huh?'

She then, lifted her head, and her eyes widened. 'Inuyasha?'

She looked closer and caught her mistake. 'No. . . It's Sesshoumaru.'

Sesshoumaru stood there, looking at her with anger and betrayal as she stood pinned to the tree. 'Why. . . Why am I remembering this?'

Sesshoumaru's words came back to her from that day. "You're just a weak half breed and you always will be."

'I know you couldn't have possibly been to one to have said those things, Sesshoumaru. What happened?' Kagome felt her eyes burn,' Why. . .Why. . . Why?. . .'

"Sesshoumaru!!!!!!!!"

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Kagome shot up with a jolt almost falling from the tree, but she quickly caught her balance as she gulped for air. Her eyes were now wet but she scrubbed them with the green sleeve of her kimono, her other hand, gripping tightly onto the branch.

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Inuyasha lay sleeping in his army green sleeping bag, Kirara curled up against his side, a lot like a cat, with her tails, tucked near her face.

Kagome sat beside him, crosslegged, looking at him intently.

'It's so strange', she thought,' He looks so much like Sesshoumaru, yet. . . so different at the same time. They both have white hair and golden eyes. . . but Sesshoumaru had more of a. . . gracefulness about him. . . . Inuyasha has more of a. . . rugged look. . . maybe even a little wild in a ways.'

She stared at him for a while. He stirred a bit but she didn't notice because she was so deep in thought. Slowly, Inuyasha cracked open his eyes. Two light brown orbs were the first thing he saw.

"Gah!" Inuyasha shouted, startled and he shot up.

"Aaah!" Kagome cried out in suprise to his cry, falling backwards on the ground with a thump.

Kirara lifted herself a bit from where Inuyasha had incidently thrown her when he had shot up and said, half awake," Wa's wi' all th' ruckus?"(translated: What's with all the ruckus?)

"What was that for?!" Kagome shouted.

"Well, what did you expect for me to do, when I woke up with you that close to my face?!" Inuyasha shouted, unable to tell if his cheeks were discolored from anger or from how close she had been to him.

Kagome glared at him angrily before whirling around and shouting," I don't even know why I thought you were even a little like him!"

Inuyasha blinked at her, forgetting his anger, or was it embarressment? "Like who?"

Kagome just ignored him, not answering his question. Suddenly, she caught a smell on the wind. Her ears perked, hearing the slightest of rustling in the trees and she sniffed the air again.

"Kagome. . .", said Inuyasha," What's wrong?"

Kagome didn't hear him, to focused on listening to the fading sound of the rustling and the scent she had caught. 'I smell grave soil, youkai, . . . and blood.'

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"Hey, Kagome", said Inuyasha," Why are we going back to the village so early, I thought we weren't going back for at least another week."

Inuyasha was walking alongside Kirara, down the dirt road that should lead them back to the village. Kagome walked up ahead.

"Because I said so!" said Kagome," Now hurry up!"

'Something's bothering Kagome', Inuyasha thought,' I wonder what's wrong.'

Soon enough, they could see the village. They made their way to Rin's hut but Inuyasha spied her along the side of the hut, in front of some kind of small shrine, gathering some arrows that were near it.

"Hey, Rin", said Inuyasha.

Rin turned around and smiled," Hello Inuyasha, Kagome. . ."

Inuyasha's eyes widened as Rin turned fully around. "Rin. . ."

"Hm?" she said.

"Your head. . ." , he said, pointing at his head.

"What?" she said.

Rin had a bandage around her head, with a little bit of blood on it.

"Oh!" she said, understanding what he meant," That!"

"Yeah, that", said Inuyasha," What happened?"

"Don't worry about", said Rin," I just got cracked on the head with a wooden staff, is all."

"Wha-", said Inuyasha but Rin interrupted as she spotted Kirara.

"So who's this?"

"I'm Kirara", she said stepping foreward.

"Hello, Kirara", said Rin," I'm Rin. I'm the Headmistress of this village."

"Nice to meet you, Rin", said Kirara.

Inuyasha then noticed the small shrine behind Rin and the hole in the ground.

"Hey, Rin", said Inuyasha," What's that little shrine?"

Rin turned to look at the shrine and smiled, sadly," That Inuyasha. . . is Sesshoumaru Onii-chan's grave."

"Oh", said Inuyasha, his eyes flitting towards the stone with the black kanji and then the hole. "Hey. Why's there a hole in the grave?"

Rin sighed and turned around. "Last night. . . a youkai stole Sesshoumaru Onii-chan's ashes."

Inuyasha's eyes widened.

"Wha- What'd you say?" asked Kagome, staring in shock.

"Why should someone want to steal his ashes?" asked Inuyasha, glancng at Kagome out of the corner of his eye.

"That", said Rin," I do not know but I plan to get his ashes back. The youkai's the one who gave me the injury on my head. He called Hisoka but his more used title is the hita-nasumu."

"The soul stealer?" said Inuyasha.

"I think i've heard of him", said Kagome," He's known to take the souls of the dying so they can not pass on to the next life."

"Well that sucks", said Inuyasha.

Rin lifted an eyebrow. ". . .'sucks'?"

Inuyasha blinked at them and said,"Oh right. I forgot that they won't come out with that phrase for a while. Pretty much it means 'That's bad' or something like that."

"Oh", said Rin," Anyways, i've got to get Onii-chan's ashes back. I will not let that youkai just desecrate his grave like that!"

"You're not going by yourself are you?" said Inuyasha.

"Why, ye-" said Rin.

"I'm going too."

"What?" said Rin, turning her head.

Kagome was standing there with her bangs covering her eyes. "I said, i'm going too."

Rin looked at Kagome for a while before Kagome added," I have to."

Rin finally nodded and said," I understand."

Inuyasha bit his lip and then sighed. "I'll come too."

Rin looked at him and said," Alright."

"Well, you aren't leaving me here", said Kirara," Count me in!"

Rin looked at her and said," That's fine, as well."

'Now how did this turn from a solo mission to a four man trip', she thought.

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The four soon set off with Kagome leading the way because she knew the youkai's scent from smelling it last night and she having the best nose. Rin walked sort of in the middle with Kirara and Inuyasha just sort of stayed near the back watching Kagome.

'Kagome seems a bit. . . distant', Inuyasha thought,' though I guess I can't blame her. Someone did steal the ashes of the guy she loves.' Inuyasha's heart clenched as it seemed to be doing lately but he waved it off. 'I'd probably be kinda upset too, if someone did something like that to Dad's grave.' Inuyasha sighed. 'I wonder why this youkai would want Sesshoumaru's ashes? I mean, Kagome did say he was some kind of soul stealing demon. Why would he need ashes?'

He looked up at Kagome, who was walking ahead, her long midnight hair, flowing behind her. 'She seemed really upset when she heard that guy took Sesshoumaru's ashes. I know she loves him and I don't care. . . but then why do I feel like that when I think about it?'

Suddenly, Inuyasha found himself faced with a pair of agitated light brown orbs.

"Will you stop staring at me?! It's ahnnoying!"

Inuyasha blinked and Kagome came into view her hands on her hips.

"What?" he said, dumbly, his face growing hot at their close perimeter.

"I SAID, stop staring at me!" she repeated," You'd give even a demon the shivers with a stare like that."

"Yeah, a demon. . .", he mumbled, still staring, eyes wide.

Her eyebrows suddenly furrowed and she said," Your face is kind of red." She put her hand on his forehead, making Inuyasha get redder. "Are you sick or something?"

Inuyasha darted his eyes to the side, pleadingly. Rin just smiled and chuckled. Kirara who was standing growling lowly and glaring at Kagome, was being held by the back of the shirt by Rin.

"Kagome", said Rin, still smiling," Shouldn't we be continuing? It should be getting dark soon."

Kagome eyed Inuyasha one more time, confused before turning around, saying,"Fine" and heading back to the front again.

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It was dark now. Rin and Kirara were asleep while Kagome and Inuyasha were still up.

"Rin and Kirara have fallen asleep", Inuyasha observed.

Kagome nodded, as if not really hearing him, buried in her own thoughts. Inuyasha sighed and decided to follow Kagome's example, getting lost in thoughts of his own.

'What was wrong with me today?' he thought,' My face got so hot, it almost felt like it was on fire.'

'That would be called a blush.'

'Oh no,' he mentally groaned,' Not you! I thought i'd gotten rid of you!'

The voice chuckled. 'You can't get rid of me. I'm a part of you.'

'What do YOU want?'

'I just couldn't help but hear your thoughts and I just wanted to point out what you experienced was called a blush.'

'I know what a blush is! I'm not stupid!' Then as an afterthought,' And I don't blush.'

'So then, what do you call your face turning as red as a tomato?'

'Shuddap! I don't blush!'

'So. . . I imagined your face looking like a cherry?'

'Grrrrrrrrrr.' Inuyasha then gave a mental sigh and thought,' I don't know what's wrong with me.'

'Mm. . .'

'Hey! Do you know what's wrong with me?'

'Well. . . I. . .kinda can't tell ya.'

'What?! Why?'

'Because this is one of those things you have to figure out on your own.'

'Grrrrrrrrrrr. I hate you.'

'I know you do. I know you do.'

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Soon enough, it was the next day and they were heading off once again. A little while after they started, Kagome stopped and sniffed the air.

"What is it, Kagome?" Rin asked.

"We're getting closer", said Kagome," The smell of the youkai is stronger."

Rin nodded. "Alright then, let's keep moving."

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Later, far in a dark cave, deep in a forest, Hisoka worked away. Mixing the ashes with the body of an eighteen year old lord he had killed from nearby and then placed in an ancient potion which eventually would cause the ashes mixed in the body to change the body into the one which it's ashes were of.

(Translated into english, the really old potion would turn the lord's body in the the body of whoever the ashes are from. I found myself even having a hard time understanding what I had just written so I put a translation. n.n)

"At last", he said," I will have control over the original keeper of the jewell, who will help me find the shards. I hear only one can make you powerful but the whole jewel can grant the beholder's deepest desire. Just perfect."

Not much later, it was time to release his new creation from where it had been forming.

"Finally", he said, rushing over to the far corner of the cave where a stone basin lay, covered.

He quickly pushed aside the lid, revealing his creation to the dim cave light.

He lifted his staff above his head and cried," Now, RISE!" as he brought the staff bottom with a loud crack on the ground.

A greenish white light pulsed outwards, like the beating of a heart. Which each new pulse, was a new wave. The curled around the stone basin. Soon, the faint sound of a heart could be heard, beating slowly, but it soon became faster and louder. Suddnely, a pale hand lifted itself out of the basin and placed itself on the side, gently. Suddenly, the top of a white haired head, lifted itself from the basin followed by the rest of a body. Then, a leg pulled itself over the side followed by another before resting itself on the floor and standing before him.

The boy's body was lean and slender yet muscular as well, clearly stating his age of eighteen years. His long white hair was wet and dripped of the potion on to the floor. His skin was smooth with not a single blemish, perfect. His mouth was set in an emotionless line and his bangs shadowed his eyes. Slowly, with one last wave of light, he lifted his head, his eyes closed, before they slowly lifted open, revealing emotionless golden orbs.

"Finally", Hisoka said," I control the original keeper of the Celestial jewel. . . Sesshoumaru."

He then reached out his hand and flicked it towards himself. "Come forewards."

Sesshoumaru took one step before collapsing at Hisoka's feet.

"What?" Hisoka said, angrily.

He grabbed Sesshoumaru's hair and looked into his emotionless eyes before growling in anger and throwing him down.

"This is no good!" he cried," This body has no soul! That can only mean it's been reincarnated into another!"

He backhanded the Sesshoumaru body in his frustation, the body sprawling on the floor. He saw the body give a slight twitch of pain and a flash of emotion run through it's eyes.

"Wait", Hisoka breathed," It felt pain. It FELT."

He smirked. "There's still hope. The body could not have felt like that if it's soul was not nearby."

He turned around, emerging from the dark ressesses of the cave as he emitted one word. . . .

"Perfect."